Author Topic: Integrated Recipes Module  (Read 23058 times)

jetrich

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #15 on: January 12, 2008, 03:35:51 am »
Very much still interested. I was talking with my wife about it just the other day, but I'm still not a programmer. I suppose one could just list gourmet as an external application under computing??? I guess it might be worth a shot. Think I'll try that.

...Hell, are there any automated devices that will actually process the food into meals with a minimum of human intervention? Like a breadmaker, but more complicated, and controllable by a PC?

Hey, if you can install Linux on a toaster I suppose you _could_ install linux on a bread machine and make it some sort of freak hybrid appliance...  ;D

Jason
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jetrich

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #16 on: January 12, 2008, 11:25:38 pm »
I tried to install gourmet on my kubuntu 7.04 pc (not LMCE) and it really didn't run very well, and I'm not sure I like the interface. It is still in beta, but doesn't seem to be developing very quickly.

I then installed krecipes http://krecipes.sourceforge.net/on the same machine and am much more pleased with it. Not to mention the fact that it is in the repositories unlike gourmet. Krecipes also has more database options (mysql and postgres) so we wouldn't be as limited.

i think that this software may be a better bet. I suppose the trick would be getting somebody ('cause I don't know how to program yet) to modify the interface or program a new one. Perhaps a UI that works well with a touch screen???  ;)

Jason
Silverstone LC20M (silver)
Fiire Chief
Asus A8N-E
AMD Athlon 64 3200+
Skystar 2
Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 150 MCE
PNY 7300GT
Sony XL1B3
Sherwood RVD-6090 (needs replaced)
32" RCA SDTV

jimmejames

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #17 on: October 23, 2008, 06:25:15 pm »
Does anyone have any news on this?  I'm not a programmer, either, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

There are a number of programs out there- e.g. the ones listed before and AnyMeal. 

If anyone with programming experience could list a few things that are mandatory for integrating anything with LinuxMCE- e.g. a certain database over another and if waiting for 810 is necessary- are major components changing a lot?  Also, it seems that finding a program that has a very basic UI would be better than finding one with an advanced UI.  That way I wouldn't have to worry about how their UI interfaces with LMCE and rather could export the information to the screen as I wanted.

Clearly I don't know what I'm doing with this, but a non-essential but highly desired addition like this may prompt more experienced programmers to lend a hand. 

tschak909

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #18 on: October 23, 2008, 06:41:49 pm »
Any program that we are going to put in with LinuxMCE, needs to be able to display on Orbiter. I will not support any extensions if they do not.

-Thom

jimmejames

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #19 on: October 23, 2008, 08:27:34 pm »
I'm with you there, one of those webdt things that you listed a couple days ago is going into my kitchen.  I want to be able to pull up recipes on it to make dinner.  It's ability to play songs/dvds/whatever like a media director is the last of my concerns.

Certainly getting the cart ahead of the horse here, but I have a n810, a windows orbiter and now that webdt thing that I would be able to test on.  Probably a good start considering I dont' even know where to start.

But again, are there recommendations for things to look for?  Thom or Hari- info straight to the point would be most helpful.

tschak909

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #20 on: October 23, 2008, 08:46:05 pm »
it will probably need to be hand made.

The plugin would provide an interface to a web service. There would be a series of screens designed in Designer (see my Designer screencasts), and these screens would attach to the data grid generators provided by the plugin, and set the appropriate text bits on screen.

So, for those of you who want to do the designer work, listen up:

I would see something like the following screens:

* Favourite Recipes (default screen)
* Newest Recipes
* Search for Recipes
* Recipe Detail view

The actual structure of those pages, would depend on what would be used to get the data.

So.

* Find a web service that can be queried for recipes.
* write code in C++ to deal with that service, make it self contained. If needed, convert XML to plain text, etc.
* write a DCE plugin, that provides:
  - Data grid generators for the different data grid tables in each screen
  - Command(s) to retrieve recipe details

LinuxMCE has commands in orbiter to update designobjs with new image data (i.e. a jpeg or a png). Place designobjs for the recipe images etc, and in the commands to retrieve recipe details, have it set those designobjs.

you should provide pagination buttons to flip pages, if needed. preferrably, the cooking ingredients should be separated from the preparation instructions, so that the ingredients/proportions can stay on screen.

The more you can parse the information, the more that commands can be added for future expansion, i.e. for ordering groceries for a recipe etc.

This is a whole house solution, tied in via a large scale messaging buss. Keep this in mind. LinuxMCE is about integration.

