Table of Contents

Inspect and control devices

Essentials lets you look at and drive devices directly, without the UI. There are two ways to do it, and they do the same things:

  • The processor console. Open it over SSH or Crestron Toolbox's Text Console. The :1 on each command below is the program slot.
  • Essentials Dev Tools, in a browser. Open https://<processor-ip>/cws/debug/ and sign in, as in Tutorial 1, then select Devices in the top bar. Select a device in the list to open its Device Detail page, which has its Properties, Methods and Feedbacks.
Console command In Dev Tools
devlist The Devices list
devprops The device's Properties table
devmethods The device's Methods table
devjson Execute next to a method

List devices

devlist:1

Lists every device the program created, with its key and type.

In Dev Tools, the Devices page lists every device's Key and Name.

See a device's properties

devprops:1 display-1

Shows the device's current property values, such as power state or current input.

In Dev Tools, open the device and look at its Properties table. Turn on Live updates to have the values refresh on their own while you work.

See what a device can do

devmethods:1 display-1

Lists the device's public methods and their parameters.

In Dev Tools, the device's Methods table lists the same methods, with each parameter's name and type in Params.

Call a method

devjson calls a method on a device, with a JSON object naming the device, the method and its parameters. Parameters must be simple values (text, numbers, true/false); methods that take an object can't be called this way.

devjson:1 {"deviceKey":"display-1","methodName":"PowerOn","params":[]}

From Dev Tools

You can call the same methods from Dev Tools without writing any JSON:

  1. On the Devices page, select the device, for example display-1.
  2. In its Methods table, find the method, for example PowerOn, and select Execute.
  3. If the method takes parameters, a box appears for each one, labelled with its name and type. Type a value, such as false or 32768. A method with no parameters says so.
  4. Select Execute.

Dev Tools calls the method the same way devjson does, so the same limit applies: only methods with simple parameters can be called.

Things to try

Each of these can be run from the console, or from Dev Tools by opening the device and executing the method with the value shown.

Command What happens
devjson:1 {"deviceKey":"display-1","methodName":"PowerOff","params":[]} The Left Display cools down. The tech Displays page's Power Off button pulses for 10 seconds.
devjson:1 {"deviceKey":"audio-wireless-mic","methodName":"MuteOn","params":[]} The Wireless Mic mutes: its mute icon turns red on every UI. MuteOff unmutes it.
devjson:1 {"deviceKey":"audio-wireless-mic","methodName":"SetVolume","params":[32768]} Sets the Wireless Mic to half level (the range is 0 to 65535).
devjson:1 {"deviceKey":"source-cable","methodName":"SetVideoSyncDetected","params":[false]} Cable TV loses signal on every UI. See Simulate a lost video signal.

Check the loaded config

showconfig:1

Prints the config the program is running, which is useful for confirming that a change was loaded.

See which device types are available

gettypes:1

Lists every device type the program can create, including those from plugins. Add a search term to filter it, for example gettypes:1 display.

More

The Essentials debugging guide covers the full command set, including log levels and communication stream debugging.

Dev Tools has more pages too. Config File shows the loaded config, like showconfig, Types lists the available device types, like gettypes, and Debug Console streams the program's log to your browser.

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