CENTRO-M

[asimp11]

I see that the release of the Centro (M) has created lots of forum activity! and lots of questions. It is still early days with regards to what can be done with this device, so can I remind everybody that the cost of a Centro C at your main equipment rack and then 4/5 Centro M's at each of your TVs is more than 16 times cheaper than using Control4 with 90+ % of the functionallity!!

[cv27]

Auto-Assign works on objects which have auto-assign text entered. If the command name in the selected folder contains the text entered against the button, (and no other commands contain the text in the same folder), then the command will be assigned - with the selected delay/dependent flag. You can further specify that a command must contain some text, eg TVA_ for situations where you have multiple command sets in a single folder. See below:

Screen Shot 2016-11-03 at 10.55.10.png

To replace an entire set of commands, you remove them all first with the 'remove all device commands' option for the page, then re-assign.

Here's what I see:

snip_20161106183830.png

What am I missing?

[DemoPad]

Auto-assign is a professional software only feature - you can gain access to the pro software with a paid subscription - hdl.demopad.com

[cv27]

I've stabilized my project running with the Centro-8M. It works great, except it shouldn't...

I've delegated IP control (route commands via the processor) from all my devices to the Centro-8M. I haven't yet migrated the associated 2-way feedback processing to the Centro-8M (waiting on a change of hart from Demopad regarding Pro features). Regardless, 2-way feedback is fully functional!

So, in my book, for an iPad device to receive 2-way feedback, it needs to open a connection with the feedback provider: I don't see that in a network trace.

When tracing the network traffic, I can see the iPad sending the command in an enclosed format to the Centro-8M, then the Centro-8M sending the command to the outside world. But I can't see packets flowing back to the iPad that would explain the successful processing of 2-way feedback.

It gets pretty involved mirroring ports and filtering required packets in a trace, so I may have 'hidden' meaningful stuff.

So, can DemoPad share some of the logic flow involved in the Centro-8M playing 'proxy' on behalf of IP devices?

[DemoPad]

It's quite simple really, when you tick 'route commands through processor' with a device which is linked, here is what happens.

For example, an iPad wants to send a command to the device, the data goes:

iPad -> Centro-8M -> Device

and when the device sends some data back to its client (the 8M), it goes:

Device -> Centro-8M -> any connected iPads

So the 2-way feedback, if processed on the app, should still work. The reason to process feedback on the 8M would be to set the state of centralised variables when iOS apps are not running.

[Stik]

THANK YOU for the ability to re-order commands. Would it be possible to add this re-order functionality to feedback as well? Folders for feedback? These would make huge improvements to usablility...

I would also like to make some suggestions to further improve the Demopad Designer software with regards to the software for the Centro-8M:

1. The ability to create folders for and re-reorder Macros. I really like the way the macros can be triggered by flags, labels and/or numbers, but the large number of unsortable macros that I have already created is a real mess!

2. The ability to trigger a macro upon Centro-8M startup. I use the Centro as a centralized source for feedback from several devices including an ISY-994. The ISY device requires setting up a "Subscription" service which means that every time the Centro is shutdown/restarted it requires the command to setup this service to be resent. It would be nice to automate this by having the ability to trigger macros at startup.

3. Stop the software from automatically opening all folders when opening Flags, Numbers, or Labels. Once these folders are all open, it is difficult to scroll through everything to find what one is looking for and one needs to manually close all the folders to find what they are looking for.

4. I posted in another post regarding Feedback regex within the Centro-M. I haven't received any replies and am not sure if I am the only one having this issue, but if it is an issue, clearly it would be nice to have the same Regex for pattern recognition on the Centro that works with individual devices.

Thanks for the help. I hope these recommendations are useful.

Andy

[trevorst]

Place the ISY Subscribe command in the Project Load/Sartup commands area.
Trevor

[cv27]

THANK YOU for the ability to re-order commands. Would it be possible to add this re-order functionality to feedback as well? Folders for feedback? These would make huge improvements to usability...

I would expand that request to: have the ability to re-order *any* list in the Designer. Specifically, in:

• Project navigation
• 2-way feedback, with the ability to create sub-folders and the ability to re-order those folders
• Variables (flags, labels, numbers); already include the option to create sub-folders
• Custom number actions

This has been a wish of mine for a long time. As we develop familiarity with the possibilities of DemoPad, we (I at least) develop more elaborate programming and that's how one ends up with hundreds of items in a particular list, thus the need to find yourself in those mazes.

[Stik]

Place the ISY Subscribe command in the Project Load/Sartup commands area.
Trevor

Appreciate the response and the help. My understanding, however, is that load/startup commands area is for when the Demopad app starts. What I am trying to do is have the Cento subscribe directly to the ISY (which is working), but have the Centro re-subscribe on its own if it is restarted for any reason. Am I missing something?

[trevorst]

When the commands are sent thru the Centro it acts just like the app, so when you restart the Centro it sends out the commands.

[trevorst]

Also have to agree with all the requests for improvements to designer... It is a real pain in the you know what to work with sometimes, so labour intensive to do simple things.

[Stik]

When the commands are sent thru the Centro it acts just like the app, so when you restart the Centro it sends out the commands.

I have noticed from earlier discussions that you also use an ISY with Demopad, so I appreciate the assistance. It will be great to get this working and I hope you don't mind answering a few more questions...

Project Settings - Actions - Edit Startup Actions? Is this where you are placing the subscribe command?

If so, how then does Demopad determine which of these commands are to be sent when Demopad starts vice when the Centro starts? Are you saying that any command associated with a device linked to the Centro processor is sent when the processor starts? Is it then sent again when the app starts?

Do you already have ISY subscriptions working in this fashion?

I am out of the country for the week, but look forward to trying this when I return. Thanks again for the help!

[DemoPad]

Restarting the Centro will not initiate the app startup actions - they are just for the app. But you do have the 'initial command' for the device, which will be sent each time a connection is established to the device (either because of network / server issue, or a Centro reboot)

[Stik]

Restarting the Centro will not initiate the app startup actions - they are just for the app. But you do have the 'initial command' for the device, which will be sent each time a connection is established to the device (either because of network / server issue, or a Centro reboot)

Great. That looks like it might be what I am looking for.

I would suggest, however, that in addition to an "Initial command" for each device, you also consider including an initial macro trigger for the Centro processor itself. This would really expand the capabilities and not limit each device linked to the Centro to a single "Initial command."

[trevorst]

So what exactlly do we put in the initial command as it does not link to,the commands. Do we type in the command name or the complete command code??? Examples are worth a thousand words.

This is another one of these issue where lack of documentation holds us back from using the full capabilities of Demopad. I have had this command in the startup section all this time.