Non-obvious HC3 write-path hazards learned from direct experimentation. Covers silent data loss on PUT /api/devices/{id} and PUT /api/panels/climate/{id} (array-valued properties like quickAppVariables / parameters / schedules fully replace, so partial writes wipe siblings); silent value coercion on the setVariable action endpoint (numeric-looking strings become numbers and break the HC3 UI edit affordance); silent enum coercion on climate zone mode (invalid values become "Manual"); cache-only writes on Z-wave configuration parameters (PUT updates HC3's cached copy without transmitting to the device); silent action failures via HC3's HTTP-202-with-jsonrpc-error-envelope shape; and the read-modify-write + post-write-verify pattern that defends against them. USE FOR: writing to HC3 state via REST from QA code or external callers, or when deciding whether to use a direct api.put() / api.post() call vs a guarded helper.
Full HC3 QuickApp Lua API reference: fibaro.* functions, QuickApp methods (self:updateProperty, self:updateView, self:getVariable, etc.), plugin.* API, api.* REST calls, net.HTTPClient/TCPSocket, timers (setTimeout/setInterval), JSON, and standard Lua libraries available in QA context. USE FOR: writing QuickApp code, looking up specific method signatures, understanding what functions are available, fixing "attempt to call nil" errors on QA methods.
Known gotchas, quirks, and behaviour differences when developing Fibaro HC3 QuickApps. Covers UI rendering issues (HTML in labels, new-views flag), property/variable edge cases, event handling surprises, and HC3 firmware behaviour differences. USE FOR: diagnosing unexpected QA behaviour on a real HC3, UI not rendering as expected, callbacks not firing, properties not updating.
All Fibaro device types (40+ types: switches, sensors, climate, covers, controllers), plua file headers (--%%name, --%%type, --%%var, --%%u:, --%%debug, etc.), UI element syntax (label, button, slider, switch, select, multi), and minimal starter templates for each device category. USE FOR: creating a new QuickApp, choosing the right device type (e.g. "what type for a temperature sensor?"), defining UI elements, understanding required actions per device type.
Create new skills, modify and improve existing skills, and measure skill performance. Use when users want to create a skill from scratch, edit, or optimize an existing skill, run evals to test a skill, benchmark skill performance with variance analysis, or optimize a skill's description for better triggering accuracy.
Common QuickApp implementation patterns: timer polling loops, cancellable timers, retry on failure, async HTTP requests (net.HTTPClient), refreshStates event polling (listening for HC3 device changes), RefreshStateSubscriber class, child device patterns, global variable access, state persistence (QA variables, internalStorage), UI update patterns, calling other devices, time-based schedulers, sending notifications. USE FOR: implementing recurring tasks, reacting to HC3 events, making HTTP calls, managing child devices, keeping state across restarts.
How to use the QwikAppChild library (--%%file:$fibaro.lib.qwikchild,qwikchild) for managing QuickApp child devices with UID-based addressing, declarative child definitions, per-child UI, internalStorage variables, and UI event routing to children. USE FOR: creating/loading/removing child devices, attaching UI to a child, routing UI callbacks to child methods, persisting child-scoped state, one-shot or declarative child management patterns.
Use this skill when the user asks you to work with Fibaro HC3 QuickApp files in the VS Code Explorer. This covers reading, editing, creating, deleting, and searching Lua files inside hc3:// workspace folders, as well as reading and updating QuickApp properties via the (QuickApp).hc3qa file.