Easy Trigger plug-in - Feature Requests

[spud]

Please use this thread to ask for new triggers, conditions or actions.

[randy]

How about an offset in the comparison? For both the trigger and condition. For example If Device A is (<, <=, -, >= >) Device B + value.

If device A temperature is > Device B +2.

I think the offset would only need to be on one side, perhaps it might be more useful if the offset could be +/- and the value could be numeric rather than just an integer.

[spud]

How about an offset in the comparison? For both the trigger and condition. For example If Device A is (<, <=, -, >= >) Device B + value.

If device A temperature is > Device B +2.

I think the offset would only need to be on one side, perhaps it might be more useful if the offset could be +/- and the value could be numeric rather than just an integer.

good idea, I will add offset

[S-F]

How about a random time trigger? For example the event will fire every x - y minutes. But not more than every z minutes and not less than every w minutes. And maybe an option for an event to randomly not fire at all. The last could be a condition.

[spud]

How about a random time trigger? For example the event will fire every x - y minutes. But not more than every z minutes and not less than every w minutes. And maybe an option for an event to randomly not fire at all. The last could be a condition.

not sure I understand the difference between y and z? and between x and w as well?
could you provide some use cases for such a trigger?

[randy]

not sure I understand the difference between y and z? and between x and w as well?
could you provide some use cases for such a trigger?

Randomizing events,

This event will trigger at a random period of time every 1(x) to 60(y) minutes. It will also trigger at least once every 50(w) minutes but no more often than once every 10(z) minutes. I can see the value of z, but I think that w would be determined by y if w is less than y, then y has no bearing. If w is greater than y it would always be true.

The condition or an option would be that at random times the event won't fire at all. S-F would have to explain how that is affected by the rules for w and z.

[S-F]

The event would trigger a random number of minutes between a lower parameter and a higher parameter. (x - y)

But no less than a specified number of minutes (w) and no more than a specified number of minutes (z).

So an event will run once every 2 - 10 minutes (for example) but w and z keep it from firing too often or too little. They constrain the initial parameters. This is useful when there are recurring events. So events don't fire too close to each other.

[randy]

The event would trigger a random number of minutes between a lower parameter and a higher parameter. (x - y)

But no less than a specified number of minutes (w) and no more than a specified number of minutes (z).

So an event will run once every 2 - 10 minutes (for example) but w and z keep it from firing too often or too little. They constrain the initial parameters. This is useful when there are recurring events. So events don't fire too close to each other.

That is what I tried to describe above, but I just don't get "z". If "z" was less that 10 minutes, then it would override "y" and if "z" was greater than 10 minutes, it would fire at "y" making "z" irrelevant. Then the way you describe "w" it seems to have the same dichotomy as "z".


I could see an event that randomly fires once every 2-10 minutes, but no more than once in any 10 minute period or something to that effect.


Am I missing something?

[spud]

guys,
if I implement it like this:
the user choose x and y, let's say x=2 and y=10 in this example

let's say t0 = 00:00
the plugin draws a random number r1 between 2 and 10, r1=3 for example
the event is triggered at t1=t0 + r1 = 00:03
the plugin draws another random number r2 between 2 and 10, r2=5 for example
the event is triggered at t2=t1 + r2 = 00:08
etc...

this way it's guaranteed that the event will be triggered at least once every 10 minutes, and no more than once in any 2 minutes period

no need for w and z parameters, am I missing something?

[S-F]

That looks good to me. Randy was right (again Some kind of overachiever?) that in my last post the z was redundant.

[randy]

OK since we're spit balling here...

We have Conditions "The time is before this,,," and "The time is after this...", both of which are tied to a specific time. What we need is to be able to tie them to sunrise and sunset times instead of a specific time. We have Conditions The Time is this before (after) sunrise (sunset) but those are only true at specific times based upon sunrise and sunset.

Oon the Condition front one thing desperately missing from HomeSeer are conditions "before (after) XXh, XXm, XXs before (after) sunset" and "before (after) XXh, XXm, XXs before (after) sunrise".

Right now it is impossible to construct this event without a virtual device.

IF Downstairs Media Room Motion Control changes and becomes motion
AND IF The time is before 30 minutes after sunrise
AND IF The time is after 30 minutes before Sunset
Then Set Device Media Room Lights to 50%

-or-

IF Media Room Lights are set and has a value greater than 1%
AND IF The time is after 30 minutes after sunrise
AND IF The time is before 30 minutes before Sunset
Then Set Device Media Room Lights to 75%

etc.

This is outside the scope of this plug-in as they are actions.

