[Ajin]

First off, beautiful skin! definitely going to be sticking with it through it's development. I'm running into a few issues though with widgets, skin helper service, "please wait" loading screens and a few other things, I've uploaded a log file if you could take a look, hopefully things can be ironed out as I've no intention of switching out for something else! Thanks

Welcome aboard! I'm going to need you to be more specific on what issues you are running into. The log file isn't a debug level log file but a normal log file. Please enable debug logging and upload those logs a long with what particular issues you are running into.

Right now I can address the "Please Wait" loading screen. The "Please Wait" prompt appears when From Ashes is doing something such as rewriting the menus with updated library information or updating the home screen on first start. The prompt shouldn't appear excessively unless From Ashes is being run on something relatively slow or if Kodi is trying to connect to an external source that is relatively slow (i.e. you have a media server with your content and the connection between the host device and the client is slow - ipref is a good way to figure that one out if it's the case).

Thanks for the welcome

Sorry about the log not being debug, here's a new log file, for this one I've used KissAnime whilst running the debug log as it's one of the addons that this "Please Wait" problem arises with, making the addon unusable as it's stuck on the screen.

Also the problems with the background errors in the log are all stored locally on my media pc so the slowness shouldn't be a problem, though KissAnime do typically have slow servers so that may be part of the problem there, although it's never been unusable for me apart from on this skin and this has happened on other addons too.

Here's a screenshot of the please wait screen being stuck.
Also a problem displaying Log Viewer window on first load, if i press back and choose "show log" again it works, another screenshot

Also most of the widgets don't function, as others have brought up, typed them in manually to show unwatched Tv / Movies by adding entries into the Widget 1, 2 section myself.
for TV: plugin://script.skin.helper.widgets/?action=next&mediatype=episodes
for Movies: plugin://script.skin.helper.widgets/?action=unwatched&mediatype=movies
If that helps anyone.

Hopefully that gives you a better idea on some of the things i've mentioned? Also I'm using Classic view, Thanks for your hard work

[Guardian Hope]

@Ajin

The easy stuff: the issues with the widgets will be addressed in AZ:FA 5. It was one of the last things we intended to get to. I will have to take a look at the differing view types because I thought Classic was different from Default but it looks like a redundant version of Default.

Now onto the more complicated part - going through that 4,000+ line log file has revealed with you are being prompted with the "Please Wait.." dialog (aka DialogBusy). Other skins might have tried to hide the issues by not waiting for the load to complete but the addon is encountering a lot of issues and From Ashes is waiting for it to load. The relevant DialogBusy prompts occur in the log starting at line 4135

A lot is happening during the "Please Wait..." that you see. Your addon appears to be connecting to a server and encountering 404 (HTTP Code for "Not Found") and 500 (HTTP Code for "Server Encountered an Internal Server Error") and that is delaying what From Ashes needs to do to load a library. When From Ashes loads a library it fetches everything - information, images, fan art (if enabled), pretty much all the metadata information whether that's remote or locally stored. As you can see, every time DialogBusy comes up it's because these transactions are occurring but they are occurring relatively slow - taking nearly a minute to complete.

Now, as I did say, other skins may not be waiting for it to load. AZ:FA's logic is to wait for the library data to be completely available which usually happens relatively quickly (I use Emby Server with terabytes of library data while others use Emby and PKC or other servers) without issue in load times (even on low powered devices like the rPi3).

You also appear to be running "questionable" addons according to the log file. If these are the addons you are also having issue with that's going to make it impossible to help you since Kodi has a policy against such addons and we, like every other skin developer here, follow that policy.

With all that said, the issue appears to be From Ashes waiting for the library information to load and your addon encountering 404 and 500 errors resulting in a much longer load time as it waits for the library to load and the metadata to be acquired.

You tell me the servers this addon uses are slow. Is there a way to cache the data within the addon? On top of that, the 404 and 500 errors need to be fixed but that's related to the addon and not From Ashes - From Ashes just exposed the faults occurring because of how it loads libraries.

