Configuring a system of components using graphical programming environment
In one embodiment, graphical programming is used to configure a system of audio, video, lighting, HVAC and/or security components. Representations of components from a component library are displayed. Each representation of a component corresponds to a physical component that is available for inclusion in the system and associated with a corresponding component profile for that physical component that includes information regarding the component's capabilities. A selected plurality of representations of components from the component library are placed in a configuration workspace of the graphical user interface, to indicate their inclusion in the system. One or more realized services that the system is capable of providing are determined based on the selected plurality of components; and indications of the one or more realized services that the system is capable of providing are displayed to the user.
1. A method comprising:
presenting, by a configuration tool executing on an electronic device, one or more screens for creating a system configuration for a system of components in a home, the components including at least one audio/video component, lighting component or heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) component;
displaying, in the user interface screens, a plurality of icons representing components;
for each of a plurality of components for inclusion in the system, receiving, in the user interface screens:
a selection by a user of one of the plurality of icons, and
an indication by the user of a zone of the home in which a component represented by the icon is located;
accessing a component profile of each of the plurality of components regarding the component's capabilities; and
based on the indication of the zone of the home in which each of the plurality of components is located and the component profiles:
determining, by the configuration tool executing on the electronic device, one or more services available in each zone, wherein each service is provided by a group of the components, and
generating, by the configuration tool executing on the electronic device, the system configuration, wherein the system configuration uses respective groups of components in the home to provide the one or more services.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, in the user interface screens, for at least one of the plurality of components, a selection by the user of one or more configurable options of the respective component,
wherein the generating the system configuration is further based on the configurable options.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more configurable options include a user interface appearance.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the indication by the user of the zone comprises:
receiving a user drag and drop of the icon to a representation of the zone in a zone map to indicate installation of the component represented by the icon in the zone.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, in the user interface screens, drawn connections between two or more of the plurality of components,
wherein the generating the system configuration is further based on the drawn connections.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a programmable multimedia controller configured to control the system of components.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
producing a user interface for controlling the system of components in the home based on the system configuration, the user interface including one or more text-to-speech commands usable to control the one or more services.
8. A method comprising:
presenting, by a configuration tool executing on an electronic device, one or more screens for creating a system configuration for a system of components in a home, the components including at least one audio/video component, lighting component or heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) component;
displaying, in the user interface screens, a plurality of icons representing components;
for each of a plurality of components for inclusion in the system, receiving, in the user interface screens:
a selection by a user of one of the plurality of icons, and
an indication by the user of a zone of the home in which a component represented by the icon is located;
based on the indications of the zone of the home in which each of the plurality of components is located, determining, by the configuration tool executing on the electronic device, one or more services available in each zone, wherein each service is provided by a group of the components;
generating, by the configuration tool executing on the electronic device, the system configuration; and
producing a user interface for controlling the system of components in the home based on the system configuration, the user interface including one or more text-to-speech commands used with the one or more services.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving in the user interface screens, for at least one of the plurality of components for inclusion in the system, a selection by the user of one or more configurable options of the respective component,
wherein the generating the system configuration is further based on the configurable options.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the receiving the indication by the user of the zone comprises:
receiving a user drag and drop of the icon to a representation of the zone in a zone map to indicate installation of the component represented by the icon in the zone.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, in the user interface screens, drawn connections between two or more of the plurality of components,
wherein the generating the system configuration is further based on the drawn connections.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the electronic device is a programmable multimedia controller configured to control the system of components.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more text-to-speech commands are extracted by a run-time environment that implements the user interface.
14. An electronic device, comprising:
a storage device configured to store a configuration tool;
a display configured to show one or more screens of the configuration tool usable to create a system configuration for a system of components in a home; and
a processor configured to execute the configuration tool, the configuration tool when executed operable to:
for each of a plurality of components for inclusion in the system, receive, on the user interface screens shown on the display, an indication of a zone of the home in which the component is located,
access a component profile of each of the plurality of components regarding the component's capabilities,
based on the indications of the zone of the home in which each of the plurality of components is located and the component profiles, determine one or more services available in each zone, wherein each service is provided by a group of the components, and generate the system configuration to use respective groups of components in the home to provide the one or more services.
15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the configuration tool when executed is further operable to:
receive in the user interface screens shown on the display, for at least one of the plurality of components for inclusion in the system, a selection by the user of one or more configurable options of the respective component,
wherein the system configuration is generated further based on the configurable options.
16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more configurable options include a user interface appearance.
17. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the indication of the zone is a user dragging and dropping an icon representing the component to a representation of the zone in a zone map to indicate installation of the component represented by the icon in the zone.
18. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the configuration tool when executed is further operable to:
receive, in the user interface screens on the display, drawn connections between two or more of the plurality of components,
wherein the system configuration is generated further based on the drawn connections.
19. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the electronic device is a programmable multimedia controller configured to control the system of components.