HS4 4.2.16.7 is ready for Beta testing!

[rjh]

The "wait" action and runevent action are the only actions that will cause an event to run in the background. The runevent now has a setting to disable that, maybe we should add a similar setting to the wait. I honestly cannot remember why we force an event to run in its own thread if there is a wait action present. I bet if I removed the threading most users would not see a difference.

I think maybe it was added for the case where you wanted to trigger multiple events, say at a specific time, but did not want the first event to hold up processing of subsequent events, like an event with a long 30 second delay. I can see cases where you would want multiple events to run at the same time, say one turns on some z-wave lights and the other turns on some zigbee lights. You would want the events to run in parallel. But there are other cases where you would want them to run serially. Specifying this with some option would be better than relying on the wait action. I would suggest removing the wait action from forcing the event to run in a thread and add a "wait for event to complete" in the event properties. If this is not checked, events run in parallel, else they run serially. By default this is checked so existing configurations are not affected.

Comments?

rjh randy TC1 - I've been out of circulation, so apologies for not replying to you all sooner, wrt post #34 - "an event that runs multiple other [conditional] events"

My requirement is exactly the same as TC1's, as he outlined in post #37 - "truly single thread execution when needed" because, like him, "I use a lot of Run Event (with test for condition true) actions to compensate for the fact we don't have conditional logic at the present. It's a kludge."

The wait actions in the test events were simply used to check if the second event triggered immediately after the first had started or after it completed.

The conditional sub-events do not typically include, or need, a wait statement like that. They just have a number of actions that need to complete before moving to the next set of actions in the main event. One of those actions might be to speak something using the HS speech client with "wait for speech to finish" set, but I don't know if "A quick fix would be to run a simple script that does the wait" would help with that?

Randy understands what we're trying to achieve and, as he suggests in post 36, a possible solution is "an option "Wait for Event to complete prior to running the next Action" on each "Run another Event" Action, not to just "Run Events in Order"" (although I confess, I was operating on the misunderstanding that "Run Events In Order" would wait for the event to complete before moving on rather than just triggering then in the chosen sequence. Randy's clarification is much appreciated)

However, as TC1 suggests in post 37, "Having the ability to have conditional logic at the Main Event level, with Run Events in order, would eliminate most of my sub-events needs." With conditional logic at the main event level I'd probably move all the conditional sub-actions into the main event and eliminate a lot of those sub-events. With all the logic in the main event, rather than spread across sub-event conditions, the events would be much clearer and tracing problems would be easier, so that would be my ideal solution.

On reflection, I'm using conditional events like a subroutine in a conventional programming language and expecting it to execute then return control to the main event. I don't know, but it feels like this could have a bearing on any eventual implementation of conditional logic in HS4 too. Will "conditional logic" in make HS4 feel more like a programming language, and will new users assume that (eg) any sub-events within an IF block of actions will behave like a subroutine and complete within that block of logic? I'd certainly appreciate some clear documentation on how that would work before I start changing stuff.

I hope that helps clarify where I was coming from, and many thanks for your help.

[TC1]

The "wait" action and runevent action are the only actions that will cause an event to run in the background. The runevent now has a setting to disable that, maybe we should add a similar setting to the wait. I honestly cannot remember why we force an event to run in its own thread if there is a wait action present. I bet if I removed the threading most users would not see a difference.

I think maybe it was added for the case where you wanted to trigger multiple events, say at a specific time, but did not want the first event to hold up processing of subsequent events, like an event with a long 30 second delay. I can see cases where you would want multiple events to run at the same time, say one turns on some z-wave lights and the other turns on some zigbee lights. You would want the events to run in parallel. But there are other cases where you would want them to run serially. Specifying this with some option would be better than relying on the wait action. I would suggest removing the wait action from forcing the event to run in a thread and add a "wait for event to complete" in the event properties. If this is not checked, events run in parallel, else they run serially. By default this is checked so existing configurations are not affected.

Comments?

