How to send Temperature Information

Plugins & Plugin Development Program Logic (PLEG)
#1

New to automation, Vera, PLEG and the Vera Alerts plugins so hopefully this is not a stupid question. :o

I’ve successfully setup a Temp, Humidity and Low Battery monitor for a freezer using the Everspring ST-814. The one thing that I can’t seem to figure out is how to sent the actual Temp or Humidity or Battery level out to Vera Alerts (android) and Text Message on its way out.

#2

There are two options:

  1. Using Templates in Vera Alerts.
    Download the file veraTemplateTest.lua (From Apps/Develop Apps/Luup Files) to see some examples of templates.

  2. In PLEG in your action you can call SendAlert (Referenced from the Advanced tab of PLEG, add the VeraAlerts device)
    If your temp sensor is bound to a PLEG input called TEMP then your alert message string would be:
    The current temperature is {(TEMP)} degrees.

#3

Thanks Richard,

Option 1) I looked at the .lua file, and I’m thinking… holy cow, what does all that mean… :stuck_out_tongue: Is there a good laymen tutorial on exactly how to use Templates?

Option 2) What do you mean ?

In PLEG in your action you can call SendAlert (Referenced from the Advanced tab of PLEG, add the VeraAlerts device)

How do I add the VeraAlerts device (which filed??)

Thanks Again.

#4

In the advanced tab of the Actions editor …

Where is says … pick a device … Select Vera Alerts …
Then where it says … please Select … Select SendAlert
Then for the message specify your message … using syntax like I specified.

Check the Web documentation for details about using the Vera Alert Text Templates … it’s not trivial. The syntax is detailed because of all the information needed to find and format a piece of data in Vera. When you use PLEG … it has already found the data and you have assigned it’s value to a name that can be used in the Actions editor.

#5

Richard,
Thanks for the detailed explanation, worked perfectly… One last question as it pertains to this subject.

If I understand how VeraAlerts works, I would still need to setup the information in the notifications tab area in PLEG right?

I think this is the only way VeraAlert gets hooked into the msg’s…

Thanks Again.

#6

EDIT:
Nope I was wrong… , In testing it looks like I don’t need to have any notifications setup in the PLEG Notification tab.

Thanks Again…

EDIT:
Looks like you do need to have notifications set up in the PLEG.