Thermostat reporting decimal places? Ugly card?

[sdcrane]

When I issue the command "Ask IZZY for Status of Thermostat", it reports back 2 places after the decimal point (eg. 71.00 degrees), and of course it is always .00 (I can't set my thermostat to a temperature increment less than 1).  Can the skill be fixed to remove this, and only report the integer?

 

Also, the "Alexa Card" looks pretty bad:

 

thermostat temperature is 71.00It is set to heat at 72.00

 

Should probably look more like:

 

Thermostat temperature is 71 degrees.
It is set to Heat at 72.

 

Can the UD developers fix this please?
 

[larryllix]

I didn't know the UDI skill could report anything.

 

This also sounds like you are using the old UDI skill that was going to be removed.

[stusviews]

Also, what Alexa reports hearing is determined by Amazon, not UDI.

[sdcrane]

My understand is that U-D has 2 skills -- the Smart Home Skill (Optimized for Smart Home V2) which allows you to use all of the built-in Alexa smart home commands to control your ISY devices, and then they also offer the ISY "Ask Izzy" skill, which gives you the ability to have many more commands and control over your ISY devices (such as asking for status of devices, etc.).  I have both of these skills enabled, and use them both quite a bit.

 

I personally have developed skills for Alexa (some are published in the Skill 'Store'), and, at least for the "Ask Izzy" skill, they (U-D) definitely have the ability to make the Alexa Card read and look whatever way they want it to -- they could even include a graphic/image of a thermostat when you issue a command specific to temperature settings/devices.  And I would be very surprised if they could not lop off the places after the decimal point and report back just the integer portion of the temperature.  These 2 fixes are relatively simple compared to everything they have already done -- which is quite impressive.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello sdcrane,

 

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately it's not as trivial as you suggest since ISY Portal will have to start collecting temperature units from thermostats (which sometimes is not possible). In Celsius, you do have digits after the decimal.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[larryllix]

I can see decimal implementation as a move toward supporting Celsius temperatures on thermostats but two decimals seems like overkill, for that purpose.

 

One decimal place would seem acceptable even for people using foreignheat as a scale.

 

Most people would not use a stat that only offers integer  temperature units with Celsius as the graduations are to coarse for home heating control. Even half degrees are barely acceptable for human comfort.  Old Honeywell stats, I have used, were reporting and settable to 0.2 degree resolution accuracy.

 

The only reason I tolerate 0.5 on newer ones is to get the smart features. As soon as better resolution smart stats are made available and workable, I will be dumping the half degree units I have now. They will become coarse usage sensors only.

 

Of course the answer is that people advance their upgrade to metric, or two resolution reporting system be in place, based on system selected. More coding needed there, though.