11 replies to this topic

[s3n0]

Hi.

 

I am the author of the ChocholousekPicons plugin. Of course, the plugin works under both Python - version 2.x and 3.x. I've also always strived for very good support for older Enigma2 distributions as well... and even for the new DreamOS.

 

I have a technical question . How exactly should I make the ChocholousekPicons plugin available in the OpenPLi feed ? Originally and long ago, this plugin was available in OpenPLi. But something happened and it hasn't been available there for a few years now.

 

Will it be enough to create a folder and add the BitBake recipe here ?

https://github.com/O...op/meta-openpli

Alternatively, could someone (from OpenPLi development team or from the Python-skilled forum moderators) add and create this recipe instead of me ?

 

I don't have much experience making BitBake recipes. Some BB-recipes are already created for the "OE Alliance Group", for example this one:

https://github.com/o...ousek-picons.bb

...which already uses some list of open source plugins. Unfortunately, OpenPLi is not in this "OE Alliance Group", so this ChocholousekPicons plugin is not included either.

 

ChocholousekPicons source code:

https://github.com/s...ousekPicons/src

 

Thanks.

Edited by s3n0, 12 December 2023 - 11:21.

[WanWizard]

What exactly does this plugin do?

 

We prefer option one: adding a recipe.

 

If you can't make one, we can have a look, but we need to know from you exactly which dependencies your plugin has, as unlike OE-A, we don't preinstall optional (python) packages.

[s3n0]

Hi @WanWizard.

 

There are no library / package requirements (dependecies). Enigma2 distribution can be of any version.

 

All you need is the 7-zip archiver. Picons from Chocholousk are archived in 7z file format. Since many Enigma2 distributions don't include the p7zip package (on feed), the plugin source code will download and use and install the 7zip stand-alone binary archiver (according to the chipset architecture). But only if the p7zip package was not found through the package manager in the system.

 

What is the plugin for ? For updating picons from almost all EU satellite positions. It can synchronize picons (extracts to the internal flash drive from the /tmp folder only those picons that are needed / required according to userbouquets). Of course, this option can be set in the plugin. Basic info about the plugin is also on my github, here:
https://github.com/s...cholousekPicons

 

Here is a current copy of the "CONTROL/control" file for the basic info I use in the IPK / DEB packages:

PLUGIN_NAME="Chocholousek Picons"
PLUGIN_DIR="/usr/lib/enigma2/python/Plugins/Extensions/"`echo "${PLUGIN_NAME}" | tr -d " -"`    # PLUGIN_NAME: delete all " " and "-" characters
VER=$(cat "$PLUGIN_DIR/version.txt")        # VER="1.0.000000"
ARCH="all"                                  # chipset / CPU architecture dependency:  all, mips32el, mipsel, armv7ahf-neon, cortexa15hf-neon-vfpv4, aarch64, ...etc.
IPK_PCKGNAME="enigma2-plugin-extensions-"`echo "${PLUGIN_NAME,,}" | tr " " "-"`                 # PLUGIN_NAME: lower case, replace all spaces with "-"
PLUGIN_DESCRIPTION="Enigma2 plugin for downloading and updating picons (almost all EU satellites)"

# ----------------------------------------- contents of the file /CONTROL/control :

Package: ${IPK_PCKGNAME}
Version: ${VER}
Description: ${PLUGIN_DESCRIPTION}
Architecture: ${ARCH}
Section: extra
Priority: optional
Maintainer: s3n0
License: GPLv2
Homepage: https://github.com/s3n0/

Information about the plugin is also in the OE Alliance Group - BitBake recipe:

SUMMARY = "Plugin for updating Chocholousek's picons in Enigma2"
DESCRIPTION = "Enigma2 plugin for downloading and updating picons (almost all EU satellites)"
HOMEPAGE = "https://github.com/s3n0/e2plugins/ChocholousekPicons"
SECTION = "multimedia"
LICENSE = "GPL-2.0-only"

You can also look at the BitBake recipe created for the OE AllianceGroup and orient yourself accordingly. I suggest using "5.0+git??????...." format for the git-version - as in the case of the OE Alliance Group recipe:

SRCREV = "${AUTOREV}"
BPV = "5.0"
PV = "${BPV}+git${SRCPV}"
PKGV = "${BPV}+git${GITPKGV}"
PR = "r1"

Edited by s3n0, 12 December 2023 - 18:29.

[s3n0]

BTW... the Chocholousek Picons plugin, however, only works with "srp" picons and not with "snp" picons (https://forums.openp...s/#entry1482456).

