Discussion for Family Status Manager Script

[ldragon99]

WAF is the key. Without that I would not be able to spend so much time playing with my computers.
Your script is great. I can do the basics when it comes to scripting but for more in depth stuff I look to others such as yourself. I took a look at you WhoIsHome Sub and llike I said, you took what I did and made it alot neater. I will learn someday.

[GenevaDude]

Thanks Kirk.

By the way, the last Case statement should be 4, not 3. (Oops!)

Also, I'd like to point out that it is possible to combine P1...P4 into one variable. In each set where we add the individuals names, you could easily use pData = pData & "YourName ". I did not do this on purpose, because sometimes it makes changes easier. For example, if you want to arrange the names in a specific order, all you need to do is this:

pData = P3 & P2 & P1 & P4 (3 and 1 exchanged in just about 2 seconds)

Otherwise you would need to cut and paste lines of code, and that could cause errors or loss of code if you made a mistake.


regards, :d

GenevaDude

[gelessor]

Like the script! The "stick-it" switches make this an easy task.

I'm looking for help on how easiest to handle the situation when the entire family (in our case four people) enter or exit at once. The WAF would go up if we didn't have to wait in line to listen to each persons messages/task.

[ldragon99]

I Just ran into that situation today. I was thinking that a "Clear House" Button would be great. That way only one button would have to be hit and it would clear everyone out at once.

[ajgriglak]

If you use my suggestion to use the stick-a-switch buttons as toggles instead of off/on, you would double the amount of buttons - which you allow you to have the switch set like this:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">
On: Dad Home/Away Off: Mom Home/Away
On: Kid1 Home/Away Off: Kid2 Home/Away
On: Kid3 Home/Away Off: Kid4 Home/Away
Dim: Family Home Dim: Family Away
</pre>
--------------
-=A.J. Griglak

[GenevaDude]

Bill,

I believe I can modify the script to do what you want without much trouble. It will take me a day or so to work out the changes and test them.

I believe there may be several intersting features in addition that might be useflu, but let me work on it first to see if everything pans out.

regards,

GenevaDude

[GenevaDude]

I ordered 6 from X10 when the switches were on sale and they arrived Friday. Today I opened the box on two of them and set them up. The sticky pads on them were totally useless. These must have been sitting for a long time or were exposed to high heat, as the sticky came off with the protective covering. The remaining material was very crumbly, but it was easy enough to remove.

I found some Scotch Mounting squares at Menards. (Scotch cat. # 859) These are advertized as removeable, but the nice thing is they are made from a clear plastic and look like they will not deteriorate. They are advertized to hold up to 1lb and won't stain walls. You get 35 squares in a package. These mount very nicely. In fact I will keep these for mounting my motion sensors as well. It appears to be a very good solution compared to the regular double sided sticky tape.

regards,

GenevaDude

[filemorf]

Dont forget about theese wired keypad options.

Although they are wired the new ones have 2 way dimmer in them, as most ppl have a light switch by the entry doors makes it a simple upgrade. These do cost more than the stick-a-switch does but looks much nicer plus have built in toggle with lighted feed back. Also if you want to have some of the buttons used for other stuff they can be setup in non sequential addresses. The new units start @ $90 though I seen the older non dimmer ones on their auction for $14

Dave

[GenevaDude]

I am not posting this in the scripts thread yet.

This is a major rewrite of the code and it has some fundamental changes in the methods of detecting keypresses.
For the most part, you will be able to integrate your scripts quite easily though. But you will need to change the House Codes and Unit Codes (HcUc) as you did before. A new constant "myHouseBase" is added. Be sure to assign it to your HouseCode. Use caps not lower case. "E1" - not "e1" This applies to all items where there is a reference to this stuff. I may make mods later to accomodate upper/lower case stuff, but have not done so in this release.

What's new:

1. Now you may have any number of family members. The first four use a single press (i.e. "E1 DevOn") The second four members must press their key two times (i.e. "E1 DevOn, E1 DevOn"). This can be expanded to any number of members, but the code is only setup for 8 members. You can easily figure out how to modify it for more.

2. A Family Home/Away mode is now possible. Simply press a sequence of keys. For home, press "E1 DevOn, E2 DevOn,E3 DevOn", or for away press "E1 DevOff, E2 DevOff,E3 DevOff". This is a specific action.

3. You can have any arrangement of 2 key sequences, or 3 key sequences you wish! All you need to do is create an entry in the sub "EventProcessor" within the "Select Case" section!

Notes:
There will be a noticeable delay in actions before one or two key events are processed. You may adjust the variable "localTimeOut = 2" to any number you wish, including fractions of a second. (i.e. localTimeOut = 1.25). Keep in mind that other events or processes in HomeSeer may interfere with this script, so be careful not to make it too small.
The script makes extensive use of "readable data". Consider this double key test: "E1 DevBright,E1 DevBright", "E2 DevBright,E2 DevBright", "E3 DevBright,E3 DevBright" I could have made it "E1 5,E2 5,E3 5" or even shorter, but it gets a bit cryptic when you want to make changes later, and you don't remember what these numbers mean or why you are using them. I don't think it has a real impact on speed or timing, even though it does consume more computer processing time.
Lastly, once the script is called, it is going to stay active until there is a timeout. See the sub "AccumulateKeyPresses". There is a do-loop process that may take more time than you wish. I make it exit both on a timeout and if 3 presses occur.

Test this script out and let me know what you think.

regards, :d

GenevaDude

[ldragon99]

GenevaDude,
I just took a look at your new update and it looks great. I am on my way out but I cannot wait to get home and play with it.
I have never had to play with one script so much before but it is well woth it because the WAF factot is huge with this one. ( now that she understands it...Don't ask).

[ldragon99]

I am not sure why. I need to press N1 On twice to get it to announce Jessica Home. However I hit N1 the first time and it starts the script for N1 (Kirk) without waiting for the secound keypress.

[ldragon99]

My double keypress is not working. If I press "N1" On once it is for Kirk. If I press it twice it is supposed to be for Jessica. However when I hit N1 the first time it goes right into Kirk and does not wait for the secound keypress.
What am I doing wrong?

[GenevaDude]

Kirk,
I know it works for me, so let's check your script.
Send me your script or post it here. My Email address is in my profile.

One thing to try is increasing the timeout to something more than 2.0. Try 2.5 seconds.
Also check your log to see if you are getting both keypresses.

regards, :d

GenevaDude

[This message was edited by GenevaDude on Sun, 03 August 2003 at 05:31 PM.]

[ldragon99]

I incresed to 3 and it still does not seem to work.

[GenevaDude]

Kirk,
Please change the entry in line 10 from "E" to "N".
That ought to do it. The do loop uses the Hc to determine if a command is to be processes based on this parameter.

Just noticed:
You would also need to change line 187 and 191 for your house code.

regards,

GenevaDude

[This message was edited by GenevaDude on Sun, 03 August 2003 at 06:53 PM.]