Can't get Snapshot driver to properly work

[N8Ball]

Can anyone tell me why this doesn't work?

I start a "FrontDoorNotification" timer when someone walks up to my front door, play announcement, flash lights, etc.

When the timer starts I take a snapshot...when timer ends I do a recall...but it doesn't work.

[sonic30101]

Screenshot of the properties in the snapshot driver

[N8Ball]

[N8Ball]

Here's another tidbit of crazy info about this craziness.

If I look at the advanced lighting scenes, I can see the snapshot SHOULD be working, as the lighting scene that is ACTIVE is not actually active.

Example, if the "Master Lamps" scene is on prior to the FrontDoorNotification be executed, I can see that the "z_FlashLights" scene is activated for the duration of the FrontDoorNotification Timer, and then it re-activates the "Master Lamps" scene...but it's not actually doing it, it just says it's active.

If I physically click the "Active Scene" button on the lighting scene that is supposedly already active, it will then activate correctly.

[N8Ball]

NOTE: I moved the "Take Snapshot" from the Timer to the first thing done when motion is detected. 

 

Video of the issue:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/raq7zrp06myrzxk/Video Mar 24%2C 2 12 59 PM.mov?dl=0

 

[dcovach]

Your snapshot won't recall because you need to deactivate that z_LightsFlash advanced lighting scene before the recall.  It seems like the snapshot driver won't over ride it.   Because you're using the flash option, it'll flash forever until you manually over ride it or deactivate it with programming.  Copy that scene, rename it to a similar name with OFF or Flash Off,  and make sure Flash option is disabled.  Select it as the toggle scene for the z_LightsFlash scene.  You can test the z_LightsFlash scene by activating and deactivating it.

The old school way of programming flashing lights is by individually toggling it (or several) with a 1 second delay in between. Its a bit of a pain but it works and you can decide how many times you want them to toggle. 

 

[drmark12pa]

I have Snapshot installed in my system in my THEATER room but for some reason cannot get it to execute any command in any other room.  I appear to have enabled it via MONITORING tab for the driver for all rooms yet cannot seem to bring up any room specific command.

I'm trying to use this to toggle lights in 2 rooms when the garage door opens so I know when it opens.  I've been using TOGGLE, delay 1 second, TOGGLE, delay 1 second, TOGGLE but it seems that there must be a slight lag or something with the system and sometimes the lights will opposite of what state they started in.  Should I just make the delay 2 seconds?

[dcovach]

Show a sample of your programming and the snapshot driver properties

[drmark12pa]

I've attached 2 screen shots, 1 of the Snapshot driver which appears to be set up correctly and the other of the PROGRAMMING for my room flashing with it but it appears to only be valid in my THEATER room where the driver is listed under

 

[dcovach]

How about a screen shot of when you're taking the snapshot and when you're recalling it?

Your theater and office light may actually be opposite states of each other when you start toggling them.  You could start the macro so those lights first get an ON command and then toggle after that.  Also, if the zigbee mesh is slightly weak in either or those rooms then that would explain why there may be delays.

[drmark12pa]

The only place I see anything about Snapshot is under the THEATER.  In the 2nd picture above, the only command I can use the TAKE SNAPSHOT but it only shows as the THEATER as the only room you can select.  I can't seem to figure out how to select another room....

As far as the toggle, I'd like the light to end up in the state it started in

[dcovach]

It doesn't matter which room the snapshot driver is in. It will take a shapshot and/or recall of all the properties/rooms you selected in the driver.  Depends which command you use.  You can constantly recall the same snapshot over and over as long as you don't take a new snapshot with that particular driver.  Or you can take snapshots each time an action occurs and recall it.

On the Actions side of the snapshot driver (Device Specific Command)  click TAKE SNAPSHOT and you'll see an option to choose RECALL SNAPSHOT for programming

[drmark12pa]

When I go under the SNAPSHOT RECALL on the right side which is the only listing referring to SNAPSHOT in my programming tree, and I click TAKE SNAPSHOT there is nothing in the box under that at all.  I thought by setting the devices in the driver under properties I would be able to select whichever device I wanted a snapshot of.  As in N8Balls posting above, it appears he can just select a snapshot of single device but I don't see that anywhere in my programming.

[dcovach]

Nope.  No individual device selection in programming.  The driver only snaps devices that you selected in the properties (av included).  If you select YES to "Send Pause and Play" and "Source and Volume", the driver will pause any video or audio session that's currently playing in the room and will PLAY after you recall and adjust previous volume level (if those devices have discreet volume control within C4).  You don't have to program which av devices are paused or played.

[drmark12pa]

I'm still not seeing how this driver works to take a snapshot of a single device at least in my programming.  I can only click DEVICE SPECIFIC COMMAND and then it's a big empty box under that.  How does the above user take a snapshot of front door motion? 

 

[dcovach]

The driver doesn't work that way.  You won't have devices available to program on the action side the way that you're trying to do it.  The snapshot driver is meant to be used as an action but you can do some event programming when a snapshot is taken.  You have to take the snapshot first (action).

Door motion will be the event. Taking a snapshot is the action. Recalling the snapshot is an action.  When the snapshot is taken is an event.  Etc..

Sometimes timers are used after an event occurs (garage opens).  Now take a snapshot.  Start a timer. After the timer expires (event)  recall a snapshot (action). Etc..

You can have many instances of a snapshot driver in your project too

[drmark12pa]

So if I TAKE SNAPSHOT (command), is every single device that I select in the PROPERTIES of the Snapshot driver stored?  Not just one device that is SNAPSHOTed?  Is the snapshot basically looking at everything in your system and then returning the devices to the prior state?

