[AddonScriptorDE]

Hi,
this is a simple addon to launch websites via Google Chrome in Kiosk-Mode. It works under Win/OSX/Linux.
Linux: Silverlight content (Netflix, Lovefilm, Redbox, ...) is working fine. Just install Pipelight.
Windows: I recommend to use the XBMC WebBrowser for more comfort.

You can manually do the same via AdvancedLauncher, but it's more comfortable and i needed a standalone addon to display content within an addon.
It won't let you control the mouse or something like that - it just starts the websites via Chrome Kiosk-Mode.
If Chrome was installed in a custom directory (or you want to use Chromium instead of Chrome), you can choose the path via the addon settings.
You can also use an own chrome user profile (could take some time on the first start).

I integrated 2 websites: Youtube Leanback and Vimeo Couchmode. They are nicely controllable via keyboard/remote.
Info: The mouse cursor stays on front when running Win/Linux. You can try this - i did not tested it...

You can add/edit/remove websites via the addon. For normal websites, you can try Keyboard Navigation. Also untested.

Close Chrome by pressing "Ctrl"+"W" / "ALT"+"F4" (Win, Linux) | "Cmd"+"W" / "Cmd"+"Q" (OSX)
When running windows with a mce remote, you can directly map the command with the MCE Remote addon.

Could be used to display content by other addons with the following plugin url:

Code:

plugin://plugin.program.chrome.launcher/?url=URLENCODED_URL&mode=showSite&stopPlayback=no

Install from my testing-repo!
Any feedback is welcome...

Have fun,
asde

[AddonScriptorDE]

v1.0.1:
- Added setting to use custom chrome path
- Added setting to use own chrome user profile
v1.0.2:
- Fixed bug with --user-data-dir parameter
- Added --no-default-browser-check parameter
- Added --no-first-run parameter

[subcityzero]

Nice beginning, but the Chrome window is displaying only on the half of the screen.
How can I fix this?
I did a clean install of Chrome (didn't have it yet until I tried this plugin)

Also, even while Chrome is running on the half of the screen, there is no way to gain focus on it.
I have turned of mouse stuff, I just want to launch youtube for example, and navigate with my MCE remote (which works perfectly in XBMC) but when Chrome is open, XBMC is still collecting the keystrokes.

[AddonScriptorDE]

v1.0.3:
- Added --start-maximized parameter
- Added --disable-translate parameter
- Added --disable-new-tab-first-run parameter
v1.0.4:
- Added setting to start a custom user script before chrome

Nice beginning, but the Chrome window is displaying only on the half of the screen.
How can I fix this?
I did a clean install of Chrome (didn't have it yet until I tried this plugin)

Also, even while Chrome is running on the half of the screen, there is no way to gain focus on it.
I have turned of mouse stuff, I just want to launch youtube for example, and navigate with my MCE remote (which works perfectly in XBMC) but when Chrome is open, XBMC is still collecting the keystrokes.

Chrome needs a running desktop environment to run properly / be controllable. So i guess, you are directly running XBMC as a shell.
I now added a setting to run a custom user script before chrome, so you can start your desktop environment.

[subcityzero]

How can I make that work?
Do you have an example script to use?

Thanks

[AddonScriptorDE]

v1.0.5:
- Added optional delay after executing custom user script

How can I make that work?
Do you have an example script to use?

Thanks

I don't know what operating system / desktop environment you are using.
Here is a simple bash script for starting unity (current default ubuntu desktop environment):

Code:

#!/bin/bash
unity

Save it as script.sh and make it executable:

Code:

sudo chmod +x script.sh

This is just a minimal example script. You should add a check if your desktop environment is already running...

I added an optional delay after executing the custom script, because i noticed problems with loosing focus after few seconds without that delay.
Just try and see if it works for you. Maybe the simplest solution would be to directly boot your os with a desktop environment.

[subcityzero]

Thank you for your reply.
I am running XBMCBuntu (XBMC running stand-alone on Ubuntu).

Can I make the desktop run in the background, so I won't make XBMC disappear?
(My girlfriend will hate me for it, she wants to turn on the TV, and watch a movie, and does not want to see a desktop environment.)

Currently I am at work, so I cannot test it, but when I make it run the desktop with an userscript, will this put the desktop in front?

// EDIT //

In another topic, I found this piece of code by accident, is this useful too for my solution?

