UPDATE! I’ve started a github project for my server software. Still very alpha but you can check it out here: https://github.com/Kenji776/AlexaHomeHub

If you follow my blog, you might have caught my post yesterday about how I bought an Amazon Echo device, and have begun creating my own custom actions for it. I started small, simply making it call out to my web server by using If This Then That (IFTTT – a website that allows you to connect and integrate different services). I got it to connect to my door lock and unlock service I had written, and even got it to chromecast specific pre-setup videos to one of my TV’s using a command line tool. Feeling somewhat confident I decided it was time to take on something a little more in depth, but oh so worth it. I was going going to make Alexa order me a pizza.

If you are an Echo/Alexa user you might know that there is already support for ordering a pizza but only from Dominos. It uses some system of having a saved order, then tweeting a specific bit of info at the Dominos twitter account that is tied to your order which then places it. This has a few drawbacks. Primarily being that it orders you a Dominos pizza (sorry guys, in all fairness Dominos has gotten a lot better in recent years). Also it requires twitter integration, and as far as I know only supports one order that you have saved (I could be wrong). The using a saved order was a good idea as it streamlines and simplifies the ordering process quite nicely. I wanted to do something like this, but instead I wanted Sarpinos pizza, and I wanted to be able to pick from several different pre-created orders. Using my knowledge of browser automation that I picked up from my door lock/unlock project and my existing web server, I got to work.

First off, I had to figure out all the things that needed to happen. Off the bat I knew I’d be using their online ordering interface. They don’t have an API, so I knew I’d have to be automating browser interactions. Next I had to break down the process of ordering the pizza online step by step, all the HTML elements involved and how to interact with them. Then I would be able to automate those interactions using the Selenium library. So I went through the process like a normal person and created this list. At each step I inspected the HTML elements involved and recorded them so I could figure out how to identify them and interact with them later. I created an order and saved it as a favorite so next time I’d come back in I would be prompted if I’d like to order that again. From there I was able to create the following list of things I knew needed to get done.