***CLOSED***$50 bucks for Flickr Slideshow to point to my pics

[balyho0o]

While I love the flicker slideshow, and all the interesting pics it shows, I would love to also be able to point the script to (local)folders of my choosing.

Option 1: If someone can add the ability to change the directory the script uses via the admin panel and not just hacking the pl script, I'll shoot you a $50 spot via PayPal. This way it could possibly be added to future versions of LMCE.

Option 2: On the other hand, if this is too tall an order for $50, I'll put up $10 for a modified script that I can update(fairly easily) by hand to change the directory. (I know squat about pearl syntax but would be comfortable changing a directory string)
UPDATE: Option 2 seems to already be available here:http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=2662.msg12867


Anyone else interested in this functionality, PLEASE pitch in

[marv2097]

What would be good is if you could still use flickr but choose a user, photostream, collection etc. Or even more than one that cycled through. This way you could use ur own flickr account to show your own or a groups photos.

[darrenmason]

OK funnily enough the same day that you posted this, my wife also asked "why can't we have our own photos on the TV instead of all those ones of people we don't know"

So I have looked into this last night. Here are some results...
* The config is a bit confusing as it points to a directory implying that it will be used for loading photos. In my setup (default) it points to /home/public/data/pictures. Looking through the code this does not seem to be used and even if it is - it is then overridden by a differnt value.
* The code works by dealing with a string of comma seperated filenames.
* The string of filenames is populated by issuing a Command 'getScreenSaverFiles' or somehting like that.
* This command is implemented by the class Orbiter_Plugin - which is a parent to all the plugins for an Orbiter including the device PhotoScreenSaver
* The implementation of this command basically returns all '.jpg' files that are in the file table with teh 'MD_USEFORSCREENSAVER' attribute (some of the details are not exact as I am typing this from work and memory at the moment)
* The flicker.pl script must be addinig thsi attribute to files (although I have not looked into this part)

So basically this means that any jpg file in the media database should be able to be flagged to be shown in the screen saver. This was quite encouraging so I then looked into the web admin screens.

The media-sync admin page (the one that allows you to browse the files via the file heirarchy on the left) allows you to set attributes for files once you click on them individually.

Unfortunately, for the JPG pictures in my database the only attribute that can be set is title.

I looked into this further and this list is populated from the media database by getting all attribute types that are linked to a particular media type.

In my database the attribute type needed is 30 and the media type is 7, so I inserted a row into the mediatype_attributetype table to link these two.

Reloading the router meant that the web admin screen now had the option to set the 'usefor screensaver' attribute, so I set this for a few of my photos and reloaded the router again.

After a while (the photos are chosen by a random algorithm) one of my photos popped up.. Yeah Success!

So then I tried removing the attribute for some of the flickr pictures. This proved to be very labour intensive so I shortcutted this by deleting files and re-syncing.

I have disabled the flickr.pl script by renaming it to flickr.pl.dontrun (as another post suggested).

So this is basically a solution but here is what still needs to be done;
* Put the database insert into a nice script so that it is easier for people to run - this should be pretty straightforward, I just need to work out exactly what some of the other columns in the table do as I have made a guess at the moment.
* Work out the constraints on what photos can be displayed effectively. Some of the photos don't work on the laptop media director (which is UI2, no alpha) but they work on the lounge MD (UI2 with alpha). This seems to relate to resolution I think.
* Look into how the flickr script tags the photos with the required attribute. I suspect this might be implemented by sending a particular command but have not really looked at this at all.

I will post a script and write a wiki page when I have done it and tested some more, but so far looking good.

Regards
Darren

[marv2097]

Darren,

Good work! would another option be to create a perl script called flicker.custom.pl (based on the original) and then just modify the parameters passed to flicker so that the users own flickr photos are used. This would save changing the database and all the internals would run as normal. However it would still mean that the photos would come from flickr and not local media.

Also which ever method is chosen it needs to be integrated into the admin so that this can be chosen as an option.. I am working away at the moment but will have a look at this when Im back home...

[darrenmason]

marv2097,

Absolutely, it would be good to further parameterise the flickr script so that user photos are downloaded or even just different flickr search criteria. What I have done (am doing) does you affect the flickr aspect and you can still use it as well as adding some photos from your personal collection.

The modification to the database is not such a big deal as it is just associating an attribute to a particular media type - which is what the database structure is intended to do. I don't foresee it having any adverse side effects and after some testing I will resubmit so that it is done in the next release anyway. So the internals are still running as normal. I believe what we are doing was probably the design intention of the original developers anyway.

Anyway, will keep working on it and let you know how it goes,

Darren

[marv2097]

Darren,

Can you PM me a copy of the flicker.pl script as it would be good to have a good look at it and I cant get access to mine until mon. I have no idea how the changes to the admin gui would be made and how this would affect other stuff either. I am pretty new to LMCE but I am looking at getting a little more involved in things like this.

Cheers, Marv

[balyho0o]

Thanks for all your great work toward achieving this goal. I look forward to watching this progress forward!
 

[darrenmason]

Had to go out last night so havn't written the wiki page yet, but did manage to have a quick look at the flickr script.
I was interested in how it flagged the downloaded files for screen saver display.
The good news is that it does it using two command messages.
The first one retrieves the file ID of a particular filename.
The second one adds the attribute that I spoke earlier of to the file. (which is what the admin page does)

This means that it should be quite straightforward to set pictures to be shown from the command line.

