Incorrect Tigger date/time format

[brmeeke]

First off, I have been exploring the new capabilities of 4.2.18.x and I want to thank those that did so much work to bring us this new capability. I have managed to streamline several of my Events and eliminate many that were virtually identical with the exception of a qualifying condition.

While streamlining one such event group, I seem to have stumbled upon a minor warning that suddenly started to pop up into my Log file. I had an event that triggered at a specific time every night and was using the Security Feature to vary the trigger time slightly. My new logic is quite different and the only Time qualifier that I needed was to ensure that it is Nighttime. This is when the warning message appeared.

The new event condition includes the following qualifier:

AND IF The time is nighttime (after sunset, before sunrise). (S)

In which case the system generates the following warning in the Log file

Incorrect trigger date/time format in event Val=1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM: Master Bedroom Lights - Off

I have done some testing and discovered that if I take away the Security feature to the Event, the error goes away. The explanation is really quite simple, a Security Override on the trigger time is in conflict with a Nighttime constraint. I raise this only because I have not seen this message before when I used Nightime in combination with Security in my events.

I also created a slight variation to the event logic where I inserted an additional OR WHEN criteria which specified that the time was a specified value. If I add the Security Feature to the event, the Log file displays multiple Warning messages.

[TC1]

The default answer is try to rebuild the event, sometimes they become corrupt. Delete the old event, build a new one just like it, see if it still occurs.
If you are still having the issue please post a screen shot of the trigger/when section and hopefully someone will try to reproduce the error (I'm still on an earlier version of HS4 until I have time this weekend to upgrade.)

[brmeeke]

Thank you for your suggestion. In reality, I was already concerned that perhaps the old event had been corrupted. In addition, the old event also included a lot of other logic that would only cloud the issue so I created a new very simple event as shown below and repeated my tests. Same results.

[TC1]

Thanks for the screenshot, I'm curious though (maybe unrelated), it looks like the device you are triggering on and then controlling, it says "root" in the name. Is it a Z-wave device? The reason I ask is that usually it's a child feature such as "light" that gets controlled and a switch child feature that triggers the event.

[brmeeke]

I have both Z-Wave and Insteon devices in my house. In this instance, I am referring to an Insteon Switch which is why the nomenclature is a little different.

[TC1]

Ah, got it. Thanks for the clarification. Hopefully someone else will confirm if this is a bug or not, if not, I will try to reproduce once I upgrade to 4.2.18.x this weekend.

[randy]

1) It looks like you have discovered a bug, there is no need to apply an offset to a Condition. It shouldn’t be allowed or done. 2) Despite the bug, I see no logic to adding a security offset to an Event that doesn’t have a time trigger. Applying it to a time range (nighttime) makes no sense, since the trigger is based on a device changing value.

I only saw an error when I saved the Event

3/10/2023 5:28:01 PM HomeSeer Warning Incorrect trigger date/time format in event Val=1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM: HomeSeer Demo Test1
3/10/2023 5:27:43 PM HomeSeer Warning Incorrect trigger date/time format in event Val=1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM: HomeSeer Demo Test1

The Event ran reliably with Daytime as a condition

3/10/2023 5:34:04 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo Test1"
3/10/2023 5:33:04 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo Test1"
3/10/2023 5:32:04 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo Test1"
3/10/2023 5:31:04 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo Test1"
3/10/2023 5:30:04 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo Test1"
3/10/2023 5:29:04 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo Test1"
3/10/2023 5:28:04 PM HomeSeer Event Event Trigger "HomeSeer Demo Test1"

I’ve changed the Condition to nighttime and will see what happens

[brmeeke]

Hi Randy

I am running HS4 Version 4.2.18.2 and I get the warning message regardless of whether I include a Daytime or Nighttime criteria. I wonder if that is why you did not see a Warning message where I did???

I agree with you that the inclusion of a Security offset does not make any sense in this scenario. I almost decided to ignore the Warning because the criteria is not realistic. I only discovered the issue by chance when I was reworking the logic of an existing event that had a specific time reference in one of the conditions. The new event now includes a Nighttime reference instead but I missed the Security offset. The system threw the Warning when I saved the event and it did it again when I started my testing.

[randy]

Since there seems to be a problem with Easy Trigger Conditions in a Conditional Action group, do you get the error when it is a top level Condition?

[brmeeke]

Let me investigate. Are you suggesting that my bug may have some larger implications than what I reported?

[randy]

Let me investigate. Are you suggesting that my bug may have some larger implications than what I reported?

I’m just thinking that since I proved Easy Trigger works as a primary condition but fails in a Conditional Action, the errors may only be generated when it is used as a Conditional Action.