zHome Plus for iOS

[lakehawk]

Matt,
If you update the TestFlight version you now have the ability to enable it so that all events defined in HomeSeer are available to you in zHome Plus. The system default is what we have been doing... which is to only show the events in a group named "Scenes". If you enable this new option under Default System Settings then it will now create rooms for each event group and that room will contain the events as they are defined in HomeSeer. You can also edit custom rooms and add events into those from any of the event groups if you so desire. We will be testing over the weekend and submitting this to the App Store on Monday if no one in the TestFlight team finds any issues.

Hope this meets your needs.

[w.vuyk]

Glad you are doing this. I did not want to move all events out of their existing groups and reorganize for ZHome plus only as I have organised them so I can find events easy on my terms. To move the events to a room named after the groups name is not 100% what I like, but I guess the custom rooms option might just solve my objections for a complete move over to your plugin from HS mobile (did not go further then a trial on this as I do really need events, certainly not only device access)

Looking forward to this change. Is there any way to reset a trial?

Wim

[Bigstevep]

I'm having an issue with the app. When ever I start the app is starts for a second then closes. I've reinstalled the app and set up everything correctly (have used the app for a good bit not so I know how) but the same on my iPads and iPhone. Any ideas?

[lakehawk]

Wim, sorry but I don’t believe there is a way to reset. To even implement the free trial was quite an adventure. They should make that much easier to offer. Every time I submit an update I end up having to explain to the reviewers that this app isn’t a subscription based model. They really want to have everything be a subscription. Go to the ABOUT section at the bottom of the Settings screen and send us an email. If you are familiar with TestFlight I may be able to get you a build that bypasses the trial checks. These build have a 90 day expiration. I would not normally do that, but I have seen how much support and help you give people. 👍🏻

Bigstevep, sounds to me like the problem you are having is what we ran into with some plug in devices causing us to trap. We have a fix in testing now and will be submitting an update on Monday to the App Store. Once that gets through the review process then you should be able to get past that. Sorry for the problems.

[Guest]

2 requests:

-Would it be possible to put all events (when we select all events) in only one room ‘’event’’ , and in that room to have the possibility to open and close a group of events? . Because now it is confusing with devices .


- On some feature there is no name and it is difficult to know what is what (see picture)

[Guest]

Also, the ability to set a picture on the background instead of the black and green. And/or have the ability to change the colors.

thanks

[lakehawk]

In regards to the Events issue.. I will look at that. It seems no matter what I do in regards to the Events someone will want something different... Not sure how many permutations I want to support.

In regards to the name and status issue on those "features" that you posted the images for... I will look at your JSON today and see what can be done... The screenshots seemed to indicate that you are displaying the parent device and its showing the status of all its children nodes that have no true function that can be changed via a control.. its rather a status of the state of a "feature". I will need to look at this and see what we can do. I'm sure there is something. I can see that would be confusing. I find HS4 confusing.

I'm not a fan of the paradigm that HS4 adopted in regards to "features" and how they structured all of this. They think they have become Object Oriented... It's really more like a change was made to justify naming it HS4. From what I can see the only benefit is some things that were paid plug ins are now free... but the true functionality of anything central like z-wave itself and especially in regards to events is still just not showing any improvement that justifies the expense. I personally still run both of my homes on HS3 and only have an HS4 system setup for test purposes.

As for the colors issue.. well that's doable of course, but way down the list. Too many other things that actually add functionality to work on rather than messing with color schemes and background images. Next time I need a distraction I will think on it some, but don't expect that anytime soon.

Right now the important thing is to submit what I have to the App Store since this next release fixes a severe issue with some of the plug ins. So let me get that out and then I will address the issues you have mentioned. I appreciate the feedback and will hopefully get something that people enjoy using.

[lakehawk]

Matt, new build available now in TestFlight that shows you the feature name included with the status for your plug in devices. This should make that useable for you. Not sure why but I had this in the code already but was commented out and was just displaying the status. I'm sure that I'll hear from someone that this messes up some other plug in device display but until then it is what it is. Not a fan of this architecture.

[lakehawk]

Also have a new build I just released in TestFlight.. This one has a change for Events. If you turn on All Events in the settings then this build will put all events into a room named HS Events. There they are sorted by group name... so all group events are together... If you want events in a custom room they can be added there. The events will show up in the custom room editing by their group names.

