Subject: From: Date:

RE: [ECS] ECS Web Interface Martin Terry Tue, 16 May 2000 17:53:38 -0700

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Hi Mark,

I agree that ECS is certainly superior in reference to the page updates and
so forth.

As for the Group Screen, I guess what I am talking about is the just the
Group Windows in ECS itself. Here is an example. (All of these refer to the
ECS Windows Interface) The Item for  messages I have is called SYS:PhoneMsg.
This name makes it easy for me to reference it in the code, but is not the
best name to present to the rest of the family. Also, in the Group Screen I
can right click the drop down menu next to the item name and select any
other item, which I don't want to be available for the rest of the family,
it will just confuse them if they click it accidentally. Next there is a
drop down menu for the states, listing every possible state for an item. I
only want the "speak" state to be available when the family uses the
interface, again to limit confusion.

This goes back to the statement I made in the second paragraph below that
confused you. The current web pages that are generated by ECS use an applet
that gives the item name and state, and clicking on the item or state gives
you other options. I actually want something like this:

(excuse my crude ascii drawings)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
                                                  _________
There are new phone messages   |     Play    |
                                                 -----------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------

or a page that says:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
There are no phone messages.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------

based on the state of the item SYS:PhoneMsg

I don't want to see the name of the item, or see any other states, other
than the ability to trigger "play" with a button.

The current java applet in the group screen produces something like this:

     --------------------------------------
     | SYS:PhoneMsg            |
     |------------------------------------|
     |               2                    |
     --------------------------------------

When I click on the item name I get a list of all item names. When I click
on "2" I get a list of possible states. (Very neatly done in a frame to the
right I may add).

But I don't want that. I DON'T want to be able to click on the item and see
other items, and I DON'T want to be able to select any state, I just want to
build a page with a button that says "Play" and when I press that button the
messages are played.

Let's say I have a light item called Lgt:Bedroom. Can I create a html page
using the new interface that looks like this:


-----------------------------------------------------------------

The bedroom light is On.

       ----------------
       | Turn Off  |
       ----------------

------------------------------------------------------------------

The "is On" should be based on the current state of the light. Is this
possible? What would the code look like?



-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Gilmore [mailto:omnip@usit.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2000 9:26 AM
To: ecs-list@netbloc.com
Subject: Re: [ECS] ECS Web Interface


Hi Martin,
While his pages ARE well-organized, they require a
REFRESH to get state updates (BAD!). And the user can
always organize his Groups in a similar fashion.
In fact, I don't see much difference btw his and ours
(buy maybe I'm missing something).

Regarding the "weakness" of the ECS Group Screen,
I always welcome criticisms, but they are of little
use without specifics. And are we talking the Group
windows or the Group pages ? How are they weak ?

The 1st sentence of your 2nd paragraph (below) also confuses me.
You can create custom pages, uses the ECS-generated web pages
as working examples. Granted, we DO need to find an HTML "editor"
(possibly "Front-Page" ?) to assist users in creating these pages
(who don't know HTML).
-- 
Mark Gilmore
Omnipotence (ECS home automation software)
http://www.usit.com/omnip
423-745-0026
Hours: Mon-Sat, 9AM-8PM/EST


Martin Terry wrote:
> 
> Mark,
> 
> Take a look at the link http://house.protowrxs.com/ I think this is the
> future of what ECS could be, an interface that is infinitely customizable
by
> the end user. Do you think we will be able to achive this kind of
interface
> with ECS?
> 
> I much prefer the ability to get and change the status of items within a
> custom web page than to duplicate the group screens of ECS, in fact
(please
> don't take this personally) I think the group screens are the weakest
> feature of ECS.
> 
> You've made tremendous strides with an already great program in the past
> year. If you look at the work that Steve Nolan put in to achive the site
> I've pointed out above, you can see that ECS could do all this, including
> the things he hasn't yet implemented, in one system, with much less effort
> than he had to put into it.
> 
> This kind of change would also open up the possibility for you to generate
> revenue by creating these custom interfaces for people that can't do the
> html coding on their own. I think it's a great opportunity.

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