Software Projects
This page lists my software projects, all free to download, use and distribute as long it is not modified in any way. Free for NON COMMERCIAL use.
Car-PC Computer-Human Interface
This project originally started on my blog so please see here for the original post.
Discontinued: Visual Talkback
Unfortunately due to lack of time and interest I have discontinued work on this project, if you are interested in a visual talkback solution please contact me and I'd be happy to continue working on it.
The aim of this project was to produce a virtual 'notice board' which can run on a display in a radio studio to show callers waiting, reminders to presenters, any events coming up worthy of mention and so on. There are two flavours of this software and while I am doing my best to keep them on the same development schedule, it's not always as easy to implement one feature in one version as it is in the other. The versions:
Network-Network:
This version has a network 'server' (confusingly called the client as it's the part which runs on the studio display) This will bind to all IP addresses on the machine on port 4000. From the editor, simply type the IP of the server and click start. Now you can edit the fields and click the buttons which cause updates. The networking code isn't particularly clever and certainly doesn't cope with a lossy link, so message updates may not always arrive if the link isn't particularly stable (read: internet/wireless) Over your studio's internal network it will be fine.
Web-Client:
This version has a web based editor for the data here Using this editor updates the values stored in the backend MySql database which the client then forms web requests and reads via page www.lewty.org.uk/mediauk/VTBWeb/data.php This page is called with ?id=x appended to the URL, where x is the ID of the field it is trying to update, this causes the correct database value to be read and returned to the client software.
This software is not a preferable way of running as it has to continuously poll the server for data, rather than the other version which will just sit there waiting for new data to come in on the port.
To Do list:
- Clear/cancel buttons
- Timestamps on the warnings
- Caller on hold time for phone lines
- Webcam viewer
- 'free text' area for general comments to presenter from producer/management (maybe change warnings box into this but still display the warnings)
- User defined common phrases for typing from Function keys (F1-F8 are already in use for quick typing and sending warnings)
- User defined data source for web based version (is currently fixed to http://www.lewty.org.uk/mediauk/VTBWeb/data.php)
- Persistent storage (registry/ini file) for options - data source, port, server, (auto connect?), common phrases
The latest version is always available at the following URL, with the older versions being archived under VisualTalkback_relX.zip
Some screen shots:
Discontinued: PhoneLog
This was developed for someone from MediaUK who asked for a simple Visual Talkback system for a radio station's phone lines. More work is in progress with this project so make it into a fully functional visual talkback system. ( See Visual Talkback, above) Development on Phonelog has now been superseeded by Visual Talkback, the link is maintained for the sake of completeness.