Introduction
Changed Files
Install Guide
Download Files
Ini file changes
Your TV Nav Extender
ToppyWeb access from outside your home network

Your TV Toppy Helper

This page is to distribute the Your TV Toppy Helper which is code I wrote to interface between the ToppyWeb program that John Stevens wrote (See Toppy Web Home ) and the Your TV Web program guide.

ToppyWeb is a program that allows you to use a Web interface to control at Topfield PVR (Personal Video Recorder). Essentially ToppyWeb allows you to program your PVR¹ over the internet.

Using the "Your TV Toppy Helper" with GreaseMonkey and Firefox you can have the Your TV Web TV guide display a "Create Toppy Timer" Button on the Program Details page.

The Create Toppy Timer Button is created on the fly as you browse the guide live on the web using the power of the GreaseMonkey.

Clicking this button launches a web form where you confirm the Timer Creation on your Toppy and then submit the timer creation to the Toppy using the ToppyWeb functionality.

Other features implemented in this release:

Ability to pad timers for timer types other than one-time timers
Ability to specify a timer-name post-pend text. Setting a value for this option in the .ini file causes this text to be post-pended to timer names. This is useful if you also run the timer-extend TAP because you can specify "-#" as the post-pend text and prevent timer-extend from automatically extending an already padded timer.

The files in the .zip allow you to install the "Your TV Toppy Helper" and also incorporate the changes previously released with ver 3.3.5(ttguy) of Toppy Web

The "Your TV Toppy Helper" (your_tv_toppy_helper.user.js) is a GreaseMonkey script.

This version also includes the features from my previous modified ToppyWeb release that introduced a FTP button that allows you to FTP files from toppy or rec servers to the local machine where the browser is running.

Changed Files

The changes are implemented by modifications to these files from the v3.3.4 John Stevens release (published 5 February 2009)

timers.js
timers.php
config_ini.php
config.ini - new field in the channels sections - YourTVName and new field in the general section - TimerNamePostpendText and new [EPG YOURTV] section and new valid value for EPGsource. See sample config(ToppyWeb).ini in the .zip files. (details)
files.php - same as in 3.3.5(ttguy)
files.js - same as in 3.3.5(ttguy)
New File - yourTV.php
timer_edit.php - to implement padding in non-once only timers
index.php - display the new parameters
links.php - Can now have the EPG button take you to the YourTV guide
your_tv_toppy_helper.user.js - greasemonkey script for the Create toppy timer button on the YourTV web pages
your_tv_nav_extender.user.js - greasemonkey script for the extra navigation links and the Toppy Web link on the YourTV pages.

Downloads

Download a patch to patch your version 3.3.4 or ver 3.3.5(ttguy) to version 3.3.6(YourTV): toppy_web_yourTV_patch.zip

Download the full 3.3.6(YourTV) version: toppyweb.v3.3.6_YourTV.zip

I have tested these changes with IE7 and IE6 and Firefox. (Note: The Your TV features only work with firefox because only firefox has the greasmonkey technology.)
I am running off an XP machine.
I run Abyss Web server and FTP server for Topfield ver1.18
I run a FileZilla Rec server and the code works with the Rec server too.
My PHP is ver 5.2.8

.ini file changes

If you want to use the Your TV Toppy Helper functionality you need to tell Toppy Web how to link up the channel names as they appear on the Your TV guide with the channels on your toppy. To do this we add a YourTVName=NameOfChannelOnYourTVWebPage item to each channel in the channels section of the ini file.

The Your TV guide for my region uses the text "Prime" for the channel "Prime Canberra". So I setup the Prime Canberra section in the .ini file as shown in the example below.

