EventGhost for Android

- September 1, 2009

EventGhost for Android

I have submitted my app, EventGhost for Android, to the Android Developers Challenge. I have a few things I want to fix up, and I will release it to the Android Market.

What is EventGhost for Android?

EventGhost for Android is a companion application for the powerful automation tool, EventGhost. It acts as an Events Sender, allowing you to send events to your computer – as well as an Events Receiver, allowing you to receive events from EventGhost. What’s that mean?

The Sender part means you can create a bunch of layouts with icons, that act like a remote control for your computer.

The Receiver part allows you to receive events from EventGhost, and act on them through various actions, provided by plugins. This allows you to have your phone react to EventGhost events. The actions could be anything from loading a specific EventGhost layout, to starting an application, to sending a text message, and so on.

See more information about EventGhost for Android

  • http://www.apostolapostolov.com Apostol Apostolov

    Tim, your application is simply amazing and I hope you'll be actively developing it because it is the missing link towards complete Android phone automation. Right now apps like Locale can automate the phone to respond to local (in-phone) events Your Receiver application opens the platform to listen and respond to external events provided by EventGhost. Are you considering developing a Locale plugin capable of translating events to Locale for use of their defacto standart phone automated application?

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    Thanks, Apostol. I am looking over the Locale documentation – it seems to me
    that it only allows you to create plugins that act on its events. Which
    means that I could create a Locale plugin that would send EventGhost events,
    but not create an EG for Android plugin that sends events to Locale if that
    makes sense :) I'll have to look into it for more, but great suggestion.

  • http://www.apostolapostolov.com Apostol Apostolov

    Unfortunately you're right. Good thing is Locale Plugin API is work in progress and will be set into stone by January 2010, which means there's still chance they will implement Trigger Plugin API. I will request that on Locale UserVoice (by the way, set up a UserVoice for us to suggest features).

    Anyway, it would be interesting if you could – once it settles down – hijack Locale community by making Locale Plugins compatible with EventGhost for Android (why not call it EventDroid, it is constantly on my tongue as I write this). You will get tons of support overnight and save you writing down plugins people have already written.

  • Name

    Will this act stand alone with out an EG server instance. I.e. to automate internally to the phone? For instance, I have a few bluetooth devices and their behavior is somewhat predictable. Lets say I'm streaming music from my G1 to may headset, and I get in the car. I want to disconnect the headset, connect to the bluetooth stereo in the car and turn the media volume on the G1 down to 50%. Then force disconnect of the Parrot hands free that is also in the car and connects automatically. It takes about 2-3 minutes to do all this manually, every day. It would be nice to automate on detection of the car's bluetooth device. Or things like turn WiFi on when plugging into charge, turn wifi off when unplugging etc.

  • http://www.apostolapostolov.com Apostol Apostolov

    You need Locale for Android – http://www.twofortyfouram.com/

  • Pat Clifford

    just downloaded this from the market and am loving it so far. The only thing i was wondering is if there is a way to move the icons around. I saw that if u long press there is an option for move but upon selection nothing happens.

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    Hi Pat,

    At the moment, move is not implemented – unfortunately for the release, I
    did not get it in there. However, I am working on a much better layout
    system, so hopefully I can get an update out soon.

  • Thomas

    Hi tim
    Love the program.
    Hope you will get the move capability implemented so its possible to make a remote layout there looks good..
    Will it be long befor you are finish with the update.. ?
    Sorry about my bad english..

  • http://zerofate.com/ Alec

    Hi Tim

    I agree this eventghost android application is amazing. Youve done remarkable work.

    Is there a way to switch servers without going into the menu? Ie by the android app recieving an eventghost action or from say an intent from locale? This would be useful as i have 2 servers, one at work, and one for home. And switching is a pain and i sometimes forget!!

    Again, amazing piece of software excellent work!

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    Thanks! Unfortunately, it's one server at a time.. at least for now :) This
    is another feature I want to add.. but it might take a bit more coding for
    multiple incoming/outgoing connections… it's definitely on my list of
    todos.. but I really want to get the layout portion fixed up real nice
    first. Still working on an update, when I am able to.

    As for locale, in the future I may do a locale plugin, but I believe their
    plugin system is still one way – i.e. you can trigger EG with locale, but
    not trigger a locale event with EG. Once it works both ways, I may be more
    inclined to work on it. Until then, I will probably just update my Android
    Events plugin for things like GPS events, etc..

  • http://zerofate.com/ Alec

    Hm, I understand about the Locale situation, and i agree untill its opened up a bit you may as well implement you're own way of doing things.

    With regards to multiple servers I dont mean concurrently! What I am after is a way to configure the android app from my computer. Ie to send an event from pc to android. Android Event Ghost catches the event and switches the server to whatever the event is mapped to.

    A usecase would be :
    I cycle to work. Get to work, my wifi turns on and I am connected to the wireless with an ipaddress in the 10.0 range. I want to be able to switch the server with an eventghost event sent from my computer. Since my computer knows about my phone it can already send it events without it being configured to send events back.
    Why this would be useful is I can then script eventghost pc to ensure it has a connection to my phone when at work etc.

    Hmm hopefully that makes more sence?

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    I understand what you mean… this might actually not be too difficult to
    implement. I already have an incoming event to switch layouts, so I could
    make another which would change the selected EventGhost server. I'll try to
    get this in to the next version.

  • janiskfp

    There is a Locale plugin for launching a shortcut/app, and there's also an ASE plugin for launching Android scripts. You can put as many apps or scripts under each of these in a single “Situation” as you need. The problem I have, is that when the GPS signal is lost on a refresh (every 10 min) the default Situation kicks in, and then the appropriate/desired Situation restarts, thus restarting whatever you have configured. The 1.0 version only does it every two hours average. The beta will do it in clusters as the Locale tries to access the GPS reading (or something like that), so that if the app/script being launched has a window, it can make the phone unusable.

