New and want to learn

I’m new to Smartthings and home automation. I mainly have lighting right now but am adding some sensors. My issue is that the documentation seems sparse, old (screenshots different than current app) or just confusing. Is there a book or some kind of beginners course available. Any good resource (or directions to good entries here) is appreciated

Welcome to the forums!

The Scheduling Intro might help as a starting place:

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You can also join the Developer Discussion calls that occur every other week. No question is a stupid question :slight_smile: There is one tonight:

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Welcome man! Please ask me anything you ever want to know.

Here or PM is fine… whichever makes you feel most comfortable.

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All of the old calls are on youtube. I got lots of good info from those. Also check out @pstuart’s Live Code fridays. All his past ones are on youtube too

Another great resource is the IDE. In the IDE, you can find the code for all the ST device types and smart apps, as well as code that others have shared.

You guys are great resources. Kevin and JD in particular have been life savers for me. But the IDE and Developer Calls are not the right solution that ST needs right now. You guys have done great work in getting ST to where it is today and the platform would most likely have flopped without you and the others like you. But to get to the next level, ST has to bite the bullet and provide the kind of end-user documentation that Steve and others like him are asking for.

I don’t want to know how to create an ST SmartApp. I just want to know how to hook the devices and sensors that I want/need into the ST environment and make them do the things that I want them to do. And learning Groovy shouldn’t be a necessary part of that process. Good, clearly written user guides; a well thought out and cleanly integrated UI and great customer support are what ST needs now. It has to become a consumer product, not a developer’s platform.

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Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I will take a look at all as I find the time (LONG hours at work) I agree with T2jock also, right now I would love to just be able to read how to use my devices, then when I get the time, delve deeper into it and customize. But if the option is not there then I’ll just have to take the time. The effort probably won’t stop me, but I can see how it could stop others who are looking for a plug and play solutions (which I thought ST was )

I’m sure I’ll have questions as I learn, and am happy to know there are people out there willing to respond to a ST noob

Steve

As you read through the scheduling Intro linked to above you’ll see that SmartThings has many control options that don’t require any coding. (I can code, but I don’t want to.) In particular, shortcut groups and Hello Home Actions can let you set up a lot of control situations, such as having lights turn on when a particular motion sensor is triggered or a specific door is opened.

It just takes time to figure out how to enter the rules you want. Often the option exists, it’s just not obvious where it is. But you can always post the use case you want to the forums and people will be glad to help, either with pointers to the right UI page or with coding solutions.

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