Hmm.. I'm sure this is an easy one..

[EmdeeC]

First off.. I want to thank the author/authors of this wonderful program. I bought a brand new Creative Infra RS232 remote control setup a couple of weeks ago online for a measly $7.95. I have an old 1st generation ATI AIW Radeon (kinda' poor.. had it forever.. and I will for some time still). ATI's remote hadn't been made when it came out; and you can now buy the remote alone for some ungodly amount and they say it works on my card.. but who knows.

Anyway.. the remote came with "Remote Selector" and I was disappointed to find out it was only for my ATI Multimedia Center DVD software.. as I was hoping I could use it for my TV even more. After spending the entire night (I haven't gone to bed yet and it's sun up) looking at other programs (WIRC, etc) I stumbled across Girder and it works beautifully on my remote and reciever (NONE of the others didn't.. go figure).

I'm not a programmer of ANY sorts; but I am learning this program and having great fun with it. I found a hardware plug-in exactly for my set-up and I found some wonderful pre-made groups that got me started. I'm getting there :wink: and I've already figured out how to get this thing up and running.

So here's my problem..

The remote is very small (credit-card sized) and has very few buttons on it (24 to be exact). Most of them are DVD player type buttons and a numerical keypad. There is a "shift" button that alters ONLY the next keypress to a subset and a "mouse button" which alters all of the entire set until mouse is pressed again.. so I actually have more than 24.

I want to use the "start" button (normally meant to just start up the DVD player aspect of my software) in conjunction with another button to start my various "sub-applications" of the MMC software (mainly.. the TV, DVD and CDDA). For example.. press "start" then #1 to start TV (all buttons just send a "blip".. even the shift one); or press "start" and then 2 to start the DVD.. etc.

I have read about states and I kind of understand it and have been playing around with them.. but I'm not quite sure if they coincide with what I'm trying to do (since all examples seemed to be talking about pressing the SAME key a # of times). Anyway.. I tried a few changes and nothing worked. Does anybody have any idea how I do this? Keep in mind that I'm talking about two SUBSEQUENT presses on the remote and not on a keyboard (I think I know how to do that; and I'm pretty sure they are different).

Thanks to all for your time & attention.

[Mark F]

Welcome to Girder!

Though not exactly what you are asking for, the file near the end of this (http://www.girder.nl/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3117) thread could do what you want pretty easily (few changes, if any).

Take a look, try it out and if you have questions, ask. :D

[steph99]

Hi EmdeeC

Welcome to Girder!

Probably I got it all wrong, but just in case I got it right: using "shift" plus #1, #2 etc is not an option for you? I mean you would just press the shift button and then teach girder the #1 (assigned to start/stop the corresponding app using states).

2nd option would be to use shift+#1 to enable the command group for dvd and disable al other groups, shift+2 for TV etc. After that "start" would mean "start dvd" (or whatever)
See this thread for details.
http://www.girder.nl/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3189


Hope this helps...or at least: it doesn't add to your confusion.

I gotta go now but will be back in an hour or so...if that is of any help :oops:

Good luck!

[steph99]

double post, sorry :oops:

Mark, the way I understood the description of the remote's shift button, it changes "the IR codes of all buttons for the subsequent button (and changes back to normal afterwards).
Would one need the shift button extension at all in this case?

(BTW: I try to give you some more information on what you asked me to do at the weekend, ok?)

[Mark F]

Stephan - I believe you are correct about the native shift button on the remote. However, the request was to use the start button as a new shift-like button for starting multiple applications. I think this will require the modallogic that is in that other file.

On th eother thing: Give me as much feedback as you have time to give. I appreciate the help!

[EmdeeC]

Ok.. thanks for all your quick help Mark & steph.. but neither is quite what I meant. Maybe I should explain myself better.

Here's a link to a picture of this remote:

http://www.compgeeks.com/images/300x300/MSC-CIMR100-box.jpg

Now.. here's what I want to do.. as an example my mother's main remote is an RCA brand because her TV is; but it is a universal. After programming it for the DVD player and cable box.. she has one "Power" button; but separate buttons that say TV, DVD, and Cable. If she wants to turn on the TV.. she picks up the remote.. presses the TV button and then power; if she wants to then turn on the DVD player.. she has to hit DVD and then power once again (but it's the same power button). See where I'm going with this?

