Use Home Assistant number as delay in ESPHome

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 3:37am

Have been struggling with this problem for days and no matter what I try I am unable to get there. I have a home assistant input number that I’d like to use in delay functions. But it requires a either a float or a string where I’d like to use an integer.

I want to use it to set the delay time in minutes.

I obtain the value from home assistant as follows:

sensor:
  - platform: homeassistant
    id: max_run_time_minutes
    name: "Max Run Time - All Zones"
    entity_id: input_number.irrigation_max_duration

I want to use it with the delay function of this block:

switch:
  - platform: template
    name: $friendly_name $zone_4
    icon: $sprinkler_icon
    id: zone_4
    lambda: return id(relay_4).state;
    optimistic: true
    turn_on_action:
      - switch.turn_on: relay_4
      - delay:
          minutes: max_run_time_minutes
#      - delay:
#          minutes: float_max_run_time_minutes
#      - delay: $max_run_time
#      - delay: !lambda "return id(max_run_time_minutes) & 'min';"
      - switch.turn_off: relay_4
    turn_off_action:
      - switch.turn_off: relay_4

ESP Home complains that minutes expects a float. I tried to set up a global float but that doesn’t work either.

I have managed to use a substitution to set the delay time:

substitutions:
  # Set Max Run Time Here: =============================#
  max_run_time: "10min"
  # Sets delay between switch turn on and switch turn off
  #======================================================#

But I can’t figure out how to get that back to home assistant.

Tried this without success:

text_sensor:
  - platform: template
    name: "Irrigation Max Run"
    id: str_delay_setting
    lambda: |-
      return $max_run_time

I would like to set an initial value within ESPHome and update it with a home assistant value, or at least return that setting to home assistant.

Can anyone point me in the right direction. Just can’t seem to figure it out. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.

nickrout · April 8, 2022, 3:52am

Don’t you want minutes: id(max_run_time_minutes).state ?

zoogara · April 8, 2022, 3:54am

Edit: What Nick said may be your problem - I missed that…

Try converting to float in lambda. All platform: homeassistant sensors are strings.

    turn_on_action:
      - switch.turn_on: relay_4
      - delay: !lambda "return  atof(id(max_run_time_minutes).state.c_str()) & 'min';"

Or something like that

Although you may be better off converting into a variable, I can’t tell if the above format will work. I had to do a lot of this for the display component.

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 4:04am

Thanks… I tried:

switch:
  - platform: template
    name: $friendly_name $zone_4
    icon: $sprinkler_icon
    id: zone_4
    lambda: return id(relay_4).state;
    optimistic: true
    turn_on_action:
      - switch.turn_on: relay_4
      - delay:
          minutes: id(float_max_run_time_minutes).state
#      - delay:
#          minutes: float_max_run_time_minutes
#      - delay: $max_run_time
#      - delay: !lambda "return id(max_run_time_minutes) & 'min';"
      - switch.turn_off: relay_4
    turn_off_action:
      - switch.turn_off: relay_4

Still says it wants a float, but it is a float:

globals:
  - id: float_max_run_time_minutes
    type: float
    initial_value: '10'

nickrout · April 8, 2022, 4:15am

'10' is not a float, it is a string.

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 4:22am

Thanks, I sure would like to assign it to a variable if I can figure out how. My understanding is that delay requires a string. I have used a substitution to set the delay…

substitutions:
  max_run_time: 10min

switch:
  - platform: template
    name: $friendly_name $zone_4
    icon: $sprinkler_icon
    id: zone_4
    lambda: return id(relay_4).state;
    optimistic: true
    turn_on_action:
      - switch.turn_on: relay_4
      - delay: $max_run_time
      - switch.turn_off: relay_4
    turn_off_action:
      - switch.turn_off: relay_4

Now that I know that all home assistant values are strings, perhaps a lambda function to append “min” to the value would work.

Thought this would work:

      - switch.turn_on: relay_4
      - delay: !lambda "return id(max_run_time_minutes).state & 'min';"

Alas…

/config/esphome/switch_back_4ch.yaml:115:44: warning: multi-character character constant [-Wmultichar]
  115 |       - delay: !lambda "return id(max_run_time_minutes).state & 'min';"
      |                                            ^~~~~
/config/esphome/switch_back_4ch.yaml: In lambda function:
/config/esphome/switch_back_4ch.yaml:115:42: error: invalid operands of types 'float' and 'int' to binary 'operator&'
  115 |       - delay: !lambda "return id(max_run_time_minutes).state & 'min';"
      |              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ^ ~~~~~
      |                                    |       |
      |                                    float   int
*** [/data/switch-irrigation-4ch/.pioenvs/switch-irrigation-4ch/src/main.cpp.o] Error 1
========================= [FAILED] Took 144.63 seconds =========================

Not sure why it thinks it’s a float (or an int) if “All platform: homeassistant sensors are strings.”

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 4:31am

OK, so it is not possible to define an initial value as a number only as a string? Even though, as per the example on the ESP Home site, it has been defined as an integer.

