BETA: Craft your own experience with Personal Sections on tvOS and iOS

[maddox]

With the latest TestFlight beta of iOS/tvOS and pre-release server, you can now create the same button rows you'll find in the Home view and other views right in your Personal Sections.

The buttons serve as navigation items that will take you to different sections of the app. With button rows, you can now craft incredible custom experiences inside Channels.

Now, Personal Sections are no longer limited to views you can put in your main navigation. You can create as many as you want, and get to them via buttons in your main Personal Sections.

Buttons can:

• navigate to native Channels sections
• navigate to your own Personal Sections
• Open URLs

Create a button in your Pesonal Section that links to the built in Movies view. Or create a Personal Section for just a genre, and link to it from your main Personal Section. Or, create a button that kicks you out of Channels and into another app.

We're super excited about button rows because now the possibilites are endless in creating whatever navigation and experience you want in Channels. The only limits are your creativeness. (Well and showing guide data and Up Next items in rows, but we're working on that too.)

NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE

This version has compatibilities built in to support your old personal sections, but these compatabilities will be removed in 1 week.

You need to delete and re-add the rows in your personal sections to avoid web admin crashes in the future.

Sorry, but that's beta life.

DVR Pre-Release Notes

v2024.06.22.0310 • NEW: Adds the ability to build button rows in your Personal Sections.

tvOS/iOS Beta Notes

v2024.06.22.0310 • NEW: Button rows for your Personal Sections that allow you to navigate to native Channels sections or your own Personal Sections, and even open URLs.

[Ahwman]

Can buttons only be added to multi row section types as I don’t see the option for flows.

[tmm1]

Correct

[jasonmcroy]

I have been playing around with this in the past 30 minutes or so and perhaps I am missing something or doing something wrong.

When I create a new section which I titled "Home" and created it as a multi row section, then I selected "Add Row" and select "Button Row". It creates a default one titled "Movies". Then on that same row there is the the Plus symbol that you can get a drop down with a lot of options to select like Url button, On Now, Guide, Movie, TV Shows, etc.

The only I am able to select to add from that drop down is Url Button. None of the other options do anything when I select them.

In addition, where do I find Urls to put into the Url box to open other apps on the Apple TV? I was able to find one for the Apple TV Plus app and it works, but what about the other apps on the Apple TV? Is this possible?

[maddox]

Can you check your web console for any JS errors and post them?

If buttons aren’t being added, this is clearly a bug.

As for finding deep link URLs, google is your friend or elsewhere on the forum.

[maddox]

@jasonmcroy

None of the other options do anything when I select them.

I figured it out. Fix on its way.

All fixed with:

DVR Pre-Release Notes

v2024.06.22.1448 • FIXED: New buttons were not getting added to button rows in some scenarios

[jasonmcroy]

Excellent. That works now.

[sheilnaik]

I’m on the iOS and tvOS betas and I’d like to create a new section for the shows my son likes but I can’t do figure out where the “Custom Sections” area on the admin interface is: BETA: Craft your own experience with Personal Sections on tvOS. I know there’s a kids section but I want to try out this Custom Sections option, too.

Where did Maddox take this screenshot? If I go to Library in my admin interface (I’m on 2024.05.07.1442), I see Up Next, Movies, TV Shows, Videos, Collections, Playlists, and Trash.

Thanks in advance!

[maddox]

@sheilnaik

but I can’t do figure out where the “Custom Sections” area on the admin interface is

Library > Personal Sections

Your Channels DVR Server needs to be on the latest pre-release.

[JFiti19]

This is awesome. Is there a way that the default Movies and TV Shows sections can be edited as well?

[maddox]

You can’t edit native sections.

Just remove Movies from your sidebar navigation and add your own.

[jasonmcroy]

I am really having fun with this new option. Added a screen shot of just some of what I have accomplished so far. Thanks Devs!

One question - you can see in my screenshot I have buttons now to launch Apple TV+, Amazon and Youtube from within Channels. Will there be any way in the future to add their respective icons to the button like on our movies and shows. I notice there a number of icon options in the drop downs. Maybe some app icons could be added? Just a thought.

[Bonecrusher52]

Can you share the link for Apple TV+ and Youtube? I can't get youtube to work using their direct link https://www.youtube.com/

[jasonmcroy]

These are what have worked for me:

https://tv.apple.com/us

youtube://www.youtube.com/watch

[Bonecrusher52]

Thanks!

[speedingcheetah]

Messing around with this again, see some improvements done. Nice.

Sorry, if this been asked already (there 60 posts now), but is there a way yet, to add the same type of sections you see in the native "Home" section? Like Up Next row of content?

It seems that when i click the "Add Row"/"Content Row" it just keeps adding a "Recently Updated X" type row. See no option to make it a "Up Next" type row that is like the first row on the native Home page. I do see those other Main section option for Button Row type though.

Also, is there any Plans to make it so that one can change the order of the main sidebar icons (the pages/sections in the main navigation sidebar). As it is now, Custom Sections always appear on the very bottom, and in the order you create them.

[speedingcheetah]

Not sure what just happened... was editing Custom Section, Saved, and now got sudden Javascript error page when i try to go to the Custom Section page.

Edit: Restored from the last sever backup (was from a few hours ago, before i edited my Custom Section), and rebooted server. So i got my Custom Section page back working, though, no idea what it was that i added/changed that caused that.

[maddox]

@speedingcheetah

is there a way yet, to add the same type of sections you see in the native "Home" section? Like Up Next row of content?

This has been addressed multiple times in this thread. It’s coming, but isn’t there yet.

@speedingcheetah

change the order of the main sidebar icons

Personal Sections will appear below the main sections in the navigation sidebar. There’s no plans to change this at the moment.

As for your JS error, see what happens if you go directly to the web admin and navigate to the Personal Sections.

There may be an issue with that Personal Section that you were editing. You should be able to delete the problematic one. And I’ll look into what caused it.

[speedingcheetah]

@maddox

Personal Sections will appear below the main sections in the navigation sidebar. There’s no plans to change this at the moment.

Ok.. well, my hopes are, maybe, to make once custom section, and have all the rows in it want, in the order i want, and then i guess i have to disable all the other "native" section in the nav bar.

@maddox

As for your JS error, see what happens if you go directly to the web admin and navigate to the Personal Sections.

There may be an issue with that Personal Section that you were editing. You should be able to delete the problematic one. And I’ll look into what caused it.

That is what comes up when i go to web admin page for Personal Sections.... it shows only that javascript error page instead. Did not load anything else, could not edit my sections, as it did not show them.
I already restored from backup to regain function... i will pay more attention to what i am doing next time i edit something, and if it happens again, i'll hope fully have more info.

[maddox]

If you could try to make it happen again, and remember what you did or what the characteristics of your section was, that would be helpful.