Looking for instructions - Adding Community App

SmartApps & Automations
#1

Hi. I’ve searched for days for an answer to this in various forums, and find related info, but not the basic primer I need.

I understand how to add an Officially Developed SmartApp from the main SmartThings App on my phone. But what I don’t understand is how to add someone else’s developed ‘App’. I think I need to go to https://graph.api.smartthings.com, right? Then what?

But what do I do from there? I’ve looked around, it says I have no Hub and no Devices. So its not seeing the stuff in my iPhone SmartThings App. But maybe that is irrelevant.

I see these options, but none of them seem to take me to a place where I can find other people’s developed 'Apps" and thus add them to my system. I am clearly missing something, but can find no begginers guide on the site.

Using these tools you can manage your hubs and devices, give them unique names, and organize them into locations and groups.
Access your developer tools: create your own apps, create your own device types, view your logs, and access developer documentation.

I’m wondering if I am in the entirely wrong area?

Just a newbie looking to get her Nest Thermostat installed as a Thing that she can control. So if there is a primer, or how to document that I have missed please point it out for me. I’ve tired following along with this thread. [REMOVED] Nest Manager 2.0
But I have no idea how to get to where this wonderful tool is, or then how to magically make it appear in my system.

Thanks so much for your help and understanding of newbie confusion.

#2

Here you go. :sunglasses:

That said, if you are not seeing your hub listed, that’s a problem. Because you won’t have a location to install the code into.

So you should definitely contact support about that.

Usual reason for this problem is one of two things.

One) you accidentally signed up for SmartThings with two different email accounts, one that you are using for your mobile app and one that you were using to sign into the IDE. This will produce exactly the symptoms that you are seeing, an empty device list.

  1. you went to the IDE by using a specific URL rather than following the links from the smartthings.com page and consequently you signed into the wrong “shard.” Again, this will give you an empty device list.

From this forum click on the community link at the top right of the page.

When you are back on the first page of the forum, click on the “developer tools” link at the top right of the page.

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If you sign in from there, it should take you to the correct shard and you should see your devices. (Assuming you’re using the right email address)

If you still don’t see your hub then, contact support@smartthings.com

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#3

Also, you may have already seen the following, but just in case you might also find it interesting:

#4

Thanks for your help. Given that this is the place to start, I guess I was getting confused since it didn’t appear to be working. I will contact Support to see why my Hub and Devices aren’t showing up. Maybe once they do, it will all make more sense.

Thanks again! :slight_smile:

1 Like
#5

Sorry, one more question. I think this is where I’m having the mental disconnect.

USING A CUSTOM SMARTAPP
This involves two steps.
A one time process to “publish” the smartapp code to yourself using the Developers section of the SmartThings.com website so it is available for future installation.
Then using the official SmartThings mobile app to install it so you can use it with specific devices.
First, the One Time Process to Publish it to Yourself
SA1) Copy the code from the author.

I am confused on where I find the code from the Author to Copy it. It doesn’t appear to be in the forum posts. Is it on the Graph.API page? If so, under what link?

#6

It’s wherever the author put it. Usually that’s in their own GitHub. Sometimes it’s in a forum post.

You can quick browse the community created code sections of the form from the following links. In this case, check the quick browse links for HVAC

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Quick_Browse_the_Community-Created_SmartApps_Forum_Section

But if you can’t find the code, just post in the author thread that talks about the code and someone there will tell you where it is. :sunglasses:

#7

As JD mentioned, first thing you need to do is resolve your hub and devices not showing up when you log into the IDE. Once you can actually see your hub, devices, device types, etc you will have to find the custom app in the depth of the internet realm :frowning: Fortunately, you could search or post this forum for a specific need. I gather you want to add Nest to ST. Search this forum for Nest and one of the links you will find is:

Word of caution. This thread has over 500 posts. If you are confident enough to proceed without reading each and every post, you could quickly jump to https://github.com/tonesto7/nest-manager/blob/master/README.md for installation instruction for the Nest Manager.

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#8

Thanks. I have been reading that particular link for days. As suggested, I posted there to ask for help finding the code. And I’m glad I did. I would have never found it in the thread with my current level of understanding of terms.
I also have a request in for Support regarding my Hub/Devices not showing up, so hopefully that will get resolved.

Its a lot of crazy lingo for a first timer, but I’ll get my sea legs yet. :slight_smile: If I can get this one working, then that will be a huge start. A big thanks to everyone for helping out a newbie.

1 Like
#9

Looking over the other thread, I believe the confusion was because that particular code is installed with a different method than the cut-and-paste method described in the custom code FAQ.

Github is a site where developers can set up their own code libraries and then share them with others. It’s not specific to SmartThings, but many smart things coders use it.

If you use a method called “github integration” you essentially link the developers code library to your smartthings account. Once you have done that, you can follow The publishing instructions from that developer and you probably won’t have to cut-and-paste.

The initial set up to use github integration is somewhat more complicated than the cut-and-paste method, but it has the advantage that you will be automatically notified of updates to the code. With the cut-and-paste method, you have to keep checking on your own to see if the code has been updated.

I’m going to leave the FAQ the way it is because any author who is using the github integration method typically describes that in detail in their author’s thread. But I’ll probably think of some note to add just to clear up the confusion.

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#10

There are 3 different possible IDE pages… Try each one and you may find your hub and devices…

3 Likes
#11

You guessed it!! Chat help got me going on the second one and that’s all it took. Thanks!!

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