I have a KPL button that is set as a trigger action to play an iTunes playlist. 95+% UNreliable. iTunes is sending the signal to an Airport Express (airTunes)

Code: Select all

iTunesStartPlaylist("Playlistname", true)
iTunesStop("Playlistname", true)

have also tried:

Code: Select all

tell application "iTunes"
activate
end tell
iTunesStartPlaylist("Playlistname", true)

iTunesStop("Playlistname", true)
tell application "iTunes"
quit
end tell

1) The commands show up in the event log.
2) It works 100% when using the button "Execute Actions Now" from inside Indigo.
3) The second Applescript launches/quits iTunes correctly.

???

Are you sure Indigo is seeing the KPL button press and is firing your trigger? That's the likely cause - that Indigo isn't seeing the KPL button press, most likely because of some signal attenuation.

"signal attenuation" ?? Log always looks fine.

Code: Select all

Jun 10, 2011 4:13:31 PM
  Received INSTEON    "Lighting [KPL - front entry]" on (button 8)
  Trigger Action      iTunes [casita] LAUNCH/PLAY
  Time/Date Action    iTunes [casita] LAUNCH/PLAY (delayed action)
  iTunes Attachment   start playlist Security

Jun 10, 2011 4:14:18 PM
  Received INSTEON    "Lighting [KPL - front entry]" off (button 8)
  Trigger Action      iTunes [casita] STOP/QUIT
  Time/Date Action    iTunes [casita] STOP/QUIT (delayed action)
  iTunes Attachment   stop

*note: added .05 action delay to see if it helps. Doesn't seem to.

And the scripts above are exactly what's in the actions for those respective triggers?

Exactly. I don't understand why it works sometimes, but mostly not.

Trigger action [Embedded Applescript]

Code: Select all

tell application "iTunes"
    activate
end tell
iTunesStartPlaylist("Security", true)

['execute action now' button in Indigo] iTunes launched but NO play, and NO open dialogs. Now this method is testing unreliable.

I learned early on to UNcheck any iTunes automatic features [check for updates/retrieve CD track names/available downloads/prepurchased content/album artwork...] that could possibly generate a dialog box, and prevent iTunes from playing.

Code: Select all

Jun 11, 2011 9:12:33 AM
  Trigger Action      iTunes [casita] LAUNCH/PLAY
  Time/Date Action    iTunes [casita] LAUNCH/PLAY (delayed action)
  iTunes Attachment   iTunes is not responding (check iTunes for open modal dialogs)

[KPL button] iTunes launched and YES play. BUT log entries are exactly the same as when it does NOT play, which ±95% of the time it does NOT play.

Code: Select all

Jun 11, 2011 9:17:00 AM
  Received INSTEON    "Lighting [KPL - front entry]" on (button 8)
  Trigger Action      iTunes [casita] LAUNCH/PLAY
  Time/Date Action    iTunes [casita] LAUNCH/PLAY (delayed action)
  iTunes Attachment   start playlist Security

Given that there's no other errors except for that one indicating that iTunes isn't responding, the only thing I can think of is that iTunes is having some kind of issue on your Mac. That not responding error is very suspicious - as you point out, iTunes' responses to apple events (which is what AppleScript uses) are very often hampered by other things it may be doing.

Perhaps delete iTunes and reinstall it?

Already reinstalled iTunes before I came here for help.

I have seen the:

Code: Select all

iTunes Attachment   iTunes is not responding (check iTunes for open modal dialogs)

error before, but there actually was an open dialog [auto check for updates pref], This is the first time I have seen it with NO open dialogs!

???

I see it pretty often - when it's syncing an iPhone/iPad/AppleTV, ripping CDs, and occasionally for no apparent reason. This sometimes resolves by itself, sometimes after an iTunes restart, and sometimes requires a reboot. No idea why but I've never had one of those not fix it.