Code:

#!/bin/bash
openbox &
/usr/bin/chromium-browser
killall -9 openbox

[tredman]

i'm trying to run this on osx - but nothing happens at all when i select a link, any ideas?

edit - running xbmc in windowed mode i can see something briefly pop into life but close immediately

[AddonScriptorDE]

Thank you for your reply.
I am running XBMCBuntu (XBMC running stand-alone on Ubuntu).

I think, XBMCBuntu comes with no desktop environment / window manager, so you have to choose and install one yourself. Google should help you with that...

Can I make the desktop run in the background, so I won't make XBMC disappear?

Sure, XBMC could be automatically started so you directly see it instead of the desktop. If you start the desktop environment via an userscript within this addon, you won't see the desktop anyway.

Currently I am at work, so I cannot test it, but when I make it run the desktop with an userscript, will this put the desktop in front?

No. Maybe you see the desktop for a short time, but then Chrome is started and on front.

In another topic, I found this piece of code by accident, is this useful too for my solution?

Code:

#!/bin/bash
openbox &
/usr/bin/chromium-browser
killall -9 openbox

If you decide to use openbox...
To use Chromium (as in your posted example script), you have to set "/usr/bin/chromium-browser" as the custom chrome path via the addon settings.

i'm trying to run this on osx - but nothing happens at all when i select a link, any ideas?

edit - running xbmc in windowed mode i can see something briefly pop into life but close immediately

Chrome is installed and works when running normally via desktop?
Do you enabled the setting: "Use own Chrome user profile"? If enabled, try to disable it.
Does it works when manually running Chrome via terminal with the used parameters?

Code:

"/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" --start-maximized --disable-translate --disable-new-tab-first-run --no-default-browser-check --no-first-run --kiosk "http://www.google.com"

I currently have no MacOSX system to test it, sorry. But when i wrote the addon, i did a quick test and it works...

[goslo]

I'm using the launcher for Netflix and when I use the script:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
openbox &
/usr/bin/chromium-browser
killall -9 openbox

2 tabs open in Chromuim, I assume the browser is being opened twice, once by the add-on and once by the script, is there anyway to stop this? I'm doing it this way to avoid dropping XBMC down to XBMCubuntu and while it does mostly work, sometimes I have to reboot as the exit back to XBMC is not smooth.

George

[sum147]

When i add the repo from the first post above (http://code.google.com/p/addonscriptorde...p&can=2&q=) into XBMC, no add-ons show up. Is something broken or is there a different way to install this add-on?

[AddonScriptorDE]

I'm using the launcher for Netflix and when I use the script:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
openbox &
/usr/bin/chromium-browser
killall -9 openbox

2 tabs open in Chromuim, I assume the browser is being opened twice, once by the add-on and once by the script, is there anyway to stop this? I'm doing it this way to avoid dropping XBMC down to XBMCubuntu and while it does mostly work, sometimes I have to reboot as the exit back to XBMC is not smooth.

George

Your script opens chromium before my addon launches it.
You have to only start openbox via the script:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
openbox

But then openbox keeps running after quitting chromium - so i will try to find a better solution for this...

When i add the repo from the first post above (http://code.google.com/p/addonscriptorde...p&can=2&q=) into XBMC, no add-ons show up. Is something broken or is there a different way to install this add-on?

Try a "Force refresh" via the context menu...

[frankfurts]

Hi, there I tried this out today on xbmcbuntu with the openbox script and it seems to be working fine, I just have a quick question regarding chrome kiosk mode, Is there an ability to set the text size and zoom level as you do in regular chrome settings?

[AddonScriptorDE]

Hi, there I tried this out today on xbmcbuntu with the openbox script and it seems to be working fine, I just have a quick question regarding chrome kiosk mode, Is there an ability to set the text size and zoom level as you do in regular chrome settings?

I dont know a hotkey or another solution to access the settings when in kiosk mode (but maybe there is one).
This is how i do it: Just start Chrome manually and setup the global text size and zoom settings.
When the global zoom settings dont look good on some sites, you can change the zoom for each site via "Ctrl"+"+/-" and Chrome remembers it.

[frankfurts]

Hey there just don't some trial and error with hot keys and found that by pressing Ctrl+h you can open up history and then on the left get access to extensions and settings :-)

Don't know if this should be available in kiosk mode but it saved me on this instance