I was thinking you could just use the SNAPSHOT for a single device....

[dcovach]

It snaps everything you highlighted in the properties and only in the rooms you want. You can choose the whole house or any combination of rooms.  It will return to prior state based on what you selected in the properties.  It's meant to be painless. It is painless.  The snapshot is saved until you over write it with another snap. It's saved after a controller reboot too.

A cool use case is snapping the current state of the whole house as a mode (party mode). It would have all light levels, temp, blinds, music, tv's, volumes, etc all saved. Recall it whith a button press (or voice control) when you want that mode back for the house. You may only re-snap that a few times a year but can recall it many times on the needed occasion.

[drmark12pa]

How does the user above get the device specific snapshot as in the picture?

[dcovach]

There is a timer agent you can add with Composer HE. Create a timer. Choose how long the timer should run. The timer agent can be used in programming. It will be near the bottom with all the rest of the agents

[drmark12pa]

8 minutes ago, dcovach said:

There is a timer agent you can add with Composer HE. Create a timer. Choose how long the timer should run. The timer agent can be used in programming. It will be near the bottom with all the rest of the agents

I was wondering about the TAKE SNAPHSHOT IN MASTER BED-> SNAPSHOT FRONT DOOR MOTION command.  How do you get a specific command like that without everything being snapshot?

Also, when you select the LIGHTS and/or ROOMS under the PROPERTIES of the driver (under MONITORING), are all of those what are always snapshot every single time you use the SNAPSHOT SAVE command?

[dcovach]

That particular snapshot driver was renamed to something intuitive to differentiate between other snapshot drivers in the project. Remember, you can have lots of instances of the driver so it would be confusing if they were all similar in name. They can all have different properties and those properties can be edited.

The state of the room based on the snapshot properties are always saved when you use the save command.  If you don't like the properties, edit it or request your dealer add another snapshot driver so you can customize it and give it a custom name.

Do you have a dealer?

 

[drmark12pa]

6 hours ago, dcovach said:

That particular snapshot driver was renamed to something intuitive to differentiate between other snapshot drivers in the project. Remember, you can have lots of instances of the driver so it would be confusing if they were all similar in name. They can all have different properties and those properties can be edited.

The state of the room based on the snapshot properties are always saved when you use the save command.  If you don't like the properties, edit it or request your dealer add another snapshot driver so you can customize it and give it a custom name.

Do you have a dealer?

 

Yes I'll probably have to ask him to give me a quick hands on tutorial..  I'm pretty up to speed on programming but this one doesn't seem to be very user friendly for specifics.  I just want to take a snapshot of a single light or 2 and then return to their states after the timer.  However, I don't want to have to change the driver properties every time I'm changing.  My idea of the driver should be:

TAKE SNAPSHOT OF THEATER LIGHT

SET THEATER TO "10" ON DIMMER

TIMER ON/TIMER EXPIRES

RECALL SNAPSHOT OF THEATER LIGHT

Then if I have another programming loop I could do the same with just that device not include 50 Control4 switches and such.

[Cyknight]

OK too much to read. No time. If this has been mentioned, just ignore:

OP, I suspect that your trigger for the snapshot is triggered more than once, causing it to create a NEW snapshot of the state AFTER the other programming is triggered.

Instead try this:

 

WHEN [trigger] happens

IF variable snapshot it false

--take snapshot

Set variable snapshot to true

delay 500ms

start timers

etc etc

On timer expiry add setting the variable back to false

 

 

Other poster - keep in mind that you need to add a snapshot driver for each 'set' of things you want to take a snapshot of. IE want to use snapshot for the front door motion as well as a theatre motion with their own triggers, then you need TWO snapshot drivers.

[rea]

On 9/16/2018 at 5:36 PM, drmark12pa said:

Yes I'll probably have to ask him to give me a quick hands on tutorial..  I'm pretty up to speed on programming but this one doesn't seem to be very user friendly for specifics.  I just want to take a snapshot of a single light or 2 and then return to their states after the timer.  However, I don't want to have to change the driver properties every time I'm changing.  My idea of the driver should be:

TAKE SNAPSHOT OF THEATER LIGHT

SET THEATER TO "10" ON DIMMER

TIMER ON/TIMER EXPIRES

RECALL SNAPSHOT OF THEATER LIGHT

Then if I have another programming loop I could do the same with just that device not include 50 Control4 switches and such.

I'm just figuring the Snapshot driver out myself and I think like @dcovach  was saying (btw, your party mode snapshot idea was great!):

1) where the Snapshot driver is in your project really doesn't matter. It's the properties you have for it like you took a screen of above. Disregard that it says "Take Snapshot in X room" when you're doing the programming--that's just where the driver is located in your project. For instance, my Snapshot driver isn't even in a proper room, it's in my "Clouds" room.  You can still choose whatever device/action as your event to take the snapshot. I'll certainly admit that this confused me for a bit as well given most other things in C4 are very room specific. 

2) If you want very limited Snapshots (likely with different triggers for the snapshot), you will need to add a separate instance for each one. You can then name each one as you wish. That, again, is just for reference and ease. It doesn't really change what it does--that's all in the Properties tab. 

3) I can't tell what you're using/planning on using to trigger your Snapshot. I know you want your theater lights, but is this off of a doorbell or something similar? If it's a doorbell, it seems having your theater and office (or the whole house) on the same Snapshot would work just fine. You aren't going to notice it do anything in the rooms you don't have the light toggle programmed in anyway.