Comparing trigger attributes in service template

Configuration
,
1

Hi there.

My music player sometimes gets stuck at a song, which I want to (band-aid) fix with home assistant. If a song title is the same for [time] while [playing], this automation should skip a song.

The part that does not work for me is here. It seems to have difficulties comparing the trigger state in the service_template.

  action:
    - service_template: >
        {%-  if trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title == trigger.from_state.attributes.media_title %}media_player.media_next_track
        {%- endif %}
      data_template:
        entity_id: media_player.mpd

A version that does work is listed below:

  action:
    - service_template: >
        {%-  if STRING == STRING %}media_player.media_next_track
        {%- endif %}
      data_template:
        entity_id: media_player.mpd

The full automation is given below:


- alias: 'Release Mopidy from loop if stuck'
  trigger:
    platform: state
    entity_id: media_player.mpd

  condition:
    condition: and
    conditions:
      ## Check if song changed
      - condition: template
        value_template: >
          {{ trigger.from_state and
              trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title !=
              trigger.from_state.attributes.media_title }}
      ## Check if media player is in playing state
      - condition: state
        entity_id: 'media_player.mpd'
        state: 'playing'

  action:
    - data_template:
        message: Mopidy changed song to {{trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title}} .
      service: notify.me
    - delay:
        # minutes: 11
        seconds: 10
    - data_template:
        message: 10 seconds passed
      service: notify.me

    - service_template: >
        {%-  if trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title == trigger.from_state.attributes.media_title %}media_player.media_next_track
        {%- endif %}
      data_template:
        entity_id: media_player.mpd
      # - service_template: >
      #     {%-  if tabel == tabel %}media_player.media_next_track
      #     {%- endif %}

    - service_template: >
        {%-  if trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title == trigger.from_state.attributes.media_title %}notify.me
        {%- endif %}
      data_template:
        message: Mopidy is playing the same song for 10 seconds.

    - data_template:
        message: Checks done
      service: notify.me

This results in the following error of HA Core:

2020-08-18 15:57:15 ERROR (MainThread) [homeassistant.components.automation.release_mopidy_from_loop_if_stuck] Release Mopidy from loop if stuck: Error executing script. Unexpected error for call_service at pos 4: Template rendered invalid service: 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/service.py", line 115, in async_prepare_call_from_config
    domain_service = cv.service(domain_service)
  File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/config_validation.py", line 418, in service
    raise vol.Invalid(f"Service {value} does not match format <domain>.<name>")
voluptuous.error.Invalid: Service  does not match format <domain>.<name>
The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/script.py", line 191, in _async_step
    await getattr(
  File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/script.py", line 352, in _async_call_service_step
    domain, service, service_data = async_prepare_call_from_config(
  File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/service.py", line 121, in async_prepare_call_from_config
    raise HomeAssistantError(
homeassistant.exceptions.HomeAssistantError: Template rendered invalid service:
2

Edit: this is not true, it always defaults to true.
I fixed it :+1:

    - service_template: >
        {%-  if '{{ trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title }} == {{trigger.from_state.attributes.media_title}}' %}media_player.media_next_track
        {%- endif %}
      data_template:
        entity_id: media_player.mpd
3

that’s not correct at all…

when you wrap a characters in quotes, it turns it into a string. if you perform an if statement looking at a string, it returns true if it has characters or false if it doesn’t. Your if statement will always return true because your string has characters.

Also, when the media_player gets stuck on a song, does it update the state in home assistant? If it does not, the likely hood of you being able to capture the event is low.

What media_player do you have?

4

I believe I’ve got it now:

  action:
    - delay:
      # TODO change to song duration
        minutes: 11
        # seconds: 20

    - condition: and
      conditions:
        - condition: template
          value_template: >
            {{ trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title == state_attr('media_player.mpd', 'media_title') }}
    # TODO check for song duration: media_duration (in seconds, for example 169)
        - condition: template
          value_template: >
            {{ state_attr('media_player.mpd', 'media_duration')|int < 660 }}

    - service: media_player.media_next_track
      data:
        entity_id: media_player.mpd
    - service: notify.me
      data_template:
        message: Mopidy was playing {{trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title}} for 11 minutes.

Hi @petro, you are right, I realized that after my second post. I just now learned of the feature of adding conditions in your actions, so I opted to use those. I believe it is correct now. I am using media_player.mpd for an externally run mopidy instance.

When Mopidy gets stuck on a song (this is not a problem within Home Assistant, it is fully external, but I am bandaging it with HA) it keeps on talking to HA. HA sees that it is still playing the same song and can tell it to skip the current song.

5

But what’s the trigger? The media player won’t trigger if the state isn’t changing.

6

The trigger is the initial change from the previous song to the current song. So every time a new song is loaded HA will check after 11 minutes if it got stuck on this song and thus needs to skip it.

  trigger:
    platform: state
    entity_id: media_player.mpd
7

the main media player state is ‘idle’, ‘playing’, ‘pause’, etc. It does not contain the media title. So this will only trigger when the state changes between those states.

8

Is it not supposed to trigger when one of its attributes (the media_title) changes? At least for me, it currently does.

My current total setup ensures it is playing and it just skipped a song

- alias: 'Release Mopidy from loop if stuck'
  trigger:
    platform: state
    entity_id: media_player.mpd
  mode: restart

  condition:
    condition: and
    conditions:
      ## Check if song changed
      - condition: template
        value_template: >
          {{ trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title !=
             trigger.from_state.attributes.media_title }}
      ## Check if media player is in playing state
      - condition: state
        entity_id: 'media_player.mpd'
        state: 'playing'


  action:
    - delay:
      # TODO change to song duration
        minutes: 11
        # seconds: 20

    - condition: and
      conditions:
        - condition: template
          value_template: >
            {{ trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title == state_attr('media_player.mpd', 'media_title') }}
    # TODO check for song duration: media_duration (in seconds, for example 169)
        - condition: template
          value_template: >
            {{ state_attr('media_player.mpd', 'media_duration')|int < 660 }}

    - service: media_player.media_next_track
      data:
        entity_id: media_player.mpd
    - service: notify.me
      data_template:
        message: Mopidy was playing {{trigger.to_state.attributes.media_title}} for 11 minutes.
9

I stand corrected. I was thinking of templates. My mistake. This trigger should work for you.

1 Like