[HannesM]

I can't seem to bring up the general context menu when navigating inside plugins. It seems each plugin creates its own context menu, overriding the general context menu otherwise available in Kodi?

For instance, I have several plugins from TV stations, where you can navigate watch their series and episodes over the internet.

I'm using a custom playercorefactory.xml to add a context menu option to play an item using external player VLC, but this context menu is not available when navigating inside 3rd party plugins? The context menu only seems available when navigating local content.
The only way I've found to play 3rd party plugin items (such as episodes from a TV station plugin) is changing the default player in playercorefactory.xml - but I do not want to change my default player globally.

Any ideas how to bring up the Kodi context menu when inside plugins?

[PatK]

I don't think you can. Once inside a 3rd party add-on, you're inside the world created by the author with proprietary sub menu's and the like. You seem to have a good grasp of the mechanisms, and some of your work-a-rounds are interesting. I believe you can set the external player to be selective as to the file type but that's about it. Knocking on the door of the support forum for the external player might bring some tips.

[HannesM]

Thanks for your reply. Too bad. Obviously I would enjoy being able to - by default - just view the content in Kodi (default builtin player), but every once in a blue moon I'd right click and select "View in VLC" to be able to record the stream for later viewing. Only way to launch VLC is to set it as the default action, which in turn makes viewng inside Kodi impossible...

Kodi is obviously managing the playback of everything, but the ability to select viewer disappears. Perhaps this is a GUI (or skin?) issue?

I wonder if there's a way to, prefrrably within Kodi, change the default player (e.g. change the content of playercorefactory.xml)?
Is there a way you can add a root menu item or simlar, to launch a script or execute a task that edits playercorefactory.xml?