Proposed patch to allow dynamic menus

[andrei@…]

I'd like to propose a simple piece of functionality that allows to generate dynamic menus. I'm using it successfully to dynamically build menus for an online streaming service.

The idea is simple: if the <action> tag inside the menu <button> defines a MENU, but the parameter starts with the '`' character (same as bash shell command substitution), rather than treating this as a path to another menu file, we execute the external process, capture its standard output stream, and use the result to load the menu.

Example:

<button>

<type>TV_WATCH_TV</type> <text>9.90552641912621</text> <action>MENU `/home/mythtv/somemenuscript</action>

</button>

The script in /home/mythtv/somemenuscript is expected to generate output in mythtv menu format.

[andrei@…]

MENUEXEC version

[andrei@…]

MENUEXEC part of the patch for the header file

[andrei@…]

The MENUEXEC version uses this syntax:

<action>MENUEXEC /path/to/script/file</action>

instead of the originally proposed MENU with '`' character.

[Nigel]

(In [19940]) Different style of member initialisation (to simplify a future patch - see #5954). Warning for garbage in menu action.

[stuartm]

I'd like to go on record now as saying this is a ugly hack and that the proper way to offer menus for an "online streaming service" would be to create a proper themable plugin.

[Nigel]

Tidyup, test script, against recent SVN

[Nigel]

Tidier patch attached. Using it for a list of content is an ugly use, but having the ability to easily add a page of dynamic menus may be handy.
The challenge of writing a plugin - the semantic gap between MythUI C++ and a shell script - is huge. The ability to at least create buttons, if only for prototyping, is all many people need to start along the correct path?

[Dibblah]

Please see http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/MythNetvision

for the supported implementation of this.

[andrei@…]

The "supported implementation" does not do quite what this patch was intended to do (and still does). Specifically, it expects the script to return the XML containing "full" list of media URLs, even when tree structure is used. I think it's important do be able to generate branches and leafs of the tree structure as user makes choices, "drilling down" based on the selection made in higher tree levels.

[andrei@…]

Current (Apr 2010) version of the patch

[sphery]

Patches against MythNetVision? would be preferred over sticking random playback stuff into the main menus. See ​http://svn.mythtv.org/trac/ticket/8300#comment:1