Adding Harmony buttons to toggle activities with Lovelace

[ianhyzy (Ian)]

I’m trrying to add a Lovelace button that turn on a given harmony activirty. Right now, it only turns on the default activity even when I specify another one like this:

- type: entity-button
        service: remote.turn_on
        activity: "Watch PC"
        entity: remote.studio_hub
        tap_action: call-service
        data:
          activity: "Watch PC"

What’s the correct syntax for just turning on an activity other than the default? I’ve tried a few different ways of specifying the activity (by number, without the data: prefix) and it still doesn’t work. No errors appear and it just launches the default activity.

[iantrich (Ian)]

I suggest you read the entity-button docs. You seem to be adding random config items and should troubleshoot any service-calls using the Services in Developer tools

[ianhyzy (Ian)]

- type: entity-button
            name: play switch
            icon: mdi:gamepad
            entity: [remote.studio_hub]
            tap_action:
              action: call-service
              service: remote.turn_on
              service_data:
                entity_id: remote.studio_hub
                activity: "Play Switch"

[petro]

this is a link to a setup I used in the past, it’s outdated from what I currently use but it should be what you are looking for.

Harmony Activities, Volume Slider, and Lovelace

Hello everyone, I’ve been getting quite a few messages about my harmony setup, so I decided to create this post to give it more visibility. I attempted to create a ‘minimalist’ approach to an interface that works identical to the harmony remotes activities. That being, when one activity is turned on, all others are off. This functionality is built into the harmony remote and it can be quite difficult to replicate in the Home Assistant user interface. The second thing to note here is that I a…

The general idea behind it is to make template switches that act as radio buttons. I.E only 1 can be on at a time. This is covered in the link. Once you have those template switches, those are what you use in lovelace. Place them into a picture glace and you’ll have a nice end product.

EDIT: You can ignore all the receiver stuff in the link and focus on the harmony remote items.

[QbaF]

Hi @petro, could You be so kind to tell/share what setting to use Harmony remote You currently use?
I am trying to work-out missing harmony toggle service with script but maybe there is better solution.

[petro]

I’m not sure what you mean. Setting in harmony or setting in the harmony integration?

[QbaF]

@petro

this is a link to a setup I used in the past, it’s outdated from what I currently use

@petro Your settings in HA to control Harmony devices.

[petro]

There are no settings… it’s an IP address, that’s it. What do you mean by settings?

[QbaF]

Code that enable turn on/off devices. It works great using Logitech Harmony Integration for remote.turn_on/off but I am looking for possibilities to toggle (as it is implemented in Harmony).
E.g. while activity A is power-on, clicking activity B is turning off activity A and turning on activity B.
I saw that You were implementing this in You project by templating switches. I was wonder do You change something in that. I am looking how to implement it by script.

[petro]

Yep, all that code is in the link I posted.

[tennbaum]

hey all

new to this discussion and to HA all together.
i m here cause i struggle with the basics of getting any command that is not the “default last scene” to work.
i tried coping with what i found posted - but no luck.
could someone plz give me the “idiot proof” instruction that i obviously need…?
on the devoloper tools i can use the services tab, with:
service: remote.toggle
and the
entity_id: remote.harmony_bedroom
i was able to add to the “service data”
activity: Watch bedroom TV
to actually start that scene.

i also got the config file for the 2 hubs i added (if that helps)
any other instructions will be appriciated

thanks

[petro]

You can’t use remote.toggle. You have to use remote.turn_on with the activity to turn on. And remote.turn_on with PowerOff as the activity to turn off said activity. Check out the link I posted above, it goes into specific configurations to make it so you can have a switch to turn on and off the activity.

[tennbaum]

ohhh i know that thread…

and i envy you for it…

ok, so first - thanks for the reply.

now ill move over there, try it out again, and write to you there if (lets be serious - its more like… “when”) ill need more help…

[Sharkylark]

Hey.
Could someone please help me to configurate all of this so i can make a “remote control” in HA to control my tv setup.

Today i can turn volume up/down, and change channel, and turn a activity on and off.

But i cant change inputs ect.

would really appriciate all the help i can get