Feature Suggestions

[macromark]

If you'd like to suggest a feature or improvement for our software, the best way to do this would be to open a ticket We periodically review these requests and evaluate them as candidates for inclusion in future releases. You may also post them here to this thread for discussion with the community.

Suggest a feature or improvement:

[mulu]

My main issues are with HSTouch Designer.

• Allow long and double clicks in HSTouch. See HSCS-2662
• Get client name and perform actions and perform action on that client. See post https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/ho...on-that-client
• I also had some private message to rjh about two way communication which would be VERY helpful and make HSTouch Designer so much more powerful.
• Fix the problem where rotating the device does not switch from landscape to portrait and visa-versa. See HSCS-17401

Other feature requests are:

• Determine if device was controlled locally or through HS. Depending on that I want the next event behavior to be different. See HSCS-14105
• Allow negative values for conditions like "The Time is This After Sunset". See HSCS-14134
• Filter to find devices associated with a particular plugin. See HSCS-333
• Allow Alexa announcement without going through Node-Red or Voice Monkey. I know Alexa doesn't allow but maybe it can be done some other way. See HSCS-13137
• Simplify adding features to virtual devices. Doing it through bulk edit is very unintuitive. See HSCS-9037
• Alexa has an API for shades, fans, etc. This is not fully supported in HS. See HSCS-17986
• For events also have an icon if Alexa voice has been enabled, i.e. same as the voice icon for devices. See HSCS-17149
• Support some of the most popular Aqara devices... I mean it, though.
• I also use a lot of the feature in EasyTrigger like increment device values, set one device value to another device value, toggle device (and you can say which states to toggle through), enable event, disable event, etc. The ones listed are the ones I use the most.

[randy]

Allow negative values for conditions like "The Time is This After Sunset". See HSCS-14134

Just curious about this one. A negative number would be before Sunset. Why would this be necessary? You have before and after both sunrise and sunset.

[jgreenberg01]

[*]Get client name and perform actions and perform action on that client. See post https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/ho...on-that-client

100% on this. Not just the name of the client, but the current screen the client is on as well.

Sometimes the location of a request is important. There are times that you may only want one client to show a specific screen. Having easy-to-access variables with the above information is important.

The unnatural acts (and time invested) I had to commit to make this happen was staggering.

[avpman]

100% on this. Not just the name of the client, but the current screen the client is on as well.

Sometimes the location of a request is important. There are times that you may only want one client to show a specific screen. Having easy-to-access variables with the above information is important.

The unnatural acts (and time invested) I had to commit to make this happen was staggering.

+1

[mulu]

Just curious about this one. A negative number would be before Sunset. Why would this be necessary? You have before and after both sunrise and sunset.

I had a back-and-forth with HS support about (the case was also closed a couple of times which I then reopened). Here is my key response after which the left it open as a bug back almost exactly a year ago (haven't heard back that it was fixed, i.e. it's still open):

---
"The Time is This Before Sunset" is a VERY specific time. This should not be available as an "AND IF"/"Condition" (others already reported this as a bug). Instead, "The Time is This Before Sunset" is a TRIGGER.

Even if it were a condition, it means the time BEFORE 4 hours before sunset. It is not the time range of [4 hours before sunset] until midnight. I am looking for a CONDITION that starts sometime BEFORE sunset until midnight.
---

So my proposed solution to this is allowing negative values for "The time is This After Sunset". If there is another way to have a CONDITION for "[4 hours before sunset] until midnight" then I am fine with that.

[randy]

I had a back-and-forth with HS support about (the case was also closed a couple of times which I then reopened). Here is my key response after which the left it open as a bug back almost exactly a year ago (haven't heard back that it was fixed, i.e. it's still open):

---
"The Time is This Before Sunset" is a VERY specific time. This should not be available as an "AND IF"/"Condition" (others already reported this as a bug). Instead, "The Time is This Before Sunset" is a TRIGGER.

