Domoticz

To share my Domoticz Home Automation Workbook (PDF, ~790 pages) Changelog.
Objectives

• Explore & learn Domoticz & Scripting.
• Build a Home Automation & Information System.
• Write up & share experiences during development.
• Use as a supplemental reference.

Notes

• This is a working document, solution changes, idea’s & to-do’s will probably never cease to exist.
• There might be better solutions for what is shared = updates or changes made as progressing.
• Source code for the scripts & flows not fully shared in this document or have changed … check GitHub src folder for latest source codes.
• Automation scripts mainly developed with dzVents Lua.
• Domoticz Hardware Plugin development in Python.
• Some functions make use of Node-RED.
• Functions that have been replaced by another solution are kept in this document as reference – might be of use.
• Screenshots shared might not be update as functionality is evolving.
• To-do’s tagged with <TODO>. The To-do list, with prefix, i.e. NEW, UPD …, are captured in the file TODO.md.
• Ideas logged in IDEAS.md.

Functions
(full list see the workbook)

• Air Quality monitor .
• Ambient light (from ESP8266 running ESP Easy) with threshold.
• Battery Status - Daily check & notify for all devices (Domoticz & External Systems) the battery level against a threshold set via user variable.
• Charts for selective weather items, room temperature & humidity.
• Climate Environment - UV Index & Category, Pollen Index.
• Coffee machine monitor – start and end time, info message.
• Control Somfy roller shutters with RTS motors in rooms.
• Control Volumio music player whilst listening to web radio.
• Custom icons.
• Custom Pages - simple to more complex examples.
• Custom Settings - Custom page to change the value of selective user variables.
• Device Status - Custom page to quickly view all device properties of a used device.
• Display temperature & humidity measured in rooms.
• Electricity power & energy for selected devices / rooms (washer, MakeLab etc.).
• Electricity power & energy for the house from “volkszaehler” with charts.
• Event monitor for selected devices.
• Garage door monitor.
• Hardware Monitor for the Raspberry Pi's used (see HardwareMonitor.zip).
• HomematicIP support selective devices using RaspberryMatic. Developed plugins HmIP-eTRV, HmIP-PSM or Python scripts (triggered via dzVents Lua).
• Hue Light controlled via ESP8266 with slide potentiometer & 4-digit-7-segment-display.
• Indoor Air Quality - Measure in regular intervals, the IAQ Index VOC, assign to a custom sensor (VOC) and set the color of a Hue White & Color Ambiance bulb accordingly.
• Key Dates management and information organised in a roomplan.
• MQTT Logger (Node-RED)
• MQTT subscribe & publish messages to trigger actions or information.
• Monitor stock quotes.
• Music Player using LibreELEC with Kodi and another test with Volumio.
• Key Dates management and information organised in a roomplan.
• Notes with a subject & content and save, copy or notify.
• Philips Hue Lighting System control via Hue Bridge for ZigBee devices.
• Postbox Notifier.
• RaspberryMatic DutyCycle monitor.
• RaspberryMatic Statelist with devices and data points (Node-RED).
• Raspberry Pi system information with charts and threshold email notification.
• Remote Control via Homematic IP device (HmIP-RC8) for 8 specific functions.
• Remote Control Domoticz devices using Email client - includes a simple Android test app
• Security door & window wireless contact detectors.
• Soil Moisture monitor for plants (Info).
• Time Control to track & control the time spent in hours, per activity block (with start- & end-time) and total/day, on a generic task.
• Timers for single devices or complex tasks (Automation events dzVents).
• Utility Dashboard Heating, Power, Water dashboard using Grafana & FlowCharting plugin. This is a process engineering prototype (SCADA).
• Weather 9-DAYS forecast from Norwegian Meteorological Institute (Meteorologisk) as a Custom Page with Highcharts Custom Chart.
• Web UI Domoticz Quick Access Mobile - customized web frontend to control dedicated functions mainly accessed from mobile devices.
• Web UI Web App Site Control - Node-RED alternative to the standard Domoticz Web UI (Note: Not developed further as replaced by Domoticz Quick Access Mobile).

