Manifest UI Feedback and discussion

So I have been looking at how this can be fixed. Sadly, I don’t think there’s a good solution.

The issue stems from the Manifest UI taking the title of each section of the page and using it as an anchor. It shows anchor links at the top of the page so you can quickly jump to the section you want.

Now, the SoundCloud plugin (along with Bandcamp Discover, Mixcloud…) does not show plain text titles which Volumio really expects. The titles are actually HTML code that contains links, images and sometimes Javascript to provide better visuals, features and navigation that you won’t otherwise get with the standard UI.

When the Manifest UI takes these titles and use them as anchors, the HTML code in the titles breaks the UI’s own code, and the result is a page full of visual glitches.

So the “solution” would be to check if the user is browsing with Manifest UI and if so, replace the enhanced titles with plain old text. For the SoundCloud plugin, the greatest impact would probably be the loss of links to artists / albums on the SoundCloud site. And that defeats one of the plugin’s purpose: to visit the artists on SoundCloud so you can support them.

With Bandcamp Discover plugin, the situation is worse. In addition to missing links, you also won’t be able to (just to name a few):

  1. Save default Discover options
  2. Browse by tags
  3. Read articles (I’d probably have to scrap this part for Manifest UI since it would serve no purpose)

So this solution is not a solution at all. It’s simply about crippling the plugins for the sake of Manifest UI.

In the weeks to come, I will make the necessary changes to the plugins and submit them to store. Just to be clear, these changes will affect users of the Manifest UI only.

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That must be really frustrating. Maybe the Manifest devs can come up with something?
I use your Bandcamp plugin a lot, so I think I’ll go back to Classic for a while. Makes no difference for my player screen now that Now Playing is handling that.

I have updated the following plugins so they won’t mess up the Manifest interface (follow the links for full readme / changelog):

You can install them in the plugin store (beta channel).

As I stated previously, Manifest UI users will get titles in plain text without formatting and links. Users of the old Contemporary UI won’t be affected by this change.

That’s a shame - I really liked the links with SoundCloud…
Btw, didn’t know Volumio provides an API to get the current UI nice!

It doesn’t. I just got it here:

Hi @patrickkfkan
Thanks for the updates. I just tried Bandcamp v0.1.3 via Manifest, Volumio v3.173 and the formatting is still broken.

Maybe I’m doing something wrong?
Thanks,
Simon

Same for Soundcloud 0.1.4.

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Try restarting Volumio. If you simply uninstalled the plugin, followed by installing a later version of it, the old plugin files will still get loaded (Volumio doesn’t clear the old files from cache).

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Thanks @patrickkfkan it worked and looks great. I had cleared the cache in the app, but as you say it needed a restart.

I have submitted a fix for this cache issue that has been around since Volumio 2. I dunno why they won’t test or apply the fix (it was submitted more than a month ago)…I would think when you update a plugin and get a success message, without being prompted to restart Volumio, it means you could use the updated plugin right away…

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Hello all, I have connected the external rpi touch screen and have a subscription. Every day when the volumio starts it redirects me to login in order to use manifest ui. On the browser the token seems to work for several days but on the touch screen it seems that it is about one day. If I login and restart immediately it keeps the account but after a day it loses it. Does anybody seen this “bug”?

Hello
I also have a touch screen with the rpi4. It is the rasptouch from audiophonics. And I have exactly the same problem. Every day when I launch the rasptouch, I get the message that I am not connected to the touch screen.
But if I launch the android application, the connection is ok and if I launch with my computer it’s ok for the connection.
I specify that I have a virtuoso account.
Christian

Manifest makes it impossible to use the EQ sliders in the DSP plugin. I think its pretty crappy that they want you to pay for the only interface that isnt an unworkable mess, and its buggy as well!

UI skins should be open source, not a paid feature. The old ones are such a slow and confusing mess that its just painful to use. I got tired of having to switch between UIs to adjust the EQ, and then if the network was down (playing from a local SD card on a battery operated box that doesnt need a network) it would kill Manifest completely because it couldn’t log into my account. Paid for it, can only use it if I hotspot my phone, and then have to switch it off anyway to change EQ? No thanks!

You don’t say what device you are using.

The problem is that currently the DSP plugin is not working in all devices/situations. That is undergoing intense work to remedy the situation.

Please give us details rather than just a general complaint, otherwise how can we change anything?

Your opinion is fine, but I don’t think that is the normal case.

Details may well help us improve the user experience.

Now that is a useful observation, that I haven’t tried, but will.

The DSP plugin works, but the sliders on the EQ wont adjust with Manifest. The DAC is irrelevant. The UI has to be changed to anything other than Manifest to make it work.

As for Manifest not being a paid feature, you only need to look on these forums to find complaints about horribly slow and poorly designed the others are. They are broken. To be forced to use a botched UI just turns off users. Sure did it to me!

As for “intense work to remedy the situation”, that should have been done before releasing it. Seems to me that all the benefits of v3 are to enable future features, but not a whole lot right now. The Chromecast integration is good example. I have them everywhere and cant stream to them with volumio, even if I paid for the higher tier required for multiroom. In fact, I would have to pay more than my current subscription just to use the portable I just designed. Even though I wouldnt normally use both it and the main streamer at the same time, the license requires you switch it manually from device to device rather than just blocking concurrent use. Of course, the requirement to have an internet connection still rears its ugly head. Just too clumsy to deal with!

And trying to integrate any custom scripting or changes means I cant upgrade smoothly (such as the USB hotplug fix I sent since a system file is changed - yeah the devs wouldnt fix a problem that existed for years so I did it myself and sent in the changes because I’m impatient). Who should be paying who for support??

I’m currently working on a dynamic EQ script for picoreplayer to implement a smooth EQ change as volume increases, both to implement the Fletcher Munson curve and to prevent distorting the relatively small portable speakers at high volumes. Low bass requires an exponential amount of excursion as the frequency drops and there is only so much a 4 inch speaker can do (although it is reproducing audibly in the 40Hz range). And its relatively easy to implement. On volumio … Well … I cant even make the EQ slider adjust! No thanks!

So, features I need arent available. It sucks for the portable use case for multiple reasons. I have to do my own support. Its just time to get my money back!

I don’t understand what you are talking about. I use it all the time with no issue… What is your browser, on which os?

Loudness as implemented in Volumio adjust Eq level with volume, following a sort of equal loudness curve.
Last point, if you don’t like/want Volumio, why do you spend all this time to complain?

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Chrome, Android and Linux.

If it doesnt work on Chrome on every OS, its broken.

Loudness button didnt do anything and I wanted a full dynamic EQ. Thats not volumios fault, but true open source is just easier to modify.

As for time to complain, I’m just here seeing how many others are having the same problems and cant get a refund.

Serious…
So you don’t like Volumio, OK. But you’re getting excited by the forum or you just like to complain for some special attention?

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So nobody wants to know the reasons why paying customers are being driven away?

Fine. Just need figure out how to get a hold of support since they don’t answer their emails so I can get my refund and get the fuck out of here.

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Volumio already responded to you, their team is out for the holidays. They will reply on their return.

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