[Release] Super Tile Countdown (Addon to Super Tile Parent)

[Cobra]

This is an additional child app for the Super Tile Parent
You also need an additional driver

OK.. what does it do..

Super Tile Countdown has two functions.

1. A countdown timer for a tile
2. A countdown to a particular date & time

For example
You can use mode 1 for an entry display - counting down for 60 seconds
You can use mode 2 as a display countdown to a birthday or other event.

You need to create a virtual device using the driver "Super Tile Countdown" from here:
https://github.com/CobraVmax/Hubitat/tree/master/Drivers/Super%20Tile

Then install the app code "Super Tile Countdown" from here:
https://github.com/CobraVmax/Hubitat/tree/master/Apps/Super%20Tile

Once the code is installed you can create a new child app directly from the parent app

Next... select a function..

Then select the virtual device that you created earlier

(In this example, I'm creating a 30 second countdown tile)

Next...
Configure your start/stop triggers

In this example.. I want to start an HSM timer on arming away

You can also restrict this 'Start' my current location mode

Once this is complete..
Configure the 'Stop' in the same way

Once the start/stop has been configured..
There are a couple more options..

You have the option to 'superimpose' this countdown onto another super tile.
So.. for example, you could have a weather tile which changes to a countdown then reverts once the count has finished
You would just configure the super tile device you want to temporarily overwrite
Like this...

You have a further option to control a switch for the duration of the count...

Next.. is the logging level
After 30 mins 'Debug' logging automatically reduces to 'Info'
After a further 24hrs, 'Info' automatically changes to 'None'

Obviously the final config is the child app name.
Here is an example of both a stand alone tile and one superimposed upon a tile showing the current mode

OK... the second mode is for a date/time countdown..
You can set this as a one off (maybe a future holiday) or a recurring date like a birthday

You also have the option to display some text at the end of the countdown when using this mode
Like this...

In this example, 24hrs after the count has finished the count will start again for next year (because I enabled this switch..

Here is an example output for this type of super tile..

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**Updated:** 16/06/2019 New driver (V1.1.0) and child app (V1.2.0) to GitHub This incorporates a 'Minutes' option which will display minutes until the last minute, whereby it will then countdown from 60 seconds.

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Ok... that's about it!

My thanks, as always to @Royski for his usual beta testing patience and also this time to @dan.t for additional bug reports

Questions/comments as always are welcome.

Andy

[Royski]

Love this app

[spalexander68]

This is going to be a great app. I can see a lot of possibilities.

Have one small request though. Can you add Years left in the tile? For example, I want to add a countdown for my retirement. 8 Years looks a lot better than 2,565 Days

[Geoff_T]

Andy. @Cobra Just tried a very quick test run with a standalone tile and a countdown timer.

Are seconds the only available units to display in the tile? My first test example would be more suited to minutes.

[Cobra]

@spalexander68
Scott, that would take quite a bit of coding and would you really want:
Years: 0 Months:0 days: 150 Hours:20 Minutes: 12

If you only have a few days to go this is what it would look like.

I’ll have a think and see if it can be formatted for this (not promising though)

Andy

[Cobra]

@Geoff_T
It was really only designed for seconds
What do you need minutes for?

Andy

[Geoff_T]

I was just going to use it for how long appliances had got left to run. EG when dishwasher starts set timer to 40 mins/2400 seconds and then if we need to know how long left we can have a quick look.

It isn't a genuine need to be honest, it was just the first thing I thought off to test it out on when I was messing with the dishwasher and washer dryer supertiles anyway for the icons.

[Cobra]

To be honest, I really didn’t think of this use for the app!.
Next you’re gonna want an appliance power trigger arn’t you?

I’ll have a look to see if I can put a switch in to select minutes or seconds.
I don’t think the way the app is coded will allow both though so don’t think 1:05 for 65 seconds would be easy to code.

If I do this and give you minutes, it would just count down the minutes - no seconds would be displayed.

Andy

[Geoff_T]

I don't need the power trigger, I've already got that covered!!

