How to copy/use a time from an entity state?

Configuration
1

The automation I’m trying to create would look like this:

Next alarm time is a state inside the alexa entity. I want to grab this time and use it as a condition for other automations. Like if the alexa alarm is set for 5a, do something at 5:15a. I do want to save the time in a separate variable, so I can still use that time even after the alarm is cancelled in the alexa entity.

So I think I need to:

  1. Create a helper input_datetime
  2. Copy the state of the alexa entity to this helper
  3. Use this helper as the condition time for a second automation.

Does this sound right? Any example code for doing these steps?

Thanks!

The State of the next_alarm sensor appears to be a timestamp:

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Trying to copy it to a input_datetime isn’t working:

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2

When you created the Input Datetime helper, did you configure it to store both time and date?

If you did, post the automation that contains the input_datetime.set_datetime action.

If there is no automation yet, did you try to test the action using Developer Tools → Actions? If you did, it doesn’t support templates (thereby causing the action to fail).

3

Ok, I did have the helper set for time only, so I switched it to date and time. Still it’s not getting updated by this automation.

I tried both of these timestamp templates, neither worked.

action: input_datetime.set_datetime
metadata: {}
data:
#  timestamp: "{{ states('sensor.emma_s_echo_dot_next_alarm') }}"
  timestamp: "{{ state_attr('sensor.emma_s_echo_dot_next_alarm', 'timestamp') }}"
target:
  entity_id: input_datetime.emmaalarmstoredtime

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4

The example you posted isn’t an automation. It’s YAML code for a single action.

Post the automation that contains the action.

If you’re attempting to test that action using Developer Tools-> Actions, you can’t because that feature doesnt support templates.

5 
alias: EmmaAlarmBooleanOn
description: ""
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id:
      - sensor.emma_s_echo_dot_next_alarm
    from: unknown
conditions: []
actions:
  - action: input_boolean.turn_on
    metadata: {}
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: input_boolean.emmaalarmon
  - action: input_datetime.set_datetime
    metadata: {}
    data:
      timestamp: "{{ states('sensor.emma_s_echo_dot_next_alarm') }}"
    target:
      entity_id: input_datetime.emmaalarmstoredtime
mode: single
6

How are you testing the automation?

Are you waiting for the sensor’s state to change from unknown to a datetime string? Or are you executing the automation’s Run command?

In either case, what is the sensor’s current value?

7

I’ve tried it both by setting an alarm, and by “run actions”.

Here just now I set an alarm for 4p.

Here is the current state of the sensor:

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the input_datetime isn’t updated to 4pm. When I look at the automation trace timeline:

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8

Ok solved it - the data needs to be type datetime not timestamp

action: input_datetime.set_datetime
metadata: {}
data:
  datetime: "{{ states('sensor.emma_s_echo_dot_next_alarm') }}"
target:
  entity_id: input_datetime.emmaalarmstoredtime

Thanks for your help!

9

The error message is correct. It expects a float (floating point number) but it didn’t get one because the template didn’t provide it.

Change it to this:

timestamp: "{{ state_attr('sensor.emma_s_echo_dot_next_alarm', 'timestamp') }}"
10

Not really.

  • If you use the action’s timestamp option then you must supply it with a numeric timestamp value.

  • If you use the action’s datetime option then you must supply it with a datetime string value.

Your posted automation used the timestamp option but supplied it with a datetime string value (incorrect value). That’s why the error message complained it wasn’t getting what it required.