Premise Floorpan GUI

[nov0798]

I am trying to figure out how to insert the floorplan of my house into premise? Once inserted, I wouldlike to add an icon or some other visual clue to each door/window contact and then display its state within the premise browser. Ive looked around, but no luck. I then thought I might need to create a seperate website within the browser, then lay my floorplan in that, and then link an icon from the Premise browser to that other internal website to display it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Brian

 

[pipeman]

I would also be interested in that type use. My wish list includes an interactive drawing of my lot with sprinkler zones, outside lighting, pool equipment. etc

 

[chucklyons]

I'd have to think this through a bit (actually, a lot), but you could prob do something along the lines of what I have attached. It would require a lot of tweaking...Another consideration, depending on your motivation, might involve using pop-up dialogs for some control, but again a lot of tweaking.

For this quick <10min exercise, I mod'd the background (images/TexturedXP.jpg), mod'd the location image (foyer - actually, you can insert an image into the TagFolderEx property and it overrides the default image from Selectors...I used Paint.net to create the 'floorplan' and the 'FoyerFloorPlan', added layers of images from images/ClassImages for the items that I had put into the Foyer location. I also expanded the cell size '90', removed some padding (would need to do more), but you should get the idea. You would have to create cells that are bordered on 'n' sides vs all, to give the appearance of non-square zones, etc. You could use 123's onepixel.gif (in Downloads) to hide some areas (like top levels) or to join areas..Also you would have to do something for each sub area as when the top level (Family Room) is selected, the items in the room will overflow the background image 'boundaries'.. Doable, but seems like a royal pain..

You may be able to do this for certain areas, like the sprinkler zone (I like the idea!).

Again, just an example and by no means what I would consider as 'done'!!!

 

[nov0798]

Wouldnt it be easier to have the premise server host a private website? You could then just build the floorplan in Visio, or some other program, and just display it as a link within the Premise Browser. I dont know, maybe it wont work that way? Just thinking out loud. I dont know how you would link an icon within the web page to display the status of a door sensor, etc from Premise. Im sure it can be done, just dont know how??

 

[Waynedb]

I am trying to figure out how to insert the floorplan of my house into premise? Once inserted, I wouldlike to add an icon or some other visual clue to each door/window contact and then display its state within the premise browser. Ive looked around, but no luck. I then thought I might need to create a seperate website within the browser, then lay my floorplan in that, and then link an icon from the Premise browser to that other internal website to display it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Brian

There was an example web page module in the original Premise forum that was called sysconnector example or something like that, that might help if you want to add a custom web page. It was posted in a thread about web interface customization. http://forums.premisesystems.net/forums/1339/ShowPost.aspx
I know nothing about writing web pages but this might help give you an idea.

There was also this module, Basic HTML generation, on the old Premise site. http://forums.premisesystems.net/forums/60/ShowPost.aspx
There was also Damon's really cool Jukebox minibroker interface that shows a great example of a custom browser for music playback. http://forums.premisesystems.net/forums/4330/ShowPost.aspx

I see Damon has posted here so maybe he could give you some ideas.

 

[123]

The idea of a FloorPlan UI has been kicked around for awhile, both here and on the old forum, yet I've never actually seen an example of one let alone had the opportunity to try it.

I've had no burning need to build one for my own use (IMHO, FloorPlan UI = Eye Candy) but the technical challenge has intrigued me. What would I want in a FloorPlan UI?

• Viewed in Premise Browser
  The flooplan must be visible in Premise Browser (i.e. it must work with AutomationBrowser) because I don't want to switch to another application or web-page to view it.
• Simple tools
  Creating the floorplan image ought to be easy. I know how to use a CAD program, but that should not be a requirement to create a usable floorplan diagram. It should be able to use a PNG or GIF file marked up with a rudimentary floorplan.
• Use what already exists
  One of the steps in creating a Premise Home is to define all interior (floors, rooms, hallways, basement, attic, etc) and exterior (yard, pool, shed, etc) locations. The FloorPlan UI should take advantage of the existing architecture. It should not require me to redefine the rooms nor the objects (i.e. lights) contained in the rooms. If I add a light to the Family room, it should automatically appear in the FloorPlan UI.
• Flexibility
  I live in a two-storey cottage but I did not define floors in my Premise Home. However, I may want to see Floors in the FloorPlan UI. The FloorPlan UI should use what's defined in my Premise Home but I want some flexibility. In Premise-speak, I want the FloorPlan UI to automatically use Locations that are categorized as Rooms (FamilyRoom, Kitchen, etc) but I want control over Locations categorized as Building (Garage, House,Shed, etc) and Building SubArea (Floor, Wing, etc).

Based on these requirements, here's how the FloorPlan UI would work:

1. Create a new FloorPlan object in Premise Home and call it "FirstFloor".
2. FirstFloor contains three properties:
   1. Diagram
   2. HorizontalMargin (pixels)
   3. VerticalMargin (pixels)
3. Click Diagram and select an existing image file containing a floor plan of your home.
4. If your home schematic is drawn with a whitespace margin, along the left and top of the image, enter the margin size (pixels) in HorizontalMargin and VerticalMargin.
5. Repeat all steps for other floors.

You now have a FloorPlan object that knows how to display a diagram of the first-floor but isn't aware of what is in it. The next step fixes that.

1. Right-click "FirstFloor" and add a new "RoomReference".
2. RoomReference has a property called "Reference". Click Reference and select an existing Room in your Home such as Kitchen.
3. For clarity, rename "RoomReference" to "Kitchen".This will occur automatically.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for other first-floor rooms in your Home.

You now have a FloorPan object called "FirstFloor" that contains references to all existing, first-floor rooms in Premise Home. It has a diagram of the first-floor but it doesn't know where each room is located in the diagram. The next step fixes that.

1. Each Room in Premise Home has the following four new properties:
   1. HorizontalOffset
   2. VerticalOffset
   3. HorizontalSize
   4. VerticalSize
2. The Offset properties are used to indicate, in pixels, where the room's upper-lefthand corner lies with respect to the floor's upper-lefthand corner (see the attached image).
3. The Size properties are used to indicate the room's size in pixels.
4. For each room, enter the appropriate Offset and Size values.

Now the "FirstFloor" FloorPlan object knows each room's size and location on the diagram. It is ready to display the contents of each room.

When viewed in Premise Browser, you'll see a "FirstFloor" button. When clicked it displays the supplied diagram and lists all objects, and their state, in each room.

What's missing? Well, it does not know a Light's precise location within a Room. A more advanced version of FloorPlan would introduce Offset properties for Lights so you could specify a FloorLamp's location within a room. In fact, a truly advanced version wouldn't force you to think in pixels but would support feet and inches.

Your thoughts?