 

Another minor error is possibly in the use of the folder "/usr/share/enigma2/picon" as the primary and default one - if no picons have been uploaded to (found in) the set-top box yet. Realistically, however, it should already be used as the default folder "/picon" - directly in the root directory. That's how it works in both OpenATV and OpenPLi . But I can always change that in the plugin source code . Well, I think it's not such a big "offence" .

Edited by s3n0, 12 December 2023 - 18:38.

[WanWizard]

The issue I see is that it is a plugin (in extensions) and not a picon package, where people would expect it.

 

And Enigma won't be able to find picons in /usr/share/enigma2/picon.

 

Oh, and p7zip is a dependency, so that needs to be build too. It is absolutely insane that a plugin needs to download binaries to be able to work, not something we'd like to distribute.

[littlesat]

I understood it installs picons../ that is already standard available in the image so why do you need it in the first place?

Edited by littlesat, 12 December 2023 - 21:14.

[s3n0]

I'm not here to force this picon update plugin on someone .

 

I have met a lot of people in my life who need this plugin. The plugin is, I emphasize again - universal for almost all existing Enigma2 distributions.

 

The plugin mainly uses picons made by @Chocholousek. It's basically a plugin that updates its own picons. Btw, it's his own art + also precise and demanding work, with constant updating of new channel logos (not many plugins for updating picons or... also... on picons that are on feeds only as ipk packages... channel logo changes don't happen very often there... ha ha).

 

In the plugin configuration, there are several designs of picon to choose from.

 

All the most used picon image resolutions are also there.

 

The plugin can update via 3 profiles, i.e. different picons - you can separately create a picon profile for the front LCD display, for example, and separately picons for SKIN. Yes... even such Enigma2 distributions or limitation of Linux set-top boxes exist !

 

The original goal of this plugin was primarily to save space on the internal flash drive in the set-top box. If you're using an older set-top box with 128MB or 256MB of internal flash memory, that's really not enough space for picons + other things.

 

Some people have never seen other Enigma2 distributions in their life than only OpenPLi ? Do I understand this correctly ? There are Enigma2 distributions (images) where there are no picons - neither on feed servers nor in the form of plugins, and often you have to use a special picon resolution than the most common one ("XPicons" = 220x132).

 

There are also a lot of these plugins for updating and downloading picons. Or there are picons directly in Enigma2 feeds (without the need to use a plugin). But not always with the right resolution... not always with the selected design... and not always with support for LCD and at the same time for SKIN in Enigma2.

 

So I repeat again that I don't want to impose this plugin on anyone :-D. On the contrary :-D. I always get only good feedback about this plugin everywhere :-D. I have been doing support for this plugin for several years. I have always fixed all BUGs and problems.

 

That's why I offered to put it on the OpenPLi feed... apparently the only option is via the BitBake recipe.

 

I also personally know OpenPLi users who use this plugin.

 

Other sources:

https://www.linuxsat...lugin/?pageNo=1

https://www.opena.tv...ma2-plugin.html

 

I was a little sad... that it's still missing from the OpenPLi feed. But it doesn't have to be there. It doesn't bother me at all :-D. Rather, users of the ChocholousekPicons + OpenPLi plugin are troubled by this :-). I know how to use a Linux terminal :-) but unfortunately some less experienced users do not know Linux at all.

 

Btw, the plugin is OPEN SOURCE and therefore free .

Edited by s3n0, 12 December 2023 - 23:00.

[WanWizard]

I can't comment on other images, but I've seen enough of them to know some are so bad you need plugins to hack your way around issues.

 

The p7zip issue in one of them, are there actually image builders that refused to add a recipe to put that in the feed? Did you ask? And in your code the remark about "python-request"? You should ALWAYS add a dependency to the control file, whether or not the package is preinstalled. This is also what would happen if the ipk was properly build by bitbake, instead of manually cobbled together.

 

Not sure where you got the idea that the picon packages in the feed aren't well maintained, they are updated virtually on a daily basis. And OpenPLi has had the option to install them on HDD or USB since the beginning.

 

For us it would be easier to just download the picon.cz files and create a picon package for them. I understand the need of the plugin hack for other images, but for OpenPLi I don't see the point...

[s3n0]

ChocholousekPicons plugin runs on Enigma2 distributions, which have been dead for 10 years :-). It is not possible to contact the authors or ask to add p7zip to their feed :-). These are very old set-top boxes with 128MB RAM. Trust me... there is no p7zip package. I, myself, am often worried about internal flash memory overflow when using a stand-alone 7-zip archiver (7za binary file) - on some prehistoric Linux set-top boxes. I really went through everything. I also tried newer versions of the 7za stand-alone archiver, but the new 7za compilations do not work correctly - due to additional system dependencies (even though they were new 7za standalone files, there were still system dependencies).

