[REQUEST] xAP Home Automation Control Protocol compatible python script for XBMC
#1
xap looks like it would be perfect for xbmc!

there is already a plug-in for homeseer (home automation software) and many other apps. xap would greatly and easily (no scripting) extend xbmc's functionality and interoperability with outside apps that support xap and be able to exchange and display data as well as control devices (software and hardware).

here's some info...

what is xap
xap home automation protocol
xap, (pronounced zap)

xap is an open protocol intended to support the integration of telemetry and control devices primarily within the home - it is the glue that supports the interconnectivity of home automation devices.

the primary design objectives are:

simple, easy to implement/retrofit
suitable for use with a wide range of processing capabilities, from embedded controllers to fully fledged pc's
operating system agnostic
programming language agnostic
network agnostic
these are lofty design goals, and initial implementation is currently focussed on ip based networks, pc's running linux and win32, and rabbit embedded microcontrollers.


see http://www.xapautomation.org/index.php for more!

xbmc dev team:
please integrate this. it would add true integration ability to xbmc across os platforms, applications, and hardware.
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#2
well the sound of an crossplatform layer to communicate with other apps sound pretty good. i only don't know what sort of apps are already compatible with xap which will bring xbmc to a higher level. can you give some example programs?
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#3
you can check the xap web site but things like 'tv guide' (epg), weather, integration with home automation software like homeseer (x10 and many other protocols) and hardware that supports xap (a few already).

the great thing is that you could have xbmc fully interact with pvr software like meedio or beyondtv without any special plug-ins or interfaces other then the open protocol xap.

anyone from xbmc dev have any comments?
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#4
it seems like a fairly simple thing to implement. i haven't looked into networking stuff before, but i think it'd be pretty easy to do something with.

ofcourse, this all presupposes that there is a point to doing this. ie is there some real-world application that you particularly want this for? do you want xbmc to be a receiver of data from other devices, or a poster of data?

also, it may be possible to do this entirely in python - the python gurus would no better than me.

and finally, what is up with the size of the font used in your sig? how about having something a bit less eye gouging?

cheers,
jonathan
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


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#5
Thumbs Up 
for me... the purpose would be mostly the exchange of data and images between my homeseer (home automation) software, pvr software (whatever that may be later), and my home theater system.

basically i'd like to use xbmc as by "home control interface".
here's some thing i know off-hand i'd like to do with xap in xbmc...

1) show images/text from the home automation software to display lighting status, appliance status, security system status, etc

2) show what channels the pvr is recording, scheduled recordings, reminders, etc. display the epg (program guide) pulled from the pvr software and control all functions of the pvr.

having things like the above work would allow the system to be "smart" and create system-wide macros to turn items on/off, dim lighting, etc. depending on what you choose to do within xbmc... like play a game, watch a movie, etc. since it could interact with the other systems it would know that when i choose to watch a movie, and it is after 7pm at night, it will automatically dim the lighting to 30%.

things like that.

this does not include the few dozen other apps built for/with xap that could be integrated... caller id, vfd, and much more.

the possibilities are endless and the protocol is becoming very popular for interfacing systems both homebrew and commercial.
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#6
i think your best bet then is to look for a python implementation. seems to me that this may already exist. if so, you'd just need to port it to the xbox python libraries (which probably wouldn't be too hard).

it's probably not something that'd be ever incorporated into the main xbmc project i'm afraid (too many more important things to do).

it's an ideal opportunity for you (or someone else) to learn a bit about something.

cheers,
jonathan
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


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#7
xap looks like it would be perfect for xbmc!

this would add true integration ability to xbmc across os platforms, applications, and hardware!

with an xap script we could add things like 'tv guide' (epg), real-time weather reports/alerts, integration with home automation software like homeseer (xap plug-in already exists - x10 and many other protocols) and hardware that supports xap (a few already).

you could have xbmc fully interact with pvr software like meedio or beyondtv without any special plug-ins or interfaces other then the open protocol xap.


for my personal use i'd like to use xbmc as a full "home control interface".
here's some thing i know off-hand i'd like to do with xap in xbmc...

1) show images/text from the home automation software to display lighting status, appliance status, security system status, etc

2) show what channels the pvr is recording, scheduled recordings, reminders, etc. display the epg (program guide) pulled from the pvr software and control all functions of the pvr.

...having functions above would allow the system to be "smart" and create system-wide macros and be stateful. this allows the system to turn items on/off, dim lighting, etc. depending on what you choose to do within xbmc... like play a game, watch a movie, etc. since it could interact two-way with the other systems it would know that when i choose to watch a movie, and it is after 7pm at night, it will automatically dim the lighting to 30%.

this does not include the few dozen other apps built for/with xap that could be integrated... caller id, vfd, and much more.


here's some basic info...

what is xap
xap home automation protocol
xap, (pronounced zap)

xap is an open protocol intended to support the integration of telemetry and control devices primarily within the home - it is the glue that supports the interconnectivity of home automation devices.

the primary design objectives are:

simple, easy to implement/retrofit
suitable for use with a wide range of processing capabilities, from embedded controllers to fully fledged pc's
operating system agnostic
programming language agnostic
network agnostic
these are lofty design goals, and initial implementation is currently focussed on ip based networks, pc's running linux and win32, and rabbit embedded microcontrollers.


see http://www.xapautomation.org/index.php for more!

i'd like to hear what others think about this?
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#8
this looks very interesting. i did a little googling and reading of the site, and it seems that there is a c, .net and python library for this. all the links however for the python library seem to be dead.

i am trying to get ahold of the author to see about getting them. once i get them i will see about getting it to run on xbmc.

cp
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#9
some useful xap sites

xapautomation the main xap site
xap wiki good place to find information, very comprehensive list of applications. easily searchable.
developer mailing list
user mailing list

as you say, the links to the python library are dead at the moment. if you ask on the developer mailing list, the author, patrick, should be able to sort you out.

if you want some real world xapplications to play with, try xapframework and mi4.
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#10
joined the dev mailing list. waiting for reply hopefully with the python library.

will post once i know more.

cp
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#11
thanks for looking into this guys... i really appreciate it!

i can photoshop pretty well but a crappy js & vb scripter and know nothing about python.

i look forward to what you find!
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#12
got a reply from the developer, said the download should hopefully be up tonight, and offered up help if/when i get lost.

more to come soon.

cp
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#13
cyber,
did you get the code? just wondering how things are going?

i'm ready to test when you have a beta Wink
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#14
cyberplague,
wanted to check in to see if you had made any progress on the script?

thanks for helping the community!
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#15
this sounds amazing....all i can offer is my support and hope you guys can make progress because this would take xbmc to another level.
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[REQUEST] xAP Home Automation Control Protocol compatible python script for XBMC0