Script TTS Pronounciation

[randy]

Thanks, but $$DTR still will not reveal the value to x,

That is because on most devices $$DTR:xxxx: will return a blank, because there is nothing stored as a string. What you need to do for speaking is to use a small script to take the value hs.DeviceValueEX, truncate it to a single digit after the decimal point, replace "-" with "minus" and append "degrees" or "degrees celsius" to the value to use in spoken text. You can use alternately hs.DeviceValue to return an integer, if that is all the precision you need. Unfortunately, I am not a programmer, but I could cobble something together. I would probably write it to a Virtual Device's string, but it could be written to the actual Device's string, but then it would look like this:



Then you could use $$DTR:618: ("minus 2 degrees celcius") in your speech string for the temperature.

If you don't need to refer to the device with Device Manager or HSTouch, it wouldn't be a problem.

[Gogs]

My installation of HS3 supports both. What have you tried that leads you to think that HS3 doesn't support hs.DeviceString()?

Simply that I have never managed to get them to work with HS3

[Gogs]

That is because on most devices $$DTR:xxxx: will return a blank, because there is nothing stored as a string. What you need to do for speaking is to use a small script to take the value hs.DeviceValueEX, truncate it to a single digit after the decimal point, replace "-" with "minus" and append "degrees" or "degrees celsius" to the value to use in spoken text. You can use alternately hs.DeviceValue to return an integer, if that is all the precision you need. Unfortunately, I am not a programmer, but I could cobble something together. I would probably write it to a Virtual Device's string, but it could be written to the actual Device's string, but then it would look like this:

[ATTACH]65725[/ATTACH]

Then you could use $$DTR:618: ("minus 2 degrees celcius") in your speech string for the temperature.

If you don't need to refer to the device with Device Manager or HSTouch, it wouldn't be a problem.

[Uncle Michael]

Simply that I have never managed to get them to work with HS3

Did you try this and it didn't work? What did you get? Were there any error messages?

x = "Good "& TimeOfDay() & ".. The time is " & myTime() & "..It is" & WeekdayName(DatePart("w", Date)) & MonthName(DatePart("m", Date))& ",,the" & myday() & "," & "and the current outside temperature is " & hs.DeviceString(408) & "but it feels like " & hs.DeviceString(418)

[randy]

Here is the Status Graphics page where it is selected to have 1 decimal place for the status text



Depending on how your device's value is set by the plug-in, it may have way too much precision for a spoken value. That is why you would truncate it or use hs.DeviceValue so that it is only the integer. All you need to do is look at the Advanced tab to see the real precision of your device.

I don't do scripting much, but I will see if I can figure something out.

[randy]

Did you try this and it didn't work? What did you get? Were there any error messages?

x = "Good "& TimeOfDay() & ".. The time is " & myTime() & "..It is" & WeekdayName(DatePart("w", Date)) & MonthName(DatePart("m", Date))& ",,the" & myday() & "," & "and the current outside temperature is " & hs.DeviceString(408) & "but it feels like " & hs.DeviceString(418)

That should work, but would still have the original problem he was trying to resolve - that negative temperatures spoken are "dash 2.3 degrees", because TTS pronounces "-" as "dash". That is why I proposed processing the value to make a useable text string and storing it as the device's string or in another virtual device.

I think the only problem with your suggestion above is that you cannot use replacement variables in a script. There is a scripting function to use them, but I don't recall what it is.

[Uncle Michael]

That should work, but would still have the original problem he was trying to resolve - that negative temperatures spoken are "dash 2.3 degrees", because TTS pronounces "-" as "dash".

That is where the Replace function comes in.

x = Replace(x,"-","minus ")

It doesn't work with the replacement variable, because that structure isn't interpreted by the script. It should work fine if the DeviceString function works to insert the device string into the text that is assigned to x.

[randy]

That is where the Replace function comes in.

x = Replace(x,"-","minus ")

It doesn't work with the replacement variable, because that structure isn't interpreted by the script. It should work fine if the DeviceString function works to insert the device string into the text that is assigned to x.

