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🖥️ActiveHome Pro => SDK => Topic started by: mrhoaf on May 12, 2006, 12:31:40 PM

Title: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: mrhoaf on May 12, 2006, 12:31:40 PM
I need to control 4 appliance modules from another program.  Is there any way I can turn a module on and off with a command line command?  I know this was possible with the older activehome, but I haven't found anything about this option in Pro.

heck, any way to control modules through the CM15A without the activehome pro interface would be a step in the right direction...
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Dan Lawrence on May 12, 2006, 01:12:24 PM
Bill's X10 Voice Commander (http://www.wgjohns.com/bxvc.htm) allows voice control though AHP, but AHP doesn't have to be open.  It's freeware and pretty neat.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: billy on May 12, 2006, 01:14:18 PM
Check out the SDK.
http://www.activehomepro.com/sdk/sdk-info.html


Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Tuicemen on May 12, 2006, 03:20:56 PM
As billy stated
Quote
Check out the SDK.
http://www.activehomepro.com/sdk/sdk-info.html
syntax is <ahcmd><sendplc or sendrf><housecode & unitcode><ON or OFF>
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: mrhoaf on May 12, 2006, 04:53:51 PM
As billy stated
Quote
Check out the SDK.
http://www.activehomepro.com/sdk/sdk-info.html
syntax is <ahcmd><sendplc or sendrf><housecode & unitcode><ON or OFF>

thanks!  That's exactly what I needed!
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Tuicemen on May 12, 2006, 04:58:52 PM
Your welcome! ;) If you just want to turn off/on then you may not need the SDK ahcmd.exe is shipped and instaled with AHP in C:\Program Files\Common Files\X10\Common ;) :)
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Dan Lawrence on May 12, 2006, 05:20:21 PM
Error: ahcmd.exe cannot be used as a command line program in XP. It does not recogize it, even with the syntax Billy posted.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Tuicemen on May 12, 2006, 05:24:52 PM
I have no problem using it! ;) :) Open a doss window in the folder AHCMD.exe is located then type the Syntax above It will work! or if your trying from a batch file make sure you point to the folder AHCMD is in. :)
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Dan Lawrence on May 12, 2006, 10:23:55 PM
Still nothing, except "achmd is not recognized as a program, execuctable or batch file".
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: billy on May 12, 2006, 11:56:43 PM
Still nothing, except "achmd is not recognized as a program, execuctable or batch file".

Dan,

It should "ahcmd.exe" not achmd.exe", just remember Active Home Command.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Dan Lawrence on May 13, 2006, 09:04:44 AM
Same error message: "Ahcmd is not recognized as a program, executable, or batch file". It occors in both a command window or a full command screen.

O/S is XP Home SR2
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: billy on May 13, 2006, 10:09:32 AM
Dan,

1. Create a new folder "C:Test' or whatever name.
2. Goto C:Program FilesCommon FilesX10Common
3. Right click on the file "ahcmd.exe", select "Copy" from the menu.
4. Back in the "C:Test" window, right click in the open area of the window and select "Paste" NOT "Paste Shortcut".
5. Open a Command Prompt window. ( Start - Programs - Accessories - Command Prompt)
6. In the Command Prompt window type cd c:   est press (enter).
7. Type dir press (enter)
8. You should see ahcmd.exe with a size of 61,440.
9. Type ahcmd press (enter)  you should see expecting: {sendplc | sendrawplc | sendrf | queryplc}
10. Try a command.    ahcmd sendplc a1 on

Caution: queryplc does not work!

Good Luck!


Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: specter333 on May 13, 2006, 05:18:02 PM
THANK YOU!  I finally figured out how to u se Realize Voice to control my X10 products.  I’ve read a lot of post and tried a lot of things over the past couple of weeks but I guess I was looking in the wrong place.

One question if you don’t mind.  I understand that sendplc is send power line command,  sendrf is send radio frequency command but what is sendrawplc?

Thanks again.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Dan Lawrence on May 13, 2006, 06:09:56 PM
Dan,

1. Create a new folder "C:\Test' or whatever name.
2. Goto C:\Program Files\Common Files\X10\Common
3. Right click on the file "ahcmd.exe", select "Copy" from the menu.
4. Back in the "C:\Test" window, right click in the open area of the window and select "Paste" NOT "Paste Shortcut".
5. Open a Command Prompt window. ( Start - Programs - Accessories - Command Prompt)
6. In the Command Prompt window type cd c:\test press (enter).
7. Type dir press (enter)
8. You should see ahcmd.exe with a size of 61,440.
9. Type ahcmd press (enter)  you should see expecting: {sendplc | sendrawplc | sendrf | queryplc}
10. Try a command.    ahcmd sendplc a1 on




Caution: queryplc does not work!

