"SSI" for FPP?

[Bob Bright]

Hi Denis,

I'm not sure if anyone has requested something like this before, but it would be really great if FPP's XML specification allowed one to reference additional .xml files. What I have in mind is something like Server Side Includes in HTML, which are frequently used to embed snippets of code which don't change between pages.

As an example of where this would be useful, I use exactly the same code in all of my virtual tours to display a control bar at the bottom of the screen. Rather than replicating this code in the .xml file for every tour, I would like to be able to place it in a separate file ("controls.xml"), and then reference it with something like:

<hotspots>
...
<include url="/fpp/xml/controls.xml" />
...
</hotspots>

This would make my .xml files smaller (a minor consideration) and tidier/easier to read (a bigger consideration). But most importantly, if I want to make changes to my control bar, I could do it by changing a single file (a HUGE time saver).

I suspect that this would be quite easy for you to implement, and would be tremendously beneficial for many users.

Thanks for a great product!

Cheers,
BBB

BBBright@VictoriaVR.ca

[cheathamlane]

Bob, I'll definitely second that request!

[phberlin]

I fully agree! That's a very good idea for a useful feature! But maybe someone should mail Denis directly, because I doubt he is reading this... In my experience, it can take some days until he actually answers, but he always does.

[Bob Bright]

I fully agree! That's a very good idea for a useful feature! But maybe someone should mail Denis directly, because I doubt he is reading this... In my experience, it can take some days until he actually answers, but he always does.
I think Denis is a pretty busy guy. I'm sure he'll get around to responding when he has time, and sending him another email isn't going to free up any of that precious resource. :)

In the meantime, we'll just have to continue editing dozens of files when we need to make changes to our tour interface. ;)

Cheers,
BBB

[phberlin]

I think Denis is a pretty busy guy. I'm sure he'll get around to responding when he has time, and sending him another email isn't going to free up any of that precious resource. :)

I know, he's obviously very busy, that's not the question. The point is that I doubt he reads all the forum threads, so it's a saver bet to e-mail him directly with this, maybe with a link to this forum thread so he can see what other users think and take part at the discussion if he likes.

[Bob Bright]

I know, he's obviously very busy, that's not the question. The point is that I doubt he reads all the forum threads, so it's a saver bet to e-mail him directly with this, maybe with a link to this forum thread so he can see what other users think and take part at the discussion if he likes.

OK, you've convinced me -- I've emailed him directly.

BBB

[Tuddi]

Good... it is an excellent suggestion you have there, and I was ready to mail your request.

[cbc]

Hello Denis,

I ask you a change of pano.xml in the interest of simplicity. Let me explain:

Before your solution was planned to load a single pano.xml, so we loaded into the first parameters, and then load the hotspots.

Can you load several proposed pano.xml which simplifies the management of important project. By cons on recharge whenever the first part concerning the parameters of engine pano.swf.

I think it would be wise to differentiate the two:

- 1, the engine supports parameters pano.swf in a xml (parametre.xml).
- 2, the engine then charge different pano.xml which contain all that is hotspots.

Here is my opinion a more logical approach for your engine and allow us to further simplify the management of xml.

I made this request because I saw that a certain love xml which instructs another xml parameter, but I think this is not a good solution. For me the solution is to differentiate the two.

Please tell me if this aproche is in your future dévellopement.

Best regards,
Cédric Barbey.