Best posts made by Russ

Russ

@philip-nguyen, there's a similar question here.

These are the high level steps:

Create 2 commands that just run echo (doesn't matter what), and name them PlugOn and PlugOff.
Setup two Alexa routines - one that turns on your smart plug when the PlugOn command runs, and other that turns it off when the PlugOff command runs.
Create a script. At the beginning of the script, do the following:
Set variable called PLUG_IS_ON with a default value of true.
To make sure the plug is on at first, run the tcmd utility like this: tcmd -t plugon -c (your TRIGGERcmd computer name)
Create a loop that repeats every minute. Inside the loop, do the following:
Check your battery level with BatteryInfoView.exe
When the level is below 30 percent and PLUG_IS_ON = false, run tcmd utility like this: tcmd -t plugon -c (your TRIGGERcmd computer name)
When the level is above 99 percent and PLUG_IS_ON = true, run tcmd utility like this: tcmd -t plugoff -c (your TRIGGERcmd computer name)
Also set PLUG_IS_ON to true when you run plugon, and set it to false when you run plugoff

I think that should work. Do you know how to do that? Let me know if you get stuck, and where you get stuck. I can look at your script if you paste it here.

Russ

You can use this web page of course, but don't stop there. Check out this list of ways to run your commands on your computers.

The Smart Home version of the Alexa skill and Google Assistant action does the best job of matching your spoken words to your commands.

Smart Home voice assistant skills (Example: "Alexa, turn on calculator") <--Recommended

Original "conversational" voice assistant skills (Example: "Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run calculator"):

Original Alexa skill
Original Google Assistant action (deprecated)

Progressive Web App (PWA)

https://app.triggercmd.com

Mobile apps:

Apple App Store: TRIGGERcmd
Google Play Store: TRIGGERcmd (supports widgets)
Amazon App Store: TRIGGERcmd

Run your commands when things happen in other Internet services:

Zapier - create a "Zap" that runs your command when something happens on one of their 1500+ supported apps.
Make - create "scenarios" that run commands on your computers.
IFTTT - If This Then run a command, or if a TRIGGERcmd command runs, run an IFTTT applet.
Microsoft Power Automate (aka Flow) - run commands when things happen in Office 365 and other services.
Pipedream - build workflows that run your commands.

IoT Smart Home hubs:

Home Assistant - Flip virtual HA switches to run your TRIGGERcmd commands.
Samsung SmartThings - Create virtual switches for each command, then flip the switches to run them. (Not working as of 6/21/2025)
Homey - Use the ‘run command’ flow action.
Hubitat - Trigger a command like you'd flip a switch.
Node-RED - Run commands using an "http request".
HomeKit - Use the homebridge-http-switch plugin with a bookmark URL.

Other cool stuff:

Run an Alexa routine - when one of your TRIGGERcmd commands runs.
Google Assistant routine (aka automation) - use one of your TRIGGERcmd commands as a "starter" to run your routine when the command runs, or run one of your commands as a routine's "action." Either way, you must use the google automations script editor, not the Home app.
Bookmarks - Create and share URL's that run your commands without authentication. You can set an optional timeout to make bookmark URL's expire. People can also scan your bookmark's QR code to run the command.
iOS shortcut - Use the iOS Shortcuts app to run your commands with Siri.
REST API - Use curl or other client to call the TRIGGERcmd API.
tcmd - Command line tool written in Go.
Tasker - Tasker is an Android app for automating things with your phone.
Slack app - Run your commands with Slack "slash" commands.
Powershell - Run a command on a computer across the Internet from your powershell script.
Roku channel - Run a command from your Roku.
Unity - Run a command from a Unity game or utility you made.
Streamdeck - Configure a Streamdeck button to run a command on a remote computer.
Python - Run a command on a remote computer from a python script.
Paywall URL's - Similar to bookmark URL's, you can also charge people via Paypal to run your commands.

