# interesting new bug i just found on the R15



## matty8199 (Dec 4, 2005)

steps to replicate:

- perform a search of the guide
- allow the matching programs to come up, cycle through a few of them, then exit
- bring up the mini guide
- press left on the remote several times

as the highlight moves over to the channel (when you can't go any further back in time), on the next left press after that it will bring up the last program search you just did. very odd...


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

matty8199 said:


> steps to replicate:
> 
> - perform a search of the guide
> - allow the matching programs to come up, cycle through a few of them, then exit
> ...


Wow, anyone who does such detailed operations on the R15 needs to be in the CE program! (are you?)


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## zuf (May 25, 2007)

A few software revisions back, the function of the left arrow was changed to do the same thing as pressing the BACK button on the remote in instances where "left" doesn't make sense. If you were to repeat your steps, but substitute the back button in place of that last left arrow, I expect you would have the same results. (In fact, you could probably hit the back button anywhere in the mini-guide and be taken back to your search results. The left arrow doesn't do it until you get all the way left in the mini-guide, and only then because "left" no longer makes sense so the left arrow becomes "back".)

I second ThomasM's comment: you definitely should be part of the CE program!


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## ironwood (Sep 20, 2007)

Thats the way pretty much TIVOs work. You hit left arrow to get to your last step.


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## matty8199 (Dec 4, 2005)

zuf said:


> A few software revisions back, the function of the left arrow was changed to do the same thing as pressing the BACK button on the remote in instances where "left" doesn't make sense. If you were to repeat your steps, but substitute the back button in place of that last left arrow, I expect you would have the same results. (In fact, you could probably hit the back button anywhere in the mini-guide and be taken back to your search results. The left arrow doesn't do it until you get all the way left in the mini-guide, and only then because "left" no longer makes sense so the left arrow becomes "back".)
> 
> I second ThomasM's comment: you definitely should be part of the CE program!


It seems you are correct - the left arrow becomes "back" once you can't go back any further on the mini-guide.

Am I the only one who thinks this is a bug? IMHO, hitting left at that point (while the mini-guide is still on the screen) should do nothing...


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

Since the lrft button acts as the "Back" button, once you can't move to the left anymore, it just takes you "Back". I wouldn't necessarily call that a "Bug".


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

dodge boy said:


> Since the lrft button acts as the "Back" button, once you can't move to the left anymore, it just takes you "Back". I wouldn't necessarily call that a "Bug".


I would.

Pressing the left arrow is a normal operation in the guide to move you to the left. When you get as far left as you can go, an additional press of the left button (either by accident or additional press due to delay) should leave you in the guide and not take you somewhere else.


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## GTS (Mar 4, 2007)

I too agree that it's a bug, but I also don't understand why Directv decided to duplicate the function of the "BACK" button when they can't make the "PREVIOUS" button do what it's name "implies", toggle between the previous programs viewed be they live, *RECORDED* or a combination of the two.


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

Upstream said:


> I would.
> 
> Pressing the left arrow is a normal operation in the guide to move you to the left. When you get as far left as you can go, an additional press of the left button (either by accident or additional press due to delay) should leave you in the guide and not take you somewhere else.


More like an oversight than a "Bug"...


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## unipat (Sep 5, 2006)

I just thought this is the way it's supposed to be. I get the previous screen (search, menu or whatever) when I use the left arrow button and there's no 'back' to go back to.


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## shelland (Jul 10, 2007)

matty8199 said:


> IMHO, hitting left at that point (while the mini-guide is still on the screen) should do nothing...


Says you. 

Speaking from experience in software support, what some users see as a 'bug' may be working exactly as the requirements state it should. I'm not saying I know either way in this case...


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## matty8199 (Dec 4, 2005)

shelland said:


> Says you.
> 
> Speaking from experience in software support, what some users see as a 'bug' may be working exactly as the requirements state it should. I'm not saying I know either way in this case...


Speaking as a computer programmer, I understand what you're saying - but doing it in this case is completely counter-intuitive. I'm in the guide, I have a "BACK" button if I want to go back to my previous screen. Pressing "left" in the guide shouldn't take me out of said guide.



dodge boy said:


> More like an oversight than a "Bug"...


From Wiki:



> A software bug (or just "bug") is an error, flaw, mistake, failure, fault or "undocumented feature" in a computer program that prevents it from behaving as intended (e.g., producing an incorrect result).


