How do I get Endpad back please?

[swarrans]

I'm sorry about this potential double post - I have asked this question before and don't know if anyone answered it because I can't find it via the search facility - anyway - I keep missing the last few minutes of programmes so I'd love to get Endpad back.

It seems to have stopped on Friday June 17th (which was probably when I switched over to the new EPG). Other post seem to suggest re-booting which I have done loads of times now to no avail. Here is the last few lines of the log:-


Friday 16:26:34 : Suggestion quality change disabled
Friday 16:26:34 : Timezone 00:00
Friday 16:26:34 : Sorted configuration options (last match used):-
Friday 16:26:34 : startpad 0 endpad 5 negpad 0 forceneg 0 maxneg -1 sugeq 1 sugqual -1
Friday 16:26:34 : Woken up
Friday 16:26:34 : Error detected
Friday 16:26:34 : can't read "rectype": no such variable
while executing
"if {$rectype == 3} {

# Recording active
set isrec 1

# Get details of currently recording programme
RetryTransaction ..."
Friday 16:26:34 : Attempting to recover
Friday 16:27:04 : Woken up
Friday 16:27:04 : Error detected
Friday 16:27:04 : can't read "rectype": no such variable
while executing
"if {$rectype == 3} {

# Recording active
set isrec 1

# Get details of currently recording programme
RetryTransaction ..."
Friday 16:27:04 : Attempting to recover
Friday 16:27:04 : Too many errors, stopping


Thank you

Simon

[mrtickle]

Hmm, it could be corrupted. I'd try re-uploading it to your tivo and overwriting the file that's there. Unless it was from an iso and you don't have the hacks on your PC? Which version is it? I use v1.5.4 18-Jan-2007 maxwells_daemon with petestrash's excellent bookmarks patch (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/sh ... ost6496109) . But I expect there have been developments since I last had time to check . [edit: sadly not! The midnight bug and the odd-length progress bar bug weren't fix. oh well]

[swarrans]

Thanks, yes that's the version I've got too.

Oh dear it looks like I'm have to going to re-learn about using FTP and stuff.

I don't know what your comment about iso and not having the hacks on my pc means I'm afraid (although I haven't got any of the Tivo hacks on my pc - many failed discs and Windows re-loads since I did anything on Tivo!)

Endpad is essential as I miss just about every end at the moment!

Thanks

Simon

[swuk]

I know what you mean. To me, Tivo without endpad feels like it's crippled in some way.

I don't know what your comment about iso...

He means that a version of the TiVo image already set up with AltEPG is available as an ISO image, i.e. a file that any decent CD writing software will burn to disc as is, creating a bootable CD that can be used to create a TiVo hard disc. If someone follows this method, then a reboot maybe required after installing the disc and running through the Guided Setup.

Having the hacks, means having downloaded the endpad files to your PC before putting them onto the TiVo, which either requires a networked TiVo, or that you pull the disc out of the box and put it temporarily into a PC.

Looking at the endpad code, the variable 'rectype' is set when endpad reads the database looking for information on the current recording. This suggests that there's an error reading the MFS database, as there's no specific error checking around the read instructions. Given the timing of this, i.e. since you switched to the AltEPG, I'm prompted to ask if you did a clear down stuff before switching? More info here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=670#A134

By the way, the forum search is in the top right of nearly every page.

[swarrans]

lol - I did try and use the search facility but it didn't come up with the answer I was after!

When I set up AltEPG I didn't do a clear and delete everything but the "Clear Programme Data & To Do List" which was being recommended.

If there is an error in MFS database do you think I should still try the origianl advice to re-load endpad or does that require something else. I don't want to pull the disc and try to connect it to my PC cos I'm pretty sure I'll screw that up!

Simon

[mrtickle]

You shouldn't need to pull the disc, as if you can telnet in to get the the log you should be able to do whatever's needed using your current network connection to the TiVo. Even if you cut and pasted that section of the log from tivoweb, you'd have to be very unlucky to have a tivo set up with all the hacks but no bash prompt?

