Does anyone have a piston that can create a log of switches and devices used for all of your pistons? With all of the virtual/simulated switches that I am creating/using, it is getting complicated to keep track of them. Certainly I could use the brute-force method and log them in a Google spreadsheet as I use them (as some here have done).
Keeping track of switches and devices
WCmore
#2
For a piston to automatically keep track of all changes to all devices, then that piston would have to have (potentially) hundreds of triggers in that piston!
I would not recommend this to my worse enemy.
Alternatively, if you just want to keep track of which events are triggering which piston(s), then I recommend creating a text file or a spreadsheet.
I manually add a single line of text when I add a trigger to a piston.
I tend to stick with pure text, in either a tree based (collapsible) view or an outline format:
Note: I like the nature of a collapsible tree-view, but I usually go with an outlined document, since I can always see all of my headers, and it’s only one click to switch topics.
Pantheon
#3
Yes. I was just hoping that someone may have written something that integrated with the SmartThings device list and could list the devices and the pistons that use them.
WCmore
#4
Ahh, I see. I never found that page too useful to me, since the triggers it lists never show the attribute of the actual trigger (switch? level? temperature? etc)…
I also find it frustrating how it mixes triggers and “commands sent to devices” in the same list, with nothing to distinguish between the two.
For example, my BulbA’s switch is only a trigger in a single piston, but that list shows all 25 pistons that controls that bulb.
Pantheon
#5
If anything, a list like that would make it easier for me to avoid piston/switch collisions.
WCmore
#6
I can see how that would be useful.
If I may encourage another way of looking at this:
For a piston to collide with another, I think the only thing that we need to track down the offender, is to keep track of which events triggers which pistons. If you can identify which trigger stepped on the other’s toes, it should be easy to tweak that piston to prevent that in the future.
For example, if a light goes crazy when the wife comes home, we only need to identify what piston(s) are triggering based on her location. I think it would be a nightmare to try to examine all the pistons that are controlling that crazy light!!
WCmore
#7
Upon further reflection, I guess if I walked into an empty house, and found a light left in a “peculiar” state, it may be handy to have a trail to find out why. What I currently do in those cases is:
Log into the IDE > My Devices > CrazyBulb > List Events
Yes, this is 4 clicks, (reduced to 1 if you bookmark) but I bet it would take that much (or more) to pull up a custom log. The added bonus with my suggestion is: the log is very detailed, but will only show data for that single device. (no clutter to wade thru)
This usually gives me enough information to track down the little bugger.