Quick help with Alexa and Node-RED

flyize · November 5, 2020, 4:47pm

I’m trying to create an Node-RED automation where Alexa replies back to the last called device. I’m using a get entities where ‘last_called’ is true, output as an array to msg.alexa. Then in the next node, I’m calling the ‘alexa_media’ service with the data below:

{
    "message": "Please close the following doors and windows. {{payload}}.  Good night.",
    "data": {
        "type": "tts"
    },
    "target": [
        "{{alexa[0].entity_id}}"
    ]
}

When I dedug the node, it shows the target as blank. What am I missing here?

bastero · November 12, 2020, 9:07pm

@flyize here you go, give this a try.

[{"id":"80f259f8.d48e58","type":"inject","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"","repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"on","payloadType":"str","x":2600.892749786377,"y":1160.7145805358887,"wires":[["c60b9fb7.96e0a"]]},{"id":"1ec13a69.bd52a6","type":"debug","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":3513.9284744262695,"y":1093.0357999801636,"wires":[]},{"id":"48c5b9ce.045e28","type":"debug","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"","active":false,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":3871.607258796692,"y":1155.8928337097168,"wires":[]},{"id":"cb1daaec.101868","type":"api-call-service","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"Alexa - Alarm deactivated (Rnd)","server":"8a3231e1.3f0e1","version":1,"service_domain":"notify","service":"alexa_media","entityId":"","data":"","dataType":"json","mergecontext":"","output_location":"payload","output_location_type":"msg","mustacheAltTags":true,"x":3605.3572540283203,"y":1155.8928327560425,"wires":[["48c5b9ce.045e28"]]},{"id":"c60b9fb7.96e0a","type":"change","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"Set Alexa Attributes","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"volume","pt":"flow","to":"0.4","tot":"str"},{"t":"set","p":"target","pt":"flow","to":"media_player.office_echo_dot","tot":"str"},{"t":"set","p":"message","pt":"flow","to":"Test of Alexa","tot":"str"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":2822.8572387695312,"y":1158.3928337097168,"wires":[["d63ff.9807ec018","db082c18.6fb7"]]},{"id":"d63ff.9807ec018","type":"function","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"Create Alexa Alert","func":"\nvar target = flow.get('target')\nvar message = flow.get('message')\n\nvar payload = \n{\n \"data\":\n {\n \"target\": `${target}`,\n \"message\": `${message}`\n }\n}\nmsg.payload = payload\nmsg.topic = `${target}`\nreturn msg","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","x":3054.107192993164,"y":1158.3928184509277,"wires":[["c96d9564.ab25d8"]]},{"id":"db082c18.6fb7","type":"debug","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":3018.5714797973633,"y":1234.8214235305786,"wires":[]},{"id":"c96d9564.ab25d8","type":"template","z":"4f853fd0.1ea12","name":"Alexa device - Template","field":"payload","fieldType":"msg","format":"handlebars","syntax":"mustache","template":"{\n\"data\": \n {\n \"message\": \"{{ payload.data.message}}\",\n \"target\": \"{{ payload.data.target }}\",\n \"data\": {\n \"type\": \"announce\"\n }\n }\n} ","output":"json","x":3302.857246398926,"y":1157.1428327560425,"wires":[["cb1daaec.101868","1ec13a69.bd52a6"]]},{"id":"8a3231e1.3f0e1","type":"server","name":"Hassio","legacy":false,"rejectUnauthorizedCerts":true,"ha_boolean":"y|yes|true|on|home|open","connectionDelay":false}]

flyize · November 12, 2020, 9:36pm

Sorry, I should have also posted an example. This is probably a bit easier.

[{"id":"cb57ab4f.27a7b8","type":"api-call-service","z":"2de86a51.3fd3c6","name":"Notify Alexa","server":"61a3b09d.8395a","version":1,"debugenabled":true,"service_domain":"notify","service":"alexa_media","entityId":"","data":"{\"message\":\"Please close the following doors and windows. {{payload}}.  Good night.\",\"data\":{\"type\":\"tts\"},\"target\":[\"{{alexa[0].entity_id}}\"]}","dataType":"json","mergecontext":"","output_location":"payload","output_location_type":"msg","mustacheAltTags":false,"x":1000,"y":740,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"ef2f5b30.15b3b8","type":"ha-get-entities","z":"2de86a51.3fd3c6","server":"61a3b09d.8395a","name":"Get last Alexa","rules":[{"property":"entity_id","logic":"includes","value":"media_player.living_room, media_player.master_bedroom, media_player.office","valueType":"str"},{"property":"attributes.last_called","logic":"is","value":"true","valueType":"bool"}],"output_type":"array","output_empty_results":false,"output_location_type":"msg","output_location":"alexa","output_results_count":1,"x":860,"y":660,"wires":[["cb57ab4f.27a7b8"]]},{"id":"61a3b09d.8395a","type":"server","name":"Home Assistant","addon":true}]

bastero · November 13, 2020, 7:31pm

I realize this doesn’t answer your question but, in your ‘Get last Alexa’ node, only the first entry for your entity_id is being recognized based on my testing (provided the device has been played of course…), i.e. even if the second entity_id in your list of entity_id’s is the last to have been played it is not being evaluated.

