Alexa! Turn On <variable_name> in 15 minutes

[paulbates]

State Variable support is coming.

 

Stay tuned

Which channel?

[stusviews]

Which channel?

 

English

[larryllix]

State Variable support is coming.

 

Stay tuned

What state and what about Canada?

 

Awesome man!!

[stusviews]

What state and what about Canada?

 

Awesome man!!

 

In Canada, it's la Manche no matter what state you're in.

[TheFallenAngel]

You can use your echo to order books

You can use Alexa to read them to you too

[paulbates]

You can use the Echo to read then to you too

 

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

 

"Alexa, wipe off the drool".....

[bmercier]

Hi everyone,

 

Variable support is now implemented.

 

You can now add state variables as a spoken. You will see that you can assign it a turn on value, and a turn off value. So when you turn on or turn off, the variable will be assigned with one of these value. In addition, you can turn on to x percent, which will assign the percentage as the value. You can also increase / decrease the value.

 

So in summary, you can:

Turn on <spoken> -> Sets the variable to the turn on value

Turn off <spoken> -> Sets the variable to the turn off value

Turn on <spoken> to x percent -> Sets the variable to x

Brighten <spoken> -> Increases variable +1

Dim <spoken> -> Decreases variable -1

Brighten <spoken> by x percent -> Increases variable by x

Dim <spoken> -> Decreases variable by x

 

Additional details:

1. Contrary to regular devices, you can use the same state variables multiple times. This allows you to have 2 different spokens for the same var, but with different turn on values.

 

2. The word "percent" is optional but recommended. Depending on your spoken and how well you pronounce, the word "percent" may be skipped. But it does facilitate proper recognition if you use it.

 

3. You can use "increase" and "decrease" instead of brighten and dim. But depending on your spoken and how well you pronounce, increase is often misunderstood as a volume adjustment.

 

4. You can assign turn on / turn off values with very high values. However, when you set it to a percentage, or use brighten/dim, the value can only be 0-100. For Alexa, it's a percentage after all.

 

Feel free to share how you use your state variables with Alexa!

 

Benoit.

[larryllix]

Hi everyone,

 

Variable support is now implemented.

 

You can now add state variables as a spoken. You will see that you can assign it a turn on value, and a turn off value. So when you turn on or turn off, the variable will be assigned with one of these value. In addition, you can turn on to x percent, which will assign the percentage as the value. You can also increase / decrease the value.

 

So in summary, you can:

Turn on <spoken> -> Sets the variable to the turn on value

Turn off <spoken> -> Sets the variable to the turn off value

Turn on <spoken> to x percent -> Sets the variable to x

Brighten <spoken> -> Increases variable +1

Dim <spoken> -> Decreases variable -1

Brighten <spoken> by x percent -> Increases variable by x

Dim <spoken> -> Decreases variable by x

 

Additional details:

1. Contrary to regular devices, you can use the same state variables multiple times. This allows you to have 2 different spokens for the same var, but with different turn on values.

 

2. The word "percent" is optional but recommended. Depending on your spoken and how well you pronounce, the word "percent" may be skipped. But it does facilitate proper recognition if you use it.

 

3. You can use "increase" and "decrease" instead of brighten and dim. But depending on your spoken and how well you pronounce, increase is often misunderstood as a volume adjustment.

 

4. You can assign turn on / turn off values with very high values. However, when you set it to a percentage, or use brighten/dim, the value can only be 0-100. For Alexa, it's a percentage after all.

 

Feel free to share how you use your state variables with Alexa!

 

Benoit.

Je t'aime mon amie!!!

 

Merci tres beaucoup!!

 

 

EDIT: Oooops!

Discover couldn't find my variable vocal.

Then i forgot everything and then Alexa couldn't discover any ISY portal objects, only my 5 Hues.

 

I disabled the ISY V2 skill and attempted to enable again.

Only get "your session has timed out"

 

After about 5 tries it asked my for my amazon account login stats.

Then reported another erros "Can't link to your ISY portal account"

 

I think amazon is having some trouble at the moment and I will keep trying a few more times and report back.

[larryllix]

Hi everyone,

 

Variable support is now implemented.

free to share how you use your state variables with Alexa!

<snippage> 

Benoit.

Amazon skill Smart Home ISY V2 cannot connect to the ISY Portal.

When I attempt to enable it, continue to login, it states "Session has timed out" every time.

It would seem it cannot connect to the ISY Portal.

[bmercier]

Amazon skill Smart Home ISY V2 cannot connect to the ISY Portal.

When I attempt to enable it, continue to login, it states "Session has timed out" every time.

It would seem it cannot connect to the ISY Portal.

 

Please PM me your UUID or ISY portal user ID, I will investigate.

 

Thanks,

 

Benoit

[asbril]

Je t'aime mon amie!!!

 

Merci tres beaucoup!!

