How to Create User Devices in Crestron Studio®

Crestron Studio® allows using custom SIMPL and/or SIMPL+ modules to create a custom user device which can then be added to the system and take advantage of any automated programming that will be generated. Note that at this time there is no functionality to edit existing Crestron device definitions in the Device Designer.

User devices are devices created by the users and stored locally in the user's database. They are NOT part of the standard database shipped with Crestron Studio®.

In the Product Browser, user devices are listed along with Crestron devices, and obey the same rules for adding to system, sorting, or filtering as regular Crestron devices. Note that the “Source” column for user devices will display “Central” or “Project”, instead of “Crestron”. Additionally, Crestron Studio® provides the "User Devices" layout which conveniently lists all available user devices. (Notice that user devices specified as Project User devices are displayed in the Product Browser only if the corresponding system project is open in Crestron Studio®.

Like Crestron devices, any user device can contain different slave transports and connection points. Note that only ONE of each type of transport (except IR, of which the user device may include multiples) is allowed to be added to your user device. While there is no technical limitation to the types of transports you can define for a device, at this time the available transports are limited to:

In Crestron Studio® you can Closedcreate new user device, modify its general or transport properties, delete existing user device or import and export it.

You can create a new user device right from the Start Page or by following the instructions below.

Create a new user device by doing the following:

  1. Go to the File menu and click New

    -or-

    Press .

  2. Click on a project type and choose Device in the New Project Dialog.


  3. The Name field is pre-populated with a generic name DeviceSpec, followed by a numeral. If desired, you can click in the Name field and write a custom name for your user device.

  4. Press New.

A dialog indicating that your device is created appears briefly and a new tab of Crestron Studio® opens where you can specify the necessary information to create the device.

 

What do I need to have to be able to create my own custom device in Crestron Studio®?

Depending on the device that you wish to control you'll need to have available either an IR Driver (IR Definition file), or one or more SIMPL and/or SIMPL+ modules.

 

 

I have a third party device which is not currently supported in Crestron Studio®. How can I use it in Crestron Studio®?

Provided that you have custom SIMPL and/or SIMPL+ module(s) for that device you can do the following to create your own user device in Crestron Studio®:

  1. Import your custom module(s) to Crestron Studio®
  2. ClosedCreate new device definition by following the steps below:

    1. Go to the File menu and click New

      -or-

      Press .

    2. Click on a project type and choose Device in the New Project dialog.


    3. The Name field is pre-populated with a generic name Device, followed by a numeral. If desired, you can click in the Name field and write a custom name for your user device, for example 'MyTV'.

    4. Choose location for the device, by clicking on the Location drop-down.

      Select Central(default) Location if you wish to create/add the device to the “Central Crestron Studio® database”, thus making the device available for use in any system. Alternatively, select from a list of names of currently open system projects if you wish to add the device only to a specific system project. Devices created for a specific project would not be available for use in any other systems/projects.

    5. Press New.

    A dialog indicating that your device is created appears briefly and Device Designer opens in a new tab of Crestron Studio® labeled Device 'Device_Name' (where 'Device_Name' is the name specified in Name field (see the step c above).

  3. In Device Designer, enter new or modify General device properties (such as Device Manufacturer, Model, Description, etc.) as needed

    IMPORTANT: Make sure to click on the Change... button and try to define as accurately as possible both the Device Type and Device Subtype to match the device you plan to control.


    For example, if your device is going to be a TV, specify the Device Type and Device Subtype, as TV-> LCD TV (or other TV subtype if appropriate). This will automatically give the device the Generic TV Wrapper and the standard TV source routes model to use in Source Routes (where you can customize the input configuration if needed).

    The Device Type information will be used to determine what standard commands are available for assignment to the module input and output properties of the device, as well as the template pages which will be generated for the device.

    Note: The Device Subtype can also be used to help narrow down searches in the Product Browser.

  4. Add an appropriate transport (for example, COM, Ethernet, IO, IR, Logic, Relay.) and then select the corresponding custom module in the Module tree in the Connectivity pane.



    Note that your module(s) will be located in the User branch of the Module tree

  5. Double click on the module to make it appear in the Programming area on the top. Select the module in the Programming area and double-click on it again. In most cases this will populate most or all of the Arguments fields on the right, however in some cases you may have to manually select them from the list of signals.

    Note that arguments will differ depending on the chosen transport.

