Indigo Mac Client

When you double click on the Indigo 6 icon in the Applications folder, you're actually starting the Indigo Mac Client, which will start up the Indigo Server process according to the options selected in the Start Server dialog.

Home Window

The Home Window in the Mac client looks like this:

The Home Window is in 4 areas:

  1. Outline View
  2. Item List
  3. Item Detail
  4. Status Bar

Outline View

The outline view shows all high-level objects (except Variables which have their own window): Devices, Triggers, Schedules, Action Groups, and Control Pages. Selecting one of these in the outline view will switch the Item List to view all of those types of objects. The same goes for folders that are under the high-level headings except only the objects in those folders will show.

To create a new folder, select the main object type in the list then click the plus (+) button at the lower-left corner of the outline view. A new folder will appear and you can just start typing it's new name. To delete a folder, select it, then click on the gear icon or right-click the folder (bring up the contextual menu). The resulting menu will allow you to select Delete Folder then delete it. If the folder isn't empty, it will show you a sheet with 3 options: Cancel (do nothing), Delete Items (delete the items in the folder along with the folder), or Move Items (move the items to the parent first then delete the folder).

From the same menu, you can select Rename Folder… to rename it, Enable/Disable Remote Display (for devices, action groups, and control pages) to show/hide it in remote clients (like Indigo Web Server (IWS) pages or Indigo Touch), or copy the unique folder ID for use in Python scripts.

To move an object to a folder, just drag it from the list view onto the folder (or top-level object) - somewhat like moving mail messages from the inbox to a mail folder in the Mail application.

Item List

The Item List contains the items contained in the object that's selected in the Outline View - so if DEVICES is selected, then all devices in your system are shown. If you have one of the device folders selected, only the devices in that folder are shown.

The buttons above the table view perform actions on items in the list - the buttons will work on whatever list is displayed in the Item List. So, if you have DEVICES (or a device folder) selected in the Outline View, the item list will show devices and the buttons will operate on that list - New… device, Edit… the selected device, Duplicate the selected device, or Delete the selected device(s). The search bar will filter the list.

The image above shows all possible columns in the device view. However, if you right-click on the table header:

you can customize what columns are shown by checking/unchecking them in the list. Several of the columns have a checkbox in them - you can check/uncheck the feature for the object by clicking on the checkbox. In a few rare cases the checkbox will be disabled (grayed out).

Every Item List is customizable in this regard. Also, if you right-click on a device:

This menu will:

  1. Take you to the How-To wiki for that device type - if it's a plugin device, it will take you to the help page supplied by the plugin developer.
  2. Toggle remote display - this tells Indigo whether to show the device in remote clients.
  3. Toggle communication with the device - this effectively enables/disables the device. If a device is disabled, it will show up gray in the list.
  4. Open a window that shows all other objects that are dependent on this device. See Deletion Dependencies for more information.
  5. Copy the unique ID of the device to the clipboard - to assist in writing Python scripts that use the device
  6. Copy a Python script string that will return an instance of the selected device. It will look like this: indigo.devices[91776575] # “Living Room Switch”
  7. Copy an AppleScript string that you can use to reference the object. It will look like this: device named “Living Room Switch”

Triggers and Schedules have a contextual menu when you right-click on them that will allow you to:

  1. Enable/disable the event.
  2. Hide executions in the event log - they trigger will continue to execute but nothing will be reported in the Event Log window.
  3. Open a window that shows all other objects that are dependent on this trigger/schedule. See Deletion Dependencies for more information.
  4. Copy the unique ID of the trigger or schedule to the clipboard - to assist in writing Python scripts
  5. Copy a Python script string that will return an instance of the selected device. It will look something like this: indigo.triggers[565290390] # “Motion Sensor Dawn Triggered”
  6. Copy an AppleScript string that you can use to reference the object. It will look like this: trigger action named “Motion Sensor Dawn Triggered”

Action Groups have a contextual menu when you right-click on them that will allow you to:

  1. Toggle remote display - this tells Indigo whether to show the device in remote clients.
  2. Open a window that shows all other objects that are dependent on this action group. See Deletion Dependencies for more information.
  3. Copy the unique ID of the device to the clipboard - to assist in writing Python scripts that use the device
  4. Copy a Python script string that will return an instance of the selected device. It will look something like this: indigo.actionGroups[1703232002] # “Toggle Variable”
  5. Copy an AppleScript string that you can use to reference the object. It will look like this: action group named “Toggle Variable”

