A couple of follow-up questions:
How do you then "sense" when an new home automation "control" e-mail arrives?
ok, firstly, I have both Android and WinMo 6.1 on my Touchpro2 (I can swap between them with a firmware flash). Just bragging...
Second, right now, I just read my e-mails using push. My phone dings, when I turn it on, I use Slide 2 Unlock, so I just read the subject on the screen. If I don't care, I turn the phone off.
To answer your question with where I WAS going, I had started a to code a program using source code from "
PocketMail"
After going through all the PocketMail "forum", I found a link to the svn. So, I dumped that on my machine. Pretty neat. I was able to "read" my mail in parallel to PocketOutlook. I was having trouble registering for the "new mail" interrupt. My other problem...err...stumbling block is I use Exchange Push (through my Gmail account). That shows up as an ActiveSync account. NOT a normal account. The PocketMail source really only reads the normal mail accounts. There was some hacks that were added to fix reading the ActiveSync account, but I never got any farther with the source. I'm willing to give what I have to anyone who wants to finish, but in my mind:
-It just sat as a TSR type program...just sitting in the backround. When there was a "new" mail interrupt, the program would just parse through all the subject lines. This saved time and processing HP as I didn't have to look at all the body data as well.
(this code worked as I was able to BOLD items, when I MANUALLY told the program to look through the mail in a POP account)
-When it found a "key" it would launch the configured program. Seemed simple enough.
I need to add in a config ini which would allow a user to add in all the subject "keys" you were looking for, and what program you wanted to execute when it was found. From there, I would execute a mortscript to handle whatever I wanted. So, if the Subject came in as "[HS MESSAGE]flooding" it would fire off the mortscript that would cause my phone to vibrate like mad until I acknowledged it. If it came in "[HS MESSAGE]Garage Opened" it might just buzz once, or cause a ding on my phone.
This way, the program would be flexible and the actions would be easily changed "in the field" by just using Mortscripts to be the reactionary item. I didn't have to re-compile when I wanted a different action.
Does your automation system sense/trigger off the new e-mail arrival? How?
Yes, it can. I don't use that though. I am a Homeseer User, and I just use Rover (a paired down text based dynamic interface), with custom webpages to do "stuff". It can interact with mail, using Jon00's e-mail interface, but that's using Pop...I wanted something faster, so I needed Outlook with push....which then I need to buy a plugin. Not a bad idea...I just didn't want to spend $40 on a plugin, when I was going to use that cash to buy a new Z-Wave thermostat. That and, I really don't need to do that. I just remote in using Rover. There's also TONS of other interactions that I have with my System, using Bluetooth and now Google Lattitude.
Homeseer, also has it's own internal events you can create that can be triggered by subject, etc. I never really saw the point, as POP polls...the webpage interface is instant.
And how do you get the information out of the e-mail?
....I am guessing the answers to these questions might be very software specific (homeseer might do it one way, CQC another, etc.)
You get it out using scripts...but yeah, depending on your system it's probably different. I've also experimented with Instant Messaging (worked decent), but again, I never really saw the point, as now that was ANOTHER thing I had to run on my phone. I always came back to Rover.
--Dan
P.S. if you are willing to try to finish this program, I've got another idea I've been trying to get someone with more time than myself to work on.
Same idea as above, except instead of registering for new mail notifications, register for new bluetooth, or loss of bluetooth items. Then, the scripts would configure profiles on your phone.
I.e. at work, It would be set to vibrate. In the car, it would be set to use speakerphone only. At home it would ring quietly, esp. at night. During the day otherwise it would ring loudly.
I just need something to pickup the bluetooth changes and report. Again, seems simple enough.
