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    Need to set a UPB device link to null

    Any chance you could add the ability to set a UPB device link to blank or null or something like that (ie, not activate, not deactivate, etc)?

    I have many links that are mutually exclusive (actually all lighting links are). Just for one example - Daytime Home and Nightime Home. As it works now, when Nighttime Home is activated, Daytime Home is not affected so it still shows the last status which is ACTIVATE. In other words, now both links show they are activated but that does not accurately reflect the status of the lights in the house. In my event I could deactivate Daytime Home and then activate Nighttime Home but that causes all lights to go off momentarily and then the nighttime lights come back on. That's not a desirable effect. So what I would like to be able to do is set Daytime Home to some kind of null value. It would need to be something that would not return true if another event checks the status (ie, "If Daytime Home = Activate" would be false. Even if there were a way to set the status to Deactivate without actually sending the command, that would be OK. (But null would be better).

    Thanks!

    #2
    All link commands are really one-time commands rather than lasting states---as I go and change individual lights that might have been affected by the link command, the UPB plug-in doesn't acknowledge that change,, so a new link command does not invoke a "value becomes" trigger since, as far as the plug-in is concerned, it already has that value.

    So I agree the correct solution is for the plug-in to recognize that and have a trigger anytime a link command is sensed, regardless of the current believed value of that link.

    In my case, I have worked around the problem. I have a number of events triggered by link value "becomes activate" and link value "becomes deactivate". I added an additional action to direct the link to go to on or go to off. The way mine is set up, go to on is identical to activate and go to off is identical to deactivate. And the next time the link activate occurs, the 'becomes' trigger works (since the link status is 'on' rahter than 'activate'.

    Hope this helps a little (but a change to the plug-in to have a link command received trigger would sure be better.

    Pete
    Last edited by pete@malibubeach.com; July 16, 2006, 01:44 PM.

    Comment


      #3
      So I agree the correct solution is for the plug-in to recognize that and have a trigger anytime a link command is sensed, regardless of the current believed value of that link.
      I believe the plugin does this already. See item #1 in the Beta version 1.0.2.2 post. Isn't that what you're talking about?

      My post was about something totally different I'm not talking about HS recognizing when a link command is sensed. I'm asking for the ability to set a status in HS WITHOUT actually sending a link command. Right now, if you set the status to "Deactivate", it actually sends a Deactivate command on the powerline and the UPB devices respond accordingly. I need the ability to set the status to NULL in HS without sending a command, or to set the status to "Deactivate" without actually sending the command. This could actually be done with a check box that says "Set status only".

      Comment


        #4
        So I guess my problem is a little different---and I guess I never noticed that option box on the UPB setup screen. So I can take out those extra actions!

        Thanks,
        Pete

        Comment


          #5
          The UPB plug-in uses the value of 0 to represent "unknown" for a link. This is how all the links initialize when the plug-in starts. Setting this value will cause no link transmission. The next set value will cause a transmission (unless it is 0 again).

          I had thought about (and tested) having the plug-in reset the link value when any state changed in any device that was associated with the link but that prooved to be pretty useless. It was nicer to just be able to see what that link last transmitted.

          Jon


          Originally posted by pete@malibubeach.com
          So I guess my problem is a little different---and I guess I never noticed that option box on the UPB setup screen. So I can take out those extra actions!

          Thanks,
          Pete
          Jon Ort
          JonOrt@The--Orts.com
          (Remove the dashes in the address, spam is getting out of hand)

          Comment


            #6
            OK, so how do I set the value to zero? The only options for value that I have are:
            • Activate
            • Deactivate
            • Fade On
            • Fade Off
            • Snap On
            • Snap Off
            • Dim to 10%
            • Dim to 20%
            • ....
            • Dim to 90%
            • Blink
            • Restore Last On Level
            • Fade Stop
            "Zero" or "0" isn't an option.

            I'm running 1.0.2.3 of the plugin. Is that an option in a later version?

            Comment


              #7
              You don't seem to be able to do it with a device action, but you can do it (and it works) from a script:

              hs.setdevicevaluebyname "UPB Device Link link name", 0

              Pete
              By the way: why is there a fade stop, but now fade start in the list of available actions?

