TiVO Mail Fetcher Plugin: tivo_mail.
TiVo_mail is a plugin that allows you to fetch your emails from your TiVo device. This was initially a hack created by G.R. Souther (Zirak) based on another stock quote hack, and has been improved upon by the author. The plugin requires the new osd writer by cwingert, renamed as color_text, which is included in the package in case it becomes unavailable in the future. Additionally, you will need a hacked TiVo device that can access a web site that can run CGI. However, the details on how to accomplish this are not covered in this review, as there are many HOWTOs available online.
To use the plugin, you will need two files named tivo_mail, the first of which is the CGI file. You can use a text editor to configure this file. The first four lines are "use constant" lines, which set your ISP's mail server IP address, your username, your password, and a sorting value for all email that is not in your address book. The address book itself is the last portion of the CGI file, and is formatted in a specific way. You can see examples included with the package to get a better idea of the format. Make sure to note that email addresses must be lower case, brackets are mandatory, and the last entry should not have a trailing comma. Once the file is configured, copy it to a location where the web server can execute it, usually in "cgi-bin".
The second file you need to modify is tivo_mail.tcl, which is installed on your TiVo device. You need to update the IP address and path to the CGI file. You can test the address first in your web browser. You can also modify the foreground and background colors of the text, change the keystrokes on the remote used to display the mail list, and set how often the update occurs. Once this is done, you can copy the file to the TiVo device and execute it in the background. You should be able to check your email by entering Clear-Zero-Clear on your TiVo remote.
If you encounter any issues with the plugin, the author admits to being weak in TCL and may not be able to assist much. Nonetheless, TiVo_mail can be a valuable plugin for those who want to access their email on their TiVo devices.
To use the plugin, you will need two files named tivo_mail, the first of which is the CGI file. You can use a text editor to configure this file. The first four lines are "use constant" lines, which set your ISP's mail server IP address, your username, your password, and a sorting value for all email that is not in your address book. The address book itself is the last portion of the CGI file, and is formatted in a specific way. You can see examples included with the package to get a better idea of the format. Make sure to note that email addresses must be lower case, brackets are mandatory, and the last entry should not have a trailing comma. Once the file is configured, copy it to a location where the web server can execute it, usually in "cgi-bin".
The second file you need to modify is tivo_mail.tcl, which is installed on your TiVo device. You need to update the IP address and path to the CGI file. You can test the address first in your web browser. You can also modify the foreground and background colors of the text, change the keystrokes on the remote used to display the mail list, and set how often the update occurs. Once this is done, you can copy the file to the TiVo device and execute it in the background. You should be able to check your email by entering Clear-Zero-Clear on your TiVo remote.
If you encounter any issues with the plugin, the author admits to being weak in TCL and may not be able to assist much. Nonetheless, TiVo_mail can be a valuable plugin for those who want to access their email on their TiVo devices.
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