I want a "where is the xxxxx" skill that someone else sets up

[Snafs]

Is this possible?
Could a skill be written?

I have a bar of chocolate, and I place it in a drawer in the bedroom.

I then tell Alexa:

"Alexa, the chocolate is in one of the bedroom drawers"

Later that day, someone else says:

"Alexa, where's the chocolate"

To which Alexa replies:

"The chocolate is in one of the bedroom drawers"

This type of question and answer could be put to all sorts of uses.
Even just to remind yourself where you put something.

Or for a Senior person, as you could say where something is, and they can just ask Alexa and get told what you have previously said.

I understand it needs the ability for the Echo to listen, record and play back a string of text/words upon request, so not sure if this is even possible yet?

[kevb]

Couldn't you just add this to your shopping list or to-do list? Just think of it as a "memo list"

[StevenR]

There is a skill like this showing for me called "Debby Onsite". It does appear to have problems recognising certain phrases, but a simple example like this worked for me:

Me: Alexa, tell Debby Onsite that I left the keys on the kitchen table.
Alexa: Debby Onsite noted that you have placed the keys on the kitchen table
Me: Alexa, ask Debby Onsite where are the keys?
Alexa: Debby Onsite says that you can probably find the keys on the kitchen table

[strayfish]

There is a skill like this showing for me called "Debby Onsite". It does appear to have problems recognising certain phrases, but a simple example like this worked for me:

Me: Alexa, tell Debby Onsite that I left the keys on the kitchen table.
Alexa: Debby Onsite noted that you have placed the keys on the kitchen table
Me: Alexa, ask Debby Onsite where are the keys?
Alexa: Debby Onsite says that you can probably find the keys on the kitchen table

I just tried this for a timer. It's obviously geared to reporting where to find something but I set a timer for 4 minutes (while my coffee filtered), then asked Echo to tell Debby Onsite that the timer means coffee. When it went off, I stopped the timer then asked Echo to ask Debby Onsite what the timer means. She said that 'You can probably find the timer means the coffee'. Good enough for many if not perfect!

[Snafs]

Thanks, that does sound interesting, but god who decided to need to say that mouthful for every command?

[coyote]

Couldn't you just add this to your shopping list or to-do list? Just think of it as a "memo list"

Yes.... but no. They are conceptually different.
What if you have entered 60 items into the "where is" list? You ask Alexa "Where are the scissors", and she repeats the entire list, 5 items at a time, until she reaches item 57 which are the scissors?

What the OP is suggesting is a skill (let's call the skill 'Jenny') that takes the spoken phrase "Alexa, tell Jenny the scissors are in the top drawer next to the kitchen sink" and parses it out into two components: the object, and the description. Each component gets stored in a table. Then when someone else asks "Alexa, ask Jenny where are the scissors?" The skill puts "the scissors" in a variable, matches that variable against column 1 of the table, and based on it extracts the item in column 2 into the response variable and responds: "[Variable1] is [Variable2]" which Alexa then speaks as "The scissors are in the top drawer next to the kitchen sink".

And that could go waaay beyond location. 'Jenny' could respond to 'where', 'how', etc. So imagine your wife cooked you dinner, then had to leave for an emergency, then you have to leave for the night shift. You say "Alexa, tell Jenny dinner is delicious". Wife comes back from the emergency, says "Alexa, ask Jenny how is (was?) dinner"? Alexa replies "Dinner is delicious".

EDIT: it might be even simpler. I've not yet explored the API for Alexa, but it might indeed be as simple as a single column list against which a search word is deployed. For example, in Excel if you type a column of perhaps six phrases and then search the worksheet for any one word (or part a word), it goes to the cell containing the entire phrase.so if one of the entries says "the weather is cloudy" and you search 'cloud', it takes you to that cell.

This skill is probably very easy to write. And hypothetically, could include any phrase you want.
You might have two discrete skills: Tell Jenny, and Ask Jenny.
"Alexa, Tell Jenny the scotch tape is in the credenza middle drawer".
Then....
"Alexa, Ask Jenny "scotch tape" ".
Tell Jenny compiles the list as phrases, and Ask Jenny searches keyword and returns any/all items that contain it.

[kevb]

If one needs help finding all of those things, perhaps one needs something more than Alexa. 

[coyote]

If one needs help finding all of those things, perhaps one needs something more than Alexa. 

Yeah LOL

But seriously, this could be a great idea. Think on it for a minute. Where are my keys? Where did I leave the philips screwdriver? Where did I put that traffic ticket - if I don't find it and pay it soon, the fine is gonna double?

The limitations are that Alexa doesn't seem too good at dynamic list maintenance; you would have to access the list via the Alexa app occasionally to ensure 'dead' items (ones that are no longer accurate) are purged. But we already know from the shopping list that it does a good job of building lists, and we know that while not as adept as google it also searches known lists pretty well. We just need to get it to search our own list.

[kevb]

If one currently keeps a written list for this, there could be a benefit to have it on an Echo. Or perhaps inventory management at a warehouse, it could be useful. As for me, the keys are on a hook, the screwdriver is in the toolbox in the garage, etc. Personally, I just don't keep a lot of lists (or chocolate in a bedroom drawer)

[renegade600]

you can always create your own audio file as to where the chocolate is, upload it to your amazon music, then play it a few days later.  it would be the same if you wanted to leave someone an voice note.