How to Refresh database w/o using F2 method...

[jmv]

Has anyone figured out an event or is there to refresh the data base w/o having to go into the F2 function and refresh the database. I add a CD or DVD to my collection about 4~5 times per month...and would like to have be able to tell the data base to refresh...

here is what I have tried so far with out success...

1) created a movies database called "movies - kids"
2) created an event catagory - refresh - in category name box I enter
"movies - kids"
3) assigned event to button on my movies - kids select skin
4) pressed my new button...

and nothing...I am assuming I am using the wrong event to refresh the data base...what I want to do is create the event that does the same thing as pressing F2, going to database, selecting movies - kids, pressing the refresh button...how do I do that?!?


thanks,

mv

[hvs69]

You should assign the name of your category to the refresh event, not the name of the database. In a lot of cases those two names are same but it looks like they are not the same in your case. Also, I would refrain from using a space in the names (use underscores). I am not sure if xlobby likes spaces in the category names.

You can also see the progress of your category update (just like F2 method) by creating a popup with a textbox with buttonid "importstatus"

Hopefully this helps.

[jmv]

thanks for the reply...one question...how do I assign or determine the name of the catagory?

[Colby]

Someone should write a skinning document. Try that.

Open the skin editor click on the category and review its properties.

[jmv]

alright funny guy...I am glad I was worthy of the "Master Skinners Response"...just so you know I did read your document before posting...what somebody needs to do is build a search function within the skinning document . Seriously Colby thank you for all your hardwork and dedication to make Xlobby useable for the rest of us...I still have a skin based on your version from 2+ years ago...and I actually got this to work. I am trying to make the status text come on when I press refresh and go away when it finishes refreshing...and I'll probably come back wimpering for help when Xlobby beats me senseless...but I do try before I post

[Colby]

without a plugin I dont think getting a refresh statas feedback is possible. I guess youre looking for the progress bar thing in f2 I dont know how to do that from within the skin.

somebody needs to do is build a search function within the skinning document

That is phase 2. I think the TOC on my skinning 3is a big help though. I mean it links pretty much to the screens of the skin editor. But youre right if you dont know where to look its hard to find something.

Good Luck.

[jmv]

Well, I've got it working pretty much. Here is how I have done it:

1) Set up events for each category of movies to refresh that category in the F2 "events" submenu.
2) Set up an overlay on each category movie page that has a text box containing the importstatus buttonid...for each of these overlay's, I set up an "on enter" action that would issue the refresh category event for that overlay's category
3) Set up events for each category to show overlay with an OS/trigger that is then assigned a send command from girder (so that I can do this all by remote)
4) Set up an event for "close overlay" also triggered via the OS trigger from girder.

Works 95%...and I could live with it happily if I weren't a perfrectionist, the one thing that I would like to have happen is that the after completion of the import, and just after the importstatus button gives the final statistics (e.g. HH MM SS to import etc)...I would like the overlay to automatically close...is there any way to do that?

thanks,

mv

[Colby]

...I would like the overlay to automatically close...is there any way to do that?

Just a shot, but what if all your commands were a multithreaded event? Like open-->refresh-->close. Wouldnt Xlobby just run through it?

[jmv]

Colby...thanks for the idea...sadly Xlobby doesn't wait for the refresh to end...it just goes ahead and closes the pop up within ms of opening it...any more ideas?

[tswhite70]

A couple ideas - I was thinking that you would NOT want the event Multithreaded (but I always get confused on this). The event would be:

Open Overlay
Refresh Category
Pause 3 seconds
Close Overlay

If this doesn't work, another option would be to run the event via Xscript and a little vbs that watches the inputStatus field in Xlobby till you get the finished message.

You could maybe do the same thing with girder - create an Xlobby event that sends inputstatus to girder as a variable and have girder watch for the refresh to finish. Your Xlobby event would be:
Open Overlay
Refresh Category
Fire Girder event "Monitor refresh"

You would need another Xlobby event for sending the inputstatus variable to Girder.

Girder event(s) for "Monitor refresh" would do something along the lines of:
Call "Send Girder InputStatus Variable" Xlobby command
Test if "Finished"
If "Finished" send Xlobby Close Overlay command and quit
Else wait 5 seconds and Loop


good luck,
tsw

[jmv]

TSW,

thanks for the in sightful tips on using Girder/Xlobby to do this. I'll give it a shot. Girder is a really powerful tool but I always stumble in my first 4~5 tries to get it to work...it's like any kind of coding/language if you don't "speak it" you lose it, and with Girder and Xlobby, I speak it every 6 months or so...so I'm a hack

mv