 

 

Lol..... Google translate did not work this time......     'amie' is feminin  and   don't include 'tres' in merci beaucoup.  BTW   Je t'aime may be more than Benoit wouild bargain for......

[bmercier]

Lol..... Google translate did not work this time......     'amie' is feminin  and   don't include 'tres' in merci beaucoup.  BTW   Je t'aime may be more than Benoit wouild bargain for......

 

Exactly

 

Benoit.

[stusviews]

J'aime ce que vous avez fait.

 

Mille mercis

[larryllix]

J'aime ce que vous avez fait.

 

Mille mercis

Stu. Have you attempted to do a discover since the addition of variable vocals?

 

Mine has me locked out of my account. The Profile settings in the ISY Portal will only allow the same account name for the Portal and amazon account. I had to abandon my old amazon account and create a new one. Now, despite reporting they are successfully connected, no devices can be discovered.

 

I know you use multiple accounts and this may cause you some grief.

Mine just quit and while trying to refresh things the Portal will not allow editing the user name fields, automatically filling them with matching account names/email addresses.

 

 

I am wondering if you have had any problems with forgettng you devices and doing a fresh discover.

[larryllix]

I have found the app &webpage access working differently, this morning. Now, both will allow me to edit the account profile box for the amazon account being used instead of automatically forcing the account names to match.

 

With that restored capability, I linked the ISY Portal back to my original, and my only original, amazon account where I still have two Dots listed there.

 

Re-enabling the skill V2 allows it to connect and show success again, but no devices can be discovered from the Portal, only my Hue bulbs directly from the Hue Hub.

 

 

Now I can login to the Alexa App, or webpage (on win7), with my original account with two Dots linked, or my newly created amazon account with one Echo connected, and either V2 skill will report successful linking to the ISY Portal, but neither amazon account will give out any devices during Discovery. Both accounts only discover my five Hue bulbs via a different skill.

[bmercier]

I have found the app &webpage access working differently, this morning. Now, both will allow me to edit the account profile box for the amazon account being used instead of automatically forcing the account names to match.

 

With that restored capability, I linked the ISY Portal back to my original, and my only original, amazon account where I still have two Dots listed there.

 

Re-enabling the skill V2 allows it to connect and show success again, but no devices can be discovered from the Portal, only my Hue bulbs directly from the Hue Hub.

 

 

Now I can login to the Alexa App, or webpage (on win7), with my original account with two Dots linked, or my newly created amazon account with one Echo connected, and either V2 skill will report successful linking to the ISY Portal, but neither amazon account will give out any devices during Discovery. Both accounts only discover my five Hue bulbs via a different skill.

 

I'm glad to see that you were able to link.

 

I looked at the logs, and I see your device discoveries this morning, with 78 devices (that's your total number of spokens, including alternate names).

 

Not sure why those would not appear in the device list.

 

Benoit

[larryllix]

I'm glad to see that you were able to link.

 

I looked at the logs, and I see your device discoveries this morning, with 78 devices (that's your total number of spokens, including alternate names).

 

Not sure why those would not appear in the device list.

 

Benoit

I have now gone back to my original amazon account again, whose name does not match the ISY Portal, and the one I have been using for the last several months.

 

This only started when I added a variable vocal to the vocal list in the ISY Portal setup webpage. Discovery never found it. When all devices were forgotten, none were ever found again.

 

Alexa only discovers the same 5 Hues bulbs and no Portal devices, still.

 

I disengaged my Echo from the new amazon account and relinked it into the original amazon account, as it started with, again. All three devices are shown in that app.

 

I have checked my ISY uuid and re-enetered it several times, removed my amazon account in the portal profile setup and saved...many times, rebooted the app and the portal webpage...many times, disabled the Smart Home V2 skill many, many times and reinstalled before rebooting and after rebooting. Still no devices shwo up in discovery.

 

I am using the android app sideloaded from another source due to not being available to Canadian addresses, found in google account information on any computer and/or IP address locating.

 

I have also used the alexa.amazon.com setup webpage on a win7 and a win10 machines, to attempt all the same resets and reboots many, many times. Still no devices show up in discovery, despite no ISY Portal to amazon account errors and pages reporting success, many, many, many times.

 

One thing I have noticed is the ISY Portal Profile setup box will mostly not allow any editing of the user account name for the amazon account. When using the delete account and then connect to an amazon account it fills in the same account as the ISY Portal and you cannot change it. Then, for some random reason it gets a different page where the name and password are user editable. This is the same using an Android Chrome browser, acting as a mobile or full webpage browser, and Win7 IE11, and Win10 IE11, browsers.

 

I have to conclude this is a bug in the ISY Portal acting differently on different occasions.

 

This still doesn't explain why devices will not show up in my Alexa app discovery.

 

My Echo and two Dots are all connected and answer weather questions, and all show up as connected in the Alexa app.

My ISY shows up in the ISY Portal and all logs and errors logs, devices, scenes, variables, programs are accessible.

