Better advanced documentation

pipTheGeek
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:25 pm

Better advanced documentation

Post by pipTheGeek »

One of the reasons I started to use WMS was because I installed it, poked it a little and everything worked. The basic operation of it is pretty easy to just figure out. However, it has LOADS of really cool features that I just can't figure out and a little documentation would really help.
An example, I'd like to have a crack at writing a podcast script (for MSDN channel 9). I've taken a look at some of the existing podcast scripts and I don't understand the XML wrapper around the script. What do the different property id's represent? Where does the item id and parent id come from? Also, in the script, what does the TAmfPacket class do? I can't really read Pascal so I struggle to work this sort of thing out by reading the script.

The other thing I think could do with a little more description is how to use a script to provide navgiation. When does the script get run? Each time a client device requests the folder?

I know someone else has requested some documentation on the classes and methods that WMS provides and that you replied saying they are all named well enough to not need any further documentation. Surely you sometimes read the reference documentation for whatever language / frameworks you use? I'm not asking for huge amounts, just some basic reference material.

I'm a programmer, I know writing this stuff is dull but it would turn a really good product into a great one. Also, if there is anything I can do to help, like proof reading (sadly only the English version) then just let me know.

Thanks in advance.
Hotmaildude
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 9:45 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by Hotmaildude »

+1
Eugene
Posts: 2940
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:05 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by Eugene »

pipTheGeek wrote:One of the reasons I started to use WMS was because I installed it, poked it a little and everything worked. The basic operation of it is pretty easy to just figure out. However, it has LOADS of really cool features that I just can't figure out and a little documentation would really help.
An example, I'd like to have a crack at writing a podcast script (for MSDN channel 9).
You have found a way to convert link of HTML-page to link of video ? (without any scrips, just algorithm)
pipTheGeek
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:25 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by pipTheGeek »

Nope, I haven't found anything, nor do I even know if it is possible. That example was simply because I downloaded a couple of channel9 videos, dumped them on my fileserver and used WMS to watch them on the TV, then thought, hey, WMS can get live streams from iplayer and itv and all sorts, I wonder if I can set it up to get the videos from channel 9. But, after looking through some of the existing scripts I can't really figure out what they are doing. I can see the current scripts get an RSS feed, I don't know if channel9 has one, but I can't see any reason why I can't take apart an HTML page. Heck, I've got enough bandwidth that the script could just download the recent vids in high quality then set them up to stream from a local source. If only I could get a handle on all the functions available and what WMS expected from the script and when the script gets run. Hence my request for some advanced documentation.
Eugene
Posts: 2940
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:05 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by Eugene »

The algorithm does not depend on the capabilities of WMS and each site has his own.

1. Algorithm for links to videos from the HTML-page (analysis of requests and responses Internet Browser).
2. Coding, can be in any language, that supports development OLE-objects.

Code: Select all

var
  MyObject: Variant;
begin
  MyObject := CreateOleObject('MyObject');
  MediaResourceLink := MyObject.GetVideoLink(mpFilePath)
end.
MediaResourceLink - link to media-resource
mpFilePath - link to html-page
pipTheGeek
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:25 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by pipTheGeek »

I understand the programming part, I use mostly VB .NET but I can manage VBScript when needed. Taking the page apart to get at the video I will figure out. (Probably). It is information about what WMS specifics of the script that I want the documentation for.

So, looking at the channel 5 script. The file is actually an XML file, why? what does the XML describe? what schema does it follow? what do the property ids mean? where does the item id or parent id come from? if I create one of these files, where do I put the script? What does the script need to do? (I know it needs to parse the page and get the video, but how does it tell WMS where the video is? What does WMS need to know about the video? When does the script get run? etc etc

I know you have said previously that you think the WMS objects / methods are self documenting but the five tv script includes a reference to TAmfPacket, I don't recognise that as being from any standard object library, so I assume its from WMS, and I have no idea what it does. Even looking at in context in the five tv script, I still have no idea what it is.

As I said in my first post, this isn't a single problem. I'm writing a media player for myself to use and (once the player is working) I'd like to create a folder in WMS based on a script that uses information from my player to show my playlists etc. But again, I'm not sure when the script gets run or what it is expected to do.

Other people have agreed that this documentation would be a great addition to WMS. As I said before, if there is anything I can do to help write it then I will. Please, please, please, can we have some docs for all the clever stuff that WMS enables us to do.
Eugene
Posts: 2940
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:05 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by Eugene »

pipTheGeek wrote:I understand the programming part, I use mostly VB .NET but I can manage VBScript when needed. Taking the page apart to get at the video I will figure out. (Probably). It is information about what WMS specifics of the script that I want the documentation for.

So, looking at the channel 5 script. The file is actually an XML file, why? what does the XML describe? what schema does it follow? what do the property ids mean? where does the item id or parent id come from? if I create one of these files, where do I put the script? What does the script need to do? (I know it needs to parse the page and get the video, but how does it tell WMS where the video is? What does WMS need to know about the video? When does the script get run? etc etc
You're talking about fivetv.wdf ? This is the format for saving / loading information about a media resource in WMS database (select any folder - right click - "Save to file", "Load from file").

Select the folder FiveTV - right click - Edit title - "Script for the links to the resource" - click "Edit script"
pipTheGeek wrote: I know you have said previously that you think the WMS objects / methods are self documenting but the five tv script includes a reference to TAmfPacket, I don't recognise that as being from any standard object library, so I assume its from WMS, and I have no idea what it does. Even looking at in context in the five tv script, I still have no idea what it is.
The algorithm does not depend on the capabilities of WMS and each site has his own.
1. Algorithm for links to videos from the HTML-page (analysis of requests and responses Internet Browser).
TAmfPacket just an element for coding of the algorithm
{ AMF(0) http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/downlo ... 121207.pdf }
{ AMF(3) http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/downlo ... _05_08.pdf }
amfpacket.JPG
amfpacket.JPG (70.45 KiB) Viewed 12656 times
P.S. Users use the program for rest, it's normal, but it's main problem :)
S@gittarius
Posts: 98
Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 8:12 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by S@gittarius »

Plugin is not a word to use with WMS but still it’s possible to fork scripts almost everywhere.
So it would be nice to have some more detailed programing information.
Regards
Eugene
Posts: 2940
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:05 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by Eugene »

I hope you read this topic from the beginning. You hope for what question to find the answer in the documentation ?
jhb500
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 2:18 pm

Re: Better advanced documentation

Post by jhb500 »

A lot of questions were asked above, from the beginning, Eugene, but you have not given any answers yet. Please go back and try to answer them.

I would also like to be able to update/write podcast .wdf's because many of the TV ones are out of date and do not reflect the 2011 season shows.

I am currently using the trial version, and would buy WMS for this capability, but if I cannot get/create/update podcasts I have no reason to buy your server because there other free transcoders available to do my DLNA.

Why don't you just write a basic guide on how to create a wdf, and include a walkthru of the statements in one of your existing wdf's. That would give us a place to start and then we can ask specific questions about the parts of the guide, we do not understand?
Post Reply