Russ

You'll need to install this on your Windows box to make it work: https://autohotkey.com

This is my media.ahk autohotkey script:

Gosub, %1%
return

next:
Send {Media_Next}
return

previous:
Send {Media_Prev}
return

pause:
Send {Media_Play_Pause}
return

play:
Send {Media_Play_Pause}
return

stop:
Send {Media_Stop}
return

volup:
Send {Volume_Up}
return

voldown:
Send {Volume_Down}
return

mute:
Send {Volume_Mute}
return

These are the corresponding commands.json entries:

{"trigger":"Mute","command":"start C:\\autohotkeyscripts\\media.ahk mute","ground":"foreground","voice":"mute"},
{"trigger":"Volume Up","command":"start C:\\autohotkeyscripts\\media.ahk volup","ground":"foreground","voice":"volume up"},
{"trigger":"Volume Down","command":"start C:\\autohotkeyscripts\\media.ahk voldown","ground":"foreground","voice":"volume down"},
{"trigger":"Media Next","command":"start C:\\autohotkeyscripts\\media.ahk next","ground":"foreground","voice":"next"},
{"trigger":"Media Stop","command":"start C:\\autohotkeyscripts\\media.ahk stop","ground":"foreground","voice":"stop"},
{"trigger":"Media Previous","command":"start C:\\autohotkeyscripts\\media.ahk previous","ground":"foreground","voice":"previous"},
{"trigger":"Media Play Pause","command":"start C:\\autohotkeyscripts\\media.ahk pause","ground":"foreground","voice":"pause"},

NOTE: You don't need a Play and a Pause because they do the same thing - they just toggle between play and pause.

This is optional, but I'm also using my Raspberry Pi based IR receiver to trigger the above commands with a VCR remote.

I have these entries in my /etc/lirc/lircrc file on the Pi:

  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_1
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh play downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_2
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh notepad downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_PLAY
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Media Play Pause" downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_PAUSE
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Media Play Pause" downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_RIGHT
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Media Next" downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_LEFT
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Media Previous" downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_STOP
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Media Stop" downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_UP
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Volume Up" downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_DOWN
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Volume Down" downstairs
  end
  begin
       prog = irexec
       button = KEY_MUTE
       config = export HOME=/root ; /root/triggertest.sh "Mute" downstairs
  end

Russ

@Ruan-Santana, I added two pages to the documentation this morning:

https://docs.triggercmd.com/#/./API/TriggerCommand
https://docs.triggercmd.com/#/./API/ListCommands

Is that what you're looking for?

Russ

@tim-s, that's right - you could even just change the trigger name and change it back, and it would invalidate the bookmark URL.

Russ

@Waldex-Santos, I think this should work:

osascript -e 'delay 60' -e 'tell app "System Events" to shut down'

Russ

It's back up now.

One of my servers went down last night, and Kubernetes didn't handle the fail-over well.

I got an email from my monitoring system while I was sleeping. I'll need to setup something else that will actually wake me up.

I'm sorry about this outage.

Russ

@Royski created this Hubitat integration that works just like the SmartThings integration.

His write up is here, on the Hubitat community forum:
https://community.hubitat.com/t/release-triggercmd-for-hubitat/22715

The code and instructions are here:
https://github.com/rvmey/HubitatTRIGGERcmd

Here's quick video showing it working:
https://youtu.be/V90B7jbEYxI

Russ

Some of you might have noticed, when you'd say something like:

Alexa, ask TRIGGER cmd to run notepad on downstairs

You'd get an answer like this:

"Could not find a command with voice word cmd notepad on downstairs, ..."

I fixed that today.

For some reason Alexa started sending the "cmd" part of "TRIGGER cmd" as a prefix in the command name. I actually had to add code to strip that out.

Russ

@Murilo-Callegari, if you look at the Runs list for your command, it should say "Command ran" if the command actually ran on your computer.

If you're worried the screen still didn't lock even though your "lock screen" command ran, you could have your "lock screen" script also check whether the screen is locked, and send that information to the Runs list using the ~/.TRIGGERcmdData/result.sh script.

Just run ~/.TRIGGERcmdData/result.sh from your "lock screen" script with a status message like "Locked" or "Unlocked" as the parameter when you run result.sh.

You can also have Alexa speak the "Locked" or "Unlocked" result if you add {{result}} to your command's Voice Reply field and use one the Conversational Alexa skills.

This article has more about that.

Russ

This Youtube video shows the setup process.

Or, as of 2023, follow these steps:

Open the Home app
Tap the Settings tab
Tap Google Assistant
Tap Manage all Assistant settings
Tap Home control
Search for TRIGGERcmd
Select TRIGGERcmd Smart Home
Select Continue
Login to your TRIGGERcmd account.
Select Allow

Now test it by saying, "Hey Google, turn on Calculator."

For screenshots, see this post.

Russ

Most people will want to use the Trigger Command action with Integromat because it's simple.

