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    lost newbie

    I am a lost newbie with 27 days left on trial I would really like so see some of the more simple functions of HS in action. I need to show my girl some justification for spending money on this.

    My plan is to pick up the starter kit when my trial period ends. So I will not be using any x-10 or z-wave products to utilize devices in conjunction with hs.

    I am very confused and really do not understand HS. I do not really understand why there is not a user manual, tutorial, or lessons. basically what I mean is not a single aspect of HS is out of the box ready.

    Except for you say "computer" HS responds "Yes sir"

    I have found the the help option to be difficult to use.

    I know many responses will be everything you need is here on the BB however as I read hour after hour it is experianced ursers conversing with other experianced users.

    I have looked through all the scritping section of the help section however again I found this difficult due to the fact i really didnt even know what a script was until I discovered HS.

    I now understand the general concepts of scripts and how they work however I do not understand how to use them.

    For example something which appears to me to be a very trivial aspect of HS is I would like to ask HS via VR "what time is it" and have it reply. Also what is todays date.

    If some one could explain this to me step by step, I should be able figure things out from there. This iformation might help shed some light on other things as well.

    Another example of something I tried to get to work last night was very simple I am sure but has left me clueless.

    I wanted HS to play a .wav file that I recorded. The recording was "Buddy" and named buddy. I set up an event, then a trigger Manual, VR comand "buddy" Then browsed to the file, I uploaded the .wav file "buddy" then update and save.


    I thought this would work however when I said the "buddy" command HS responded "shall I excute buddy" I said "yes" then I recieved an error.

    error: file not found or 0 legth c:\programfiles\homeseer2\wave

    I thought it would just play the wav file. I did not even antcipate the question of execution. Is there a way to avoid this question and just have the file play upon request?

    I have a few other question but I think I have rambled enough in this post.

    #2
    HomeSeer is telling you that it cannot find the .wav file you specified in your script. Check the path of the file again and compare it to the actual location of the .wav file. Beware missing spaces or punctuation.

    Hope this helps.
    Dan

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Laldaas
      I am a lost newbie with 27 days left on trial I would really like so see some of the more simple functions of HS in action. I need to show my girl some justification for spending money on this.

      My plan is to pick up the starter kit when my trial period ends. So I will not be using any x-10 or z-wave products to utilize devices in conjunction with hs.
      What starter kit are you referring to?


      I am very confused and really do not understand HS. I do not really understand why there is not a user manual, tutorial, or lessons. basically what I mean is not a single aspect of HS is out of the box ready.

      HomeSeer at it's core is built on devices (lamp modules, appliance modules, wall switches, thermostats, etc) and events ( turn lamp on, turn off toaster, when the sun sets turn on the wall switch, etc). You should be able to control a semi elaborate "setup" without any scripting at all.


      Except for you say "computer" HS responds "Yes sir"

      I have found the the help option to be difficult to use.

      I know many responses will be everything you need is here on the BB however as I read hour after hour it is experianced ursers conversing with other experianced users.

      I have looked through all the scritping section of the help section however again I found this difficult due to the fact i really didnt even know what a script was until I discovered HS.

      I now understand the general concepts of scripts and how they work however I do not understand how to use them.

      For example something which appears to me to be a very trivial aspect of HS is I would like to ask HS via VR "what time is it" and have it reply. Also what is todays date.
      To accomplish this set up an event and enter a voice command like "Time". Then select the action tab and choose run script from the drop down menu. Select the Switch to advanced View. Key in &hs.speak "The time is" & time into the field marked OR Script Statement:
      ie: &hs.speak "hello". There's you first script in a way. The & indicates a one line script call.


      If some one could explain this to me step by step, I should be able figure things out from there. This iformation might help shed some light on other things as well.

      Another example of something I tried to get to work last night was very simple I am sure but has left me clueless.

      I wanted HS to play a .wav file that I recorded. The recording was "Buddy" and named buddy. I set up an event, then a trigger Manual, VR comand "buddy" Then browsed to the file, I uploaded the .wav file "buddy" then update and save.
      Don't forget to select the upload option when you browse to a wav file. There's also a known problem that should be fixed soon with playing wav files and the error your seeing.

