Hey guys,
I just used an iPhone to access channels and could not see the search field, there is another thread opened for that regarding iOS being unable to use the search field for Channels.
Its been a few months and can presume everyone is working on the Plex for AppleTV but found out while trying a workaround that preferences cannot be accessed as well.
If I open the youtube channel, I cannot set my username and password or even open preferences!
Can anyone else confirm if this behaviour is the same on the roku?(I don’t own a Roku so cannot check)
Not expecting an ETA but just wondering what other channel dev’s are doing as a workaround!
Cheers!
There is no work around for a Search function.
Search functions require user input. In a channel plugin, the search function must use an InputDirectoryObject() to allow the user a screen to enter their search value. If the Plex Player app does not recognize an InputDirectoryObject(), there is no way for the user to enter their search values.
@shopgirl284 said:
There is no work around for a Search function.
Search functions require user input. In a channel plugin, the search function must use an InputDirectoryObject() to allow the user a screen to enter their search value. If the Plex Player app does not recognize an InputDirectoryObject(), there is no way for the user to enter their search values.
Thank you for replying. I read it n the forum somewhere that there is a global search function in the works which will only return a video object.
My query is, will the preferences setting be seen in the roku and iOS app or is this going to be the trend and other apps like the Android app can see the preference being removed as well?
As developers, since there is lack of documentation, a heads up would be nice. As of now most channels that use preferences are rendered useless if the are accessed via the roku or iOS.
In short, will the iOS and roku see an update in the future to allow preferences OR will it be the other way around that other apps will see the preferences setting go!
Or is Plex looking at a developer model where each developer has to register and get a key to have their channels work thus weeding out the unofficial apps all together!
A little insight from the core team would be great!
I was just talking to one of the app developers about this because I was curious about how user input for a Plex app is addressed.
Each individual player/client has its own input screen methods, so each Plex player app will have to design the way it handles user input in channels, whether it be through the InputDirectoryObject(), Preferences, or even how to incorporate the global searches in channels. I know the new Plex app for Roku global search is currently only for your local libraries and does not include search services in channels.
I do not think the lack of support for user input in channels is a trend. The issue right now is just that we have a lot of new apps all coming out at the same time. And user input in channels is low on the priority list when a new Plex player app is first released…
When they first release a new app to everyone, all the unforeseen issues that come with multiple users on multiple systems using multiple types of media come out of the woodwork. So just like Channels are the last part they design when developing a new app, issues dealing with those channels are low priority compared to the many other issues that have to be addressed when a new app is first released.
My understanding is they have to do some back end work first so the app can support input before the app can support things like search and preferences.I opened an issue for this with the new Roku app. I know they are aware of it and looking into it, so I know that the Roku app will offer input for channels in the future.
But it just takes time. The Classic Roku app was around for years. It didn’t have all the bells and whistles it has now when it was first released. Features were added over time. Actually I am very impressed with the Roku app developers. They have accomplished a lot in a short time of developing the new app.
And even when they are able to include user input in the new Plex app for Roku, I think it will probably be in stages, like support for search, then support for preferences, then hopefully support for other types of user input.
I do not know if anyone has opened an issue for the iOS app for user input in channels. I do not have any iOS devices, so I would not know about the progress of development on those players.
Really appreciate your time, thank you for helping me understand, sincerely appreciate it.
