Flash light and then on does not work?

Configuration
,
1

When leaving the house I would like the light in the hallway to flash briefly and then go to on.
After flashing nothing happens.
When I run the action just for flashing, I get an error:

image

This is the full automation:

  alias: 'Hall: test flash'
  description: ''
  trigger: []
  condition: []
  action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    data:
      brightness_pct: 100
      flash: short
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
  - delay:
      hours: 0
      minutes: 0
      seconds: 5
      milliseconds: 0
  - service: light.turn_off
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
  - delay:
      hours: 0
      minutes: 0
      seconds: 2
      milliseconds: 0
  - service: light.turn_on
    data:
      brightness_pct: 50
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
  mode: single
2

Try removing { } front he data line.

3

Hi @Coolie1101, the system adds it again and it doesn’t make a difference.
The automation does not continue after the flashing action…

4

What happens if you remove the entire data: {} line?

5

Hi @rcblackwell, same result: automation stops after first action.
I also tried this:

- id: '1652131323463'
  alias: 'Hall: test flash'
  description: ''
  trigger: []
  condition: []
  action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    data:
      brightness_pct: 100
      flash: short
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
  - service: light.turn_on
    data:
      brightness_pct: 50
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
  mode: single
6

What happens if you insert a short delay, a second or two, between the two operations?

7

That’s what I had before but somehow the automation always stops after flashing.

8

Why do you have the flash line in the data of the first service call?
It looks like the automation is doing a flash effect anyway.

9

Does the light actually flash?

Why not just use the turn_on turn_off service consecutively?

What is the idea of flashing then turn on?

Also, you don’t need data for the light.turn_off service since there is no additional parameters.

The following works for me.

action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    data:
      brightness_pct: 100
      flash: short
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
  - delay:
      seconds: 5
  - service: light.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
    data: {}
  - delay:
      seconds: 2
  - service: light.turn_on
    data:
      brightness_pct: 50
    target:
      entity_id: light.hall
10

It was put there by the UI

Yes and then the automation stops.

That could be a way to get similar effect but I noticed the flash option for lights so why make it ‘difficult’.

A notification/confirmation and then have light in hall without natural light.

I tried your code but still the same…
It must have something to do with that error in my first post.

Executed: May 10, 2022, 5:43:51 PM
Result:

params:
  domain: light
  service: turn_on
  service_data:
    brightness_pct: 100
    flash: long
    entity_id:
      - light.hall
  target:
    entity_id:
      - light.hall
running_script: false
limit: 10
11

Fair enough, flash never really did anything for me, even if I used it alone, the lights just turn on, maybe someone who knows more about this function can chime in.

The following is what I actually used for flashing some LED’s for new years on the midnight hour, with a repeat until condition, which worked out great, and similarly with multiple delays for the countdown,

action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: light.living_room_led
  - delay:
      milliseconds: 500
  - service: light.turn_off
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: light.living_room_led

That’s where it belongs, as it’s a “Service data attribute”

12

I know that, but your script is a flashing without the flash line, and that is probably the right way to go.
Not all products support flash.
Philips Hue did earlier, but changed it a few months back (Hue flash broken)

1 Like
13

Would still like some insight on how the flash service actually works though, I tried it with some LED’s connected via MagicHome and Hyperion, I currently don’t have any other light’s that would support that service.