      I thought this would work however when I said the "buddy" command HS responded "shall I excute buddy" I said "yes" then I recieved an error.

      error: file not found or 0 legth c:\programfiles\homeseer2\wave

      I thought it would just play the wav file. I did not even antcipate the question of execution. Is there a way to avoid this question and just have the file play upon request?

      I have a few other question but I think I have rambled enough in this post.
      ******
      💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

      Comment


        #4
        What starter kit are you referring to?
        <TABLE class=whitearea cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=mainbodynopad width=200>HomeSeer v2.0 Z-Wave Starter Kit</TD></TR><TR><TD class=mainbody12nopadRed width=200>BD-HS-Z-1 (software & hardware)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=mainbodynopad vAlign=top width=200 height=70>This kit includes our advanced HomeSeer v2.0 software, Z-Wave serial interface, handheld remote control and 1 Intermatic lamp module. A great starter system at a great price!120v/60hz


        I thought this was a decent package

        </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

        Do you suggest something else? Or do think I should pay for the key code after free trial expires and purchase componets as I want.

        To accomplish this set up an event and enter a voice command like "Time". Then select the action tab and choose run script from the drop down menu. Select the Switch to advanced View. Key in &hs.speak "The time is" & time into the field marked OR Script Statement:
        ie: &hs.speak "hello". There's you first script in a way. The & indicates a one line script call.
        Thank you this is what am looking for! I will try it when I go home tonight.

        .....Well at least I think I understand

        Will I do the same thing for today's date?

        Don't forget to select the upload option when you browse to a wav file. There's also a known problem that should be fixed soon with playing wav files and the error your seeing.
        I am glad to hear it might not be me entirely.

        I did hit the upload button however it opened or should say changed over to a window full of charcters, numbers and letters. once that happend I wasn't sure what to do. So I hit the back button.

        Maybe thats my problem?

        what do you do when that happens?


        Thanks for the replies

        Comment


          #5
          Laldaas,
          Z-Wave is good.

          Will I do the same thing for today's date?
          ... Use &Date

          If your using version 2.2041 This garbled data while uploading is a know problem. This is fixed in the next version. Just hold on tight or as a work around just copy the wav file you want to use to the HS/wave_files directory manually.
          💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

          Comment


            #6
            Laldaas,
            Z-Wave is good.
            Look forward to it

            Will I do the same thing for today's date?
            ... Use &Date
            Thank you!

            just copy the wav file you want to use to the HS/wave_files directory manually.
            Oh OK!

            Comment


              #7
              Hi Laldaas - Rupp's right, you can do a lot without scripts, so maybe start by creating a few simple Events to start with to see what you can do. Just choose a trigger that will cause the event to happen, then select the action (lights on, talk, etc)
              For example,
              • Trigger: "Absolute Time" (Choose time and day of week, say 8AM on Fridays)
              • Action: "Speak", then type in what you want it to say, maybe: Good morning! It's $time on $date. Don't forget to put the trash out this morning.
              (It says, "Good morning! It's 8:00 A.M. on Friday, February 10th, 2006. Don't forget to put the trash out this morning.")

              Comment


                #8
                If you like music, something else you might look at (to impress your girlfriend) is the HS Media Player (You can install a trial in from the UPDATER tab). It allows you to play all the music on your computer by voice commands. Just tell it to play an album, or a particular artist, or even a genre such as Rock. I use mine constantly! You can also use it in your events. Tell HomeSeer, "I want to relax" and have it play some soothing music, and dim the lights for you! At Christmas you can create an event to turn on the Christmas lights, and play some Christmas music.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by CJVann
                  Hi Laldaas - Rupp's right, you can do a lot without scripts, so maybe start by creating a few simple Events to start with to see what you can do. Just choose a trigger that will cause the event to happen, then select the action (lights on, talk, etc)
                  For example,
                  • Trigger: "Absolute Time" (Choose time and day of week, say 8AM on Fridays)
                  • Action: "Speak", then type in what you want it to say, maybe: Good morning! It's $time on $date. Don't forget to put the trash out this morning.

                  (It says, "Good morning! It's 8:00 A.M. on Friday, February 10th, 2006. Don't forget to put the trash out this morning.")



