Re: [Perl-workflow-devel] Using Workflow for managing home automation

[Alejandro I. <ai...@p2...>]

On Sun, Apr 15, 2012 at 5:55 AM, Sebastian Stuecker
<seb...@go...> wrote:
> Hello folks,
>
> I hope it is ok to post to this list. If not, please tell me.
>
> I am trying to utilize the workflow framework that you guys have created and
> I am fascinated about the possibilities and the way it is so generic and
> configurable.
>
> However, there is one thing I am not sure if it is achievable. I have
> defined a workflow with a bunch of states and I use this to control a
> computer. This may sound weird. This "computer" can have several states: On,
> Off, Booting, Halting, Unknown.
>
> Now, a user requests this computer to be just on. The user does not care
> about the current state. The damn thing shall be on as quickly as possible.
>
> But if the computer is currently in the off state, it cannot be on directly
> from there. It has to move through the booting-state and only if the booting
> succeeds it will be on. I have actions defined how to move from off to
> booting ( i just have a radio controlled socket to switch it on, but it
> could also be wake on lan, etc.) and I have an action to move from booting
> to on (some tests have to perform ok).
>
> I am looking for a way of "path-finding" from the actual state to a desired
> state like I can do this for example with the Graph CPAN module which can
> find the shortest path between two nodes.
>

Coming from the automation world I find your post quite interesting
and in that sense the state-action-state paradigm is similar somewhat
to ladder logic on a PLC. What I don't understand is this last bit...
why do you need this path-finding stuff? As I see it, you should
simply stick to the event-based (e.g. EDA, SEDA, EPC, etc.) model just
like you would if you were automating using ladder language. Going on
a limb, but IMHO I think you are confusing EPC-style workflows with
Petri-net style WF engines.

-- 
Alejandro Imass


> Is there any way to achieve this or do you think my whole idea is crap? :)