Create mode-like device

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1

I'm new here, so be gentle. I want to create basically a status device that shows a text string and perhaps an icon. The built-in mode seems to be very specific. I'm looking for something where I can display the basic time of day (i.e., morning, afternoon, evening, late night) and have rules that operate based on based on that.

I'm coming from Homeseer where I could just create a virtual device, say it had some values with associated strings and that was pretty much it. How would I do something like that in Hubitat? I created four devices with those names and set up simple rules to turn them on and off based on time of day or sunrise/sunset, but that seems more cumbersome. I'd really like something like:

At Sunrise set Day Period to "Morning"
At 12:00 PM set Day Period to "Afternoon"
At Sunset set Day Period to "Evening"
At 12:00 AM set Day Period to "Late Night"

Thanks.

2

You can create and rename modes to your linking. Here’s some details.

https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Location_and_Modes#Add_New_Mode

You can then use mode manager to set by time if that’s how you want them to work. Here’s some details on how that works.

https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Mode_Manager

3

Since I'm still interested in Away, seems like I'd have to create multiple modes like:

Morning
Morning Away
Afternoon
Afternoon Away
etc.

The "Away" part could then be used trigger other events like adjusting the thermostat, simulating someone being home, etc.

Am I missing something?

4

First, Welcome to Hubitat!

I'd recommend you keep things as simple as possible in the beginning. Most users are able to have just one "Away" mode, which is also somewhat special if you choose to use the built-in "Mode Manager" app.

So, maybe try just using something like:

  • Morning
  • Afternoon
  • Evening
  • Night
  • Away

The simpler the solution is, the more robust it will be, and the easier it will be to maintain and troubleshoot.

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