AutHomation Info

[garrettwp]

I'll try and get a new build out tonight. Been busy with house work. But I have fixed a few issues that guessed brought to my attention and added a few little features. Just trying to mess with the UI side (the most pain in the butt part of the whole app). Hopefully I can get some of the major features in soon (e.g. camera controls, etc). Also need to implement the search feature for the phone version to get it on par with the tablet version.

- Garrett

If anyone has any issues or feedback, please let me know.

[garrettwp]

I have released a new version of AutHomation and AutHomationHD:

Changes:

Version 1.01

AutHomation:

- Fixed the way the comments show up. It will now not push the device row down.
- Fixed an issue with the seekbar not always showing the correct thumb icon.
- Auto refrsh was not working when display scenes or devices from a room.
- Added additional categories for devices.
- Updated the libraries that the application relies on (e.g. gson, android-query)
- A progress wheel will show when retrieving image for camera
- Updated a few icons for hdpi devices
- Application version number should now change with each release. *SEE NOTE

AutHomationHD:

- Added additional categories for devices.
- Updated the libraries that the application relies on (e.g. gson, android-query)
- A progress wheel will show when retrieving image for camera
- Some additional layout tweaks (mostly minor)
- Application version number should now change with each release. *SEE NOTE


NOTE:

With each version change, after you install the app and run it, it will load the settings section.
This is to make sure that proper settings get updated.

I was hoping to get more changes in but have been busy the last few days. Please report any issues and feedback. You can get the latest release from the link posted at the end of the first post.

- Garrett

[Ap15e]

Custom plugins don't work very well with Non-MCV-GUIs.

I think you found a quite elegant solution to the problem by providing the device information in a separate window.

IMHO the best solution would be to parse D_*.json for the information how the device would like to present itself to the user.
But AFAIK remote clients cannot access D_*.json ...

If there is no access to the presentation definition, a Luup plugin could provide its intended GUI appearance via an UPnP variable:

variable name:
GUI_PRESENTATION
value:
<text prefix>,<UPnP SID>,<UPnP variable>,<text suffix>[;...]

Example:
futzle's EnviR plugin would provide an UPnP variable GUI_PRESENTATION with value
Power: ,urn:micasaverde-com:serviceId:EnergyMetering1,Watts, W

The Non-MCV-GUI rendering engine could even render the contents of the <UPnP variable> as HTML.

Any thoughts?

Yes, I know this would be an (ugly?) hack, but I never heard any news about http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=1784.msg6450#msg6450 ...

[Ap15e]

... and even the end user could add the variables GUI_PRESENTATION to the plugins.

[automator.app]

Custom plugins don't work very well with Non-MCV-GUIs.

I think you found a quite elegant solution to the problem by providing the device information in a separate window.

IMHO the best solution would be to parse D_*.json for the information how the device would like to present itself to the user.
But AFAIK remote clients cannot access D_*.json ...

It's possible, this is what Automator.app does, and thus can render custom plug-ins.  All the information is available to remote clients, it's just a matter of figuring out how it all works with Vera now.

[Ap15e]

It's possible, this is what Automator.app does, and thus can render custom plug-ins.  All the information is available to remote clients, it's just a matter of figuring out how it all works with Vera now.

You're right, user_data2 does contain the rendering information. Search for the DeviceType/device_type in static_data and render all elements with "ControlHeader": "1" ...

@garrettwp
Would you be willing to add the rendering for custom Luup plugins to AutHomation?

[garrettwp]

If I were using user_data2, this would be something I would have considered. However, I am using lu_sdata which contains a much smaller set of data. This is what MCV suggests when building control UI's (this is suppose to be the new way). Origionally I was using user_data2 and when MCV updated their wiki and some digging, I decided to switch over to lu_sdata. The data from lu_sdata is only about 10.5KB for my setup and the user_data2 version is 320KB. So there is a huge savings in downloading the data as well as less resources are being used when parsing the data for the required information.

There is suppose to be a way of setting short codes in the plugins that would get generated in the lu_sdata. I do not know much about making plugins for vera, but if the plugins contained the short codes for what information needs to be displayed etc, I can parse that information. I also use the category number in the lu_sdata to determine the type of device it is. Not all plugins contain a category number. Maybe this is something we need to brainstorm to help make things more organized and to allow for third party interfaces work well with plugins.

On a different topic, I have been busy the last few days with work. I have not had a whole lot of time to work on AutHomation. But I do want to say that I am adding new layouts that will work better with larger screens (7inch and 10inch) for Android 2.3 and older. I overlooked some documentation on the android developers page for designing for different screen sizes and I am adding code to have a similar layout to the AutHomationHD version for these larger screen devices. So for all those nook and cheaper tablet users will soon have a similar experience that the Honeycomb version has to offer. Hopefully I can have something out in the next few days. There will be other minor fixes and changes added as well.

- Garrett

[Ap15e]

However, I am using lu_sdata which contains a much smaller set of data. This is what MCV suggests when building control UI's (this is suppose to be the new way)

IMHO MCV's suggestion is flawed in the sense that lu_sdata doesn't contain rendering information for custom plugins that are using new UPnP services.

The data from lu_sdata is only about 10.5KB for my setup and the user_data2 version is 320KB.

Valid and important point, but the rendering information in user_data2 is quasi-static and could be cached.

There is suppose to be a way of setting short codes in the plugins that would get generated in the lu_sdata. I do not know much about making plugins for vera, but if the plugins contained the short codes for what information needs to be displayed etc, I can parse that information.

AFAIK there is no standardized way to get rendering information across using lu_sdata. lu_sdata even may contain data that isn't meant to be rendered on the GUI.

[guessed]

.... lu_sdata even may contain data that isn't meant to be rendered on the GUI.

user_data2 most definitely has WAY too much data in it, stuff like MAC addresses of stuff on your Network (etc), that are really part of the backend implementation, not something that should be exposed to a [remote] Control Point.

Looking at it, you can understand why they want to move people away from it, but the lu_sdata implementation seems to have swung too far in the other direction (too little information for UI tools)

[Ap15e]

Not to forget the leakage or passwords for cameras and the leakage of custom Lua code for scenes and events.

One could probably install a custom handler that extracts the rendering information from user_data2 and provides the rendering information to the UI client.

[DanTDS]

Nice work. Very beautiful app. It's working in my old Galaxy I7500.

Congratulations and thank you

[garrettwp]

Thanks for the positive comments. I am hoping to release both versions to the market soon. I've added some new features and rewrote some of the code. Also trying to add support across most of the android plateforms. I am also looking into googletv support. I have it running in the googletv emulator, have some usability kinks to work out. Hopefully I can release a new update in the next few days.

- Garrett

[DanTDS]

Will be awesome if it were possible a generic remote with some buttons like volume, channel, power, source. So will make it simple to control the AV.

[jwiz]

Is there going to be support for alarm partitions.

[garrettwp]

Alarms are on my todo list, however the way I get the data e.g. lu_sdata, not all of the required information is there. But it is on my list of features to add. As for AV control, I will add that to my list as well.

- Garrett