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[CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Printable Version

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RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Rufoo - 2015-12-21

(2015-12-19, 05:50)ldavet Wrote: Cool! I think he deleted the Github page because he didn't want anything to do with AL anymore. If you forked it on Github, it would still be a fork with his work listed as master and people would keep pestering him with support questions unrelated to bugs which he claimed was the main reason he declared AL unsupported.

If you take over and become project manager, "you" will be responsible for support from now on. So it makes sense for you to lead the project with the blessing from Angelscry. Smile

Ha! Smile

Perhaps I have misrepresented my intentions? I have no interest in taking over Advanced Launcher on a community based level and Angelscry isn't "passing the torch", so to speak. So I won't be responsible for nor providing any support for it. I am making a variant of it...

Image

Yah! So in my spare time that I have to dedicate to Kodi projects, I try and give this a little time. It's called Expanded Launcher and have started doing the following. Remove legacy XBMC support / rewrite (started), Add scraper for Wikipedia (mostly done), Remove defunct AllGame scraper (done), Add support for Rating, Developer, & Players flags (done). I still want to update TheGamesDB scraper to grab the information for the new flags, maybe add some other flags for hardware based information (eg: Super Nintendo's CPU, Sound Processor, etc...) that can be scraped from Wikipedia entries, and perhaps add things like being able to assign an audio file to each game / entry. Dunno, whatever takes my fancy I guess.

Basically, I'm just adding stuff I'd like to be able to see myself and in turn use for my views I design for Cirrus as I use these in my own home for my Kodibox. My aim is to just make my Kodibox feel as console like as possible, so I started designing my own views now I need to take it a step further by modifying the guts of where these views get the information from. Big Grin


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - lollo78 - 2015-12-21

Hi Rufoo!
When we could beta-test it? Wink


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - sudopinion - 2015-12-21

very cool. looking forward to these developments.


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Zpectre87 - 2015-12-22

(2015-12-21, 10:44)Rufoo Wrote: Ha! Smile

Perhaps I have misrepresented my intentions? I have no interest in taking over Advanced Launcher on a community based level and Angelscry isn't "passing the torch", so to speak. So I won't be responsible for nor providing any support for it. I am making a variant of it...

Still good enough to me. Smile


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Rufoo - 2015-12-22

(2015-12-21, 15:22)lollo78 Wrote: Hi Rufoo!
When we could beta-test it? Wink

Currently Expanded Launcher exists in two forms, the first, is a mod-as-I-go version of Advanced Launcher where I just shoehorn stuff in and tear stuff out. Little regard is given beyond making sure whatever is done just functions, the cleanliness or accuracy of the implmentation is of little regard. The second form is a clean rewrite which chucks out legacy code for XBMC and cleanly implements things anew as much of A L does need an overhaul in certain elements.

As for when either one of these will be released, most likely the first form will be the one first shared as the second one is a far lengthier process (and if enough just works with the shoehorn approach I may not both completing the second form). This will most likely come due around the time I release my next batch of SexyCirrus views. Reasoning behind this as I add these new features to the AL code, you need viewtypes to be able to call upon them and use them. Plus I'm adding to the views that it autodetects if Advanced Launcher or Expanded Launcher is presently being used and adjusts what is displayed accordingly. Naturally, the new scraper will work regardless of which skin platform the user chooses. But for now, this is being made on the side to the SexyCirrus views and will hopefully be released in tandem with it. Smile


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Hoosier205 - 2015-12-22

I have advanced launcher working perfectly for me in order to launch the Netflix app in Windows 10. My one and only problem...is how do I get back to Kodi when ready?


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Rufoo - 2015-12-22

(2015-12-22, 00:46)ldavet Wrote: Still good enough to me. Smile

Then everything is roses. Smile

It should also be noted that as Wintermute0110 correctly stated, the strings system of AL is quite a handful. Many new strings have been added and others have been removed or modified for Expanded Launcher. For the time being, I have had to remove all multi-language support not because of no desire to be able to offer the addon to the guys and girls of the world who don't, can't, or prefer not to use English but simply because I lack the capacity to offer it in other languages.

As a stretch goal and if fortune favours it, I can get it translated into languages from the Asia continent (which AL never offered) as being in the land Brown Under I am blessed with lovely friends of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Arabic backgrounds. However, European languages is something I would need outside or community assistance with. I simply don't know many people who speak languages from Europe and those that I do, I probably haven't gone for a burger or something with them for 6 months, so asking them to translate a bunch of strings isn't probably the best way to go about things. Tongue

Oh, and I haven't tested it yet. But if I can, I will attempt to make that Advanced Launcher and Expanded Launcher XML exports and importable / exportable between each other. Hopefully AL will just ignore the new flags that get stored in the launchers.xml but we'll see.


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Bedwyr - 2015-12-22

Rufoo: Given your intentions, could you see keeping your design's change history intact so that if there is someone who wants to maintain the code base, they'll have the history to work from? I think that's the one thing really bad that happened after Angelscry pulled the repository. I don't blame him one bit <looks at thread history>, but in case someone is silly ahem gracious enough to take the project on it'd be nice to maintain continuity this time.