It also simplifies adding a button in the orbiter screens that 'flags' a partcular picture to use in the screen saver.

Still havn't worked out what picture resolutions are causing problems with one of my Media Directors - it could be related to the video driver I guess as all the other ones are Nvidia (whereas this is ATI) and they show all pictures fine.

ps... My wife was far more impressed seeing our pictures displayed rather than the flickr ones, so I have won some WAF points there

[marv2097]

Darren,

So the flickr script looks as tho it wouldnt be too hard to modify to add some more options to use a users flikr photos and/or photoset. It seems another option would be to specify a search string and flikr would return all the photos with those tags. - From what i can tell this was its original intention but LMCE uses it to get the 'most interesting' photos.

I have started to try to document it a little to help in modifying it. its at http://www.reesmarine.com/personal/flickrpl.doc
Feel free to make any ammendments or add to it as I havent worked it all out yet (perl isnt my strongest language).

The other side to this mod/hack is writing a script to use the users local photos as screensaver content. I guess this would just mean using a similar method to the flickr script but without the downloading section. One thing to note is that after the download the flickr script resizes the files to suit so it would be better to copy the files from the users local directory or network then resize them to leave the original the same.

Have you any idea what calls the flickr script and what argument it passes?
Also we need someway to modify the admin pages so that a user can make the choice of where the screensaver art comes from.

So I guess to move forward we need to:
1, Mod existing flickr.pl script to give more options.
2, Create a script to use the users photos (lightly based on the flikr script).
3, Modify the admin pages to allow user to select choices.

[darrenmason]

OK, took longer than I thought as I was testing as I went but hopefully the instructions at
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Use_my_own_pictures_in_the_Screen_Saver#Setting_an_attribute_from_the_web_admin_screens
Should work.

Please give it a go and provide feedback here if there are any issues.

[darrenmason]

Darren,

So the flickr script looks as tho it wouldnt be too hard to modify to add some more options to use a users flikr photos and/or photoset. It seems another option would be to specify a search string and flikr would return all the photos with those tags. - From what i can tell this was its original intention but LMCE uses it to get the 'most interesting' photos.

I have started to try to document it a little to help in modifying it. its at http://www.reesmarine.com/personal/flickrpl.doc
Feel free to make any ammendments or add to it as I havent worked it all out yet (perl isnt my strongest language).

The other side to this mod/hack is writing a script to use the users local photos as screensaver content. I guess this would just mean using a similar method to the flickr script but without the downloading section. One thing to note is that after the download the flickr script resizes the files to suit so it would be better to copy the files from the users local directory or network then resize them to leave the original the same.

Have you any idea what calls the flickr script and what argument it passes?
Also we need someway to modify the admin pages so that a user can make the choice of where the screensaver art comes from.

So I guess to move forward we need to:
1, Mod existing flickr.pl script to give more options.
2, Create a script to use the users photos (lightly based on the flikr script).
3, Modify the admin pages to allow user to select choices.

I think the flickr script is somehow started by the AppServer device - but I have not worked this out exactly.

[balyho0o]

Worked like a charm! And good job on the documentation too. I'm sure it will benifit many others as well. Please msg me your info so I can make payment.

[tekoholic]

Although this IS / WAS a wonderful idea, I see a problem...  I have an NFS share for the public stuff, and a separate one for adult stuff.  At this point, the adult stuff shows up under the Family user, as screensaver, and I've found no way around that?  I've performed the steps to get web-based control over what is / isn't attributed to be screensaver, but none of the pics have the attribute set.

How may I UNspecify this attribute, for less than appropriate material???  It seems that the Access Restrictions and pin-code requirements for viewing material listed as private are NOT segregating things as they should...

[darrenmason]

Did you delete the attribute from the photos you don't want or did they never have it?

If you deleted it and it is still showing up then you will need to do a reload router.
If the flickr.pl script is still running then it may be setting the attribute on existing photos.

From what I could see when going through the code only photos with the attribute set will show up on the screensaver.

[tekoholic]

Did you delete the attribute from the photos you don't want or did they never have it?

I had NEVER, in several different problematic installs, set ANY attributes on any pictures.  However, as is well documented in this thread, it has been a problem for me before:
http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=2862.0

It's quite odd, as the pictures that are within a publicly used NFS share seldom if EVER seem to be used as screensaver, while the stuff that is in private shares is constantly all over the screen, once I start having these troubles...  This, after using the Access Restrictions to pin-lock my PRIVATE media, and verifying that none of my other private stuff is accessible...

I actually found your thread, in looking for a way to REMOVE whatever attribute made private pictures accessible to the public screensaver system...  At this point, as you'll see in my last post on that thread, I'm done with it for now.  This is my 15th+ failed install, I've fought with this thing for nearly 2 months non-stop, and I'm going to have to wait until they either come out with a new version, or I can purchase one of those beautiful FiireEngines, to replace my own box with...  Hell, I guess this might even be one heluva' box for use as a disked MD (it's got no PXE, only that etherboot crap, and it's too useful for other tasks as well)...  It's already paired with the TV that will eventually be in mine and my wife's room...  It's a thought, anyhow.

Anyhow, thanx for your help.  I do hope that LMCE is working adequately for you, and continues to do so.  I think, maybe, my 1.3G Duron and 768M DDR just can't handle the load, particularly with software-decoded capture...  Guess I should've invested a bit more in h/w-decoding...