-Thom

jimmejames

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #21 on: December 10, 2008, 03:51:01 pm »
Regarding UI1 limitations and scroll bars, does every possible screen need to rendered ahead of time?  If you have a recipe that extends longer than 1 page where you would usually have a scroll bar on the side of the screen that you could move up/down, would UI1 need to have the scenario generated where you only scrolled 1 line, then if you scroll 2, etc?

If the above question isn't clear, consider a recipe that has 50 lines of instructions and the screen is only able to display 30 lines at a given time.  Would screens need to be generated that showed lines 1-30 first, then showed 2-31, 3-32, etc?  Or, can UI1 handle scrolling static images?

tschak909

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #22 on: December 10, 2008, 03:59:23 pm »
Basically, pagination would need to be implemented, using a fuzzy model of approximate characters, with page up and page down buttons. At Least for now.

Part of this would be solved with intelligent UI design. The Recipe items would for example work best in a data grid. This way, items could be selected and called back to for example a "mark this to get later" function.. or perhaps order it online.

-Thom

krys

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #23 on: December 10, 2008, 06:39:43 pm »
on the same topic, I saw that one of the accesories you can buy for the webdt's was a barcode scanner.... so you could scan your groceries in when you get home from the store, they go into an inventory database, when you use the product you scan the barcode with your orbiter (marked as used of course) as you throw it away and the item comes out of your inventory DB.
This sounds fun, but i doubt it is on any programmers list of important things to do in the near future.

tschak909

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #24 on: December 10, 2008, 06:47:51 pm »
any enterprising programmers willing to take on the task, I can answer questions.

-Thom

bulek

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #25 on: December 10, 2008, 08:18:28 pm »
any enterprising programmers willing to take on the task, I can answer questions.

-Thom
Hi,

what I would propose is to have some generic text container screens for Orbiter and then just select what data provider will provide content. This would come handy for all other potential data providing plugins (weather, news, etc...). Then we try to make data providing plugins ( I volunteer for Perl).

I guess we're heading this way from my understanding...

Regards,

Bulek.
Thanks in advance,

regards,

Bulek.

tschak909

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #26 on: December 10, 2008, 08:21:15 pm »
Nah, it's easy enough to make new screens, there is no reason to just make generic containers.

-Thom

jimmejames

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #27 on: December 11, 2008, 04:15:56 am »
OK, well I'm still looking for an interpreter to write/edit code, but for now I've just been trying to read the code that someone else has already written.

How much code has to integrated into LMCE vs just being a standalone program that runs inside LMCE- is there a difference?  What I don't want is another program that is stapled onto LMCE like mythtv that has a different UI from the rest of the software.  Even though it works- and works well, I would rather integrate something into LMCE that carries the same UI look and feel.

That said, has anyone looked into Gourmet Recipe Manager?  http://grecipe-manager.sourceforge.net/  It seems to have all of the previously requested features already including a shopping cart, recipe's that you can download from a number of websites as well as add your own/rate the ones you have.  Plus, it has a fairly easy to use search feature.   And, it's written in Python.

More recipes:
http://mc6help.tripod.com/RecipeLibrary/RecipeLibrary.htm

The whole tar'd files are 1.8 mB while the untar'd are 8.4 mB  (no recipe's are initially included).

Is there a reason that I couldn't spend my time trying to develop an interface for LMCE that calls functions from Gourmet and not worry about editing the code? 
I'm not sure how to check what dependencies are required for the program vs which ones are included by default- something I will look at later.

Anyone have any questions/concerns/problems/whatever?

tschak909

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #28 on: December 11, 2008, 04:32:46 am »
LinuxMCE doesn't think in terms of applications, but devices.

Orbiter is just a device, the same way that a lighting interface is a device, the climate plugin is a device, etc.

The difference is, plugins run in the router's memory space, and thus have access to members, structures, functions, etc. of the other plugins merely by casting a pointer to them.

The recipe stuff would become part of the General Info plugin, for now. Providing essentially a set of commands to retrieve recipes, and a set of event interceptors and datagrid generators to fill in text/etc as needed. The Screen Handler for the recipe screens would call this.

For examples of what i'm talking about, look at the Telecom Plugin, and the MythTV Plugin. You'll see references in the Register() method, to callbacks to fill in data grids and other things, which are used to fill in the needed bits on orbiter.

UpdateEntArea will be used to automatically create a Recipes button (if and only if in the kitchen) to goto screen XX which is our recipes screen.,

-Thom

bulek

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Re: Integrated Recipes Module
« Reply #29 on: December 12, 2008, 03:57:47 pm »
Hi,


Didn't take a closer look, but will share with community :

https://sourceforge.net/projects/fam-connections/

Opinions ? It also has a recipe...

Regards,
Bulek.

Thanks in advance,

regards,

Bulek.