New Amazon Echo Support

[Dean Roddey]

Did that make sense? You can have of course multiple entries in each of the maps, to invoke different actions or macros, as works best for you. Just create them in the paths that you indicate in the file.

[Dean Roddey]

Oh, sorry, the one in my example is:

\User\Echo\Sprinklers

I originally had one called Home Theater, and forgot I changed it.

[jkmonroe]

got it. i created sprinklers, so ill give it a try when im near the Echo.

if that's really all it is it should be quite simple. update the config file and ask Alexa to load configuration.

is there a limit to how many of these we can create in a single config file?

[Dean Roddey]

Not really, just I guess what's practical to remember. In general, it would be useful to possibly group closely related phrases into a single action I guess, and use the info passed in to the action to decide which of the variations is being invoked. That might make management easier. Of course you can also manage them by grouping the actions into various scopes, based on functionality, so maybe:

\User\Echo\Media\xxx
\User\Echo\Security\xxx

And so forth, and put media, security, etc.. related actions in those scopes, to help keep them organized. Depending on the commands involved, you might just have a single security action, that just looks at the incoming info and does the right thing. There might only be arm away, arm stay, and disarm or something like that, which could easily be handled in a single action.

[Bugman]

Oh, it's a global action. The path you indicate in the configuration file is the path of a global action you create to handle anything that matches the spoken phrases that that global action entry in the file indicates it handles. So the

\User\Echo\Home Theater

in my example file is the path to a global action.

Ok. That's what I assumed, but was away doing something physical plus mental (i.e. golf).

[IVB]

Dean, i'm curious, what do you actually think of the Echo? Useful to execute commands via voice? Not really?

Obviously I personally like it, wondering what your opinion is.

[Bugman]

Has anyone put together a macro for either the Set or Query that they could share as examples?

I've never written one so would like to see how it's done. Thanks in advance!

[Bugman]

Will there be a CQC/Echo For Dummies published so that non-techies like me can use it?

I can help get you set up, at least to getting Global Actions up and running. Have you tried setting up the Amazon side yet (skill creation in Amazon)? Also need to open up a webserver port in your router so that the skill can get to the CQC webserver. I assume you had the webserver installed durng cqc setup and you have a port (I don't use the 80 default as it interferes with other stuff). You can PM if you wish.

[Dean Roddey]

Has anyone put together a macro for either the Set or Query that they could share as examples?

I've never written one so would like to see how it's done. Thanks in advance!

There's a sample back in the like the third post of this thread I think it is. It's just the basic outline of what it has to be like to work correctly, i.e. has to have the correct parameters to pass in info and get back out text to speak.

If you aren't comfortable with writing CML, you can always just stick to global actions instead.

[Deane Johnson]

I can help get you set up, at least to getting Global Actions up and running. Have you tried setting up the Amazon side yet (skill creation in Amazon)? Also need to open up a webserver port in your router so that the skill can get to the CQC webserver. I assume you had the webserver installed durng cqc setup and you have a port (I don't use the 80 default as it interferes with other stuff). You can PM if you wish.

Thanks Bugman. I would appreciate that. I have sort of hung back a little while until the dust has settled a bit.