I have an Rule to perform an action when illumination is above a threshold variable by an offset.
The offset appears multiple times in my rule (in the trigger and in the actions).
Because of this, I'd like to control the offset value in one location only. A local variable would seem ideal, but a global one would work too.
The problem I have is that I can specify the variable to be used in the comparison but I cannot apply the offset in any other manner than a number in that condition. Telling RM to use a variable as an offset is "going down the rabbit hole" a bit, but could be a useful functional addition in future...
IF (Illuminance of Main Trisensor(58) is > Illuminance Threshold(30) +5.0(T))
...I'd like that '+5.0' to be a variable called 'Illumination Offset'.
In the meantime you can make multiple hub variables that contain the offset. Make a rule that when illuminance changes, the offset variables are set as well, using the offset you have stored in the offset variable.
threshold30 (variable) is set when illuminance is > 30, then it is set to illuminance + threshold (variable).
Any other thresholds you use would become threshold variables in the same way. Then in the main rule,
IF (illuminance of Main Trisensor is > threshold30 (variable)) Then ...
The threshold variables get updated in separate rules whenever illuminance changes, to account for the offset.
Yes, you are right, and I thought of declaring two variables: 'Illuminance Threshold (high)' and 'Illuminance Threshold (low)'.
I may still do that, but it doesn't seem to fit with the overall language I use in constructing my rules (typically one value is the threshold for use in multiple rules like for turning lights on when dim from various triggers, and an offset for use in the single rule that turns them off - albeit the offset is used multiple times in that one rule).
Naturally, this will be different from so many others, and is quite personal but, since almost everything else can have a variable substituted for it, it seems strange that an offset can't.
I agree, it would be a good add for Rule Machine, it is probably a use case that just never came up.
This would be easy to do in Webcore, but you are probably too invested in Rule Machine to switch what rules app you use now. Still, you could just put this one rule in Webcore and use Rule Machine for everything else. All hub variables automatically appear in the Webcore global variable list as an @@variable that can be used and updated.
Great addition to this thread!
You are right that I do not intend to use WebCore (perhaps I'll pick that up at some point in the future), but it is great to see it offered as a suggestion for others tuning in to this discussion.