And finally, Control Pages also have a contextual menu:

  1. Toggle remote display - this tells Indigo whether to show the device in remote clients.
  2. Show in Browser - open the control page in the default browser.
  3. Copy the unique ID of the device to the clipboard - to assist in writing Python scripts that use the device
  4. Copy a Python script string that will return an instance of the selected device. It will look something like this: indigo.controlPages[249813574] # “iPad Landscape”

Item Detail

The item detail area shows controls and extra state information depending on what type of object is selected.

Devices

Device controls are separated into a variety of control tiles that are laid out in a grid in the Item Detail area. We also refer to this as the control area. If you have no device selected, the control area is blank. If you have a single device selected, you may see a variety of different control tiles. The first tile that will always be showing is the Device Details tile:

The information in the tile will be specific to the device type. For instance, battery powered devices (that report their battery status) will show the battery level. For sensor devices, the sensor reading will show (temp, humidity, etc. for instance). All devices, regardless of type, will show Last Update - the last date/time that the device was changed in any way.

Plugin devices, regardless of whether they implement one of the built-in device types below or if they are completely custom devices, will also have a Custom States tile that will show all of the device's custom states. This tile is always below the first row of tiles so you may need to scroll or resize the Item Detail area to see it:

Other device types will show specific control tiles based on their type as discussed below.

Lights/Appliances

For lights (dimmers) and appliance modules (relays or On/Off devices), you see On/Off/Brightness Controls tile:

If the device doesn't support dimming, those controls will be hidden. You'll also notice that in the Device Details tile, On State and Brightness (if it's a dimmer) will show the current values.

Sensors (Motion Sensors, Energy Meters like the iMeter, etc.)

Sensor devices have their own control tile as well. Some of those devices can be explicitly turned On and Off (thus the buttons) and can respond to status requests. The buttons will be enabled/disabled based on the device's capabilities.

One thing to note about some battery powered devices: the Status Request button may be enabled because some of those devices have the option to be plugged in (for instance, the Aeotec MultiSensor) and will respond to status requests when plugged in but not when running on battery power.

Also, some energy monitoring devices, such as the iMeter, keep running totals of energy usage that can be reset by the user. For those, a Reset button will be placed next to the Total Usage in the Device Details tile.

Speed Controls

Speed control devices are devices that can control the speed of some kind of motor. For instance, the INSTEON FanLinc. And, in fact, the controls are currently tailored to the FanLinc's High, Medium, Low, and Off settings. When we run across more of these types of devices we'll customize the controls appropriately.

Sprinklers (Pro Only)

The sprinkler tile allows you to turn on a specific zone, go to the next or previous zone, update the valve status. And, if a schedule is currently running, pause/resume it, begin running the previous schedule, and stop all activity.

Thermostats (Pro Only)

The thermostat tile shows the current temperature, humidity, mode, cool/heat setpoints, and fan mode. You can also adjust all of those as well as refresh the values and turn everything off. Note that on rev2 thermostat adaptors the circles next to cool and heat setpoints will be lit if their respective HVAC system is actually running (A/C or heater).

Generic Output Devices (Pro Only)

Output Controls tile shows the state of all the output states available for the device and you can update them immediately using the Send Status Request button. The button grid shows all available outputs and their status. Use the Turn Off All Outputs button to turn off all binary outputs.

Triggers and Schedules

The detail area for triggers and schedules is identical - it shows the triggering event (either a state change or some time/date description), whether the condition is always, rules, or a script, and a summary of actions. Depending on your interface, a popup may allow you to specify how the object is processed:

  • Enabled and Upload - this means that it will be processed both while Indigo Server is running and it will be uploaded to your standalone controller (if it supports uploading).
  • Enable - this means that it will be processed while Indigo Server is running, and mirrors the Enabled column in the list if it's visible.
  • Upload - this means that it will only be uploaded and executed by your standalone controller (if it supports uploading) - while Indigo Server is controlling the logic it will not be enabled
  • Disabled - this means that it's completely disabled - it also mirrors the Enabled column in the list if it's available.

