Central Server to send commands to multiple PCs

Richard Binckley

This post is deleted!

Russ

@Richard-Binckley, here's another way you could do it. You could run a tcmd command on your default computer that runs the "Dog The Bounty Hunter" command on your television computer, like this:

tcmd --computer "RAB-DVR" --trigger "Dog The Bounty Hunter"

Assuming RAB-DVR is the name of your TV computer.

Richard Binckley

@Russ Thanks, I'll try that. I use the ini file for more than just for the TriggerCMD to pass other data between the PCs, so that is what I used. Is there a place where information like this is available online? All I saw was the instructions.

Russ

@Richard-Binckley, sorry, information like what?

Do you mean info about the tcmd utility?
https://www.triggercmd.com/forum/topic/196/tcmd-go-command-line-tool-is-available-now

Richard Binckley

@Russ Yes, that gets the download, but I was looking for installation instructions to get it added to the recognized commands. So what I did to get it to work was to copy the tcmd-windows-amd64.exe to the C:\AHK\ folder and rename it to tcmd.exe

Then I entered the command as this:
C:\AHK\tcmd.exe --computer "RAB-DVR" --trigger "Dog the Bounty Hunter"

So there must be a way to eliminate the path to the tcmd.exe and treat it like an internal or external command. I never done that manually as installers usually do it.

But anyway I have the tcmd method working thanks.

PS Edit:
One other thing, I was not sure about the computer name, but after trying the "samsung" voice name, I changed it to the "RAB-DVR" network name and it worked.

Russ

@Richard-Binckley, awesome. I'm glad you got that working.

To make it so you can run Tcmd from anywhere without including the c:\ahk path, you could copy it to c:\windows, or add c:\ahk to your PATH environment variable.

Here's a video on how to add a folder to your PATH:. https://youtu.be/q7PzqbKUm_4

Richard Binckley

@Russ I have tried several different ways to be able to do this command:

Alexa, run Richard's Select Channel 202

Where:
On the default PC is the command Richard's Channel Select with parameters set to true
On \RAB-DVR PC is the command Channel Select with parameters set to true.
202 is the parameter I want passed to the \RAB-DVR PC.
Not sure if this is possible.
Thanks for your help.

Russ

@Richard-Binckley, if you look at Voice Commands page, you'll see a list of voice commands. You'll see the format for the TRIGGERcmd and TRIGGER command skills (and soon the TC skill) is:

Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run Z on Y with parameter X.

Or in your case, because you're using your default computer, you don't have to include the "on Y" part. You can say:

Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run Z with parameter X.

Assuming your command's voice field is "Richard's Channel Select", you'd say that in place of Z, so you'd say:

Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run Richard's Channel Select with parameter 202.

Alexa much more likely to match your words to your command's voice field if you change it to a single simple word like channel and say:

Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run channel with parameter 202.

A more reliable way to run a command with a number parameter would be to use the TRIGGERcmd Smart Home skill, and say:

"Alexa, channel 50"

That works great, but unfortunately it's simulating a brightness percentage, so it only goes up to 100.

Richard Binckley

@Russ
Thanks for the reply. I've tried a couple of those and the problem is with the alexa end. Since I also have some firesticks and a fire tv DVR, alexa will be confused with some of those commands and try to run on the fire devices giving the reply, "<fire device> won't do that."

It appears that what I want to do is just not in the cards due to alexa software constraints, so I'm going to move on.

Russ

@Richard-Binckley, bummer. Sorry about that.

Richard Binckley

@Russ Well, it appears the alexa software in order to accommodate several different phrases to do specific commands, there is not much a third party can do about it. Seems like just using "Channel" or "Select Channel" will cause alexa to try to attribute te command to a fire TV device. I have run into other conflicts like trying a command "run Judy Justice" and it would try to bring up the prime TV judy justice channel on my Echo Show! Ended up using "run Barbara's Judy Justice" and it works fine.
Thanks again for this great software package. I have a combination of TP-Link light switches and X10 light switches and using your software allows me to alexa connect the X10 switches saving me from changing them out.