 

You can choose any folder for the picons (used by default, in various / old Enigma2 distributions).

 

You can even create your own folder for picons and use it ! But what I also consider... to be honest... a small exploit... because by creating and deleting directories in the PLUGIN MENU, the set-top box can be intentionally damaged - if some bad person (some intruder) gets to the set-top box.

 

So... you don't have to deal with the folders with picons at all. I mentioned the folder with picons only in one case... and that is when no picons in Enigma2 are uploaded to the set-top box yet... or if the picon folder is not configured and specified - directly in this plugin. In that case, the first folder is /usr/share/enigma2/picon/, but there should be a /picon folder right now, and that's all there is to the folder. It can be changed in the plugin code (so that it is primarily preferred on the freshly installed set-top box, this folder /picon, in the ChocholousekPicons plugin).

 

The last step you mention about manually downloading and unpacking these picons (https://picon.cz) in the set-top box is not easy at all. It's a lengthy process. It is an impractical procedure. And less experienced Linux set-top box users can't handle this step either.

 

You should try this plugin ;-). And then you don't have to write anything and ask :-P.

Edited by s3n0, 13 December 2023 - 13:24.

[WanWizard]

I didn't write "download and unpack on a box", I wrote "make a picon package of it". It will be the build server that does the download and unpacking.

 

And again, I don't say the plugin can't be useful for some images, I just don't see the reason for having it on OpenPLi, instead of a proper picon package.

[s3n0]

There are a lot of packages in the OpenPLi feed that have almost no meaning and purpose or have no universal use (I can find them on one device, but not on another device). But I have already written about the universality of use.

 

On the feed servers of various Enigma2 distributions there are plugins for picon updates and also directly IPK packages with picons... but not always all picons are found - for all EU satellite positions and usually only with one graphic design to choose from. And if you find all the EU satellite positions there, then you won't find a transparent picon design or picons with a white background (just as a design example), but often only one type of graphic design - usually everything is just picons with a black background.

 

I'm done here. I don't intend to debate this further.

 

If all this were up to me, the feed server would probably have ALL existing open source E2-plugins, which are, however:

 

1. problem-free (no ridiculous errors in the Python source code)
2. always up to date (the author of the plugin is not dead, so there is no reason for him not to take care of his plugin)
3. universal (people also know the plugin from other Enigma2 distributions)
4. simple (practical to use)

 

Really ALL open source E2-plugins should be on the feed server. That is, those that the plugin creator takes care of. Often in discussions I see problems with PY3 but with plugins that are directly on the OpenPLi feed . The ChocholousekPicons plugin has dozens of positive features . But if no one from the OpenPLi team mentions it on their Enigma2 feed, it won't bother me. It will only bother users who use OpenPLi and have to install the ChocholousekPicons plugin in a complicated way :-D.

 

I wish you a nice rest of the day ;-).

[WanWizard]

I don't really care about "various distributions". I understand why you made it, I'm not debating that.

 

But this here is about OpenPLi, and I don't see a reason to deviate from our way of offering picons, just because other distributions are old, crap or otherwise unusable.

If users want to use Chocholouse Picons (I don't know, this is the first time I've heard of them), picon packages can be made to make them available in the feed, just like any other picon package.

 

If all this were up to me, the feed server would probably have ALL existing open source E2-plugins, which are, however:

 

1. problem-free (no ridiculous errors in the Python source code)
2. always up to date (the author of the plugin is not dead, so there is no reason for him not to take care of his plugin)
3. universal (people also know the plugin from other Enigma2 distributions)
4. simple (practical to use)

 

Really ALL open source E2-plugins should be on the feed server. That is, those that the plugin creator takes care of. Often in discussions I see problems with PY3 but with plugins that are directly on the OpenPLi feed . The ChocholousekPicons plugin has dozens of positive features . But if no one from the OpenPLi team mentions it on their Enigma2 feed, it won't bother me. It will only bother users who use OpenPLi and have to install the ChocholousekPicons plugin in a complicated way :-D.

 

That is a very generous offer, you are welcome to join us and make it your priority to do all that.  You'd be suprised how much work that is to do that properly (make sure source exists, make sure source is maintained, make bitbake recipies, keep it all up to date, etc).

 

If not, is is very easy to stand on the sideline and demand from others to do all that work.