    Make sure to consult the help file provided with the module(s) if the module requires you to set specific values (for example, specific Port number may be needed, etc).
  6. Click the Apply button, if available for the chosen transport
  7. Save your user device by pressing or by selecting Save Device from the File menu.

Once your device is saved it can be located in the Product Browser (under User Devices) and added to your system just as you would add a Crestron device.

 

 

Where can I find IR Drivers or SIMPL modules to control my third party device?

You may create your own IR files in Crestron Toolbox™. You can also  receive modules to control the device that you need from a co-worker, the manufacturer, Crestron Integrated Partners, etc.

Additionally, you can download applications, GUI Resources, IR drivers and modules for third party devices from the Crestron Application Market.

 

Can I create SIMPL User Module in SIMPL and use it in Crestron Studio®?

Yes, you can create your SIMPL module in SIMPL, or use an existing one to create your custom user device in Crestron Studio®.

 

 

I have trouble downloading modules from the Crestron Application Market? What am I doing wrong?

Before you can download any files from the Crestron Application Market make sure that the following prerequisites are met:

To download the desired module(s) from the Crestron Application Market simply follow the steps below:

  1. Navigate to the Modules or IR drivers sections and then narrow down the selection by device type or manufacturer (for example,  to get modules for AV receivers go to Home -> Modules -> Device Type -> Receiver/Pre-amp)

    - or -

    Find the desired module/IR Driver by entering a search term in the Search field located in the header and then click the Search icon.

    The applicable modules/IR Drivers are listed.

  2. Select the desired module/IR Driver, add it to your cart and proceed to checkout:


  3. Follow the prompts to select billing address, review your order and to agree to terms and conditions and then click the Continue button.

  4. Click on the link to view your order and download files

    - or -

    open the confirmation mail in your Inbox and click on the Download Files link.

    The module/IR Driver is downloaded to your PC.

 

I clicked to download modules for my third party device from the Crestron Application Market and I got a zipped file containing several different files of different types. What are they and which ones can I use in Crestron Studio®?

Included in the download file often would be help file (.pdf) for the module, sample touch screen projects (.vtp), and a working demo program (.smw) running the module. Additionally the download will also include one or more of the following:

 

I have custom SIMPL and SIMPL+ modules for a third party device which is not currently supported in Crestron Studio®. How would I use them in Crestron Studio®?

Create your own device which will use your custom modules and then simply add this device to your system. To create your own user device follow the steps below:

  1. Import your custom module(s) to Crestron Studio®
  2. ClosedCreate new or open existing user device in Device Designer.

    You can create a new user device right from the Start Page or by following the instructions below.

    Create a new user device by doing the following:

    1. Go to the File menu and click New

      -or-

      Press .

    2. Click on a project type and choose Device in the New Project dialog.


    3. The Name field is pre-populated with a generic name DeviceSpec, followed by a numeral. If desired, you can click in the Name field and write a custom name for your user device.

    4. Press New.

    A dialog indicating that your device is created appears briefly and a new tab of Crestron Studio® opens where you specify the necessary information to create the device

  3. Specify the Device Type and whenever possible the Device Subtype.
    Make sure to always accurately define both the device type and device subtype to match the device you plan to control. The Device Type information will also be used to determine what standard commands are available for assignment to the Module input and output properties of the device, as well as what template pages will be generated. The Device Subtype can also be used to help narrow down searches in the Product Browser.
  4. (optional) Enter new or modify other General device properties such as Device Manufacturer, Model, Description, etc.
  5. Add an appropriate transport (for example, Ethernet) and then select the corresponding custom module in the Module tree in the Connectivity pane. Note that your module(s) will be located in the User branch of the Module tree
  6. Double click on the module to make it appear in the Programming area on the top. Select the module in the Programming area and specify values for the Arguments fields on the right (Arguments differ depending on the chosen transport).

    Make sure to consult the help file provided with the module(s) if the module requires you to set specific values (for example, specific Port number that needs to be used, etc).
  7. Click the Apply button, if available for the chosen transport
  8. Save your user device by pressing or by selecting Save Device from the File menu.

 

 

I have an IR Driver (*.ir) file that I downloaded from the Application Market? How would I use it in Crestron Studio® to create my own user device? Should I import the IR driver and then just create user device with IR transport? Is there an easier way to do this?

