Virtual remote control on PC for testing stuff like IR on an NI?
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Does anything like a virtual remote-control looking remote for PC exist to test IRs, vdevs, other stuff on an NI?
Using on, off, pulse in the console is slow. Emulate / control requires me to change numbers and therefore is slow. IREdit is somewhat capable but you still have to scroll and select, and on/off is double-click, vs hold and release.
Basically, I can write a virtual remote control - user-configurable but by default using AMX standard channels - to test IR files loaded on an NI, vdevs and other stuff. Could also come in handy for configuring things that you don't have a user UI setup button exposed, or without even using a touchpanel. If something like this doesn't exist, would anyone be interested in use of one if I wrote one this weekend?
Using on, off, pulse in the console is slow. Emulate / control requires me to change numbers and therefore is slow. IREdit is somewhat capable but you still have to scroll and select, and on/off is double-click, vs hold and release.
Basically, I can write a virtual remote control - user-configurable but by default using AMX standard channels - to test IR files loaded on an NI, vdevs and other stuff. Could also come in handy for configuring things that you don't have a user UI setup button exposed, or without even using a touchpanel. If something like this doesn't exist, would anyone be interested in use of one if I wrote one this weekend?
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Here's a screenshot of the initial layout. My idea (and what is possible now) is to have multiple layouts, including user-definable ones. I figure that this default would work for most of us though.
As an extension to this I've been thinking about a duet module controller / monitor to assist with debugging. It would be relatively trivial to create a module which could search for services advertised by other duet modules currently loaded and report this back to a control app. That way the app's interface could show all loaded modules and present a dynamic interface based on the service type of the module you select (ie. com.amx.duet.devicesdk.Switcher). This would allow the display of any relevant interaction options and state info based on the interface definition of the selected module.
Now if only I could find a way to dynamically instantiate modules via the web interface without requiring a dynamic device to be defined on the NetLinx side. That way this could be a bolted on to an operational system without code modification and rebooting, or even access to the source code, and removed once you're done; again without rebooting.
All this does right now is connects via telnet and sends commands (as seen to the left). User/pass isn't supported right now. I have config working for setting master IP or hostname and setting D:P:S and changed operation to on/off style quick pulse, since I can't see a way of getting around wxWidgets limitation of only reporting when a button has successfully been pressed (vs monitoring mouse button up/down state) without basically mapping regions of the UI. I'm not familiar with wxWidgets (or wxLua) and only basically familiar with Lua so I don't really know of a way around this right now. It doesn't help I don't do much programming that has a GUI on it.
I'm finishing up adding a manual channel pulse, then I can have people test this.
EDIT: Here it is, tell me if it works or not.
EDIT 2: Phew, nobody downloaded it. I'll be uploading a version that DOES support on/off events properly here shortly (I hope, fixing a big bug that came due to this). -- HAVE IT NOW, try it out, let me know if it is completely broken or not. Requires telnet to be enabled on the master and telnet authentication has to be off.
Because I asked if anything existed and got no answer. Though the forums are slow, the use of something like this matters more than waiting for an answer. Had I not done anything, this thread probably would've been ignored...
Because it's not open source.
Because it's not cross platform (namely, I see no Linux support).
Because it costs a ridiculous amount of money for something as simple as testing. Even if I was being paid at inflated rates, I still spent less money in time writing a simple test environment and anyone can make their own using wxGlade or any other xrc UI editor. Sadly, I wrote this for free.
So that's why.
For what it's worth, I just tested it and it doesn't seem to work...(edit: seems to be linefeed issue) and I didn't copy the source to myself this morning for use on my dev notebook. Maybe I'll fix it tomorrow
As for Linux and open source - exacty which AMX tools are either?
Another choice would be the iPhone app AMXlinx which can do what you ask for ?12,
And actually, AMX uses a lot of open source stuff (and doesn't abide by the software licenses either, but that's another matter), but it is true that the dev tools aren't open, which is frustrating. But should I dismiss open tools just because some are closed?
Like what?
I so rarely use control/emulate a device that any app to replace it would be more effort than its worth IMHO. Usually when I am using that dialog box its in conjunction with the code in question so opening a separate app doesn't appeal to me. Plus there are some tricks you can do with conrol/emulate that prove useful once in a while that might be hard to replicate.
If you have free time and want to write a module, my recommendation would be to write one that does regular expressions. I have been meaning to do this for a while but haven't got round to it. But a module that essentially did the type of regex that you can do in Perl I would find extremely useful.
Paul
I'm regex's beeotch. I suck at writing them, I don't know why
Not an exhaustive list:
Full-blown Linux system in MAX devices. (various)
Linux kernel in most (all?) Modero touchpanels.(GPLv2)
Other software in Modero touchpanels. (MPLv1.1, GPLv2)
For at least the Moderos, there is no mention whatsoever of the GPL license, and as such, they are actively violating it. I'm talking with AMX right now about this issue. I...don't expect to get anywhere with it, which is sad. But if you want to continue this discussion, please start another thread.
Regarding the actual remote software that this thread is about, I'll have another release with (hopefully) fixed command sending up in a few minutes.
Not when you are using our ever reliable office network
Paul
EDIT: Tested this morning; it appears to work fine. Controlled a cable box without issue.
Again, I understand this is really a niche debug tool but some people may have a use for a computer-based application that resembles a remote control (or a grid of buttons for a switcher, or whatever other UIs will be made) to debug code or manually control devices. If you do or think you may in the future need something like this, speak up; otherwise, I won't continue to develop it.
Maybe I'll just start on the regex parser. (sigh)
I will definitely get to it tho.
Jeff
Edit: Adding the switchable UI code was easier than I thought. Here it is. All I have is the cable-type remote and the 10 by 10 grid. Something else I think I'll add is a global channel offset. I've got lots of "for the future" thoughts but again I doubt interest is high enough to warrant that much development.
Edit 2: Seems to be a bug with the addition of lfs. I just got it on another system but not the development system. I'll try to figure it out.
G4Panel Preview to be able to connect to a master . . . hmmmm. It's been something I've been working on (in my "spare" time) but haven't gotten far at all.
Also, the bug where lfs wasn't being loaded is fixed.
And regardless of the seeming lack of interest, I'll bet those of us that replied in this thread are NOT the only ones who could/will use this.
Thanks again. and keep on keeping on.