Search a list via Alexa

Add-ons Bindings
1

Hi,

We’ve recently moved home, and the plan is to have a specific place for everything, so that we never have the whole “where did we put the scissors” issue. Obviously this relies on us putting everything back in the right places, and knowing where we’ve put them.

I was thinking how great it would be to be able to say “Alexa, where are the scissors?” and then have a rule to search through a simple list of “household_item, location” data, so that Alexa could then respond “the scissors are in the top drawer in the office”.

This would be possible by creating an individual alexa trigger command for each “household_item” that could then speak its location, but this isn’t really practical beyond a small number of items.

Is there any clever way of doing this with fewer rules/triggers than there are items?

2

Are you really talking about Bluetooth beaconing or RFid tagging things?

With RFid or Bluetooth sensors embedded in cupboards / draws etc?

3

No nothing that complex. I just want to be able to create a list of where items are, and query that list via Alexa. I think the list would be too long to make tagging practical.

4

I haven’t used this so not really sure of the capability but take a look at lastVoiceCommand. Maybe this with a few rules will do what you need.

5

Ah yes, that might work!. Will have a tinker. Thanks for the tip.

6

I am fairly certain alexa has some of this built in. Granted you may have to teach her. May not need openHAB is what I am saying.

7

You can do this by building your own skill. It’s not that hard if you use their example as a guide.

8

Well that’s saved me a good few hours!

"You can also ask Alexa to remind you where you put things. Say, “Alexa, remember that I put my phone on the nightstand,” “Remember that I put the chicken in the downstairs freezer,” or, “Remember that I put my keys in the kitchen drawer.”

Thank you very much

9

Hmm. Turns out Alexa can do this, but the functionality isn’t available in the UK, despite it having been available in the US for nearly two years.

Back to the drawing board.

10

Just read about some new features with the new Amazon 2.5 beta version. It will include a “new channel ‘sendMessage’ which turns on the green light on the echo device and you can ask afterwards for the stored message”. Not sure how many messages can be stored but worth looking into. Here is a link to the tread and you can find the download at the top.

If that won’t do what needed then give lastVoiceCommand a try. If you get it working with lastVoice let me know. Would like to learn more about this feature but never seem to have the time.:roll_eyes:

If