Hi @bcopeland, Hopefully easily answered questions. Do hub variables (connector'd as a variable) get sync'd to Alexa via the Amazon Echo Skill? If not then is there any plan to include them?
Thanks
How would they be used on the Alexa side? Do you envision some way to use them in Alexa routines? Or were you expecting Alexa to speak their values in an announcement? That would be awesome, of course, but unless Alexa supports such there's no point in syncing them to Alexa.
I use alexa to control multiple blinds with a single command. Currently I use a Virtual dimmer device which works great ('Alexa, set Master Shades to 40') and then all the blinds do their thing. However, I want to be able to also poke that number directly into a tile on my dashboard, too; but dimmers can only slide (and I have fat fingers 
). So on the dashboard I need a variable and Alexa I need a dimmer. I can certainly create and extra rule and virtual dimmer device to accomplish what I need but having Alexa able to set a variable number is cleaner, that's all.
OK, so I understand the use case. The limitation, though, is that Alexa can only deal with "smart home devices" that she understands. This isn't a Hubitat limitation, but an Alexa one. As far as I know there is nothing comparable to a variable in Alexa, so the solution would need to be interpreting it on the Hubitat side and passing to Alexa as a known thing, as you've noted.
Understood, I certainly don't want to over complicate anything but theoretically couldn't the interface take any hub variable and present it to Alexa as a dimmer? Alexa only reacts to what HE gives it.
This doesn't make sense for all variables, but for some, the workaround would be to create a connector. Alexa can understand switches and dimmers, so for binary states or values from 0-100, both of those would work. (ColorTemp might theoretically work for some values, but I don't think Alexa will like a device that only supports that attribute and not the full gamut of bulb capabilities.)
The ability to create connectors will probably eventually go away as more apps gain the ability to use hub variables directly (this is already possible, but apps have to implement it), and perhaps before they do that, they'll find a way to make it work with Alexa. But for now, this is an easy workaround for many kinds of variables.
Oh, and if this doesn't quite work (or ever goes away), you can probably find creative ways to do it with virtual devices and a Rule that does whatever in response to changing that virtual device state. I think I did this with my thermostat once (and a virtual dimmer) before Hubitat's skill gained native support...
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Thanks. Yea, that's my plan, to use a vdimmer and use that to set the hub variable. Like I mentioned, really easy; I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything before I created a 'work around'.
I do use a virtual dimmer to allow Alexa change the volume of my Yamaha amplifier, not directly but through HE. (I don’t want Alexa accessing my devices.) Yes, relatively simple to do.
