XploreME - Simple requests -when development continues again

XploreME - Simple requests -when development continues again

this for 4.1 final or 4.2 - only when you comeback from busy life that we all lead and start workin on this cool java app 

the key bits are in bold font

1. For Sony Ericsson users - configurable key controls for media player only. Would be so nice to support custom key controls in that they can be defined and read from a text file and we can define each and every key to our own needs (1 - 0 , right soft key , sony ericssson back key etc). Maybe not a separate text file needed as it could be in the actual program itself - my purpose would be to have the same media player controls as KD Player (se platform)


2. Text Reader (open with reader) - Fabulous - XploreME text reader along with MobyExplorer text reader are the only two 
good text reader java apps out there.
the text reader like MobyExplorer should be configurable

my comments:

a. text colour and background colour
b. Improve scrolling in text viewer for next version - we can't currently hold to scroll (but we can hold in file browser)
c. can we configure text size of the reader , if not Ok for now

3. Another scrolling issue with browser - scroller does not return to the top again after scrolled to bottom - this can be fixed I know


4 . OK another media player option - id3 tag viewer. this is capable as there are separate id3 tag viewers on java j2me. I may have requested this before. As well as the standard artist, album, year, track number - there should be the handy extended tags of   encoder, publisher, composer, person encoded by, bitrate, samplerate
The extended tags are supported in mp3, wma , mp4 files - I hope this feature will be in for near future version of XploreME perhaps in own option or simply under 'File's Info' in browser. Provide support for reading tags in all supported audio files and not just mp3
... also the custom display for some of these tags also for when we create skins


5. Sleeper  -again super function to XploreME (im using it more and more).
what about option to let us set our own mp3/any supported audio file as the alarm sound, you could pose restirction on the length of the audio file and other stuff too.... and too 'option' for a custom background image for sleeper

and3 wrote:XploreME - Simple requests -when development continues again

this for 4.1 final or 4.2 - only when you comeback from busy life that we all lead and start workin on this cool java app

the key bits are in bold font

1. For Sony Ericsson users - configurable key controls for media player only. Would be so nice to support custom key controls in that they can be defined and read from a text file and we can define each and every key to our own needs (1 - 0 , right soft key , sony ericssson back key etc). Maybe not a separate text file needed as it could be in the actual program itself - my purpose would be to have the same media player controls as KD Player (se platform)


2. Text Reader (open with reader) - Fabulous - XploreME text reader along with MobyExplorer text reader are the only two
good text reader java apps out there.
the text reader like MobyExplorer should be configurable

my comments:

a. text colour and background colour
b. Improve scrolling in text viewer for next version - we can't currently hold to scroll (but we can hold in file browser)
c. can we configure text size of the reader , if not Ok for now

3. Another scrolling issue with browser - scroller does not return to the top again after scrolled to bottom - this can be fixed I know


4 . OK another media player option - id3 tag viewer. this is capable as there are separate id3 tag viewers on java j2me. I may have requested this before. As well as the standard artist, album, year, track number - there should be the handy extended tags of encoder, publisher, composer, person encoded by, bitrate, samplerate
The extended tags are supported in mp3, wma , mp4 files - I hope this feature will be in for near future version of XploreME perhaps in own option or simply under 'File's Info' in browser. Provide support for reading tags in all supported audio files and not just mp3
... also the custom display for some of these tags also for when we create skins


5. Sleeper -again super function to XploreME (im using it more and more).
what about option to let us set our own mp3/any supported audio file as the alarm sound, you could pose restirction on the length of the audio file and other stuff too.... and too 'option' for a custom background image for sleeper

OK, some good news, almost everything you said here are *already* a part from the unfinished XploreME4.1

1. Xme 4.1 has full customization of the special keys,
ive made a platform configuration files so you can select
the keys, data paths and other stuff, so its support on
other mobiles are now much better.
especially i've made a config file for SE K00i with much better
keys.
almost all the keys in the madia player has changed to make it better
and unified with other XploreME parts.

2. the text viewer has been improved,
you can hold the scroll, you can see the line that you are at,
you can rotate the screen(in fact you can rotate the screen almost on any of XploreMe's screens now), you can jump to a line you want, you can cahnge the size of the font in the text viewer.

