Feature Request / Accessibility: Automatic timeout to exit from all menus/screens after inactivity

[Mikke32]

Hi OpenViX Team.
I would like to propose a new feature focused on accessibility and making the image more elderly-friendly: An option for an automatic menu timeout that returns the box back to full-screen playback (live TV or a recording) after a period of inactivity.

The Problem:
My elderly family member (who suffers from memory/cognitive decline) uses an OpenViX box. While they are able to use direct remote buttons to open the EPG or the Movie List/Recordings, they frequently forget how to close them. They do not understand or remember to press the 'Exit' button.
As a result, the box stays stuck inside the EPG or menu screens indefinitely. This leaves the live TV running only in a small MiniTV picture or completely blocked, causing confusion and distress. Furthermore, while stuck inside these menus, regular channel changing controls are completely locked out, meaning they cannot even change channels until the menu is closed.

Proposed Solution:
An option in the User Interface settings (e.g., "Inactivity Menu Timeout") where a user can set a timer (e.g., 30, 60, or 120 seconds). If no remote keys are pressed within this timeframe and an overlay screen (like the EPG, Movie List, or Main Menu) is active, the system would automatically trigger a virtual long-press of the Exit key. This would safely close the open overlay menus and return either to full-screen live TV or back to the full-screen playback of a recording, depending on what the user was watching before opening the menu.

Additionally, leaving a static menu grid (like the EPG) open for hours poses a severe risk of screen burn-in on modern OLED TVs.

This would be an incredibly helpful accessibility feature for senior citizens and memory-impaired users.
Thank you very much for your hard work and for considering this accessibility improvement!

Alternatively, does anyone know if a third-party plugin or an existing script already exists that accomplishes this? If there is any workaround available right now, I would be very grateful to hear about it.

 

[Huevos]

Well the first problem is not all screens have recursive close.

 

[Mikke32]

I tried using AI to create a local plugin. Could this attached plugin code work as a solution to this problem? Personally, I don't have much coding experience, and especially not with OpenViX/Enigma2 code.
I haven't been able to test the code yet.

At the same time, I encountered some new usability issues with the box. The box and the TV are now configured to boot up and switch directly to live TV after power-on, and the TV receives a command from the box to switch to the correct HDMI input via HDMI-CEC. However, a relative of mine had accidentally pressed the radio button on the remote at some point, so the TV picture no longer appeared. I disabled the radio and TV buttons on the remote, and put the settings menus behind a PIN code.

So basically, the menus that should close automatically are the EPG, PVR, the PIN input dialog, and the timer list (at least I believe these are the correct ones, though I don't know for certain yet). In the attached example code, I am also attempting to auto-close the main setup menus as well.
I also considered changing the keymap.xml file to get the remote's EPG and PVR buttons to function in a toggle mode, but I haven't tried that yet. Instead, I decided to include the toggle functionality for the EPG, PVR, and timer list directly inside this plugin code. Could this approach work?
The device in question is a Vu+ Uno 4K SE.

 

[Huevos]

I tried using AI to create a local plugin. Could this attached plugin code work as a solution to this problem? Personally, I don't have much coding experience, and especially not with OpenViX/Enigma2 code.
I haven't been able to test the code yet.

At the same time, I encountered some new usability issues with the box. The box and the TV are now configured to boot up and switch directly to live TV after power-on, and the TV receives a command from the box to switch to the correct HDMI input via HDMI-CEC. However, a relative of mine had accidentally pressed the radio button on the remote at some point, so the TV picture no longer appeared. I disabled the radio and TV buttons on the remote, and put the settings menus behind a PIN code.

So basically, the menus that should close automatically are the EPG, PVR, the PIN input dialog, and the timer list (at least I believe these are the correct ones, though I don't know for certain yet). In the attached example code, I am also attempting to auto-close the main setup menus as well.
I also considered changing the keymap.xml file to get the remote's EPG and PVR buttons to function in a toggle mode, but I haven't tried that yet. Instead, I decided to include the toggle functionality for the EPG, PVR, and timer list directly inside this plugin code. Could this approach work?
The device in question is a Vu+ Uno 4K SE.

I don't get what you are doing with all the key codes and other hard coded stuff.

GitHub - Huevos/ActivityMonitor

Contribute to Huevos/ActivityMonitor development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[Mikke32]

Thank you so much for the code! I really appreciate your help.

To answer your question about the hard-coded key codes: since I don't have much coding experience and use AI to help me, the AI suggested using those direct key codes (like 358 for EPG) so we could create a "toggle" feature. I actually realized the need for these toggles only after making my first post, as new usability issues came up.
My goal is to make it so that if my elderly relative presses the EPG, PVR, or Timer-list button while that specific menu is already open, pressing it again closes the screen immediately. Since hard-coding these key codes isn't the best practice, what would be the most proper and elegant way to implement this toggle functionality for EPG, PVR, and the timer list? Is it keymap.xml file?

I also wanted to ask a quick question about your code to understand it better. I noticed it uses returnValue = None and callback = None to close the screens.
As a non-programmer, I'm just a bit worried about what happens in practice. For example, if my relative is in the middle of confirming a recording deletion? And is there any risk that the remote control stops responding (loses focus) after the menus is closed this way?

Just a heads-up that I might not be able to actually test this code on the box for a couple of weeks. However, I will absolutely report back and let you know how it worked out in practice once I get the chance to try it.

Thanks again for your support and helping me out.

 

[birdman]

I also wanted to ask a quick question about your code to understand it better. I noticed it uses returnValue = None and callback = None to close the screens.
As a non-programmer, I'm just a bit worried about what happens in practice. For example, if my relative is in the middle of confirming a recording deletion? And is there any risk that the remote control stops responding (loses focus) after the menus is closed this way?

I don't think so.
The keyEvent() will be resetting the timer at every key-press, so that will start a new countdown.
Of course, if they sit there thinking for several minutes then it might....