Plugin needs more than 99 devices

[lpitman]

How can a plugin get around the 99 device limit of a House Code??

What would the code look like since, I am familar only with the Plugin API method.

[mnsandler]

Larry,
what are you trying to enumerator that you need more than 99 devices?

maybe you should partition your devices: type 1 on house code 1, type 2 on house code 2, etc.

[lpitman]

New versions of the VWS software outputs, 107 weather fields. I am trying to continue using the HS plugin-API, that selects next available house code, but not sure how to accomplish. If I manually assign then it will be difficult to not step on other inuse house codes.

[Malarcy]

New versions of the VWS software outputs, 107 weather fields. I am trying to continue using the HS plugin-API, that selects next available house code, but not sure how to accomplish. If I manually assign then it will be difficult to not step on other inuse house codes.

Can't you just call it twice - get a housecode and use it, then call it again, and use it for the rest - you will have to keep track of both in the ini file / registry but you should be able to work around it.

Malarcy

[Uncle Michael]

The Stargate plug-in can accommodate up to 256 devices by using multiple house codes. I'm not sure how it was accomplished, but it's a HS plug-in so Rich ought to be able to direct you to the answer.

[stipus]

The Direct Input plugin requests a new HomeSeer HouseCode each time previous HouseCodes are full. I know board user djblack uses 180 DirectInput devices ... so this is working fine.

There is no real limit, unless HomeSeer doesn't give a new HouseCode to the plugin.

[Rupp]

New versions of the VWS software outputs, 107 weather fields. I am trying to continue using the HS plugin-API, that selects next available house code, but not sure how to accomplish. If I manually assign then it will be difficult to not step on other inuse house codes.

Will users every want all 107 outputs? I would set it up to all the user select which outputs they want up to 99. I'll bet the average user doesn't care about more than a handful of values.

[zimmer62]

I think this is something HST should address in the future though. The whole concept of house codes is carried on from old x10, and should disappear someday. There should be no limit to the number of devices. Just link everything to plugin name or id, and have as many as you want.

Maybe the next version of homeseer normalize the data and take a more relational approach to storing it. It would be nice to have it stored in this manor and able to run more efficient queries against it.... History of data wouldn't be much of an issue. You could ask the system questions like how long has each light been on per month, and chart based on things like that with ease. Right now it would be a difficult process to track that because you'd have to look at logs, do some complex guessing etc. Homeseer as it stands right now is great for automating, but poor at data tracking. Adding that database back end would make all the difference for me.

Sorry for the rant, it just popped into my head because while agree with Rupp on the fact that most people won't need 107 points of data, I don't think that's something the developer should decide... What happens when something comes along and you might want 1007 points of data?

[stipus]

I agree... and also a DecimalValue should be added to devices. Many features could be added to HomeSeer.

However, it's not that hard for a plugin to ask HomeSeer for a new HouseCode as soon as the HouseCodes the plugin previously got from HomeSeer are full.

Using .Net generics, the plugin can keep the full map of codes it's using in a single variable. Here is a sample declaration from the c# code of the Direct Input Connector plugin.

// MAP OF HOMESEER DEVICE CODES USED BY THE PLUGIN
// Each HouseCode Key contains a List of used DeviceCodes
private Dictionary<string, List<Int32> > m_devicesMap;


If you delete a single device in the middle of a full HouseCode, this creates a hole in the device map, and next time you create a device, the unit code for the first hole is used by the plugin. If there are no holes at all, the plugin asks for a new HouseCode.

[Rick Tinker]

I think this is something HST should address in the future though. The whole concept of house codes is carried on from old x10, and should disappear someday. There should be no limit to the number of devices. Just link everything to plugin name or id, and have as many as you want.

Technically, there is no limit. Yes, the letter code/number code method are based upon X-10, there is nothing preventing you from creating 200 "A1" devices because we long ago went to using the unique device reference number. However, because it was based upon X-10, dozens of script commands are based upon this, and so if you abandon it, I guarantee you will get a lot of people yelling at you for that. There are still people to pray at the alter of X-10!

Maybe the next version of homeseer normalize the data and take a more relational approach to storing it. It would be nice to have it stored in this manor and able to run more efficient queries against it.... History of data wouldn't be much of an issue. You could ask the system questions like how long has each light been on per month, and chart based on things like that with ease. Right now it would be a difficult process to track that because you'd have to look at logs, do some complex guessing etc. Homeseer as it stands right now is great for automating, but poor at data tracking. Adding that database back end would make all the difference for me.

HomeSeer is a home automation application, not a data warehousing app. You can (and some have) add your own data warehouse to the data used in HomeSeer. If you use the unique device reference ID, that will work fine.


In the plug-in SDK, under the Devices section, there is a document called "Creating Devices". If you follow the recommendations there, I think it will point out how you can easily track your devices beyond the letter code limit. In the HAI plug-in for example, you can delete a device in the middle of the 99 device range, and when you create 10 more devices, it will take the one you deleted and then go on and fill other letter codes and number codes until it gets enough - it is, you might say, X-10 address agnostic. It uses the information provided in this page of the SDK. When one letter code is used up, it gets another one, and it does not even have to store the letter code. As long as you create a device right after calling GetNextFreeIOCode, you should not have to fear another plug-in taking it.

E-mail me if you need more help.

[lpitman]

Thanks Rick, I will have to look at the SDK sample again, because I missed that.

[zimmer62]

There are still people to pray at the alter of X-10!

Haha...that's because you actually have to pray for X-10 to work well enough.

HomeSeer is a home automation application, not a data warehousing app. You can (and some have) add your own data warehouse to the data used in HomeSeer. If you use the unique device reference ID, that will work fine.

I can always dream can't I? I just know the benefits of relational data storage and data normalization, speed and flexibility, and wish it were built right in. Imagine being able to have unlimited properties associated with each device or device type... Even user definable ones. Instead of location 1, location 2 you could have room, floor, category, type, date created, created by, description, image associations, who knows what else someone will dream of the possibilities are endless. That's just breaking the surface.

I'm glad to see there is a solution for this users problem.

[cadillackid]

since all devices are virtual above 16 in a housecode anyway.. well virtual as far as X-10 is concerned, why cant HST just open up an additional digit making available 999 devices in each house code.. this way it keeps the scripts happy as well as devices can stil be referenced by that old schema... also would make it easy for those with lots of virtual devices to not have to go through hoops to make sure homeseer doesnt use a housecode that is undisplayable in mainlobby or hard to work with...
-Christopher

[stipus]

As Rick said, I think many user scripts and lots of plugins would then fail.

This might be introduced as an option that would be disabled by default, and enabled by the user... but I fear the number of helpdesk tickets following such a change...

[lpitman]

OK, Rick I have read and re-read the SDK and still do not have a good understanding. The plugin needs 107 devices, how does it get those extra devices? It is not quite as automatic as you previously described. Some one please provide me with a example code as I am a visual learner type.

Thanks.