Media Widget isn't showing up

[clari7744]

Windows version

Windows 11

Windows OS build

23H2 - 22631.5335

YASB version installed

v2.0.0 x64

Describe the bug

I installed YASB earlier today and configured it with the wizard. However, I've been playing media from various sources (Chrome and VLC) and neither has appeared in YASB, even though it's configured to do so.

config.yaml
styles.css
yasb.log

Relevant log output

No logs related

[amnweb]

What exactly does not show up, the widget or the playing source? And are you using a debloated version of Windows or some debloat tools?

[clari7744]

The widget does not show up. I forgot to attach a screenshot and will do so later on when I'm back at my computer. The status bar works, it shows my window title, systray icons, weather, etc. But I see nothing where the entire media widget should be.

I am not specifically using a debloated Windows, no. I usually use Ubuntu and was using Windows for a Windows-required project when I found this. I may have removed some bloatware previously but I couldn't tell you what if so.

[amnweb]

The media widget requires the Windows Media API. If you removed it, this widget will not work. It's not the first time that some debloat apps have broken required APIs inside the OS. We can't do anything on our side

[clari7744]

Is there some way I can check if it's available, and reenable it if it's not?

[amnweb]

That's the only thing that comes to my mind.

Press Windows + R, type optionalfeatures, and hit Enter. In the window that appears, look for the "Media Features" folder and make sure "Windows Media Player" is checked. If it's not, check it and click OK. Restart your PC afterward.

Or run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and then run sfc /scannow to scan and repair corrupted files

[4kanksh]

enable the api : DISM /Online /Add-Capability /CapabilityName:Media.WindowsMediaPlayer~~~~0.0.12.0
then restart the system. it worked for me.

[clari7744]

So I tried all of your advice, I only saw Windows Media Player Legacy in the optionalfeatures.

Tried again with VLC, nothing. Tried with Media Player Legacy, nothing. Finally found (because it didn't show up when I searched for "Windows Media Player", only "Media Player" or "Groove") the current Media Player. Experience is not what I want it to be, I can't play it in the same order (VLC plays it in recursive folder order, but Media Player doesn't have an option to do that, and trying to load the whole Music folder results in it playing nothing at all), but it did show up in YASB.

Is YASB intended to display controls for any media player/audio source, or is it specifically only for Media Player?

[Video-Nomad]

@clari7744 VLC does not broadcast its "Currently Playing" to Windows. The easiest way to test if something will show up in YASB is to check regular Taskbar and see if it shows that media playing. Click on the Network/Volume/Whatever button (Windows 11) and see if it shows at the top when playing. If no controls are showing, the media player does not send its data to Windows and will not be shown in YASB either.

[clari7744]

Well, that's unfortunate. This is one of many reasons why I don't usually use windows...things are just inconsistent. Though VLC is particularly bad at telling OSes when it's doing things. It might be worth mentioning this somewhere on the Media Widget wiki page if it isn't clear already, keeping non-exhaustive lists of known supported/unsupported players would be nice as well.

[amnweb]

Well, that's unfortunate. This is one of many reasons why I don't usually use windows...things are just inconsistent. Though VLC is particularly bad at telling OSes when it's doing things. It might be worth mentioning this somewhere on the Media Widget wiki page if it isn't clear already, keeping non-exhaustive lists of known supported/unsupported players would be nice as well.

I don't know if there is any updated list of apps available that have Media API support 🤷‍♂️