Are you sure that both entity_id can be evaluated in the Property entry ? In the meantime I’ll keep looking into it (its a good question!)

flyize · November 13, 2020, 7:59pm

It appears to be working for me. Here’s the result with a debug node added.

bastero · November 13, 2020, 8:14pm

Is ‘media_player.office’ the second entity_id entry in the Property -> entity_id list ?

flyize · November 16, 2020, 4:12pm

No, its the third.

bastero · November 17, 2020, 5:07pm

@flyize Ok so I am still not able to get any of my Alexa devices other than the first device in the entity list to register a response in the debug node, even after speaking into each device sequentially, so you are well ahead of the game…

This works for me with the first entity_id entry device in the list.

[{"id":"8ebcfe5d.4aa51","type":"debug","z":"25063fae.4f85f","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"true","targetType":"full","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":2090.357208251953,"y":1483.2143783569336,"wires":[]},{"id":"ef2f5b30.15b3b8","type":"ha-get-entities","z":"25063fae.4f85f","server":"118d105f.a269","name":"Get last Alexa","rules":[{"property":"entity_id","logic":"includes","value":"media_player.juan_s_2nd_echo_dot, media_player.office_echo_dot","valueType":"str"},{"property":"attributes.last_called","logic":"is","value":"true","valueType":"bool"}],"output_type":"array","output_empty_results":false,"output_location_type":"msg","output_location":"alexa","output_results_count":1,"x":1884.2857666015625,"y":1557.1429443359375,"wires":[["8ebcfe5d.4aa51","d774b179.a9bed"]]},{"id":"1adc1d55.8b93c3","type":"inject","z":"25063fae.4f85f","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"on","payloadType":"str","x":1702.678611755371,"y":1558.3928451538086,"wires":[["ef2f5b30.15b3b8"]]},{"id":"d774b179.a9bed","type":"api-call-service","z":"25063fae.4f85f","name":"Notify Alexa","server":"8a3231e1.3f0e1","version":1,"service_domain":"notify","service":"alexa_media","entityId":"","data":"{\"message\":\"Please close the following doors and windows. {{alexa.0.entity_id}}.  Good night.\",\"data\":{\"type\":\"tts\"},\"target\":\"{{alexa.0.entity_id}}\"}","dataType":"json","mergecontext":"","output_location":"payload","output_location_type":"msg","mustacheAltTags":false,"x":2118.7500343322754,"y":1555.0000228881836,"wires":[["ffd373ad.717b6"]]},{"id":"ffd373ad.717b6","type":"debug","z":"25063fae.4f85f","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"true","targetType":"full","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":2291.2500381469727,"y":1555.0000228881836,"wires":[]},{"id":"118d105f.a269","type":"server","name":"Home Assistant","legacy":false,"hassio":true,"rejectUnauthorizedCerts":true,"ha_boolean":"y|yes|true|on|home|open","connectionDelay":false},{"id":"8a3231e1.3f0e1","type":"server","name":"Hassio","legacy":false,"rejectUnauthorizedCerts":true,"ha_boolean":"y|yes|true|on|home|open","connectionDelay":false}]

bastero · November 17, 2020, 7:02pm

@flyize was able to get all my Echo’s to be evaluated by attribute ‘last_called’ by setting the parameters (with arrows).

flyize · November 18, 2020, 6:03pm

Not sure if you missed it, but I was using IN and not IS in my node. If you didn’t import and use the one I posted, it would be easy to miss.

edit: I just looked back at yours and you were also using IN. Never mind!

flyize · December 10, 2020, 3:40pm

This question still stands. Anyone know how to make the last Alexa to hear something speak back to me?

randytsuch · December 10, 2020, 4:10pm

I wrote up some alexa node red instructions here

About a 1/3 of the way into the page, there is a section on Alexa remote 2.
With that palette, I can figure out which alexa device was talked to, and then I issue room specific commands based on device location. I get the device serial number, then route based on the serial number.
Somewhat brute force as you have to switch based on serial numbers, but it will let you send a voice message to the alexa you were talking to.