                  This was a terriffic reply to my OP. Thank you very much. For the life of me I do not know why I could not find this in the help menu.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by CJVann
                    If you like music, something else you might look at (to impress your girlfriend) is the HS Media Player (You can install a trial in from the UPDATER tab). It allows you to play all the music on your computer by voice commands. Just tell it to play an album, or a particular artist, or even a genre such as Rock. I use mine constantly! You can also use it in your events. Tell HomeSeer, "I want to relax" and have it play some soothing music, and dim the lights for you! At Christmas you can create an event to turn on the Christmas lights, and play some Christmas music.
                    Really how long is the trial? After playing with HS and the new found knowledge you blessed me with I was much to tired to play with this last night. I will give it a try when I get home from work today

                    I am sure I will have questions.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Laldaas
                      Really how long is the trial? After playing with HS and the new found knowledge you blessed me with I was much to tired to play with this last night. I will give it a try when I get home from work today

                      I am sure I will have questions.
                      All of the trials are 30 days.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I am not sure what the rules are on this message board about creating multiple threads on similar topics so I will keep all my newbie questions in this thread.

                        Frist off thank you for the help so far! I did everything I was advised to do and it worked I do not know why I could not find: $time = a spoken time or $date = a spoken date.

                        I even used this one: Good morning! It's $time on $date. Don't forget to put the trash out this morning.

                        Except I changed putting out the trash to "dont forget to take your vitamens this morning."

                        The girl friend loved that part. I always forget. What can I say she loves me

                        Here are some problems I am having trouble with maybe you guys can help.

                        I set up a couple of events. One being the the date. It is a manual trigger via VR. The voice command was "Date". The action was: The date is $date.

                        The problem was/is the speaker is hearing the trigger the speaking the voice command the the action then the command again.

                        Example: Me: "Date"
                        Speaker:"Date" "The date is Thursday, February 9th, 2006" "Date"

                        What I found funny is I belive HS speaker is hearing it self speak the voice command causing a loop.

                        Example: "Date""The date is Thursday, February 9th, 2006" "Date":"Date" "The date is Thursday, February 9th, 2006""date":"Date" "The date is Thursday, February 9th, 2006" "Date" ect,ect.

                        I had to turn down the volume to end the loop.



                        After stairing at the screen dumbfounded for a moment I reliazed this and changed the voice command to "what is the date" However the speaker is still saying:

                        "what is the date""The date is Thursday, February 9th, 2006"What is the date"
                        Followed by a "I don't understand" which is annoying.

                        I am having a similar problem it the time.

                        (Voice command is "what is the time" with a manual trigger and the action is: speak:"The time is $time")

                        Example:

                        Me: "What time is it"
                        Speaker: "What time is it" "The time is 9:22 AM" "I do not understand"

                        How do I stop HS from:

                        #1) Repeating the voice command before and or after speaking the the "action"

                        #2) How do I stop HS from saying "I do not understand" immedatily after speaking the "action" This appears to happen more so, in fact every single time, after the time is spoken but sometines after the date is.

                        Some other problems I am having are false triggers such as:

                        Eamples:

                        #1) Speaker: Yes

                        #2) speaker: No

                        I have not applied any actions to say these words so I assume "yes" and "no" are default settings some where in the speaker application.

                        It can Be completely silent in the room and the speaker will say "Yes" or "No" randomly.

                        The only time I noticed any noise in the room was when I was getting dressed this moring and the metal clanging sound of my belt buckel was triggering HS speaker to say "yes" which I found to be very odd.



                        I also was receiving many false triggers when saying voice commands so I spent around an hour or so in the control panel--> speach section, Training. It appears to have helped a little.

                        I am wondering do I need to change some of the sensetivity setting on my mirophone?

                        I am using a logitech desktop microphone and I am very surprized to see how sensetive it actually is.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          About HS hearing itself and re-triggering... You might open your Action tab, and where you type what you want it to say, click on Advanced, and check "Wait for speech to finish" and see if that prevents it from re-triggering. Sounds like maybe your mic is too close to the speakers? This has never happened to me, so I'm not quite sure. Another option is on the Event's "Name" tab, type in a value where it says, "Cannot re-trigger for __ seconds", that way it can't start the event until that amount of time passes.

                          Repeating the event name: Go to Setup, General, and under "Other Settings" you'll see "Speak Recognized Voice Commands". You can change it to "No".

