Template sensor not working for me

Configuration
1

I have been sitting with this template far to long now… what am I doing wrong? Its just using sun.sun and sensor.time… it cannot be that complicated : )

  - platform: template
    sensors:
      timeofday:
        friendly_name: "Time of day"
        value_template: >
          {% if (states.sun.sun.attributes.elevation | float > -2.0) and (states.sun.sun.attributes.elevation | float < 4) and (states.sensor.time.state < 12:00)%}sunrise
          {% elif (states.sun.sun.attributes.elevation | float > 4.0) and (states.sensor.time.state < 09:00)%}morning
          {% elif (states.sun.sun.attributes.elevation | float > 4.0) and (states.sensor.time.state > 09:00) and (state.sensor.time.state < 19:00)%}day
          {% elif (states.sun.sun.attributes.elevation | float > 4.0) and (states.sensor.time.state > 19:00)%}evening
          {% elif (states.sun.sun.attributes.elevation | float > -2.0) and (states.sun.sun.attributes.elevation | float < 4) and (states.sensor.time.state > 12:00)%}sunset
          {% else %}night
          {% endif %}
2

Copy and paste your template in Dev Tools/templates and you will see what you get.
The problem are the states.sensor.time.state > 09:00
-> TypeError: ‘>’ not supported between instances of ‘str’ and ‘int’
Use now().strftime('%H') | int > 9 instead.

3

ok, thanks alot.
Seems that putting “09:00”, also soved it.

1 Like
4

This is something that i didn’t know. :slightly_smiling_face:

5

I offer you this revised version.

  • By using variables it avoids duplicated processing and enhances legibility.
  • By specifying entity_id: sensor.time it ensures the template sensor is evaluated once every minute.
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      timeofday:
        friendly_name: "Time of day"
        entity_id: sensor.time
        value_template: >-
          {% set elev = state_attr('sun.sun', 'elevation') %}
          {% set hour = now().hour %}
          {% if elev > -2 and elev < 4 and hour < 12 %} sunrise
          {% elif elev > 4 and hour < 9 %} morning
          {% elif elev > 4 and hour >= 9 and hour < 19 %} day
          {% elif elev > 4 and hour >= 19 %} evening
          {% elif elev > -2 and elev < 4 and hour >= 12 %} sunset
          {% else %} night
          {% endif %}

Confirmed it works on my system.

6

how about using TOD binary sensor(s)?

7

@123, in the time that i wrote my first responce, i thought

100% sure, @123 provides a better solution

:slightly_smiling_face:
I’ve never seen a profile picture that fits better to a user!
That must be said!
Thanks for this!

8

You’re welcome!

Here’s an even more compact version of the template. However, it might become less legible for some because it uses this convention:

-2 < elev < 4

where elev is greater than -2 yet less than 4. You could read it like “minus two is less than elev and elev is less than four”.

      {% if -2 < elev < 4 and hour < 12 %} sunrise
      {% elif elev > 4 and hour < 9 %} morning
      {% elif elev > 4 and 9 <= hour < 19 %} day
      {% elif elev > 4 and hour >= 19 %} evening
      {% elif -2 < elev < 4 and hour >= 12 %} sunset
      {% else %} night
      {% endif %}