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Document Release 1 - ALPHA!

- Ha Builder / HA Editor Overview -

Requires:  Powerhome software  (As of V5.16 Powerhome support can now be turned off and the designer can now be used as a general designer)

The screen designer allows you to add eHome themed screens to any of your eHome computers. It also hooks in directly to Powerhome through the Powerhome socket server and UDP broadcast server allowing true 2 way communication with Powerhome. The HA screen builder must be run on the same computer that Powerhome is installed on but the screens can be played back through the eHome client and these machines do not need Powerhome installed.

Make sure you have setup your DSN and configured Powerhome and eHome to use the Socket Server and UDP properly. Please see the Installation help page for the eHome side of this.

NOTE: The eHome screen designer, HA Builder is a front end for Powerhome. You MUST have added and set up your devices correctly in Powerhome or this designer is of limited value.

- HA Builder Features -

The eHome HA builder allows you to design custom eHome themed skinned screens that can hook into the Powerhome HA software. The screens can then be read and rendered from the eHome client and can control and respond to Powerhome. This allows you to control all you Insteon and X-10 devices. You can create an unlimited number of screens and assign them to any machine on your network. This allows you to create a single screen for example to controlling all your outside lights. Then you assign it to one or all eHome computers. There is also a theme editor that allows you to pick your own colors and fonts.

- Using -

From the Windows start menu, under the eHome Digital Tools group,  click the the Ha Screen Editor. This will start the Ha Builder.

On the very top you can see the 'eHome machine' that is currently being looked at as well as the theme assigned to it. If you click the button next to Machine / Location name you can select a new machine to look at. The green icon in the upper right tells you you have a GOOD connection to the Powerhome databases.

The grid at the top shows all screen assigned to this machine. You can add new ones or delete existing ones. The up / down buttons change the order the screens are shown in eHome. To add a new screen to this machine you would highlight it in the bottom grid and click the add button next to the top grid.

The grid at the bottom shows ALL screens you have created. You can edit, delete, copy or create a new screen. The deploy button tells you what files need to be deployed for your eHome screen to work on another computer.

The machine maint button at the bottom allows you to create machine that you can assign your created screen too. So if you had 5 machines on your network you would hall five names in here. This is also the place where you assign your template to the machine.

The template button at the bottom runs the template manager. Here you can create, copy, delete and edit all your templates.  There are two default templates. If you select edit on any one of them you will see a screen like this.

You can change fonts, font sizes, colors and buttons themes and get a pretty good idea of what your screen will look like. Even after you screen is designed you can come back here and play with the template and the next time you run your screen in eHome it will take on the new template theme.

- HA Editor Features -

The HA Editor allows you to create and edit all content on your screen. You can change screen resolution to any supported eHome size and drag and resize your controls as well as assign all function to the controls

Five types of controls are supported.

To edit a screen select it on the bottom grid of the HA Builder and click edit. But lets create a new one. In the HA Builder click the NEW button on the right of the lower grid. Select the new screen that was just created and then click edit. You will see a screen like the one below.

Lets look at the controls on this HA editor. To the left is the property grid. Ones a control is select you can change the properties of it. Properties might include (depending on the control selected) font size and color, picture on and off etc. On the top is from left to right: (When you set a picture the editor will automatically copy it to the Screen Designer folder)

Lets set the properties of the screen. On the left now, double click on the 'Name ID' and change it to something unique. (this unique name can be later used to navigate directly to this screen from a button or from Powerhome) Name it something like 'MyFirstScrn'.  (See eHomeSS on controlling screens and controls outside of eHome) Now double click on the 'size' property and set it to your desired size. Now click the save button on the top left to save your screen.

OK, lets add a control. Click the combo box in the upper right and select 'Button w/text' This will add the button to your screen. You can then click on the button and resize it and move it around your screen. On the left again is the properties for the control, you can change font size, button shape and set then status on. (the status will change depending what Powerhome says) Go ahead and play a little. Once you are happy its time to change the Action.  Click the Action button at the top of the screen. (or right click on the control)

The first combo box is 'Type'. Here you select the type of actions to perform. The first is IR but if you click it you will see X-10, Insteon, etc. (Options here change based on the control your are editing. So select the type of device you want to control and fill in all other options that are presented. Click 'save' and your done.  

From V5.14 there is also a VBS script option (In the Type combo select 'Script') that will start the internal VBS editor. This allows you to do about anything you can imagine from calling any Powerhome function to creating any ActiveX object on your machine.

Now you can add more controls to the editor and play. That's the best way to learn!

- Deploying -

After you have finished designing your screen(s) and assigning actions to them its time to deploy the screens to eHome. First off, in the HA Builder make sure you have a machine created with the name of the machine that you want to deploy too and that you have assigned screens too this machine.

1 - If the eHome Client is running shut it down.

2 - From you current machine copy these files / folders:

Copy file --> 'c:\eHome\Client-Server\eHomeScrnDesigner.s3db' to the '\\TARGET_MACHINE\eHome\Client-Server' folder.

Copy folder --> 'c:\eHome\Client-Server\Graphics\Screen Designer\' to the '\\TARGET_MACHINE\eHome\Client-Server\Graphics\Screen Designer\'

3 - Restart eHome.

This deploy will be automated in the future.

- Real time debug Mode -  v5.15

To turn it on create a text file named 'Design-Script.dbg' in the eHome folder.  Now when the eHome client is running you will have 2 new buttons at the top of the client screen. These will allow you to:  edit your eHome Client VBS file and launch the screen designer for the screen your viewing. The updates from then are processed in real time. Use this to fine tune your HA screens. When done just delete the text file.