                          I believe a bug has been found that causes the speaker to occasionally say "Yes" or "No" for what seems like no reason. It rarely happens, has happened to me once or twice in the last 8 months. The next release should resolve this problem. (Try restarting HS if it continues)

                          To stop it from saying, "I don't understand": Go to the speaker client under Options, Voice Recognition, and uncheck "Speak when a command is not understood."

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by CJVann
                            About HS hearing itself and re-triggering... You might open your Action tab, and where you type what you want it to say, click on Advanced, and check "Wait for speech to finish" and see if that prevents it from re-triggering. Sounds like maybe your mic is too close to the speakers? This has never happened to me, so I'm not quite sure. Another option is on the Event's "Name" tab, type in a value where it says, "Cannot re-trigger for __ seconds", that way it can't start the event until that amount of time passes.
                            I will have to look for "wait for speech to finish" and see if that will help.

                            Rofl, Ya I think my mic is to close, I am playing with HS on my desktop. My mic if I had to guess is about a foot and a half away from the speakers.

                            I did try "Cannot re-trigger for __ seconds" and set it to 30 secs but maybe I need to increase that to 45 or more I will try that.

                            Repeating the event name: Go to Setup, General, and under "Other Settings" you'll see "Speak Recognized Voice Commands". You can change it to "No".
                            Awsome thanks!

                            I believe a bug has been found that causes the speaker to occasionally say "Yes" or "No" for what seems like no reason. It rarely happens, has happened to me once or twice in the last 8 months. The next release should resolve this problem. (Try restarting HS if it continues)
                            Ok at least it is possibly not that is always good news.

                            To stop it from saying, "I don't understand": Go to the speaker client under Options, Voice Recognition, and uncheck "Speak when a command is not understood."
                            I am beside my self on wether I like the disable or not. for the moment, as a new user, I see it as a learning tool. However it is an annoying phrase. Maybe I should disable and take the silence as a " I did not understand"


                            Thank you very much for the help!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Thanks for all your help guys HS has been fun to work with now that I have a small understanding of how some things work.

                              I Now have several VR Events set up:

                              "what time is it"
                              "what is the date"
                              "What is the horiscope for Gemini" (I have also set up one for my girl friend)
                              "please read me the daily Joke"
                              "please read the news" (it reads the breaking news from CNN)

                              Many things of this nature. I aslo have some absolute timed triggers with set up announcements. For "wake up" and various things.

                              Good times and alot of fun. so far.

                              So a problem I am having is false triggers. I am still training the speaker however that is not nessarily the problem.

                              Some how I am getting triggers when the computer is supose to be in stand by. That is my phrase for "good bye."

                              Computer is still my attention message. However the computer will trigger without the attention phrase.

                              For example I created an event to turn on my pc tv, ATI viewer TV. Which is an application.

                              I have it set for voice command "turn on TV" a manual trigger. Under acion it is the launch application setting.

                              When the computer is supose to be in "stand by" not listening it will trigger for no reason at all.

                              I will be in the room and without the attention phrase or voice command I hear "shall I exacute, Turn on TV?" Then I say "No" the I say "stand by" a few moments later HS will trigger again without the attention phrase or voice command. "The time is 1:30pm" Immedatily followed by "Shall I exacute, Turn on TV?" Which then I say "NO""Stand by"

                              This is very annoying Not to mention the occasional "Yes/No" (which seems o only happens when HS is listening, I belive)

                              I have just purchased some lamp moduels to try something other than a text to speech via VR commands.

                              I told my girlfriend I have them coming and she is less the thrilled. Her respose was "why, So the lights can turn off and on without reason" Or we Can now listen to the computer ask us if would would like to have the lights on or off also while we sleeping.

                              The computer is in the bedroom I am still in apartment for now.

                              I am impressed and I am looking forward to using HS permently however I need to get these bugs worked out or the girl friend will shoot this down as nothing more then a novelty.

                              Any advice will be very much apperciated.


                              Also in reguards to the TV. I have set up a launch Application (action via VR voice command) however that is all it does. It there a way to terminate and application?

                              Also considering this TV is and application on my PC is there away to say change channels and or adjust the volume?

                              I have skimmed over some threads about "virtual device"

                              Is that how i would tackel my tv?

                              If some one could piont me in the right direction that would be great.

                              Comment

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