MR26A plugin fails to open port when HS is a service

[JimBob]

Has anyone experienced this? When I run HS 2 (1951) as an application, the MR26A2 plugin starts up ok and reads X10 signals ok.

When HS is run as a service the following error message is received:

08/08/2005 19:10:06 ~!~Info~!~Initializing Plug-in: MR26A RF Receiver ver 2
08/08/2005 19:10:06 ~!~startup~!~Single port MR26A Interface version 2.0.4 starting
08/08/2005 19:10:06 ~!~COM Plugin~!~Calling InitIO
08/08/2005 19:10:06 ~!~startup~!~MR26A Communications Module version 2.0.4 starting
08/08/2005 19:10:06 ~!~startup~!~MR26A Communications Module startup FAILED
08/08/2005 19:10:06 ~!~Error~!~No port selected for MR26A interface
08/08/2005 19:10:06 ~!~Info~!~Done initializing plug-in MR26A RF Receiver ver 2

I cannot see anywhere in the setup where the port is defined. When HS runs as an app, it correctly opens up COM1 and communicates ok.

Any takers? Or should I raise a ticket.

[Guest]

Hidden setup page

JimBob,
the MR26A setup page appears when you select 'config' under the 'device types' tab of the main setup screen. unfortunately, the MR26A setup page does not come to the front of the screen. it is way in the back, under all the other windows. try minimizing or moving all the windows on the desktop until you find it. i fought with this several times myself.
i don't know about the actual errors, but suspect they will go away after you get a successful 'configuration'. good luck.

[JimBob]

Still can't see it

Thanks for the reply.
However, I cannot see any "config" option on the Device Types screen. Should I see the MR26A listed as a device type? I cannot see where to select the MR26A.

Are you also on build 1951?

[wkearney99]

What he meant was, to configure the MR26A you select config from the web page and then you have to hide both the IE browser window and the HS2 app. Underneath them will be a config window that HS2 opened up for the MR26A. This will apparently be eliminated in future versions of the plug-in but meanwhile that's how it works.

But you're saying that you've got the MR26A on COM1 and HS2 opens it properly when run as an app, right? And then when you run it as a service it doesn't?

[JimBob]

Thanks.

I have found where I was going wrong now. I was using a remote computer and it wasn't showing the "config" button. When I ran it locally on the HS machine, I could see it and have it working fine now.

Cheers.

[Edit 10 Aug]
Sorry, didn't answer your last questions...Yes, before I set the port, when I run HS as an app it would open COM1 and operate correctly. But when I ran HS as a service it failed with an error that no port was set. It must default to COM1 when running as an app.

[Hunter Green]

I am having the same problem. However, going through the tedious process of:

1. Stop service
2. Remove service
3. Exit HomeSeer
4. Start HomeSeer
5. Go to Setup page, Interfaces tab
6. Click Config
7. Hide browser and HomeSeer window
8. Select a port for MR26A
9. Reopen HomeSeer window
10. Be sure it accepted that in the log
11. Install service
12. Exit HomeSeer
13. Start HomeSeer
14. Start service

...I still get the "No port selected for MR26A interface" message in my log.

What step am I missing? Or, is that just the way it is if you run as a service?

[JimBob]

Hunter Green,

I have sinced moved onto the ACRF plugin, since it allows multiple receivers. I am also now running HS as an app (can't remember at what point I did this - think it was when I was having SERIOUS memory leaks with vb.net scripts).

As I recall though, I didn't need to change HS from a service back to app to get the MR26A com port configured. You just runup the web interface on the HS machine and navigate to the setup/config screens to setup the port. Maybe the config is not carried forward from the app settings to the service, such that yo uneed to configure it when you are running as a service.

Good luck.

Cheers.

[Hunter Green]

When I try the config button locally while HomeSeer is a service, I get the following in the popups and the log:

12/4/2005 9:08:56 AM ConfigIO Calling ConfigIO for MR26A RF Receiver ver 2
12/4/2005 9:08:56 AM Error MR26A interface: ConfigIO Error # 405: Unable to show modal form within this context
12/4/2005 9:08:56 AM Error 405: Unable to show modal form within this context

And of course no dialog box ever appears, hidden or no.

I'll look into ACRF, though I have no need for multiple interfaces. I see a beta update for it here but I don't see where to get the actual plugin, or how to install what is in that post if I don't already have an earlier version installed, and it doesn't show in my Updater.

[Skibum]

Welcome to the wonderful world of HS2, Frank....

BTW for any problems that you are having, HST no longer reads this message board on any regular basis, so you will need to fill out a support ticket for each issue.

[Hunter Green]

I've had enough experiences with trouble tickets that I am going to keep coming here first. I've always been a big fan of this community even back when it was only a few dozen of us, and so far, I've gotten better results here. Half my problems so far have been solved with the forum search tool.

[Jim Doolittle]

I too have run acrosss the "modal dialog" errors with the Windows interface of my own plug-ins. If the error is really bad, you get "automation errors".

The potential was always there for this to happen with HS 1.7 but it is worse with HS 2.0. I consider it a Microsoft ActiveX bug but there are hacks to get it to stop. The programmer has to create a timer that starts when a menu is clicked and shows the dialog 100ms later. User doesn't notice but this seems to work.

The best option for HS2 is for HST to convert the dialog to a web page like the rest of the HS2 stuff.

[Hunter Green]

Don't suppose anyone knows where the config is being stored? Maybe I'll try FileMon and see if I can find it and then hack the com port value in myself with a text or hex editor.

[Jim Doolittle]

Should be in settings.ini?

[Hunter Green]

If it is, then that only confirms it's not being saved, because I don't have a field for it. What's the field name as it appears in your settings.ini? I'll shut down HomeSeer and edit that in myself, seems like an easy solution, but I need to know what it looks like.

(This system only has one serial port, anyway. Sheesh.)

[JimBob]

Just been playing around with this a little on my test machine. I can reproduce the problem too, if that's any consolation! In looking around as to where the config is held, I don't think it's the settings.ini for the com port. There are some registry keys that are used when HS is running as an app but don't seem to be used (or read properly) when it runs as a service.

The keys were under HKCU\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\HomeSeer MR26A\Global. (Usual caution, and disclaimer!, advised when looking or tinkering with the registry)