| ECS-L Home Automation and Security Archives |
| Subject: From: Date: | Re: [ECS] ECS Web Interface Mark Gilmore Thu, 18 May 2000 18:35:16 -0400 |
No - horiz as in right->left -- 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, > > Horizontal meaning top to bottom? That is what I am doing. I take the top > edge of the item and drag it down until the item name disappears and leaves > only the state. > > However when I look at the web page, even though the size of the applet > matches the size of the item, it splits the area in half top to bottom and > tries to display the name and state. It draws a line through the middle and > puts the item name on top and the state name under it. Since the space isn't > large enough for the font, both are chopped off. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Mark Gilmore [mailto:omnip@usit.net] > Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 1:19 PM > To: ecs-list@netbloc.com > Subject: Re: [ECS] ECS Web Interface > > Resize horizontally, not vertically > -- > 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, > > > > Maybe I can explain better. :) > > > > I did add the icon for testing purposes. Then I resized the item in the > > group window until just the state drop down box was shown. At this point > in > > windows, I have an item that is very narrow, and only the state is shown > > with a windows gadget to drop down a menu. When I look at it in a web > page, > > it resizes to the same size as the item in the windows group window, but > > instead of only showing the state it splits the size directly in half top > to > > bottom and shows the name in the top half and state in the bottom half; > > however neither half is large enough to show the full text so the text is > > chopped off at the top and bottom. I can still click on each half and get > > either a listing of states or a listing of items. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Mark Gilmore [mailto:omnip@usit.net] > > Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 12:03 PM > > To: ecs-list@netbloc.com > > Subject: Re: [ECS] ECS Web Interface > > > > I guess I'm lost, as I can't re-create any problem > > (with either NS or IE): > > If you resize the window, such that the name/state/icon > > is hidden, everything works fine (I just get an icon). > > If your window does not have an Icon, you will need to > > redefine it such that it does. > > -- > > 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, I can't really make the suggestion below work for me. Most of my > > group > > > items are set NOT to have icons. I turned one on to test. > > > > > > If I resize the item in the group window to hide the name, the > > corresponding > > > "applet" shrinks in the web page, but splits the control and still shows > > the > > > name and state, just clipped at the top and bottom (you have to look at > > this > > > to see what I mean) > > > This also skews the icon so it's unrecognizable. For a test, I made the > > item > > > "control" very large on the group screen, and the web applet got very > > large > > > as well, but in the windows group the item control had the same text > size > > as > > > before, just with a large grey space below it. In the web page, the text > > > resizes to fill the whole control size until it's very large. > > > > > > I performed this test on ECS 4.4.002. > > > > > > Thanks. > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Mark Gilmore [mailto:omnip@usit.net] > > > Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2000 5:20 AM > > > To: ecs-list@netbloc.com > > > Subject: Re: [ECS] ECS Web Interface > > > > > > 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.