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Supplement for: Keyboard

Overview:

The Keyboard Plug-In allows the infrared remote control or a serial keyboard attached to the CD-i player to be used for input into a title. Optionally, a PC/AT keyboard may be used with the 615 player. The plug-in does this by monitoring the chosen device and passing pre-defined input to the title.

Plug-ins required for operation:

cdi_sgmn - The "Signal Manager" plug-in. It provides communication between the other plug-ins.
cdi_vki - The "Keyboard" plug-in. It runs in the background and receives input from the selected device.
cdi_vkic - The "keyboard configuration" plug-in. It is used to configure the operation of cdi_vki, to set what input generates what action, and also passes the input from cdi_vki to the title.

MediaMogul utilities required to prepare assets:

NONE

Assets to create before using plug-in:

NONE

Special preparations:

If you wish to use any function keys on a keyboard for input, you must first determine the ASCII code those particular keys generate. The DEBUG function of cdi_vki is used to do this.

NOTE: Once you have determined the ASCII codes generated by the selected keyboard, you should not use other keyboards with the title without first checking that the ASCII codes generated are the same. Again, this may be checked using the DEBUG function of cdi_vki.

How plug-in works:

· You need to first Call cdi_sgmn in the background to provide communications between the modules of the Keyboard Plug-In.

· Next Call cdi_vki in the background and specify whether the plug-in is to use a keyboard or remote. Additionally, if a keyboard is specified the port it will be connected to needs to be specified. Optionally, communications parameters for the keyboard may be set.

· Then Call cdi_vkic to specify the configuration for the Keyboard Plug-In. At minimum this will be the ASCII code that triggers an action and what that action is. The module must be called separately for each action you want to specify.

· When the ASCII code is received from the specified device, it is read by cdi_vki and passed via the signal manager to cdi_vkic to be interpreted and the preset action is passed to the title.

· To free up memory used by the plug-in after through using it, set the Z variable to the value 660.

NOTE: To ensure that scripts branched to via the Keyboard Plug-In are included in the disc, you must include branches to these scripts after a branch that will always execute in a script. See keybd.scr in the Example.

Additionally, you must use the -ks option for cdi_vkic in script2disc because Parameter 2 is a script. For Mac or PC script2disc, select Subroutines from the Options menu and Add cdi_vkik with a Parameter File Type of Script.

Example:

keybd.scr 00:00 Skip_off 00:00 Dissolve /h0/VIDEO/INTRO.CL7 02:00
00:00 Call_bg /h0/SUBROUT/cdi_sgmn (start the Signal Manager)
00:00 Cursor_off
00:10 Call_bg /h0/SUBROUT/cdi_vki RS232 /t2
(Start the Keyboard Plug-In specifying an RS-232 keyboard attached to port /t2 of the player)
00:20 Call /h0/SUBROUT/cdi_vkic SET_SEQ,61 /h0/SCRIPTS/script1.scr
(assign the "a" key to initiate a branch)
00:21 Call /h0/SUBROUT/cdi_vkic SET_SEQ,62 /h0/SCRIPTS/script2.scr
(assign the "b" key to initiate a branch)
00:22 Call /h0/SUBROUT/cdi_vkic SET_SEQ,63 /h0/SCRIPTS/script3.scr
(assign the "c" key to initiate a branch)
00:23 Call /h0/SUBROUT/cdi_vkic SET_SEQ,64 /h0/SCRIPTS/script4.scr
(assign the "d" key to initiate a branch)
00:24 Call /h0/SUBROUT/cdi_vkic SET_SEQ,65/h0/SCRIPTS/exit.scr
(assign the "e" key to initiate a branch)
00:25 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/main.scr
00:25 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/script1.scr (script to be included in the title)
00:25 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/script2.scr (script to be included in the title)
00:25 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/script3.scr (script to be included in the title)
00:25 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/script4.scr (script to be included in the title)
00:25 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/exit.scr (script to be included in the title)

main.scr
00:00 Skip_off
00:01 Dissolve /h0/VIDEO/MAIN.CL7 00:20
00:21 Wait
00:22 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/main.scr

script1.scr
00:00 Skip_off
00:00 Dissolve /h0/VIDEO/SCRIPT1.CL7 00:20
02:00 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/main.scr

script2.scr
00:00 Skip_off
00:00 Dissolve /h0/VIDEO/SCRIPT2.CL7 00:20
02:00 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/main.scr

script3.scr
00:00 Skip_off
00:00 Dissolve /h0/VIDEO/SCRIPT3.CL7 00:20
02:00 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/main.scr

script4.scr
00:00 Skip_off
00:00 Dissolve /h0/VIDEO/SCRIPT4.CL7 00:20
02:00 Br_alwys_nr /h0/SCRIPTS/main.scr

exit.scr
00:00 Skip_off
00:00 Fade Down 00:10
00:10 Set_var Z 660 (Unload the Keyboard Plug-In and free memory)

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