I also like the way that MusicInfoScr works, and agree with MC that the overall structure isn't right. I've been exercising a few brain cells over this and so far have come up with some requirements and a few thoughts towards a spec.
First, the requirements: - want to be able to define display config as MusicInfoScr does today (this isn't broken, lets keep it!) - want full flexibility on when different information layouts, and visualisers, appear on one or both screens - must allow for plugins doing weird things with the display at will (eg Snow screensaver!) - must be able to offer good "out of the box" default layouts while allowing fancy customisation for the keen - make the use of the various configuration options well structured and logical Second, some thoughts inching towards a spec... I think that there are several layers of definition here, some of which are already in use: 1 - define the formats for information strings that you want to be able to use (Server wide)(today: Server settings/Formatting/Title Format) 2 - Select which of those format strings you want to use for a particular player for a given purpose (today: player settings/basic settings/title format) - there might be a need for other comparable strings at this level but I can't offhand think of one.... maybe Album name format? 3 - define one or more different Display Views. Give them a name so you can refer to them later. MusicInfoScr does a great job of this, as far as text layout is concerned. I'd like to see the use of visualisers integrated here, though, and perhaps the various scroll settings. (I think this set of Display Views would be Server wide). 4 - Apply the different Display Views to the display (or displays if you are lucky enough to have two!) for a variety of modes (see the table in my earlier post). Per Player. Putting all of these together, you'd be able to define your own display layout (as per MusicInfoScr today) for each display - or use the visualisers - where and when you want. You'd be able to have visualisers on either side. You'd be able to have a display look like a visualiser when playing, but have a specific text layout when you press Now Playing (say). It would clean up the currently confused relationship between the core slimserver functions and the MusicInfoScr plugin. OK, so it would allow me to do what I want with the displays (which I'm fairly sure I can't at the moment), but I think it offers a lot of options for what others might want too. Just one other thing - if anything like this happens, I'd also request a "save display configuration to file" and "load from..." option - it would allow users/support to post configurations around as well as make it easy to copy from one player to another. Any thoughts? Ceejay -- ceejay ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ceejay's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=148 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=29162 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
