Stacking buttons : AMX vs. ********

Stewart · November 2008

The college I work at has both AMX and ******** controlled "smart rooms". The powers that be want all rooms to have identical functionality( or close). ******** uses that wonderful logic " OR" to allow one touch on panel doing a variety of things. Choosing any medis source( dvd/vcr/LD) will cause the system to power up /projector to power up /lights down /screen down etc. The AMX programs I have written to also accomplish this require me to stack buttons up as below:
PUSH[TP,13]
PUSH[TP,15]
PUSH[TP,14]
PUSH[TP,18]
PUSH[TP,71] (*RACK/PROJECTOR POWER ON FROM CHOOSING ANY SOURCE*)
{

ON[RELAY1,RACK_PWR]
CALL 'SONY ON'
STATUS=1
PULSE[RELAY1,SCREEN_DN]
}

I am not a great programmer by any stretch and it is a small part of my job so you may laugh at this but is not there a better way to turn everything on? The Powers that be would like the Amx to run like the ********. So upon any source choice the rack/proj fire up. I have written code that can accomplish this upon an initial push at the main page but am hoping to do this upon a button choice without having to stack these buttons one atop another.
Any ideas are more than welcome . Thanks in advance.
Stewart Lane

ericmedley · November 2008

Stewart wrote: »

The college I work at has both AMX and ******** controlled "smart rooms". The powers that be want all rooms to have identical functionality( or close). ******** uses that wonderful logic " OR" to allow one touch on panel doing a variety of things. Choosing any medis source( dvd/vcr/LD) will cause the system to power up /projector to power up /lights down /screen down etc. The AMX programs I have written to also accomplish this require me to stack buttons up as below:
PUSH[TP,13]
PUSH[TP,15]
PUSH[TP,14]
PUSH[TP,18]
PUSH[TP,71] (*RACK/PROJECTOR POWER ON FROM CHOOSING ANY SOURCE*)
{

ON[RELAY1,RACK_PWR]
CALL 'SONY ON'
STATUS=1
PULSE[RELAY1,SCREEN_DN]
}

I am not a great programmer by any stretch and it is a small part of my job so you may laugh at this but is not there a better way to turn everything on? The Powers that be would like the Amx to run like the ********. So upon any source choice the rack/proj fire up. I have written code that can accomplish this upon an initial push at the main page but am hoping to do this upon a button choice without having to stack these buttons one atop another.
Any ideas are more than welcome . Thanks in advance.
Stewart Lane

Is this system an Axcess system or Netlinx. that'll help with the answer
e

jjames · November 2008

Well - it appears to be Axcess code, but in Netlinx I'd make a button array (INTEGER Buttons[]={13,14,15,18,71}) and then do a CALL with all that stuff in it. So it might look like this in Axcess (keep in mind, I've never programmed Axcess):

DEFINE_CONSTANT
INTEGER Buttons[] = 
{
   13
  ,14
  ,15
  ,18
  ,71
}

. . . . .

DEFINE_CALL 'The Power Sequence Please'
{
  ON[RELAY1,RACK_PWR]
  CALL 'SONY ON'
  STATUS=1
  PULSE[RELAY1,SCREEN_DN]
}

. . . . .

PUSH[TP,Buttons]
{
  CALL 'The Power Sequence Please'
  // Then do whatever else you need to do - probably another CALL for the source select
}

I think it's a general rule, if not it should be, to make a call or function if something is used more than once in code. Keeps it clean and simple in my opinion.

Here's my source select button I use in Netlinx. It basically consists of assigning variables and calling a function that everything is in.

BUTTON_EVENT[dv_TP,nSOURCE_BTNS] // CHANNELS 321-360
{
   PUSH:
   {
		STACK_VAR INTEGER nPNL
		STACK_VAR INTEGER nSRC
		
		nPNL=GET_LAST(dv_TP)
		nSRC=GET_LAST(nSOURCE_BTNS)
		
		// Is the touch panel active?
		IF (!nTP_DISABLE[nPNL])
		{
			// Page flip if we're not powering up/down a source already
			IF((!nROOM_PWR_UP[nPNL_AV[nPNL]]) && (!nROOM_PWR_DN[nPNL_AV[nPNL]]) &&
				  nAV_ZONE_SOURCE[nPNL_AV[nPNL]] != nSRC)
			{
				// Selecting a new source, assign the variables
				nLAST_ZONE_SOURCE[nPNL_AV[nPNL]] = nAV_ZONE_SOURCE[nPNL_AV[nPNL]];
				nAV_ZONE_SOURCE[nPNL_AV[nPNL]]=nSRC;
				nCONTROL_SOURCE[nPNL]=nSRC;
				
