[APP][Pro] Advanced Virtual Device (Device Capabilities App) with Unique Text Status Indicator

Hint:

Replace your ‘old’ Homey virtual devices, or Virtual Devices app virtual devices,

by your new Advanced Virtual Devices, without fixing all related flows by hand!


[Just don’t remove the old device yet]

Replacing a device can be a pain, while you’ll have to replace it in all related flows as well.
With this script by @martijnpoppen , it is done in a minute!

https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-pro-cloud-tool-to-fix-advanced-flows-after-removing-and-re-adding-devices/65018

(New feature: a dry run option, to view all affected flows)

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I will keep trying to find a way to create dropdown’s / select lists / pickers, which would give the posibility to what you want (just a little bit different).

I guess pickers / selecters are the final fantasy of AVDs :wink:

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I’m converting / improving my VD’s into AVD.
There is a ’ Then’ cards generated called ’ Zet Waarschuwing naar’ (Set Warning message’) and ’ Maak Waarschuwing leeg’ .
I get error messages using these. Are they connected to a certain device type only?

Would there be an overview on the impact of Device Class on behaviour (flows, look-and-feel) for AVD.
Like thermostat shows the target temp on the tile, a light a yellow on/off light…

(Homey tutorial does not provide either, except for a skimpy description)

They’ve worked a while ago, but now they error here as well. Tried with a brand new AVD device, same result.

Screenshot from 2022-10-12 16-32-40

I’ve read Arie is ill, so I hope you get well soon @Arie_J_Godschalk !

Resolved, in live.

Just to be clear, this Warning is only shown in Homey Mobile, not in the Web App.

There is also an Unavailable and Available flowcard, but its an App card and fully disables a AVD and its flows with just this one card.
Thats why its an App card: I cannot use an device-flowcard to make it available again :wink:

Well, that would be quite hard i ugess, because that default behavior is very different from what you write above here.

Thermostat does nothing itself with an Device Tile.
Class does almost nothing with device Tile.

Capabilities (with Create Flow Cards enabled) create flowcards, buttons icons, slider icons, temperatureview and the device Tile.

But there is a lott of ways to change the Device Tile with AVD’s, but almost every option is in the capabilities/fields: using a default ShowAs and create flow cards enabled.

But perhaps we can make an overview of the effect of the ShowAs options.

thanks Arie.

On the ’ tile’ remark, maybe it is only limiteds to class ’ Thermostat’ and ‘Light’?

Changing AVD Class to ’ Light’. will show a light at the top right corner which is linked to the no. 1 yes/no field. Changing on/off will dempen the tile and the light.
But when i added a real button, the behaviour changes connected to the button
A ’ light’ tile will not show an alarm
A ’ light’ tile will show ’ Status niet Aanpasbaar’. on Mobile app (so no status can be shown on light tile)

Changing device class to thermostat will add a black circle, that will/could/should show the temperature target.
However, for me it stays empty and i tried a lot off different ways (mostly using ’ show as Temperature (target)’

Would you know how to use the target visualisation on a thermostat tile?

Also, tThe colour of the light on a ’ light’ tile can be changed to any color. Can this be do for AVD as well?

greetings and thanks for this great app
Bart

Hi @Arie_J_Godschalk I’m transfering all my virtual devices to your great app, but I have a few that use the up, stop and down buttons for controlling my blinds. I attached a flow to each of these. How can I create this with your app? I read through your explanation but couldn’t find it. Thanks!

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Sorry, you can’t yet, this one is a work in progress.

Part of it has been implemented, but it’s not finished, and i am currently trying to finish 3 other apps first.

Would you mind creating a request/ticket for it, so i will not foget and i will get to it before long?
(i get requests/tickets in my agendas/phone and automated logs)

QlusterIT / nl.qluster-it.DeviceCapabilities / issues or requests — Bitbucket

Thanks!

Sure, no problem! And no hurry. I’m still using the ‘old’ Virtual Devices app and that will still work until the new Pro is installed. :slight_smile:

Thanks!

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One other question; I have made several virtual devices with more buttons. For example, to set the sun screen lamellas to a specific position. How can I activate one of these buttons with a flow? Right now, nothing happens so I must be missing something.

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The last argument of the cards: And do nothing else, change it to run flows.

Oh my… If I knew it’d be that easy. :wink: Thanks! For some reason (probably because a pin appears on the right side) I assumed another ‘then’ card needs to be added if ‘run flows’ is selected.

What description would make it more clear to you?
How can i improve this?
(You’re not the first.)

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Now that I know it, it makes sense so the description is not that unclear, but maybe a dedicated then card (like the then cards for single on/off buttons) that just says ‘push button’ with the option to select the button. Or instead maybe make the last argument ‘push button’ and ‘do nothing’.

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In Domoticz the same is possible using the option “.Silent” , cool this is build in, i was not aware.

I would have assumed that trigger IF cards would be the default and doing nothing would be the 2nd action. Not sure if this can still be changed without breaking older versions?

Maybe change the description of the two options:

  1. Do not trigger IF flow card / ALS flowkaart niet starten
  2. Trigger IF flow card / Start ALS flowkaart

I see that some card have a (i) on the card. when you hoover the mouse over, there is a description.
Maybe this can be added to this card to explain the options?

Bart

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@Peter_Kawa @Arie_J_Godschalk

How do you guys handle your flows? Do you create one advanced flow per device and put in all triggers and actions for that device in one flow?

Hope to hear from you.

Mostly; yeah, i do.

Depends. I have the person status via VD’s all over the place. Lots of flows have f.i. (not) @ home and/or (not) asleep conditions.

It depends; I started with multiple flows, but I am converging to 1-advanced-flow-per-device more recently. Exception: when I need to explicitly start a certain flow element, in cases where I would need more than one start element in the advanced flow.

You can use Advanced Triggers App for this, you can have multiple start elements (through different eventnames) within the same flow.

If that was what you ment. :wink:

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