[Ajin]

Thanks for taking a look
That's cool widgets are being addressed, i read previously you don't use them but i find them really handy so it's nice to know they'll be sorted in AZ:FA5

Ah okay, i think i understand the "please wait" problem now, thanks for the info. I'll have to check if the addon is able to cache to make things quicker, hopefully i can resolve this as i really like the skin.

Edit: Feeling a little silly now, easy fix, the view was on unwatched which kept the "Please Wait" screen active, once i set it to "All Videos" everything was displayed fine! on all addons so far!

Another issue I've found is in Skin Settings > Views > Enable/Disable views coming up with an empty box (no options) screenshot

Also is there anything i can do to fix the errors in the log pointing to the backgrounds loading?

04:50:30.486 T:2292 DEBUG: CDirectoryProvider[special://skin/extras/backgrounds/Motherboard.jpg]: refreshing..
04:50:30.486 T:860 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::GetDirectory - Error getting C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\skin.arctic.zephyr.fromashes.danvers\extras\backgrounds\Motherboard.jpg
04:50:30.486 T:860 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::GetDirectory - Error getting special://skin/extras/backgrounds/Motherboard.jpg

[Guardian Hope]

Thanks for taking a look
That's cool widgets are being addressed, i read previously you don't use them but i find them really handy so it's nice to know they'll be sorted in AZ:FA5

Ah okay, i think i understand the "please wait" problem now, thanks for the info. I'll have to check if the addon is able to cache to make things quicker, hopefully i can resolve this as i really like the skin.

Edit: Feeling a little silly now, easy fix, the view was on unwatched which kept the "Please Wait" screen active, once i set it to "All Videos" everything was displayed fine! on all addons so far!

Another issue I've found is in Skin Settings > Views > Enable/Disable views coming up with an empty box (no options) screenshot

Also is there anything i can do to fix the errors in the log pointing to the backgrounds loading?

04:50:30.486 T:2292 DEBUG: CDirectoryProvider[special://skin/extras/backgrounds/Motherboard.jpg]: refreshing..
04:50:30.486 T:860 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::GetDirectory - Error getting C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\addons\skin.arctic.zephyr.fromashes.danvers\extras\backgrounds\Motherboard.jpg
04:50:30.486 T:860 ERROR: XFILE::CDirectory::GetDirectory - Error getting special://skin/extras/backgrounds/Motherboard.jpg

@Ajin

I am happy to hear you were able to sort out the issue with your addons . Since I don't use those addons I can only go by what the log says which was essentially that it couldn't find the content or the server was responding with internal server errors. Happy to hear it was a simple fix as displaying "All Videos" instead of "Unwatched."

The Skin Settings > Views > Enable/Disable is a depreciated function from an experiment in one of the alpha builds of From Ashes Danvers. It will be removed since all views are enabled for all content types.

As for the errors in the log regarding the "Motherboard.jpg" - this is a leftover of AZ:E (the predecessors to From Ashes and From Ashes Danvers). It will be replaced with a placeholder in the next update and then removed after that for new default backgrounds.

@Everyone

Since we're not yet ready to show everyone the road map in the From Ashes Project collaboration, I am excited to say that For Another Age may soon have its final approved design. Remember, From Ashes Danvers development takes priority but For Another Age will build on that development and everyone deserves to see where we're going.

[osberg]

Hi Guardian,

I have found a small bug in version 10.

When I want to use a icon for my menu, it don´t go to the path where the icons are. But it will start in where you can chose your root dir or home dir.

Can this get fixed so we can chose icons again

[Guardian Hope]

The Road to Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 "Danvers"

It's been a long time in development and has suffered from many unexpected issues and a treasure trove of feature requests, but the release of Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 "Danvers" is almost here (it will likely be a few days delayed as I was at the ER again two days ago). This next major milestone to AZ:FA is the building block to Arctic Zephyr: For Another Age and during the From Ashes Danvers releases we'll be integrating all of Arctic Zephyr: Braz as promised (sans any conflicting features). This means that although not all Arctic Zephyr: Braz features will be available at release, it will all slowly become available throughout the lifecycle of From Ashes Danvers and be extended into From Another Age.

