No specific User Agent for SageTV about sagetv

[Narflex]

One thing I'm not following....is can't this already be done using the StartFileDownload API call? It sounds like #2 is already implemented. Take a look at the overloaded StartFileDownload API call in sage/api/Global.java. IIRC, that's why I added that argument in the first place. :)

And the main reason this was never set as the default was I didn't want SageTV getting blacklisted from specific sites.

[CraziFuzzy]

At a glance, it didn't look like StartFileDownload actually passed through anything but ServerAddress, SourceFile, and DestFile when it calls downloadFile.

[CraziFuzzy]

On another look, it looks like StartBackgroundFileDownload handles the props...

[CraziFuzzy]

but StartFileDownload and StartCircularFileDownload do not.

[Narflex]

Ahh yes, you are correct. :)

OK, I'd propose making 2 changes then.

1. Have a property such as "use_sagetv_user_agent" which then uses "SageTVa.b.c" as the user agent (and it would default to not being on for backwards compatibility)
2. Add an overloaded StartFileDownload API call which takes a RequestProperties parameter so this can force the user agent to whatever it wants.

That all sound good?

[CraziFuzzy]

Sounds prefect. I had originally envisioned a single property that would simply override the user agent all the time, but later realized this would not really be proper, and any workaround user agent spoofing should be done on a case by case basis, so this solution should work best. Default to old behavior, ideal having the property turned on which would have a "proper" default SageTV user agent, and provide a case by case way to workaround individual site issues with a spoofed user agent.

So, this would require downloadFile to generate a default, and apply it, if desired by global property, BEFORE the requestProps are iterated through. Then the addition to the other Global API calls to pass through the props if there.

[CraziFuzzy]

Looks like I'll need some help if I'm going to complete this issue. I'm not sure how, or if, the API functions CAN be overloaded. Or at least if they can, I'm not sure about the way to go about doing so. This leaves the only option to create a new API call (StartFileDownloadWithProps) with the properties attached. I'm guessing there's no problem with doing this, it just means that any stv's or libraries that might benefit from the change will have to make sure to use the proper call.

[Narflex]

Take a look at the "SageCommand" API call in Global.java. That gives you an example of how it's done. The few things you need to notice are:

1. The # of parameters for the method is declared as -1 (in the constructor)
2. It uses the 'curNumberOfParameters' variable to determine how many arguments there are and then does the appropriate thing after that.
3. There's 2 javadoc comments, one for each method