Automations - only one of identical

Configuration
1

Hi there,

I just started with Home Assistant. I set up 2 test automations through the web interface. “Test flo” is triggered as expected. “Bett flo” is never triggered. Any ideas why?
I sure just can delete the non-working version. It is a bit strange and makes me uncertain about reliability of the program.

- id: '1573938386731'
  alias: Bett flo
  description: ''
  trigger:
  - at: '20:30'
    platform: time
  condition:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: device_tracker.samsung_galaxy_s7
    state: home
  action:
  - device_id: bcb34f3c2c8547e4bc2e11b5dd8a6b34
    domain: light
    entity_id: light.tradfri_bulb_e27_ws_opal_980lm
    type: turn_on

- id: '1574107740827'
  alias: Test flo
  description: ''
  trigger:
  - at: '21:10'
    platform: time
  condition:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: device_tracker.samsung_galaxy_s7
    state: home
  action:
  - device_id: bcb34f3c2c8547e4bc2e11b5dd8a6b34
    domain: light
    entity_id: light.tradfri_bulb_e27_ws_opal_980lm
    type: turn_on

thanks,
florian

2

Try removing the '- ’ in front of the at: ‘21:10’. Platform and at should be indented two spaces from trigger level.

3

hmm, this is the working automation. The one at 20:30 is not working.

I will try to manually change it in the editor.

4

Oh, sorry. Since you said one works my guess is the condition is messing things up. I would remove the condition and see if it triggers.

5

Also the state home in the condition should be in quotes… it may work occasionally but it it supposed to be quoted. … maybe someone could provide the exact reason it is mentioned somewhere in the docs why… https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/automation/examples/

Also I’m not familiar with the action section looking like that… is that from the new automation editor?

6

That isn’t necessary. the way it is is perfectly fine.

I’m not entirely sure that is correct either. I realize that most examples put them in quotes (and it is good practice to do it I guess) but as far as I know the only states that absolutely require quotes are ‘on’ or ‘off’. And I’m assuming that they used the device automation editor to create the automation so one would hope it would create the required syntax correctly. And lastly the second one works without quotes so that is a good indication they aren’t required.

It’s from the Device Automation Editor.

to the OP,

can you trigger the non-working one manually (by going to the developers tools->states and then click the circled-i to the left of the automation then click trigger in the pop-up that opens)?

7

did you read this

8

Very weird one works and one doesn’t… the only difference seems to be the time…
My automations would have this:

 - condition: state
    entity_id: 'device_tracker.samsung_galaxy_s7'
    state: 'home'

That is they are both having quotes.

9

Yeah I always thought the states needed quotes too but apparently the automation editor thinks otherwise.

I’ve never seen anyone quote the entity_id tho.

That’s the thing. I don’t think anyone (or very few) ever really knows what the quote rules are for yaml in HA.

10

It’s weird right… I just checked in my automation yaml file and that is how I had them in there… and one of them at least came out that way from the editor… but yeah - weird

11

Both actions are the same (they both bring on the same bulb) a manual trigger should prove nothing. Can’t think of a valid reason why the different responses though.
I have had a couple of cases where I’ve had identical templates, one works one doesn’t. Each time I had hand copied them (not cut and paste) I went back cut and pasted the working one over the non working and hey presto, - nothing changed but the script now worked. I can only assume a rogue character or something. We used to use another blank character to pad spaces (not a space) to get message spacing right, can’t remember what it was and a bugger to debug, could be one of them?
(guessing and postulating and flapping about in the dark)

12

quotes are only needed for on and off when they are fields. Home assistants yaml parser converts them to true/false naturally, so to keep them as ‘on’, ‘off’, one must wrap them in quotes. In all fields that accept strings, quotes are optional unless you have characters that define a json object as the first character in the string. Then you’re required to have quotes because the parser assumes its a json object and not a string.



field: quotes_optional
'on': quotes_required_around_field
'off': quotes_required_around_field
field: '[quotes_required'
field: '{quotes_required'
field: 'on' #optional, but without quotes converted to true/false for on/off.
3 Likes
13

Yes, I did both using the automation editor in the web interface.
I now try again copy and paste the working one.

14

see, I told ya’ :laughing:

15

I wonder if a tab or some other error has crept in.

16

That should throw an error in the config checker if that’s the case. At least it has for me in the past and even a few days ago where I copied from another source that had a hidden tab in it.

It gave me an error along the lines of “/t can’t begin any token”.

17

I copy&pasted the working one - now both automations are triggered.
Still strange…
A bit confusing as I’m just starting with automations, and always not sure if it’s the server or if it is my fault.

18

in my experience it’s almost never the server…:wink: