[hhzz]

Task: While browsing a nested structure, return to the parent item (e.g. the parent folder)

Back should absolutely do this according to the code. The "Back" action is specifically overridden to act as "Parent Folder" in the filebrowser dialog:

https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/blob/master...r.cpp#L118

Can you please grab a debug log of you doing this from a subfolder in that dialog? That will allow me to see what your remote is being mapped as. According to the default keymap, it should I think be doing Back, which should end up in this code.

It appears that the key on the remote that I'd call "back" (it's the [<-] button below the rewind button) is labeled KEY_EXIT by lirc.

Task: You were watching TV, now play a file from the local harddisk

Back should work there as well. If not, likely a keymapping issue. Again, a debug log might highlight where that keymapping issue is.

Here you are: debug.log while watching TV with MCE remote

Please notice how the remote's KEY_EXIT doesn't leave fullscreen TV at line 1694 / T:139648447747904, while OnKey: backspace does at line 2720 / T:139648447747904.

Also, while watching TV I would have expected the remote's KEY_MEDIA (the big green MCE button at the center of the remote) to bring up the skin's main menu at line 1700 / T:13964844774790

[negge]

The "how to get out of fullscreen" scenario is indeed very difficult. The main reason is that the keymap for the MCE remote is stupid to begin with, coupled with the fact that on Windows you can't remap the "green button" without patching your registry (because, well, Windows sucks). Here's what I do:

<lircmap>
<remote device="mceusb">
<!-- remap the button so it does something useful (default is Home)-->
<start>Enter</start>
</remote>
</lircmap>

This makes the green button toggle between fullscreen and not fullscreen. I don't know what anyone else would use it for.

[jmarshall]

It's because <back> is mapped to SmallStepBack in the remote.xml I guess? Change that to Back you should be all good.

Better default keymaps are MOST welcome. IMO BACK exiting fullscreen is a much better use than small step back.

Cheers,
Jonathan

[negge]

It's because <back> is mapped to SmallStepBack in the remote.xml I guess? Change that to Back you should be all good.

Better default keymaps are MOST welcome. IMO BACK exiting fullscreen is a much better use than small step back.

Cheers,
Jonathan

I don't know if that's the case, we're talking about the green Windows button here, not the back button. The default mapping and actions for the back button are just fine IMO, as are all the other keys (save for some personal preferences I have) except the green one. Personally I changed the "Enter" button on the remote to act as the "go to the main menu" button to speed up interface browsing a bit.

[hhzz]

I don't know if that's the case, we're talking about the green Windows button here, not the back button.

Er, no. My original complaint was about the remote's "back" button, but there I also mentioned that the green MCE button's behaviour seemed weird to me. That's when you chimed in.

With regards to the green MCE button, we may even have further complications in case they are mapped differently in OpenElec/Linux (which I use) and Windows (which you use).

[hhzz]

It's because <back> is mapped to SmallStepBack in the remote.xml I guess? Change that to Back you should be all good.
Better default keymaps are MOST welcome. IMO BACK exiting fullscreen is a much better use than small step back.

Thanks, will try to edit the remote.xml and will see what happens.

Say, is there a diagram or something like that where I can see all the UI states of XBMC? How can I do a systematic test of all UI screens in XBMC?

[awp0]

On a related note: When you press "back" while watching a full screen video, it continues playing the video and overlays the menus on top of the video. While I understand this is by design and in fact a feature, I have found it to be a pitfall for inexperienced users because it leaves them in a mode where it's not exactly clear how to get back to the video (unless you have a "fullscreen" button mapped, which IMO is rare and not entirely intuitive).

To fix this I have mapped "back" to "stop" when in the fullscreenvideo context (as well as full screen Live TV). For me this has solved a useability problem for certain users, at the expense of a feature that wasn't very important to me. I believe I also did this for my Main Menu button (though, this may be a custom button in my environment).

[hhzz]

Better default keymaps are MOST welcome. IMO BACK exiting fullscreen is a much better use than small step back.

Tried to change some of the keymap settings. Oh wow, a whole new world of twisted mazes. ;-)

Anyways, there are a lot of sections in a keymap, but it is hard to find out where to change what. The debug log of XBMC doesn't say which state the UI is in at the moment I'm looking at it. (Or does it?)

So it's a bit difficult to find the section that applies to the current UI state.

Is there a debugging setting that will tell? What I'd need is a log option that shows how XBMC travels through the keymap files and sections for each keypress, e.g.

Code:

- looked for <info> in section <FullscreenLiveTV>, nothing found
- looked for <info> in section <FullscreenVideo>, nothing found
- looked for <info> in section <global>, found action "Info"

Does that exist?

[negge]

@hhzz: sorry I must have misread your post. Anyway I'm not using Windows (hence the Lircmap.xml quote), though I've experienced the pain of setting up MCE remotes on Windows.

[Ned Scott]

On a related note: When you press "back" while watching a full screen video, it continues playing the video and overlays the menus on top of the video. While I understand this is by design and in fact a feature, I have found it to be a pitfall for inexperienced users because it leaves them in a mode where it's not exactly clear how to get back to the video (unless you have a "fullscreen" button mapped, which IMO is rare and not entirely intuitive).

To fix this I have mapped "back" to "stop" when in the fullscreenvideo context (as well as full screen Live TV). For me this has solved a useability problem for certain users, at the expense of a feature that wasn't very important to me. I believe I also did this for my Main Menu button (though, this may be a custom button in my environment).

Same here, I always change "back" to "stop". XBMC's default Apple remote keymap does this too, but for some reason we don't do it for other devices.

[jmarshall]

Keymapping generally maps on window first, and if not found uses the global action. The one exception to this is FullScreenInfo which drops down to FullScreen then global IIRC.

Thus, you just want to look for <back> in FullScreenVideo:

https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/blob/master...e.xml#L151

[allan87]

Keymapping generally maps on window first, and if not found uses the global action. The one exception to this is FullScreenInfo which drops down to FullScreen then global IIRC.

Thus, you just want to look for <back> in FullScreenVideo:

https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/blob/master...e.xml#L151

I changed this a while ago in my remote.xml from stepback (which made no sense to me) to stop.

[nickr]

I think smallstepback is a great feature. I map the |< button to smallstepback and the back key to escape. However I am thinking of mapping the back key to backspace to go up one level in menus and finding another key for escape.

How much you can do depends on how many buttons you have.

Even amongst MCE remotes there seem to be so many variations on the theme it is hard to come up with a universal map.

[allan87]

Smallstepback is a fine feature. Is also already mapped, logically, to the left arrow key. Mapping it as well to the back key is confusing because you expect the back key to take you back. Mapping to 'stop' fixes it.

[nickr]

Depends what you men by 'back' I guess