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[steven r]

...a computer program could be written to perform the annual update of AHP's holiday file (C:\Program Files\ActiveHome Pro\HOLIDAY.XML),...

Can a HOLIDAY.XML file be created external to AHP and imported? Could a HOLIDAY.XML file be created on one person's computer, copied to another and imported? Would simply coping the file to the right directory on another computer work?
i.e. Could an enterprising person create a Jewish Holiday schedule an make the HOLIDAY.XML file available to others?

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

...a computer program could be written to perform the annual update of AHP's holiday file (C:\Program Files\ActiveHome Pro\HOLIDAY.XML),...

Can a HOLIDAY.XML file be created external to AHP and imported? Could a HOLIDAY.XML file be created on one person's computer, copied to another and imported? Would simply coping the file to the right directory on another computer work?
i.e. Could an enterprising person create a Jewish Holiday schedule an make the HOLIDAY.XML file available to others?

Without actually trying it, my best guess would be "Yes and No".
Yes, the HOLIDAY.XML file could probably be created on one computer and copied to another and loaded into AHP.
No, just copying it to the correct folder probably wouldn't be enough.  I would assume it would be loaded into AHP, but the end user would have to download the new holiday schedule to their CM15A, otherwise it wouldn't observe the "new" holidays.

[Dan Lawrence]

Bill,

All the timers and any interface housed macros are housed in the various .ahx files the user creates and uploads. What does the HOLIDAY.XML file do?

[Charles Sullivan]

Yes, you can put a modified HOLIDAY.XML file into the same directory and it'll be loaded when you start up AHP.  The first thing I tried was manually adding holidays to the file using Notepad, and that worked fine.  But if you afterwards change the dates of the holidays (as you would have to do every year for floating holidays like Easter or the Jewish holidays), the changes aren't automatically incorporated in existing schedules of timers.

If you look at the HOLIDAY.XML file you'll note that each holiday listed is sequentially numbered.  The .AHX file with the timer and macro schedule references the holiday by that number, so you would have to keep the same numbering from year to year even if a "update holidays" feature was added to AHP.

[vlevin]

I understand the Hebrew Calendar is on a 19 yr (I think) rotating cycle. It might be a complicated algorhythm, but could the file look something like:

Cal A = (series of dates for the holdays)
Cal B = (next series of dates)
When year =  2006 (example) apply all current timer settings for dates in cal A.
-Valerie

[Noam]

I had spoken to "X10 Pro" very early on about this (and pointed out that they had misspelled "Chanukah", as well).
I really liked the idea of being able to program for a Holiday in advance, but I soon realized that this wouldn't work for me.
My X10 setup is still evolving (tweaking timers, and adding devices, etc), so I can't really know more than a few weeks in advance how I would want to set it. In addition, I am trying to conserve energy, and only use the lights and hot-plate when needed. I would need to wait until we finalize our meal schedule (which meals we are eating alone, which ones we have company, and which ones we are eating out), before I could set the schedule.
I usually end up making a copy of my "normal" program, and modifying that to suit the Holiday. Afterward, I simply load the "Normal" one again.
It takes me less than 30 minutes to do the programming for each Holiday, and I know that everything will be scheduled appropriately each time.
I keep the previous files, so I can go back and look at them for reference.