Movie Info Search

Submit portable freeware that you find here. It helps if you include information like description, extraction instruction, Unicode support, whether it writes to the registry, and so on.
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tactictoe
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Re: Movie Info Search V 1.5.5 - Freeware Portable

#16 Post by tactictoe »

Movie Info Search is now V1.5.5.1:
(1) Major bug in Portable Mode fixed:
- Overwrite fixed path with portable path when saving in the options tab
- Error while retrieving fixed path in certain condition
(2) Add HTML Album a portable path too (forgot in previous version).

What would be better for maximize do you suggest:
Scaling the whole component lots on the form? Any better idea?

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Re: Movie Info Search V 1.5.5 - Freeware Portable

#17 Post by tactictoe »

From the Author:

I would like to make a portable installer for this software as in:
- movieinfosearch.paf.exe,
- click on the Installer ... executable,
- installation proceed on thumb drive or other portable devices with no writing in registry base and the like.

I tried PortableApps.comInstaller.exe but it crashes here and then (not stable). I also tried NSISPortable.exe and all it does is to create an executable installer that permits the user to extract the archive in the path they like (not a paf.exe). Both product form portablefreeware.com.
Does someone has any suggestion about any installer able to perform these specific task?

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Re: Movie Info Search V 1.5.5 - Freeware Portable

#18 Post by SYSTEM »

tactictoe wrote:I really don't know how to display the picture, darn.

So here is the link: http://www.geocities.ws/tactictoe/Delph ... earch3.jpg
For the future: you can embed images by using the [img] BBCode tag.

Code: Select all

[img]http://www.geocities.ws/tactictoe/Delphisoftware/moviesearch3.jpg[/img]
In addition, you can edit your posts instead of creating new ones.
tactictoe wrote:From the Author:

I would like to make a portable installer for this software as in:
- movieinfosearch.paf.exe,
- click on the Installer ... executable,
- installation proceed on thumb drive or other portable devices with no writing in registry base and the like.

I tried PortableApps.comInstaller.exe but it crashes here and then (not stable). I also tried NSISPortable.exe and all it does is to create an executable installer that permits the user to extract the archive in the path they like (not a paf.exe). Both product form portablefreeware.com.
Does someone has any suggestion about any installer able to perform these specific task?
I have trouble understanding what you want to do. :?

The only thing a portable installer is supposed to do is extract the files into the directory the user chooses. Technically even a 7-Zip self-extracting archive is a portable installer!

Because of that, we mildly dislike portable installers. They don't really add anything compared to a regular ZIP file. On the contrary, we can extract ZIP files with our favorite extractors, whereas we don't have that freedom with portable installers. Why do you want to create a portable installer to begin with :?:

What exactly does NSIS Portable not do that you want it to do? You say "installation proceed on thumb drive", but in the context of portable software, "installation proceeding" only means extracting the files.

If it's the .paf.exe file extension (i.e. you want the installer file extension to be .paf.exe), I need to ask you why. A .paf.exe file is just an .exe with a different extension. Windows runs .paf.exe files in exactly the same way it runs .exe files.

In addition, using the .paf.exe extension implies that the program follows the PortableApps.com Format. The installer will do only a part of the work for you. In particular, note that the PAF requires that the program must be placed in a directory called App and settings in a Data directory. You would have to modify Movie Info Search accordingly.

(PortableApps.com developers use the PortableApps.com Launcher to make programs conform to the PAF. However, as you are the author, it would be easier for you to make the necessary changes by editing the program directly. You wouldn't have to learn how to use the PAL, and besides, the PAL process wouldn't have to run in background alongside Movie Info Search [in order to move configuration files to the Data directory when MIS exits].)