3. im not intent of making the browser come back on top, for that you have the keys 1,3 that goes to the top of bottom

4. i dont have time for making more supprt on ID3 tags for now, maybe in 4.2

5. you already CAN change the sleeper alarm sound to anything you like
(in XploreME 4.0), check the settings sceen on the alarm there's a box to put a file path to the sound you would like to hear, or you can select a file in the browser and choose in the menu options there "make as alarm sound"

XploreME 4.1 is almost ready to be at open beta stage,
i hope ill have time soon to complete it and release it.

Thanks for the response and I am awaiting the 4.1 release from what you have told me... more further comments

a. ID3 Tags - sure it can wait till version 4.2 or whichever but please add id3 tag support for other audio files like wma and mp4 which are supported by the phone. Please also add the support of displaying of extended tags like publisher, composer, encoder etc if they are present in our files

Also I cannot get album art to display... oh yes it reads from the folder, it has to be jpg right, what do I name the file for the album art to read ???

b. Text Viewer - Can the background and text colour be configured too for the release of 4.1 - for 4.1 I want to be able to change the background to white and the text to simply black like Notepad on Windows - how cool would that be

c. In Browser there is no 'Sort' option available (sort by size, name, modfied etc)

The browser actions of copy, paste, rename, delete and others do not work for folders - why?

When copying, cutting there should be a 'paste in folder' option so that when we are in folders with sub folders we can paste the file

The enter path thing should not be the only option in 'copy to' or 'move to'. This is why I suggest a tabbed browsing style tab can pop up when hitting either of these two so that we can perform this action clearly 

Consider adding a File/folder Search for 4.1 or version after that


Also if a Sony Ericsson is patched (depending on firmware) then  screenshots can be taken on the actual phone (like on my K800 - firmware - R8BF003)

Screen Shooter.elf - ELves are written in C or C++ and can launch like a normal application once the phone is patched so they do not have same limitations as Java

Example:
 



I could snap more pics   ...but perhaps Motorola phones have something similar which you better use, I dunno I heard about their modding community

can you tell more about this ELves, and the C,C++ code applying on k800i

No I am not technical about them and only told to me somewhere that they were programmed in that language

Elfpack have been converted for many other SE phone firmwares up until now including K800

This forum links to SE modding community should help
http://forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=20238
http://forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showforum=80

what are your comments on my further responses of a. , b. , c.


I also need to know a predicted time for when the next release (4.1) will arrive because I am keeping this app's new up to date in thread in another forum - just an approxiamte date that you have planned

a. ID3 Extended Tags not at 4.1 it requires time to work on it
b. album art can be displayed with the file: "folder.xmef" inside a folder
it can be JPEG or PNG,
on xploreme4.1 it will be also folder.jpg, and auto-resize to fit the skin.
c. black/white colors in text reader are already planned to be in 4.2
d. Sort will be in future versions
e. folder extended options will be in future versions, not 4.1
f. search will be in future versions

I dont know when ill be able to finish version 4.1, there is no development
for now due huge lack of time.
on what forum are you updating about XploreME?

Thanks for the further response

It is on the same SE-NSE in which I was updating excuse the title of comparing to KD Player as I was just trying to get more reads
http://forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=16082&hl=xploreme

I am awaiting 4.1 and furture versions


There is another thing..... cannot browse through audio (next and back) when in 'stop' it always plays when going to next track without remaining in the stopped state - please easy fix for 4.1

I have more reasonable comments/suggestions

I love this app soooo much however...

1a. CONFIGURABLE KEYS:  You should add options for each keys that we custom assign for short press and long presssing (hold) e.g. 0,1,2,3 would be the seconds to press e.g. as 1 would be hold one second, the 2 would be for two seconds and 3 for three seconds etc. The keys I want to configure are for every thing including the image viewer, but most imporantly key configuration for the MediaPlayer . In 4.1 thanks for changing the default lock to holding of # button, much more convenient. 