              Comment


                #8
                That will work. Thanks!

                Comment


                  #9
                  There are fade start commands, fade on and fade off...

                  HomeSeer hides the "unknown" value from the drop lists, in a way.

                  Jon


                  Originally posted by pete@malibubeach.com
                  You don't seem to be able to do it with a device action, but you can do it (and it works) from a script:

                  hs.setdevicevaluebyname "UPB Device Link link name", 0

                  Pete
                  By the way: why is there a fade stop, but now fade start in the list of available actions?
                  Jon Ort
                  JonOrt@The--Orts.com
                  (Remove the dashes in the address, spam is getting out of hand)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Actually, Jon, the reason I asked the question is because fade start is NOT in the menu (at least the menu I get for device actions). The list DC posted a couple postings ago in this thread (except for the obvious missing dim levels in his list) agrees with the complete list I get on the Homeseer action menu. (UPB plug-in version 1.0.2.4). Fade on, Fade off, and fade stop are all there, but not fade start. Not sure I care about it (can't think of when I'd use it), but I am just wondering if there is something I have set up wrong or is this potentially indicative of some other problem?

                    Thanks,
                    Pete

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Same for blink. I sometimes want to use Blink on a single light in an area of my house to signify that a button press was registered (I use this mainly for delayed off, so I hit a button and the lights turn off 120 seconds later, I like confirmation that the command went through). Anyway, today I have to create a new link with just that one device to get the blink command.

                      The other problem I seem to have is that setting blink on a link doesn't always seem to work. I see confirmation that a link is set to 16, but the link never blinks. I have to be more methodical about testing this. If I can reproduce it regularly, I will post the problem as a separate thread.

                      G

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Since HomeSeer has fewer trigger options for non-light devices (there is no "has been on for" or "has been off for" triggers or conditions for the links for instance) I decided to make the UPB devices standard lighting control devices as far as HomeSeer was concerned. This means that they only have the ability to be "on", "off", or "dimmed". There is no blink support for the device - at least not directly. Now if you enable the extra button support in the plug-n options then you get a "restore last on level" and "blink" control button set for each light. Unfortunately there is no script command to set these states except through a link since HomeSeer has no direct awareness of these states.

                        The point of my last post was that "fade on" could be considered the same as "Start fade to on" and "fade off" is "Start fade to off". There isn't much real use for the fade stop command since it is extremely hard to get the timimg consistent.

                        Jon



                        Originally posted by gbdesai
                        Same for blink. I sometimes want to use Blink on a single light in an area of my house to signify that a button press was registered (I use this mainly for delayed off, so I hit a button and the lights turn off 120 seconds later, I like confirmation that the command went through). Anyway, today I have to create a new link with just that one device to get the blink command.

                        The other problem I seem to have is that setting blink on a link doesn't always seem to work. I see confirmation that a link is set to 16, but the link never blinks. I have to be more methodical about testing this. If I can reproduce it regularly, I will post the problem as a separate thread.

                        G
                        Jon Ort
                        JonOrt@The--Orts.com
                        (Remove the dashes in the address, spam is getting out of hand)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Thanks Jon---as I said, I, too, don't see much use for stop fade---just wanted to make sure I was seeing what I am supposed to see. It all makes sense now. Thanks for explaining.

                          Pete

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Thanks Oman. That makes sense. Any idea of how I can diagnose the other problem, or a particular link not blinking when I send it the blink command (log show the link set to 16), but no blinking. Other links blink perfectly...

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Set your repeat rate to 2 or three and see if that makes any difference. Since link commands are broadcast rather than point to point there is no direct verification that all devices reacted so UPB has the ability to send multiple broadcasts at once to improve reliability.

                              Jon



                              Originally posted by gbdesai
                              Thanks Oman. That makes sense. Any idea of how I can diagnose the other problem, or a particular link not blinking when I send it the blink command (log show the link set to 16), but no blinking. Other links blink perfectly...
                              Jon Ort
                              JonOrt@The--Orts.com
                              (Remove the dashes in the address, spam is getting out of hand)

                              Comment

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