The example also demonstrates use of the TimerNamePostpendText in the General section

The example also demonstrates use of EPGsource=YourTV and the new [EPG YOURTV] section. The sample below causes the EPG button to launch http://yourtv.com.au/guide/index.cfm?action=tonight



        [General]
        Channels=ABC1,ABC2,PRIME Canberra,WIN TV Canberra,SC10 Canberra,SBS,SBS 2
        TimerNamePostpendText=-#

        <snip>

        [Channel PRIME Canberra]
        ToppyName=PRIME Canberra
        IceTVname=PRIME Canberra
        YourTVName=Prime
        LCN=6

        <snip>

        [EPG]
        ScreenWidth=1024
        HourHeight=150
        PopoverMaximumDisplay=9999
        PopoverCompareInner=Yes
        EPGsource=YourTV

        [EPG YOURTV]
        ; use double quotes if the URL has an = sign in it
        YourTVurl="http://yourtv.com.au/guide/index.cfm?action=tonight"

If you have configured the .ini file correctly then the new settings should appear on the ToppyWeb Home page.

There is a sample .ini file that works for TTGuy with this version of ToppyWeb in the .zip files - config(ToppyWeb).ini

Your TV Nav Extender

A Companion to this is the your_tv_nav_extender GreaseMonkey script that adds extra navigation to the YourTV grid as well as a link back to toppy web.

Installation and Configuration Guide

Install ToppyWeb ver3.3.6(YourTV)

Backup your existing install.
Unzip the patch Files
over the top of your existing install. Or instal a full 3.3.6(YourTV) version

edit your existing .ini file adding the changes described here

If you don't already have it - install Firefox browser (if you want the YourTV Create Toppy Timer button)

Install the GreaseMonkey Firefox extension

Install your_tv_toppy_helper.user.js and your_tv_nav_extender.user.js (one method is to use the mouse to drag and drop these files into an open Firefox browser while greasemonkey is enabled)
Alternate method of install of the Greasmonkey scripts is to use Userscripts.org - your_tv_toppy_helper and your_tv_nav_extender
Add the IP address for your ToppyWeb install into the your_tv_toppy_helper.user.js and your_tv_nav_extender.user.js greasemonkey scripts by using the Tools->Greasemonkey->Manage User Scripts.

Check that the "included pages" for your_tv_nav_extender are:
http://www.yourtv.com.au/guide/index.cfm*
http://yourtv.com.au/guide/index.cfm*

Check that the "included pages" for your_tv_toppy_helper are:
http://www.yourtv.com.au/guide/index.cfm?action=info&event_id*
http://yourtv.com.au/guide/index.cfm?action=info&event_id*

Read the A_Guide_to_configuring_ToppyWeb_v3.3.2.pdf found in the toppyweb.v3.3.6_YourTV.zip file if you are having issues with the general configuration of toppy web

FTP security

For the FTP functionality introduced with ver 3.3.5(ttguy) you have a few options for security:

1. Have no anonymous users on the FTP server. Under this option the browser will prompt for a user name and password when you go to FTP a file. Pausing and resuming the FTP transfer will not work.

2. (recomended) Have an anonymous FTP account on the FTP server and let the anonymous user not require a password. But restrict the anonymous users privs to allow download files and wake up the server (not sure if we need the latter)
Have a different user on the FTP server for the ToppyWeb application to use. This user needs to have write privs (and probably others) so give this user a password (and specify this password and user in the toppyweb ini files).
Under this config, the pause and resume of FTP transfers works (at least with firefox) and the server is secure from hackers deleting you files.

ToppyWeb access from outside your home network

I have found that it is fairly easy to access your Toppy Web from web browsers external to your home network once you set up port forwarding correctly. But you have to know the IP address that your ISP has assigned to your connection. And I don't have a static IP address. So my IP address can change without notice. This is a problem if you want to get to your toppy web remotely.

I have coded up a solution to this that works if you run Microsoft Outlook as your mail client. I have written some Visual Basic for Outlook that scans incomming mail for an email with the subject GET IP. If it sees such an email it contacts a web site that reports your local IP address back. Outlook then replys to the GET IP email with the current IP address of your home.

The VB is in the ThisOutlookSession.cls file included in the .zip Files

This VB also includes code for implementing the mail side of the ToppyBiff program described here. (ToppyBiff sends emails to your toppy which you can read on your TV screen)

To install VisualBasic the script in Outlook do Alt-F11 while in Outlook and paste the text from ThisOutlookSession.cls into the window. See here for info on how to prevent outlook from complaining about you running a VB script.

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PVR = Personal Video Recorder - the VCR for the Digital TV age.