Finally, I have never seem the PortableApps.com Installer crash. I think you are just configuring it incorrectly.
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Re: Movie Info Search V 1.5.5 - Freeware Portable

#19 Post by tactictoe »

Thank you for the prompt answer about 'paf.exe' file.
I sorted out why PortableApps.comInstaller.exe did crash here and then.
Reason why using paf.exe? Submission of the software to sites who does only accept this type of submission for portable software.
I also agree the zip format is the best for portable distribution for the same reason of yours.
Thank you for explaining to me how to post picture on this forum... As usual with murphy's law, it was the last solution I did not try, pfff. code = tag in this case. Anyway have a great day, :-)

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Re: Movie Info Search

#20 Post by Midas »

Wow, many thanks for the kudos. 8)

Something I noticed just now while testing the latest version: a search for "feux rouges" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365190/) comes back empty, while a search for the English title of that movie produces an altogether different one (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748179/) -- maybe when the search results are empty or ambiguous, a further search at the "Release info" IMDB page should be in order (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365190/releaseinfo)...

And please remove version info from your original post subject, so this topic's theme can more easily be identified as your program's official here at TPFC. Thanks in advance. :)

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#21 Post by tactictoe »

Thanks for the tip: Version info on the original post subject is removed.

I tested your request 'Feux Rouges' which is a french titles. It does like you said returns nothing. I had to go to the IDMB site to get it's english title: Red Lights and then did a search on the english title and it returns a IDMB ID movie: tt1748179 as you said, release date is present in the info provided by the software thought. Here is the result:

Red Lights

TYPE
movie

YEAR
2012

GENRE
Drama, Mystery, Thriller

RATED
R

RELEASED
02 Mar 2012

RUNTIME
114 min

DIRECTOR
Rodrigo Cortes

WRITER
Rodrigo Cortes

ACTORS
Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Toby Jones

LANGUAGE
English

COUNTRY
Spain, USA

AWARDS
2 nominations.

METASCORE
36

IMDB RATING
6.2

IMDB VOTES
45,877

IMDB ID
tt1748179

PLOT
Psychologist Margaret Matheson and her assistant study paranormal activity, which leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic who has resurfaced years after his toughest critic mysteriously passed away.

The problem is I work with the OMDB API and not IMDB. The latest is perfect but you need to pay to access their complete database while OMDB is free. On the other hand OMDB api is getting better every day. However I was aware of such situation and are working on a parsing unit of IMDB page. I need to study the way they publish info as result of a web query to the database. It is somehow complicated, I have various result on various machine sometime and I am trying to make a standard result I could parse, on top of what to parse when this or this happened as a result of a search with Movie Info Search. I am nearly there, watch me, :-)

Once again thanks to you Midas.

:!: Here is in the code of the page of IDMB for 'Feux rouge' some interesting ref:

IMDB ID of movie:
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365190/" />
<meta property="og:url" content="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365190/" />

IMDB POSTER
<link rel='image_src' href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BM ... 00_AL_.jpg">

IMDB Info
<meta property='og:title' content="Red Lights (2004)" /> TITLE

<meta property='og:type' content="video.movie" /> TYPE

<meta name="description" content="Directed by Cédric Kahn. With Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Carole Bouquet, Vincent Deniard, Alain Dion. Antoine and Helene drive to South France to return their kids from a holiday camp. The traffic is dense and the atmosphere growingly tense; he is an alcoholic and becomes increasingly drunk the more often they stop. After a fierce discussion they split and both have to face great danger during the night." />
<meta property="og:description" content="Directed by Cédric Kahn. With Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Carole Bouquet, Vincent Deniard, Alain Dion. Antoine and Helene drive to South France to return their kids from a holiday camp. The traffic is dense and the atmosphere growingly tense; he is an alcoholic and becomes increasingly drunk the more often they stop. After a fierce discussion they split and both have to face great danger during the night." /> DIRECTOR, ACTOR, AND SHORT PLOT

:!: Knowing that OMDB Api can do this:

By ID or Title
Parameter Required Valid Options Default Value Description
i Optional* <empty> A valid IMDb ID (e.g. tt1285016)