New Ease of Use and Collaborative Tools

The From Ashes Project has grown exponentially since its humbled beginnings. It's grown so much in fact that it's gotten really hard to manage and a finalization of just how the workflow will work starting with From Ashes 5 has finally been cemented. Please note, these links do not work yet and should be ready by AZ:FA Danvers' official release!

Get Wizard: https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kodi/fromashes/get
Get Wizard (for Jarvis): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...&mode=full
Roadmap and Bug Reporting: https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod.../reportmap
Changelog (Full): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...s/whatsnew
Changelog (Danvers): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...ew/danvers
Changelog (Dormer): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...new/dormer
Collaboration: https://collaborate.northebridge.com/fromashes
Help: https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...ashes/help

The New Workflow: Empowering AZ:FA 5 Through Collaboration

With AZ:FA 5 "Danvers" a number of things are going to be changing in terms of the way we add new features. Gone are the days of adding every possible feature request one can think up. Instead, we are ushering in a new workflow where AZ:FA users can vote on new features they suggest and even collaborate to make them a reality while at the same time the From Ashes Project team can focus on ensuring the integrity of AZ:FA so that the code quality never again falls to a low point like it did during the early Danvers Alphas. From AZ:FA 5 on, you all have the power to drive the project - the training wheels are coming off.

Expanding the NortheBridge by Design Repository

There are many great skin modifications out there and even some new AZ modifications recently released. We want to offer a home repository where everyone can take advantage of a global content distribution network to be delivered these great modifications. So if you have a modification (it doesn't even have to be an AZ modification) and are looking for a home to reach as many users as possible, get in touch with me over PM.

First Post Update

When AZ:FA 5 releases, the first post will be getting a significant overhaul to become more to the point and showcase the skin. Given that AZ:FA 5 and later utilize a wizard that walks you through everything, there is no need to have an essay on how to install AZ:FA. We just want to get you to the right place as quickly as possible and get you enjoying your media as seamlessly as we can.

Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 Release Date

The anticipated release date of Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 "Danvers" is March 1, 2016. Realistically however, I believe that the release date of Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 will be closer to March 11, 2016 just because of that most recent trip to the ER. So please don't be disappointed if you don't see AZ:FA 5 on March 1st as extenuating circumstances may have changed that date .

[Ballistic]

Thanks for all your hard work! I can't wait for the final release!

[Nekromantik]

The Road to Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 "Danvers"

It's been a long time in development and has suffered from many unexpected issues and a treasure trove of feature requests, but the release of Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 "Danvers" is almost here (it will likely be a few days delayed as I was at the ER again two days ago). This next major milestone to AZ:FA is the building block to Arctic Zephyr: For Another Age and during the From Ashes Danvers releases we'll be integrating all of Arctic Zephyr: Braz as promised (sans any conflicting features). This means that although not all Arctic Zephyr: Braz features will be available at release, it will all slowly become available throughout the lifecycle of From Ashes Danvers and be extended into From Another Age.

New Ease of Use and Collaborative Tools

The From Ashes Project has grown exponentially since its humbled beginnings. It's grown so much in fact that it's gotten really hard to manage and a finalization of just how the workflow will work starting with From Ashes 5 has finally been cemented. Please note, these links do not work yet and should be ready by AZ:FA Danvers' official release!

Get Wizard: https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kodi/fromashes/get
Get Wizard (for Jarvis): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...&mode=full
Roadmap and Bug Reporting: https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod.../reportmap
Changelog (Full): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...s/whatsnew
Changelog (Danvers): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...ew/danvers
Changelog (Dormer): https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...new/dormer
Collaboration: https://collaborate.northebridge.com/fromashes
Help: https://northebridge.com/systems/oss/kod...ashes/help

The New Workflow: Empowering AZ:FA 5 Through Collaboration

With AZ:FA 5 "Danvers" a number of things are going to be changing in terms of the way we add new features. Gone are the days of adding every possible feature request one can think up. Instead, we are ushering in a new workflow where AZ:FA users can vote on new features they suggest and even collaborate to make them a reality while at the same time the From Ashes Project team can focus on ensuring the integrity of AZ:FA so that the code quality never again falls to a low point like it did during the early Danvers Alphas. From AZ:FA 5 on, you all have the power to drive the project - the training wheels are coming off.

