Sample remote for custom device

I have managed successfully to add a bunch of custom devices to my system. If I add a new VCR device to my system, I cannot associate that with an existing default (VCR) remote image. Thus, even though there may be a default JVC virtual remote VCR already available, I cannot use that as my baseline remote for my custom VCR. Is there any way for me to do this directly in the plist file? If not, it would be good to have a generic remote that can be associated with any custom device that is added based on its type.

Are you asking about graphical association with an Original Remote, or some kind of code integration at a lower level? Basically, we’re just not sure what you’re asking.

It sounds like you might be talking about codes. In that case you would just setup the remote for a given device and then redefine whatever buttons you wanted in your Remote Design to point to another device.

I am talking about the graphic remote that is associated with the newly added custom device. The only choice I have for that is the “Virtual” remote and that graphic has a single button. I am not sure how one goes about editing the device remote. I was hoping that if the device were of a VCR type say, that the virtual remote graphic would have the play/pause/stop etc. buttons as one would for any VCR.
The actual commands are loaded in correctly. The only way I can now create a remore for the newly added device is to create an activity for the same and then modify one of the device remotes to work in this context with commands from the newly added device. I am not sure why I cannot create a custom device remote when I add the device itself.

Virtual Remotes include buttons for every command in the command set for a custom device, not just one button. If you’re not seeing that, then there is something wrong with the custom command set. To cause things like the Play Pad to be included in your Virtual Remote, just use the official command names like PLAY, STOP, PAUSE as documented in the DDK. If you use other names like “Play” or “Play Button” then you will instead get generic buttons.

Well, as things stand I get only one blank key on the virtual remote even though the commands themselves appear to have been read in OK from the custom plist file. The device shows up correctly in the category where it should. Also, if I add the (custom) device in an activity, I can see that all its commands have been read in correctly – I can add any of them to the activity.

What might be going on here? Why are none of the commands that are read in showing up in the virtual remote? Any suggestions on where to look first? I would expect that if it were a syntax error of some kind, the commands themselves would not have been read in. The codes in my custom plist file by the way are in Pronto hex format.

And I believe also that the activity remote logo is misleading. If I were to have an activity like “Watch VCR”, the associated remote when I am in that activity may be the VCR device’s remote, but I might have added more buttons or reconfigured it appropriately for that activity. As such, the remote logo (at the top) should read “Watch VCR” for the activity remote rather than “Panasonic VCR” (or whatever other brand) as it does now – the device logo should only apply when I select the device itself rather than the activity.

Sounds like something is wrong with your custom device. We’d recommend sending your configuration to support using the ‘Email Configuration’ feature.