2a.You must add an option for audio filetypes to play and not 'hide' and not play for the music player, maybe even for video and image too. This is important to me and many users. As users we may want the option to never play files such as .AMR recording files or 3gp video sometimes, so in options or somewhere add a 'filetypes  tick box'

3a. The lovely feature of the # key taking us to the media player from any other screen, but this should also be able to work even if a track is not currently playing (basically after launching XploreME I want to press the # key and take me immediately to the player, currently this is not possible even though they wont be any audio file loaded )


4a. You could use the top left soft key for a sub-menu for more options while in the MediaPlayer. In 4.1 we can get up this sub-menu in playback already by pressing the C button which I now like so suggested addional functions in that same sub-menu below 'help':

File Information - which would show the file's full path and beneath the path the full id3 tags read of the file, this the mechanism you declared you will dvelop and add for us in a future version as you said , see 18a for also for this 

Bookmark this track - Bookmarking fucntion, see suggestion 15a below.

The Skin's Author - Would read information about a skin from the player.ini (skins that have this info) such as  author, date, name of skin, author contact, comment info. See suggestion 11a below.

Minimize Application - this would minimize the whole XploreME (available in SE phones)

Quick Skin change - Would bring us to the skin's list in the options so we can chnage skin and then back to the MediaPlayer, see also suggestion 16a in support of this function.

Disable text scrolling - I wont need this but an available option would be nice

Visualization - Maybe a future version you will add support for animation (I think GIF) where we can make Visualization images to be played in fullscreen. just a suggestion.



5a. In the Skins images (skinning development) can we take advantage of the back and next functions with images in the skins for the back and next, currently we cannot use images for these, so when we press next/back track they show on the skin as pressed

7a. Skinning development new feature -  Options in the future to us to display other text types while playing which would be read from the id3 as filetype text, encoder text, bitrate text & year text - This would be for more creative skins I plan to make. We should also be able to size and colour them like the other text displays also


9a. While a track is in 'Stop' we should be able to browse to the next and previous track while in Stop (like KD Player). Currently when we Stop a track from playing and go to the next track it will start playing the next track rather than remaining in 'Stop'. We also need to be able to time seek while in 'Stop' also.

10a.  Add a key for minimizing the whole java app to the background from whatever XploreMe screen we are in - minimizing java apps can be done as you know on Sony Ericsson. In 4.1 I think you added but it not working please specifiy which key to press or hold on SE phones for this.....

11a. Skinning development new feature - Are we able to add skin information like the  author, date, skin name, contact info  in the player.ini of each skins, I need to know..

12a. Skinning development new feature - Add the possiblity in skinning creation for us to use a image that would ACT as a frame or overlay image that would go on top of album art for - this would be so cool could call it frame.png or either it can be called '10.png' .For example this:

image 1


image 2


https://2img.net/h/oi33.tinypic.com/2w21ok2.png

I plan to adapt this skin to XploreME. The second image shows a frame around the album art for the nice effect of the album art appearing inside that frame for which it is not. The album art is loading as normal rather 'underneath' the frame image cut apart from the album art position. This effect can be done in KD Player but currently only we can use this when 'locked' as the lock image in KD Player can go over ALL images including the album art. , the third image (tinypic) is the transparent .png frame itself.    So as you could see the album art image would simply load as normal in the player but 'underneath' the frame to give it that enclosed effect. Please consider this as skin makers could make some really cool skins, I could expalin more if you dont understand fully on this...


13a. Skinning development new feature - If possible and it might not be it would be nice to use either smaller images with numbers or just a typ of text display for 'numbered volume' as in the volume can be in percents % which adds more creativity to media players.

14a.  In Options add a an option to 'confirm exit' when hitting back in the main menu. Currently upto version 4.1 of XploreME we hit back in the main menu and it exits straight away but an option for exit confirmation would be very smart

15a. I originally suggested a music library but now come to think of it it might lag the whole application (I dunno you are the guy who would know). For 4.2 or future version could you add a 'bookmarks' feature for audio files. It would be like a separate playlist, you could even add several bookmarks like bookmark 1, 2,3 and renaming of bookmarks also. Also a hotkey while in the main menu to take us straight to the Bookmarks upon pressing.

16a.  Basic Improvement for using skins - I like loading skins from the file manager (player.ini) what needs to be done for the next version is to be able to add the option to 'add to MediaPlayer skin list' alongside the exisitng option of running the skin from the player.ini. Equally skins (player.ini and images) that are no longer in the path location could be auto-removed and manually removed too.