Expanding the NortheBridge by Design Repository

There are many great skin modifications out there and even some new AZ modifications recently released. We want to offer a home repository where everyone can take advantage of a global content distribution network to be delivered these great modifications. So if you have a modification (it doesn't even have to be an AZ modification) and are looking for a home to reach as many users as possible, get in touch with me over PM.

First Post Update

When AZ:FA 5 releases, the first post will be getting a significant overhaul to become more to the point and showcase the skin. Given that AZ:FA 5 and later utilize a wizard that walks you through everything, there is no need to have an essay on how to install AZ:FA. We just want to get you to the right place as quickly as possible and get you enjoying your media as seamlessly as we can.

Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 Release Date

The anticipated release date of Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 "Danvers" is March 1, 2016. Realistically however, I believe that the release date of Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 will be closer to March 11, 2016 just because of that most recent trip to the ER. So please don't be disappointed if you don't see AZ:FA 5 on March 1st as extenuating circumstances may have changed that date .

Sounds good!
Take you're time health more important. Hope you dont need to go ER anymore!

[Guardian Hope]

Thank you all; it looks like AZ:FA 5 is going to be ongoing work. That Music OSD... there are no words to comment how bad it looks but I think the purpose of those versions was to get Music to at least work again.

5.0 should fix issues with video and a few other things but 5.1 will have to focus on a nicer Music experience.

[piotreklobcio]

Hi. How can I change the icon in the menu (menu style Netflix)?

[Guardian Hope]

Hi. How can I change the icon in the menu (menu style Netflix)?

Which particular icon are you trying to change within the Netflix style?

I did make a few notations of updates needing to be made for AZ:FA 5.so the GA version will contain the following fixes rather than the previously listed changes:

Code:

Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes "Danvers" - From Ashes 5 (Released: March 11, 2017)
Danvers: 5.0.00 / Caitlin Snow: TBA / Dormer: End of Life

Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes Danvers is the next generation of From Ashes which was originally released for Jarvis. Supporting Kodi 17 Krypton, From Ashes 5 introduces a host of new features and customization possibilities while also expanding on existing features including an updated designed. From Ashes 5 will continue to build upon itself as it begins to integrate the Arctic Zephyr: Braz features planned for Arctic Zephyr: For Another Age.

SUPPORT FOR KODI 18 LEIA OR LATER WILL REQUIRE ARCTIC ZEPHYR: FOR ANOTHER AGE. FROM ASHES 5 IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH KODI 18 OR LATER. THE FOR ANOTHER AGE PREVIEW WILL NOT BE RELEASED UNTIL KODI 18 REACHES ALPHA.

Addon Framework: 5.0.00
Texture Package: 5.0.00
New AZ:FA 5 Icon
4K UHD Detection
Emby Library Video Detection Fixed
Runtime Duration Now Displays as "HH:MM"
Changes to the Video Information Banner
Fixed Hot Pink Texture Overlay
Fixed PVR Accessibility
Introduces Dual Video Information Screens ("From Ashes" and "Arctic Classic")
Fixed Home Screen Lower Bar
Fixed Spotlight Widget Functionality
Fixed IMDB Top 250
Changed Music Lyric Display (<Needs Credit>)
Suppressed All Preview Notifications
Startup Screen Now Displays: "Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5" with "Danvers for Kodi 17 Krypton"
Skin Name Now Reads: "Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes Danvers"

And of course, we're not going to leave Music out of AZ:FA 5 either. In fact, AZ:FA 5 will be getting the music overhaul in the "Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5.1 "Summer of Music" Update" which will feature a completely redesigned Music OSD as well as new feature tailored to all the music lovers out there including the sideblade getting some new features just for music.

So not just one but two really big updates are coming down the pipeline. First, will be the release of AZ:FA 5 on March 11, 2016 followed by the "Summer of Music" Update (AZ:FA 5.1).

