I've already had this redeveloped, and have launched the updated channels a while back. Thanks!
1. you have a Main in function RunScreensaver() - RunScreensaver is Main() for screensavers, put your Main() code into RunScreensaver. You can rename RunScreensaver to Main() while testing and rename back later.
2. It looks like you are trying to download your images before running the Scenegraph portion of your screensaver. That can be done the way you are doing it but may slow down the launch time of your screensaver, and you won't be able to update content dynamically after launch.
3. Task node is separate .brs file you would put in the /components folder, you would typically launch it from your scene (ScreensaverFade), it could be a running task that sits there in the background waiting for a list of images to download, or a task that doesn't execute until you send it a run command. I suggest taking a look at the URL fetcher in our On Device Authentication sample on Github. Note that task nodes must rename themselves in order to run in a separate thread from the Render thread, as you don't want to slow down the Render thread:
m.uriFetcher = createObject("roSGNode", "UriFetcher")m.top.functionName = "go"
m.top.control = "RUN"
Thank you for the advice! Some of it I'm not entirely clear on yet, but am figuring it out. I usually work in PowerShell or VBScript, so I'm not yet familiar with BrightScript (and very confused about it at the same time).
What I gleaned from above was a few things:
RokuJoel wrote:1. you have a Main in function RunScreensaver() - RunScreensaver is Main() for screensavers, put your Main() code into RunScreensaver. You can rename RunScreensaver to Main() while testing and rename back later.
- Got it. I'm using the Roku-built screensaver "template", and they have it set this way. I will consider changing it!
2. It looks like you are trying to download your images before running the Scenegraph portion of your screensaver. That can be done the way you are doing it but may slow down the launch time of your screensaver, and you won't be able to update content dynamically after launch.
- I'm aware that the way I had it put the tasks in serial and caused performance degradation. Hence why I am looking for advice on how to separate the task :)
3. Task node is separate .brs file you would put in the /components folder, you would typically launch it from your scene (ScreensaverFade), it could be a running task that sits there in the background waiting for a list of images to download, or a task that doesn't execute until you send it a run command. I suggest taking a look at the URL fetcher in our On Device Authentication sample on Github. Note that task nodes must rename themselves in order to run in a separate thread from the Render thread, as you don't want to slow down the Render thread:
as soon as it is instantiated in MainScene.brs:m.uriFetcher = createObject("roSGNode", "UriFetcher")This task node renames itself:m.top.functionName = "go"and then sets itself to run:m.top.control = "RUN"- all of this is done in the Init()
This is where I'm struggling, and lack some key understanding.
Here's my intended result:
Based on what you've written and what I gleaned from the examples you sent, I've made the following adjustments, which I'm not sure are accurate:
function init()
fs=createobject("rofilesystem")
xfer=createobject("roUrlTransfer")
xfer.SetCertificatesFile("common:/certs/ca-bundle.crt")
if not fs.exists("cachefs:/photoroninpic-01.jpg") then
xfer.seturl("https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-DZ3RNCh/0/c6888ff8/X3/i-DZ3RNCh-X3.jpg")
xfer.gettofile("cachefs:/photoroninpic-01.jpg")
end if
end function<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <component name="UriFetcher" extends="Task" > <interface> <field id="request" type="assocarray"/> <field id="jobsByIdField" type="int" /> <field id="urlTransferPoolField" type="int" /> </interface> <script type="text/brightscript" uri="pkg://components/UriFetcher.brs"/> <children/> </component>
...but I think there's an issue with this, as I'm not understanding the renamed task?
If you have a list of image urls you can make this simpler by creating a timer task and swapping out the poster uri on timer task fire and let the poster node handle downloading and displaying images. Unless the point this exercise is to get more familiar with setting up url transfer.
<script type="text/brightscript" uri="pkg://components/UriFetcher.brs"/>
should be
<script type="text/brightscript" uri="pkg:/components/UriFetcher.brs"/>
extra '/' makes it not the correct path.
UriFetcher.brs init should have the line
function init()
m.top.functionName = "go"
end function
outside of init should have
function go()
'do your url tranfer and any other processing here
end function
in your scene
task=createobject("rosgnode","UriFetcher") 'initiate the task node
task.observefield("state", "onTaskDone") 'observe state of task
task.control="RUN" ' run the task this will call go()
function onTaskDone(event)
state=event.getdata()
if state="done"
'do something
end if
end function
Thank you for the feedback! I'm learning more and more thanks to you folks :) My main intention/concerns around the screensaver are:
necrotek wrote:<script type="text/brightscript" uri="pkg://components/UriFetcher.brs"/>
should be<script type="text/brightscript" uri="pkg:/components/UriFetcher.brs"/>extra '/' makes it not the correct path.
While I would agree with you, that is a direct copy of the other instances that come from the template. When I remove it I get brightscript errors. My assumption is that like with other coding languages, that end "/" closes off that <script> component, so that </script> isn't needed.
UriFetcher.brs init should have the line
function init()
m.top.functionName = "go"
end function
outside of init should have
function go()
'do your url tranfer and any other processing here
end function
Done!
in your scene
task=createobject("rosgnode","UriFetcher") 'initiate the task node
task.observefield("state", "onTaskDone") 'observe state of task
task.control="RUN" ' run the task this will call go()
function onTaskDone(event)
state=event.getdata()
if state="done"
'do something
end if
end function
When you say "in your scene", are you referring to "main.brs"? If so, would this be a separate "sub" in there besides "Main()"? (see below for the current file contents)
Function RunScreenSaver(params As Object) As Object 'Required entry point for screensavers
Main()
End Function
sub Main()
screen = createObject("roSGScreen")
port = createObject("roMessagePort")
port2 = createObject("roMessagePort")
screen.setMessagePort(port)
m.global = screen.getGlobalNode() 'Creates (Global) variable MyField
m.global.AddField("MyField", "int", true)
m.global.MyField = 0
m.global.AddField("PicSwap", "int", true) 'Creates (Global) variable PicSwap
m.global.PicSwap = 0
scene = screen.createScene("ScreensaverFade") 'Creates scene ScreensaverFade
screen.show()
while(true) 'Message Port that fires every 16 seconds to change value of MyField if the screen isn't closed
msg = wait(16000, port)
if (msg <> invalid)
msgType = type(msg)
if msgType = "roSGScreenEvent"
if msg.isScreenClosed() then return
end if
else
m.global.MyField += 10
msg = wait(2500, port2) 'Message port that fires 4 seconds after MyField is changed. Must be set to different port than other wait function or it will interfere.
m.global.PicSwap += 10
end if
end while
end subI would also be interested in finding someone whose time I could pay for to help me with a remote session and answer my questions :) I learn much better hands-on and have pretty extensive coding background...just not this...and would love to pick someone's brain!
necrotek wrote:If you have a list of image urls you can make this simpler by creating a timer task and swapping out the poster uri on timer task fire and let the poster node handle downloading and displaying images. Unless the point this exercise is to get more familiar with setting up url transfer.
I don't understand the implementation of this, though the concept is something that I'm vaguely familiar with. Ideally it would be great to have an array with the image URL's in it that can be actioned...is there an array example that I would use as a starting point?
