"delay" in automations

Configuration
1

Hi, now that you revampt a lot of automatisation stuff, please change the behaviour of the delay function when calling something triggered by the calendar.
If I have a meeting, I want to heat the room 1 hr before start. Until now it only is possible to make it with a delay. So in my case the automatisation starts 2hrs before the appointment and then dealys it by 1hr, so i have 1 hr left. If i change the meeting in the meantime, it will not respond to the change an more. I hope you understand my problem, it would be very nice to have a real “before” option, that does not need the delay workaround. If I want to heat the room 2,5hrs before an apoointment I would need to chabge the whole delay script and also would make the “unresponsive” time longer.

2

This can be accomplished with the standard calendar trigger:

https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/automation/trigger/#calendar-trigger

automation:
  trigger:
    - platform: calendar
      event: start
      entity_id: calendar.meeting_schedule
      offset: "-01:00:00"
  action:
    - service: switch.turn_on
      target:
        entity_id:
          - switch.heater

This is not a feature request. It is configuration help so I have moved it. Please ask in a Configuration category topic for things like this in future, then only if what you want is not available create a feature request.

3

Its not so simlpe, I need the offset to be a variable and this makes it impossible. This is the real problem I see, that offset can only be a “string?” . I need an variable offset. Is this possible ? Hope you can make this work somehow, it would make my life a lot easier.

This is what I need :

alias: Appointment Start in Room1
description: “”
trigger:

  • platform: calendar
    event: start
    offset: “-3:0:0”
    entity_id: calendar.sitr
    condition:
    action:
  • delay: >-
    {{ ((10800 - ((states(‘input_number.var_delay_time’)) | multiply(60)
    | int(0)))) }}
  • service: climate.set_temperature
    data:
    temperature: “{{ states(‘input_number.var_activity_temp’)| float(0) }}”
    target_temp_high: “{{ states(‘input_number.var_activity_temp’)| float(0) +5}}”
    target_temp_low: “{{ states(‘input_number.var_activity_temp’)| float(0) -5 }}”
    hvac_mode: auto
    target:
    device_id:
    - ad0522e8c643732ac6feff0448ab0972
    - b737de5a1e0b38d46c3ee1877893f57d
    mode: single

How can I do it without the delay workaround ?

4

Please format your posts correctly. https://community.home-assistant.io/t/how-to-help-us-help-you-or-how-to-ask-a-good-question/114371#oneone-format-it-properly-16

OK, so your feature request was actually for the “calendar trigger offset option to support templates”. Nothing to do with “delays in automations”.

Try making a new FR using that wording, use your (correctly formatted) config as an example of what could be simplified in the FR.

5

Yes, its exactly what I mean. I will create a request next day, today its getting too late. Thank you for the help.

Tom

6

Would it be possible to read a variable from the calendar event and then use that as an offset?

Like if you had the text Notify: -01:00 in the event, then it could be read as a sensor and used as a {{ states(’ …}} value in the automation.

7

No, this is not possible. The offset can not be variable. You cant template it.

8

You’re miss understanding his question and proposition. And yes it is possible.

Create a template sensor that uses the calendars start time with a variable offset. The sensors state will be a datetime object. You can then use that sensor in a time trigger.

9

Ok, I see. Still a workaround, would be great if the offset itself could be a template.