How to manually set state/value of sensor?

Configuration
117

No one ever said it was…

This is exactly what pythonscripts were meant for.

This is not a hack. This is advanced configuration.

3 Likes
118

I want to push event from iOS with Shortcuts. This event will have any data I want: from the phone or just dictated (speech-to-text works like a charm). This event will be pushed to HASS with HA app. And I want to set sensor state with this data.

Image this: I’m in a car. Have NFC sticker there. This sticker launches iOS shortcut to take my location, ask me about fuel or range and than takes it all and pushes it to HA app which handles the event, pushes it to my HASS and there I have a sensor with my car location, fuel, range and whatever. Is this really that strange to expect events be used as data source for sensor and not only as triggers for actions?

119

Then go through proper channels when making a requrest instead of complaining to random people on the forum. What good does that do?

Vote for the WTH here, event based sensors:

1 Like
120

Thanks for this find. I’ll vote.
I wrote in this thread because you’ve said: “you can’t set states on sensors… period.”
Maybe I didn’t catch all context. Sorry.

121

Yes that’s my mistake. I should have elaborated. I’ll edit the post for others.

122

A post was split to a new topic: How do I import excel 365 values one for each day?

124

How do I create a binary sensor that retains state after restart ?
Right now I do this:

action:
      - service: python_script.set_state
        data_template:
          entity_id: binary_sensor.droogkast_actief
          state: "off"
          allow_create: True

This creates the sensor perfectly, but the sensor is unavailable after restarting HA until the variable is set. Is there a way the sensor remains alive (and retains value) upon restart ?

125

No, that’s exactly obe of the problems of the variables cuatom component. The only workaround I can think of is setting the variable when home assistant starts, but for this you need an input_helper that stores the value before the restart.
Personally I use MQTT sensors for stuff like this with the retain flag set to true.

126

how do you create and publish the value to an mqtt sensor for such use case?

127

just publish to the topic

1 Like
128

thank you, but it would be great if one could share some actual examples for sensors

129

write an automation that does x y or z and publishes the data to a topic of your choice. Then create a mqtt sensor that reads from the topic. There are many examples of this on the forum, just not in this thread.

1 Like
130

Which “variables custom component” are you referring to?

131

This one:

132

Actually with that one you can make the the state survive restarts with a “restore: true” in the variable config.

I use it all the time and it works fine.

EDIT: But now that you made me look at my variables I see that I’ve been bitten by the new template functionality…I think. I’ll have to look into that part but the save state over restarts still works fine.

1 Like
133

I never used it, just saw someone mention in the past that they don’t survive restarts. Maybe it was a misinformation or functionality wasn’t there back then.

Thabks for the correction.

1 Like
134

Hy rodpayne,
thanks for your solution.
I Create your file set_state.py end reload HASSIO.
Now i want call the service not from YAML script but from NODE-RED.
What kind of node i need to use for call that scrpt?
thank,
Marco

135

Sorry, I don’t use Node Red.

136

Here is another example where updating a sensor using python_script.set_state may make sense. I wanted to use different icons for motion detectors on/off because the default ones look too much like each other. (The motion detector man just moves his leg.) The sensor does get updated by integrations that reset the icon, but when that happens another state change calls my automation again.

#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Wyse Motion Sensor - make motion more noticeable with icons that don't look like each other.
#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- alias: Motion Detector On
  initial_state: 'on'
  mode: queued
  max: 10
  trigger:
    platform: state
    entity_id: 
      - binary_sensor.wyzesense_779b04a6
      - sensor.garage_motion
      - sensor.garage_motion_west
      - sensor.garage_motion_overall
    to: 
      - 'on'
      - 'Detected'
    for: 00:00:01
  action:
  - service: python_script.set_state
    data_template:
      entity_id: '{{trigger.entity_id}}'
      icon: mdi:run-fast

  id: e159cce9171a40058eb46118ff64f2ea

- alias: Motion Detector Off
  initial_state: 'on'
  mode: queued
  max: 10
  trigger:
    platform: state
    entity_id: 
      - binary_sensor.wyzesense_779b04a6
      - sensor.garage_motion
      - sensor.garage_motion_west
      - sensor.garage_motion_overall
    to: 'off'
    for: 00:00:01
  action:
  - service: python_script.set_state
    data_template:
      entity_id: '{{trigger.entity_id}}'
      icon: mdi:border-none-variant
      
  id: a731ca6e306f4bb590e1f96ffa4da084
137

maybe describe your needs first.
In NR some things can be done different and easier way. You can create sensors and feed them with data, you can store data in variables which survive restart because are stored on disk. I’m almost sure you won’t call some hacky py script.
But first you need to describe what you need to achieve