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Driver Type
Categories
- Recent Updates
- Access Control
- Amplifier
- A/V Receiver
- Climate and Pool Control
- Disc Player / Changer
- Display
- DSP
- DVR
- Irrigation / Sprinklers
- Lighting Control
- Matrix Switch
- Media Server and Player
- Multi-Room A/V
- Networking
- Power and Rack Management
- Security
- Surveillance
- Teleconferencing
- Training
- Tuner
- Utility
- Video Projector
Universal Helper
By: Marc Perreten
Updated: Aug. 12, 2026
Version: 2.5
The Universal Helper Driver combines several practical features in one driver:
- 10 individually named timers with start/retrigger, pause, resume, stop, progress display, and completion events.
- 5 individually named PIN codes supporting 1–6 digits.
- PIN entry using number keys, backspace, clear, and enter.
- Invalid PIN feedback and individual events for successful PIN entries.
- Optional automatic logout after 1, 2, 5, or 10 minutes.
- Individual logout events, separate PIN logout, and logout-all command.
- Auto-logout progress variables for bar graph visualization.
- 10 individually named device flags, with an independent status for each handheld.
- Mutually exclusive device-flag selection: one flag is activated while all others are cleared.
- 10 individually named global Boolean flags shared across the complete RTI system.
The driver is ideal for wait screens, timed sequences, protected control areas, and device-specific or system-wide status logic.
Universal Helper Driver
Copyright 2021-2026 Stilus SA, Marc Perreten
Overview
The Universal Helper provides ten timers, five configurable PIN access slots, ten device-specific boolean flags and ten global boolean flags. Names can be customized in the driver configuration.
Timers
Each timer supports Start / Retrigger, Pause, Resume, and Stop and Reset. Start / Retrigger always begins a fresh countdown using the supplied duration. Pause preserves progress and Resume continues it. The Finished event is emitted only when the complete duration has elapsed.
Timer variables provide Progress (0-100), Running, and Paused states.
PIN access
Configure up to five numeric PIN codes. Each PIN may contain 1 to 6 digits, so four-, five-, and six-digit codes are supported. Every enabled PIN must be unique. An empty PIN disables its slot. If duplicate, non-numeric, or longer PINs are configured, the affected slots are disabled and PIN Configuration Valid is false.
Use PIN Digit 0 through PIN Digit 9 to build an independent entry on each user-interface device. Assign the new PIN Enter / Validate (Recommended) and Clear PIN Display (Recommended) commands to the keypad buttons. Masked and clear-text entry variables are available. A valid submit clears the entry and emits the Correct PIN Entered event belonging to the matching PIN. An invalid submit displays the configurable Invalid PIN Message in the masked, clear-text, and status variables. The next digit or Clear command removes the message.
Each PIN slot has an optional Automatic Logout checkbox. When enabled, select a delay of 1, 2, 5, or 10 minutes. Variables indicate whether each auto-logout timer is running and provide its progress from 0 to 100 for use with a bar graph. The manual Log Out function and Log Out All PINs command are always available. Both manual and automatic logout emit the corresponding Logged Out event.
Device-specific flags
The ten device-specific flags use RTI view variables. Each handheld or user-interface device receives its own independent boolean value. Set or toggle commands automatically receive the calling device ID. Select Device Flag (Mutually Exclusive) sets the selected device flag to On and all other device flags to Off for that calling device only.
Global flags
The ten global flags are shared by all devices in the RTI system. Use Set Global Flag or Toggle Global Flag and select the individually named flag.
Version history
v2.5 - Added visible invalid-PIN feedback, device-specific result variables, and newly named recommended Enter and Clear commands.
v2.4 - Added a 0-100 auto-logout progress variable for every PIN slot.
v2.3 - PIN length standardized to 1-6 digits and Clear PIN Entry made robust across interface and macro device contexts.
v2.2 - Detailed safe PIN TraceView diagnostics, reliable submit command signature, immediate entry clearing, auto-logout running variables, and Log Out All PINs.
v2.1 - Device-specific PIN keypad, unique PIN validation, logout events, and mutually exclusive device flag selection.
v2.0 - Universal Helper: reliable timer retriggering, pause/resume state, PIN access with optional auto logout, device-specific flags, and global flags.
v1.3 - Timer duration expanded to 1200 seconds.
v1.2 - Timer 5 and 6 fixes.
v1.1 - Timer duration expanded to 1000 seconds.
v1.0 - Initial Universal Timer release.