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TonyNo
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| Posted: September 05 2005 at 21:17 | IP Logged
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Have you made any progress or are you still settling into the house? 
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dhoward
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| Posted: September 06 2005 at 10:57 | IP Logged
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Some progress, definately, but still a ways to go  .
The biggest change is the controllers portion of PowerHome is being completely rewritten. Gone will be the 5 IR controllers, the 5 X-10 controllers, and the 5 other controllers. Controllers will now be defined within the database (not the INI) with an ID in a virtually unlimited list (memory of course will be the real limitation). This was necessary in order to open the way up for the new controllers to be supported including Insteon, UPB, and the Elk M1 (also caller ID will be supported through the controller interface).
This is necessitating the creation of a lot of new configuration screens (it's in the database instead of the INI and not directly accessible) as well as a lot of backend database changes (IR, Macros, X-10, Digital In/Out, Analog In/Out) since controllers will no longer be referenced by number and will now be referenced by ID.
This will also force a number of formula function changes (basically any function that references a controller by number). This is going to make this next upgrade rather difficult. I'll be limited to how much I can automatically upgrade in the DB Utility and this will require the user to make a number of code changes to support the new design. It won't be pretty, but the old controller structure is now just too limiting (I remember thinking that 5 of each type of controller should be plenty!).
The house is keeping me busy as well. This weekend I was assembling barstools, applying window film, hanging blinds, installing ceiling fans, hanging curtains, and mowing the lawn . I still havent even made a dent in my wiring closet yet either.
Dave.
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TonyNo
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| Posted: September 06 2005 at 14:17 | IP Logged
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Wow. Thanks for the update!
Had you started before on the wizards you mentioned previously, or was it just on the short list? I had some thoughts on the subject.
Tony
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dhoward
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| Posted: September 06 2005 at 21:08 | IP Logged
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No problem  .
I havent started on the wizards yet. Everytime I think I might get a chance to work on them, a new controller or a major database change comes along and I get sidetracked.
Ive got an idea of what I was going to implement but would love to hear your thoughts. Basically I was going to start with a heirarchial wizard that basically starts with the question, "What would you like to do?" with several options such as "Control an IR device", "Control a light", etc. Depending upon the responses, you'll begin to narrow down to a specific action at which point the code would automatically generate PowerHome Timed Events, Macros, Triggers, and Formulas. Basically use the current PowerHome control mechanism, just have the code automatically generated. The user would then be presented with a list of what was generated for them (so they could learn to create more complicated code themselves beyond the wizard). I was probably going to have a new table in the database that tracked essentially what was done in the wizard so the user could review past wizard created code and could delete or modify a previous wizard event. Thats my current line of thinking (probably a pretty tall order). I also thought that because of the open nature of the database, other savvy users could possibly contribute wizards since it wouldnt necessarily need to be integrated within the actual PowerHome program itself.
Dave.
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TonyNo
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| Posted: September 06 2005 at 21:51 | IP Logged
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That's kind of what I was thinking, as far as separate apps being able to generate the code. I was actually starting to write a VB app to do the basics via point-and-click.
Your wizard description was more than I was hoping for. Maybe you should stick to that! 
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dhoward
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| Posted: September 07 2005 at 22:08 | IP Logged
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It's still pretty high level, but the idea is close to what Im hoping for.
I would love to see anything you put together. I just wouldnt want you to get disappointed if the database structure changes on you .
So far the database has been constantly evolving, but I hope everyone thinks it's for the better. Hopefully, these type of changes will settle out so any SQL type code will still work version to version.
Dave.
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TonyNo
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| Posted: September 07 2005 at 22:58 | IP Logged
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As I have learned recently, having everything in a database is a good thing! There are other packages out there that loose data (i.e. Global variables) when the app is exited!  Not to mention all the other the benefits. Let it change for the better. We'll manage!
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Topic: New Version
