Two time and timer requests

[Steve Horn]

I ran into this working on integrating TED (The Energy Monitor) into my HB system. Neither are critical (more like "Nice To Have"), but I thought I would at least post for the record.

1) The "Time" Property Type of a Device Property does not appear to support HH:MM:SS format. If I have a VBscript that does a SetPropertyValue to a property of type "Time" and the VBScript value is HH:MM:SS AM/PM the Set does not update the property. So the entire value lost. Got around this by changing the Property Type to AlphaNumeric but that may limit what can be done with the resulting value.

2) I would like to see the addition of a 'Pause' action to a timer. Currently, If you want to stop then restart a timer at the point it was stopped, there doesn't appear a way to do that, as the "Remaining Time" property is Read-Only (so you can't grab its value, save it, Stop the timer, then set the Remaining Time property to the stored value before the timer is restarted.

There may be ways around both of these but for my particular application they are not critical and therefore not worth jumping though hoops.

[ScottBot]

Steve,

Here's a config import that has a sample script that will do time/date conversions in VB into the proper format for a HouseBot Time/Date Property. It doesn't do seconds, but it's a pretty simple modification to include seconds.

"Pause" would be a nice addition. I would probably have to add a separate Yes/No property for it, so it wouldn't break existing timers that are setup to look for specific "running" values.

[Steve Horn]

Thanks. Will try it out!



This is sorta semi related... I am running Avast on the HB server for anti virus protection. But one of Avast's security things disallows the accessing of web pages within the LAN (presumably everything running behind the router. I dont know what the rationale is. The polling of energy usage data collected by the TED device nd avaialble in XML format from its internal web server is not possible while Avast is protecting me from ...whatever. So Avast will have to go. Will probably try the built in Windows antiviius tool unless someone has a better recommendation. But point is, well one of them, if anyone wants to access any "internal" web server and is running Avast on the polling device, you will encounter the same Avast "feature".

[ScottBot]

...one of Avast's security things disallows the accessing of web pages within the LAN (presumably everything running behind the router.

That is an odd one. Can you get around it if you use your external IP with a port and then port forward back to the machine in the router.

[Steve Horn]

Suppose so, but the ext IP may change - not static - so it may not be worrth setting up a DNS just to avoid using Avast (or AVG as it turns out)". But it may be a fun exercise on a rainy day.
The TED folks have no explanation for it either, and reported that they as well as several other companies that rely on that type of web server capability. (Intranet) have complained to Avast.
In the meantime, I have uninstalled Avast and enabled Windoictamotss Defender.