Bruce, If you edit the device label for a Global Variable Connector, should the connection to it's GV remain intact?
I was just being lazy having created a string GV and connector with a name that it turned out wasn't ideal for dashboard display. Rather than create a new one and adjust the rules that used it, I thought I might get away with just changing the device label. But when I had changed the label and set a new string value via the device page the GV didn't change to reflect it. Changing the label back restored the connection.
I've now just created a new GV and connector with the correct label anyway but just wondered if this was expected behaviour?
Unrelated to the OP's question (sorry Geoff!) but this is another compelling reason to have the ability to edit the dashboard tile's device label or have a device "alias" that can be used for the dashboard.
It shouldn't be a problem since the label is only linked to the device for display purposes. The device network ID is what is used to link the device to the apps that it works with. For example, if you change the label for a switch, you don't have to go back into all of your simple lighting apps and rebuild them. The same should be the case here. If you are seeing that it isn't then that might be a bug.
That's what I thought too, but my testing suggests otherwise.
I've just repeated the test from scratch.
Create a string GV. Create a connector. Edit connector Device Label to something new. Set String value in device page. It updates in the device page but the GV itself doesn't update.
Rename connector back to original and then the GV reflects device value changes again.
Right now, no. The mechanism depends on the device label.
Should it? Probably not.
Does it have to? It could be changed, and perhaps should be changed. However, changing it without breaking every existing connector would be very tricky. I will look into it.
This is not true with respect to connectors. These are a special type of device intimately linked to Rule Machine in ways that are quite different than normal devices.
Well, that might explain some of the problems I've been seeing trying to use them then. Less of a problem as long as it's a known "issue". Would be great if it could be changed though since it is the only thing that does rely on device label.
OK. I don't think its a big problem especially now that I am aware of it. I'm still very grateful for even having the functionality at all so I'm not going to moan about the details of it.
I figured out how to fix this without breaking everything. Next release. After that, the device label will be independent of the functioning of the connector, as it should have been in the first place.
Changing the device label doesn't have anything to do with the variable name as you would use it in RM. There is no way to change a variable name except to create a new one.
Thank you. I find editing rules too clunky and difficult especially for long rules so I'll park changing the variables for a very wet day. I remember using single line editors in 1980's and marvelled when full screen editing came out!
If I understand it correctly, the next release of HE software will include a new "hub variable" that will be a proper object in the database. I'm assuming this will mean we will be able to rename them and have more 'normal' control and access over them compared with the current hard coded variables.