    I'm having trouble figuring out how to call the Event from the Android device. What do I type, exactly? I've got a couple of Events set up, and they work from the PC, the PC is logging something coming from the phone, but it's not triggering the Event. Sorry to be such a noob.

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    I think you lost me on that :) But… you say something is coming from the
    phone, but it is not triggering the event. Are you manually typing the your
    event in your Macro, or are you dragging the event coming from the phone.
    The reason I ask, is the current version puts an odd symbol in front of the
    event, so it may look like '[ ] Android.Event' – drag that event into your
    Macro/Action, and see if it triggers then.

  • mbw2001

    Any news about this project?

    I see posts various places about moving soon being possible? Any ETA?
    Also the program seems to crash when i try to download the XBMC Layout.

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    Sorry for the delay.. I'm working on a number of fixes – slowly but surely.
    I plan to try and release an update to enable moving icons shortly, but
    hopefully I'll have another version soon after with some updates to the way
    layouts are handled. I think the downloadable layouts was added a bit
    prematurely, I hope to fix that up!

  • mbw2001

    Any sort of ETA?
    Also it would be nice if it was possible to add a button with a textlable instead of an image. The current selection og images is quite limited, so that would open up some more posibilities.

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    Hi,

    I've finally put some time in on it. You should see an update soon,
    hopefully this weekend or next. Finishing some improvements to layouts -
    adding custom images, reorganizing them, load times.. as well as multiple
    server support and an overall cleanup to make it a little easier to work
    with for future versions.

    Thanks,
    Tim

  • George

    Hi Tim,

    It would be nice to have also the possibility to pick an image as background, for every layout. And a small indicator like a rred to green light confirming that the communication with the server is established.

    great job thx,
    George

  • mbw2001

    Checking android market every weekend… Any news?

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    very soon.. I have just a few more buggy things to work out :) Doing my best
    to have it done for this weekend.

  • Pingback: SALVADOR

  • Pingback: GLENN

  • Pingback: DARREN

  • Pingback: EDWARD

  • Keenana

    This application is awsome!!! Runs my whole house, but…any chance there will be 3G support coming? It would be great to be able to control things from work when outside the wifi connection.

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    Hi,

    At this point, you should be able to point the app to an external host, as

    long as you have port forwarding enabled for your EventGhost machine.

    I will be looking into additional options to make this easier, including the

    new AC2DM feature on Froyo.

    Thanks,

    Tim

  • http://www.web2carz.com Used Cars

    Are there problems developing for all the different phone specs?

  • Pingback: JOHNNY

  • Pingback: ERNEST

  • Pingback: CURTIS

  • Pingback: CLYDE

  • Pingback: ARMANDO

  • Pingback: ANTHONY

  • Pingback: DAVE

  • Pingback: JOSHUA

  • Pingback: SERGIO

  • Pingback: ENRIQUE

  • Rj 2001

    This is a wonderfull app. But on my HTC Desire if I click 10 times on an button only 3 or 4 events was send to my computer and that also after 2 or 3 seconds. Why? The log says the same: 3 or 4 events was send to my computer (remember I click 10 times!) and the events was only send after 2 or 3 seconds ;-(

  • Rx4u2c

    I am getting the message port 31339 how do i unblock this so my app works
    Steve

  • Bjorn

    Hi. I Like your app!
    Question: Do i have to be connected with wifi for eg to work?
    or does it work with HSPA?

  • Marbieskarb

    Very useful app and it works for what I need it for.  I am using the app to control a EG server pc with a USB connected MCE IR receiver/transceiver for “blasting” of IR signals to consumer electronics. Everything is sweet as far as functionality goes but, I was wondering if you were going to focus more on the customizable layout.  I would like to more editing support i.e. icon placement/position, size, custom backgrounds, etc…

    Very good app.

  • Kruiser_56

    I”m interested in this app, but want to use on a Honecomb Tablet. I'd be willing to pay for it. 

    But, the Market indicates it is not compatible; I see no way to communicate to Tim on this to find out if he will be developing to that. It appears inactive. Last response he has put here is 8 months ago below in teh comments.

  • Calazona

    I am trying to use the app. Using lastest eventghost and latest eventghost for android. I set up an icon to turn the TV off. The payload is just TVOFF. I get the following event in eventgost “Android. ['192.168.0.198', u'TVOFF']“. This doesn’t work because eventghost can only parse “Android.” Your examples show “Android.TVOFF” which would work. I am I doing something wrong?

  • http://timhoeck.com/ timhoeck

    You don’t have an event setup, only a payload. This is why your event shows
    up as ‘Android.’ – with an event setup, it would show something like
    ‘Android.tvoff’.

    You could do it one of two ways:

    1) Setup an event called ‘tvoff’ and just act on that event (no payload)
    2) Setup an event called ‘tv’ with a payload of ‘off’ or ‘on’.

  • Wolpers0815

    This app is great. I use it to tunnel events from my own Android app to my PC and vice versa. Is there a way to send events including a payload to the phone? In that case the payload is always “withoutRelease”.

  • Thommi77

    Hi tim, this ist the best app i have ever seen ! I love it ! I controll my htpc with this. I have only one problem :-) . Can you help me ? In the incoming events i need the option “close applikation (or kill application)” in the event mappings.I would like to close an app on my tablet-pc from my home office pc. Thank you  ! Bye Thomas

div id="sidebar">

Subscribe RSS

© 2012 - Tim Hoeck's Android Blog - Powered by WordPress. Design by WPThemeDesigner.com.