The Matrix Data Bank

Indigo 4.0

We\’re happy to announce the immediate availability of Indigo 4.0. See below for a list of new features.

New features:

• Indigo 4.0 now comes in 2 flavors: Pro and Lite. Pro is basically everything: all features of 3.0 plus the new features. Lite is a less expensive version that has some high-end features removed. Based on the survey that we completed earlier this year, it became apparent that there was a clear divide in our userbase: those power users that wanted every feature (and more) and the ability to expand and fine-tune their home automation system, and there were others that just wanted to control some lights and switches, but in general weren\’t interested in anything more complex than that. We had a product that didn\’t really fit the bill for the latter group (Indigo 1.8 ), so we\’ve replaced it with 4.0 Lite. See the product comparison chart to see the differences between the versions. Again, both versions are available for immediate purchase, and upgrades are available. See the purchase page for more information.
• Indigo Touch, a native iPhone/iPod touch client available on the iTunes App Store. Indigo Touch allows you to control your devices, execute action groups, view variable values, and use graphical control pages directly inside the Indigo Touch application. It also uses Bonjour technology to find and store server information, including optional GoPrism.com reflector account information. If you are using a prism reflector account, it will then be able to connect from anywhere in the world with no router or dynamic dns configuration needed.
• Folders – finally, a way to organize those long lists of devices/triggers/action groups/variables. You now can create folders to hold collections. Group your devices by room and your action groups by function. Whatever you want! Just create a new folder by clicking on the + button in the new outline view, name your folder, then drag\’n\’drop your items to get organized. We\’re still implementing folder support in other parts of the UI, but we think you\’re gonna love \’em.
• Support for INSTEON IR-Linc Transmitter, a new product from SmartLabs which allows any INSTEON compatible device to trigger the sending of IR codes. This product can be viewed as the companion product to the IR-Linc Receiver, which allows INSTEON devices to be controlled with an IR remote control. And, with Indigo running the show, you now have a simple and inexpensive way to integrate your A/V equipment into your Home Automation system. Using an X10 doorbell? Have Indigo pause your movie so you can answer the door!
• Improved support for INSTEON Motion Sensors – many users have asked to have motion sensors be \’stateful\’ – that is, have Indigo track when a motion sensor is on (detecting motion) or not. Well, you\’ve got it! There are various options for how this new feature works, so check it out!
• Pro Only: Support for new INSTEON I/O-Linc, another new product from SmartLabs, is a less expensive way to add one input and one SPDT output to your home automation system. Used in conjunction with several available kits, you can easily add Garage Door sensing and control, detect water leaks, or even sense when your freezer goes on the blink! Indigo has several I/O-Linc specific options available.
• Pro Only: Remote control of Thermostat and Sprinkler without designing UI Control Pages. This is another frequently requested feature: in the past, if you wanted to control your sprinklers or thermostat from the web, you had to create a Control Page. Indigo now supports controlling these devices with a very simple-to-use Web UI. Indigo Touch also has custom UI to control these devices.
• Introduced our new How-To Wiki on the website, which is also directly accessible from within Indigo by selecting \’How-To Wiki\’ from the \’Help\’ menu.

Other General Improvements:

• Major enhancements to the built-in Web server, including folder display of all Devices, Variables, Action Groups, and Control Pages
• Added preference to automatically check for new version updates. (Under General panel in Preferences dialog)
• Added a \’Folder\’ column in the list views to show which folder an item is in
• Added a checkbox column to the Devices, Action Groups, and Control Page tables to enable/disable remote display so you don\’t need to open the dialog for each item you want to change
• Added a checkbox column to the Variables outline view to allow enable/disable of Variable and Variable folder remote display
• Added Contextual menus in the outline view and some table views
• Added AppleScript variable property: display in remote ui.
• Added AppleScript trigger action properties: state change type, state selector, state value, variable change type, variable name, variable value, email filter, email subject, email from.
• Added a link to the How-To Wiki on the Help Menu, the contextual menu for devices, and added a ? button to the Edit Device dialog that will go to the How-To Wiki for that device.
• Modified the list views so that columns can be reordered by dragging
• UI Usability Improvements, including improvements to a bunch of UI annoyances
• Indigo Server Performance Improvements
• iTunes Integration Improvements
  • Modified the iTunes sync.scpt with the following improvements
    • Changed log type string from \’iTunes\’ to \’iTunes Sync\’
    • Added a new variable in Indigo called iTunes_CurrentlyPlaying which has the value of true or false
    • Improved support for Internet Radio
    • Added the ability to have an action group called when iTunes pauses and another when it starts playing – among other uses, you can use this to keep KeypadLinc buttons in sync if you\’re using them to play/pause iTunes.

  • Modified the iTunes attachment.scpt with the following improvements
    • Added the following handlers:
      • iTunesPlaying() — returns a boolean if iTunes is currently playing
      • iTunesPauseIfPlaying() — pauses iTunes if it\’s playing and returns a boolean indicating whether the pause was needed or not
      • iTunesPlayPause() — a simple toggle – pay if paused and vice versa
      • pauseiTunesAndSay() — pauses iTunes (if necessary) and speaks the text that was passed in using the System Default Voice and then, if paused, will start iTunes playing again

  • Also, refactored both scripts to delete duplicate functionality. It does mean that the variables in Indigo will only be updated when the sync script runs.

Notes about Trials

We are only offering a Pro trial; no Lite trial. However, while the trial is active, you\’ll notice PRO icons in various places in the UI. These indicate a feature that is Pro-only, so plan accordingly. If you use a Pro Trial, then decide to purchase Lite, everything will stay in your database, even those Pro-only features. However, they will not be active: devices that aren\’t supported in Lite will be disabled as will triggers. Action Groups will continue to execute, but any actions that are Pro-only will be skipped. Time/Date actions that have advanced scheduling options will not fire. Also, when using a Lite installation that has Pro features in the database, you\’ll see those items in red text so you can more easily decide what to do with them.

Thanks Beta Testers!

As always, we had an incredibly productive and useful beta cycle (albeit a bit long…). Thanks to everyone who made requests, comments and bug reports. Indigo is truly a community fueled development effort thanks to the involvement of you all.\”

(See the Rest of the Story at Indigo 4.0 Released.)