By definition, this is a bug...although I would change the above definition to say that it's something that prevents the software from behaving as EXPECTED, not intended. Nobody cares that the D* specs for the R15 might specify the left arrow be the equivalent of the "BACK" button, even in the mini-guide, if they don't document it anywhere (which it appears they don't). Having this key-press under these circumstances take you completely out of the guide is just confusing and silly.

For example: someone is in the guide and decides they want a complete listing of everything on a channel - so, they press left once, with the intent of hitting info while the channel is highligighted to bring up the listings for that channel. However, they accidentally hit left twice - the mini-guide disappears, the box hangs for a second, and THEN goes somewhere COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from what they're trying to do (wherever that last screen may be).

Pressing the arrow keys while in the guide (or mini-guide) should keep you IN THE GUIDE). You should remain in said guide until you either select a channel, or exit out of it manually.


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## matty8199 (Dec 4, 2005)

further proof this is in fact a bug (and not the way the specs intended this to work)...

perform the same steps on the D11 receiver. it behaves as it should - pressing left in the mini-guide when you can't go back any further does...NOTHING. you stay in the guide.


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## zuf (May 25, 2007)

I don't believe the D11 has received the "new and improved" software where the left arrow now functions the same as the back button in certain situations. The R15 used to not be this way either.

(Not disagreeing with you that the behavior is a bug, just pointing out the software differences. I agree that having the left arrow act the same as the back button in this situation does not make sense.)


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## BLWedge09 (Jan 6, 2007)

matty8199 said:


> By definition, this is a bug...although I would change the above definition to say that it's something that prevents the software from behaving as EXPECTED, not intended. Nobody cares that the D* specs for the R15 might specify the left arrow be the equivalent of the "BACK" button, even in the mini-guide, if they don't document it anywhere (which it appears they don't). Having this key-press under these circumstances take you completely out of the guide is just confusing and silly.
> 
> For example: someone is in the guide and decides they want a complete listing of everything on a channel - so, they press left once, with the intent of hitting info while the channel is highligighted to bring up the listings for that channel. However, they accidentally hit left twice - the mini-guide disappears, the box hangs for a second, and THEN goes somewhere COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from what they're trying to do (wherever that last screen may be).
> 
> Pressing the arrow keys while in the guide (or mini-guide) should keep you IN THE GUIDE). You should remain in said guide until you either select a channel, or exit out of it manually.


Speaking as a developer myself, we don't have the required documentation to know if this is a bug or a feature working as it was intended. We don't have the luxury of viewing the programming requirements that were drafted prior to the actual coding. It could be functioning as intended, a bug, or it very well could have gone undefined in the requirements. If the latter is the case, it really isn't a bug or a feature...which may actually be the case here. However, in that case, changing the behavior would not be a bug fix but more of a new feature request...


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## matty8199 (Dec 4, 2005)

BLWedge09 said:


> Speaking as a developer myself, we don't have the required documentation to know if this is a bug or a feature working as it was intended. We don't have the luxury of viewing the programming requirements that were drafted prior to the actual coding. It could be functioning as intended, a bug, or it very well could have gone undefined in the requirements. If the latter is the case, it really isn't a bug or a feature...which may actually be the case here. However, in that case, changing the behavior would not be a bug fix but more of a new feature request...


While I agree that we don't have the specs to look at, I would still contend that this is a bug in that it's completely counter-intuitive.

Would anyone really expect the left arrow while in the mini-guide to go to a completely different screen?


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

As a customer, it doesn't really matter to me if the issue is a coding error or a design flaw.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

I just checked on my R22-100 and it behaves as expected. If you try to Left Arrow while in the Mini-Guide, it just bonks at you and won't let you go back anymore. I'd say since they are trying to make the R15 interface the same as the HR2x series, which is what the R22 is based on, that this is a bug.

- Merg


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

The Merg said:


> I just checked on my R22-100 and it behaves as expected. If you try to Left Arrow while in the Mini-Guide, it just bonks at you and won't let you go back anymore. I'd say since they are trying to make the R15 interface the same as the HR2x series, which is what the R22 is based on, that this is a bug.
> 
> - Merg


There are a LOT of little differences in the UI between the R22 and the R15. One I still can't figure out (but was too stupid to list in the CE issues forums) is that if you are in a scrollable screen (with the windows-like scroll bar on the left like the "Info & Test" screen), on the R22 you can scroll a page at a time or a line at a time using PAGE DOWN or DOWN ARROW keys respectively. But on the R15 it's a page at a time only.


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