Sensor command_line value template is wrong

[Mariusthvdb (Marius)]

using

  - platform: command_line
    name: Hue Daylight info
    command: !secret hue_daylight_command
    value_template: >
      {{'on' if value_json.state.daylight == 'true' else 'off'}}
    json_attributes:
      - state
      - config
      - name
      - type
      - modelid
      - manufacturername
      - swversion
    scan_interval: 300

I would have hoped to see the state to be ‘On’ right now, since this is the output of the full value_json:

{"state":{"daylight":true,"lastupdated":"2020-03-27T05:42:00"},
 "config": {"on":true,"configured":true,"sunriseoffset":15,"sunsetoffset":-45},
"name":"Daylight",
"type":"Daylight",
"modelid":"PHDL00",
"manufacturername":"Signify Netherlands B.V.",
"swversion":"1.0"}

The sensor is created alright:

and this is what it looks like in the developer-tools/template:

Please have a look what s wrong in the value_template,
thanks!

[Tediore]

Try changing 'true' to True in the value_template. 'true' is the string true, True is the boolean value True and it looks like the attribute is a boolean, not a string.

[Mariusthvdb (Marius)]

yea, thanks, I had already tried that, based on the template I posted above, but this is still the result:

using

  value_template: >
      {{'on' if value_json.state.daylight == 'True' else 'off'}}

maybe the value_json is incorrect, will try;

  value_template: >
      {{value_json.state.daylight}}

to see what gives…

thing is, Ive made this sensor in the CC huesensor myself, and it works perfectly

def parse_phd(response: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    data = {}
    """Parse the json for a PHD Daylight sensor and return the data."""
    if response["type"] == "Daylight":
        daylight = response["state"]["daylight"]
        name_raw = response["name"]
        name = "Hue " + name_raw + " custom"

        if daylight is True:
            state = STATE_ON
        else:
            state = STATE_OFF
        if daylight is not None:
            data = {
                "model": "PHD",
                "state": state,
                "on": response["config"]["on"],
                "configured": response["config"]["configured"],
                "sunrise_offset": response["config"]["sunriseoffset"],
                "sunset_offset": response["config"]["sunsetoffset"],
                "name": name,
                "type": response["type"],
                "modelid": response["modelid"],
                "swversion": response["swversion"],
                "daylight": daylight,
                "last_updated": response["state"]["lastupdated"].split("T"),
                "manufacturername": response["manufacturername"]
            }
        else:
            data = {
                "model": "PHD",
                "state": "No Daylight data",
                "on": None,
                "configured": None,
                "sunrise_offset": None,
                "sunset_offset": None,
                "name": None,
                "type": None,
                "modelid": None,
                "swversion": None,
                "daylight": "No Daylight data",
                "last_updated": None,
                "manufacturername": None
            }

[Tediore]

Remove the quotes around True. The quotes make it a string (that’s why I didn’t include them above), but that attribute is a boolean.

{{ 'on' if value_json.state.daylight == True else 'off' }}

[123 (Taras)]

This works for me:

value_template: > 
  {{'on' if value_json.state.daylight == true else 'off'}}

---

EDIT
Confirmed it also works with True (i.e. first letter capitalized; so true and True are synonyms).

[Mariusthvdb (Marius)]

of course, the quotes… thanks!

just restarted to give me this:

too bad this cant be a binary command_line sensor, because that doesnt support json_attributes listing.

maybe that will be PR’d someday
could have used:

{{ value_json.state.daylight == 'True' }}

in that case…

[Tediore]

Right, the problem was the quotes around 'true'. Both true and True should work. In fact, this should also work:

{{ 'on' if value_json.state.daylight else 'off' }}

[Tediore]

The sensor is returning True instead of on now likely because you removed the quotes around 'on' and 'off'. But yes, that would work (or simply {{ value_json.state.daylight }} ). But I was under the impression you wanted it to display on and off.

[tom_l]

So True === true === on === 1?

true == on actually helps where I have boolean template sensors that I dont want to change the previous state of when changing to unknown.

[123 (Taras)]

It’s a shame that strings 'on' and 'off' were adopted instead of boolean true and false to represent binary states.

In the other home automation software I use, booleans are used for binary states and it makes things neater when testing an entity’s state (like the previous template you posted).

[Tediore]

Agreed. I think on and off should only be friendly names, not the actual state.

[123 (Taras)]

Changing that convention now would be a helluva “Breaking Change”.

[Tediore]

Yup. Too late now at this point IMO.

[Mariusthvdb (Marius)]

I’ve grown myself a habit to check for the state in the developer-tools/state and see what the real state is, and use that in the templates, to prevent unexpected results.

thanks to you all for assisting me getting back on track!

[Tediore]

Yup, that’s the way to do it. The “friendly name” for the state (what’s displayed in the frontend) often isn’t the actual state.

[Mariusthvdb (Marius)]

yes, as a binary_sensor template would do… return on/off based on the template being True/False

since we now can only use this as a template sensor, I need the full template.

[tom_l]

Ok so what I wrote isn’t true. on != true according to the template editor. So I’m still stuck making a binary template sensor ignore the unknown state. e.g.

- platform: template
  sensors: 
    gate_filtered:
      name: 'Gate filtered' # no unknown state when device asleep
      device_class: door
      value_template: >
        {% if is_state('binary_sensor.gate', 'on') %}
          {{ true }}
        {% elif is_state('binary_sensor.gate', 'off')%}
          {{ false }}
        {% else %}
          {{states('binary_sensor.gate_filtered') }}
        {% endif %}

The else case is on/off not true/false so it does not work. I cant see a way to make the sensor retain the previous state before going unknown.