External access for embedded google assistant with custom actions

sdetweil · Jun 17, 2018, 8:19 PM

i think you are on the right path…

the module.js can see other modules for show/hide, but the node_helper cannot
the node_helper can import other libraries, where the module.js cannot…

i just made MMM-SleepWake (https://github.com/sdetweil/MMM-SleepWake) which allows some external source (camera via https://motion-project.github.io/) to indicate motion or not, (by writing a file),
and the node helper uses the file system support to detect that file… and then decides what to do…

if it can directly control the display device (pi, or use DPMS), then the node helper does the work. but my system runs on an ODROID SMC, so the pi tvservice command doesn’t work to turn off the monitor (my TV)…
the DPMS command (seen used by HelloLucy) turns off the hdmi/dvi source…
on my TV this shows the big blue ‘NO Input’ screen (counter to what I wanted!)…
so I have a software driven sleep (that hides all modules, and remembers ones already hidden)… but that has to be implemented in the module.js… so there is communication from the node_helper to the module.

whether its file, or sockets, or some queue… you’ve got the right idea…
I use HelloLucy (on top of MMM-voice) to sleep/wake and hide/show modules via voice.
i don’t see any ability to inject phrases to the processed in that module…

sdetweil · Jun 17, 2018, 11:36 PM

and I recently saw MMM-RemoteControl, which seems to support sending command strings …

timjong93 · Jun 18, 2018, 8:39 AM

Thanks for the info.
I do indeed already use MMM-RemoteControl for manual control and plan on using it for the actual control of the mirror.
Concerning communication between the processes i’m looking at letting the js module spawn the python google assistant as a child process and communicate using process piping.
This would make it way easier to run the module as the user would not need to manage multiple applications.

sdetweil · Jun 18, 2018, 11:22 AM

@timjong93 spawn background process, good… that is how voice works and a bunch of other things that have defined processes…

timjong93 · Jun 22, 2018, 11:25 AM

Just to let you know, i managed to integrate the assistant application as a python child process running in is own virtualenv which is created using npm, limiting the amount of installation steps required by users.

Now the fun part starts, handling commands from the assistant and implementing fancy animations :)

sdetweil · Jun 22, 2018, 12:39 PM

@timjong93 nice!

timjong93 · Jun 23, 2018, 2:31 PM

For a first quick demo:
https://streamable.com/5s6bn