17a. Skinning development - Is there a limit imposed to the size of images we can use for play, stop, shuffle when making skins because some skins I want to make full creativity in using larger images (not too large of course my friend). take a look at the skins for KD Player here: http://www.easter-eggs.net.ru/KDPlayer/Skins/Page_9.php

18a. Id3 tag mechanism (in the next or future version) - Would show in a table content the standard:  title, album, artist, genre, track, year, length, file encoder, filetype, filesize. The extended tags of importance should also show publisher, composer, copyright, encoded by and language. Not all the time id3 tags will be within audio files as sometimes however if so the table should be still viewable even if empty because of non present id3 tags.


I am sorry for the constant comparisons to KD Player too but I am seeking in the interests of XploreME and its many functions which I use and have no prblem with apart from the improvements I need for the MediaPlayer that I suggested above. Thank you for reading

================================
UPDATED Post since the release of XploreME 4.1

Added in 4.1  --->  6a. When fast-forwarding and rewinding can you make it in future so we can hold and ffrwd and rwd as well too.

Already there, I was mistaken  --->  8a. Volume settings does not stay the same - there should be an opion in 'Options' to remember volume

OK 4a, 5a, 7a and 12a and 13a may have to be put back towards version 4.2 or higher. The requests entitled 'skinning devlopment new feature' should I put these requests in the -skinning guide- thread where others have asked skinning questions??

I should think the other requests should definately make 4.1, what is your feedback

and3 don't be so restless! If you want ThaPhoeniX to release 4.1 version then let him not to add more functions to it! Otherwise we all must wait more months for it! J2ME development is not so fast, in particular if you don't have much time! I'm also a J2ME programmer so I know it!

ThaPhoeniX if you have such big lack of time, and this don't seem to become better, why don't you make this project opensource or something like that, so other programmers could help you in the development of XploreME, as I did it about the hidden files and folders in the version 3.0? (I'm jeeee from the 3G forum)!

So XploreME could remain the best Java multimedia app! Moreover it could be improved as fast as the ideas come on and become absolute perfect!

@ spamemailek - Guess I am a bit restless ay, thanks for the informative on J2ME development.

I think open-source is not a good idea, rather better for selected people like youself if can be trusted to allow further devlopment

I still however await ThaPhoeniX responses of which those functions from 1a - 15a including 'basic improvement of using skins'

and3 ill look at your new features suggesion when ill develop the next version, some of your suggesions are already in XploreME! v4.1 and some of them i disagree like you keys and menu suggesions in the media player,
about ID3 tags, it require a whole ID3 reader mechanism building, and it takes time, when ill have time i add features in that area...

ThaPhoeniX wrote:and3 ill look at your new features suggesion when ill develop the next version, some of your suggesions are already in XploreME! v4.1 and some of them i disagree like you keys and menu suggesions in the media player,
about ID3 tags, it require a whole ID3 reader mechanism building, and it takes time, when ill have time i add features in that area...

What suggestions do you disagree with so I know?

The key changes you've suggested, ive done key changes in version v4.1.(all info about them available from most sceens in XploreME on their help pages. (also here on the main page)

and3 wrote:
13a. Skinning development new feature - If possible and it might not be it would be nice to use either smaller images with numbers or just a typ of text display for 'numbered volume' as in the volume can be in percents % which adds more creativity to media players.

To clarify this suggestion you can take a look at this KD Player skin I made and published last week
https://2img.net/h/oi37.tinypic.com/29bzp6r.png

Can you see the numbered volume of 10% to 100% ? In XploreME future version it would be cool if you could add an option for skinners to use numbers instead of volume so that in XploreME skins we could use this effect more properly with number text placement, size and colour  rather than images.


...very soon gonna start porting my made KD Player skins to XploreME use but need to learn the XploreME skin creation and such

Any response for 1a - 18a

please ThaPhoenix , please give me feedback on these suggestiosn of mine I have though really well for them to be in future version of XploreME

Any responses to my ideasAlso what about a 'select all' in the file manager. Currently we can only mark and then select each by scrolling which is not practical especially for folders with 1000+ files.Select All - is in MiniCommander under the keypad key * 

Some of your ideas was implemented in XploreME! 4.2

You added the browse next/previous track in the 'Stop' mode in the player - I am grateful for.