				// Flip the page
				[b][color=red]fnGET_SOURCE_PAGE[/color][/b](nPNL,0);
				
				// Do Magic!
				[b][color=red]fnROOM_POWER[/color][/b](nPWR_ON,nPNL,0);
			}
			
			// Reinialize room
			ELSE IF((!nROOM_PWR_UP[nPNL_AV[nPNL]]) && (!nROOM_PWR_DN[nPNL_AV[nPNL]]) &&
				  nAV_ZONE_SOURCE[nPNL_AV[nPNL]] == nSRC)
			{
				// Flip the pages
				[b][color=red]fnGET_SOURCE_PAGE[/color][/b](nPNL,0);
				
				// Do Magic!
				[b][color=red]fnROOM_POWER[/color][/b](nPWR_ON,nPNL,0);
			}
		}
		// Simmer down there - you can't select anything yet!
		ELSE
			SEND_COMMAND dv_TP[nPNL],'ADBEEP';
   }
}

kbeattyAMX · November 2008

Stewart wrote: »

The college I work at has both AMX and ******** controlled "smart rooms". The powers that be want all rooms to have identical functionality( or close). ******** uses that wonderful logic " OR" to allow one touch on panel doing a variety of things. Choosing any medis source( dvd/vcr/LD) will cause the system to power up /projector to power up /lights down /screen down etc. The AMX programs I have written to also accomplish this require me to stack buttons up as below:
PUSH[TP,13]
PUSH[TP,15]
PUSH[TP,14]
PUSH[TP,18]
PUSH[TP,71] (*RACK/PROJECTOR POWER ON FROM CHOOSING ANY SOURCE*)
{

ON[RELAY1,RACK_PWR]
CALL 'SONY ON'
STATUS=1
PULSE[RELAY1,SCREEN_DN]
}

I am not a great programmer by any stretch and it is a small part of my job so you may laugh at this but is not there a better way to turn everything on? The Powers that be would like the Amx to run like the ********. So upon any source choice the rack/proj fire up. I have written code that can accomplish this upon an initial push at the main page but am hoping to do this upon a button choice without having to stack these buttons one atop another.
Any ideas are more than welcome . Thanks in advance.
Stewart Lane

AMX does OR also...

if ((push_channel = 13) or
(push_channel = 15) or
(push_channel = 14) or
(push_channel = 18) or
(push_channel = 71))
{
call 'Stuff to Run'
}

I wouldn't write it this way. Only making a point...

Stewart · November 2008

Amx button stacking versus ******** "OR"

Indded it is Access programming
we have not moved to Netlinx and instead went with ********
Thanks for the replies
Any other suggestions are very welcome

ericmedley · November 2008

Stewart wrote: »

Indded it is Access programming
we have not moved to Netlinx and instead went with ********
Thanks for the replies
Any other suggestions are very welcome

This is not meant to be snarky...

but Netlinx is much better at handling this kind of stuff. It's too bad you couldn't have switched over.

I think you'd have been quite happy with the Netlinx environment.

Stewart · November 2008

Access versus Netlinx versus ********

I agree . We decided to move to ********/Roomview and never linked the Access to the net so no Netlinx programming

Now we have roughly 100 " smartrooms" with AMX/******** and for small spaces Extron
Back to the question. I wrote the push channel and it compiles fine and I am confident this has a future , Thanks everyone!!!!. One more question
Can I use a variable and not write the Push_Channel over and over?
Again I am doing this perhaps once a month and am very rusty.....

DHawthorne · November 2008

Stewart wrote: »

I agree . We decided to move to ********/Roomview and never linked the Access to the net so no Netlinx programming
Now we have roughly 100 " smartrooms" with AMX/******** and for small spaces Extron
Back to the question. I wrote the push channel and it compiles fine and I am confident this has a future , Thanks everyone!!!!. One more question
Can I use a variable and not write the Push_Channel over and over?
Again I am doing this perhaps once a month and am very rusty.....

PUSH_CHANNEL *is* a variable. It's a global variable automatically populated by the last channel event.