The Execute Actions Now button will do exactly that - execute all the actions associated with the object. NOTE: just as the triggering event will be ignored, so will any conditions associated with the object.

Action Groups

The action group detail shows a list of all the actions in the group. The Execute Actions Now button will do exactly that - execute all the actions associated with the action group.

Control Pages

The only thing in the detail area for a control page is the Show in Browser button, which will open the selected page in the default browser.

Status Bar

The status bar along the bottom of the window has several elements. First, there's the communication queue indicator. It's the longish rectangle next to the Indigo icon. This indicator will show green bars going from right to left, and purple bars going from left to right. Green bars indicate outgoing communication purple bars show incoming communications. If you see green bars begin to build up, you can tell that something is keeping the outgoing command queue from processing correctly.

Next to that bar you'll see the names of the interfaces you have configured. If they are in green, then they are functioning properly. If they are in red with a line through them, Indigo can't communicate with them. If they are gray, they are offline for some reason.

The next four sets are pretty self explanatory: the next sunrise time, the next sunset time, the current time (for the Indigo Server, so it may be different than the client time if you're running the client on a different machine), and the next time a schedule is going to execute.

Event Log Window

The event log window shows you pretty much everything Indigo Server is doing at any given time. You see incoming and outgoing traffic, trigger and schedule executions, and other useful diagnostic information.

Click the Clear Window button to clear the log entries. Click on Show Event Logs Folder to open the Logs folder in the Finder. Here you will find one file for each day's events. You can change how many day's worth of event log files are stored by selecting Indigo 6→Preferences… and then selecting the General tab. There, you can enter the number of days of event log files that you want to keep. Indigo Server will delete all files outside of that period of time.

Variable Window

The variable window is discussed in the Variables overview section.

In this section, we'll go through each of the menus in Indigo.

Indigo 6 Menu

  • About Indigo 6 - this will show the About window which will show what client and server versions you're running and will show your registration code
  • Start Local Server… - this will open the Start Server dialog
  • Stop Server - this will stop the Indigo Server
  • Connect to Remote Server… - this option will allow you to connect to a different Indigo server or a server running on another Mac
  • Close Connection - this will close the connection to the server
  • Preferences… - this opens the preferences dialog
  • Check for Updates… - this will have the server your connected to contact us to see if there is an update available

File Menu

  • New Database… - this will close the current database and create a new one - you'll be prompted for a name and save location
  • Select Database… - this will allow you to switch to a different database
  • Close Window - this will close the frontmost window
  • New Device… - this will switch the Home Window to the devices view and open the new device dialog
  • New Trigger… - this will switch the Home Window to the triggers view and open the new trigger dialog
  • New Schedule… - this will switch the Home Window to the schedules view and open the new schedule dialog
  • New Action Group… - this will switch the Home Window to the action groups view and open the new action group dialog

Edit Menu

The Edit menu has the standard options on it that you would expect any Mac app to have. Note that the Delete and Duplicate options are available for most items in the user interface.

View Menu

The View menu allows you to switch between views in the Home Window just as if you had clicked the major item types in the outline view: Devices, Triggers, Schedules, Action Groups and Control Pages.

Go Menu

  • Browser Devices Page - this will open your default web browser to the built-in devices list
  • Browser Actions Page - this will open your default web browser to the built-in actions list
  • Browser Variables Page - this will open your default web browser to the built-in variable list
  • Browser Control Pages - this will open your default web browser to the control page list (this option is only available in Indigo Pro)
  • Event Logs Folder - this will open the Event Logs folder in the Finder
  • Purchase Hardware - this will open your default web browser to our online store (the Indigo Store) – if you are running a trial copy this item will be called “Purchase Indigo” and will take you to the Indigo purchase page
  • Online Support Forum - this will open your default web browser to our online support forums

The Go menu may have some other options in it as well - if you're using a trial or Indigo Lite it will give you the option to enter new codes and to purchase a license.

Interfaces Menu

Z-Wave® Menu

The Z-Wave interface menu has several options:

  • Enable/Disable - toggles the interface on and off
  • Reload - will cause the interface to restart
  • Configure… - opens the configuration preferences for the Z-Wave interface
  • Help with Z-Wave networks… - opens a browser window to the help page for managing your Z-Wave Network.
  • Manage Associations… - opens the dialog where you can manage device associations and scenes
  • Remove Failed Modules from Controller… - use this menu item remove any Z-Wave nodes that may no longer exist on the network.
  • Reset Z-Wave Interface… - use this menu to completely reset your Z-Wave interface. You should only do this if Indigo support instructs you to.

