Remote Buddy Forum > Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices (User, 08.01.2012 04:16:22) // IOSPIRIT [EN]

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User

08.01.2012 04:16:22

Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices

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Hi,

I have been playing with Remote Buddy Express for a few weeks now and I am really interested in using it in an upcoming project where I am incorporating a mac mini into an A/V and home automation system.

I have already integrated it to work with an iOS based 'universal remote' system called Redeye. The Redeye allows me to send IR commands to all of my A/V components (including the mini) and IP control other network based devices. Here is a list of the capabilities that this integration has produced... I'll go into more detail later if anyone is interested:

-I globally remapped a long press of apple remote's Menu button to perform a series of IR commands that turns on the TV, Receiver, set everything to the right input, and launches RBE's main menu

-I created a button on one of the Redeye's layouts that can instantly launch any applescript or item on the RBE's menus.

-I created a behavior that remaps the buttons on my apple remote to control an A/V component like a DVD player.

-I have figured out how to use applescript to query a itunes playlist and spit the results back into a remote button menu, then play a track when its selected

My goal is to create a 2-tiered approach for controlling everything. One being an 'apple remote control' that can basically remap its buttons to whatever software OR hardware one is using. And two, a Redeye layout for the mini that allows me make the mini do whatever I want with the help of RBE. For example, I will have a Redeye button and a RBE menu item for Pandora that: launches Safari, opens pandora.com, sets Safari to fullscreen, and remaps the button of the apple remote / redeye layout to control the receivers volume, and pandora's next and thumbs up/down controls. You might use the apples remote if you wanted the more tactile, lean-back experience and the Redeye layout if you wanted to have more capability and/or the range of wifi.

Anyway, I have run into some problems and I'm hoping you can help:

1. Is there any way to remotely launch a specific RBE menu (like iTunes>Playlist) via XMLhttpRequests.... I figured out how to launch the items on the manus (via AJAX remote) but not the menus themselves. I am trying to make the iTunes playlists more accessible by adding an item on the main menu the jumps into a specific playlist and I can't figure it out... I made applescript app that asks for a playlist tracks and creates an RBE menu out of them works but when I do it with a playlist internet radio stations it gets all screwed up and does not list all of them.. but it work fine on the RBE 'Browse Music so it would be great if I could just launch the RBE's

iTunes>Playlist Menu

2. What approach would you suggest for creating behaviors to control hardware like a DVD player. I am currently creating a behavior and associating it with the RBE app which is causing problems. Can I associate a RBE activity with an applescript app? Maybe that is a cleaner approach?

3. What approach would you suggest to create behavior profile for control browser based apps like Pandora? Do I just associate the behavior with Safari and give it a greater priority number?

4. Is there any way to control the sort order of RBE's output for the files in my Movies folder... I'm pretty sure you can use applescript to query the finder but I'm trying to stay in RBE native menu system?

Thanks,

Christian

These entries from the FAQ may be relevant to this topic:

Behaviours - Support for iTunes® & AirPlay®

Can I access the radio category of iTunes® in Remote Buddy? (FAQ015E0219)
The content of the radio category of iTunes® is always dynamically loaded from the net and not accessible by scripts. Accessing this category directly is thus not possible.

Nonetheless, it's still possible to choose radio stations and start their playback. Therefore create a new playlist and drag the radio stations you want to listen to to that playlist. Just like any other playlist, that playlist and the radio stations it contains are now available through Remote Buddy's menu.

Configuration

How do I add a new action to a Behaviour - f.ex. an emulated key press or AppleScript? (FAQ015E0153)
1) Open the Remote Buddy Preferences via the pulldown-menu and choose "Mapping".
2) Choose the mapping you want to modify.
3) Select "Custom actions" for the button you want to map to an action of your own.
4) Create the action you need using the appearing editor.

Hardware - Apple® Remote

After uninstalling/quitting Remote Buddy, my Mac® no longer reacts to the Apple® Remote. (FAQ015E0241)
To enable you to use all capabilities of the IR Receiver of your Mac®, Remote Buddy is using its own driver. In contrast, all other applications with integrated Apple® Remote support usually use the OS X Apple® Remote subsystem.

As long as you're running Remote Buddy, Remote Buddy and its driver are responsible for turning the received button presses into actions. As soon as you quit Remote Buddy, this task is again handled by the OS X Apple® Remote subsystem.

If other applications don't use the interface to the OS X Apple® Remote subsystem correctly, this can lead to the effect that nothing happens when you press a button on your Apple® Remote. For as long as you're running Remote Buddy, issues like this are covered by Remote Buddy and it's driver and are therefore not visible to you. However, as soon as you quit Remote Buddy, the OS X Apple® Remote subsystem is back in control and any issues caused in it by other applications become visible.

Therefore Remote Buddy is neither the cause of the issue nor is it responsible for it. Instead, the cause of the issue exists independently of Remote Buddy. It's located elsewhere and can also only be solved there.

Although our products can't cause any such issues, we're regularly contacted about such issues and asked for help. In order to make locating and fixing the cause of such issues as easy and efficient as possible, we've developed a free diagnostics tool: Remote Control Diagnostics. It can locate issues with a single click and will provide you with information about the issue as well as with instructions on how you can fix it.
After updating to OS X 10.6.2, my Apple® Remote is no longer available for selection in Remote Buddy. (FAQ015E0236)
Please update your copy of Remote Buddy to version 1.15 or later.

Hardware - iPhone™ / iPod® touch / AJAX Remote

Can I also access the AJAX Remote/Remote Buddy on my computer over the Internet / public WLANs? (FAQ015E0213)
This is possible, but not officially supported. Thanks for understanding that we can't offer you any support on this topic.

What you'll usually have to do:
1. Make Remote Buddys AJAX Remote reachable from the Internet: set up a so called port forwarding in the router for the port Remote Buddy's server can be reached at (by default, that's port 8888).
2. Make the Mac® locateable in the Internet: Register at for example DynDNS.org and install the corresponding client
3. The new URL, reachable from the Internet could then be http://mymac.dyndns.org:8888/ .
Here's an article (one of many you can find on the Internet) on this topic:
- Mac World: http://www.macworld.com/2006/08/secrets/octmobilemac/index.php
Which devices and browsers are currently officially supported? (FAQ015E0190)
Currently, these browsers are officially supported by the AJAX Remote:
- Safari® on iPhone™ with OS 3.0 or later
- Safari® on iPod® Touch with OS 3.0 or later
- Safari® 4 or later
The AJAX Remote is using the latest web standards (like CSS3, which is often only supported sufficiently by Safari®) to utilize the available bandwidth and CPU power efficiently.

IMPORTANT: to use the AJAX Remote, your setup needs to meet all of the AJAX Remote requirements!

Thread-display::

Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices, User, 08.01.2012 04:16:22

Re: Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices, User, 12.01.2012 10:54:02

Re: Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices, User, 13.01.2012 00:08:30

Re: Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices, User, 13.01.2012 12:35:01

Re: Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices, User, 12.01.2012 23:26:56

Re: Applescript, IP control, and integration with Thinkflood's Redeye and other A/V devices, User, 13.01.2012 10:37:28

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