Difference between IFTTT, Stringify, WebCore, Device Handlers and SmartApps

[loud_lou]

I’ve been reading about all of them but just cant seem to wrap my head around all of them. It seems like i can make any IFTTT statements i want with stringify, but then i see people using IFTTT in a stringify command…

SmartApps seem like things that nateivly work with smart things where WebCore and Device handlers do custom commands that are either outside the norm or dont work at all and customer configurations are needed to be made.

Any clarity at a BASIC level would be greatly appreciated.

The reason i ask this is im trying to start with Stringify and learning to do what i think should be a simple interaction now that im getting some of the basics down (been reading all day) but ive reached a bit of a haulting point. I posted over on the Stringify boards which operate a lot like this one however they dont seem as active. If you are a stringify guru and want to help a beginner any guides that could help with my issue or any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Heh i might be overwhelming myself with all these different directions but wanting to understand them at a basic level to understand HOW and WHEN i should use one over the other. Below is what im trying to do:

Unable to create BASIC flow

[HA_fanatic]

If this is all you need, “set it to when the smart plug its plugged into turns on, a timer starts and after 30 minutes it turns off.” Then, look no further than SmartThings’ own Simple Lighting.

The reason why people use IFTTT is to tie together devices that are not available in SmartThings, if you need more complex rules, then use Stringify to string together compatible and non-compatible SmartThings devices. If you have all devices in SmartThings, then basic rules are covered by Smart Lighting (biggest advantage for that, is local processing makes things run faster). What doesn’t work in Smart Lighting or if you don’t feel like creating 100 instances, then use webCoRE.

For your use case, this is all you need (assuming your smart plug is connected to SmartThings)

…or if using new app:

[loud_lou]

that was what i initially tried but couldnt find an option like that. Maybe its because you have the old smartthings app and i have the new one since mine doesnt look like your picture.

I went to the Automation section of the SmartThings app, clicked add routine. Selected "Turn off these lights or switches. Selected the Samsung smart switch i have. Then theres an addtional setting "Automatically perform “Turn off Flat Iron” and i go into it to find "After number of minutes but its not an option. The closest thing to that is “At a certain time” but that only offers times of day and on certain days.

Either its a different app you are using or im missing something lol.

[loud_lou]

nevermind its a SmartApp called lighting automation. i found it and get it now. thanks!!

Got it working, shame its not located in the automation section to review. Seems like since its automating something it should be there haha.

[markplewis]

WebCoRE gives you a programming-like interface that allows you to create extremely sophisticated automation and routines. I use it to do simple things because I know it and I like the interface but I initially started using because I needed to create complex routines that I couldn’t easily create using ST or existing SmartApps. There’s a community forum with examples if you want to take a look and see if it’s something you need or want to pursue.

https://community.webcore.co/

I’d be lost without it.

[HA_fanatic]

SmartApp called lighting automation

For future reference, the app is called Smart Lighting, the instance that Smart Lighting creates is called Lighting Automation. I updated my previous post to reflect both apps…

[JDRoberts]

Did you read the complex rules FAQ? It should help (this is a clickable link)

How to Get Started Creating Complex Rules in SmartThings (2017) (SmartThings Classic)

(This is a wiki post: feel free to edit it or add to it as needed. Also, I can’t take any screenshots since I can’t use the app at this time due to its incompatibility with voiceover, so feel free to add screenshots where they would be helpful.) At one point, one of the biggest advantages of using the SmartThings platform was the wide variety of devices that it supported. However, by the end of 2017 several competing platforms had caught up in that regard. Where SmartThings still holds a significant advantage over some of the other low-cost home automation solutions is in the ability to really build really complex rules in a fairly simple manner. You won’t have to be a programmer, but you may need the help of other community members to get the logic constructed just right. So how can…

IFTTT, Stringify, and yonomi are rules mechanisms created by three separate companies, and none of these companies are part of SmartThings. However, all three of these have provided some integration with SmartThings.

“Smartapps” are code which runs directly on the SmartThings platform, usually in the SmartThings cloud. Some were created by SmartThings staff, some are created by community developers. Anything which is called “custom code” is not officially supported and runs in the smartthings cloud.

Webcore is a custom smartapp whose author was later hired by smartthings for their own staff.

FAQ: What is WebCoRE? (And what was CoRE?)

CoRE (now WebCore) is a very powerful community – created rules engine for SmartThings. It allows you to set up stacked conditionals like “If A then B but only while C and not if D.” Setting it up can be quite complex, but there are many community members who will be glad to help you. For example, here is a piston that one member created to notify him if the dog had already been fed twice that day and he picked up the dog bowl for a third time. He needed this because he has a large family and people didn’t always remember whose turn it was to feed the dog. [image] The original version of CoRE Has now been replaced by a new version, WebCoRE, which moves the data entry to a web interface. This allows for flexibility and an architecture that requires more memory than is av…

[JDRoberts]

Also, the difference between device handlers and smartapps is spelled out in somewhat excruciating detail in the following popular FAQ:

FAQ: An Overview of Using Custom Code in SmartThings (SmartThings Classic)

So you’re new to SmartThings, you asked a question, and someone suggested “custom code” as an answer. Or you were browsing the forums, and you found something that sounded like it would be perfect for what you wanted, but again, “uses custom code.” What does that mean, how hard is it to do, and what’s the difference between a “SmartApp” and a “Device Type Handler”? (Note: the official terminology has changed a couple of times. “device type handler,” “device handler,” “DTH,” and “device type” all mean the same thing, and you will find all these terms used in the forums.) SECTION I: SMARTAPPS AND DEVICE HANDLERS: WHAT THEY ARE SmartAPPS: Tiny Programs to decide what a specific device should do when, or to collect the information from a specific device SmartApps, including the various f…