I personally prefer the original method of being able to just put events I want to see in my mobile app in a group named Scenes. This lets me effectively "hide" events I don't want. to expose via the app. Then from that grouping I can put events into custom rooms if I want them. Not sure what advantage there is to putting all the events in one logical location rather than having them grouped by the group name assigned them in HomeSeer. But take a look and hopefully the other TestFlight users will chime in... I would prefer to avoid having to write some custom code to present a special screen for events so that you can "open" up groups... especially since I'm working on my own custom event system that will actually tell me when and if all the devices that I want an event to control have successfully responded to the request or not.

So there is now build 60 out there that has added the feature name to the feature status and Build 61 will lump all your events into one room that is sorted out by group names for the events.

Hoping that people chime in on this and tell me what they want from events in ZHP. I already have what I wanted in regards to HS events, so now I need to know what it is exactly others feel is important or needed.

[Guest]

I have just sent you some screenshots via the app. Not sureif you received them.

[George]

Love the new Events support but maybe a couple of suggestions. Moving events into a generic group called Scenes sort of messes up the reason that Events are separated by groups. A lighting event is different from a security event from a manual event and that's they put in grouping.

I can see a couple of ways of handing this.

1) Not my first choice, but if possible, handle it the way the default HSTouch does. Collapsing all the events into a top level expandable view that you can tap. You can see the Event groups and then once you select a group you see the events in that group.

2) My first choice, and I don't think it will break any HS conventions is to handle events the way Linux and the MAC does. If you start an event with a period (.) that event is hidden from the Events tab.

I have a ton of 'Follower' events because of my conversion from X-10 to Z-Wave and the fact that I still have my OmniPro 1.9 thinking that it controls lights via X-10. So I define a couple of follower events that if an X-1 device goes on and there is a Z-Wave replacement turn on or off the Z-Wave real device. The opposite is the same, in order to let the OmniPro and HS 1.7, or any other controller because of the singularity of a Z-Wave network know of a device status change, if a Z-Wave device status changes the follower event will echo the X-10 command to let other controllers know that the status of the real Z-Wave device.

Putting a period in front of the event name would be minimally intrusive visually, the event would still be there and run correctly, and ZHome would just ignore it in showing it.
So a Follow Kitchen Table Light event would be a .Follow Kitchen Table Light.

Sound doable? But messing up the original meaning of the room/location options of HS still will cause confusion (IMHO) if you are looking for an event to change and still not hide redundant or events that you wouldn't want to see in the interface for ZHome.

g

[jbfoster]

I only have a few Events that I need to see in zHome Plus. So far all is good with me. I use Custom Rooms only so I only see the Events I need.

Jim

[lakehawk]

Matt -
I got the screenshots. I have tested and events are sent to HomeSeer.... again.. HomeSeer provides no way to know if an event was successful or not. It's a crap shoot. Nothing I can do about that until I finish the design and implementation of my own event subsystem. The HomeSeer method of dealing with "events" is rather flawed. I believe the word I'm looking for is "lame". If an event is not firing for you then you might want to look carefully at the conditions you have set to have the event fire off some action.

George -
That's an interesting idea... using the "." to preface the name as a method to hide an event. I think you have a good idea. This is very hard to implement so I just uploaded the build to TestFlight with this change. LOL

Please see if this meets your needs.. it should be processed and released to you soon. Just put a "." as the first character of an event name and it will now be hidden in ZHP.

Jim - Anything for you buddy... the bourbon was / is excellent! I am now searching for bigger glasses to pour bigger drinks. LOL

[jbfoster]

Jim - Anything for you buddy... the bourbon was / is excellent! I am now searching for bigger glasses to pour bigger drinks. LOL

No issues to report. I'm all good for now.

Jim

[brientim]

Hello,

I have been following the evolution of this from the background. I am one of those individuals that have the inordinate number of events (300+) in 40+ groups. This was one of the conversations that lakehawk and I discussed during early testing and it is good to read the additional commentary that as followed.

In reality most my Events are designed for Home Automation and run autonomously with ever needing human interactions. The others are either specifically designed as Home Control and most are rarely human interactions as they are based on another related conditions of as described by George as follower events and there event triggers are normally based on an external condition i.e. the status of a Virtual Switch will determine which follow event is triggered rather than writing scripts if/then/else etc.

I have tested both in the past and due to original performance related issues limiting real event that I needed in ZHome Plus was my target objective. The ongoing development of the by lakehawk has improved performance significantly.

I have not experienced any performance issues with the latest test releases.