Roku Developer Program

[partyk1d24]

I am working on a game idea and I am testing out the button presses. I augmented one of the templates and added this script.

Sub showImageCanvas() 
    canvasItems = [
        { 
            Text:"Hello ImageCanvas"
            TextAttrs:{Color:"#FFCCCCCC", Font:"Medium",
            HAlign:"HCenter", VAlign:"VCenter",
            Direction:"LeftToRight"}
            TargetRect:{x:390,y:357,w:500,h:60}
        }
    ] 
 
   canvas = CreateObject("roImageCanvas")
   port = CreateObject("roMessagePort")
   canvas.SetMessagePort(port)
   'Set opaque background
   canvas.SetLayer(0, {Color:"#FF000000", CompositionMode:"Source"}) 
   canvas.SetRequireAllImagesToDraw(true)
   canvas.SetLayer(1, canvasItems)
   canvas.Show() 
   while(true)
       msg = wait(0,port) 
       if type(msg) = "roImageCanvasEvent" then
           if (msg.isRemoteKeyPressed()) then
               i = msg.GetIndex()
               ' print "Key Pressed - " ; msg.GetIndex()
               ' removing I need up for my game yo!
               ' if (i = 2) then
               if(i = 0 ) then
                   ' Up - Close the screen.
                   canvas.close()
               else if(i=17) then 
                   print "Key Pressed - A"
               else if(i=18) then
                   print "Key pressed - B"
               else if(i=2) then 
                   print "Left"
               else if(i=3) then
                   print "right"
               else if(i=4) then
                   print "down"
               else if(i=5) then
                   print "up"
               else
                   print i;    
               end if
               
           else if (msg.isScreenClosed()) then
               print "Closed"
               return
           end if
       end if
   end while
End Sub

From this I can see when the buttons are pressed, however, if I press 2 at the same time the result is unpredictable. Also it seems that once one key gets the nod (aka is shown in the print window) the other one never gets seen. Is there an onButtonUp call or something to keep track of this sort of thing. Admittedly, I am new to this (just got it for xmas) so I don't understand threading or any of these concepts quite yet but is there a good example of this?

[NewManLiving]

Button up events as far as I know are not
Available to the imagecanvas. They are available
To roscreen using the 2d API If you are writing
A game which involves movement of graphics
You will get much better performance and
Much more control over key presses using
The 2d API

[partyk1d24]

Can you speak to this a little more, possibly give me a link to these events. As long as I can draw with pixels or possibly compressed jpg style that would be fine.

[NewManLiving]

If you have the SDK the examples have
Some interesting 2D API source code
Which will help you to learn.
Basically you will use the roScreen
Object. This is single or double buffered
Video memory to which you write directly
At the lowest level currently available
Along with this you use roBitmap to create
Or load your graphics. Within a bitmap you
Can create regions using roRegion. These
Regions know how to scroll and wrap if needed
These regions can be placed in sprites which
Allow you to layer your graphics in a Z order
Sprites can also be animated. You also have
A compositor or container for your sprites
Which is a nice feature since it probably is
The fastest way to draw. Using more than one
Compositor allows you build an entire application
Using a single double buffered roScreen
You just simply swap out compositors
This provides complete control with a modest
Memory footprint. Of course you do a lot of
Coding. But the more you use it the easier it is
Look up the objects mentioned and you will
Have a good idea of how it works. Don't be
Put off after a short time it's no more difficult
Than the other levels of interface which are more
Limited

[partyk1d24]

I appreciate what you are saying but that is way to advanced for what I am doing. I just basically want to forward a game to my TV using roku. To do this I have little control over the way the graphics are rendered.

Back to the question I asked I used the Debug Console to look at bslCore and I see this...

function bslUniversalControlEventCodes()

    return {
        BUTTON_BACK_PRESSED            :   0
        BUTTON_UP_PRESSED              :   2
        ...
        BUTTON_BACK_RELEASED           : 100
        BUTTON_UP_RELEASED             : 102

This means it should be possible from any component (from my understanding of BrightScript). This leads me to other questions such as how does it queue the button presses, like why when I press one button and then before releasing another button do I not see the second button's event. Going to have to start doing some deep diving into the bslCore file I guess.

[partyk1d24]

I just tried the following...

Else if type(msg) = "roImageCanvasEvent" then
           if (msg.isRemoteKeyPressed()) then
             i = msg.GetIndex()
             else if(i=17) then 
                   print "Key Pressed - A"
             else if(i=117) then 
                   print "Key Released - A"

But all I see is

Key Pressed - A
Key Pressed - A

So I don't get it!

[RokuMarkn]

roImageCanvas only delivers key press events, not release events. You need to use roScreen to see the release events.

However, if you're holding down one button and press another one, you won't get the press event for the second button, no matter what screen type you're using. IR remotes send a continuous stream of messages while a button is held down, so it can't send messages for a second press during that time. I think you will just get a release for the first button when you press the second, and then a press for the first button when you release the second, but I wouldn't depend even on that.

--Mark

[partyk1d24]

Thanks, what if I use a bluetooth or wifi device? Then could I get multiple buttons at the same time? Is that even possible (use a bt dongle) on roku?

[RokuMarkn]

The only BT/wifi input devices supported are the Roku remotes that ship with the unit. The wifi remotes do not support multiple simultaneous button presses, and I'm pretty sure the BT remotes don't either.

--Mark