How to ask about an app

[william4]

I want to ask questions about a rule. What is the best way to present the rule so that others can easily comment on it. Using a screenshot is recommended for logs but I can't figure out how to get the whole rule on one screen. The rule is not long but the fill-in-the-boxes it is very verbose.
Is there a way to show the rule in condensed form?

Thanks,

bill

[aaiyar]

A screenshot would be the best way.

[CaptWoody]

Here is an example from the RM category

Help with triggering a custom attribute changing

I'm trying to notify myself when a robot vacuum gets an error. The thing i am checking is a custom attribute called currentActivity (which is a String) and I want it to send a notification when it changes to the value error I have the trigger set to Changed and then do the check... in the screen it shows that it matches error BUT I never get the log. I changed the code that does the sendEvent to sendEvent(name: "currentActivity", value: activity, isStateChange: true) and that did not help …

If you haven't tried to search for your question, you can try that. Many rule questions out there. If you can't find it or do and still need help go ahead and post your question(s) and someone (or in most cases, many) will help.

[william4]

A screenshot will only show part of the rule. (see below)

I could upload multiple screenshots but that will get cumbersome fairly quickly.

bill

[CaptWoody]

Are you using an app or PC? It looks like you may be using an app. If you are using the app use a browser instead.

[marktheknife]

@william4

I could upload multiple screenshots but that will get cumbersome fairly quickly.

Is it really that cumbersome?

For the rule in your screenshot, it looks like you could do it with just one additional screenshot.

Do you have other rules that have much longer lists of actions?

If you are really loathe to take a few screen clippings to share a rule (which is what most of us do), there are browser extensions that can assemble a webpage into a single image for you.

For example:

GoFullPage - Full Page Screen Capture Chrome Extension

Not advocating for or against that specific extension, it’s just one that I’m familiar with. There may very well be others that work similarly.

[chrisbvt]

@william4

I could upload multiple screenshots but that will get cumbersome fairly quickly.

With a PC, you can use the Windows Snipping Tool to capture an area, then paste directly into the post, so no saving or uploading the image is needed.

[SmartHomePrimer]

GoFullPage is a very important Chrome extension to have at hand. I have saved an incalculable amount of time with it.

[sidjohn1]

if you are on ios, just take a screen shot, then select full page.

How to Save a Full Page or 'Scrolling Screenshot' as a PDF on iPhone and iPad

[tray_e]

Samsung has had that for a decade as well.

[william4]

I am using a pc with multiple monitors.
Win 10

[marktheknife]

+1 for the windows snip tool.

It allows the user to very quickly take screen captures and paste them as images directly into a post here.

[CaptWoody]

As others have stated use the snipping tool Windows + Shift + S. I haven't used gofullpage but just looked at it in and it looks like it could be useful if you do a lot of screen captures.

[william4]

Taking a screen capture is very easy using Firefox. I think I can force it to capture unseen parts of the screen by setting it to "Save full page."
Thanks for the assistance.

--
bill

[CaptWoody]

Are you zoomed in causing you to have unseen parts of page? If so ctrl - will zoom out.

[marktheknife]

@CaptWoody

ctrl - will zoom out.

But can make text in the screenshot harder to read if zoomed out too far.

[CaptWoody]

Especially wihout the wearing the reading glasses

[5fe94872fdbd2dbd06a8]

[Sympathetic but unhelpful rant follows]

Yeah, using screenshots is a poor, no-scalable way of documenting anything in the Hubitat platform. The lack of a text based export for non-code objects (rules, devices, apps) is a significant impediment to provide assistance, sharing HE configurations, documenting a configuration, using any form of revision control, bisecting changes to isolate problems, and most other practices in code as infrastructure or configuration management.

But there's little other choice than to use screen shots, particularly for app settings and rules.

[william4]

It would be really nice to be able to export and import a plain text of a rule.

--
bill

[SmartHomePrimer]

@5fe94872fdbd2dbd06a8

The lack of a text based export for non-code objects (rules, devices, apps) is a significant impediment

You mean to tell me that Windows still has no built-in way to do this?! What about one of the Linux distros? Acrobat has a recognize text feature, but those a-holes want you to pay for it.

On a Mac, you simply use GoFullPage (if needed) and then export as PDF. When you open the PDF with the built-in Preview application, you can highlight text and copy it.

Note: Example below is saved as PNG because PDF file cannot be posted in the forum.

IF (Dimmer level of Main Bedroom Fan Speed Proxy(0) is = 0(T) [TRUE]) THEN
push(Fan Level 1) on RM4 Pro on Client Hub
END-IF
IF (Dimmer level of Main Bedroom Fan Speed Proxy(0) is = 20(F) [FALSE]) THEN
push(Fan Level 2) on RM4 Pro on Client Hub
END-IF
IF (Dimmer level o f Main Bedroom Fan Speed Proxy(0) is = 40(F) [FALSE)) THEN
push(Fan Level 3) on RM4 Pro on Client Hub
END-IF
IF (Dimmer level of Main Bedroom Fan Speed Proxy (0) is = 60(F) [FALSE]) THEN
push(Fan Level 4) on RM4 Pro on Client Hub
END-IF
IF (Dimmer level of Main Bedroom Fan Speed Proxy(0) is = 80(F) [FALSE]) THEN
push(Fan Level 5) on RM4 Pro on Client Hub
END-IF
IF (Dimmer level of Main Bedroom Fan Speed Proxy(0) is = 100(F) [FALSE]) THEN
push(Fan Level 6) on RM4 Pro on Client Hub
END-IF