Explore How To Use

• Domoticz running on a Raspberry Pi (setup, configure).
• Scripting Python, Lua, dzVents, JavaScript.
• Python Plugin Development (mainly with Tinkerforge Building Blocks)
• API interaction
• MQTT messaging
• Custom Pages with Highcharts & Google Charts for single & multiple devices.
• Node-RED as an alternative script engine and User Interface.
• SQLite
• ESP8266
• ESP Easy for sensors.
• RFXCOM RFXtrx433E USB RF Transceiver for Temperature & Humidity devices, External Wind device (only for RFXCOM tests), Other 433Mhz devices, i.e. door & window contacts.
• Philips Hue Light Control.
• External services
• Domoticz Android App (native client, to be determined).
• Advanced User Interfaces, i.e. Node-RED, Bootstrap …

Credits
To the developers of Domoticz and to all sharing information about Domoticz. Without these, it would not be possible to build this project and write the workbook.

Hi,

This is really good documentation for a (advanced) user/beginner! As a user of Domoticz for a few years now (2015) it's perfect to look up some things very quickly. Even some new thoughts occur how to implement stuff.

Big thumbs up! Thanks rwblinn.

zenit wrote: ↑Wednesday 06 February 2019 17:22 This is really good documentation for a (advanced) user/beginner!

Thanks a lot - good motivation to progress = see next post.

Update r20190212

• NEW: Function Volumio Web Radio - Listen to & control, via Domoticz Dashboard, Web Radio provided by Volumio
• NEW: Appendix Tools - Domoticz Internal Script Viewer
• UPD: Appendix TODO List and the specific TODOs in the document

View

Update r20190218

• NEW: Function Monitor Stock Quotes - Obtain quotes from Alpha Vantage, set thresholds with notifications, Roomplan, Node-RED Dashboard
• UPD: Reworked User Variables section

View

Amazing bookwork! I am pretty new with Domoticz and this is going be very helpful.

Update r20190227

• NEW: Function Ambient Light w/ threshold. The Ambient Light is connected to an ESP8266 NodeMCU running ESPEasy
• NEW: Function Hue Lights - Control the lights via Node-RED Dashboard UI
• NEW: User Variables - Example how to use Node-RED Dashboard UI to set threshold value
• UPD: Function Volumio - Reworked checking Volumio server response (using ping)
• FIX: Function Hue Lights - Bug in dzVents script Timed Switch Light

Thanks for Feedback and the GitHub stars.

View

Thanks for book, really helpful.

This is really good documentation for user/beginner. I am totally new to Domoticz. Thanks a lot for sharing such nan awesome documentation on Workbook setting up.

Kudo's to the writer of the document.
Very nice. WIKI material

Update version 20190603

See Changelog.
Updated also the first post.

Thanks for the feedback. Welcome any ideas.

Great work

Great Work... Within a year we can all buy this book in the bookshop love this kind of ideas

Update 20190621
Domoticz Home Automation Workbook (PDF, ~280 pages).

• NEW: Function Hardware Monitor for all Raspberry Pi's used.
• NEW: Function Indoor Air Quality Monitor - Plugin [more]
• NEW: Appendix Tools MQTT Logger - Log and analyse Domoticz MQTT messages, Node-RED flow
• UPD: Function Custom Icons reworked
• UPD: Explore Python Plugin Development - Hints on Domoticz log errors
• UPD: Various smaller enhancements & corrections

(Again) many thanks for feedback

Update 20190709
Domoticz Home Automation Workbook (PDF, ~295 pages).

• NEW: Explore RaspberryMatic CCU solution, addons XML-API & CUxD and Domoticz integration
• NEW: Function Electric Usage Rooms/Devices - RaspberryMatic CCU with device HMIP-PSM (Plugin)
• NEW: Function Radiator Thermostat - RaspberryMatic CCU with device HMIP-eTRV-2 (Plugin)
• NEW: Function Postbox Watcher - RaspberryMatic CCU with device HMIP-SDWO
• NEW: User Variables - List with Python3 script
• UPD: Alert Message - improved dzVents Lua scripts; Alert Level 4 sends Email notifications
• UPD: Various smaller enhancements & corrections

Created also two homematicIP plugins - tested against RaspberryMatic 3.45.7.20190622.

• Pluggable Switch and Meter
• Radiator Thermostat

Update 20191207
Domoticz Home Automation Workbook (PDF, ~325 pages).