Good Luck!





THAT WORKED!!!!!

I  presume that will also work with ahcmd in it's regular location, since it worked fine in the C:/Test location.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: specter333 on May 14, 2006, 01:13:59 AM
I'm understanding the on, off, dim and bright commands but I'm not understading the presetdim command.  For instance what would be the presetdim command for a1 to 50%?

Thanks
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: Tuicemen on May 14, 2006, 04:04:54 PM

THAT WORKED!!!!!

I  presume that will also work with ahcmd in it's regular location, since it worked fine in the C:/Test location.
Yes! you have to tell the command prompt to go to the folder location where ahcmd.exe is Guess I wasn't clear enough about that! :-[
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: roger1818 on May 15, 2006, 04:19:14 PM
One question if you don’t mind.  I understand that sendplc is send power line command,  sendrf is send radio frequency command but what is sendrawplc?

The thread Powerline Commands Applied to Many X10 Addresses!? (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=7860.msg48827#msg48827) gives a brief description of this command.

I'm understanding the on, off, dim and bright commands but I'm not understading the presetdim command.  For instance what would be the presetdim command for a1 to 50%?

Check out Using Pre-Set Dim (http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Using_Pre-Set_Dim).  X10 never supported this command in any of their modules.  The 2-way lamp module uses an Extended Dim instead.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: specter333 on May 15, 2006, 10:37:11 PM
Ok maybe I’m not looking at this the correct way.  As I understand it the dim (or bright) command dims by what percentage you assign it.  So if the command is dim 25% and the light is on full then it will dim to 75%.  If you use the command again the light will dim to 50% and so on. 


How do you send a command to dim or bright the light to 50% regardless of the current value?   So if the light is at 20% percent it brights to 50% or if the light is at 90 percent it dims to 50%.  Or do I have to set a relative value of 0% or 100% first in order to get the light to go to exactly 50% every time?

I've tried sending the code sendplc A3 ExtCode 31 1F to a lamp module but it does nothing.

I hope I'm making sense, i'm new to the programing side of this.  Thanks for the help.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: billy on May 15, 2006, 11:26:20 PM

specter333,

You are correct the % is incremental from the current level. So my guess is you turn the light on to 100% then dim to 50%.
So your application would have to keep track of the light level.

Lamp modules do not use extended codes.


Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: billy on May 15, 2006, 11:30:32 PM
Also the Dim ??% seems to be a PLC command only.
Light does not change using sendrf A1 Dim 50
Probably the same with the Bright command.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: specter333 on May 16, 2006, 12:39:47 AM
That’s disappointing but not the worst thing.  Weird thing I have noticed with what I hoped would be a temporary work around. 

I set my lights off command to dim 100% instead of off so it will fade up to 50% instead of going full and then dimming down.  Then if I want my lights at 50% I say lights to half when they are off and dim lights when they are on.  When I fade up from 0% to 50% my lights are quite a bit brighter than when I fade down from 100%.   To counter this I just dim up to 40%. 

Thanks for your help.
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: specter333 on May 16, 2006, 12:42:37 AM
Something I just thought of, does Bill’s X10 voice command do the dim/bright to 50% like we’ve been discussing?
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: roger1818 on May 16, 2006, 09:44:42 AM
You are correct the % is incremental from the current level. So my guess is you turn the light on to 100% then dim to 50%.
So your application would have to keep track of the light level.

Lamp modules do not use extended codes.

Billy is correct on both accounts.  It is a limitation of the cheap lamp modules (you get what you pay for).  That is why ActiveHome Pro will brighten the module to 100% first and then dim by the appropriate amount.  Most other brands of lamp modules will support either the old PresetDim or the new Extended Dim (and as I said earlier the X10 brand 2-way modules support the Extended Dim).
Title: Re: Command Line control with activehome PRO and CM15A
Post by: -Bill- (of wgjohns.com) on June 09, 2006, 12:36:57 AM
Something I just thought of, does Bill’s X10 voice command do the dim/bright to 50% like we’ve been discussing?
Yes, BXVC does.  The way I chose to do it is as follows:
1) Always issue dim 100
2) If the requested level is 0 (zero) you're done
3) If the requested level is greater than 0 (zero) issue bright (requested level)

So to set module A1 to 50% brightness, issue:
A1 dim 100
A1 bright 50

Hope that helps;
-Bill-