I haven't yet really started digging around in the guts of Emma empeg yet, as I am waiting until she's kitted with the first official release.

However, I am starting work on a couple of ideas, one of which I need a little help with.

I want to build an app which can take control of the screen from a single button press, eg. the TAPE button on the remote.

Can anyone explain the following:

1) How do I start my app? At boot time via the init? Are there any alternative ways to launch an app, other than (for example) as a daemon process with no controlling terminal?

2) When one of the source buttons is pressed on the remote, how does the source get selected?

3) Is the empeg player supervising the source selection buttons and carrying out the pause player/select alternate source? Is there a supervising process which carries out these actions?

4) How do I hook into the keypad presses to allow my app to take the screen and keypad over?

5) How does control return on selection of an alternative source?

6) Is there any way yet (prior to publication of the official docs) to hook into the menu structure, or to access the resource management APIs for the menus to display menu selections for an ad hoc application?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

This may not be completly accurate, but I'll try. As far as I know things will improve for 3rd party developers once the software goes beyond 1.0. Ok:

1. The only way to start it is by using init. Depending on the program, it may be easier to rename the old init, and have the new one do what you need then start the old one when it's done. (My unit currently displays a custom logo and plays a startup sound before loading the player)

2. This I'm not exactly sure on, the player controls this and not much info on the player program exists. There is code on the developer site to change the source though as well.

3. Everything seen on the display and every key press on the front or via the remote is done via the player. (Well, once the player loads anyhow).

4. Easiest way for now would be to grab some of the code from the developer site, and make a program that runs before the player. This program should be able to grab the inputs before the player, and pass on anything it dosen't deal with.

5. Again, the player controls everything, even when the source is changed.

6. This is something I have a feeling one of the programmers will have to answer, as I haven't found a way, and I don't believe anyone else has.

Hopefully this will help some. The useful info will come when the programmers don't have to worry about implementing 1.0 features or killing show stopping bugs.

My empeg site is:http://24.236.3.131/empeg/