Theme AF_Flow: Integration of PictureFlow

[AsusFreak]

Hi all,

I really like the existing theme Rockflow but I always felt a kind of disappointed because it was only fake with the sliding albums.

But now something has happened: one of the busy guys of the rockbox crew made it possible to switch between the pictureflow plugin and the WPS screen. Therefor a new hotkey feature is activated which couldn't be used for the D2 in the past.

So if you like to change rockbox's browsing feature from the old list view to the visual sliding of pictureflow, you have to do some configuration and use my theme or any other adapted theme.

Step 1 - Configure the Hotkey:
Go into the settings of rockbox and set the following parameter:
Settings-General Settings-Hotkey-WPS Hotkey -> PictureFlow

Step 2 - Configure the PictureFlow Plugin:
2.1) Start the Plugin: Plugins-Demos-pictureflow
2.2) Maybe you're getting the following warning: "No Albums found. Please enable database. Press any botton to continue." Then press any button and you get the message "Plugin returned error". Go back to the rockbox menu and go to database. Then it's said "Database is not ready - initialize now" then you press the upper (hardware) menu button and the database will be generated and you have to reboot your D2 and repeat step 2.1.
2.3) Now you'll see your albums. Please tap into the upper left corner. Now you're in the menu of the plugin. (Attention: while you are in the plugin you are using the 3x3 grid mode) Please change the following parameter: settings-WPS Integration -> Via Tracklist

If you don't want to do this manually you'll be able to try my config files in the attachments. No warranty if something will break.

Now you are done.

If you now chose my AF_Flow Theme you are able to tap on the middle album art (in absolute point mode. In 3x3 grid mode use the lower right corner) and get directly into the pictureflow plugin where you can browse through your albums, select a title and jump back to WPS automatically.
Please remember that the pictureflow plugin currently only supports 3x3 grid mode. I use absolute point mode in my WPS and I am familiar now with the 3x3 grid mode in the plugin - no problem for me but it's your choice if you want to use the absolute point mode or the 3x3 grid mode in the WPS. Maybe in the near future there will be a skilled developer giving us the absolute point feature in the plugin as well.

I designed my theme for the following pictureflow settings:
number of slides=3 (but I can't see any differences in the plugin when changing this to e.g. 5
zoom= 100 (this could be important. zoom = 100 means album art will be 128x128 pixel. If you change this the WPS might look crazy.)

Version V1.0: Initial Version

Version V2.0:
- new screen related buttons
- FM Screen
- changed faked albums in WPS
- some minor optical corrections

You have to use a current build.

Download is here.

Please post your experiences with the new feature. Is it comfortable for you?

And what do you need additionally in this theme: FM Screen, More information on Pause or Hold, any other features?

Thanks in advance.
Asus Freak

[mp3]

Looking good, I'll try it out when I get the chance, thanks.

[andrewthecoder]

if this works (no pc the now), i love you

[AsusFreak]

Originally Posted by andrewthecoder

if this works (no pc the now), i love you

Uuups - do I have to pray now that it will not work?


To be serious again: for me it works like a charm. The start of the plugin sometimes lasts 2 seconds and within the plugin the framerate decreases while new mp3 data is loaded but these things are known with the PictureFlow plugin.

I'm really happy now with this Jump-to-PictureFlow-And-Back feature.
Ok, a complete integration of PictureFlow into the WPS would be better but - as jdgordon of the rockbox crew said - maybe in the future. In the meantime I enjoy this workaround.

[Peaceful1]

thanks for the theme,really clevor upgread but I don't get the PictureFlow part (I mean how it works?!)

[AsusFreak]

Originally Posted by peaceful1

thanks for the theme,really clevor upgread but I don't get the PictureFlow part (I mean how it works?!)

Hi peace,

how it works?

csavery and jdgordon - all credits to them - built a patch for having a workaround to integrate the pictureflow plugin in the WPS. Additionally they defined a new toucharea tag called hotkey to provide the feature to the touchscreen devices. Both features are in the SVN now, so you have to use a current built.

The toucharea tag hotkey can be configured in the main rockbox settings as I described it in Step 1 of post #1. If you set the hotkey to PictureFlow you are able to jump from the WPS to the pictureflow plugin by tapping on the hotkey toucharea (which is the middle album art in my theme).

Now you have to be able to get back again.
In the PictureFlow settings you find a parameter called WPS Integration. If this is set to Via tracklist you are able to slide through your albums, select one and get to the regarding tracklist. Selecting one title closes the pictureflow plugin and brings you back to the WPS. This configuration is done in Step 2.2 of post #1.
If the manual configuration is a way too complicated then try my config files in the attachment. They overwrite the main rockbox config file and the pictureflow config file. Just keep the paths of the zip file and they will be dropped at the right folders.

