I want a rules engine, not apps

SmartApps & Automations
83

Hey @obycode I know you are working on support for dimming, how about Hello Home Phrases?

84

Triggering Hello Home Phrases as an action right? Yeah, that should be doable. Iā€™ll add it to the list. Thanks

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85

you hit this out of the park. Humidity sensor please

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86

I already have a large group of actions in hello home phrases, if I could trigger them from smart rules that would be ideal.

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87

Ah - and thereā€™s the extra pay version for something that should be intrinsic to the platformā€¦

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88

I really like the look of this Rules interface on the new Almond+. Really good looking setup with icons and operators.

89

Is there an updated status on Android?

90

No, no news yet for Android. Its still on the roadmap, but no timeline yet. In other news, the next iOS update will be submitted to Apple by the end of the week. Iā€™ll post the features included in that update tomorrow.

4 Likes
91

The update is submitted. Here is whatā€™s new:

Added new features:

  • Hello, Home actions
  • Delayed actions
  • No more limit of 4 time triggers

Added support for many new device types:

  • Music players
  • Illuminance sensors
  • Acceleration sensors
  • Momentary switches
  • Humidity sensors
  • Temperature sensors
  • Dimmer switches

And some minor bug fixes!

4 Likes
92

Yay! Here comes some money

93

I tried the free app and immediately paid for the full version. It really is fantastic.

You should consider starting a separate thread just for your app as well, for requests and updates.

94

There is already oneā€¦

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95

Have to say again I LOVE this app! Iā€™ve slowly been teaching myself how to build smart apps, and at times havenā€™t been able to create my desired result. This app allows me to implement my idea(s) instantly (delays addition is big), while taking time to code a smart app myself. While I realize this is unnecessary, but thatā€™s part of the fun of SmartThings for me. Like making a house a home.

96

Thanks @thejokell and @the2352! Glad you like it.
For everyone who is enjoying the app, the best way to help me continue adding features is to give the app a good review on the App Store. And keep those ideas for improvements coming!

97

Iā€™ve gotten so bad about writing reviews - used to do it all the time. Thanks for the reminder - review posted.

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98

Ben, I bought Obycodeā€™s SmartRules app this morning. It is so much more straight-forward to create and manage rules with the SmartRules app than it is natively with SmartThings. This is how I want to be able to manage rules and logic in my smart home, and functionality that Iā€™ve always thought ST should have right out of the box. Iā€™ve posted in another thread and emailed their support with a couple of suggestions, but theyā€™re off to a great start. Iā€™d be elated if they added logic to support more complex conditional logic along the lines of:

Condition1 AND (Condition2 OR Condition3) AND (Condition4 OR Condition5)

Why doesnā€™t SmartThings have functionality like this? I can see your point that SmartApps have the capability to do some complicated stuff that might be difficult with a rules engine, but SmartApps are often arbitrarily limited. And finding all the rules that are configured for different devices and SmartApps is hard to track down.

4 Likes
99

In defense of ST, this type of logic using a Vera controller would require much more complicated third party apps (@obycode apps are so much advanced than what can be easily done using a Vera) or their coding language. I know you did not mention using a Vera but I thought I would threw out there. Something I learned on the other side. Please donā€™t be offended. I found it very difficult. I will say that they have a very strong community much the same as this one.

EDIT: And Vera has been around much longer.

100

James you are 100% correct here. I have also bought SmartRules and agree that the functionality should be built in to the default app.

Right now Iā€™d say the SmartThings app is the biggest thing holding me back from recommending the system to new users. It is simply not user-friendly, and ā€œSmart Appsā€ are anything but for the general user. Having to log into a dashboard and load code from Github is something youā€™ll never see from the average consumer.

Donā€™t get me wrong, I love the automation functionality I now have with my SmartThings system, but it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of usability.

1 Like
101

We agree that there are some arbitrary limitations in setting up alerts and actions today. Mostly that is because - hey, we have to stop somewhere. Should we always include time ranges? How about delays? Sometimes yes. But many times this just clutters things up. The good news is the SmartThings App is going through a redesign. There will likely be more opportunities for the types of setup scenarios you mention. We have developed and internal beta version of a rule builder as early as 2 years ago but have never had the time to polish it. # priorities

We love that SmartRules and others in the future ā€” when we open access to the ā€œcore APIā€ ā€” will be able to create new interfaces of their choosing.

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102

So far this app has been fantastic and I have enjoyed creating rules with it. I will say that as much as I have enjoyed working with the app I have enjoyed dealing with Brice more. He has been great at taking and then dealing with issues that have come up with the app, quickly releasing updates with the enhancements requested from the community, providing information and answering questions in the forums. I wish all app developers were this attentive.

Thanks Brice

3 Likes