TivoWebPlus 2.1 Testing and Development

[spitfires]

Why does the Search by Title + Movies feature return different results than the same search in the TiVo UI?

What did you search for? "blade runner" I assume?

Do the genres match for the two programmes? It's possible that TiVo has a different definition of "Movies" than does TWP?

[spitfires]

You know how you stare at something for so long that you can't see what's wrong with it?

You know how ForeachMfsFile regularly throws errTmActiveLockConflict errors even though it's suposed to deal with them?

(This also applies to ForeachMfsFileTrans and ForeachTrans)


Well I finally found the reason. All 3 functions contain the code

if {[lsearch $::errorCode {errTmActiveLockConflict errTmBackgroundHoldoff errFsLockConflict]>-1} {

This is, of course, wrong - it should be

lsearch ?mode? list pattern

not

lsearch ?mode? pattern list

!!

(But it is syntactically valid so TCL does not throw an error - it just never matches anything!)

Replacing them with

if {[lsearch {errTmActiveLockConflict errTmBackgroundHoldoff errFsLockConflict} $::errorCode]>-1} {

works wonders. ;-)


Can't believe none of us have spotted this before, but better late than never

[djl]

Nice catch. For those that don't want to go searching, that code is in btutils.itcl. Attached is a corrected version; I included the RetryTransaction fix from spitfires' post here as well.

You know how you stare at something for so long that you can't see what's wrong with it?

You know how ForeachMfsFile regularly throws errTmActiveLockConflict errors even though it's suposed to deal with them?

(This also applies to ForeachMfsFileTrans and ForeachTrans)


Well I finally found the reason. All 3 functions contain the code

if {[lsearch $::errorCode {errTmActiveLockConflict errTmBackgroundHoldoff errFsLockConflict]>-1} {

This is, of course, wrong - it should be

lsearch ?mode? list pattern

not

lsearch ?mode? pattern list

!!

(But it is syntactically valid so TCL does not throw an error - it just never matches anything!)

Replacing them with

if {[lsearch {errTmActiveLockConflict errTmBackgroundHoldoff errFsLockConflict} $::errorCode]>-1} {

works wonders. ;-)


Can't believe none of us have spotted this before, but better late than never

[spitfires]

Thanks - I realised afterwards that I hadn't posted the script name, sorry!

The RetryTransaction mod should not now be needed with this fix - I've taken it out of my copy and I'll see what happens.

.

[djl]

Great, let me know and I'll update the above post.

[dengland]

Somewhere along the line Var got rebuilt on my HR10-250. I grabbed the latest distribution. When I tried to do the update from CVS I get the following:

cvs update: No CVSROOT specified!
Please use the `-d' option cvs [update aborted]: or set the CVSROOT environment variable.

It has been a long time since I messed with this. Searching did not yield anything helpful.

Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks

[djl]

I don't think anything has been updated in CVS since the latest distribution, so this isn't really necessary. FWIW, the bash command you're looking for is something like:

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@216.34.181.109:/cvsroot/tivowebplus co -r v2-1 -P TivoWebPlus

That may not be the correct ip address, it's been a while since I used it...

[dengland]

I don't think anything has been updated in CVS since the latest distribution, so this isn't really necessary. FWIW, the bash command you're looking for is something like:

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@216.34.181.109:/cvsroot/tivowebplus co -r v2-1 -P TivoWebPlus

That may not be the correct ip address, it's been a while since I used it...

Thanks

Before I posted above, I had found something very similar (name verus ip address) earlier in the thread and had done that from one directory too low (I was in the TivoWebPlus directory when I issued the command) and it had retrieved everything from CVS. I thought I would post the question to get it set up correctly, rather than manually doing it from proper directory level. Sounds like I should not bother.

I appreciate the response.

[lrhorer]

What did you search for? "blade runner" I assume?

No, I didn't enter any search string. I virtually never search for a particular title. It's a massive waste of time unless you already know the title is being broadcast.

Do the genres match for the two programmes?

Yes, they are both movies.

It's possible that TiVo has a different definition of "Movies" than does TWP?

Obviously at some level that must be true, but how does TWP ascribe a particular genre classification if not from the metadata provided by MFS?

