Applescript

[303]

subject says it all.

[303]

Hi Ryan! You'd asked for use cases for Applescript support. Here you go (also hello from Menlo Park).

In general Applescript is the most efficient way of integrating Sighthound with other OS X applications, without having to a) run a local server or b) call out to a private API.

Here are a few examples for home automation integration (e.g., Indigo)

• • User wishes to enable and disable cameras and triggers in Sighthound based on context and local home events outside the scope of Sighthound. For example, if my home phone is on the wifi, it means i'm home, and Indigo can tell Sighthound this.
  
• • If I manually turn on my deck lights, it means i'm on the back deck, and this can fire an applescript command to Sighthound to ignore movement on the back deck until I turn them off again.

There are probably more opportunities for sighthound to trigger other actions in other applications via applescript (e.g., run automator commands to turn my movs into animated gifs and sms them to me...which i have going now)

[ryan]

Thanks! Appreciate the response. Always good to have more information about what users are trying to do so we can do our best to address the general need when we get to a feature.

[303]

Yeah. Happy to have you over anytime if you want to see the big nerd setup I have going. We live nearby.

We started out using SecuritySpy and a few belkins, graduated to running Indigo on a mac mini with IR sensors all over, but it's way too DIY. After getting thoroughly angry that the system missed an attempted burglary two nights ago, decided to finally take the leap on computer vision and smart notifications versus manual IR and my own homebrew nonsense.

[ryan]

Thanks! Hope you enjoy the switch, let us know if you run into any trouble or add any other features to your wish list.

[ai3x]

Would love to see this feature as well or some other plugin architecture. I'm running a fully automated home system and would love to be able to plug sighthound in to the burglar alarm status for example.

[habari]

Applescript would definitely be a plus. I am an indigo user as well, and script a lot of stuff. The ability to receive notifications from an application enables one to take actions, e.g. turn on all lights, make announcements, send email, for instance when alarm system is on. This can all be integrated with a little scripting if the application is scriptable, and would make the software much more valuable. There are a couple of good sw packages for the mac which do enable scripting. Please consider adding this to Sighthound.

[303]

bump?

[ryan]

We definitely want to add scripting integration, though as we'd like something that would work on Windows as well the primary API will not be applescript based. We will still consider possibilities of an additional applescript interface, or an applescript interface to the current application as a precursor to an ultimate app API.