The choice of either minutes or seconds would be fine for my use, but as I say it's really only a test case. Having said that, I bet someone else will think of another use for minutes (or even hours!!)

[Cobra]

Hours won’t get done, but I can probably look at minutes without too much trouble.

[spalexander68]

Andy,

Don't waste any time on it. Was just a thought. I can live with it as is.

[Cobra]

Ok..
Did a few updates today.

@spalexander68
This might interest you...
In the countdown child app there is a new option..
'Output Format'

You can now output the duration in 3 ways..
Days = days, hours, minutes
Weeks = weeks, days, hours, minutes
Years =years, weeks, days, hours, minutes

Like this..

Unfortunately, I cannot do 'Months' because of the varying number of days
Also, the 'years' option does not take into account leap years so may be 1 day wrong if the duration contains a leap year (The days will correct themselves once the leap year has passed)

Updated code in GitHub for Parent & Countdown Child apps

Have a play and let me know how you get on..
Moving on to seconds/minutes for a countdown timer next..

Andy

[spalexander68]

Sweet, will try it out and let you know!

Scott

[Cobra]

I'd like to say a big 'Thank You' to @mojoman2600 for his very generous donation

Andy

[YapFlapper]

@Cobra
FIrst, thank you for all of your innovation and hard work helping us all have a better Hubitat and home automation experience.

I think the hours, minutes, seconds is useful. I do a lot of pressure cooker meals. It would be nice to set up timers for cooking, then steam release. So that the timer for cooking triggers the timer for steam venting. The first would also work for slow cookers, BBQ/Smoking meats, etc. I am from Texas. Smoking a brisket takes a long time. I would love to have counters/triggers for the different events required to be successful with a long cook.

I see a lot of potential, especially if there is a way for my wife to simply kick off timers from within the dashboard.

YF

[Cobra]

@YapFlapper
I never even considered some of the uses you guys want this for.
Apart from the dates countdown, I just originally considered it as a little seconds countdown for entry/exit timers.

Cooking timer !! ??

The problem would be the configuration you would need to do every time you wanted to change your cooking times..
Starting the timer with a dashboard switch is possible with the current code for the ‘seconds’ timer

I’ll have to think about this for a while to see what is feasible.

Andy

[YapFlapper]

Thanks for considering this. These cooking timers can be huge in gaining WAF of the dashboards and mobile app. She who rules wants to be able to set the slow/pressure cooker and not have to stand there staring at the display. Ditto for me. I envision setting up a set of timers for a brisket cook with triggers for reminders to go add wood to the fire to help maintain proper temperature. I am trying to figure out how to integrate a high temperature wireless thermometer into HE too. Can't you just see it, Andy? HE Dashboard with Super Tiles showing cook timers, the temperature output from sensors, reminders, and the video feed from the surveillance camera ( so I can see the cooker and make sure I am not burning down the deck.

YF

[Geoff_T]

I'm sure Andy will come up with a much slicker solution, but you can actually achieve the sort of thing you want in RM. I've created a couple of virtual dimmers for timers for my dishwasher and washer dryer to see how long they've been running. They could equally be countdown timers for cooking etc. You can use a dashboard display to set the virtual dimmer to the minutes (or hours or days even) that you want using the slider and then just have a rule that decreases it by 1 every minute (or hour). Once you've got that set up you can do anything you want with as it countdown, If you name the dimmer appropriately and display the level as an attribute you can have a tile titled "Minutes left on cooking timer" showing 25 etc.

[Cobra]

@Geoff_T
I was thinking about something similar
Creating a slider with 0-60 minutes for a cooking timer is not so difficult.
The real problem is if you need something like: 4hrs 30 mins..

That is hampered by the tile restrictions we have in HE

[Cobra]

60 Mins something like this...

Unfortunately there is no way to get rid of the % sign as the tile template adds it.
There is also no way to get the font bigger on an individual tile like this

I suppose you could use this tile to set the timer and a supertile to show the remaining minutes