Combine Triggers & Actions?

Configuration Frontend
1

Howdy, folks!

New user running HA on a Pi4. I have successfully gotten ZwaveJS working, my devices are recognized, but I’m having some trouble getting my head around automation. I am able to get them ‘half working’, but I suspect I’m not fully comprehending the process.

What I’d like:
Turn on driveway lights 1 hour before sunset
Turn off driveway lights at 10PM

I’ve tried two different methods, one with a trigger condition, the other with actions only, hoping that a sequence of conditions and actions would execute.

Actions:
Conditions: Sun / before sunset -00:60:00
Device: driveway lights / turn on
Conditions: Time / Fixed Time / 20:00
Device: driveway lights / turn off

Seems I’m just not quite getting it right. Should these commands be in two separate automations?

2

Yes. An automation will not start without a trigger and it looks like you have two separate actions with different triggers.

Conditions are mostly used to prevent an automation running, or to stop it halfway through - if the condition is not met, the automation stops.

3

Based on your requirements…

You don’t need any conditions, so it seems you have misunderstood something.

This is easily done with a single automation

trigger:
  - platform: sun
    event: sunset
    offset: '-01:00:00' 
  - platform: time
    at: '22:00:00'
action:
  service: "light.turn_{{ 'off' if trigger.platform == 'time' else 'on' }}"
  entity_id: light.driveway
1 Like
4

Or to keep it simple…

Automation 1 Light on:

trigger:
  - platform: sun
    event: sunset
    offset: '-01:00:00'
action:
  service: light.turn_on
  entity_id: light.driveway

Automation 2 Light off:

trigger:
  - platform: time
    at: '22:00:00'
action:
  service: light.turn_off
  entity_id: light.driveway
5

Thanks for the feedback, guys. That’s very helpful.

I’m not a command line guy, so until I get more comfortable with that, I think it’s safer to stick with the GUI. I’ll revise these and give it another go.

Appreciate the help!