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - spyder - 2015-12-22

(2015-12-22, 07:18)Hoosier205 Wrote: I have advanced launcher working perfectly for me in order to launch the Netflix app in Windows 10. My one and only problem...is how do I get back to Kodi when ready?
Look into AHK, and possibly modify the script from Steam Launcher


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Rufoo - 2015-12-22

(2015-12-22, 18:09)Bedwyr Wrote: Rufoo: Given your intentions, could you see keeping your design's change history intact so that if there is someone who wants to maintain the code base, they'll have the history to work from? I think that's the one thing really bad that happened after Angelscry pulled the repository. I don't blame him one bit <looks at thread history>, but in case someone is silly ahem gracious enough to take the project on it'd be nice to maintain continuity this time.

The changelog.txt that comes with AL has been rewritten to chronicle the changes made. Smile


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Slipass - 2015-12-23

Hi Rufoo,
Very nice project. Im happy to try it.
Is it possible that you add the views also for the skin aeon madnox?


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Rufoo - 2015-12-23

(2015-12-23, 02:26)Slipass Wrote: Hi Rufoo,
Very nice project. Im happy to try it.
Is it possible that you add the views also for the skin aeon madnox?

Thanks, mate. Appreciate the encouragement. Smile

The views I design are exclusively for Cirrus Extended and they won't be made for other skins. There already is some sort of Advanced Launcher project for Aeon Nox that exists here: http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=234477

Sorry in that regard, but if you're gonna be wanting views that support the new features (or just new views in general) you'll have to switch to Cirrus for your skin, or see if some other industrious soul has made views for your skin of choice. Smile

From a design perspective, it is better to have views which fit the feel and use graphical resources native to the skin so it doesn't become a jarring difference rather than generic views that work across skins. Besides, as far as I'm aware AL never did this, only RCB does.


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - bleakassassin - 2015-12-23

It's great to see this plugin be maintained and updated in some form by others! Advanced Launcher is too important to Kodi to let it disappear. Thanks to everyone who's keeping it alive.

To the people questioning about viewtypes available for Advanced Launcher: It all depends on the skin. AL is identified as a Program Add-On, so the viewtypes that are available for it are only the ones that have been made available for use with Program Add-Ons in that given skin. Whether or not they support extra information like release year and developer depends on how those functions are coded in on a per-skin basis.

As for scrapers, I'd like it if they still existed. Considering all of the main aspects of Kodi (movies, TV shows, music) all have various scrapers for them, I think it's only right for AL to have some, too. Mainly for various data, though. Like descriptions, dates, and publishers.

This brings me to a question: Does the GameFAQs scraper not work anymore? I always used it for game descriptions because most of them for each game come from the back of a given game's boxart. It's my ideal source for information. If it currently works, can anyone help me with it? I've already tried reinstalling AL and that doesn't work. If it doesn't, can it possibly be fixed? I'd really appreciate if it was working again.

I'd be fine art scraping wasn't carried over. Unlike other forms of media, games images are just a hodgepodge in terms of consistency of sources and quality for the vast majority of systems. Also:

(2015-12-16, 15:45)Wintermute0110 Wrote: Regarding fanart... unfortunately fanart is only available for popular games. Most games do not have fanart no matter where you look for.

Even when fanart is available, it tends to be exactly that: art done by a fan, typically in a hastily-done manner. All of the artwork I use for my games are official artwork released for them. Whether that be game covers from various regions, official wallpapers, fleshed-out concept artwork, or promotional material, I've got something for every game in my collection.

Of course, I have to spend a lot of time searching for the best available image to use as fanart. They're not something easily available from a single source. It's for this reason that I'm fine if scrapers no longer search for artwork online.


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - RunasSudo - 2015-12-24

(2015-12-15, 14:15)Wintermute0110 Wrote: I have forked Advanced Launcher on Github from here https://github.com/edwtjo/advanced-launcher. The source code there is only a dump of AL last version available, so history of the repository has been lost.

It looks like the complete history of the Advanced Launcher repository is available in this repo here. The contents of the repo are exactly the same as yours, but the full git version history is preserved (you can cross-reference with Google Web Cache's copy of the original Advanced Launcher commits page. (I've archived this page here.)

The linked repository also contains the final commit to the Advanced Launcher code (not present in your copy), which was merging a change to the README.md file. This change is available in the patch-1 branch of the fork.

I have a copy of this git repo, if the Github version goes down.

Edit: Derp. This is BBCode, not Markdown.


RE: [CLOSED] Advanced Launcher - Applications Launcher Addon for XBMC - Slipass - 2015-12-24

(2015-12-23, 03:23)Rufoo Wrote:
(2015-12-23, 02:26)Slipass Wrote: Hi Rufoo,
Very nice project. Im happy to try it.
Is it possible that you add the views also for the skin aeon madnox?

Thanks, mate. Appreciate the encouragement. Smile

The views I design are exclusively for Cirrus Extended and they won't be made for other skins. There already is some sort of Advanced Launcher project for Aeon Nox that exists here: http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=234477

Sorry in that regard, but if you're gonna be wanting views that support the new features (or just new views in general) you'll have to switch to Cirrus for your skin, or see if some other industrious soul has made views for your skin of choice. Smile

From a design perspective, it is better to have views which fit the feel and use graphical resources native to the skin so it doesn't become a jarring difference rather than generic views that work across skins. Besides, as far as I'm aware AL never did this, only RCB does.

Thank you calls.
I find the Cirrus Extended Skin also very good but Madnox still has a few more refinements: D
I know the projects of UsefulG but at the time I also use RCB for Retro Games. I would change only for your Versa Series (Screenshot Sega). I find great!
What would you say, AVL or RCB is better for Retro Games? Both will not be developed. Maybe I'll get around to your expanded script. When will it be released?
I wish you a Merry Christmas!