Yes, you can import the IR driver in Crestron Studio® and then create an user device that uses IR transport. However, you can also do the following:

  1. Import the IR driver file to Crestron Studio®

    1. Go to the main toolbar of Crestron Studio® and chose File

    2. Select Import...

    3. When Select Files to Import dialog opens, scroll to the location of the IR file (TIP: To be able to quickly and easily locate your IR Device Definition files keep them organized in dedicated folder(s)).

      If needed, set the File type to: IR Device Definition (*.ir) and then select the IR driver you wish to import.

    4. Click Open

    5. File Import Assistant dialog opens, prompting you to specify Import Location and Import Action.

      Note that when importing individual IR files, the only available Import Location is Central - signifying that the IR driver will be imported to the “Central Crestron Studio® database”, thus making the IR device definition file available for use in any system project.

    6. Select from the following Import Actions:

      • NEW – Only appears if the IR file has not been imported before. This would be the only option that appears in that case.

      • USE EXISTING – Crestron Studio® will use the existing IR file and the IR file import process will be aborted. Any program that is being imported at the same time will refer to the existing file.

      • OVERWRITE – If you choose this option, the IR file data will be overwritten, so that all user devices that refer to this IR file will have their data updated. This may result in Program Designer compiler errors if some IR commands are no longer included in the file.

    7. If you wish to import an IR file that has already been imported to Crestron Studio®, but want to make a completely new user device, so as not to chance overwriting data or using an existing file that you might want to modify, please rename the IR file outside of Crestron Studio®, using a unique name for the new IR file.

    8. After successful import, the File Import Assistant dialog displays the status of the imported IR Definition file

    9. Click Finish.

     

  2. Go to the Product Browser and locate the imported IR file.

    Imported IR files are shown as User Devices in the Product Browser and can be easily identified by the prefix User IR: in the Description column:

  3. Select the desired IR Definition file:



    and add it to your system.

    When added to the system IR devices will wire up in the program with IR transports.

  4. Open the IR device in Device Designer and define the Manufacturer, Device type and Device subtype of the device .

 

 

I have a device which was implemented using SIMPL+ and does not use physical connectivity. What do I have to do to be able to bring it to Crestron Studio®?

Devices implemented using SIMPL+ module(s) which do not require physical connectivity are usually pure logic devices, thus in Crestron Studio® you need to create your own user device and use the Logic transport.

To use create such a device in Crestron Studio® just do the following:

  1. Import or create a new SIMPL+ module

  2. Create your custom user device

  3. Click the Change... button and try to define, as accurately as possible, both the Device Type and Device Subtype to match the device you plan to control

  4. Add the Logic transport

  5. Locate the SIMPL+ module created or imported in step 1 in the bottom left pane and then double click on it to add the module to the Programming Pane on top. This will associate the SIMPL+ module with the device

  6. Save your new user device by pressing or by selecting Save Device from the File menu

 

 

What do I need to do if the module for the device I'm trying to control was implemented using SIMPL#?

Controlling a device implemented in SIMPL# is not much different than controlling any other third party device.

To use a device implemented in SIMPL# just do the following:

  1. Create new SIMPL+ module

  2. Copy the SIMPL# library file (extension .clz) to the same folder where the SIMPL+ module is located

  3. Reference the SIMPL# Library within the SIMPL+ module by using the SIMPL+ compiler directive #USER_SIMPLSHARP_LIBRARY "library_name" in the 'Include Libraries' section of the SIMPL+ module. Note that the "library_name" should not include the extension.

  4. Call and use class' functions and variables from the SIMPL# library in your SIMPL+ module

  5. Create your SIMPL module, add to it the SIMPL+ module created in step 1

  6. Add the required logic symbols, define the signals and parameters and connect them to their driving sources and destinations as needed

  7. Create your custom user device.

  8. Enter new or modify other General device properties such as Device Manufacturer, Model, Description, etc.

  9. Specify the Device Type and whenever possible the Device Subtype so the device can take advantage of any standard commands and page generation templates available for this device type.

  10. Add the desired transport type (in most cases when working with devices implemented in SIMPL# you will need to use Logic transport).

  11. Select the SIMPL module created in step 5 in the Module tree in the Connectivity pane (the SIMPL module will be located in the User branch of the Module tree)

  12. Double click on the module to make it appear in the Programming area on the top.

  13. Save your user device by pressing or by selecting Save Device from the File menu.

  14. Add the device created in step 7 to your system.