Yes, perfect. Speaking for myself, WAITs were used to ensure something completed because the next action relied on the previous action having fully executed.

Agree 100% with your point regarding execution in the real world. Some home automation events lend themselves to being run asynchronously, some need to be run synchronously to ensure proper outcome. Having a choice on how event or action gets executed would be fantastic.

[randy]

Does your HS4 system always run at midnight? This is the time at which the security offsets are supposed to be reset

Yes. It runs 24/7. The last restart was Jan 6

[Walnut2000]

I would suggest removing the wait action from forcing the event to run in a thread and add a "wait for event to complete" in the event properties. If this is not checked, events run in parallel, else they run serially. By default this is checked so existing configurations are not affected.

Comments?

I agree. That would be ideal, thanks.

[John245]

rjh


See my list of issues. For isue#21 and issue#22 even a fix was posted, you only have to implement.

Issue#	Issue type	Description	Status	Criticality	Link(s)	Comment(s)
7	FR	Addition of multiple select for display type	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1487852#post1487852
11	FR	Tooltips missing for icons device feature page	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1488042#post1488042
12	Bug	No action will be executed when pressing the icon with 9 squares on the device feature page	Open	Major	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1488034#post1488034
13	FR	Rewrite Event page to look and feel of the feature page	Open	Major	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1488037#post1488037	Use of icons, tooltips not aligned.
15	FR	Change naming Logging under device features and bulk edit	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1494659-hs4-beta-4-2-0-5-is-available?p=1495074#post1495074	Reported based on testing v4.2.0.5 beta
16	FR/bug	Improve alignment feature names in case of long names	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1497928-hs4-beta-4-2-1-0-is-available?p=1498030#post1498030	Reported based on testing v4.2.1.0 beta
17	FR	Add fixed “Save” and “Cancel” button at the bottom of applicable pages to be consistent with the device feature page	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1497928-hs4-beta-4-2-1-0-is-available?p=1498034#post1498034	Reported based on testing v4.2.1.0 beta
19	Bug	Remove button not available for some installed plugins	Open	Major	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1496361-hs4-beta-4-2-0-8-is-available?p=1496375#post1496375	Reported based on testing v4.2.2.0 beta
20	Bug	Unit for security offset is missing	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1496361-hs4-beta-4-2-0-8-is-available?p=1496379#post1496379	Reported based on testing v4.2.2.0 beta
21	Bug	Radio button under General/Setup/Other Settings not correctly aligned	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499932#post1499932	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta See post 31 https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...63#post1499963 for the fix. You only have to implement
22	Bug	Underlining entry max days to keep (General/Setup/Log Settings) misaligned with other underlining on page	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...34#post1499934 #18	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta See post 31 https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...63#post1499963 for the fix. You only have to implement
23	Bug	Updater is using latest release while latest stable is intended.	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499938#post1499938	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta
24	Bug	No consistent use of dots in update section	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499938#post1499938	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta
26	FR	Use document icon including tooltips to visualize availability of release notes	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499955#post1499955	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta

---
John

[John245]

rjh


See my list of issues. For isue#21 and issue#22 even a fix was posted, you only have to implement.

