Sprinkler Control Package Discussion

[drozwood90]

Steve,

Using our own internal device for verifying being allowed to run didn't make it to this release?

Just curious if I missed it.

--Dan

[stevea]

Steve,

Using our own internal device for verifying being allowed to run didn't make it to this release?

Just curious if I missed it.

--Dan

Uh oh. I don't think I remember what the request was, so my guess is I didn't put it in. Can you point me to the part of the thread where that was discussed?

Steve

[drozwood90]

Steve,

It was based on this thread:

http://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?p=1065822

I think we conversed a bit over e-mail...but I can't seem to locate those mail messages.

--Dan

[drozwood90]

BTW, not sure you ever actually "agreed" to anything...just thought that something was going to happen...maybe it was going to happen in my little world!

--Dan

[stevea]

Steve,

It was based on this thread:

http://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?p=1065822

I think we conversed a bit over e-mail...but I can't seem to locate those mail messages.

--Dan

Dan - Let me look at it again. Sorry I forgot all about it.

For some reason I'm no longer getting email notifications when someone responds to one of my threads.

Steve

[frankc]

Upgraded from 3.6 to 3.8

Thanks Steve. Worked flawlessly..

The little web controlled sprinkler system is working equally as well.

But..

Wait. No Buts.

Thank you for your continued support Steve,

Frank

[frankc]

Enhance effects of weather on sprinkler schedule

Steve,

Since your sprinkler script works so well, I was wondering whether it would be possible to use Underground Weather data to make some dynamic adjustments to the scheduling.

Could the parameters of a sprinkler schedule be changed on the fly? If so, some logic could be written that would result in modification to a specific schedule. For example, when we head into the Fall season, or when there was a little rain in the previous 24 hours, or perhaps the temperatures were lower than normal, the minutes/zone of a specific schedule could be reduced.

However, if the script would have to be restarted to utilize the altered parameters, this wouldn't work.

Thanks Steve!

Frank

[stevea]

Frank,

I'm no longer getting email notifications for some of my threads, so I didn't realize you had posted the question. Luckily I guess your post wasn't that long ago.

I'm not too clear what parameters you are talking about wanting to change, but I think you are talking about the database fields. Changing those is currently only done via the web page, but it could be done from a script. The hard part would be providing a way to do it across all the possibilities.

Steve

[frankc]

Got an error Steve

Hi Steve. I'm not getting updates either. I hadn't checked back for quite some time.

New Subject: I set out to add a new schedule to my sprinkler setup. I already had three. I started to add a fourth and I left it blank because as I was about to add the parameters, I realized it would be easier to copy an all ready existing schedule and then modify that one. So that is what I did: I created schedule 5. My plan was to go back to the schedule screen and delete schedule 4. I exited the schedule setup. When I attempted to re-enter the schedule screen, I got an error. I rebooted, but that made no difference.

I am getting this in the Homeseer log:

"Error - Snevl Sprinklers: Event 'Placeholder Event name for Schedule 4' does not exist."

And this is what I get when I attempt to access the sprinklers screen by clicking on the "Sprinklers" button on the Homeseer Events screen:


Server Error in '/' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conversion from type 'DBNull' to type 'String' is not valid.
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.InvalidCastException: Conversion from type 'DBNull' to type 'String' is not valid.

Source Error:


Line 204: asp:Label ID="last_time" runat="server" Text='%# GetLastRun(Eval("EventName")) %'


(had trouble with the formatting. Had to eliminate the GT and LT signs).
Frank

[stevea]

Yikes, Frank. Do you have a backup of the database (data\snevl\Sprinklers.mdb). There's certainly nothing I can do right now to fix it. I can look at the code and try to prevent it in the future. If you can't find a backup, send me the database. Change the extension to something like mbd, zip it up, and email to snevl at msn dot com. Sorry about that...

Steve

[frankc]

Error fixed!

Thanks Steve!

I did indeed have a backup of the database. Evidently, when a change is made, you've programmed it to first make a backup of the working DB. In any event, I made a copy of the copy and then renamed a copy to Sprinklers.mdb. And all was well. Then I did add a new schedule and it worked fine. I also notice that the date of the new database has today's date.

So it just didn't like me not completing the schedule.

Again, you've come through Steve!

And I appreciate your continued support.

Thank you,

Frank

[frankc]

On the fly schedule selection

Frank,

I'm not too clear what parameters you are talking about wanting to change, but I think you are talking about the database fields. Changing those is currently only done via the web page, but it could be done from a script. The hard part would be providing a way to do it across all the possibilities.

Steve

Steve,

What I was thinking of doing was to make 10 additional schedules within your Snevl script (nothing unusual there). Each schedule would have various sprinkler duration 'on' times. Then I would attempt to write an external script that would enable the appropriate schedule to run the next day and disable the rest.

The external script would make use of existing and forecasted weather conditions to predict which schedule to enable. Perhaps it would be the equivalent of selecting the '100% schedule' (hot dry summer) down to the '0% schedule' after a rain (you have this already) or perhaps when rain probability for the next day is high and temperatures will be low.

But the catch is (well, one of a thousand), the external script would enable the selected schedule on the fly and the Snevl sprinkler program would have to use that schedule the next time it ran. I don't know whether a 'simple command' could be sent such that the Snevl script would simply respond to the newly enabled schedule.

Sound bad?

Thanks for your time Steve,

Frank

[stevea]

Thanks Steve!

I did indeed have a backup of the database. Evidently, when a change is made, you've programmed it to first make a backup of the working DB. In any event, I made a copy of the copy and then renamed a copy to Sprinklers.mdb. And all was well. Then I did add a new schedule and it worked fine. I also notice that the date of the new database has today's date.

So it just didn't like me not completing the schedule.

Again, you've come through Steve!

And I appreciate your continued support.

Thank you,

Frank

Frank,

You may be giving me more credit that I deserve. I don't think I make a backup of the database, although perhaps I should.

I'll try and figure out what the cause of the error was and prevent it for next time.

Steve

[stevea]

Steve,

What I was thinking of doing was to make 10 additional schedules within your Snevl script (nothing unusual there). Each schedule would have various sprinkler duration 'on' times. Then I would attempt to write an external script that would enable the appropriate schedule to run the next day and disable the rest.

The external script would make use of existing and forecasted weather conditions to predict which schedule to enable. Perhaps it would be the equivalent of selecting the '100% schedule' (hot dry summer) down to the '0% schedule' after a rain (you have this already) or perhaps when rain probability for the next day is high and temperatures will be low.

But the catch is (well, one of a thousand), the external script would enable the selected schedule on the fly and the Snevl sprinkler program would have to use that schedule the next time it ran. I don't know whether a 'simple command' could be sent such that the Snevl script would simply respond to the newly enabled schedule.

Sound bad?

Thanks for your time Steve,

Frank

Frank,

Let me take a look at it. I don't think it would be that hard, but I don't remember the internals of this thing.

Steve

[stevea]

Frank,

Check your email. I sent you something that should allow you to do what you described.

Steve