General question: description of device commands

#1

I’m new to ST and Webcore. I can’t find any documentation of how to use commands available for the device types I have in my ST system. For example, if I want an event to trigger a task on one of my Arlo cameras I see I have a lot of tasks available for cameras in the ‘Do’ drop-down list of the Add Task dialog but I can’t find any description of what each task does, what parameters it requires etc.

Can somebody point me to a document, website, forum etc where I can get this information? Without this I’m getting nowhere in creating pistons to do what I want to do.

Thanks

#2

The drop down lists contain quite a bit of stuff, since Ady made webCoRE to work with many devices… It is up to your Device Handler to determine what happens when a command is executed.
(in your case, I would seek out the forum where you found your Device Handler for Arlo)

A good way to manually test with new (unfamiliar) devices is to make a one line piston:

Execute
    DO X
END EXECUTE

Once it is saved, push the TEST button, and take note of what happens.
(maybe also turn logging to FULL on this testing piston)

#3

@WCmore Thanks for your reply.

As far as I can remember the Arlo integration with ST was something I found in the Marketplace in the ST app and not from a forum. Looking at it again now the documentation is pretty sparse and unhelpful.

So are you saying that the commands in the drop down list are derived from a device handler? Looking in ST IDE there is no device handler for Arlo listed under My Device Handlers.

And yes - I have done the one line piston trick to try to figure out what a command does - sometimes nothing appears to happen and to be honest even looking in the log doesn’t necessarily mean I’m able to interpret what I see there. For example, if a command needs parameters to execute how do I know what are valid values for those parameters? (This is a general issue for all devices not just my Arlo cameras).

Without a command reference it’s a lot of trial and error to figure out how each individual command works and/or what values a device attribute may have. If that’s what it takes I’ll probably just swap out ST. I have a Vera system in another house and so far have never needed to root around in the technical details to the same extent it seems is required for ST.

#4

Yes. The top part of the drop down will change depending on which Device Handler is controlling that device. For example, when I select a boring white bulb, these are my only options:

temp

If I select a fancy RGB bulb instead, my choices are very different:

temp
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Your current Device Handler can be found in the IDE page “My Devices” listed under “Type”.
(some are built-in, and some require a manual install)

Here is a sample screenshot for two of my Philips Hue bulbs. Yours are likely different.

temp

Device Handlers can be changed by clicking on the name of the device, and then ‘Edit’ at the bottom.
(just be careful because many of the choices will not work with that particular device)

Personally, I would search this out on the SmartThings forum. Someone had to make this DH, and that is the likeliest place to discuss it with users.

Most of the time, parameters are kept blank, or use common sense. For example, if you want to set your AC to 10 degrees, you are limited by the lowest number available to your thermostat.

A good way to look at this is each new device and/or device handler has a learning curve to get a full understanding of it, but the simple commands usually work right out of the box.

In my opinion, SmartThings is far superior to Vera as far as programming goes. It just uses a different language that takes a bit to get familiar with.

Keep it up! You will be a pro before you know it!! :+1:

#5

@WCmore - thanks for the explanations. That’s all useful information. As you say, this seems like a discussion for the ST forum. Indeed, I’ve found a thread on this very topic here https://community.smartthings.com/t/core-capture-recordclip-with-arlo-wireless-camera/76613/11

Still wish there was some kind of document available which describes how to use the commands available for any given device. I fully understand that every device has different capabilities and so the DH provider would have to contribute that information, but surely this is something that could be made available in a wiki somewhere?

For the time being it seems like blind thrashing about and tedious trial and error are the route I have to follow if I decide to stick with ST.

Thanks again for your replies. Much appreciated.

#6

Thanks for sharing the link. Although honestly, I was hoping you would find the “Official” thread made by the creator of the DH. (Maybe try using parenthesis when searching for the exact name found under “Type”)

I agree 100%. This responsibility ultimately falls back on the creator of the Device Handler. Often times, a DH is created by a user (instead of a company) so the level of detail in the “help file” might not be 100%.

Heck, even in this amazing community, there are still undocumented features within webCoRE. I guess I understand the logic though. Don’t announce to the world anything that has not been tested 100%. (and to test it 100%, the code has to be in place)

In general, I have noticed that the basic commands are almost always available, but the newest (groundbreaking) commands might be undocumented for a bit. (this is the reason why I was hoping you would find the “Official” thread by the creator… to hear it from the horse’s mouth)