What happens to virtual devices created on Groovy IDE after its phase-out?

Devices & Integrations
1

I have just discovered the Groovy IDE :slightly_smiling_face: and also the fact it is being phased out :unamused: .

This is not good, since I have also just discovered how useful virtual devices are and how to use them in an automation.

My questions are:

  1. What happens to devices created on Groovy IDE after its phase-out ?
  2. Will the devices I created using Groovy IDE still exist on the platform and my hub after it is retired?
  3. Will the devices and the incorporating automations still exist and work after Groovy’s retirement?
  4. Will I still be able to create virtual devices, and how may I do this?

These are all questions that are of concern to me as a new user.

Can anyone help me with answers to these ?

Thanks

2

1,2, and 3 are all essentially the same question. ST hasn’t announced how virtual devices will transfer to Edge - they can be created in several ways (official and unofficial) and the answer may not be the same for all of them. They will most likely continue to exist but may not function as expected if they’re assigned to a driver that doesn’t have the same capabilities.
3 - if the old virtual devices are deleted, your automations that rely on them may go away with them.

If you don’t have too many, since it sounds like you’ve just started setting them up, the easiest thing would be to create new virtual devices on Edge and swap them out in your automations.

4 - There are a number of different virtual device drivers available, some for specialized purposes. For general use, here are a couple of popular ones:

Some general reading on Edge and the transition if you aren’t fully up to speed yet:

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3

In addition to the answers @MarkTr already gave you, see the following community FAQ. It’s especially important if you don’t have a SmartThings/Aeotec hub, but useful in any case. :sunglasses:

FAQ: Creating Virtual Devices with the new architecture (Without the IDE) (2023)

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4

Thank you both for your very useful and informative responses.

The learning curve is steep :sweat_smile:

So… onward and upward…

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