[threehappypenguins]

When you're searching for a tv show or movie, the default skin for Kodi has a bar that shows the progress of how far you are in the search. In Mimic, it just says, "Working..."

Is there any way to get this progress bar back? I'd like to know if it's frozen/stuck, or just taking a long time.

If this isn't a feature, I can change this to a feature request.

[braz]

What versions of Kodi/Mimic are you using?

Mimic 5 just uses a spinner in the header when busy, so not likely to implement a progress bar.

[threehappypenguins]

What versions of Kodi/Mimic are you using?

Mimic 5 just uses a spinner in the header when busy, so not likely to implement a progress bar.

It's Mimic 3.4.2 which was downloaded from the Kodi Repository. I am running Kodi Jarvis 16.1. I'm guessing Mimic 5 is only for Krypton? I can't use Krypton since I am using SPMC on my Android devices (it has voice search). So I'm creating a nice setup on my laptop first with Kodi, then transferring the addon and userdata files to my Android devices when I'm done. SPMC doesn't have Krypton as of yet.

Under the Skin Settings under General (for Mimic), there is something called "Busy loader animation." However, it only changes the animation icon. I want to have a progress bar so I know how much it has progressed in whatever search I have, or if it's just hanging or something. I found the progress bar in the original skin useful.

[threehappypenguins]

Aha. The word you used, "Spinner," was the key word I was looking for. I tried Googling the issue, but all I kept finding was stuff on the progress bar for watching a video. Here is what I just found: http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=297303

Though this doesn't directly help me. But apparently there's something called DialogBusy.xml. However, I'm not sure if Mimic 3 has this xml file. I'll have to poke around. And see if I can even do anything to change it.

If someone has any other ideas, or even another Skin that is just like Mimic (I like the vertical menu) that has a progress bar rather than a spinner only, I would be very happy.

[threehappypenguins]

Just found this. Says I can change my loading spinner using a texture tool for Kodi. Not sure if it will work. I will have to check it out when I have the chance: https://youtu.be/xmEXmknIy28

[braz]

I doubt that YouTube video is going to help you at all.

Mimic 3 uses DialogBusy.xml when the spinner is separated from the header via a skin setting. This option is not in Mimic 5, though, the spinner is always shown in the header.

In either case, you're going to need to mod the skin to add a progress bar.

[BobCratchett]

I may well be confusing exactly which dialog is being talked about here, but for some time the busy dialog (DialogBusy.xml) has supported a progress control with id 10 - however it's only in Kodi v17 that this has been exposed to Python scripts and so appears to have actually become useful... (see #10699)

[threehappypenguins]

Is it possible to mod the skin to have a progress bar? This is what I am talking about, to be clear:

[braz]

Bob, you're exactly right...but Mimic doesn't use DialogBusy.xml anymore, I just display the spinner in the header when that dialog is visible. No plans to add the progress bar, it doesn't fit into Mimic's layout.

[BobCratchett]

Whether if fits in with the skin is, of course, the first priority

Purely for my own interest, and as a skinner-to-skinner question: if I'm understanding correctly, you're not displaying a modal dialog when DialogBusy would normally be displayed. How does that actually work in practice? Does it, for example, allow you to choose another item whilst the first-selected item is still loading, or does it still make you wait until the first item is loaded before Kodi can be interacted with?

[braz]

I have to admit, I'm on a gaming machine with way more horsepower than an htpc needs, so rarely see the busy spinner. Is there a reliable way to trigger DialogBusy.xml?

Currently, I'm hiding the contents of the busy dialog, and displaying a spinner in the header when it is visible. So the empty dialog still loads, meaning Kodi likely still responds in the same way.

I was just testing a small dialog that slides in from the top to display the progress bar, but haven't been able to trigger it for testing.

[BobCratchett]

In general terms, you can 'ActivateWindow(BusyDialog)', though I'm not sure this is useful for testing real-life situations. I can't afford decent hardware and so see the dialog regularly, so will test myself - if a non-modal version allows a second action to override the first there's the potential for a decent UX improvement

[braz]

In general terms, you can 'ActivateWindow(BusyDialog)', though I'm not sure this is useful for testing real-life situations.

Tried that just for kicks and it locked up Kodi, couldn't close the dialog or do anything else except bring up the shutdown menu. Killed the Kodi process and reloaded. Still looking for a reliable way to test the busy dialog...

[BobCratchett]

Unfortunately my own quick tests came up with similar results - once Kodi initiates the BusyDialog (whether or not its actually displayed), nothing can be done until its closed. It's a shame, it really would have been a nice UX alternative

[braz]

Is it possible to mod the skin to have a progress bar? This is what I am talking about, to be clear:

I'm curious to know where this is coming from now, I just checked github and Estuary hides the progress bar in DialogBusy.xml...

https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/blob/master...ogBusy.xml