Is there any way to reference the timer's duration/remaining values?

Configuration
1

Hello everyone,

I’ve created a input_select that allows me to select an amount of time (this is used to disable security cameras temporarily). The amount of time selection kicks off a timer for the duration of the selected amount of time. When the timer expires, it resets the input_select and that turns the cameras back on.

I spent a good portion of the weekend trying to accomplish this. I found several examples that were close to what I want to do on the forum but nothing covered everything I needed/wanted. So, I took bits and pieces from the different examples I found and this is what I came up with. I’m not proud of it, it feels very hacky. I’m probably doing it wrong but I couldn’t figure out a better way to do what I wanted to do.

I tried for hours today to set a “re-activate timestamp”. This timestamp would be the future timestamp that the cameras would be enabled again. I tried to do this using an input_datetime entity but I was unsuccessful. Mostly, I’m interested if anyone has a better way to do this or knows a way I can set the timestamp based on the timer selection.

From configuration.yaml:

switch:
  - platform: zoneminder
    command_on: Modect
    command_off: Monitor
  - platform: command_line
    switches:
      zm_disable_switch:
        command_on: "/home/spikeygg/toggle_camera.py Weather"
        command_off: "/home/spikeygg/toggle_camera.py Normal"
        command_state: "/home/spikeygg/toggle_camera.py fetch"
        value_template: '{{ value == "Weather" }}'
        friendly_name: ZoneMinder Disable

#input_datetime:
#  zm_camera_reenabled:
#    name: 'Cameras will turn on at'
#    has_date: false
#    has_time: true
    
input_select:
  zm_disable_select:
    name: Temporarily Disable ZoneMinder
    options:
      - Cameras on
      - 5 minutes
      - 15 minutes
      - 30 minutes
      - 1 hour
      - 2 hours
      - 4 hours
      - 5 hours
    initial: Cameras on
    icon: mdi:timer

timer:
  zm_camera_timer:
    name: 'Timer for ZM disable'
    icon: mdi:timer

From automations.yaml:

# Process a change to the input_select, kick off timer, etc.
- id: '1524950593024'
  alias: Temporarily turn off the cameras
  hide_entity: True
  trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: '5 minutes'
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: '15 minutes'
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: '30 minutes'
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: '1 hour'
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: '2 hours'
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: '4 hours'
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: '5 hours'
  action:
  - service: timer.start
    data_template:
      entity_id: timer.zm_camera_timer
      duration: >
        {% if is_state("input_select.zm_disable_select", "5 minutes") %}
          00:05:00
        {%-elif is_state("input_select.zm_disable_select", "15 minutes") %}
          00:15:00
        {%-elif is_state("input_select.zm_disable_select", "30 minutes") %}
          00:30:00
        {%-elif is_state("input_select.zm_disable_select", "1 hour") %}
          01:00:00
        {%-elif is_state("input_select.zm_disable_select", "2 hours") %}
          02:00:00
        {%-elif is_state("input_select.zm_disable_select", "4 hours") %}
          04:00:00
        {%-elif is_state("input_select.zm_disable_select", "5 hours") %}
          05:00:00
        {% else %}
          00:00:30
        {% endif %}
  - service: switch.turn_on
    data:
      entity_id: switch.zm_disable_switch
# This stuff is just things I tried...
#  - delay: '00:00:05'
#  - service: input_datetime.set_datetime
#    data_template:
#      entity_id: input_datetime.zm_camera_reenabled
#      time: '{{ ( as_timestamp(now()) + (states("timer.zm_camera_timer.remaining") | int) * 3600) | timestamp_custom("%H:%M:%S") }}'
#      date: '{{ (as_timestamp(now()) | timestamp_custom("%Y-%m-%d", true)) }}'
#      time: '{{ ( as_timestamp(now()) + (states("timer.zm_camera_timer.duration") | int) * 60) | timestamp_custom("%H:%M:%S") }}'

# When the timer expires it should reset the selection box to "Cameras on", and that will trigger the re-enable.
- id: '1524950593025'
  alias: Timer expired, reset the select box
  hide_entity: True
  trigger:
  - platform: event
    event_type: timer.finished
    event_data:
      entity_id: timer.zm_camera_timer
  action:
  - service: input_select.select_option
    data:
      entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
      option: 'Cameras on'

- id: '1524950593026'
  alias: Turn the cameras back on
  hide_entity: True
  trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.zm_disable_select
    to: 'Cameras on'
  action:
  - service: switch.turn_off
    data:
      entity_id: switch.zm_disable_switch
  - service: timer.cancel
    data:
      entity_id: timer.zm_camera_timer

I found recently that I can go into the Developer Tools->Templates and type in the coded structure stuff to see how it comes out and with a timer object, I could not figure out a way to extract the remaining time nor duration. :frowning:

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-Greg