I would like to use the API to connect and disconnect Environment and Flat Box equipment

Sequence Generator Feature Requests
1

This is not a bug or a problem, but a feature request. I would like to use the API to be able to connect (and disconnect) the Environment and the Flat Box equipment. Is there a plan to add these features to SGPro?

Thanks!

Useful Info

OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Ver: 4.2.0.968 (32-bit)
.NET: 4.8
ASCOM: 6.6.0.3444

2

Moved to feature request category.

Also if you can provide some additional info on why this would be useful that can help guide us as to what we end up pulling in.

Thank you,
Jared

3

My friend, Mark Wilcoxen and I are operating a telescope setup remotely from Columbus, Ohio at Deep Sky West for years. We have been using SGPro from the start with great success to acquire LRGB images. We would like to do variable star observation in the future. That means, we will have a lot more targets than for LRGB with shorter exposures.
I am developing a software that evaluates a number of requirements (Sun altitude below the horizon, Moon phase, Moon distance from target, target elevation, and roof status) to determine what the best target would be from a target list provided. The software would run day and night. When it finds a target that meets all conditions, it can start SGPro (if it is not running), connects the camera, filter wheel, focuser, telescope, flat box, and environment (if they are not connected), unparks the telescope (if it is parked), slews the telescope to the target and takes the appropriate number of images with the required filter after focusing.
If the connect and disconnect the environment and flat box devices are not supported, the automatic startup has to become manual.
For the Altinak flat box we are using, I found a workaround using the AACmd.exe executable provided by Altinak. Even though it is working for our system, I would prefer controlling all devices via SGPro APIs. (BTW, it would be nice to have the flat box Close and Open commands in the API as well.)
For connecting the environment device there is no workaround. The benefit of having the environment device connected is that the FIPS header will have the environment data as well, which is valuable for manual and automatic post processing.
Sorry for the lengthy explanation.
I hope that the implementation of these features require relatively little effort on your part.
Thank you,
Gabor Blaho