RE: X10 and xAP

["Edward Pearson" <edward.mailgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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Andrew, welcome!

I wrote the X10 connector available from xapframework.net that you mention.
Much work has been done on this since that version and, just tonight, I've
been putting the (almost) final touches to a new version which is available
on
www.erspearson.com

The GUI version is available there as a Windows installer package. I
suggest
you start with that one. I'll be taking the version on xapframework.net
down
very shortly.

The key difference between this version and the one you mention is that it
supports the Basic Status and Control (BSC) v1.3 schema in addition to the
older X10 schema.  The problem with the X10 schema is that it makes you
control X10 devices in a completely X10-like kind of way from xAP. But xAP
is intended to be more powerful than that. The BSC schema gives you a
common
way of controlling devices no matter whether they are on X10, C-Bus, 1-Wire
etc.

In the properties window of the GUI you'll find a panel where you setup
each
of your X10 devices (that have addresses like C4 and D10) with xAP (and
human) friendly names like LivingRoom.Lamp and Yard.MotionDetector. The BSC
schema specification is included in the Documentation subfolder of the
distribution. To use BSC to turn on the lamp in your living room you send a
xAP message like:

xap-header
{
v=12
hop=1
uid=FF123400
class=xAPBSC.cmd
source=acme.controller.desktop
target=ERSP.X10.*:LivingRoom.Lamp
}
output.state.1
{
ID=*
state=On
level=75%
}

The BSC v1.3 spec is also available at
http://downloads.xapautomation.org/documents/BSCv13.pdf

But, in direct response to your query below, Mark is right it's the target
parameter that's wrong. A valid X10 schema (the new connector still
supports
these) would look like:

xap-header
{
v=12
hop=1
uid=FF123400
class=xap-x10.request
source=home.webserver.php
target=ERSP.X10.pacific
}
xap-x10.request
{
command=Off
device=C4
}

'Pacific' is the name of the computer that my X10 connector is plugged
into.
The BSC example above used * for that part of the address. * is an address
wildcard in xAP. It's better to put * in the address so that if you move
your X10 connector to a different computer (or renamed the one it's on) you
wouldn't have to change your messages.

I'm currently working on the documentation for the new X10 connector - as a
new user it sounds like you'll be a perfect test consumer for it! In the
meantime, I'll support you as best I can right here.

cheers

Edward


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From: Andrew Jones [mailto:andrewjjones@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 12 January 2005 21:26
To: xap_automation@xxxxxxx
Subject: [xap_automation] X10 and xAP



Hi everyone, I was pointed to xAP from someone on UKHA. What I am trying to
do is write a website (hopefully in php) that will control my X10 modules.
At the moment though I just want to get something working offline.

I have downloaded and installed the message sender (Send-v1.2.8.1.zip) and
X10 connector (X10-CM1xConnector_GUI-v1.0.1587.36821.zip). But now what do
I
do? I have tried to make a text file to be sent with the sender:

{
v=12
hop=1
uid=FF182000
class=xap-x10.request
source=acme.my.controller
target=X10-CM1xConnector
}

xap-x10.request
{
command=(on)
device=(A1)
}

but when I send it, nothing happens. The message doesn't even come up in
the
X10 GUI. It doesn't look too compicated, but how do I find out what the
target should be, and what about the UID?

Thanks for any help :)





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