One thing will lead to confusions, I guess:
in the WPS you are able to use both 3x3 grid mode and absolute point mode. The pictureflow plugin currently only supports 3x3 grid mode.

So if you use absolute point mode (which I do) then you tap the middle album art in the WPS and jump to the plugin and have to switch in mind to 3x3. When jumping back to WPS you will have the absolute point mode back again.
If you are already in 3x3 grid mode in the WPS then you have to tap at the folder icons at the lower right corner of the WPS and jump into the pictureflow plugin.

If you aren't familiar with the usage of the 3x3 grid mode in the pictureflow plugin here are the 9 fields of the pictureflow screen (sorry for the ??? - I just don't have the player in my hands at the moment. I will add this in the next days.):

menu.........step up..........???
step left.....select........step right
???..........step down.......cancel

Did this give an answer to your question? If not please keep on asking!

I know it's a way more complicate than only loading a theme but I think this is a good step forward on our way to a perfect rockbox, isn't it?

Please give it a try and give more feedback.
Thank you all.

[mp3]

Just tried it now, works like a dream. Thank you ever so much!

[Peaceful1]

I'm really sorry, you had wrote a complete explanation in post one I didn't even read it

With the last post you wrote I now completely understand.

[AsusFreak]

Originally Posted by mp3

Just tried it now, works like a dream. Thank you ever so much!

Hey, this make me happy, mp3.
Did you use 3x3 grid or absolute point mode in the WPS?

Originally Posted by peaceful1

I'm really sorry, you had wrote a complete explanation in post one I didn't even read it

No problem, peace. I felt myself a bit uncomfortable with the description in post #1. I think now it's clearer.

[bkd11]

Just tried it out, pretty cool.

But for me it is only working in 3x3 grid mode.
Touching the album art using absolute point doesn't do anything.
This was using r26937. I also tried r26960, which was the current build as of this post.

Am I doing something wrong?

Other than that looks good, perhaps move the seekbar to the bottom of the album art so its easier to touch.

Edit: Also how can I add this feature to other existing themes?

Thanks

[mp3]

Originally Posted by AsusFreak

Hey, this make me happy, mp3.
Did you use 3x3 grid or absolute point mode in the WPS?

I use 3x3, haven't tried absolute point mode, but on the 3x3 it works perfectly.

[AsusFreak]

Originally Posted by bkd11

Just tried it out, pretty cool.

But for me it is only working in 3x3 grid mode.
Touching the album art using absolute point doesn't do anything.
This was using r26937. I also tried r26960, which was the current build as of this post.

Am I doing something wrong?

Other than that looks good, perhaps move the seekbar to the bottom of the album art so its easier to touch.

Edit: Also how can I add this feature to other existing themes?

Thanks

Thanks, mp3 and bkd for these replies.

I forward this to the rockbox crew because between r26848 where the hotkey function was submitted and now something seems to get broken with the absolute point mode. I think I am using a build of June the 15th (can not verify at the moment) and it works like a charm. Let me wait for a response of the developers. I'll keep you updated.

Your other question, how to add to other themes:
take a look at my theme code.

#Album Art
%V(96,32,128,128,0)%Vf(000000)%Vb(000000)
%T(0,0,128,128,hotkey)
%Cd

So you'll only have to define this new touchscreen area with the hotkey tag and do the configuration described in post #1 - that's all.

[AsusFreak]

Originally Posted by AsusFreak

Thanks, mp3 and bkd for these replies.

I forward this to the rockbox crew because between r26848 where the hotkey function was submitted and now something seems to get broken with the absolute point mode. I think I am using a build of June the 15th (can not verify at the moment) and it works like a charm. Let me wait for a response of the developers. I'll keep you updated.

I got the message that the faulty touchscreen areas should be fixed now.
So releases after r26991 should work correctly now. This is not proven yet.


Edit: just checked it and it's still causing problems. It's on the bug tracker of rockbox now.
They solved a problem with the RWD And FWD Touchscreen areas and THIS was corrected with r26991.

One hint: they just changed the code regarding browsing through rockbox menus in absolute point mode. So getting back only one level (which was done by pressing the first menu row) is not possible anymore. Getting back is possible with a new tag "Cancel". So I have provide an update of my theme soon...

[AsusFreak]

Originally Posted by AsusFreak

Edit: just checked it and it's still causing problems. It's on the bug tracker of rockbox now.

Woooo - they are really fast: r27009 should have fixed the hotkey problem with absolute point mode.

ByTheWay: I saw that the bootloader did change with r27007. If USB is detected the bootloader switches directly to original firmware. This is untested but would be very nice. I always forgot to switch to HOLD...

[mp3]

I know this is a lot to ask, but would it be possible to do the left and right "fake" albums like goldrecords or some real classics like, The Dark Side of the Moon and Hotel California?






ETA

I found out myself how to do it, thanks for a great theme.