How can we turn off SmartApps temporarily

Hi all a question for the collective

Has anyone found a way to switch off a smart app so it lies dormant but you keep the code and all the links to devices and routines etc.

The reason I’m asking is several times I’ve found wanted to turn off a specific app for a short period of time such as a lighting routine, TV Control or alerts.

The only way’s I can do this at the moment are

  1. Delete the App
  2. temporarily modify the app so it doesn’t kick in
  3. Tie it in to a separate temporary routine
  4. Build the scenario into Rule machine and virtual switches

If I look at the way IFTTT approach this they have a switch on every recipe. Flick the switch and the recipe is deactivated.

Does Smartthings have that capability? or could it be introduced easily?

That is how I do it. I have a Mode called “Disabled” which will never be set. To prevent any app from running I simply go into its preferences and select this Mode under the option “Set for specific mode(s)”

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Depends on the situation. I have a virtual presence device for when we have a sitter that stops the Goodbye routine from running. For a rule machine rule I have a virtual switch that disables it when turned on.

I have a mode called “Maintenance”. Nothing runs in it, and no modes will change from it. Very useful.

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That’s interesting. I have a similar situation and that would be useful. How do you setup a virtual presence sensor?

You have to do it manually in the ide.

I figured as much. So you tie it to a virtual switch? How is it the senor becomes present when and only when you need/want it?

No virtual switch required. It is operated like a switch, though. Tap to switch present/gone. Go to the ide, add new device with type simulated presence sensor. Then when the sitter arrives, go into the app and tap to change to present. We have it tied to the Goodbye routine, that way it doesn’t run when we go out on a date night, etc.

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Geniuse! I’ll give it a shot thank you.

Edit: Just tried it, same as you I added it to the goodbye routine. What sucks thou is you can’t use it in a routine its self. So you can’t have a date night routine for example. I’d like to have some motion sensors acive while excluding other and so on.

I simply set an active input in my apps. I toggle it when I want to turn it off. Similar question posted here:

I was going to tell you to just unplug your hub, then I realized you wanted to disable just your smartapps, not ST, so in that case, just leave your hub plugged in…

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[quote="Tolik, post:9, topic:43875]What sucks thou is you can’t use it in a routine its self. So you can’t have a date night routine for example. I’d like to have some motion sensors acive while excluding other and so on.
[/quote]

setup the routine with what you want and then have it automatically run based on when someone arrives and then select only the sitter presence device. That way when you change the sitter to present it also fires off the routine.

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Interesting set of replies but I was more after a way of temporarily deactivating individual SmartApps without deleting them and without having to use special modes. Effectively so the SmartApp can sit dormant and not triggering until it is re enabled manually

There are lots of workarounds available some are more effort than they are worth but has anyone come up with a way of temporarily deactivating an individual SmartApp manually keeping all device relationships and schedules in place.

I know this can be done is Rule Machine but it means writing every app in rule machine from the start.

The only way I’ve found to do it and keep the base app in place is to use IFTTT as an intermediate trigger. where you can switch off the IFTTT routines individually.

Depending on your use case, Modes are great. I have a mode dedicated for all my mornings I have to wake up early. I’ll switch to a different mode on other days.

Thanks

I use modes a lot as well but thinking this through it won’t work for the

for example I want the bedroom lighting app controlling 4 lights to be deactivated while all the other apps respond to the normal routine schedules and triggers including changes in modes.To do it in Mode rapidly multiplies the number of modes required.

I can’t have mode called off as I want my timed modes to kick in as normal and we can only have one mode at a time. So having a specific mode in use deactivates all the other apps.

I think I’m coming back to building in an “AND” function into each app and paring each app to it’s own virtual switch so that switch only affects that app.

That will work for some Apps as they have an AND capacity but others I will have to replicate using my old version of Rule Machine [RIP]