xAP Slim Connector

[Stuart Booth]

Having spent a bit of spare time this w/e on it, at long last the xAP
Slim Connector gracefully handles a failed connection to the
SlimServer (e.g when it crashes or is stopped by the user).

Some of the beta testers have noted this particular problem a number
of times in recent weeks...

In the GUI version at least, this also allows you to swap the
Connector between different SlimServers at runtime, without the need
to restart it anymore.

Currently a failed connection will only be reported on the display
output from the Connector when the next Audio related xAP message
arrives and it fails to process the request.

With the GUI version you can graphically explore the messages that led
up to this failure and even resend the message(s) directly from the
display. It's also coincidentally a really great way to explore the
xAP Audio Control Schema in action.

I really ought to send some kind of error message out at this failure
point though. For instance, you might be requesting information on the
current track (to touch on discussions from earlier this w/e), but if
the SlimServer has gone away, what do I return?!

Anyway, as it happens the Connector can actually detect the failed
connection immediately via the Slim events listener.

I'm in two minds as to whether or not to make the events listener
report the failed connection as soon it occurs. At the moment it
merely silently stops and resumes later on.

After the SlimServer is restarted, the xAP Slim Connector will not
re-establish a connection until the next audio control xAP message
arrives and a (re)connection attempt is explicitly made as a result.

Thus the events listener won't spring back into life until this point
either which might be some time after the SlimServer is available
again. I daresay I could set things up to periodically go look for the
SlimServer and re-establish a connection asap, say on every heartbeat
interval.

Any preferences?

Note that this build is not on the xFx website yet.

S
--
Stuart Booth <<a
href="/group/xAP_developer/post?postID=ywkPTytk3a7uaBLs2Q4NAgPd0PXR5Cb52evHJ6nXHnodwd8X6vMX_c_RqP4D01-0h8Sn2CN_V8DYgEvTBQ">stuart@x...</a>>
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