Like I was saying, the hsDeviceString will likely return null, because the string is not populated on most devices. What Gogs needs is to be able to get $$DSR:xxxx: which is the Status Text, into the text string in a script. There is a call that will use a replacement variable, I just don't remember what it was. If we could find that and be able to populate the string with the status text, then your suggestion would work.

Someone posted the HS function within the last month, but I have not found it yet.

[Gogs]

Did you try this and it didn't work? What did you get? Were there any error messages?

x = "Good "& TimeOfDay() & ".. The time is " & myTime() & "..It is" & WeekdayName(DatePart("w", Date)) & MonthName(DatePart("m", Date))& ",,the" & myday() & "," & "and the current outside temperature is " & hs.DeviceString(408) & "but it feels like " & hs.DeviceString(418)

Just re-tried it and zilch, no errors just blanks

[Gogs]

[ATTACH]65726[/ATTACH]

Here is the Status Graphics page where it is selected to have 1 decimal place for the status text

[ATTACH]65727[/ATTACH]

Depending on how your device's value is set by the plug-in, it may have way too much precision for a spoken value. That is why you would truncate it or use hs.DeviceValue so that it is only the integer. All you need to do is look at the Advanced tab to see the real precision of your device.

I don't do scripting much, but I will see if I can figure something out.

I posted what was on the advanced page.

[randy]

I found it. It was in a post Jon Simmons made to Gogs.

hs.ReplaceVariables("$$DSR:xxxx:")

It was in this thread from August.

Using that in a script should get the Status Text in the string so that the replace function will work.

[randy]

I posted what was on the advanced page.

I didn't see it, but the post above shows how to get the Status Text into your string for processing. Then you wouldn't need to use the Value and truncate it.

[Gogs]

I found it. It was in a post Jon Simmons made to Gogs.

hs.ReplaceVariables("$$DSR:xxxx:")

It was in this thread from August.

Using that in a script should get the Status Text in the string so that the replace function will work.

Great find fom the Mistro Jonn, however, that is to get positions into readable and speable form, not to change the text.

Good research.

[randy]

Great find fom the Mistro Jonn, however, that is to get positions into readable and speable form, not to change the text.

Good research.

No, but you would use it in the suggestion Michael gave you in post #19, putting the string in x. Instead of:

x = "Good "& TimeOfDay() & ".. The time is " & myTime() & "..It is" & WeekdayName(DatePart("w", Date)) & MonthName(DatePart("m", Date))& ",,the" & myday() & "," & "and the current outside temperature is " & hs.DeviceString(408) & "but it feels like " & hs.DeviceString(418)

It would be:

x = "Good "& TimeOfDay() & ".. The time is " & myTime() & "..It is" & WeekdayName(DatePart("w", Date)) & MonthName(DatePart("m", Date))& ",,the" & myday() & "," & "and the current outside temperature is " & hs.ReplaceVariables("$$DSR:408:") & "but it feels like " & hs.ReplaceVariables("$$DSR:418:")

Then after putting the string in x you would process x with:

x = Replace(x,"-","minus ")

then hs.speak (x, True, "Control:Livingroom")

Hopefully this makes sense - as I wrote above my scripting skills are at best, weak.

I think the original problem stemmed from the fact that HS2 allowed the direct use of replacement variables in scripting, but HS3 doesn't.

If you want to post the whole script this snippet was from:

sub main()
	Dim a
	Dim b
	Dim c
	Dim d
      Dim x
x = Replace(x,"-","minus ") 
hs.speak "Good "& TimeOfDay() & ".. The time is " & myTime() & "..It is" & WeekdayName(DatePart("w", Date)) & MonthName(DatePart("m", Date))& ",,the" &  myday() & "," & "and the current outside temperature is $$Dsr:408:.." & "," & "but it feels like $$Dsr:418: ..",TRUE,"Control:Livingroom"

we can probably fix it.

[Uncle Michael]

Like I was saying, the hsDeviceString will likely return null, because the string is not populated on most devices. What Gogs needs is to be able to get $$DSR:xxxx: which is the Status Text, into the text string in a script.

Good point. I was fixated on the data being in the device string. As you note, it probably isn't there, which is born out by Gordon's test which returns blank for the device string.

Gordon,
What does your temperature device Advanced tab look like? This is one of mine for reference: