Slim & xAP

[Jakob.Sand]

Hi there.
I am trying to control my SlimDevice with HS via xAP, and I guess it could be a good way into the xAP world.
I installed the plugin for xAP for Squeezecenter, but I am in doubt what to do next.
Do I just install the MSCxAP pure or do I need a HUB?

[CouchPotatoe]

A xAP hub is required (on a PC) whenever you have more than one xAP application running on that PC, and it must be the first xAP application started. However I would really always recommend you install a xAP hub regardless.

The one I recommend is xFX Express from here
http://www.edjo.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk.../hubs_main.htm
If you install it as a service it will always be present when Windows starts.

Edward mentioned that SqueezeCentre 7.3 has yet again changed some aspects of how plugins work - and so the plugin in the current release is for 7.2.x and below. He was working on an update when we spoke yesterday.

cheers Kevin

[Jakob.Sand]

Got the xFx up yesterday. Seems like it can not restart - does it have to start before Homeseer starts? the consol says somthing like "adress allready in use"

When it ran, i could with viewer see the slim and HS connections, but when I created an event in the HS xAP plugin it failed sucessfully control the SLIM. My slim server i verion 7.3 i gues the problem could be there?

A xAP hub is required (on a PC) whenever you have more than one xAP application running on that PC, and it must be the first xAP application started. However I would really always recommend you install a xAP hub regardless.

The one I recommend is xFX Express from here
http://www.edjo.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk.../hubs_main.htm
If you install it as a service it will always be present when Windows starts.

Edward mentioned that SqueezeCentre 7.3 has yet again changed some aspects of how plugins work - and so the plugin in the current release is for 7.2.x and below. He was working on an update when we spoke yesterday.

cheers Kevin

[CouchPotatoe]

Got the xFx up yesterday. Seems like it can not restart - does it have to start before Homeseer starts? the consol says somthing like "adress allready in use"

Yes it must - as HS is a 'xAP' application once the plugin is installed. Hence why I was recommending running xFX Express hub as a service.

Are you running HomeSeer as a service - in which case the xFX hub service must start first

but when I created an event in the HS xAP plugin it failed sucessfully control the SLIM. My slim server i verion 7.3 i gues the problem could be there?

I don't know what the specific issue is with 7.3 - I had really expected it not to run at all. If you do create an event with HS then you should see a xAP message being sent from (source=) HomeSeer to the (target=) Slim . If you copy/paste (using xAP Viewer) that message here - we can double check that it is well formed.

K

[Michael McSharry]

The address in use typically means that when the hub started the was already an xap application running. If it is the only xap application that was installed as a service then this should not occur if you did a pc restart after installing the hub. In my case I use a .vbs file in my startup folder to control the startup sequence.

[Jakob.Sand]

I run it from the startup menu.
How do I insure that xFx starts before Slim and HS?

Yes it must - as HS is a 'xAP' application once the plugin is installed. Hence why I was recommending running xFX Express hub as a service.

Are you running HomeSeer as a service - in which case the xFX hub service must start first



I don't know what the specific issue is with 7.3 - I had really expected it not to run at all. If you do create an event with HS then you should see a xAP message being sent from (source=) HomeSeer to the (target=) Slim . If you copy/paste (using xAP Viewer) that message here - we can double check that it is well formed.

K

[Michael McSharry]

I showed my startup .vbs file in this thread http://board.homeseer.com/showthread...ht=startup.vbs Yours will be much smaller and the programs you start will be much fewer, but it gives you the approach.

For what you are doing for testing I would not have any xap-related application in your startup and just start them manually with the hub being first to do your testing.

You could also take the approach Kevin recommends and use the service hub as services should start before user logins are processed.

[CouchPotatoe]

If you are starting HS from the startup menu then a service hub will be running before HS. My experience with SqueezeCentre is this starts after the hub even when both are services , possibly because it has such a long startup time , or perhaps it doesn't grab the xAP port. You can setup dependencies for services to manage start orders but I don't think you'll need to.

As Michael said you can have a script or even batch file to start ordinary applications in specific orders too, if for example you are running a hub as a standard application rather than service.

K

Oh ... and a very timely post from Edward just arrived re v7.3 or SC...

On xAP Automation 14Dec08 16:12 Edward Pearson posted:

From http://forums.<wbr>slimdevices.<wbr>com/showthread.<wbr>php?p=370344#<wbr>post370344<o></o>
<o> </o>
SqueezeCenter v7.2 breaks the xAP plugin v2.2.x.<o></o>
<o> </o>
A revised version of the xAP plugin that works with SC v7.3 is now available for download from:
http://www.erspears<wbr>on.com/xAP/<wbr>Slim/slim_<wbr>downloads.<wbr>htm

Regression testing against v7.3 is ongoing so this remains a beta for the next few days.<o></o>
Any issues found please post to the SlimDevices forum.

Currently investigating how to integrate with the new Extension Downloader…

Enjoy

Edward
ersp - design, London

[CouchPotatoe]

One other thing just to mention Jacob....

The SqueezeCentre plugin uses a couple of xAP schema, namely BSC and xap-audio. The latter is far more appropriate for a media player and so the main implementation is done that way. BSC is simpler and directly integrated into two way HomeSeer devices by Michaels plugin, however only very basic on/off control and volume is implemented in the SC plugin via BSC.

The more complex xap-audio schema which provides fuller control, and the metadata information can be used within HomeSeer as Michael's plugin supports all xAP schema but it takes a few more steps. The Slim devices are more complex then typical I/O and so integration into HS is more awkward - not the easiest of xAP devices perhaps to start with but all is possible with a bit of effort.

You can very easily get the names of tracks, artists, albums, elapsed time, mode etc displayed and updated in realtime for individual players (enable the 'show other received xAP schema checkbox) . However implementing control of say track selection, and even transport will be more involved as you will have to build the appropriate xap-audio message construct to send back to SqueezeCentre.

K

[Jakob.Sand]

xAP, HS &amp; Slim it works!

Got the boot sequence right.
Got the HUB up and running.
I found the link to config for xAP in HS.

Read the SLIM specific Schema-defintions, and created events that send RawAP commands to the SLIM server.

And what a miracle :-), I can now directly via an event in HS start my Squeezebox with a selected Playlist. (I use it for InternetRadio replacement of FM reciever.)


Only comment on HS Plugin is that the "wisard" could be more logically build, but after som Trial & error I am there.
(Seems like there is an issue, when I select a previously created xAP event, and add it as an action in a HS Event, it works - but in the HS Event Action list view, the selected xAP event does not show up with a name).

Thank you for at great HS Plugin.