PepperDash.Essentials.Plugins.Zoom.Room 2.0.0-feature-v3-migration.42

Essentials Plugin Template (c) 2023

License

Provided under MIT license

Overview

Fork this repo when creating a new plugin for Essentials. For more information about plugins, refer to the Essentials Wiki Plugins article.

This repo contains example classes for the three main categories of devices:

• EssentialsPluginTemplateDevice: Used for most third party devices which require communication over a streaming mechanism such as a Com port, TCP/SSh/UDP socket, CEC, etc
• EssentialsPluginTemplateLogicDevice: Used for devices that contain logic, but don't require any communication with third parties outside the program
• EssentialsPluginTemplateCrestronDevice: Used for devices that represent a piece of Crestron hardware

There are matching factory classes for each of the three categories of devices. The EssentialsPluginTemplateConfigObject should be used as a template and modified for any of the categories of device. Same goes for the EssentialsPluginTemplateBridgeJoinMap.

This also illustrates how a plugin can contain multiple devices.

Cloning Instructions

After forking this repository into your own GitHub space, you can create a new repository using this one as the template. Then you must install the necessary dependencies as indicated below.

Dependencies

The Essentials libraries are required. They referenced via nuget. You must have nuget.exe installed and in the PATH environment variable to use the following command. Nuget.exe is available at nuget.org.

Installing Dependencies

To install dependencies once nuget.exe is installed, run the following command from the root directory of your repository: nuget install .\packages.config -OutputDirectory .\packages -excludeVersion. Alternatively, you can simply run the GetPackages.bat file. To verify that the packages installed correctly, open the plugin solution in your repo and make sure that all references are found, then try and build it.

Installing Different versions of PepperDash Core

If you need a different version of PepperDash Core, use the command nuget install .\packages.config -OutputDirectory .\packages -excludeVersion -Version {versionToGet}. Omitting the -Version option will pull the version indicated in the packages.config file.

Instructions for Renaming Solution and Files

See the Task List in Visual Studio for a guide on how to start using the template. There is extensive inline documentation and examples as well.

For renaming instructions in particular, see the XML remarks tags on class definitions

Build Instructions (PepperDash Internal)

Generating Nuget Package

In the solution folder is a file named "PDT.EssentialsPluginTemplate.nuspec"

1. Rename the file to match your plugin solution name
2. Edit the file to include your project specifics including
   1. <id>PepperDash.Essentials.Plugin.MakeModel</id> Convention is to use the prefix "PepperDash.Essentials.Plugin" and include the MakeModel of the device.
   2. <projectUrl>https://github.com/PepperDash/EssentialsPluginTemplate</projectUrl> Change to your url to the project repo

There is no longer a requirement to adjust workflow files for nuget generation for private and public repositories. This is now handled automatically in the workflow.

If you do not make these changes to the nuspec file, the project will not generate a nuget package

Console Commands

The plugin registers the following console commands (operator access level):

Commissioning: pairing a new system

Every Zoom Room resource must be paired with Zoom's cloud once, using a one-time activation code, before the plugin can log in and start reporting meeting status. Follow this procedure when commissioning a system for the first time.

1. Generate the activation code in Zoom. In the Zoom web portal, go to Room Management > Zoom Rooms, select (or add) the Room resource for this system, and generate an activation code from its Room Profile > Edit / Activate page. The code is single-use and expires after a short window (check the portal for the exact expiration), so generate it right before you're ready to pair.
2. Pair the room. Choose one of the following:
   • Recommended for first-time commissioning: at the processor console, run:

     pairZoomRoom <activation-code>
     

     This pairs immediately without requiring a program restart or a config change.
   • Alternative: set activationCode in the device's properties block in the configuration file, then load/restart the program. On startup, if there are no stored pairing credentials yet, the plugin automatically calls PairRoomWithActivationCode using the configured value.
3. Verify pairing succeeded. Watch the console/error log for the pairing result. Once paired, the room can be confirmed via the SDK connection state or by checking meeting status.
4. Re-pairing after a factory reset or activation code rotation. Stored credentials are reused automatically on every subsequent startup/reconnect (see Connection watchdog below), so a fresh activation code is only needed if the room was unpaired, or Zoom invalidated/rotated the credentials. In that case:
   • Generate a new activation code in the Zoom portal as in step 1.
   • Run pairZoomRoom <new-activation-code> to pair with the new code directly, or
   • Update activationCode in configuration and run forceRepairZoom, which clears the stale stored credentials and re-pairs using the newly configured code.

Note: Leaving activationCode in configuration after initial commissioning is harmless — it is only consulted when there are no stored credentials (first boot) or when forceRepairZoom is invoked explicitly.

Behavior notes

MeetingInfo.CanRecord

CanRecord reflects the ZRC SDK's MeetingRecordingInfo.canIRecord — whether this room can start recording (the room's own ability). Because a host can always record, CanRecord stays true while the room is host and does not track the "Record to computer" switch in Zoom's Host-tools menu. That switch is a participant permission (RecordingPermissionTypeLocalRecording) governing whether attendees may record locally — it is not the room's own ability, and the plugin does not currently surface the participant recording-permission states. (Toggling it off while hosting will not change CanRecord; this is expected.)

Note: Crestron console command names cannot be a complete prefix of another registered command, so the force re-pair command is named forceRepairZoom rather than repairZoomRoomConfig (which would collide with repairZoomRoom).

Connection watchdog / auto-repair

The plugin actively monitors the SDK connection and self-heals silent/half-open drops — cases where the network dies without a clean close, leaving the SDK reporting connected while it is actually dead (devcomm would otherwise sit stuck at IsOk).

• Detection: a 30 s liveness poll plus consecutive command-failure strikes trigger a real GetMeetingStatus() probe; a failed probe marks the device offline in devcomm (InError).
• Repair: auto-reconnect with escalating backoff (5 → 10 → 20 → 30 → 60 s, capped at 60 s) that never gives up until the room is reachable again — no program restart or manual repairZoomRoom needed.

See docs/connection-watchdog-silent-disconnect.md for the full write-up (issue, replication, fix, and lab validation).