I'm sure there will be a number of patches in between but there's the roadmap before the roadmap is actually released. Naturally, 5.2 will add in anything remaining from AZ:Braz that isn't already in From Ashes post 5.1.

Finally, for those of you who still have icons on the normal home screen when you shouldn't, every release starting with 5.0 will contain code to turn off the setting that's causing that issue at startup. Otherwise, just delete guisettings and that will solve that for you. Adding the code to run at startup for the next few releases will ensure that those icons are removed for everybody given that the bars are too thin to support those icons.[/code]

[Guardian Hope]

Hi Guardian Hope,

I have not used Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes for at least two months. one that was improving was the music OSD. I liked minimalist flip album artwork, it was perfect. I don't know whats happened but now it's lost its minimalist look. as you can see the background artwork is pushed to the top plus I can't disable it in the settings.


Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes beta 10


previous version. please ignored the vinyl album displayed in the photo


Thanks

Hey @Blurayx, sorry for the long wait in response but I was planning things out in regards to this because the Music OSD you posted (both versions) I really do not like whatsoever. And so, if you can hold on for two updates there's a planned Music Update that I talked about above (AZ:FA 5.1) which should take care of Music once and for all by making it a nice experience instead of... well, that.

It would have been in 5.0 but life came up (ER, etc.) so I figured "why not have a Music only update?"

[marcusd666]

Hi There I have been using Arctic Zephyr from day one using KODI great work love the skin. I love the updated version from the ashes as well.

I need a bit of help with the beta 10 versions when I play music the OSD pops up for a short time then the screen goes blank I can't seem to find a option to keep the music OSD on all the time any ideas where I am going wrong.

Thanks

marcusd666

[Guardian Hope]

Hi There I have been using Arctic Zephyr from day one using KODI great work love the skin. I love the updated version from the ashes as well.

I need a bit of help with the beta 10 versions when I play music the OSD pops up for a short time then the screen goes blank I can't seem to find a option to keep the music OSD on all the time any ideas where I am going wrong.

Thanks

marcusd666

Hey there @marcus666, sorry for such a long wait in replying to you (and for about to make you wait a little more) but I've been getting a new system setup so I don't have my Kodi development environment running quite yet to investigate this. Certain changes I've made so far have been just through editing on GitHub and are completely untested for 5.0.

However, the current Music OSD is completely temporary and was just put in to get Music working again. Remember, as we merge AZ:FA and AZ:B, AZ:FA's music section is going to take on the AZ:B functionality for everything virtually with a From Ashes "overcoat."

We're also going to fix up something else that was supported in Arctic Zephyr: Exploded but fell out of favor in From Ashes due to quite a bit of interest by AZ users: Advanced Launchers. The code has been in From Ashes for two years so we're going to bring that back in the interim update between 5.0 and 5.1 (the Music Update).

[Guardian Hope]

So I am a little late at posting this but I wanted to give a heads up to everybody who tried downloading AZ:FA a week or two ago. The NBD repository is actually backed by Amazon S3 which means when it went down so did the repository although if you were fortunate enough to be connected to a server that already had it in the cache thanks to Amazon CloudFront then you had no issues - otherwise you shouldn't have anymore problems unless AWS' S3 goes down... again.

Finally, an update on AZ:FA 5. Progress is going slow but steadily. Since this is the next big leap I want to make sure we're at a good base to work from and that's taking a little longer because part of AZ:FA's preview releases were done as I was moving meaning very minimal bug checking. However, tomorrow is the 11th and there's just no way it'll be ready tomorrow. I'd rather be a little late then release something that doesn't work as intended now that we're exiting preview.

I want to say by the end of this week but since I have appointments in Santa Monica plus a special Beauty and the Beast event to go to just before it opens to the public my schedule is actually rather booked. So I will say soon.

In the meantime, a preview of the AZ:FA 5 logo will be coming and a 4.9.99 update will be released to suppress icons that shouldn't be able to be displayed anymore. It will also contain a little bit more in the way of AZ:FA 5 fixes since it's based on AZ:FA 5 code. You'll also notice the skin identify itself as "Arctic Zephyr: From Ashes 5 (Release Preview)."