• NEW: Function Email Control - Experiment to Remote Control Domoticz devices using Email client - includes simple Android test app
• NEW: Function River Elbe Tide - watch the tide of the river "Elbe" at "Schulau" near Hamburg Germany
• NEW: Function Radiator Thermostat HMIP-eTRV-2 - Event to ensure not heating overnight (switch off)
• NEW: Function Stock Quotes - Automation script (dzVents Lua) instead Node-RED flow (disabled)
• NEW: Explore RaspberryMatic - Reworked, added more examples using the XML-API addon
• NEW: Explore ESP Easy - ESP BMP280 to Domoticz
• UPD: Function BMP280 - Sensor replaced by BME280 (T+H+P), function renamed & automation scripts updated
• UPD: Function Postbox Watcher - Renamed to Postbox Notifier; new second solution with reset switch
• UPD: Function RaspberryMatic - update 3.47.22.20191130
• UPD: Explore ESP Easy - Firmware update, chapter reviewed and polished up
• UPD: Function Coffee Machine Monitor - User Variable to set the power threshold
• UPD: Setup - Added ethernet configuration and network overview
• UPD: Functions and Explore - Reordered chapters
• UPD: Various smaller enhancements & corrections

Many thanks for putting this together and sharing. Very nice work!

Update 20200112
Domoticz Home Automation Workbook (PDF, ~30 pages).

• NEW: Function Domoticz Web App Site Control - Node-RED based GUI
• NEW: Function Roomplan - Created room plans with associated devices; defined device naming convention
• NEW: Function Timers - Started to use timers for simple tasks like thermostat setting setpoint or switch on or off
• NEW: Function Postbox Notifier - Solution with Alert + Switch + Voltage
• NEW: Explore RaspberryMatic - Added more push & pull examples; HTTP XML-API URL replaced config by addons
• NEW: Explore RaspberryMatic - Experiment Node-RED dashboard with two radiator thermostats
• UPD: Explore Events - bundled the test scripts to files explore_automation_events*.md
• UPD: Explore Node-RED - updated installation information as Node-RED installation/update script has changed (Linux Installers for Node-RED)
• UPD: Function Radiator Thermostat reworked; NEW plugin HmIP-eTRV; Timers to control heating; New device valve position
• UPD: Explore SQL - Chapter reworked and added more SQL select examples
• UPD: TODO.md
• UPD: Various smaller enhancements & corrections

Update 20200318
Domoticz Home Automation Workbook (PDF, ~430 pages).

• NEW: Function Notes - Create notes with a subject & content and save, copy or notify.
• NEW: Function Philips Hue - Examples to direct access a device using HTTP API.
• NEW: Function Time Control - Track & control time spent in hours, per activity block (with start- & end-time) and total/day, on a generic task.
• NEW: Explore Custom Pages - First examples setting & getting data; Alert Message, Quick Check Raspberry Pi data, Switch Light.
• NEW: Explore SQL - read from file; execute sql-command-line using Lua; more examples.
• NEW: Explore Tinkerforge - Various concepts how to interact between Domoticz and the Tinkerforge Building Blocks.
• NEW: Tool: RaspberryMatic Statelist - Obtain the datapoint id's for all RaspberryMatic devices configured on the CCU.
• UPD: Function Domoticz Web App Site Control - Dark theme instead default light blue.
• UPD: Function Hardware Monitor - fixed get RAM data for Raspberry Pi Buster.
• UPD: Function Postbox Notifier - At midnight reset notification in case not done manually.
• UPD: Function Waste Calendar - Renamed to Key Dates Calendar as also including other key dates in the list. Removed interval entry.
• UPD: Explore MQTT > Python: Scripts reworked.
• UPD: Explore RaspberryMatic - Release 3.51.6.20200229; Additional examples to get data & set Domoticz devices.
• UPD: Tool MQTT Logger - Node-RED solution completely reworked; select MQTT broker Domoticz Production or Development.
• UPD: Setup > Raspberry Pi > Samba - Added full log installing Samba and set share.
• UPD: User Variables > List > Python: Script reworked; improved error handling for the request, HTTP & URL.
• UPD: Various chapters reviewed and smaller updates including scripts, flows.

rwblinn wrote: ↑Wednesday 18 March 2020 10:36 Update 20200318
Domoticz Home Automation Workbook (PDF, ~430 pages).

@rwblinn
Many thx for sharing. Is it OK to publish a link to your github page on the domoticz wiki ?