Dashboard indication of why a device is on/off?

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1

I've got a dashboard that has a switch that can be manually (physically) switched, controlled via on/off in Hubitat, and controlled via Rule Manager.

Is there any way to get an indication on the dashboard of why the switch is in the current state -- what was the most recent even that changed the switch (ie., "physical", "Hubitat manual", "Rule")?

I know that information is available in the logs.

2

That is problematic because not all drivers support differentiation between physical or digital switch changes. Also, there is no way to tell the difference between changes made on a dashboard or changes made by a rule. They are both digital changes.

3

Got it re. not being able to directly distinguish physical vs. digital changes...although by inference, if a device is in a particular state (ie., "on") and the most recent digital action (whether through the dashboard or a rule) was not to put it into that state, then it was a physical action. Similarly, if the device changed state and that event doesn't correspond with the timestamp of a digital action (regardless of the type of change -- on-to-off, for example, or lowering a thermostat), then it must have been physical.

Re. distinguishing dashboard vs rule events...I'm assuming there is no internal (hidden) variable set by Hubitat that has this information. In that case, would you consider an RFE to keep variables in the form:
$devicename.$changedby
as in
Hallway lights.Dashboard
or
ExhaustFan.Rule: Bathroom fan
or
Hallway lights.Physical
(using the inference described above)

The value of that variable could be shown on a dashboard tile, and could also contribute to more detailed rules, enabling logic such as "If the device was turned on physically or through a dashboard, then ignore the rule to turn it off".

4

That's only if a rule changed it. If it was changed via a dashboard how would you distinguish that? The physical change can only be detected if the driver supports it and the digital distinguish between rule or dashboard. It is just not as easy as you describe.