Initiator Actions

Initiator Actions are Remote Initiated Actions (RIA) that let you trigger complex automation scripts on the MusicBee system from your remote desktop. When you press a hotkey in MBXRemote, the action script is sent over the network to MusicBee, where it executes directly on the host machine.

Setting Up MusicBee for RIA

Step 1: Open MusicBee Preferences > Hotkeys

1. Open MusicBee on your jukebox/media center PC
2. Go to Edit > Preferences
3. Select Hotkeys from the left panel

Step 2: Configure Tab Navigation Hotkeys

Find the "General: Goto Tab X" actions and assign hotkeys. The screenshot below shows a typical configuration:

MusicBee Preferences > Hotkeys

Example configuration using home-row keys:

Step 3: Enable ARiA in Plugin Settings

1. Still in Preferences, go to Plugins
2. Find MusicBee Remote and click "Configure"
3. Check "Enable ARiA (Arbitrary Remote Initiated Actions)"
4. Click Save to apply all changes

Auto-Configure MusicBee Hotkeys

Instead of manually configuring hotkeys in MusicBee, you can use MBXRemote to automatically add the ARiA hotkeys:

1. In MBXRemote, go to Settings > Hotkeys
2. Click "MusicBee ARiA Keys"
3. Review the status and click Yes to add missing hotkeys
4. Restart MusicBee to apply the changes

MBXRemote Auto-Configure

This automatically configures 10 global hotkeys in MusicBee:

• Ctrl+Alt+A through Ctrl+Alt+L - Tab navigation (Tabs 1-9)
• Ctrl+Alt+V - Toggle Visualizer

How It Works

Quick Start

1. Go to Settings > Hotkeys
2. Click "Initiator Actions"
3. Click "Add Action"
4. Set a name, hotkey, and action script
5. Click "Save"

Initiator Actions Manager

Command Reference

sndKeys - Send Keyboard Input to MusicBee Host

Sends keyboard combinations to the MusicBee host system. The keystrokes execute on the remote machine where MusicBee is running.

sndKeys(keys)

Key Modifiers

Examples

sndKeys(^%a)           // Ctrl+Alt+A on MusicBee host
sndKeys(CTRL ALT Q)    // Ctrl+Alt+Q (alternative syntax)
sndKeys(^a)            // Ctrl+A (Select All) on host
sndKeys({F5})          // F5 key on host
sndKeys(Hello{ENTER})  // Type "Hello" and press Enter on host

Special Keys

delay - Add Delay Between Commands

Pauses execution between commands on the remote host.

delay(milliseconds)

// Examples:
delay(100)   // Wait 100ms
delay(1000)  // Wait 1 second
delay(5000)  // Wait 5 seconds

mouseClick - Remote Mouse Click

Clicks at specified screen coordinates on the MusicBee host machine.

mouseClick(x, y [, button])

// Examples:
mouseClick(500, 300)          // Left click at (500, 300) on host
mouseClick(100, 200, right)   // Right click on host
mouseClick(640, 480, middle)  // Middle click on host

volume - Control Windows System Volume

Controls the Windows system volume on the MusicBee host machine. This adjusts the OS-level audio, not MusicBee's internal volume (which is controlled via the standard playback commands).

volume(action)

// Examples:
volume(up)      // Increase system volume one step
volume(down)    // Decrease system volume one step
volume(mute)    // Toggle system mute
volume(5)       // Increase 5 steps
volume(-3)      // Decrease 3 steps

restart - Restart MusicBee or Host System

Restarts MusicBee or the entire host Windows system.

restart(target)

// Examples:
restart(musicbee)  // Restart MusicBee on host
restart(mb)        // Restart MusicBee (short form)
restart(system)    // Restart the host computer
restart(host)      // Restart the host computer (alias)
restart(shutdown)  // Shutdown the host computer

run - Launch Program on Host

Starts an external program on the MusicBee host system.

run(program[, arguments])

// Examples:
run(notepad.exe)                        // Open Notepad on host
run(calc.exe)                           // Open Calculator on host
run(C:\Program Files\app.exe)           // Run with full path
run(C:\Scripts\backup.bat, /silent)     // Run with arguments

Launching Remote Apps via Initiator Actions

A powerful use case is launching audio applications on your jukebox from your remote desktop. For example, if you have slPhantomRemote or other automation tools installed on your MusicBee host:

// Launch slPhantomRemote with dialog mode (shows UI picker)
run(slPhantomRemote, -play dialog)

// Launch slPhantomRemote with a specific preset
run(slPhantomRemote, -play arch)

// Launch a visualizer application
run(C:\Program Files\ProjectM\projectM.exe)

// Run a voice announcement script
run(powershell.exe, -File C:\Scripts\announce.ps1 "Now Playing")

run(slPhantomRemote, -play arch);delay(2000);sndKeys(^%w)

Command Chaining

Chain multiple commands with semicolons (;). All commands execute sequentially on the remote host:

// Select all and copy (on MusicBee host)
sndKeys(^a);delay(100);sndKeys(^c)

// Navigate to MusicBee tab and refresh
sndKeys(^%q);delay(200);sndKeys({F5})

// Decrease system volume and navigate
volume(-3);delay(100);sndKeys(^%m)

// Complex remote automation
sndKeys(^i);delay(200);sndKeys(^a);delay(100);sndKeys(^c);delay(100);sndKeys({ESC})

Use Cases

sndKeys(^%q)  // Switch to Now Playing view on TV
sndKeys(^%w)  // Switch to Library view on TV
sndKeys(^%e)  // Switch to Playlists view on TV

sndKeys(^%1)  // Play playlist 1 on MusicBee host

restart(musicbee)  // Restart MusicBee if it's unresponsive

volume(up);volume(up);delay(500);sndKeys(^%w);delay(500);sndKeys(^p)

Tab Navigation Scripts

With MusicBee configured as shown above, use these scripts to switch tabs remotely:

Default Initiator Actions

MBXRemote includes pre-configured Initiator Actions that match the MusicBee setup above:

Tips & Best Practices

Timing

• Add delays (100-200ms) between commands for reliable remote execution
• Use longer delays for UI-heavy operations on the remote host
• Network latency may require slightly longer delays than local macros

Hotkey Selection

• Avoid conflicts with local system hotkeys
• Use Ctrl+Alt+Key combinations for safety
• Test hotkeys before deploying for daily use

Remote Execution

• Remember: commands execute on the MusicBee host, not locally
• Verify MusicBee is connected before testing actions
• Screen coordinates for mouseClick are relative to the host display

Troubleshooting

Action Not Triggering

• Verify MBXRemote is connected to MusicBee
• Check that the hotkey is enabled
• Look for hotkey conflicts with other local apps
• Ensure "Global Hotkey" is checked if using when minimized

Remote Commands Not Working

• Verify network connection to MusicBee
• Add delays between chained commands
• Check that MusicBee window is active on the host for sndKeys
• Test commands individually to isolate issues

Limitations

• No conditional logic (if/then/else)
• No loops or repetition
• No variables or state storage
• Sequential execution only
• Requires active network connection to MusicBee
• Commands execute in MusicBee plugin's security context on the host