[RM] Conditional Lighting Using Multiple Devices

[MEarly]

So, back in the webCoRE days (I think it was a Tuesday), I used one piston to turn on bulbs in a light fixture triggered by motion and set dimmer, color temperature and which bulbs should come on based upon mode. Illuminance was also a condition and its changes was a trigger.

I am bumping my head against RM to figure out how to do the same without multiple rules.

I want to:

• Turn on 1 or more of 3 lights triggered by motion
• Set dimmer level of the light(s) based upon Mode
• Set the color temperature based upon Mode
• Restrict execution based upon Illuminance
• Motion inactive OFF with delay based upon Mode

Example:

Day+motion => turn on all 3 lights, setLevel 100%, color temp 6500K IFF Illuminance > X
-OR-
Illuminance changes + motion is active => turn off or adjust lights based upon Mode and Illuminance
-OR-
Mode changes + motion is active => turn off or adjust lights based upon Mode and Illuminance

What is the most straightforward way to achieve this?

[Keo]

From what I’ve read on another post, it sounds like Rule Machine was designed to be very simple logic. So to do things like what you want will require Multiple Rules.

[MEarly]

@Keo

From what I’ve read on another post, it sounds like Rule Machine was designed to be very simple logic. So to do things like what you want will require Multiple Rules.

Yep. So, what I was forced to do was create 3 rules.

The first rule is to monitor state as I would with the IF or On Event in webcore.

And, the two other rules are to carry out actions based upon the primary rule truth. The reason I need 2 action rules is that RM doesn't allow properly for multiple conditional actions on multiple discrete devices.

With this solution, I've had to forego some of the granularity that was in my single webcore piston. I can only deal with devices in groups and action-chaining is limited within the context of a single rule, which seems to be a major oversight. It adds unnecessary complexity to what was meant to be a simplistic approach to complex scenarios.

I'm still not sure if this is the best approach, and the system seems to be improperly evaluating rule truth. I need to go back through it all to make sure I didn't introduce some flawed logic.

[Keo]

@MEarly

I’ve had to forego some of the granularity that was in my single webcore piston.

Yeah. It's hard to go back to this after being on WebCoRE.

@MEarly

I can only deal with devices in groups and action-chaining is limited within the context of a single rule.

Can you clarify what you mean by this? I have been able to select multiple switches and bulbs in a single rule.

I haven't played around with action chaining yet, so I'll see what I can do when I get off work. I am no expert on Rule Machine, but I want to believe there has to be a way to do things and I just haven't found them yet.

It's certainly not webCoRE yet. Hopefully there are changes planned.

[Keo]

One other thing, have you seen the user Guide written for Rule MAchine?

Rule Machine User Guide

Rule Machine User Guide Rule Machine is a powerful automation tool for Hubitat. The Rule Machine User Guide has four sections below: • Conditions and Trigger Events • Actions • Expert Features: Custom Commands • Restrictions Conditions and Trigger Events Rules and Triggers respond to events on the selected devices. In the case of a Rule, it evaluates its rule upon any event affecting its Conditions. In the case of a Trigger, it is fired whenever the selected event occurs. Devices with the f…

I just found this about a week ago.

[CAL.hub]

@Keo

Yeah. It’s hard to go back to this after being on WebCoRE.

There seems to be minimal interest from the community to support webCoRE. That's understandable given the complexity (to understate it) of the code and that the only person who really knows it is employed by Smartthings. Bruce has explained well the different missions of RM and webCoRE but it would still be nice to have more complex logic options.

[Keo]

@CAL.hub

Bruce has explained well the different missions of RM and webCoRE but it would still be nice to have more complex logic options.

Yeah, I've seen the discussion. I think if they started by giving a better interface to the app, it may make the transition more pleasant.

[MEarly]

@Keo

Can you clarify what you mean by this? I have been able to select multiple switches and bulbs in a single rule.

Pre-defined actions can be applied to individual devices or a single group of devices, but not individually. In my case, I want all 3 bulbs on during Day Mode, but not during Night and Asleep modes. Because of that limitation, I have to create separate Rules for each mode.