INSTEON/X10 Powerline Submenu

  • Enable/Disable - toggles the interface on and off
  • Configure… - opens the configuration preferences for this interface
  • Upload Settings… - opens the upload dialog
  • Manage INSTEON PowerLinc Links… - opens the PowerLinc link editor window
  • Manage INSTEON Device Links… - opens the device link editor window
  • Start Sync INSTEON Device Links… - starts any pending link sync operations
  • Stop Sync INSTEON Device Links - stops any ongoing linking operations

For Indigo Pro users, there are some other menu items added to this menu. Those are described in the Managing Your INSTEON Network in Indigo document.

X10 RF Submenu

  • Enable/Disable - toggles the interface on and off
  • Configure… - opens the configuration preferences for this interface
  • Help with X10 RF Interfaces… - opens a browser to the documentation for configuring this type of interface.

Virtual Devices Submenu

  • Enable/Disable - toggles the interface on and off
  • Reload - will cause the interface to restart
  • Help with Virtual Devices… - opens a browser window to the documentation page for Virtual Devices.
  • Update Device Group Saved States… - will allow you to update the stored states for each device in the specified Device Group.
  • Toggle Debugging - toggles debugging information in the Event Log on and off. Used primarily for technical support.

Manage Interfaces... Menu Item

Selecting the Interfaces→Manage Interfaces… menu item will open the interface preferences dialog.

Plugins Menu (Pro only)

The Plugins menu (Indigo Pro Only) will adjust based on the what plugins you have installed. These menu items will always be present:

  • Reload Libraries and Attachments - this will reload all the attachment AppleScripts that are in the Scripts/Attachments directory of the Indigo system directory (/Library/Application Support/Perceptive Automation/Indigo 6/). It will also reload the various Python library directories (i.e. /Users/usernamehere/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/) so that if you add Python libraries while the server is running your scripts can immediately access those libraries
  • Manage Plugins… - this item will open the preferences window to the Plugins tab
  • 3rd Party Plugin List - opens a browser to the 3rd Party Plugin list on our wiki so you can easily find plugins for other devices you might have or wish to acquire
  • Open Scripting Shell - this will open a terminal window and start the interactive Python shell with the Indigo module loaded - see the Scripting Tutorial for more information

For information about the plugins, see the About… menu item for each plugin.

Window Menu

  • Home Window - this will show/bring to front the Home Window
  • Event Log - this will show/bring to front the Event Log Window
  • Variable List - this will show/bring to the front the Variable List Window

Help Menu

  • Help for XXXX - this will change slightly based on what window is selected and what's selected in that window - but it will open the default browser to the page in the help documentation for that particular item
  • How-To Wiki - this will also change slightly based on what's selected - it will open to the How-To wiki for the selected item (if a device is selected it will go to the wiki for that device, otherwise it will just go to the landing page)
  • Email Log… - this option will email some of your event log data to the specified email address. Particularly useful for technical support
  • Indigo 6 Documentation - this will open your browser to the landing page for all Indigo 6 documentation
  • Getting Started Guide - this will open your browser to the Getting Started Guide, the place where everyone new to Indigo should start
  • Managing a Z-Wave Network - opens a browser window to the Managing Your Z-Wave Network document in our Documentation wiki
  • Managing an INSTEON Network - opens a browser window to the Managing Your INSTEON Network document in our Documentation wiki
  • Online Support Forum - this will open your browser to our support forum - it's very active and is the primary place where you should seek help - we answer questions there very quickly and in fact we have many helpful users that can help as well
  • Supported Built-in Device List - opens a browser window on our new Supported Devices web application that shows which devices and interfaces have been tested with Indigo
  • User Contribution Library - this will open your browser to our file library - where anyone can contribute apps, images, scripts, plugins, etc. that others may find useful

Z-Wave® is a registered trademark of Sigma Designs, Inc. Indigo's support of Z-Wave hardware is neither endorsed nor certified by Sigma Designs.

indigo_6_documentation/ui_tour.txt · Last modified: 2019/01/26 00:10 (external edit)
 

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