Channel Favorites

Organize your channels by marking favorites and hiding unwanted channels for a personalized viewing experience.

Overview

HD Homey allows each user to customize their channel lineup by favoriting frequently watched channels and hiding channels they don't want to see. Preferences are stored per-user, so each viewer can organize channels their own way.

Features

• ⭐ Favorite Channels - Mark your most-watched channels for quick access
• ✕ Hide Channels - Remove unwanted channels from your view
• 📂 Auto-Organization - Channels automatically grouped into Favorites/Channels/Hidden sections
• 🚀 Instant Updates - Optimistic UI provides immediate feedback
• 🔄 Smart Transitions - Favoriting auto-unhides, hiding auto-unfavorites
• 🎯 Per-User - Each user's preferences are independent

Using Favorites

Marking Favorites

On any tuner's channel page, you'll see a star button (☆) next to each channel:

1. Navigate to a tuner's channels page
2. Click the star button (☆) next to a channel
3. Channel is instantly marked as favorite (★)
4. Channel moves to the Favorites section

Removing Favorites

To remove a channel from favorites:

1. Click the filled star (★) next to the channel
2. Channel returns to the Channels section

Quick Toggle

You can toggle favorites on and off with a single click. The UI updates instantly without page reloads.

Hiding Channels

Hide a Channel

Don't want to see certain channels? Hide them:

1. Navigate to a tuner's channels page
2. Click the ✕ button next to a channel
3. Channel is moved to the Hidden section

Hidden channels are collapsed by default but remain accessible if you need them.

Unhide a Channel

To bring a hidden channel back:

1. Expand the Hidden section (if collapsed)
2. Click the ✕ button on the hidden channel
3. Channel returns to the Channels section

Channel Organization

Channels are automatically organized into three sections:

Favorites Section

• Contains all channels you've marked as favorites
• Always shown first for quick access
• Sorted numerically by guide number (2.1, 2.2, 5.1, 10.1, etc.)

Channels Section

• Contains regular channels (not favorited or hidden)
• Main viewing area for discovering content
• Sorted numerically by guide number

Hidden Section

• Contains channels you've hidden
• Collapsed by default to save space
• Easily expand to review or unhide channels
• Sorted numerically by guide number

Sorting

All channels are sorted numerically by guide number within each section, ensuring channels appear in logical order (1, 2, 10, 100) rather than alphabetical order (1, 10, 100, 2).

Smart State Management

HD Homey prevents conflicting states with intelligent transitions:

Favoriting a Hidden Channel

When you favorite a channel that's currently hidden:

• Channel is automatically unhidden
• Channel moves to Favorites section
• No need to manually unhide first

Hiding a Favorited Channel

When you hide a channel that's currently favorited:

• Channel is automatically unfavorited
• Channel moves to Hidden section
• Latest action always wins

User-Friendly Design

You never see confusing "remove from favorites first" error messages. The system intelligently handles state transitions for you.

Sections and Collapsing

Each section can be collapsed independently:

1. Click the arrow (▼/▶) next to a section title
2. Section collapses to save space
3. Click again to expand

Use Cases:

• Collapse Hidden to focus on active channels
• Collapse Channels to see just your Favorites
• Collapse Favorites when browsing for new content

Section Counts

Each section header shows the channel count: "Favorites (5)" so you always know how many channels are in each category.

Accessibility

Channel Favorites is fully accessible:

• ✅ Keyboard Navigation - Tab through channels and buttons
• ✅ Screen Readers - Proper ARIA labels on all controls
• ✅ Visual Indicators - Clear button states and hover effects
• ✅ Focus Management - Visible focus indicators
• ✅ WCAG 2.2 AA compliant

Tips and Best Practices

Organizing Your Lineup

Strategy 1: Favorites for Daily Viewing

• Mark your 5-10 most-watched channels as favorites
• Keep Channels section for discovery
• Hide shopping/foreign language channels

Strategy 2: Category-Based

• Favorite all news channels
• Keep entertainment in Channels
• Hide religious/shopping channels

Strategy 3: HD Priority

• Favorite all HD channels
• Keep SD channels in regular section
• Hide duplicate SD versions

Managing Hidden Channels

• Periodically review hidden channels
• Unhide channels for special events
• Consider hiding instead of ignoring

Performance Tips

• Actions are instant with optimistic UI
• No page reloads required
• Preferences sync automatically

Technical Details

Storage

• Preferences stored per-user in database
• No performance impact on channel loading
• Efficient JOIN queries for fetching data

Database Schema

user_channel_preferences
├── user_id (Foreign Key → user.id)
├── channel_id (Foreign Key → channels.id)
├── is_favorite (Boolean)
├── is_hidden (Boolean)
└── updated_at (Timestamp)

Constraints

• CHECK constraint prevents favorite AND hidden
• CASCADE delete when user/channel deleted
• UNIQUE index on (user_id, channel_id)

Troubleshooting

Favorites Not Saving

Check:

• You're logged in (favorites require authentication)
• You have viewer or admin role
• Your session hasn't expired

Fix: Refresh the page and try again.

Channel Disappeared After Hiding

This is expected behavior! Check the Hidden section:

1. Scroll to the Hidden section
2. Expand it if collapsed (click ▶)
3. Your hidden channel is there

Changes Not Persisting

Cause: Browser caching or session issue

Fix:

1. Refresh the page (Ctrl+R / Cmd+R)
2. Log out and back in
3. Clear browser cache

Button Not Responding

Check:

• Button not disabled (grayed out)
• No pending actions in progress
• JavaScript enabled in browser

Fix: Wait a moment and try again. If issues persist, refresh the page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do favorites affect what other users see?

No! Each user's favorites and hidden channels are completely independent. Your preferences don't affect anyone else.

Can admins see my favorites?

No. Preferences are private per-user. Admins cannot see other users' favorite or hidden channels.

What happens if a channel is deleted?

When a channel is permanently deleted from a tuner, your preference for that channel is automatically removed from the database.

What happens if I'm deleted as a user?

All your channel preferences are automatically deleted along with your user account.

Can I export my favorites?

Not currently. Favorites are stored in the database and designed for quick access within the application.

Do favorites work across multiple tuners?

Yes! If the same channel number appears on multiple tuners, you can favorite each instance independently.

Related Features

• Channel Management - View and access all channels
• Tuner Management - Configure HDHomeRun devices
• User Management - Manage user accounts and permissions

API Reference

For developers integrating with HD Homey:

Toggle Favorite

POST /api/preferences/favorite
{
  "channelId": 123
}

Toggle Hidden

POST /api/preferences/hidden
{
  "channelId": 123
}

Authentication Required

All preference endpoints require an authenticated session with valid user ID.