[swarrans]

Thanks Mrtickle I'll download an ftp programme and start studying (again!) how to do it...
Since I've got to be over 50 it seems I have to re-learn everything I could do once....sigh!....

Simon

[millsb]

I had this same problem on my test tivo - on which I had done "Clear & Delete Everything" and not set up any recordings.
However last night I simply set up one season pass and now endpad seems to be OK.

I think therefore that endpad will always fail unless there is at least one recording either currently being recorded or scheduled for the future.

To confirm my theory, if you have tivoweb installed, go to MFS -> Recording -> Active. If there is not at least one entry in the table that begins "3:" or "4:" then endpad will not work.

NB this is with endpad 1.5.4. There may be a later version that fixes this.

[mrtickle]

NB this is with endpad 1.5.4. There may be a later version that fixes this.

The only later version I've found since that is petestrash's excellent bookmark patch, which I'm calling "1.5.4b" from http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/sh ... ost6496109 . This sets a bookmark at the original start time of each recording - if your AltEPG iso doesn't have this patch applied I would encourage it strongly! It's a brilliant feature which transforms Endpad: it's great that 95% of the time you can easily start viewing at the exact scheduled start time, yet still have the option to wind back on the rare occasion the programme may have started early.

Tivoweb in general is very unhappy if you have an empty to-do list, season pass list or now playing list. But as swarrans says he keeps "missing the last few minutes of programmes", I've been assuming that he is making new recordings and does have at least some to-do list entries.

[swarrans]

Thanks yes I was aware that I needed to have some season passes set - I'd done that and tried quite a few re-boots etc.

However, the fix ended up really easy in the end - I telnet'ed in and went to the directory endpad was in and typed ./endpad.tcl -e 5 and it said something like "IP file error found, now re-setting" and then has worked since. I checked sysinit.author too and had the appropriate script in it.

Thanks for the help - the above is just in case it happens to others and this simple re-set works for them too

Simon

[mrtickle]

Excellent. I've been looking through the code for errors with similar wording, but not finding any obvious matches
Was the error

Code: Select all

A stale PID file was found and has been deleted.

?
Other than that there's config file errors it could have been. Anyway glad it's sorted!

[swarrans]

Yes, that was the code Mrtickle! Sorry to make your search harder than it needed to be through my poor memory!

[mrtickle]

Ah right. Interesting that the clear-up that that code does works from the command line but not if Endpad is started from boot process. Although really, I think that's in /tmp so there wouldn't be a file there to clean up immediately after a reboot. That being the case I'm not sure what solved the problem!

[Tcm2007]

So long since I wrote it, but IIRC there's an -auto switch which you use when putting EndPad in a script, to defeat some of the PID checking and launching a daughter process. Or something.

[mrtickle]

This may jog your memory

Code: Select all

To install:

Unzip and FTP the enclosed file to /var/hack

Make it executable with:

chmod 755 endpad.tcl

Run it with:

/var/hack/endpad.tcl s e

where s is the number of minutes padding to be added before the start and e is the number of minutes added at the end This can be any amount, not just the standard units, but you won't see non-standard ones appear in the Recording Options if you look at them while the recording is being made. You can use fractions, ie 0.5 for 30 seconds.

Stop it with:

/var/hack/endpad.tcl -stop

Run it from rc.sysinit.author by adding this line:

/var/hack/endpad.tcl s e -auto >> /dev/null &

where s is etc etc

Thanks again for such a useful hack, it would be such a wrench to use a VM TiVo now without Endpad and the Season Pass re-order not locking up the machine for 10 minutes!

Edit: possibly a bit more info.
pidfile is set to "/var/run/endpad.pid" - so a reboot will never delete it. Or will it? Hmmm
The auto flag does {file delete -force $pidfile} - ie clears the pidfile away on startup.