Template Sensor Help - Based between times

Configuration
1

I have two Helpers set up for Time that are used to determine whether light automations should run.

(so the lights will start turning on at 17:00 and stop at 09:00)
image

  • input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_after
  • input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_before

I’m wanting to create a sensor that will be ‘ON/TRUE’ when within these times, but ‘OFF/FALSE’ when not.

  1. I’m not sure whether to create another Helper (toggle) and an automation to turn it on/off
    (rather than a template sensor)
  2. Next goal will be to add another Toggle Helper to determine whether to use these times OR the Sun Rise / Sun Set to run the Light Automations
2

I suggest using a Template Binary Sensor.

template:
  - binary_sensor:
      - name: Whatever
        state: >
          {{ now() <= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_before')) or
            now() >= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_after')) }}

EDIT

Correction. Forgot to use states() function.

3

Thanks!

Getting this error when trying the template?

image
image835×54 1.98 KB

4

That’s due to my mistake. I forgot to include the states() function in the template. I have corrected the example posted above.

1 Like
5

Ah… That did the trick!

These are only additions, I’ll try work it out for myself but there’s more experienced people here :slight_smile:

I’ve created a new Toggle to select whether to use the 'Sun Time’s

input_boolean.light_automation_times_use_sun

image

So next steps would be

  1. If the Boolean is on, then the Template should check the “Sun Times” to return on/off

EDIT: Added icon template

template:
  - binary_sensor:
      - name: light_automation_running
        state: >
          {{ now() <= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_before')) or
            now() >= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_after')) }}
        icon: >
          {% if is_state("binary_sensor.light_automation_running", "on") %}
            mdi:lightbulb-group
          {% else %}
            mdi:lightbulb-group-off
          {% endif %}
6

Do you mean something like this?

        state: >
          {{ (now() <= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_before')) or
            now() >= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_after'))) and
            is_state('input_boolean.use_sun', 'on') }}
7

No sorry, I mean more like an else statement… like

“If Boolean on, use Sun Times, if boolean off, use other times”

8

What are the “other times”?

9

Sorry, the code is bad, but something like this…

        state: >
          {% if is_state('input_boolean.use_sun', 'on') %}
		  
			(now() <= today_at(states('sensor.sun_next_set')) or
             now() >= today_at(states('sensor.sun_next_rise')))
			
          {% else %}

            (now() <= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_before')) or
            now() >= today_at(states('input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_after')))
      
    {% endif %}
10

If you’re interested, here’s another way of doing the same thing:

        state: >
          {% set use_sun = is_state('input_boolean.use_sun', 'on') %}
          {{ now() <= today_at(states(iif(use_sun, 'sensor.sun_next_set', 'input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_before'))) or
             now() >= today_at(states(iif(use_sun, 'sensor.sun_next_rise', 'input_datetime.lights_automation_lights_auto_on_after'))) }}

EDIT

Correction. Removed leading (

1 Like
11

Yep, exactly like that…
But doesn’t work :blush: I added the extra ‘)’ that was missing…

Now getting this… Think I need to fix the sun rise/set template sensor as it’s cutting off the zero’s
image

- platform: template
  sensors:
    sun_next_rise:
       friendly_name: "Sun - Next Rise"
       value_template: >-
                {{ as_timestamp(states.sun.sun.attributes.next_rising) | timestamp_custom('%H.%M') }}
                

- platform: template
  sensors:
    sun_next_set:
       friendly_name: "Sun - Next Set"
       value_template: >-
                {{ as_timestamp(states.sun.sun.attributes.next_setting) | timestamp_custom('%H.%M') }}

Here it has the zero on the end…

image
image1137×285 20.8 KB

But in the card it doesn’t…
image

12

Your two Template Sensors need to produce valid time strings in order to work with today_at.

This is a valid time string:

18:20

This is not:

18.2

From the documentation:

Screenshot_20220321-093941~2
Screenshot_20220321-093941~21039×262 26.7 KB

1 Like
13

Yep, I’m trying to work on these two templates.
As you say it isn’t valid but when I check in the Template Editor it works

- platform: template
  sensors:
    sun_next_rise:
       friendly_name: "Sun - Next Rise"
       value_template: >-
                {{ as_timestamp(states.sun.sun.attributes.next_rising) | timestamp_custom('%H.%M') }}
                

- platform: template
  sensors:
    sun_next_set:
       friendly_name: "Sun - Next Set"
       value_template: >-
                {{ as_timestamp(states.sun.sun.attributes.next_setting) | timestamp_custom('%H.%M') }}
14

Not sure what you are checking but if you paste this into the Template Editor it will fail because the time string is invalid.

{{ today_at(as_timestamp(states.sun.sun.attributes.next_rising) | timestamp_custom('%H.%M')) }}

But if you replace the period with a colon, it produces a valid time string and the template produces a valid datetime object.

{{ today_at(as_timestamp(states.sun.sun.attributes.next_rising) | timestamp_custom('%H:%M')) }}
1 Like
15

That was it!
Finally working, thanks so much for your time and experience on this :slight_smile:

16

Hi folks! First time experimenting with a template. I tested this in the Developer Tools / Template section and it works.

{{today_at(states('input_datetime.valve_1_morning_begin')) < now() <= today_at(states('input_datetime.valve_1_morning_end'))}}

But I have no idea how to format it to work in HA.I edited the configuration.yaml like this but I cannot see the sensor. What am I doing wrong? Thank you so much!!

template
template911×105 5.65 KB

PS: The whole idea is to have 2 settable time values for morning irrigation routine. And detect if we are in that time period or not.

time

1 Like
17

Huh? I commented out id and now it works. Sorry for the disturbance. I will leave the previous comment as it might help someone.

Still curious why it did not work with id.