Vacation Lighting Director (VLD): multiple instances?

⚙️ Custom Apps and Drivers
1

Is there a way to have multiple instances of VLD, with different time restrictions and sets of devices being controlled? I'm running v 1.0.1, installed through HPM, and that doesn't seem to be possible.

2

May have to manually create the 2nd instance. If you open application source under the Apps Code tab and copy it to the clipboard, and then open a new app code editor session and paste the code into it, go to the top of the code and search for something that looks like:

definition (
	name: 			"My Application", 
	namespace: 		"thebearmay", 
	author: 		"Jean P. May, Jr.",
	description: 	"Application Description",
	category: 		"Utility",
	importUrl: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thebearmay/hubitat/main/apps/filename.groovy",
	oauth: 			false,
    iconUrl:        "",
    iconX2Url:      ""
)

Change the name field to something different ((i.e. VLD-Instance 2) and save. Go to the Applications tab and Add User Application and select your new instance.

3

OK, that's what I suspected.

As a request for enhancement, please consider extending VLD to allow multiple instances, or groups of devices with distinct rules per-group.

Example use case:

Group light switches by zone (exterior, living room + dining room, second floor, bedrooms, all lights), and have different rules for each zone, such as:

  • zone "all": 5pm-9pm., 8 switches on, duration 20 min
  • zone "exterior": 9pm-11pm, 3 switches on, duration 30min
  • zone "second floor": 9pm -10pm, 4 switches on, duration 30 min
  • zone "bedrooms": 10pm - 12am, 2 switches on, duration 45 min

That would simulate the household being active from 5pm-9pm, then gradually moving upstairs, then moving to the bedrooms.

4

So the line to change is around 35 or so in

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/imnotbob/vacation-lighting-director/beta/smartapps/imnotbob/vacation-lighting-director.src/vacation-lighting-director.groovy

old

iconUrl: "http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/custom-icon-design/mono-general-2/512/settings-icon.png",
iconX2Url: "http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/custom-icon-design/mono-general-2/512/settings-icon.png"
)

New:

iconUrl: "http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/custom-icon-design/mono-general-2/512/settings-icon.png",
iconX2Url: "http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/custom-icon-design/mono-general-2/512/settings-icon.png",
singleInstance      : false,
)

In HE console -> apps code

Then you can install multiple copies under HE console -> apps

(ie 1 source file, but multiple running apps).

5

There is an updated version out today.

It further optimizes operations on HE, and has instructions if you want to install multiple versions.

It also can turn logging off.

It is available in HPM. Vacation Lighting Director.

6

Replying to this ancient post....

The Hubitat "Clone" feature makes it trivial to have multiple instances of VLD, with different sets of lights and time periods.

Simply install VLD, create one instance, then go to Apps menu, click on the gear icon (Setting) next to the VLD app, click on the Export/Import/Clone at the top of the page, click on the Clone Vacation Lighting Director, giving the clone the name of the next instance you want to create.

For example, I've now got apps named "Vacation Lighting Director - evening" and "Vacation Lighting Director - night". I may add "early morning", etc. Each has a separate set of lights assigned, simulating a normal pattern of moving from the kitchen/living room to the den/bedroom as the clock progresses.