Ed,
I feel your pain.... and the best advice comes from some posts Puck & Tuicemen put up. Start reading
HERE I've been playing "Throw your money at X10" since December. Sometimes it's more like, "So, you gotta go left for 1 mile in order to arrive 6" from where you started" - but it is fun, and these guys like helping.
Read up on Monitored vs. Tranceived. Then tackle Phantoms & Flags.
I don't have any 2-way modules, so nothing I post refers to them.
For the CONDITIONS part of macros, ("IF" statements) -
1. Only those modules that are set to the "monitored" HouseCode can be used.
2. Only one HouseCode can be monitored.
3. Flags CAN be used - and there are 16 FLAGS available to you - they're ON-OFF, and they're changed ONLY by your macros.
4. If you have "ELSE's", they work much better if you put explicit conditions in them:
IF A1=ON
Do this
ELSE IF A1=Off (rather than just a blank ELSE)
Do that
I use PHANTOMs (AM486's) to (1) show me the state of flags (F1 shows me how FLAG#1 is set, etc. rather than having to run the STATUS report) and (2) trigger other macros - You can use FLAGS as conditionals, but they can't trigger. Also, If AHP locks-up, and/or gets restarted, sometimes it doesn't remember the state of modules, but the FLAGS in the interface seem to still be there, so I created a manual macro that tests each flag and sets the cooresponding Phantom - with delays between each - this also runs all phantom-associated macros. Sort of like a whole-system reset.
Off topic, but to help keep whatever hair is left:
When something doesn't work the way you think it should:
a. Make sure you've saved & downloaded to the interface.
b. Moved the interface as far away from your PC as you can.
c. Tested with the sensor close by, and the module plugged into a KNOWN controllable outlet.
d. Have another scotch
e. Save often & have a backup AHX
f. Tell the wife it won't stay like that - you're only "testing"
g. Have another scotch
h. Test putting a 2-second delay at the beginning or end of your macro
i. Is ther another macro already running? Does the macro work if it's the only one running?
j. Burn the receipts so that even you won't know how much you've spent.