Python 3 Plugin Updates

[jay (support)]

Hi all, now that Indigo has completely moved to Python 3 (in Indigo 2023.1.0) and the majority of the most-used (and many only somewhat popular) 3rd party plugins have been updated, we know that there are still a few old or low-volume plugins that are still in use out there.

We'd like to outline things you can do to get it sorted (and you should do them all):

• Look for alternatives - for many of the older plugins, there are newer plugins that can solve the same or similar problems. Also, sometimes improvements in Indigo itself can offer solutions that weren't available when you first started using the plugin.
• Add a post on this topic listing the plugins that you need updated. Others can then suggest alternatives or perhaps look at the source code for the plugin and see how big a task it would be to update it. Then we'd just need permission from the original developer to open source it (if it's not already available on a source repo site and has a good license).
• Contact the developer of the plugin to see if they are 1) interested in updating it and/or 2) are willing to allow others to do the work. If #2, they can contact us and we can get the ball rolling by putting it into our open source repo where other developers can make changes.

You will note that there is no just wait and see what happens on the list above. That's because that is not a viable option at this point unless you are willing to freeze your Indigo Server, including macOS updates and if you use iOS freeze those as well. In fact, it's extremely likely that all plugins that have yet to be updated will not be updated without some motivation/interaction.

You will need to be active in sorting out your requirements and finding solutions. The community is here to help, but you have to be willing to engage.

Hi Jay,

I have seen that a few of these have a planned update soon, but there are others in these shots that I think are not on a lot of radars that I'd love an alternative.

Screenshot attached.

Thank you,
Daniel

I can help with one : HomeKitLink Siri

[jay (support)]

I have seen that a few of these have a planned update soon, but there are others in these shots that I think are not on a lot of radars that I'd love an alternative.

That's a LOT of plugins. I think you should start by revisiting if/how you are using them. Next, without knowing/understanding what those plugins do and how specifically you use them, we can only guess as to what alternatives there are for their functionality. Here's my first cut at the list:

1. EPS* plugins will not be updated, the developer has moved on and he has no license on his plugins or the shared library that they all seem to use. They seem to be a rather eclectic collection of stuff which can probably be replaced by other plugins from the store, but given the breadth you'll want to be a LOT more specific about what you need is for anyone to give any reasonable help. Just giving the name for these is definitely not enough. I'd recommend evaluating what the exact functionality is from each of those plugins, then, if you can't identify another plugin that will perform something similar, post detailed descriptions of what you need in the How Do I... section of the forums.
2. HomeKit Bridge - as Korey posted, replace it with the better HomeKitLink Siri plugin, which is by all reports superior in every way.
3. ¶ Mac Disks - not sure if the developer is going to update this one, though he has updated some of his other plugins. If, as described, it uses diskutil and df command line tools, then one could write a script to sus out the same information.
4. NEST Home - this plugin was always on the edge of not working. Google killed the API and there is no publicly available API to replace it, but it's managed to limp along for those that had previous NEST accounts (I think - I never used them I'm just reciting what I recall). You can use the Starling Bridge and the associated plugin to control Nest devices however.
5. ¶ Network Devices - the developer has left the Indigo community. A few of his plugins have been taken over, but not this one. I only know what I read on the plugin's page, but it looks like most of this could be done with scripts - some are probably easier than others. Looking at the code could be a good guide to writing scripts.
6. NOAA Weather Plus - most of the functionality of this plugin has been rolled into the built-in NOAA Weather plugin so it's likely you can just switch. This developer is also no longer maintaining his plugins.
7. Plex Media Server Manager - the developer is still active in the Indigo community so I'll let him address an update.
8. Ring - this is another plugin along the lines of the NEST. There is no official API, and the existing plugin, which is built on reverse-engineered libraries, seems relatively fragile (for most former users anyway). For this reason (and because there is no license on the source) nobody has attempted an update.
9. Sharp TV Network Remote Plugin - this is another plugin from the same developer of the Plex plugin, so again I'll let him address an update.
10. shutdownAction - this plugin is from a different developer who is still active in the community, so I'll let him address an update.
11. Smartphone Radar - the developer of this plugin is no longer developing or supporting them. There are a variety of location/presence plugins available now however so I expect you'll find some combination that will do what you want.

On my list above, any plugin that's marked with ¶ means that the plugin's source code is on GitHub with an MIT or less restrictive license so could be taken over by someone else. We would be glad to host in our open source repo on GitHub if someone wants to take a stab at updating them.

shutdownAction:
just pushed the py3 compatible version, sorry forgot to publish. It was ready since May

Karl

Hello all,

I just realised issues with "Home Assistant Agent" and "Network Devices". Is there any replacement for "Home Assistant Agent" and someone who could post the scripts mentioned regarding "Network Devices"?

Best regards

Bildhauer

Hi Bildhauer,
Home Assistant Agent is quite new and working well for me anyhow.

[jay (support)]

someone who could post the scripts mentioned regarding "Network Devices"?

¶ Network Devices - the developer has left the Indigo community. A few of his plugins have been taken over, but not this one. I only know what I read on the plugin's page, but it looks like most of this could be done with scripts - some are probably easier than others. Looking at the code could be a good guide to writing scripts.

Note, I said could be a good guide to writing scripts. Those scripts haven't been written. As mentioned earlier in this thread, your best course of action on this one is to evaluate the EXACT functionality you use in that plugin and then see if there is another plugin that would do it (posting in the How do I forum is a good place to put that kind of request).

Is there any replacement for "Home Assistant Agent

Home Assistant Agent is a re-write of the old Home Assistant plugin, which is no longer compatible. It's supposed to be a drop-in replacement for the older plugin, so it's using the same plugin ID. But the compatibility is not guaranteed. If you're having issues, post in this forum: viewforum.php?f=396

Plex and Sharp will likely make it over -- been struggling with time to dedicate and test... these are two that are hardly ever used in my setup but I would like to upgrade them to have that option and for the handful of people using them (more on Plex than Sharp). I am nearing release of one and a couple of more are in various stages but then Plex may very well be next after that.

Adam

Good to hear! the Plex Plugin is great!

Has anyone managed to convert the FluxLED plugin to Python 3? Thanks.

--Dave