Stewart · November 2008

Amx button stacking versus ******** "OR"

When i place PUSH_CHANNEL in the DEFINE VARIABLE field it changes to blue instead of red
Man I am out of practice.

kbeattyAMX · November 2008

Push_channel is a system variable. It does not need to be defined.

Stewart · November 2008

Amx Problems continue

IF ((PUSH_CHANNEL =13) OR
(PUSH_CHANNEL =14) OR
(PUSH_CHANNEL =15) OR
(PUSH_CHANNEL =7) OR
(PUSH_CHANNEL =8)) (*POWER ON*)
{
ON[TP,40]
OFF[TP,43]
ON[RELAY1,RACK_PWR]

CALL 'SONY ON'
STATUS=1
OFF[TP,19]
ON[TP,20]
PULSE[RELAY1,SCREEN_DN]
}

Help please . This code seems to work well for the Tp 7 and TP 8 button presses ) comp and Aux inputs)
That is I can get the Projector to fire along with rack and screen etc. However any button press of 13, 14, 15, will not turn the projector on. tp 7 and 8 have page flips, Th e 13,14, 15 are for the dvd/vcr/ld and there is also a need ( vcr for example) to switch the Extron see below:

PUSH[TP,13] (*SELECT VHS*)
{
VIDEO_INPUT=1
VIDEO_OUTPUT=3
AUDIO_INPUT=1
AUDIO_OUTPUT=1
CALL 'DO SWITCH'
CALL 'SONY VIDEO'

ON[TP,13]
}
I have tried waits /tried placing another system call for 'sony on' in the above snippet . I am very puzzled.
I have been at this for 5 hrs now and cannot figure what is going on .
I can send any snippets needed just cannot figure this out

Avophile · November 2008

I am not sure if this is even relevant for Access programming, but are the port numbers for channels 13, 14, and 15 the same as the port numbers for channels 7 and 8 in the touch panel file?

kbeattyAMX · November 2008

I thought the original question was "Is there another way to program the stacked pulses?". Because it seems to be simple in Crestr0n to use a OR symbol.

I responded saying that AMX has OR statments. Because it was Stacked pushes I made the assumption that it was Axcess. I suggested push_channel as a way to avoid stacked pulses. But it seems there was more to the question originally asked.

If you have different Tps with different buttons and this is for one specific TP, there is a system variable called push_device. So just do..

Of course this is in the DEFINE_PROGRAM section of your code.

If (push_device = TP)
{
  if (push_channel.........._
  {
  }
}

I hope this is what you're asking...

Stewart · November 2008

Amx button stacking versus ******** "OR"

If (push_device = TP)
{
if (push_channel.........._
{
}
}
Sorry i am a bit frazzled
The push_channel seems to work but I am wondering why the 3 tp channels ( 13,14,15) will not turn projector on
Further down in mainline is the code to switch sources ( this is tp,13 for the vcr)
PUSH[TP,13] (*SELECT VHS*)
{
VIDEO_INPUT=1
VIDEO_OUTPUT=3
AUDIO_INPUT=1
AUDIO_OUTPUT=1
CALL 'DO SWITCH'
CALL 'SONY VIDEO'
WAIT 4 CALL 'SONY UNMUTE'
ON[TP,13]
}

So , as you can see whenever i push the vcr button i am trying to do several things . along with after everything fires up doing some switching
DVd LD and the vcr code above is all similiar and it it this code that i thought might be interfering with proj powering up as the button pushs tp, 7 and 8 do turn on the projector and have no other ancilliary switching as they do a page flip and then you can choose buttons to make the switching work.
Could you possibly go me on stage further and elaborate on the code snippet you sent?

jjames · November 2008

Just curious as I've never programmed Axcess . . . but does it not have DEV_CHAN or INTEGER arrays?

Stewart · November 2008

you got me / I think so

kbeattyAMX · November 2008

It's possible that the CALL 'SONY VIDEO' is messing up the power on for the Sony Projector. I don't know how the DEFINE_CALL is written. Are you writing this code from scratch or are you just patching it...

dchristo · November 2008

jjames wrote: »

Just curious as I've never programmed Axcess . . . but does it not have DEV_CHAN or INTEGER arrays?

Axcess has integer arrays, but not DevChans.

--D

ericmedley · November 2008

dchristo wrote: »

Axcess has integer arrays, but not DevChans.

--D

Also of note, Axcess only allows for up to 2 dimensional arrays. Netlinx will go out to 5.

Stacking buttons : AMX vs. ********

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