Topic: Keyboard quick buttons (Read 3448 times)

benn600 · « **on:** December 30, 2006, 09:40:49 pm »

My keyboard (as most do) has volume, play/pause, stop, back, and next track buttons. I also have the Creative Audigy2 with remote. These seem to interfere a bit. The play buttons only work when MC is in focus. Is there a way to force these buttons to always go to MC? Is there a way to tell MC to always pick these up? When I use the remote > Start to open MC, the buttons always say NA. I try pushing play/pause on the Creative remote and it just says NA. Volume always works but that's easy. Is there a way to go around Creative's software with a custom program that would let you set each button press to merely replicate keyboard button pushes? This would work great!

vine-au · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2007, 09:31:18 pm »

I have the same issue with my remote (came with my DVB-T), it only works when MC is in focus. Even when I set it up to replicate keyboard strokes... no love.
My actual keyboard's (MS Wireless Desktop Elite) media keys work fine no matter if MC is in focus or not. maybe it's your keyboard or driver software? not a problem with MCß

Mr ChriZ · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2007, 07:23:24 am »

Quote from: vine-au on January 01, 2007, 09:31:18 pm

not a problem with MCß

Hehe, Like the ß character!

jgreen · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2007, 11:41:34 am »

Benn--

have a fling at the options under "tools/options/general/advanced/media keys mode". These options control how MC listens for keyboard commands, and maybe one or another combination will help your keyboard vs remote issue.

benn600 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2007, 05:36:59 pm »

I don't understand it. I tried all the options there and nothing helped.

I'm using Logitech Setpoint 3.2.

It seems like the software only tells one program and that is whatever program but I wish it would just tell everything. I really think it's an interference with my Creative soundcard which has a remote. If I'm not careful in msconfig, I can easily disable the remote by stopping a program from launching and I seem to recall it works fine when I disable the Creative remote.

Addition: It's interesting. When I have MC in focus, everything works AND I see the on screen, Green words describing the button I pushed. When not in view, I see nothing. It's almost like Logitech Setpoint doesn't even hear about the button push when a media program is not in focus. When it's in focus, I can just click the buttons! I want the keyboard buttons when it isn't in focus.

Sara21183 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2007, 10:16:33 pm »

I am having the same problem, the controls work fine when mc12 is focused, but when it's not they don't. I'm using mc12.0.185 and setpoint 3.2 with a mx5000 bluetooth combo. I don't have any other remotes, so I know there's no interference there. I tried deleting the entry in the xml file and that didn't work. I also tried the players.ini file edit and that didn't work, but that was for mc11, so that could be the problem even though I did change the references from mc11 to mc12. Maybe theres a new player.ini string for mc12? Hope I'm making sense

gappie · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2007, 05:34:51 pm »

i had this problem also. for me, the solution is: i use girder for my remote. made a part there to disable all the media keys (need to do that only once after a fresh install). girder still records those keys and can be used the same as those from the remote, via mcc commands.

kyle007 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 08, 2007, 11:38:42 am »

I have MC 12.0.207 and have the same problem $:-\$

When the player minimized the keyboard keys don't work...I tried all the options in the advanced menu (Media Key Modes) but nothing changed...

How could i fix this ?

Mr ChriZ · « **Reply #8 on:** May 08, 2007, 11:46:15 am »

Quote from: kyle007 on May 08, 2007, 11:38:42 am

I have MC 12.0.207 and have the same problem $:-\$

When the player minimized the keyboard keys don't work...I tried all the options in the advanced menu (Media Key Modes) but nothing changed...

How could i fix this ?

What keyboard are you using?

kyle007 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 08, 2007, 11:51:24 am »

A4 KL-7MU....

benn600 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 08, 2007, 11:59:21 am »

I'm trying to remember if I had the problem with XP. by the way, next time I format (usually around June) I am reverting to XP. VISTA SUCKS...sorry.

I have the same problem and it is very annoying. I wonder if it's SetPoint that's the problem. Or Vista? I remember when the buttons did work in the background. It was amazing! If I heard a song I didn't like, one button and it was over! Now, I have to maximize MC, wait for it to load (Vista with 1gb isn't great) and then finally click next (the keyboard button is too much effort at that point) and then I usually get distracted from my work and start messing with my library....it's an endless battle.

Anyone figure out what the issue is? like I said, it could be the OS, etc. Is it only Logitech keyboards? What brand is that one above?

kyle007 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:04:07 pm »

Quote from: benn600 on May 08, 2007, 11:59:21 am

I'm trying to remember if I had the problem with XP. by the way, next time I format (usually around June) I am reverting to XP. VISTA SUCKS...sorry.

I have the same problem and it is very annoying. I wonder if it's SetPoint that's the problem. Or Vista? I remember when the buttons did work in the background. It was amazing! If I heard a song I didn't like, one button and it was over! Now, I have to maximize MC, wait for it to load (Vista with 1gb isn't great) and then finally click next (the keyboard button is too much effort at that point) and then I usually get distracted from my work and start messing with my library....it's an endless battle.

