playerctl module: hide non-can-play players and use chrome and chromium as default value.

[valdur55]

Proposes improvement for issue #2255.

[lasers]

Without digging in, Is not player.props.can_play alone enough without player_hide_non_canplay config.... This seems like an mpris issue on chrome/chromium side.

Do chrome/chromium change this flag when it's playing/not playing?

[valdur55]

Actually there are other chromium based browsers like brave which has same bug. Chromium issue tracker has already bug in their system: https://issues.chromium.org/issues/40703847
Even the issue is from older raport states same issue: JasonLG1979/gnome-shell-extension-mpris-indicator-button#10

Added some pictures about different "can" properties:

State when chromium is playing media

State when chromium media is paused:

State when chromium mpris is idle state:

VLC is opened but no media opened (just opened vlc, no media selected):

VLC is opened, media loaded and stopped playing media.

I don't wan't to blindly hide all players with can_play == false state because I prefer to see VLC media player on statusbar just after I opened it as empty player.

It littlebit seems like hide_non_can_play is too technical so even we can simplify it to level: hide media players stopped state and user provides list on media players which he want to hide.

I searched some chromium source code and found out where this all "can" properties false comes. I suspect that line is this: https://source.chromium.org/chromium/chromium/src/+/main:components/system_media_controls/linux/system_media_controls_linux.cc;l=288

[lasers]

I have been out of scene with py3status. Just sharing thoughts.

I think it doesn't benefit users to display empty players. If anything, this is maybe something that should be added in first place to ensure better quality control/behavior.

I do think hide_non_can_play config is too specific that partially addresses chromium-based players and not that general... I would like an approach that that users can allow/deny (all) can_xxx_xxx configs (either by a dict config or new placeholders). New placeholders that exposes boolean like this... is maybe hard for users to come up with a new format_player that excludes those players... Dict may be be easier.

I prefer to see VLC media player on statusbar just after I opened it as empty player.

It should be easier to just ignore players that doesn't have can_play flag true because of things like... You saying you don't like this empty-player thing on chrome/chromium #2255 but are okay with this on vlc... I think it would make more sense to avoid all empty-players in first place... to keep it simple.

This approach also may omit the need for adding |{player} at end of format_player config too.

Try it for a while. See if this small but simple tweak works quite well.

[lasers]

Is it fixable with format_player?

# Hide on empty title, no player.
format_player = "[\?if=title [\?color=status [\?if=status=Playing > ][\?if=status=Paused \|\| ]"
format_player += "[\?if=status=Stopped .. ][[{artist}][\?soft  - ]{title}]]]"

[ultrabug]

@valdur55 do you want to follow up here before I do a release?

[valdur55]

Oh no, I totaly forgot this thread.

I tested different desktop envs capabilities to handle this issue.
KDE only showed playing media players
Xfce showing m3edia players as is
Mate -no mpris status in sound menu
Gnome (https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/4928/mpris-label/) showed playing/paused media players.

Looks like winner is solution to hide paused media players, but there is one catch.
If module supports to stop media player then it is unexpected to hide stopped media player.
So looks like most pratical solution is to hide all non can_play media players.

@lasers your format_player magic didn't work for me. Player with media didn't show up.

[ultrabug]

Thanks, will make a release soon

[valdur55]

Hey.
Actually looks like I should drop also same parameter on mpris side, so it will hide all non can_play media players by default.
I will make pr for that ASAP when I am at home.

Edit: already release. So till the next time. It isn't blocker.

Btw in conclusion. There is no new parameter, just hiding all players with can_play = False property.