The End of Groovy Has Arrived

Announcements
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Beginning September 30, 2022, at 00:00 (PST) we will start migrations of Groovy device DTHs as well as SmartLighting and SevereWeather SmartApps, two of our most popular Smartapps built on Groovy. On October 15th 2022 certain functions of the legacy developer IDE, such as the creation of new DTH’s, Smartapps, and debugging tools will be removed from the SmartThings platform and will no longer be supported. After migrations are complete, this means that devices and automations previously using Groovy will now exclusively operate with our latest hub and cloud technology.

Recognizing trends within the smart home industry, SmartThings has been working diligently to evolve our platform into a modern REST API framework. Lua-based Edge drivers are a major step, which is being followed quickly with the launch of the Matter protocol, providing a greater focus on interoperability and local communication. All of this platform growth has increased reliability, decreased latency, and reduced the need for data transfer outside of the home environment.

We would like to thank our developer community members who have provided invaluable help along this journey with testing and feedback throughout early stage and beta programs. You have paved the way for the design and development of upgraded hub software, Edge drivers, and simplified driver sharing features.

As the door closes on Groovy-based SmartApps, a new door opens for developers with the Rules API. Developers can build simple or complex automations based on any number of triggers to customize experiences using common action, command, and operand semantics. Additional processes and features, such as integrating a manual command, can be developed using the Scenes API.

The transition for most hub connected devices will be seamless, as will their abilities, which will be supported through standard Edge drivers. The transition of these devices will begin on September 30, 2022 and will be completed over the following few months. If you have a custom Groovy capability that is no longer supported, please contact the community member who provided that DTH to you. Please note that some devices may not transition automatically and will need to be re-onboarded. There are also devices that have not been supported for some time by their manufacturers on the legacy platform for various reasons (out of business, etc.). These devices will not transition or be supported on the new platform. In the coming weeks we’ll share more information about this in an email to all users and a FAQ that will be published and updated as migrations are completed.

A current list of available Edge drivers can be found here. Developers can now share drivers with specific users or groups by creating a driver channel and providing a URL to channel invitees, eliminating the need for developers to publish or copy/paste code. Driver channels are created in the SmartThings CLI, which is also where you can find features once accessed via the SmartThings Groovy IDE which is expected to be fully deprecated in early 2023.

We look forward to the Matter launch this fall and all of the opportunities it will bring to the developer community. Stay tuned for more announcements as we approach this milestone.

UPDATE:

Below are some updated milestones to help you plan for the transition. We will also share additional info very soon regarding the continued support for Virtual Devices.

Sept 30th

· Start ST-managed DTH migration

· Start migration of SmartLighting and Weather SmartApps to new plug-in

Oct 15th

· Update IDE to only allow updates or deletion of existing DTHs

· Disable the ability to add new SmartApps

· Remove the IDE debugging tools (Live Logging and IDE simulator)

December 12

· Start migration of 3rd party DTH’s to a ST-owned lua driver if they fingerprint match, if not will move to the Thing driver

Dec 31st

· Shutdown custom Groovy DTHs

· Shutdown SmartApp execution

· Removal of SmartApps from catalog

· Graph IDE access will be limited to read-only

Q1 of 2023

· Complete 1st Party DTH migrations

· Shutdown Graph IDE

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This is a massive letdown. If I have to re-onboard a device, I might as well move that device over to Home Assistant.

Why can’t I just pick a driver? Obviously, migrating from a DTH to an Edge driver works - that’s what is being done for all of the stock devices. So what’s so different about a custom DTH that it can’t be migrated to Edge without re-onboarding?

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3

Thanks for the update, will the new Rules API or Routine Creator have the ability to send an email as a notification? Thanks!!!

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z-wave and zigbee devices using a custom DTH will also migrate to a standard or custom Edge driver based on the fingerprint of the device.

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Bye bye my Belkin wemo dimmer , I will have to replace 3 dimmer and also my ecobee ??

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what makes you think wemo and ecobee won’t work in the future?

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Hi, @LaurieDale

Not for the moment. Only the SmartThings app notifications that are currently working.

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Thanks! Do you know if there are any plans to add that feature?

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Not for now , how much time I will have to wait ???

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Will ST team continue to work on the Edge platform after September? Or all the allocated resources already spent

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So no Https requests, no e-mail, or any custom protocols.

Only LUA sandbox and lame Rule API.

Goodbye Groovy we will miss you.

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The team will keep working on improvements to the SmartThings platform (including Edge). Please, take a look at “What’s next…” of the FAQ regarding this transition:

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13

As we continue to bring you more features and new tools and to move SmartThings forward in the IoT space …
keep you informed on changes as they come.

Nothing specific, just out of courtesy.
Usually corporations write such articles when they are not planning anything.

Or maybe I’m missing something

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I knew this was coming, but it still hurts. Part of me was still holding out hope for a native integration with MyQ before this happened. I have ideas of an integration with an edge driver, but it will still require running a separate server to handle the connection with MyQ. Not to mention finding the will and time to make it happen. Ugh.

What hurts me more is losing the IDE. Event histories, quickly seeing which devices are offline, etc. That is a huge loss for me.

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@nayelyz
What is going on with this - https://routinecreator.smartthings.com/
Is this planning to be a front end for the Rules API? Is there an alternative plan for a front end UI for the Rules API?
Please tell us we’re not stuck with the over-simple in-app routines, or the over-complex Rules API?

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@andresg and @nayelyz , did I read that right? ST is rendering these not supported at all or just supported as a Zigbee Smoke Detector? I have 9 of these and this is quite unexpected. Please let me know.

image

When Halo folded and went out of business and the community requested the DTH code so we could maintain it we were told no, now there’s a sense of urgency to provide this code.

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do you know what will happen with virtual devices? Those will disappear or be inaccessible? or will be able to keep the ones we already made? any idea?

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What is the process to get devices that should be covered by existing stock Edge drivers, but don’t yet have a fingerprint added to match? For example, a zwave switch/outlet. I have an Eaton Zwave Plus unit that is not being covered by the existing Beta Edge Z-Wave Switch driver as its not listed in the fingerprint.

Do we submit a GitHub issue? A pull request with the changes? Post to a thread here?

I’d like to begin crossing devices off my list that can be converted to Edge immediately/soon. Thanks!

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How did you create those virtual devices? For example:

  • Through the IDE selecting “virtual switch” or “virtual dimmer switch”
  • Through the app’s Lab tool
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Wow, just wow. . . so disappointed in how this is being handled. I have been watching the Edge stuff and the warnings about end of groovy for quite a while, but only at arm’s length. I figured for sure this transition would not be rammed down everyone’s throat in a rush and I would have enough time ( in fact I thought I remember that being explicitly said there would be plenty of warning) to learn about the new options and deficiencies and adjust accordingly.

Given how the last major app transition was handled, not sure what I was thinking, I guess I was just hoping there were some lessons learned from that given what a disaster it was.

Especially disappointed that there’s no clear path for Webcore users. I know that is not a smartthings product and it’s not their responsibility, but it has also filled huge gaps in functionality for a very long time so deserved better.

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