Multiple chained Input booleans - how to?

Configuration
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1

So in my past config I have used Input booleans as scene switches. When eg the “cleaning” light scene turns on - “Cosy”, “part”, and “normal” turn off. This was set up as an automation. I have moved and upgraded my HA with new scenes, and now I want to accomplish the same WITHOUT having to tweak it all in my automations, so I am wondering if anyone successfully have set up a solution where an activation of any of a given set of input boleans turns off all but the activiated one within the same group.

2

Sound like an input select but harder to set up.

3

But nicer looking?:wink:

4

I don’t know if this is exactly what you’re looking for, but this is something I put together a while ago…

alias: Entrained Booleans (only 1 on at a time)
description: ''
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id:
      - input_boolean.test_bool_1
      - input_boolean.test_bool_2
      - input_boolean.test_bool_3
    to: 'on'
condition: []
action:
  - service: input_boolean.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id: '{{ inactive_bools }}'
variables:
  inactive_bools: >-
    {{ expand(states.group.test_bools) 
    | rejectattr('entity_id', 'eq', trigger.to_state.entity_id)
    | map(attribute='entity_id') | list -}}
mode: single
2 Likes
5

There’s a service to turn on a scene but none to turn it off so how are using an input_boolean as a switch to turn a scene on/off?

6

It might be! I don’t, however, quite get where you place the yaml. In my current setup, I use automations for selecting a boolean to use as switches for the scene. That means that for each automation, I have listed all the booleans and turn them on or off based on which scene is active. I would preferably like them to reside in say a script, so when I initiate a scene with a corresponding boolean - all other scene boleans are turned off.

7

I agree an input_select sounds much easier, but if you really want a group of input booleans, you could just write a blueprint (similar to the automation you posted) that takes a group of input_booleanss as an input. Then create one automation (super-simple - based on the blueprint) for each group if input_booleans. You’d still have a one automation for each group, but it’d only be a few lines of YAML and the blueprint would ensure consistent behavior among all the groups.

8

If you want to emulate turning off SceneA, you could snapshot the current state of all the entities affected by turning on SceneA as (dynamically-created) SceneB. Then you could activate SceneB when you “turn off” SceneA.

9

Emphasis on the word “emulate” because the fact is that a scene in Home Assistant can only be activated, not deactivated. What you described is perfectly legitimate but represents the activation of two separate scenes.

I just wanted to ensure this concept was clear to other readers to prevent giving the false impression that you can easily reverse the actions of a scene just by deactivating it; there is no deactivation.

FWIW, in a future release, scene will have a proper state value. Currently, it’s fixed at “scening” but in the near future it will be a timestamp representing when the scene was activated (turned on). This will make it easier to use an automation to detect, with a simple State Trigger, when a scene is activated. Currently one must use an Event Trigger.

10

Thanks for the in depth answer! In my past set-up, I use the booleans as switches to emulator the state. As you say, the scene is currently stateless, I need to change the state of the other booleans based on the latest set to on. I find the booleans to be working better with Google home than the input selects, but it might be error behind keyboard on my end

11

I also have some input_booleans exposed to Google so I can trigger things via voice command. I think the input_button that looks like it’ll be in the next (2022.02) release may be a better option. Planning to experiment with that once available.