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Topic:
Variable help with URC mx-880
This thread has 8 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Thursday February 13, 2014 at 20:51
borgon
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I can't quite wrap my head around variables, until now never had a great reason to try to use them. I'm running my Tivo through my Oppo 103 (to take advantage of the Darbee video processing). The problem is that the oppo takes 15 seconds to warm up before I can select the input (Blu Ray to watch blurays, and HDMI-back to watch TivO)

Is there anyway I can use variables to track the input state so that if its allready on the correct input I can skip the 15 second delay?

Any help is appreciated.

here's what my power on macro looks like right now (sorry bout the iphone pic)

Post 2 made on Thursday February 13, 2014 at 22:30
goldenzrule
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Yes you can do what you want.

I usually select the OFF button to create my macro. Click on the Off button and in the macro window (keep this as a Normal Macro) select the Variable button at the top. Its the box that says V=1. This window will pop up:



Click Add New and name it whatever you want, so long as you know which variable you want to use for what purpose if you have multiple variables in the project. Now select FALSE and click "SET"

Now add your Off Macro. It will look something like this (I had clicked on the receiver icon rather then in the tree view in this macro, so ignore that first line in the macro):



On the bottom of your macro window, select the pull down that says "Type = Normal" and Select Variable. This will split the macro window into two sections, True and False. In the False macro, enter your macro that you want to run when the system is off:



Now you want to set this macro variable state to True, so the remote knows, "OK, we turned the system on, so let's remember that it is on". To do this click the V=1 button again, highlight the variable name you create, and select TRUE and click "SET"


Now the easiest thing to do is to highlight this entire macro, copy via Control C. Now select the True tab on the bottom of the macro window. Click in the macro window and press Control V to paste. Double click on your long delay and select a short delay instead:


That is pretty much it. You want to make sure you set that variable status in all your macros so the remote can properly track if the remote is on and needs the long delay or if it is off. That is it.

Now what is happening is everytime you turn the system off by pressing OFF, it sets the remote to "false". When you pick the remote up to watch TV, it knows the system is off, when you press Watch Cable, it fires the FALSE macro which includes the 10 second delay in the above example. It also sets the variable state to "true". So now it knows the TV is on. Now when you go to the WATCH menu and press Watch Cable again, it is set to TRUE already, so it runs the TRUE macro which in the above example includes just a short .5 second delay. It will stay in this true state until we tell it to switch to false, which we did in the OFF button macro.
OP | Post 3 made on Sunday February 23, 2014 at 09:48
borgon
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Belated thanks - I haven't had time to sit down and give it a try yet ( life gets on the way), but didn't want to let my rudeness linger too much longer.

MK
OP | Post 4 made on Sunday February 23, 2014 at 14:23
borgon
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so one question - on the 880, i there a way I can combine a "press and hold" macro with a variable?
Post 5 made on Sunday February 23, 2014 at 16:24
Lowpro
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On February 23, 2014 at 14:23, borgon said...
so one question - on the 880, i there a way I can combine a "press and hold" macro with a variable?

It's all about aliasing. I don't use URC remotes myself, but do program them from time to time for people. Will provide a simplified example per a file I worked up not long ago for someone. When selecting their DVD activity from the "Watch" page for instance the button macro is set to "Type: PressHold / Time: 3 sec". When pressed for more than 3 seconds the "After" macro is run which takes them to the main page of the activity only. This is used in cases where they've left the DVD activity and want to return to it quickly not having powered down the system or changed to a different "Watch" or "Listen" activity in the interim. Now when selecting the DVD activity pressing for less than 3 seconds the "Before" macro is run instead which is aliasing, i.e. pointing to the full DVD activity macro button stored under a hidden device and page, the button macro in this case set to "Type: Variable / Variable: Display". If the "Display" variable is set to "False", then the "False" macro runs which includes the required delay actions between powering on the display and being able to successfully set the display to the correct input, the "Display" variable being set to "True" at that point as well. If the "Display" variable is already set to "True", then the "True" macro runs instead which doesn't contain the additional delay actions prior to setting the display to the correct input.

Last edited by Lowpro on February 23, 2014 16:43.
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OP | Post 6 made on Tuesday February 25, 2014 at 08:24
borgon
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you guys rock - I got the remote doing exactly what I want now.

thanks again!
Post 7 made on Tuesday February 25, 2014 at 14:48
Lowpro
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On February 25, 2014 at 08:24, borgon said...
you guys rock - I got the remote doing exactly what I want now.

thanks again!

Great news and in the event your interested I thought you might like to read my post found here which touches on aliasing as well, my use of aliasing taking things to a much deeper level than the example I provided you here. At the bottom of that post I also provide a link to another thread where I show the custom graphics I worked up for an MX-880 in the event you find that of interest per doing the same for your own.

Last edited by Lowpro on February 25, 2014 16:59.
LP Related Links:
View my profile to access various
links to key posts and downloads.
Post 8 made on Wednesday February 26, 2014 at 17:41
goldenzrule
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Great. Sorry i didn't get a moment to chime in. Thanks lowpro for adding your input
Post 9 made on Wednesday February 26, 2014 at 18:59
Lowpro
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On February 26, 2014 at 17:41, goldenzrule said...
Great. Sorry i didn't get a moment to chime in. Thanks lowpro for adding your input

Sure. My pleasure. :-)
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