Adaptive Home Logic™ v2.0
What’s New
Update
v2.0 (Download Latest Version)
This is our most significant
update so far, taking the program to whole new level of refinement &
sophistication:-
New - GUI (Graphical User
Interface)
New clean GUI
(HAL9000 style) - to accommodate additional data streams, RSS News &
Weather feeds, Virtual Weather Station graphical display, Socket / Com port
data, etc. The input dialogue is also improved, making it easier to make a
keyboard request (in plain language), or to manually send data (plain text or
hex values) to a com port or socket stream on-the-fly, facilitating testing.
New - Display Mapping
The operator can
now select which data stream is sent to a particular text editor (or in HAL9000
language CM or Monitor Circuit) so as to monitor several different data streams
simultaneously. It's even possible to display a data stream in plain ASCII text
in one display box whilst simultaneously displaying its Hex values in another.
Making it much more straightforward to interface with even the most awkward of
devices!
New – Intelligent Speech
Buffer System
This latest release
features an automatic intelligent speech buffer system that speaks items in
order of priority & prevents the possibility of speech overlap. In addition
each speech sentence can now be spoken in a different voice and / or at a
different pitch, speed or volume (or in other words personality, mood or
emphasis) from sentence to sentence where necessary. Also a verbose message,
which is instigated by an event to report a change in its status, can now be
selected randomly (from a text file pertaining to the message) to provide a
less predictable but relevant response, as well as being selected sequentially
and simple static messages.
New - TCP/IP Sockets
Adaptive Home Logic
can now automatically establish & maintain a TCP/IP socket connection with
up to 26 networked devices concurrently, using Window’s built-in Winsock for
optimal efficiency. This greatly extents the program’s reach by allowing it to
communicate with virtually any TCP/IP device, regardless of how its connected,
including (industrial strength automation) Ethernet (Input / Output)
peripherals, devices connected via WiFi, other computers within a LAN or
connected via the Internet, as well as other software (running on the local or
a networked computer) that can communicate via TCP/IP, including using Adaptive
Home Logic in a distributed configuration, as well as allowing the program to
act as a bridge between one form of computer communication and another.
New – Remote Access Telnet
Host
The program’s
TCP/IP Server can easily be configured to act as a Telnet host, allowing direct
(password protected) remote access to the program’s natural language interface
from any inter-networked computer in the world!
New – Technology Matrix
The program now
incorporates a technology matrix that makes it uniform and straightforward to
utilise various power line modules even when their underlying technology is
different, as well as easing migration.
New –
X10 and UPB (Universal Power Bus) Two-Way drivers
Adaptive Home Logic
now has direct intrinsic support for both X10 & UPB to quickly control,
monitor and re-act to your power line modules, without the necessity of a home
automation controller. Featuring interface / module polling and status
reporting, support for linked UPB modules and the ability to automatically set
a modules status at start-up and or shut-down, whilst remembering (or
ascertaining) its correct brightness level. Please note that the UPB driver is
in its public BETA testing stage of development.
New – RSS Weather Feed
Keep up to date
with the very latest weather conditions & forecast for your area. The program
can now automatically download Yahoo’s (The Weather Channel) RSS weather feed
at regular intervals, interpret & display this information, in either
metric or imperial units. Specific data can also be automatically extracted and
mapped to the user variables, so as to be available to the events & /or the
virtual weather station graphical display.
New – Virtual Weather Station
Graphical Display
See your current
weather conditions at a glance with our new Virtual Weather Station graphical
display, updated in real time, including self-adjusting inside & outside
temperature bar graphs (Fahrenheit / Celsius), Wind Speed & Direction (on a
compass rose) and the atmospheric pressure trend (on a bar graph with
adjustable update interval). This data can be supplied by a virtual weather
station peripheral or for free via the RSS weather feed, or even a bit of both!
Events can also be established to alert you to high wind speeds, etc.
New – RSS News Feeds (Talking
News Aggregator!)
Stay up to date
with the very latest World, National, Business or Technology News,
Entertainment or Gossip by automatically downloading up to 5 different RSS news
feeds. Each news feed may be displayed & / or spoken.
