Subject: From: Date:

Assign house code/unit to item? Jay Heyl Thu, 09 Sep 1999 00:05:20 -0700

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I've made several attempts at this and still haven't figure out how to
accomplish what I want.  I'm trying to write a generalized fade-to-black
function that will fade a specified light to black over a period of X
seconds.  I want the light and the number of seconds to be like parameters
to the function.  To accomplish this I have two events: Fade Start and
Fade.  Fade Start is set up as a "called" event.  It does some initial
calculations and starts a timer to bring the Fade event into action.  There
are several items defined for use by these events: P-Fade Unit, P-Fade
Seconds, and P-Fade Interval.  The idea is that the originating event
(activated by a button push right now) sets up P-Fade Unit and P-Fade
Seconds to be the light to be faded and the time period over which it
should fade to black.  Fade Start calculates the P-Fade Interval over which
individual fade steps will occur.

Most of this works fine, but I can't figure out how to get the light house
code/unit assigned to P-Fade Unit and passed to the fade events.  I've
tried defining P-Fade Unit as a "light" item and as a "state holder" item,
but in both cases P-Fade Unit seems to just take on the current state of
the designated light.  Trying to dim it subtracts from the brightness level
of P-Fade Unit, but the actual light fixture doesn't change at all.

Is what I'm trying to do even possible?  What kind of item should P-Fade
Unit be to accomplish this?

Here are the events in question:

PLC Remote C:

If         PLC Button C        Is         None
Then       Event-Exit          Set        True
Else If    PLC Button C        Is         8/On
Then       Skylight Light      Set        78%
Then       TV Lamp             Set        66%
Then       Dining Room Light   Set        Off
Then       Kitchen Ceiling     Set        Off
Then       Living Room Lamps   Set        Off
Then       Living Room Wall    Set        Off
Then       P-Fade Seconds      Set        300
Then       P-Fade Unit         Set        Skylight Light
Then       Event-Call          Set        Fade Start
Else If    PLC Button C        Is         16/On
Then       Event-Call          Set        Bedtime Start

Fade Start:

Do         Number-A            Set        P-Fade Seconds
Do         Number-A            Divide     20
Do         P-Fade Interval     Set        Number-A
Do         Tmr Fade            Set        P-Fade Seconds
Do         Msg Fade Disp       T1<-T1     Msg Fade
Do         Msg Fade Disp       T1/A<-Nam  P-Fade Unit
Do         Text-A              T1<-T1     Msg Fade Start
Do         Text-A              T1/A<-Nam  P-Fade Unit
Do         Text-A              Set        Display

Fade:

BEGINIF    Tmr Fade            Is GT      0
Do         Number-A            Set        Tmr Fade
Do         Number-A            Divide     P-Fade Interval
Do         Number-A            Multiply   P-Fade Interval
If         Tmr Fade            Is Now     Number-A
Then       P-Fade Unit         Subtract   1
Then       Msg Fade Disp       Set        Display
ENDIF      


Oh, the text manipulation in Fade Start isn't working right either, but I'm
not concerned about that at the moment.


  -- Jay

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