Now look at my remote.. I have no "function" buttons and I'll have to assign the # buttons to number input so I can "dial-in" a channel. So I have two ways to go about this:

1. I want the start button (lwr lft) to be in effect.. my "power" button i.e. it would start an application. I would then like my "1" button to be my TV (because I use it the most); 2 my DVD player and 3 my CDDA (I could remember that). So if I want to start up the DVD player I press the 2 and then the Start; for TV.. 1 and then start.. and so on. Well.. I bet you're asking.. but why then don't I just assign the single numbers to each app and forgo the "start" button to start them? Well.. because I need all of the # buttons for inputing channel #'s to dial in.. hence 1 needs to be an input of digit 1.. 2 for 2.. etc.

Hmm.. I think I just figured something out.. if I just make "1" open the TV app from the desktop.. then once it's open.. I can assign "1" to the digit anyway!! Because the command for 1 will have a new focus.. correct?

Another way (if it's possible.. I'm trying to learn about the Girder tab); if you look in the "exported groups" section of the site.. you'll see the groups I'm using under the v3.0 entries (I'm using V3.0 because my hardware plug-in was made for it). First I tried Mr. Mirza's groups.. but what with all the extra file from ATI and making the commands focus on a "hidden" proxy window to target thereafter.. I never got them to work. Then I saw Mr. Terlouws and he just uses the "Send Message" plug-in and it was simple. Now he has seperate ones for each of the three utilities; but he also has one that is "all inclusive" with all of the MMC commands all in one. I'm using it.. but if I used the separate groups I could make a remote call that would shift Girder to each app's group and then I could use "Start" on all three! Uh.. couldn't I?

Lastly.. there's method #2.. which would be just the opposite.. if I wanted to press "Start" first then the #'s to start the different apps. But the only way I could see doing that is if there was some way to make Girder "wait" for another button push after the "start" one and then execute a command based on the number. I don't think Girder has this capability. What it all boils down to is if Girder could accept "macros" (for lack of a better word) if you will (kinda' like programming "combo" keystrokes into a console game's controller for fighting moves).. then we wouldn't need "shift" keys anyway.. would we? I guess that would involve the ability to make Girder "wait" for more than one button push and I can see where this is going and why it couldn't probably be done.

Ah well.. I'm thinking too hard and my brain's starting to hurt..

BTW-that "shift" key on the remote is just that; but like I said in my first post.. it only alters the signal for the next keypress. Handy though.. because in effect.. it almost gives you another 24 signals.. if not keys. Then there's that "mouse" button (it's.. basically a toggle).. it gives you another set but stays on until the mouse button is pressed again. Reason for this being.. of course.. because under Remote Selector it lets you move the cursor around the screen in small "jumps" and one wouldn't want to be pressing two buttons continually when doing that. Which is kinda' cool.. a very versatile.. tiny remote (If you can remember all the secondary and tertiary set of commands you can program). I know Girder can be programmed to do the same "mousing" as well.

Hehe.. "where there's a will.. there's a way"! When I was using Remote Selector earlier last night.. I would just put it in "mouse" mode; navigate to my "Channel Up" or "Down" button in my TV's interface onscreen and then press the button for a mouse click. Kinda' back a**wards but it worked.. until I found Girder.

Thanks again for listening to my ramblings.

[EmdeeC]

Probably I got it all wrong, but just in case I got it right: using "shift" plus #1, #2 etc is not an option for you? I mean you would just press the shift button and then teach girder the #1 (assigned to start/stop the corresponding app using states).



Actually.. I don't think this would work either steph.. because if you look at the exported group I'm using (and I also realized last night after studying "shortcuts" to the Multimedia Center's seperate apps) there is only one main executable "ATIMMC.exe"; and all of the utilities are started by command-line parameters i.e. ATIMMC.exe /TV , etc.. which simply makes the main executable start up and then shift to sub dirs in the tree which contain DLLs for each given app.. very strange.

At least.. that's how Mr. Terslouw also used the OS tab features with parameters and then used the "send message" function of Windows.

Hmmm.. it would be nice if in Girder.. under the "States" button if we could also check a box that said "Execute only on the last state". Then I could just press Start once for TV.. twice for DVD.. etc.

[EmdeeC]

Hmmm.. it would be nice if in Girder.. under the "States" button if we could also check a box that said "Execute only on the last state". Then I could just press Start once for TV.. twice for DVD.. etc.



Uhhh.. no.. that wouldn't work either. Now that I think about it.

[Mark F]

I'm using V3.0 because my hardware plug-in was made for it
I'm not sure I can help much with V3.0 of Girder. There have been so many changes since then, I don't remember what IS or ISN'T in the software. :(