With the Trigger Command action you select one of your commands from the dropdown, and optionally fill in the parameters field to pass parameters to your command.

When you select the Make an API Call action, you can specify your own API parameter values in the body field:

{
  "computer":"DS", 
  "trigger": "notepad",
  "params": "russ"
}

Or use values from the incoming link, including values for the computer and trigger names:

Using the settings in the screenshot, I copied a file called "notepad" into my dropbox folder and it ran notepad with russ as the parameter:

Russ

I actually discovered this when I accidentally said, "Alexa, run calculator."

Apparently if you've already said, "Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run X", then next time you only have to say, "Alexa, run X."

That's awesome. I hope Google Assistant does the same.

Russ

This works in Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi. You can list and control your SmartThings devices with the Samsung SmartThings cli (command line interface) tool.

https://github.com/SmartThingsCommunity/smartthings-cli#smartthings-devicescommands-id-command

smartthings.exe devices
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 #   Label                        Name                            Type   Device Id
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 1   Front Door                   base-contact                    ZWAVE  5bebe423-f899-486e-9f62-8c63707a9b6c
 2   Front Lights                 switch1                         DTH    fb132245-8bd0-478d-be4b-ca311ae64656
 3   Home Hub                     SmartThings v2 Hub              HUB    9079eb4d-10b4-435d-9a05-b2b9629cb50a
 4   Motion Sensor                Motion Sensor                   DTH    b8a3a1ab-daac-44fb-a6c9-53bac4382df9
 5   Notepad                      Notepad                         DTH    a83bbda3-d461-44ae-948a-7d8fd13b5799
 6   Samsung 7 Series (40)        [TV] Samsung 7 Series (40)      OCF    01253b2b-71ed-4b74-b7dd-74dd94522d96
 7   THERMOSTAT                   Honeywell TCC 6000 Thermostat   VIPER  86b567ac-0da3-4257-9b03-47a3cfc3b469
 8   Kitchen Switch               Z-Wave Switch                   DTH    e2237460-e3fa-4bf5-8a24-3e6d64f89352

To turn on my Kitchen z-wave switch, I can run a command like this:

smartthings.exe devices:commands e2237460-e3fa-4bf5-8a24-3e6d64f89352 switch:on

SmartThings devices can be controlled with the SmartThings app of course, but this might be useful in scripts - whether you run them remotely via TRIGGERcmd or not.

Russ

Alexa Routines now works with the original "TRIGGERcmd" and "TRIGGER command" skills.

This is great because now instead of saying:

Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run notepad on office with parameter russ

You can just say:

Alexa, russ

I just created this video to show how it works: https://youtu.be/rZXfncqXqmA

Also these screenshots show how to set it up in the Alexa app:
Alexa Routines
Edit Routine
multiple phrases
triggercmd custom

Russ

@Kingnabis, you're saying you can not run notepad, correct?

I recommend that you try using the TRIGGERcmd Smart Home Alexa skill. It recognizes your voice commands better because it has a list of what you might say ahead of time, so Alexa only has to match up what you say with something in that list.

Is your notepad command setup like this?

When you click the View Runs button,

do you get a Command ran entry in your list?

Russ

The old Webhook method still works, but now you can use the official TRIGGERcmd service on IFTTT.

https://ifttt.com/trigger_cmd

Here's a Youtube video showing how to use it.

Russ

Turn monitors off:

powershell (Add-Type '[DllImport(\"user32.dll\")]^public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam);' -Name a -Pas)::SendMessage(-1,0x0112,0xF170,2)

Turn monitors on (didn't work for me - see below):

powershell (Add-Type '[DllImport(\"user32.dll\")]^public static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, int hMsg, int wParam, int lParam);' -Name a -Pas)::SendMessage(-1,0x0112,0xF170,-1)

In my case, the Turn monitors on powershell command didn't work for me. My monitors turned on but then turned right back off for some reason. So instead, I used this script and made this my command line so it effectively presses the Print Scrn button to turn my monitors back on:

wscript d:\scripts\key.vbs PRTSC

Russ

@Craig-OK, I've been thinking about this. None of the methods for shortening the Alexa phrase (ifttt or routines) allow for parameters, so I can't think of a good solution besides, just saying the whole thing:
Alexa, ask TRIGGERcmd to run download with parameter Ubuntu server

And that assumes the command with download in the voice field is on your default computer.