The variable vocal that started it all was removed and re-installed with re-trials of all combinations with it and without it.

 

I don't know what else to try that I haven't already done.

[stusviews]

If you have more than one Amazon account, then you need to create a portal account for each Amazon account (up to five). You can have the same devices controlled by each account if desired, but an Echo can belong to only one account. I have four portal/Amazon accounts with three Echos and nine Dots.

 

BTW, I have not tried using variables.

[larryllix]

If you have more than one Amazon account, then you need to create a portal account for each Amazon account (up to five). You can have the same devices controlled by each account if desired, but an Echo can belong to only one account. I have four portal/Amazon accounts with three Echos and nine Dots.

 

BTW, I have not tried using variables.

I have only had one account until it stopped functioning and the Portal wouldn't allow any amazon account name except the Portal account name, which was auto-forced into the edit box and disabled. Then I had to cearte another account to match the Portal account name.

Now I find this 'account name forcing' occasionally not happenning erratcally.

 

I was waiting for you to do ONE edit to a Portal account to see if it happenned to you. With multiple accounts you would be the best guinea pig. Nobody else appears to have tried it yet.

Can you hear the crowd chanting, Nike?

[paulbates]

FWIW, I just used the portal to pass a state variable through to Amazon Smart Home, one I use for if the house is occupied or not.

 

I used Alexa to discover it it and went from 73 to 74 devices. When I say turn it on, it goes to 1 and turn it off, it goes to 0, as expected.

 

I haven't tried percents yet, will give it a try after dinner.

 

Paul

[stusviews]

I have only had one account until it stopped functioning and the Portal wouldn't allow any amazon account name except the Portal account name.

 

I have a portal login name and password that's different from the Amazon account name and password.

[larryllix]

I have a portal login name and password that's different from the Amazon account name and password.

So do I but, as I posted a few times, if you try to deisconnect and reconnect it may not let you do that again. It is random. for a few hours four different browsers would not let me do it, and then suddenly they did again and then didn't.

 

 

My accounts just connected and all my devices are discovered again. Something just happened on the Portal issuing my devices again. :)

[paulbates]

I set up a state variable, passed it through to the portal with 0 as the min and 100 as the max. and discovered in Smart Home, 

 

If I say  "Alexa set <name> at 75%", it immeadiately populates as 75% in the ISY.

 

Paul

[bmercier]

Larry,

 

I found out the problem with the discovery. This is a bug, and it is now fixed.

 

The discovery would break if you had a variable with a spoken containing spaces (2+ words basically).

 

Under the hood, Device unique ID's are generated with Alexa. Normally the Device ID generated uses the device type and device address. However, in the case of variables, this may not be unique as you can have several entries for the same state var. Therefore, in the case of the variables, the actual spoken is part of the ID. From ISY Portal perspective, the discovery worked as normal, but apparently, Alexa does not like IDs with spaces. 

 

Anyway, this is fixed now.

 

As for the linking trouble that you are getting, I'm not sure what this could be. This has not changed since the initial implementation of connected home (Smart home V1) last year. The rule is that when you enable the skill in the alexa app, you have to enter a user ID password (typically your own Amazon account). Then, in ISY portal, under My profile, you have to link to that same account you used when enabling the skill. You may be experiencing trouble with cookies automatically logging you in.

 

Thanks,

 

Benoit.

[larryllix]

Larry,

 

I found out the problem with the discovery. This is a bug, and it is now fixed.

 

The discovery would break if you had a variable with a spoken containing spaces (2+ words basically).

 

Under the hood, Device unique ID's are generated with Alexa. Normally the Device ID generated uses the device type and device address. However, in the case of variables, this may not be unique as you can have several entries for the same state var. Therefore, in the case of the variables, the actual spoken is part of the ID. From ISY Portal perspective, the discovery worked as normal, but apparently, Alexa does not like IDs with spaces. 

 

Anyway, this is fixed now.

 

As for the linking trouble that you are getting, I'm not sure what this could be. This has not changed since the initial implementation of connected home (Smart home V1) last year. The rule is that when you enable the skill in the alexa app, you have to enter a user ID password (typically your own Amazon account). Then, in ISY portal, under My profile, you have to link to that same account you used when enabling the skill. You may be experiencing trouble with cookies automatically logging you in.

 

Thanks,

 

Benoit.

Thanks again Benoit! This is pretty awesome!

 

The cookies may be the best clue I have heard so far but I changed between three different machines. The automatic fill on the Portal should have been editable, I would have thought but it would not even let the box get focus from the cursor.

 

The same problem (above) has come and gone a few times now so that doesn't make any sense to me either.

 

 

On a bttter note, I have had some success with my first variable controlling some led strips I have been writing code for, in a pinwheel configuration.

 

- Alexa turn on effect number 28 percent works mostly but some polish is stil needed yet with human vocal traing techniques.