Re: xAPLabs BSC test application

["turner228" <kevin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi
I wrote the xAPLabs applications back in 2005. This was for me pimarily an
exercise in learning Visual Basic 6 and using the xAPIntranet ocx.

In addition they were an attempt to provide some attractive test and demo
applications for use with other xAP applications such as xAP Desktop and
xAP Floorplan, and with hardware like xAP-Netiom.

You will see that the applications have not been updated since they were
originally posted back in 2005. This is primarily because there was little
feedback, positive or negative. I have written many other xAP apps since,
but these have been to suit my own needs, and and were not posted because I
did not feel inclined to document and support them long term.

Regrettably I do not currently have a test and development environment
suitable for my old VB6 applications available. If necessary i can
re-create one, but this would not be for a couple of weeks.

I am not part of the original xAP Team, or part of the specification group,
just a user like you. The xAPLab applications are not formal references to
test against, but are aids to testing and implementation.

So specific asnwers to your questions:

1) "We can only find xAP Labs for the BSC binary type - where is the
level based example device ?"

I never posted a level device example

2) "There is an LCD output Text display device but we are not sure if
it is BSC and also where is the BSC Text input device ?"

The LCD simulation was specifically not for the xAPBSC schema. It was
designed as a way of displaying messages of the
"message.display","xap-osd.display",
"cid.incoming" and "cid.lookup" schema which come from,
typically, applications like xAP Switchboard.

The text key in the xAPBSC schema is for "Stream" Device types
which are how xAPBSC supports analog devices. Text values are normaly
numeric only, eg 24.2

The Displaytext key is optional for any xAPBSC device type and can be
alphanumeric and normaly expands on the text key eg Indoor temp 24.2 C

Both the text and displaytext keys only appear in xAPBSC.event and
xAPBSC.info messages.

I am not aware of a "BSC Text input device"

3) "When we send a xapbsc.cmd to the lamp devices the ID= value is
ignored. Even if the ID does not match the device the lamp is changing. The
BSC specification indicates this is wrong."

None of these xAPLab apps implemented the extra complexity of the
multisection xAPBSC.cmd or of wildcarding commands and so ignored the ID=
key. I was not particularly happy with the idea of allowing wildcarding for
commands and I have not come accross any xAP application which implements
it.

4) "When we send a query to the xAPLab application to just one lamp it
does not reply with a message. Only if we send a message to every lamp does
it reply. Again this does not match the BSC specification."

As I recall, a xAPLab application will respond to a xAPBSC.query to any
endpoint with xAPBSC.info messages from all the enpoints. Granted this is a
lazy implementation, but the required information is provided.

5) "We have some problems with the wildcard matching also, again it
does not seem to follow the xAP specification."

This is entirely possible as some of the wildcarding concepts are complex.

Sorry these may not be the answers you had possibly hoped for.

kevint
(the other kevin)

--- In xap_automation@xxxxxxx, "kriskurran"
<kriskurran@...> wrote:
>
>   We are trying to add xAP BSC support into our application .  As we
have no xAP hardware it was recommended we use xAPLabs to emulate the
devices,  but we have some problems it seems.
>
>    1) We can only find xAP Labs for the BSC binary type - where is the
level based example device ?
>
>    2) There is an LCD output Text display device but we are not sure
if it is BSC and also where is the BSC Text input device ?
>
>    3) When we send a xapbsc.cmd to the lamp devices the ID= value is
ignored. Even if the ID does not match the device the lamp is changing. The
BSC specification indicates this is wrong.
>
>    4) When we send a query to the xAPLab application to just one lamp
it does not reply with a message.  Only if we send a message to every lamp
does it reply.  Again this does not match the BSC specification.
>
>    5) We have some problems with the wildcard matching also, again it
does not seem to follow the xAP specification.
>
>    We assume xAPLabs is a reference to test against , can you help us
please to test this application as we have just a few days to work on this.
>
> regards Kris
>




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