Anyone figure out what the issue is? like I said, it could be the OS, etc. Is it only Logitech keyboards? What brand is that one above?

No...I use XP,and my keyboard is A4...I think it's a software problem

Mr ChriZ · « **Reply #12 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:06:34 pm »

I had a problem with my MS keyboard for a while, then they
released a new version of intellipoint and i think that was what fixed it for me.

I don't think Intelli point works with non MS keyboards though
so probably not much help.

Try checking for latest software from keyboard manufactouror,
or removing it if it's already on there.

glynor · « **Reply #13 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:46:52 pm »

I think this is by design.

It'd tick me off to no end if MC "stole" control of those buttons when it wasn't the foreground application. You can easily set this up yourself using Girder. If you want the buttons to always control MC, regardless of whether it's the foreground or background app, then you can use the free Girder 3.x versions. If you want more advanced logic to control when (and if) the buttons will control MC vs. some other app, then you'd probably be best served by the non-free Girder4 Standard.

Another option would be to change the configuration of the buttons themselves using whatever application the keyboard manufacturer provides. Instead of having the buttons issue the "standard" Play/FF/RW/Stop windows messages (I realize there actually is no standard, which is half of the problem, but you get the point), you would set the programs to issue the MC automation commands. For example, to have the Play button Play, you'd assign it to run:

MC12.exe /Play

The full set of MC command line options are available on the DevZone Wiki here: http://wiki.jrmediacenter.com/index.php/The_Command_Line

Mr ChriZ · « **Reply #14 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:51:07 pm »

Quote from: glynor on May 08, 2007, 12:46:52 pm

I think this is by design.

$:-\$
I'd have thought most people would want for the music to stop when they press the stop button
and the track to change when they hit the track buttons, regardless of where MC is,
without the need for any 3rd party software.
It's very rare if not never that I even have any other software open that could possibly use those buttons.

glynor · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:57:49 pm »

Yeah... Not some people though. For example, I generally have MC open all the time when I'm using my computers at home. I don't always have it actively doing anything though, and I use my keyboard buttons to control a wide variety of other applications: Media Player Classic, ZoomPlayer, WiMP, etc, etc, etc... It's generally considered bad form for an application to steal control of global hotkeys (which is essentially what those buttons are) when they aren't the foreground application. If this feature is added (or exists already) in MC, it should certainly be optional and not the default.

Now, that said, I'm not sure that this is how it works, since my buttons are controlled via Girder on the machines where I actually use them regularly. I use those buttons for all sorts of crazy things. For example, I have the FF/RW buttons assigned to the Text Zoom feature in Firefox (and Stop assigned to Stop, Play assigned to Reload, ec). I also use them in Photoshop for zoom in/out/pixel-level, and in many video editing applications. But, when a video game (such as my ZSNES Super Nintento Emulator) is in front, then I have those buttons routed to MC so that I can change the song playing.

benn600 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 08, 2007, 04:51:04 pm »

So what exactly is Girder and is there a free version? I looked at the site but it is a bit unclear.

Sorry but Setpoint (Logitech) is half worthless. I can't even configure the play buttons to do MC12.exe /play. They just send PLAY to whatever, lol.

Any solutions that are EASY?! You know what I'd like is an open-source program to replace Setpoint and all the other random keyboard apps. It would accept input and users could set a ton of actions up, and then save their configuration so they could load various config files if they were having a party or something and needed special button use.

kyle007 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 09, 2007, 04:11:24 am »

Well,i installed Girder 4 but it's so complicated

You say a solution about parametres...How can i use it ?! In keyboard driver ?!

When i add a "/play" parametre end of the pathway (look at the pic) it gives error,it says don't use a pathway exept exe's !!

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8404/74648707aa0.jpg

So how i use these parametres ?

glynor · « **Reply #18 on:** May 14, 2007, 02:35:42 pm »

Point it at the MC12.exe executable in your System32 folder instead of the Media Center 12.exe program. So, you'd want it to look like:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\MC12.exe /Command Play

However, since system32 should be in the default search path for windows, you really only need to put this in that box:

MC12.exe /Command Play

You'd also want to use /Command Play rather than just /Play. /Play allows you to specify a specific file for MC to play back (like MC12.exe /Play c:\music\somefile.mp3). /Command Play plays the currently selected file(s).

It should work for you then. I'm not familiar with that software, though, and you might have to use whatever is under the "Generic Command" choice rather than the Shell Command option you chose. I'd try the Shell Command choice first though.

glynor · « **Reply #19 on:** May 14, 2007, 02:42:44 pm »

Quote from: benn600 on May 08, 2007, 04:51:04 pm

Any solutions that are EASY?! You know what I'd like is an open-source program to replace Setpoint and all the other random keyboard apps. It would accept input and users could set a ton of actions up, and then save their configuration so they could load various config files if they were having a party or something and needed special button use.

There is one, called Girder. It isn't open source but that's exactly what it's for.

It looks scarier than it is. If you take a few minutes, read the manual, and walk through the tutorials, it's way easier than you probably think it is just looking at it and trying to "figure it out".

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Author Topic: Keyboard quick buttons (Read 3448 times)