I understand that the feature list I made seems a bit too wishful to make a new recent version.. But I only ask for your technical responses to each (requests 1a to 18a) ... please if you can still reply to each, lemme go over each of em again


=============
1a. the config keys for the MEDIA PLAYER keys - there are keys I want to change like the 'play' key to another as it would be convenient for me. A simple .ini file in where we can define settings and then in filemanager of XploreME we simply click on created .ini file to load settings. This ability would be so great and would benefit for other phones too that can run XploreME like Siemens, Samsung users... Please lemme know what you think

2a. text reader - you have added some of these features, my comments:

*on changing text size - allow the zoomed size to be remembered in between uses of the text reader
*You could add a SEARCH function to the text reader for words, don't worry im not after a find&replace or other big features that wouldn't be viable in a j2me reader

3a. Ability to go straight to the 'Audio' - or better yet - straight to any folder in which we can set (im thinking about other fone users). So for me (k800i) I would set 'Audio' folder -Mixed- as the folder to load on startup so that I am ready to start plaing my tracks - would make a great option for the main XGUI menu, think about it

4a. Well the C button on SE is the sub-menu option already in where the two options 'help' and 'back' appear. But other future options to try and implement would be as I originally said 'minimize application' , 'disable text scrolling' , 'Quick Skin change' , 'The Author of this Skin' , 'File Information' - 'full information' would be a full id3 reader but you said already this would require a lot of work to build the reading mechanism

5a. Yeah, Why in Skin's made is there no support for the skin images of 'next' and 'previous' - e.g. 10.png = next 11.png = next pushed

7a. This is just an idea for the display of other texts in the player to read from ID3. this feature would depend on the skin and what is defined in the player.ini . These text's include bitrate, year, encoder . It would benfit the creation of some really impressive skins... Im just playing with ideas

9a. STop - You added, than you so much as it was needed

10a. I still cannot minimize XploreME via a quick key on SE. When I press and hold the left soft key the whole app just exits, perhaps that was the minimize key but the exiting is a bug

11a. Writing skin information (skin name, author, date etc) in the player.ini and able to read this in XploreME, see how this would be linked to the above 4a.

12a. Sorry about the two images I originally posted it was not meant for confusion. Basically in the creation of skins it would be great if there could be another png in player.ini (example - 12.png) that could display over album art. Because I am thinking in terms of adding transparency to this special png or other design in which once displayed in the skin over a loaded alb um would create effects

13a. In player.ini possibly to use text as volume (example if using % as volume) as well as the volX, volc etc

14a. Add a new simple function of 'confirm exit' when exiting XploreME in the main menu. this should be an option that can be enabled/disabled in options

15a. You added this 'bookmarks' feature, thank you. You added this in the form of the new 'Playlist' in version 4.2. I am about to test this 'playlist' feature now

16a. Yes, a SKIN's LIST - when loading new skins from the player.ini file in the filemanager any that we load can automatically added to a list as by internally storing each player.ini skin's path. the list would be viewable in Options>MediaPlayer>Player's skin - from where we can delete or load each of the skin's in that list

17a. Any limit that you have imposed for the size (demensions) of the skin's png e.g. play, stop buttons. Would be interested to know

18a. Id3 tag reading - you have alreayd outlined that you will implement soon in a future version as it would take longer develop to build thereaidng mechanism. I uderstand. What would be wonderful would be if XploreME would use the 'text viewer' to display the metadata tags allowing us the option to adjust the reaidng view <--- I got the ideas huh

19a. This is just a suggestion ---> KEYPAD HOTKEYS. This is another new wishlist feature. Basically we can set any keypad fucntion we desire to each of the functions example. pressing 7 for 'Dicer' or changing '7' to '6' on the fly , like that


For features like 4a. and others please take a look at the original wishlist post in where I explain a bit more in-depth
https://xploreme.editboard.com/bug-reports-requests-f2/xploreme-simple-requests-when-development-continues-again-t212.htm#1175

Im also looking for a feature in which text could be encrypted and saved within XploreME, I wanna start keeping my passwords on my fone, would this encryption feature be a good feature for XploreME