| ECS-L Home Automation and Security Archives |
| Subject: From: Date: | Re: [ECS] ECS Web Interface Mark Gilmore Wed, 17 May 2000 08:19:46 -0400 |
No problem - See the CLICK Item Type: When you click the Item's Icon (in either ECS or web-page), your Event can take any desired action(s). And you can hide the name/state/icon fields by resizing that Item's window (in the Group). -- Mark Gilmore Omnipotence (ECS home automation software) http://www.usit.com/omnip 423-745-0026 Hours: Mon-Sat, 9AM-8PM/EST Martin Terry wrote: > > 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.