What "modes"/input booleans do you use?

Configuration
1

I am just starting out to use automations in earnest, so I am basically at a blank slate. I have not tried this yet, but it is my gut feeling, that I want my house to have several “modes”:
Away/somebody is home
Holiday mode (everybody is away for more than 2 days or so)
workday/sunday
“baby is seleeping mode” (lights are dimmed somewhat and faded in slowly, music turned down)
Alarm mode (e.g. smoke alarm went off: All lights full power, all hot appliances off, all speakers playing alarm sound)

What do you use? Or is this a flawed idea that does not work in the long run? Technically I read that most people represent this with input booleans, which seems about right, this should make it easy to include in automations?

2

I love using input_boolean’s for modes. I put them in conditions in my automations so I just have to flick the input_boolean on/off to stop multiple automations from running. Here are the ones I use the most.

vacation_mode:
  name: Vacation Mode
  icon: mdi:beach

2_hour_delay:
  name: School Two Hour delay
  icon: mdi:school

school_mode:
  name:  Kids - School Mode
  icon: mdi:school

guest_mode:
  name: Guest Mode
  icon: mdi:account-alert

kid1_school_mode:
  name: Kid1 - School Mode
  icon: mdi:school

kid2_school_mode:
  name: Kid2 - School Mode
  icon: mdi:school

bus_reminder:
  name: Bus Reminder
  icon: mdi:bus

I got a lot of my ideas from:

2 Likes
3

I have a stack of those, holiday mode, guest mode, work-from-home mode, bedtime mode, and more. I also use input_select for room modes too, where they’re not a simple on/off - like whether the lighting in a room should be off/dim/etc.