Kodi is great with lots of functionality; but also a bit overwelming for the young users. And old ones like me don't need all functionality either :-)
Is it possible to make Kodi show very limited functionality?
Just:
- Movies
- TV
- Streams configured as Add-ons.
That's it. Not even one extra option. And most certainly no access to anything sort of cofiguration.
The kids are allowed to view anything because there's are no movies on my NAS that are not suited for young kids.
I'm able to hide lots of functionality but for example I can't configure away System.
In the movies menu I still have an option to browse my movie files.
Ideally would be if the main screen shows 3 options (Movies, streams, TV) and when click on those options Kodi jumps to a list without any possibility configure, need to do more clicking besides selecting the stream, movie or TV
Is that possible?
I'd suggest you look at the Transparency skin. That will enable you to go into skin settings --> menu and select only the homescreen options you want along with deactivating submenus. Also disable 'show parent items' in the general settings menu appearance --> file lists.
Thanks it looks like what I need. Didn't fully explore it because I can't alter settings because I configured that button away :-)
Is there a way to get to settings?
Done the same thing myself in the past. There's two places to access settings, either the full menu tab on the homescreen, or in the shutdown menu as a small icon at the top.
If you've deleted both, the way to get it back is to close Kodi, go to the settings.xml file, which will be in AppData\Roaming\Kodi\userdata\addon_data\skin.transparency and look for the line that says <setting id="Hide_Shutdown_Settings" type="bool"></setting>. This will probably say true at the moment, so change it to false, save and restart Kodi and the settings should be back in the shutdown menu.
There are 2 ways I use to stop kids (or parents) messing with the set up:
1. Use the Masterlock under system settings, and set a pin or password and choose to lock the settings menu.
2. Threaten the kids with back-to-back episodes of Downton Abbey if they meddle (doesn't work with parents though).
Hope that works,
Luckily I haven't configured away the power button. So that was easy.
I was under the impression all skins have the same functionality/settings; but it's just presented in different way.
Is that true?
(I hope not because I really love the Artic:Zephyr skin!)
Paul you sound like a good guy but I can't agree with torturing children you suggested in point 2 :-)
Thanks for your help.
(2015-09-07, 12:47)WelshPaul Wrote: [ -> ]Also disable 'show parent items' in the general settings menu appearance --> file lists.
That works but has a drawback. Everything has to be in one folder.
Right now I have things organized a little by putting things in different folders.
Action, Thriller, SF, Sponge Bob and Spiderman :-)
The problem is if I go into a folder I can't back out because the parent button is gone.
I'm thinking of something commonly used on FTP servers.
You can go trough all folders but never past a certain point.
In Kodi that means the viewer can watch click trough all folders containing movies but never can get out of the movie folder. Maybe that's possible with an addon?
Quote:I was under the impression all skins have the same functionality/settings; but it's just presented in different way.
Is that true?
A skinner would be able to give you a proper answer, but my understanding is that they use choose particular attributes of the core functionality along with available add-ons such as skin widgets to create into their skins. Some will make pretty much every possible option available (like Aeon) whereas others try to keep it quite straightforward (like confluence). Their real skill is balancing appearance and functionality. I thought Transparency would be a good choice for restricted use (kids, seniors) as it's very stable but gives a lot more options to personalise than confluence. I don't really know a lot about Arctic Zephyr, try their forum. It's a lot about personal preference and what works well on your system.
Quote:That works but has a drawback. Everything has to be in one folder.
Sorry, I assumed you would be using library mode rather than browsing through file manager. I would have thought utilising the library and adding a sub-menu for genres would be the easier way to go. I imagine the way you propose is possible, but I can't think how to easily achieve it myself.
(2015-09-08, 10:18)MediaGuy Wrote: [ -> ] (2015-09-07, 12:47)WelshPaul Wrote: [ -> ]Also disable 'show parent items' in the general settings menu appearance --> file lists.
That works but has a drawback. Everything has to be in one folder.
Right now I have things organized a little by putting things in different folders.
Action, Thriller, SF, Sponge Bob and Spiderman :-)
The problem is if I go into a folder I can't back out because the parent button is gone.
I'm thinking of something commonly used on FTP servers.
You can go trough all folders but never past a certain point.
In Kodi that means the viewer can watch click trough all folders containing movies but never can get out of the movie folder. Maybe that's possible with an addon?
You have 3 choices as far as I can see.
1. Set your content and scan your folders. That way kodi generates a database of your films, and you can have all the films on the home page. You can also link to playlists on the homepage, so you could (for instance) go to Spongebob in 1 click, or go to a combination of action, thriller, sci-fi (whatever you want) in 1 click.
2. Put all your current folders into one master folder. Link to that on the home screen (add the folder to favourites or use video nodes), so when you click on it you're shown the sub-folders.
3. Put everything in 1 folder and link to that.
I do the first - I wouldn't even think of using the others unless it was for something that couldn't easily be scanned.
I use video nodes for some sports stuff and home videos, basically because I can't be bothered to write .nfo's and add them to the library - but for films all you have to do is make sure they're named properly (might be a pain initially) and kodi does the rest.