Even if it were a condition, it means the time BEFORE 4 hours before sunset. It is not the time range of [4 hours before sunset] until midnight. I am looking for a CONDITION that starts sometime BEFORE sunset until midnight.
---

So my proposed solution to this is allowing negative values for "The time is This After Sunset". If there is another way to have a CONDITION for "[4 hours before sunset] until midnight" then I am fine with that.

My bad, I was thinking Triggers.

For Conditions the exact times won’t work, as you noted. While Easy Trigger handles this, well before it was available I had suggested a different take on Time Conditions in a ticket on the old HS3 reporting system. I had suggested a method somewhat clumsier than what Spud came up with.

• The time is before/after x minutes before sunrise
• The time is before/after x minutes after sunrise
• The time is before/after x minutes before sunset
• The time is before/after x minutes after sunset

The Easy Trigger method is cleaner than my old suggestion.


HST has to walk a fine line. They encourage the development of plug-ins and an enterprising developer came up with Easy Trigger, spending his own time on development. Every plug-in sold sells for $30 and the developer gets about $20. If they included these as native Conditions, they would dilute the value of Easy Trigger. If HST was to include the functions within HS4, they would have to come to an agreement with Spud for some payment for every HS4 license sold. That still would not compensate him for all the existing licenses that would get the plug-in for free. This also reduces the profit from selling a copy of HS4.

Im not saying it can’t be done, but it is not just as simple as including it with HS4. If I was making decisions at HST, I would try to find a way to make it happen, because it adds so much value to HS4 and might prompt more sales.

[mulu]

randy I totally get the business aspect of this. It always has been my main reasoning why HS refuses to integrate the EasyTrigger functions into HS. I suspect that spud sold a lot of the EasyTrigger plugin which gives HST some $10 and spud some $20. So now the full $30/100% goes to HST when spud joined HST (I believe he was hired by HST...). Maybe there were also some non-competing agreements but that would mean the offer HST made to spud was not attractive enough to transfer the EasyTrigger rights to HST and HST believes that financially they are better off with having users buying into EasyTrigger compared to the business they lose for not including such basic functions. Complete speculation on my part.

[randy]

randy Complete speculation on my part.

Yes. We really don’t know the relationship, nor is it any of our business.

[BraveSirRobbin]

I know there are security and other factors to consider with this feature; but, would it be feasible/possible for HomeSeer to offer an Email (SMTP) service to allow for sending notifications with HomeSeer? Perhaps require authentication via the existing MyHS service?

I have a hosting service and use their email servers, but often we see users who don't have this available and struggle implementing other options.

Or better yet, offer a native notification service such as Pushover (I also use this).

[lhfarm]

I have been using HS products since the 1990s Until my retirement some 13 years ago (yes, I'm really old), I was very active in expanding my HA projects and trying the latest technology. After retirement, unless I had a specific need, I tended to just enjoy the solid performance of HS. I still try to scan the "Today's Post" on the forum each day. But I don't recognize many of the PIs I see referenced. I would like to see a monthly newsletter featuring a PI and its uses.

Barry

[ksum]

What about time devices which we could then use in an event? If the time is equal to MYTIMEDEVICE then... Also include the X minute before/after, and other options. Then I could easily have a dashboard, be it HS Mobile, HSTouch, HSBuddy, Node-RED, or other where I can select a time and have an event run based on that. I can see using this for setting start/stop times for ovens, for example. Basically looking to make a Time Based Event dynamic with regards to the time it is triggered.

[goldriver]

I am sure this is a HUGE request but local voice command would be a wonderfull addition for me as I am automating my rv and since I don't always have network available on the road, I can't rely on Google or Alexa... For now i unfortunatly have to rely on a competitor to automate my RV

[ksum]

I am sure this is a HUGE request but local voice command would be a wonderfull addition for me as I am automating my rv and since I don't always have network available on the road, I can't rely on Google or Alexa... For now i unfortunatly have to rely on a competitor to automate my RV

Have you looked at the Voice tab under the Setup menu? It has been there for some time.

[goldriver]

Have you looked at the Voice tab under the Setup menu? It has been there for some time.

Sorry hould have been more specific, multi language ... I tried phrases in french with this option once and it was catastrophic...