 # Example configuration entry
 globals:
   - id: my_global_int
     type: int
     restore_value: no
     initial_value: '0'

Mikefila · April 8, 2022, 4:41am

I convert delays to milliseconds, input number is used as min in the frontend

## time pump is on
  - platform: homeassistant
    id: pump_start
    internal: true
    accuracy_decimals: 2
    entity_id: input_number.pump_start
    on_value:
      - globals.set:
          id: start
          value: !lambda 'return id(pump_start).state * 1000;'

Then save it in a global, you can set a default here

## time pump is on start
  - id: start
    type: int
    restore_value: no
    initial_value: '1200'

Drop state to use global in lambda

 !lambda 'return id(start);'

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 4:44am

This looks promising. Thanks a lot.

Mikefila · April 8, 2022, 4:46am

Just use delay and not the extended config

- delay: !lambda 'return id(start);'

nickrout · April 8, 2022, 4:47am

You said earlier that the system seemed to want a float?

nickrout · April 8, 2022, 4:49am

I thought the quotes '' made it a string. But hey, I was wrong once before

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 4:52am

Yeah, I was trying two different methods…

- delay: $max_run_time # expects a string .. like "10min"

…and…

- delay:
    minutes: float_max_run_time_minutes #expects a float

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 4:53am

No worries, thanks for your help.

currest2620 · April 8, 2022, 6:17am

Thanks, this works very well.

ilexpl01 · November 22, 2024, 11:54am

Hmm, it did not work 4 me

number:
  - platform: template
    name: "Czas pracy"
    icon: "mdi:timer"
    id: ontime
    optimistic: true
    min_value: 1
    max_value: 100
    initial_value: 5
    step: 1

switch:
  - platform: gpio
    name: Relay
    id: przekaznik
    pin: GPIO12
    restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_OFF
    icon: "mdi:toggle-switch-variant-off"
  
    on_turn_on:
    
    - logger.log: "Załączenie"

    - delay: !lambda 'return id(ontime);'
        
    - switch.turn_off: przekaznik


INFO ESPHome 2024.11.1
INFO Reading configuration /config/pompa-mauser.yaml...
INFO Detected timezone 'Europe/Warsaw'
INFO Generating C++ source...
INFO Compiling app...
Processing pompa-mauser (board: esp01_1m; framework: arduino; platform: platformio/[email protected])
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARDWARE: ESP8266 80MHz, 80KB RAM, 1MB Flash
Dependency Graph
|-- ESPAsyncTCP-esphome @ 2.0.0
|-- ESPAsyncWebServer-esphome @ 3.2.2
|-- DNSServer @ 1.1.1
|-- ESP8266WiFi @ 1.0
|-- ESP8266mDNS @ 1.2
|-- noise-c @ 0.1.6
|-- ArduinoJson @ 6.18.5
Compiling .pioenvs/pompa-mauser/src/main.cpp.o
/config/pompa-mauser.yaml: In lambda function:
/config/pompa-mauser.yaml:127:14: error: invalid conversion from 'esphome::template_::TemplateNumber*' to 'uint32_t' {aka 'unsigned int'} [-fpermissive]
  127 |     - delay: !lambda 'return id(ontime);'
      |              ^~~~~~
      |              |
      |              esphome::template_::TemplateNumber*
*** [.pioenvs/pompa-mauser/src/main.cpp.o] Error 1

Any hint ?

Mikefila · November 23, 2024, 1:06am

You need to include state.

!lambda 'return id(ontime).state';

ilexpl01 · November 24, 2024, 11:55am

thx 4 a hint !

lewishoward70 · April 19, 2025, 12:48am

This worked for me - delay: !lambda ‘return id(setpoint_one).state*1000;’
I used the *1000 because i wanted the value displayed in seconds in HA.

currest2620 · April 28, 2025, 6:38am

Hi guys, thanks for posting here again.

This has been something I have wanted to fix for a while now.

I have an input number in home assistant that sets a max run time in minutes. I can see in the esphome log that the value changes as the home assistant input number changes.

The value is read here:

sensor:
  - platform: homeassistant
    id: max_run_time_minutes
    name: "Max Run Time - All Zones"
    entity_id: input_number.irrigation_max_duration
    icon: mdi:av-timer
    accuracy_decimals: 0
    on_value:
      - globals.set:
          id: max_time2run
          value: !lambda 'return id(max_run_time_minutes).state * 60000;'

What I am struggling with is returning that value back to home assistant as a confirmation the value has been set. Not sure if I need another sensor to bring that value back to home assistant or what sort of sensor it should be.

I am trying a text sensor:

text_sensor:
  - platform: template
    name: "Max run time set"
    icon: mdi:timer
    lambda: return {id(max_run_time_minutes)};

The code validates correctly but won’t compile. Here is the error I am getting"

config/esphome/switch_back_4ch.yaml: In lambda function:
/config/esphome/switch_back_4ch.yaml:266:35: error: could not convert '{max_run_time_minutes}' from '<brace-enclosed initializer list>' to 'esphome::optional<std::__cxx11::basic_string<char> >'
  266 | 
      |                                   ^
      |                                   |
      |                                   <brace-enclosed initializer list>
*** [.pioenvs/switch-irrigation-4ch/src/main.cpp.o] Error 1

Would appreciate any ideas you may have.