New – Event Entry Screen
The different
sections of the event’s entry screen are now accessible via buttons similar to
a tabbed card-index system, so as to only present the operator with the fields
relevant to their area of interest, making the program even easier to use &
understand.
New - Other
In a similar way
that a data stream maybe displayed in either plain text or in its hexadecimals
values, the data to be sent to, or extracted from, a serial or networked device
may also be specified in hex or plain text.
The program’s date
format & the (Sun rise / set) location co-ordinates are now stored within
an INI file, so these details are now remembered when a new database is
created.
The low memory
warning dialogue, possibly displayed at program start-up, will now
automatically resume execution of the program following 30 seconds of no user
interaction in support of the program’s “power failure auto-restart”
capability.
An issue was
corrected with the Auto Mute function.
An issue with the
file data extract and the file compare operations has been corrected, which was
giving incorrect results if the file became empty.
An issue was found
with the file re-naming operation, when the same file was selected.
Release Date: 27
December 2007
Update v1.02
This is an
intermediate but important update that includes several enhancements &
fixes:-
User Variables
Extended the number
of user variables from 10 to 999, greatly enhancing program flexibility &
usability.
Adjust Offset
Augmented the
events minutes, first light, sun rise, sun set and after twilight conditions
with the facility to specify a plus, minus or random offset.
Last
A last loop option
has been added to the events conditions, so that the I/O ports, X10 modules,
etc. can be automatically set to a safe state when the program closes.
Other
Further enhanced
& refined the Natural Language Interface.
The
Limit Range Dialogue was redesigned.
The Diagnostic
Reporting function was improved to display a range of user variables.
An issue was
identified with the events ‘Minutes’ field.
An issue was identified with accessing a database stored on a networked
volume.
An issue was identified with using a database created on a system with a
different number of TTS voices.
Fully reviewed
& revised help file; rewriting several pages for improved clarity.
Release Date: 19 October 2006
Update v1.01
This is a
significant update that includes critical items, enhancements & fixes:-
Significant
Enhancements
SQL (Standard Query Language)
This updates
replaces the ad-hoc database with an integrated
& embedded (zero-configuration, no administration, non-bloated) SQL-92 ACID compliant RDMS
(Relational Database Management System).
Improved data
integrity & reliability (Transactions are Atomic, Consistent, Isolated
& Durable even after system crashes and power failures).
Each database is
stored within a single ordinary portable disk file making them easy to backup,
copy, e-mail or to use from a memory stick.
Easier to use &
understand, Greater future capabilities (including data import / export,
reporting, ODBC)
WSH (Windows Script
Host)
This version adds
support for WSH, for advanced users that wish to plug-in their own VBScript
(Visual Basic Script) or JScript (Java Script) routines into the program to
provide additional or specialist functionality.
Create complex
‘if-then-else’ scenarios, automate computer management tasks, or interface the
program with live WMI (Windows Management Information).
The program can
pass live data concerning the events, user & or global variables to a
script when it’s started.
Uses operating
system calls for optimum performance.
Knowledge of
Windows Messaging is not required.
RS-485 (multi-drop serial
network)
Redesigned the Com
port handling sub-routines so that different events can quickly respond
&/or control unique serial devices attached to the same RS-485 master /
slave multi-drop “daisy chain” serial network, when used with a RS-232 to
RS-485 converter. The general integrity & efficiency of the Com port
handling routines was also improved for resoluteness and easy of use.
General Input File
Augmented the general file
input routine so that user variables (flag, counter, etc.) & I/O ports can
be silently set via file input.
Critical
Mutex (Mutually
Exclusive)
This updates adds
an OS Mutex. This prevents possible data corruption, by preventing multiple
copies of the application from being run concurrently and writing the same data
at the same time.
Other
The
program now provides a warning if there is insufficient memory for correct
operation.
An issue was
identified where the program was using excessive processor resources whilst in
pause mode.
An
issue was identified that could cause the verbose message report tabulation to
go out of sync.
The
Seasons function was corrected, now that we have the official dates.
General
code optimization, several minor performance enhancements, some typographical
improvements
Updated
the compressed help file to reflect changes + several minor improvements.
Automatically
installs SAPI4 and L&H TruVoice American English TTS engines.
Release Date: 29 May 2006