Node-RED Contrib LSH Logic

A single, powerful Node-RED node to manage advanced automation logic for an LSH (Labo Smart Home) style system. Built with TypeScript for maximum reliability.

This node replaces a complex flow of function nodes with a single, robust, and stateful component that manages device state, implements advanced click logic, and monitors device health.

Key Features

• Declarative System Configuration: Define all your system's devices in a single, clear system-config.json file. The node automatically reloads it on changes.
• Centralized State Management: Maintains an in-memory registry of all device states, health, and configurations, which can be exported to the context for easy debugging and dashboarding.
• Advanced Click Logic: Implements "long-click" (smart toggle) and "super-long-click" (turn all off) actions across multiple devices.
• Reliable Network Protocol: Uses a two-phase commit protocol for network-based button clicks to ensure commands are not lost, even on unreliable networks.
• Intelligent Watchdog: Actively monitors device health with a multi-stage ping mechanism. It uses a smart initial verification process to quickly and accurately detect offline devices at startup, preventing false alarms.
• Dynamic MQTT Topic Management: Emits messages on a dedicated output to dynamically configure an mqtt-in node, automatically managing topic subscriptions and unsubscriptions as your configuration changes.

Installation

You can install the node directly from the Node-RED Palette Manager.

Alternatively, run the following command in your Node-RED user directory (typically ~/.node-red):

npm install node-red-contrib-lsh-logic

How It Works

This node is designed to be the central brain of your LSH-style home automation system. It listens for all relevant MQTT messages from your devices, processes them according to your configuration, and sends back commands.

Inputs

The node automatically determines which topics to listen to based on your system-config.json. You simply connect its "Configuration" output to an mqtt-in node to complete the setup. It primarily processes:

1. LSH Protocol Topics:

   • <lshBasePath>/<device-name>/conf: For receiving a device's static configuration (actuator IDs, button IDs).
   • <lshBasePath>/<device-name>/state: For receiving the current state of a device's actuators.
   • <lshBasePath>/<device-name>/misc: For miscellaneous events like network clicks, boot notifications, and ping responses.

2. Homie Convention Topics:

   • <homieBasePath>/<device-name>/$state: For monitoring the online/offline status of devices.

Outputs

The node has five distinct outputs for clear and organized flows:

1. LSH Commands: Publishes messages to control your LSH devices (c_aas, d_nca, c_f, pings, etc.).
2. Other Actor Commands: Publishes generic commands for non-LSH devices (e.g., Tasmota, Zigbee2MQTT). The payload contains the target actor names and the desired state.
3. Alerts: Outputs formatted, human-readable alert messages (e.g., for Telegram) when a device's health status changes (goes offline or comes back online).
4. Configuration: Emits specially crafted messages to dynamically configure an mqtt-in node's subscriptions. This is the key to a fully automated setup.
5. Debug: Forwards the original, unprocessed input message for logging and debugging purposes.

Configuration

Node Settings

The node's behavior is customized through the editor panel:

• MQTT Path Settings: Define the base paths for your Homie and LSH topics.
• System Config: Path to your system-config.json file, relative to the Node-RED user directory.
• Context Interaction: Configure how the node's internal state is exposed to the flow/global context.
• Timing Settings: Fine-tune all system timeouts and intervals, including the Initial Check Delay for the smart startup detection.

system-config.json

This is the core configuration file that defines all devices in your system and, optionally, their button actions. It should be placed in your Node-RED user directory (e.g., in a configs/ subfolder).

{
  "devices": [
    {
      "name": "living-room-switch",
      "longClickButtons": [
        {
          "id": "B1",
          "actors": [
            { "name": "living-room-light", "allActuators": true, "actuators": [] }
          ],
          "otherActors": ["tasmota_shelf_lamp"]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "living-room-light"
    },
    {
      "name": "kitchen-light"
    }
  ]
}

• devices: An array of all devices in your system. Every device you want the node to manage must be listed here.
• name: The unique MQTT name of the device. This is the only required property for a device entry.
• longClickButtons / superLongClickButtons (Optional): Arrays defining actions for different click types. If a device is only an actor (like a light) and doesn't send clicks, these properties can be omitted entirely.
• actors: A list of LSH devices to control.
• otherActors: A list of non-LSH device names to control.

Best Practices

Dynamic MQTT Subscriptions

The most powerful way to use this node is to let it manage your MQTT subscriptions automatically. This creates a "zero-maintenance" flow that adapts to your configuration.

Connect the 4th output ("Configuration") directly to an mqtt-in node.

When you deploy or when system-config.json changes, the lsh-logic node will:

1. Send a message to the mqtt-in node to unsubscribe from all topics.
2. Send a second message to subscribe to the new, correct list of topics.

This ensures your mqtt-in node is always listening to exactly the right topics without any manual changes.

Configuration and State

• File Location: Keep your system-config.json in a sub-folder of your Node-RED user directory (e.g., ~/.node-red/configs/) to ensure it's included in your backups.
• Context for Debugging: Use the "Context Interaction" settings to expose the internal state to a flow or global variable. This is invaluable for creating dashboards or debugging issues without needing to add debug nodes everywhere.

Troubleshooting

• Node Status: "Config Error": This status appears if the system-config.json file cannot be read or is invalid. Check the path in the node's settings and use a JSON linter to validate the file's syntax.
• Device Unresponsive Alerts: If you receive an alert, check the device's power and network connection. Ensure the name in system-config.json exactly matches the device name used in its MQTT topics.
• Clicks Not Working: If a long-click fails, a warning will appear in the Node-RED debug sidebar with the reason (e.g., "Target actor(s) are offline"). Check the actor's status in the exposed context.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you'd like to contribute, please feel free to open an issue to discuss a new feature or bug, or submit a pull request.

Development Setup

To set up the development environment:

1. Clone the repository.
2. Run npm install to install all dependencies.
3. Run npm run build to build the project.
4. Run npm test to run the test suite.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License.