WTH are not_from and not_to Missing from the UI for Automation State Triggers?

Month of "What the heck?!"
1

While I likely reviewed the documentation showing these options at some point, I did not remember that these options existed, and I have several automations that use template conditions where these options are a much better alternative.

2

If you scroll through the other WTH threads you will surely find a handful along the lines of “WTH isn’t the Automation Editor easier to use?”… and another handful like this one asking for more “advanced” options to be added the UI.

So there’s a kind of stalemate.

3

I’m not sure “easier to use” and “more options” necessarily contradict each other. However, if the additional options were confusing, they could be hidden behind something like an “advanced” drop down. In any case, while the description of other requests you mention sound generic and vague, this request is very specific, and my searching prior to submission found nothing similar.

4 Likes
4

There’s an easy UI fix that does not require further UI boxes.

In the dropdown where the to/from options are presented, make these tristate checkbox, one tick means “this option goes in to/from” and shows as green checkmark, a second tick means “this option goes in not_to/not_from” and is decorated with a red X, and the third click removes the option from all lists.

From: [              V]
       |âś… Detected  |
       |❌ Clear     |

Would mean Detected goes in From, and Clear goes in To.

This also cures the problem of the boxes currently not handling at all the list of options mode that to/from support (although the description of the trigger DOES support that today).

5

That would be so confusing

1 Like
6

There’s about 50 years of research into choice overload that would disagree with you.

1 Like
7

Any suggestion superior to mine is, of course, very highly welcome.

Let’s get it done.

8

Without wanting to contradict these 50 years of research, I think adding two option to a two option list, where the two new options are simply the inverse of the two other ones, is a small addition to the complexity and a decent trade-off to trying to figure out how to realize the same thing without access to these options*

*I know there is still access to those options in YAML, that’s not the point here