Edit: That can't be the issue, at least not in this instance. I searched for "blade" with no category specified at all, and it still does not bring up Blade Runner, but does bring up Blade Runner: The Final Cut. As I said previously, this is not the first time I have seen TWP not list a program that is in the guide. It's a pretty serious bug, if you ask me.

[lrhorer]

Can't believe none of us have spotted this before, but better late than never

So what would this impact?

[spitfires]

Yes, they are both movies.

And the genre codes match? What are they?

It's possible that TiVo has a different definition of "Movies" than does TWP?

Obviously at some level that must be true, but how does TWP ascribe a particular genre classification if not from the metadata provided by MFS

You are assuming that TiVo searches only using the genre code(s). Do you know this for a fact? (and if so how?)
(Hint: there are other ways of identifying a "movie" other than the genre code)

As I said previously, this is not the first time I have seen TWP not list a program that is in the guide. It's a pretty serious bug, if you ask me.

Indeed it is (if true), but you've given no information to enable it to be traced. A dump of the program and series MFS objects for the two programmes would be a useful start.

[spitfires]

Great, let me know and I'll update the above post.

I've replaced the RetryTransaction with a catch block - this seems to work ok (and is better than using RetryTransaction which kinda defeats the objective).

Also slightly revised [logit] to fix a latent bug which now appears

[lrhorer]

And the genre codes match? What are they?

Off the top of my head, I don't know, but what does it matter, since the TWP search does not find the entry even when searching with no genre filter?

Edit: Yes, they do, but again, what difference does it make? Searching by Title doesn't bring it up, no matter what, and neither does searching by Category: Movies with no Title specified.

You are assuming that TiVo searches only using the genre code(s).

Well, when the genre is specified as a filter criteria, I would tend to expect so, yes.

Do you know this for a fact? (and if so how?)

No, but what does it matter? No matte what the search criteria, TWP doesn't find it. There shouldn't be any programs in the guide that TWP can't find by SOME method.

(Hint: there are other ways of identifying a "movie" other than the genre code)

OK, but again, so what? Since I tried a search using TWP without any specified genre, it should find it, whether it is identified as a movie, a TV series, or whatever, irrespective of how the specifics of the category are obtained.

Indeed it is (if true), but you've given no information to enable it to be traced. A dump of the program and series MFS objects for the two programmes would be a useful start.

OK, that is no problem for the ...Final Cut program, but how do I manage it for the Blade Runner program, since there seems to be no way to bring it up in TWP?

Edit: OK, I was able to get it to come up by searching for Actor: Harrison Ford. The thing that jumps out at me is Blade Runner is missing the Short Title field altogether. Does TWP's Title search look only for the Short Title field and ignore the Title field? That would explain why searching for Title: Blade doesn't find it, but not exactly why searching for Category: Movie does not, either.

Final cut:

MFS Data 	tmsid=MV2069860000

Object: 5712575/15
Program	5676877/-1
Duration	7200
Bits	5282
Dolby	2
Station	1966464/-1
Date	15511 ( 6/20/2012 )
Time	19800

Object: 5676876
ServerVersion	5
TmsId	MV206986
Title	{Blade Runner: The Final Cut}
Genre	88 1006 1014
Episodic	0
ShortTitle	{Blade Runner:...}
ServerId	107611928
Version	1
IndexPath	/Server/107611928

Blade Runner:

MFS Data 	tmsid=MV0781160000

Object: 5708161/22
Program	5430973/-1
Duration	7200
Bits	5250
Dolby	2
Station	1966464/-1
Date	15510 ( 6/19/2012 )
Time	72000

Object: 5430972
ServerVersion	9
TmsId	MV078116
Title	{Blade Runner}
Genre	88 1006 1014
Episodic	0
ServerId	1690070
Version	1
IndexPath	/Server/1690070

[spitfires]

Off the top of my head, I don't know, but what does it matter, since the TWP search does not find the entry even when searching with no genre filter?

New information - you never said that before. You said you searched for "films" with a blank search value.

No, but what does it matter? No matte what the search criteria, TWP doesn't find it. There shouldn't be any programs in the guide that TWP can't find by SOME method.