:!: I might be out of trouble and would not need to parse much more but to know the IMDB ID of a movie.
:idea: Idea:
- submit a query in the background via component (to determine, most likely TWebBrowser, indyHTTP and a memo) the title of movie to IMDB
- Download the page and analyses its code (Parsing, scraping the screen...) to find the IMDB api via keyword:<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365190/" /> here would be 'canonical' which is unique in the source code then read the line till finding something like 'tt' and grab what is after til '/' is met. Or something like that.
Once the ID is build inside the software, launch a OMDB request on that particular IMDB ID and read info and poster as usual in the code.
Regarding the software itself it would propose this type of search if:

- Asked by user,
- Standard query to OMDB returns nothing (if nothing found do that, blah blah)
In term of interface I could do that via the options panel (Also search IMDB then force a search on both type (OMDB standard and OMDB via IMDB ID) if user found the result given is not what he wants?

Here is a query result of OMDB with this IMDB ID tt0365190 (FEUX ROUGE with ENGLISH TITLE)
Result (JSON Format):
<root response="True"><movie title="Red Lights" year="2004" rated="UNRATED" released="03 Mar 2004" runtime="105 min" genre="Crime, Drama, Mystery" director="Cédric Kahn" writer="Georges Simenon (novel), Laurence Ferreira Barbosa, Cédric Kahn, Gilles Marchand" actors="Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Carole Bouquet, Vincent Deniard, Alain Dion" plot="Antoine and Helene drive to South France to return their kids from a holiday camp. The traffic is dense and the atmosphere growingly tense; he is an alcoholic and becomes increasingly drunk..." language="French, Serbo-Croatian, English" country="France" awards="2 nominations." poster="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BM ... _SX300.jpg" metascore="74" imdbRating="6.8" imdbVotes="2,274" imdbID="tt0365190" type="movie"/></root>

What do you think about this idea? (Midas makes me work hard :lol: , and this is good suggestion as usual from MIDAS I guess :) :wink: )

Pfff, hope you did follow.
Have a good day all, :-)
Last edited by tactictoe on Thu Dec 17, 2015 6:13 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#22 Post by tactictoe »

Movie Info Search evolves to version V1.5.7.0,

(1) Some bug corrected
- (minor) Rotten tomatoes button was linked to trailers search, oh la la
- (major) Nil entry into the edit box for search info no longer generated an access violation, why did I not see this at start? Need a coffee.
- (minor) Label Title of the movie... is correctly labeled in any condition (search and after search)
(2) Some additional feature
- On tab one, you can clear the title to search for, no more select all or the like, just a new button to clear it called with a smile: 'Clear'. Oh geez, I am so original here, :lol:
- Now you can also do a search for info with an IMDB ID if needed.

:!: The last addition is the first step to recover info for non-found movie (see my previous post). I am now doing an 'algo' to scrap IDMB page for this darn ID thingies, I need two liters of expresso and whatever keeps me awake, this page code of IMDB oh la la.

Have all a nice day.

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#23 Post by Midas »

Hi tactictoe and tanks for keeping up the conversation. I must confess I got somewhat lost with your explanation, I never even knew there was a OMDB API, but hey, if it works, then great. 8)

IMHO, search via input of IMDB ID solves the problem 100%. :)

While testing 32-bit MIS latest version (v1.5.7.0) on Windows XP (yes, some of us still use it :)), I got two further errors: the first while trying to set paths via the "Options" tab "Select folder" button, the second after pressing the "Check for Update" button -- other than that, MIS appeared to work fine with XP.
  • Image

    Image
Yet another suggestion: now that MIS increasing -- and the corresponding number of buttons -- it would be good to have some button tooltips with some guidance text...

