Understanding items and things in manual editing

Setup, Configuration and Use Beginners
1

I’m newbie in openHAB (since now I’m using HASS,io) and I just followed the tutorial (“John’s mobile”) creating a thing with the network binding with my smartphone but I don’t undestand how openHAB take the some definitions:

On the example there’s …

Switch Presence_Mobile_John "Johns Mobile" <network> { channel="network:device:192_168_1_103:online" }

Well, how is referenced “Presence_Mobile_John”? and how is referenced “network:device:192_168_1_103”?

Why I can’t find the items added by the inbox in the items folder? and why I can’t fine the things created via paper UI in the things folder?

2

As far as I understand the PaperUI and the config files work (partly) apart from eachother.

Any thing/item defined in the UI is stored in a separate database and is not visible or changeable via the config
(.thing .items) files.

The other way around however does work. Any thing/item that is defined in the config (.thing .items) files will be available in the PaperUI.

3

Hey guys there was already a topic like that, check it out :slight_smile: I know it’s called different but we also talked about general understanding of openHAB.

4

OK, I undertsood why I cannot see the things made via paperUI, and how to create an ItemName but I still can’t understand how to find the ItemToThingChannelLink.

ItemType ItemName "ItemDescription" <ItemIcon> { ItemToThingChannelLink }
5

If I read this right, you want to use the Network binding. It’s well documented how to use it.
Did you check the docs? Don’t want to offend you tho, but people not reading the manual happens so often…

demo.things:

Thing network:pingdevice:devicename [ hostname="192.168.0.42" ]

demo.items:

Switch MyDevice { channel="network:pingdevice:devicename:online" }
Number MyDeviceResponseTime { channel="network:pingdevice:devicename:latency" }

demo.sitemap:

sitemap demo label="Main Menu"
{
	Frame {
		Text item=MyDevice label="Device [%s]"
		Text item=MyDeviceResponseTime label="Device Response Time [%s]"
	}
}

EDIT
I just checked my openHAB, I totally forgot I use the Network binding as well :smiley:
But I configured it completely with the PaperUI.
I avoid doing Textual configuration with things.

6

Ehm… no… maybe (for sure) I can’t explain well… My question is more wide and generic, not stricly related to network binding.
My question is how to find a ItemToThingChannelLink for all the possibile “things”.

P.S.: I’m the kind of people that not read the manual! :grin:

7

Well…

The manual of each Binding?? It’s always different for every binding…

I think I can understand what you want, like a man page or verbose print like “What can I do with this binding”

PS:

You should start with that. It seems annoying first spending 10-15 minutes reading the manual, but try and error for 3 Hours is better? :thinking:

8

Why your device it’s called “network:pingdevice:devicename” and my device is called “network:device:192_168_1_103” how I can find the list of all things listed on my openHAB?

9


What is RTFM?

10

:sleepy::rofl::+1:

11

In general: In paperui you goto Configuration - Things.
As soon as you click on an existing thing you will see the channels that can be manually added *.items files.

12

You will struggle with openHAB without the manuals. My advice, read the docs, and when you’re finished read then again twice. Every time you want to use a binding, read the docs for that binding. You’ll be able to do 99% of what you want by sticking with the docs and examples. When you’re stuck, search the forum before asking a question, it probably has been answered before.

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13

P.S. Welcome to OH

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