Homeseer plugin by JDWestoby (1 Viewer)

[JDWestoby]

Sorry about that - I'm not good with forums. I'll try to do better (honest!).

If (IF?) there >are< problems I would like to know, send PMs, I will reply, although maybe not instantly!

The source is there so anyone can see how simply it works (see the explanation). We use this all the time now, watching TV, flick to HomeSeer, Connect, select press OK twice and back to TV, no typing necessary normally.

 

[Neptuni]

Hi,

Looking forward to have a look at your plugin, will return with some feedback later!

Would be nice to have some more screenshoot regarding the possibilities/configuration of the plugin.

Thanks

/Mikael

 

[JDWestoby]

Screenshots done, see first post, edited other posts to remove refs to non-existant zips etc.

Overall there is little to see. It doesn't waste screen real estate by great long lists (could but doesn't) and I've tried to make it as simple to navigate as possible. In fact to start with there is only one thing you can do anyway!

(That's why I 'bit the bullet' and got the devices back from HomeSeer, wasn't difficult but needed thinking to make it work easily.)

The REAL letdown is that I can't just present the string [you send to HomeSeer] as a VR string. So all the 'nice' things like voice reminiders, delayed commands (turn on the lamp in 5 minutes) don't work. So currently the servant is a bit thick!

 

[kerninger]

Good work!

Hi,
with activated HSPI_SOCKETCOMMAND.dll my Homeseer (newest version 2.3.0.19) crashes. No further entrys in the HS logfile.
Anyway; I'm using the MP-xAP Plugin to control everything in Homeseer without any problems. Why this new plugin ?

I'm not shure if the HSPI_SOCKETCOMMAND causes the crash in the HS 1.1 engine. I've tried the plugins again and had no further problems / crashes up to now.
Seems to work fine.

We have a few hundret devices and events here and it takes some time to browse to the important ones. Would be fine to have a filter (e.g. a specified HS-location) in the MP-Plugin that it shows only preselected HS devices. Is that possible?

 

[JDWestoby]

Filtering...

Hi Kerninger, first off. Thank goodness it is working - I was racking my brain trying to see how it could fail!

Hundreds of devices/event - you're just greedy (how do you pay for them all...?).



Well, as I always say, it's software so anything is possible. It is just whether it can be put in without being annoying to others who don't have that number (me for one - sob).

In terms of is it possible, sure. This just sends strings and the list boxes are populated dynamically anyway. It is much more a matter of can I put it in without making it unwieldy for everyone else.

I've worked out how to make the text at the top look like the MediaPortal one, done some simple Blue3 screens and streamlined some of the XML handling (which you don't care about as it is all internal). So there will be another release in a short while so I'll give some brain cells over to filtering too.

I'll have a think...

 

[JDWestoby]

New version

In the first post is a new version (specially for Keninger ).

Allows filtering the devices and events for those who have loads (gnashing of teeth but mentioning no names), improved the text, added Blue3 skin, made list boxes work correctly (after scouring the code) and a few other tweaks. Filtering also sorts the entries (worked out how to do it).

You'll find out soon enough but just to point out that the list boxes actually work using the left/right keys rather than up/down. Up/Down moves (would you believe) up and down on the screen! (I loved this and it took a whole ten lines of code...)

Also a caveat, I have NO IR things set up so I haven't tested these AT ALL. If I ever get around to it I'll try installing a couple. I have NO idea how zones works either.

Oh one thing not mentioned is that if you put %Request% in the Ack/Nack/Unknown strings you'll get the line you sent - might be useful.

Hope someone likes it.

Again, extension,changes, improvements send me a message/reply.

 

[kerninger]

In the first post is a new version (specially for Keninger ).

It's a great honor for me
I'll test it during the weekend.
Thanks a lot!

 

[JDWestoby]

Re filtering etc.

Hi Keninger

Actually I should thank you, it was good idea and it made me get off my <self censored>. Overall it was comparatively easy to do anyway and, just like the original only allowed you to type in lines, with the suggestion that it was difficult to use it was VERY worth doing.

Not to mention the fact that it is gratifying that someone is trying it! As I said I really wanted this myself but it is might as well be 'out there' for others.

It is a fairly simple bit of plugin code too, I'm mainly a C++ coder and learnt a lot by doing this, VB.NET for the HomeSeer side and C# for the MediaPortal side.

I'm amazed at the people who manage to make the moving pictures work...!

So thank you.

 

[Jean-Marc]

Thank you for this plugin, I was expecting something like that!!
My problem is that I don't understand how to install it!

First , is it working with HS 1.7 (that I have) or only HS 2?

I downloaded the package and extracted it. I then opened it and saw a setup.cmd file. I clicked on it, I only could see a text that is imposible to read because it stays a few milli seconds!

Of course, after that if I go to HS, into "plugins" I don't see this one, and same thing into MP plugins!

You say that it is possible to edit the setup.cmd, but how? Where? To do what?

HS is under C:/program files/Homeseer
MP is under C:/program files/Team Mediaportal/Mediaportal

I am sorry to be so stupid, but I would like to have HS working with MP!!
Thanks for your help.

 

[JDWestoby]

HomeSeer 2 only I'm afraid Jean-Marc, I started with 1.x ages ago but they stopped support for version 1 over a year ago (and it wasn't massive amounts of money to upgrade).

From the path you supplied you're not using HS2.

Sorry that IS a problem, can't really write for something I can't test or even get information about any more, really, really sorry about that. I'll have a look around to see if I can find out how to make a plugin for 1.x but I don't even know if it is using VB.NET, VB6 or what?

As to the window that opens and closes, yes said in the original message best to run from a command window (for the reason you mentioned) - I've changed this so it does pause after the paths are displayed so the paths can be checked.

Really, sincerely sorry about this Jean-Marc.


MORE INFO

OK, checked the old info on HomeSeer Version 1 and there is no way of making a plugin.

It IS possible to make a VB (not .NET but that's not really important) ActiveX program and call HomeSeer but as I don't have HS1 I would >never< get it right just by coding what I >think< is right. Not do I think that a HS VB script would work well - might tie up HS...!

So don't really think this is easily possible.

However if someone has HS1 and can code a VB ActiveX program then all they have to implement (to talk to the MediaPortal plugin) is a server, listening on port 9472, and respond to messages like <Request Text="lights on" /> - that REALLY is all the HomeSeer plugin does!

If there IS someone who can do this (as I say, I don't have HS1) then check out the HSPI_SocketCommand source code in the zip, it is very simple XML string fragments sent back and forth.

Means running another program though (which isn't ideal).