Issue#	Issue type	Description	Status	Criticality	Link(s)	Comment(s)
7	FR	Addition of multiple select for display type	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1487852#post1487852
11	FR	Tooltips missing for icons device feature page	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1488042#post1488042
12	Bug	No action will be executed when pressing the icon with 9 squares on the device feature page	Open	Major	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1488034#post1488034
13	FR	Rewrite Event page to look and feel of the feature page	Open	Major	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1485173-hs4-beta-4-1-100-0-4-2-beta-is-available?p=1488037#post1488037	Use of icons, tooltips not aligned.
15	FR	Change naming Logging under device features and bulk edit	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1494659-hs4-beta-4-2-0-5-is-available?p=1495074#post1495074	Reported based on testing v4.2.0.5 beta
16	FR/bug	Improve alignment feature names in case of long names	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1497928-hs4-beta-4-2-1-0-is-available?p=1498030#post1498030	Reported based on testing v4.2.1.0 beta
17	FR	Add fixed “Save” and “Cancel” button at the bottom of applicable pages to be consistent with the device feature page	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1497928-hs4-beta-4-2-1-0-is-available?p=1498034#post1498034	Reported based on testing v4.2.1.0 beta
19	Bug	Remove button not available for some installed plugins	Open	Major	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1496361-hs4-beta-4-2-0-8-is-available?p=1496375#post1496375	Reported based on testing v4.2.2.0 beta
20	Bug	Unit for security offset is missing	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1496361-hs4-beta-4-2-0-8-is-available?p=1496379#post1496379	Reported based on testing v4.2.2.0 beta
21	Bug	Radio button under General/Setup/Other Settings not correctly aligned	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499932#post1499932	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta See post 31 https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...63#post1499963 for the fix. You only have to implement
22	Bug	Underlining entry max days to keep (General/Setup/Log Settings) misaligned with other underlining on page	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...34#post1499934 #18	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta See post 31 https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...63#post1499963 for the fix. You only have to implement
23	Bug	Updater is using latest release while latest stable is intended.	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499938#post1499938	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta
24	Bug	No consistent use of dots in update section	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499938#post1499938	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta
26	FR	Use document icon including tooltips to visualize availability of release notes	Open	Minor	https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs4-products/hs4-software/hs4-pro-beta-releases/1499473-hs4-beta-4-2-4-0-is-available?p=1499955#post1499955	Reported based on testing 4.2.4.0 beta

---
John

[andyf]

HSCS-17311 - Delayed Event between Midnight & 12:01am is ignored

Occasionally I run an event that I delay for 6 minutes. Sometimes that event gets scheduled between 12 midnight and 12:01am. This event is always ignored,
If it gets scheduled at 12:01am or later, no problem. Supposedly fixed but not in this beta.

[rjh]

The one issue we have to deal with is the user who sets the wait to 30 minutes and does not set it to run in parallel. Your system would then be frozen and you would not know why. I suppose since the default would "parallel" the user would have to change that setting. But they could and cause real problems. Maybe a note in the event as a warning when they have the event set to "wait until finished" and a wait action was included.

I agree. That would be ideal, thanks.

[Demusman]

Not sure if this is the beta or a previous release.
I sort the list view as room ascending, if I search for a device, then go back to devices the view is returned to Name Ascending.
Is this intentional? I wouldn't think so.

[randy]

Yesterday it changed. It was the 8th run.

It really doesn’t seem to be working:

2/1/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/31/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/30/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/29/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/28/2023 3:28:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/27/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/26/2023 3:28:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/25/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/24/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/23/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/22/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/21/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/20/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"
1/19/2023 3:17:00 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo securityOffset"

[Demusman]

Just had a sunrise event not trigger. Guessing it won't tomorrow either.
Not sure if this is a new discovery or if it just never happened before.

So both today and tomorrow sunrise is at 7am, 7:00:39 and 7:00:17 respectively.
I have this event:


Since sunrise is actually 7am it won't trigger.
I noticed the Homeseer sunrise/set times are:

Did they used to have seconds in a prior version of HS4 or in HS3?
Any chance to add seconds?

[Demusman]

rjh Hey Rich, Not sure where you are on the Shutdown script but if it helps, I noticed that every time I reboot and I get the countdown timer, the script runs fine.
When I reboot and I get the "This site can't be reached" page, the script does not run.

For reference:
https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...76#post1588576

[Bernold]

rjh Hi Rich, just noticed that the Release Notes button under Setup > General > Updates > Latest Release is pointing to the wrong url:
https://docs.homeseer.com/display/HS...lease+4.2.16.0 instead of
https://docs.homeseer.com/products/s...lease-4-2-16-0

(The button for Latest Beta Release Notes seems fine).

^{Edit: I'm guessing the problem is in hs4update.txt, rather than the .exe(?)}