Agreed but from looking at the code there's no obvious reason why TWP doesn't find it - one can't "fix" something until you know where it is broken. Therefore an alternative approach is to find out why TiVo DOES find it. Are you certain that TiVo uses EXACTLY the same search code as does TWP? (Hint: it doesn't). If not, then that's why it matters.

OK, but again, so what? Since I tried a search using TWP without any specified genre, it should find it, whether it is identified as a movie, a TV series, or whatever, irrespective of how the specifics of the category are obtained.

Because, as I said, there are other ways of identifying a "movie" other than the genre code. These "ways" have nothing at all to do with categories. (Hint: think TmsId)

The thing that jumps out at me is Blade Runner is missing the Short Title field altogether. Does TWP's Title search look only for the Short Title field and ignore the Title field?

Good spot but I don't think that's it since earlier versions of TiVo s/w don't have ShortTitles.


Ok next steps -
1. TWP uses the MFS file /GuideIndex../Title as the source for its titles. Open this file in a text editor and check what entries exist for the two Blade~ films.

2. Then open /GuideIndex../TitleKeyword and see if there's any "Blade" in there.

3. Then do a search by "Title" with "Blade" in the 'search for' box. (Category=All)

4. Then do a search by "Title Keyword" rather than "Title" with "Blade" in the 'search for' box. (Category=All)

[lrhorer]

New information - you never said that before. You said you searched for "films" with a blank search value.

No, I said:

Why does the Search by Title + Movies feature return different results than the same search in the TiVo UI? For example, I was just browsing through the movies for the next two weeks,

and then later:

Edit: That can't be the issue, at least not in this instance. I searched for "blade" with no category specified at all, and it still does not bring up Blade Runner, but does bring up Blade Runner: The Final Cut.

I never used the term "films", and I mentioned searching by title for "Blade" with a blank category value (and every other field blank except the title).

Agreed but from looking at the code there's no obvious reason why TWP doesn't find it - one can't "fix" something until you know where it is broken.

Yes, of course.

Therefore an alternative approach is to find out why TiVo DOES find it.

Not to be argumentative, but the TiVo finds it because it is there. Apply no search criteria at all, and it is there. Apply a search by Title for "Blade", and it is there. Set up a wishlist to search for Harrison ford, and it is there. Do a Title search filtered by movies, and it is there.

Are you certain that TiVo uses EXACTLY the same search code as does TWP? (Hint: it doesn't).

Since it can display it with no search criteria whatsoever, that much is pretty obvious. Indeed, the TiVo can do an unfiltered index search, while TWP does not. The question isn't why or how the TiVo finds it, the question is, "Why does TWP never find it except by actor search?" Again, obviously the answer is the actor search is in some way fundamentally different from the title search, quite possibly because it scans a competely different section of the database, but that does not explain why a title search never finds it.

If not, then that's why it matters.

You seem to be missing my point. Regardless of what the TiVo can or cannot do, a search for "Blade" in TWP with no other search criteria, no other filters, should bring up Blade Runner. It does not.

Because, as I said, there are other ways of identifying a "movie" other than the genre code. These "ways" have nothing at all to do with categories.

And as I said, that is irrelevant when one is not searching with "movie" or anything else as a genre code. Absent a category specifier, a title search in TWP should return all titles of any sort with a string matching the title search criteria.

(Hint: think TmsId)

As I have already pointed out more than once, this should not be relevant, since the search is failing with no category criteria, but even if TWP is using the Tmsid as part of its search criteria, the fact both TmsId fields start with "MV" *AND* the genre codes are identical would suggest TWP should find both titles even when a category search was being done, let alone when it was not.

Ok next steps -
1. TWP uses the MFS file /GuideIndex../Title as the source for its titles. Open this file in a text editor and check what entries exist for the two Blade~ films.

How do I open an MFS file? It's not acessible as a regular Linux file.

3. Then do a search by "Title" with "Blade" in the 'search for' box. (Category=All)

As I already mentioned at least twice, I already did that, and TWP only returns ...Final Cut, not Blade Runner.

4. Then do a search by "Title Keyword" rather than "Title" with "Blade" in the 'search for' box. (Category=All)

Are you talking about a search in TWP or a wishlist on the TiVo? I don't recall that being a criteria in the TWP search utility. I'll look again when I get home tonight.