Digital Workshop

I want to be able to create an interface to send simple text messages to customers from a mobile phone that's connected to my PC.

For example, I click a template text message on the screen, it then asks for the mobile telephone number which I would type in then I click the send button. Simple really.

Any ideas if this is possible to do? Any examples?

Thank you.

Try the command line option of the Microsoft SMS sender.


I found the following at http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireles ... 0/sms.html





Another option is a SMS sending DLL, but it may not work with Opus...not all DLL's will work with Opus, they need to be created in unmanaged code.


Sandy

Didn't even know Microsoft SMS Sender existed.

Anyway, seems to work fine. Simple interface created in Opus so you can type number and message and just replaced the telephone number and message in the command line paramaters with a couple of <variables>.

Even put on some ready-made one touch message templates for general customer messages.

Thanks.

Great!! Microsoft have some very good utilities, just takes a bit of ferreting about to find them.

Can you post an example of the command line you used, or an imp....In the article, the person seemed to have problems getting it to work.
Would be interesting.

Sandy

I've taken a screen grab from a button I created which contains the actions.

I created two variables. One called sms_number for the mobile number and sms_message to contain the message. These were put into text input boxes. When ready I just click a 'Send' button to 'Launch a File' and that contains the information in the attached picture.

I now need to find out how I can limit (via a screen numberical indication countdown) of the number of characters typed in the sms message box. For example I want to limit it to 160 characters. I've limited the text input box to 160, no problem. But I need a visual of this. Anybody know how?

Thanks.

[/img]

MessageLength=String.length(sms_message)

Update the variable on every key stroke(text input properties).... display MessageLength in a text box as number of characters used or subtract from 160 to show characters left .
that should do it...or some variation of this

I think you could also have a text box with just "String.length(sms_message)" entered as an expression, but it's easier inserting a variable if you want MessageLength to be displayed in the middle of other text, since it takes care of the text spacing as the number of characters changes.

Sandy

Forgot to mention, you have to first send a text message from the Microsoft SMS Sender program box in order for OPUS to be able to use the 'last used mobile phone' that was attached to the PC (if any of that makes sense). It sort knows then that this is the phone that is connected to the PC.

If you try and first send a text from your created OPUS interface that interacts with the Microsoft SMS Sender without sending one from the Microsoft SMS Sender first it will pop up with a message saying failed to connect to mobile because you have never sent a message from within the SMS Sender program.

I've now added one touch 'hot' buttons with mobile numbers of staff to my touchscreen OPUS interface.

Hit one and their number appears in the sms_number box on screen.

No big deal I suppose but saves the typing...

Incidentally, I use an ELOTouchscreen TFT ( http://www.elotouch.com/products/LCDs/1515L/default.asp) which works rather well. Just make the buttons a good size to touch and it speeds up the whole process.

Thanks for that. Is that every time you want to use the application, the first message has to be sent from the SMS sender.?
My phone is away for repair so I can't try it at the momnent.


Does the SMS sender program retain the last phone information?? if so it is stored in a registry key and it could be read by Opus??

The touch screen looks very interesting---ideal for developing POS systems with Opus.


Sandy

Just once.

When you first send the text from M SMS S it will remember your mobile phone. You don't have to use the M SMS S again after that.

We use the EloTouchscreen for the shop till interface we created with OPUS. Print reciepts, book in jobs, etc. We're always refining it and making it better and adding new things like the text messaging service.

What would be really good is if we could integrate it with Outllook 2007 for our technician appointments. For example, staff book in a job in our OPUS interface and then the name and address and job details of the customer appear in Outlook as well, in the calendar.

At the moment we have to copy over the details manually - the name, address and location of the customer.

I am currently working on a project also using touchscreen - mine is a 7 inch unit that is currnetly mounted into the main concole of my Suzuki 4x4 ( upper centre dash ) This is connected to an old Acer aspire laptop with power supply converter ( both of which are mounted under the drivers seat.)

What I have been able to create is a project that allows me ( while driving ) to play MP3's - DVD's , surf the Net, check my E-mail. as well as use the 7 inch touch screen as a larger version of my Navman GPS.

What I would like to do, is to include on-board system functions and stuff like Batt level, Temp, fan speed control, RPM ( and other stuff. )

Now, you have created a sweet sounding little Project for your business that combines Opus with a cashdraw ( I imagine ) so, how do you get the cash draw to open? ( the command would help me design I/O data streams for my other ideas.

I hope I got the right idea here...

Many thsnks in advance mate.
Cheers!

Rick,
One method is to use an interface card. What information do you have on the various outputs from the car? analogue or digital?
If you have full access to the car telemetry, with very little effort, you can get your system talking to you as well---it could tell you when you need to get fuel, it could read out the car status....warn if the temperature is high. The update rate wouldn't be very high, but it would be adequate for your application.

Sandy

Im guessing that they would be Analog....its a 1995 so there is not a digital system management for it remebring that all the systems Im currently in control of are PC based...lol.

- but Gee, the concept of an interface card has my interest peaking I must admit. say for example )....( and Ill start easy here ) ..how would I get ...ummmmnn...say the voltage from the battery to display on the touch screen?

- Im thinking some interfacemotherboard card linking to some kind of "module" perhaps?

...and this mondule would be able to convert the voltage reading to some kind of value that Opus could save into say, - a variable?

If Im on the right track here... If I constantly ask the variable to " up date " all the time - then if there was a change in the voltage, the display would change? ( just throwing this theory out there ) ...

DAMN! this sounds AWSOME!!! 9 I hope Im assuming corectly here and not too much )..

I produce applications for data logging using Opus, very similar to what you are describing. For example, I can read an analogue voltage----could be a car battery and display the voltage on screen. That would be very easy to do. I have another application which counts digital pulses and converts to a power reading. Like an electronic power meter. The current consumption can be shown and the total power used.
Opus has some disadvantages when doing this. It is relatively slow and requires a lot of processing overhead to work in 'real time'. Reading your battery voltage for example-----this could be done using a ticker or a loop to continually read the interface card. The card gives a scaled value 0-255 proportional to 5V, for example, 0V= 0, 2.5V=128 and 5V=255.


It can never be used for high speed data capture, but for the type of application you are looking at, it should be OK.
The other difficulty is the actual interface---where you get the various signals from and the quality of these signals. A vehicle is potentially a very noisy place, so the signals may be masked by lots of electrical noise??

Sandy

That sounds fantastic! - si isit just a module on its own, or do I have to purchase a "motherboard" of sorts that these " modules" fit into? - and how in the heck do I both get this data INTO the PC ( USB? COM PORT? ....?? ) and scondly - how does Opus know where to "look" to FIND this information. ? - do you get Opus to " address a particular port? ) - or is this a "joystick action to be used as a trigger? - and how many "modules do you think Opus can cope with at once? 2 -5 10?

Thx VERY much for the headsup...

CHEERS!

Rick,
Contact me off-line.
Sandy