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#24 Post by tactictoe »

This 2 errors are typical XP error, XP does not like my communication protocol (personal code) and the modern version of Opendialog component available only from vista and onward (OS KERNEL). Creating a multi-version that would use dialog and client-server communication compatible XP will degrade the software. Alternatively, I could have a compiler directive for checking XP and use other dialog when XP is the platform launching the software. I keep this idea open for later as it is a lots of work. I did not know it was even possible to run it under XP without some serious crash. Thanks for testing there. ;-)

Nearly forgot a Help file is on the way and nearly ready (PDF and CHM format), I am also creating hint inside the software: move over an object and hint is displayed into a panel just over the status bar (this one under revision too). Now I am buggering off it's... :shock: :shock: 2:43 am and I have no more expresso, :lol:

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#25 Post by tactictoe »

Movie Info Search is now version 1.6.1.0
- Bug removed on Movie Info Text window: Language and Country mixed up fix.
- A Panels displaying hint/help is now on (MIDAS suggestion):
(a) the main windows of UI,
(b) Manage Info Text window,
(c) HTML Local Album window
- Possibility to delete the poster with the info added to Manage Info Text
- Software Re sizing now use the screen with limits to the minimum size
- Bug Correction on the Search online tab: the software used to create a pointer error when users clicked like maniac on the search info button.
- New Home button on the Search on line for trailer and some cosmetic change.

Season greetings, Have all a nice day, :-)

Special message for MIDAS: for having daring testing the software where I would not take it... you won the daredevil medal:

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Last edited by tactictoe on Sat Dec 19, 2015 11:50 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#26 Post by tactictoe »

I believe the software is ready for publishing here as a portable freeware. What do you think?

Please vote if you like it: http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=2747

Latest addition screenshot:

Image

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#27 Post by tactictoe »

How to resubmit the whole lot (or first entry I update) for a vote to publish this software as it does attract no more view and was not aware I had to create a private view submission for the software to be eventually published?

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#28 Post by webfork »

tactictoe wrote:How to resubmit the whole lot (or first entry I update) for a vote to publish this software as it does attract no more view and was not aware I had to create a private view submission for the software to be eventually published?
Really not clear what's being asked here. Anyone can create a submission.

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#29 Post by tactictoe »

Okay, I meant restart from scratch but nah I was tired when I asked. Sorry 'bout that.

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Re: Movie Info Search - Freeware Portable

#30 Post by Midas »

Oops, thank you very much for that Daredevil award. :mrgreen:

OK, after some editing of MIS database entry (I hope you won't mind) I up-voted the entry. It's still private as it needs more votes but it's on the way to publication. Also, this is somewhat of a confidence vote from my part, since MIS is still far from ready for prime-time, IMHO.

Let me start with site matters: with the rapid pace development we're witnessing, you really need to start a changelog somewhere -- preferably anchored for easy referral. While you're at it, as it's only one (long) page right now, a linked TOC at the top would also be very welcome.

And please add some constraints to the text flow -- it gets really hard to read anything on a wide computer screen when lines span all the way from the far left to the right edge (a 33% centered column works better, in my experience). And you should probably move all the screenshots elsewhere (pop-ups, lightbox, screenshots page?), so it gets more agreeable for browsing with the mobile devices that are all the rage right now.

Regarding MIS interface I was intent on pacing my suggestions ('Rome wasn't built in a day' and all that); I have but a couple of gripes currently:
  • - Even though I am using one of the most neutral theme available (that's "Antartica" and I mean that for my own computer environment), I still find MIS interface kind of loud and difficult to focus in, mainly due to the background graphics that show even in the "Classic Interface" theme -- I find that in an information centric utility, the information should really stand out, not the client's interface (although in a whole different category -- with very little graphics -- QTranslate sprung to mind, with its clever use of button bars and three-dots menus...)
    - And the "Search Video On Line" tab (in fact, a YouTube search via embedded Windows IE engine) gets results in a wide page that, unless maximized, has to be scrolled horizontally to see a full entry. Most results don't play when I push the red "Play" button (with a message like "This video contains content from XXXXX. Reproduction is restricted on certain sites. See on YouTube"). And once, the audio kept playing even after I closed MIS (IE engine was still going, I had to kill it in task manager).
    - Regarding terminology, what is now called "Movie poster" would be better deemed an 'ad thumbnail' if real dimensions are considered.
Rest assured that your idea does carry a lot of water for movie buffs like myself -- what I mention here are at best just implementation details.

After I test the new version some more, I'll further comments (I hope :))...

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