node-red-contrib-knx-ultimate/tutorial/knxUltimateAlerter.md

Control your KNX and KNX Secure intallation via Node-Red! A bunch of KNX nodes, with integrated Philips HUE control and ETS group address importer. Easy to use and highly configurable.

# knxUltimateAlerter Node – Tutorial Outline

## 1. Intro (0:00)
- "Welcome back! In this episode we dive into the `knxUltimateAlerter` node, the watchdog that spots KNX devices stuck in alarm or missing updates."
- "We’ll configure alert rules, review the three outputs, and fine-tune timing."

## 2. Purpose & Use Cases (0:25)
- "Use the alerter when you need reminders about devices that stop reporting, reach critical states, or pass a custom threshold."
- "Typical examples: open windows left overnight, lights that remain on, or sensors that stop updating."

## 3. Inputs & Outputs (0:50)
- "One input receives KNX messages (usually from `knxUltimate` nodes) or synthetic alerts."
- "Output 1: emits a message for each active alert on a schedule."
- "Output 2: delivers a single aggregate object containing all current alerts."
- "Output 3: reports only the last alert raised, handy for notifications."

## 4. Core Configuration (1:20)
- **Server** (optional): link to a `knxUltimate-config` node if you want ETS CSV autocomplete and secure GA highlights.
- **Name**: friendly label shown in the workspace.
- **Property / Property Type**: choose which field of the incoming message the rules should inspect (defaults to `msg.payload`).
- **Rules**: define each monitored device or group address. Autocomplete is available when the gateway exposes ETS CSV data. Each rule lets you set short and long labels for status messages.

## 5. Alert Scheduling (2:00)
- **When to Start**: choose between `ifnewalert` (start timer when a new alert appears) or `always` (cycle even when no new alerts arrive)."
- **Timer Interval**: number of minutes between repeated notifications on Output 1.
- **Initial Read GA In Rules**: set to `1` to request an initial status when the flow deploys (ideal when rules target group addresses)."

## 6. Working With Rules (2:40)
- "Add rules with the plus button; each row stores: group address/topic, a short name (14 chars for dashboards) and a long name (for voice assistants or logs)."
- "Drag-and-drop to reorder. Remove with the trash icon."
- "Use the CSV autocomplete to import device metadata; the node trims long labels automatically."

## 7. Message Flow (3:15)
- "When the watched property matches your rule logic, the node adds that device to the alert list and immediately emits the ‘last alert’ output."
- "Repeated emission cadence is controlled by the timer interval."
- "The aggregate output is perfect for dashboards or summary notifications."

## 8. Best Practices (3:45)
- "Feed KNX telegrams through a function node to pre-process payloads (convert booleans to `ON/OFF`, numbers to ranges)."
- "Keep rule names descriptive; the node reuses them in the output payload."
- "Use Output 3 to drive push notifications and Output 2 to update UI widgets."

## 9. Demo Ideas (4:10)
- "Example: monitor window contact addresses and send email reminders every ten minutes until they close."
- "Example: combine with `knxUltimateLogger` to log every alert start and end."

## 10. Wrap-Up & CTA (4:40)
- "We configured the rule list, scheduling options, and explored each output path."
- "Like and subscribe for more KNX automation walkthroughs, and drop your alerting scenarios in the comments!"