I use a script to do this now but there have been a lot of requests. An action to increment or decrement a dimmer by X. This could also even apply to thermostat setpoints.

The action would be Then increase (decrease) Device Living Room lights by 10%

-or-

Then increase (decrease) Device Living Room Thermostat Heating setpoint by 1 degree

Another event action would be a toggle for binary devices - if the device is on, turn it off if it is off turn it on. Among other uses this could work with the random timer that S-F suggested to create random lighting events.

[spud]

OK since we're spit balling here...

We have Conditions "The time is before this,,," and "The time is after this...", both of which are tied to a specific time. What we need is to be able to tie them to sunrise and sunset times instead of a specific time. We have Conditions The Time is this before (after) sunrise (sunset) but those are only true at specific times based upon sunrise and sunset.

Oon the Condition front one thing desperately missing from HomeSeer are conditions "before (after) XXh, XXm, XXs before (after) sunset" and "before (after) XXh, XXm, XXs before (after) sunrise".

Right now it is impossible to construct this event without a virtual device.

IF Downstairs Media Room Motion Control changes and becomes motion
AND IF The time is before 30 minutes after sunrise
AND IF The time is after 30 minutes before Sunset
Then Set Device Media Room Lights to 50%

-or-

IF Media Room Lights are set and has a value greater than 1%
AND IF The time is after 30 minutes after sunrise
AND IF The time is before 30 minutes before Sunset
Then Set Device Media Room Lights to 75%

etc.

I find all these "time is before/after X mins before/after sunrise/sunset" conditions very confusing and very error prone. So what if you could define some time range graphically similarly to the schedules introduced in this plugin, but for a single day. And then when you would click on a time range you would get a popup from which you would be able to override the start/end time with Sunset/Sunrise +/- offset

something like on the screenshot below


it is a lot more work for me than doing it with text only, and actually I'm not even sure I can integrate it nicely in the Events page, but if you think it is a good idea, I can try.

[spud]

How about an offset in the comparison? For both the trigger and condition. For example If Device A is (<, <=, -, >= >) Device B + value.

If device A temperature is > Device B +2.

I think the offset would only need to be on one side, perhaps it might be more useful if the offset could be +/- and the value could be numeric rather than just an integer.

done in version 3.0.0.5 available here

[S-F]

I find all these "time is before/after X mins before/after sunrise/sunset" conditions very confusing and very error prone. So what if you could define some time range graphically similarly to the schedules introduced in this plugin, but for a single day. And then when you would click on a time range you would get a popup from which you would be able to override the start/end time with Sunset/Sunrise +/- offset

something like on the screenshot below
[ATTACH]45792[/ATTACH]

it is a lot more work for me than doing it with text only, and actually I'm not even sure I can integrate it nicely in the Events page, but if you think it is a good idea, I can try.

I personally have no use for this ATM but it is requested a lot.

Why not just a trigger of "the time is this before sunset" and then you select the number of hours, minutes ans seconds with the normal popup? There could be three options: the time is this before sunset, the time is this after sunset, the time is this after sunrise and the time is this before sunrise.

I really have no clue but it seems less complicated to me than the graphical interface you demonstrate above.

[randy]

I personally have no use for this ATM but it is requested a lot.

Why not just a trigger of "the time is this before sunset" and then you select the number of hours, minutes ans seconds with the normal popup? There could be three options: the time is this before sunset, the time is this after sunset, the time is this after sunrise and the time is this before sunrise.

I really have no clue but it seems less complicated to me than the graphical interface you demonstrate above.

HS3 already has triggers





and conditions




The problem is that the conditions are rigid

• The time is this before sunrise/sunset
• The time is this after sunrise/sunset

Those conditions will only work at an exact time relative to sunrise/sunset.

What I am looking for is the ability to calculate a time based upon hh, mm, ss before or after sunrise/sunset then using it as the value for the standard HS3 conditions

• The time is after this
• the time is before this

I would expect the conditions to observe that midnight is the end or beginning of each day just as all other time based conditions.

The schedule idea might work, but like S-F I would rather see it as a configurable condition. It could be a series of 8 choices like the ones HomeSeer offers, where you chose the condition, then the number of minutes.

• The time is before this after sunset
• The time is after this after sunset
• The time is before this before sunset
• The time is after this before sunset
• The time is before this after sunrise
• The time is after this after sunrise
• The time is before this before sunrise
• The time is after this before sunrise

Like I said in the initial post, I'm just tossing it out there - it won't hurt my feelings if you feel it is not something worth devoting the effort to. Because as it is now, I just control a virtual device with standard triggers.