Rule Builder iOS app

Yes, you can check the mode in the conditions.

Yes, that would require one rule to turn on and one to turn off.

This is still up in the air, but it will be reserved only for features that require some ongoing expenses on our end, such as data subscriptions from third parties, server costs, etc. These would be completely optional and all rules without these features would still work without the subscription.

This app is awesome! I just bought it and I am going to be late for work tomorrow!!!

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Rule Machine allowed me a rule that if up at night to put SHM from arm(stay) to disarm, is this possible with Smart Rules app? Maybe @obycode can help?

If not I’m sure it was said that Smart Rules didn’t interface with SHM, so how come rule machine can?

If not I have a problem, maybe Smart Rules can help, maybe not, if someone can.

I set SHM through night. However we have a dog that sosometimes likes to wake us during night for a toilet trip!!

So I’ve got a motion sensor, that with rule machine, if it detected and was in night modez would disarm SHM. Then once no motion, after a delay rearm SHM.

Can this be done?
Thanks

I have similar needs so I use a minimote and a routine to do what you are looking for. I push a button which runs a routine that sets lights and turns off the alarm by changing my mode from night to alarm bypass then once in bed I set it to night with a separate routine. You can do something similar but with a motion sensor instead of a minimote. For this particular event I don’t even need SmartRules. Don’t get me wrong, I love SR and currently have almost 70 rules. I’m sure there are other ways to do what you need but thought I’d share how I do it.

Don’t want a button, wife or kids (or dog if down first ha ha), will forget.

So I do have a motion sensor that you’d have to pass, dog included, how will I do this with smart rules please, or other?

How would you do it
thanks

Setup a routine called Alarm Bypass, or whatever, then a new mode called whatever you want. You can setup your routine to turn on a light pathway from your motion sensor to an outside door (turn on hallway, living room, kitchen lights, etc.) have it set SHM to disable and change your mode to your new mode (Alarm Bypass?).

Smart Rules rule 1, if motion sensor X detects motion while night mode is active run Alarm Bypass routine.

Smart Rules rule 2, if motion sensor X motion ends and stays that way for X number of minutes while alarm bypass mode is active run Good Night (or whatever routine you run when everyone is in bed that turns SHM to Arm (Stay)).

Now, for me, I have motion sensors all over the house in different rooms so I have a Smart Rules rule setup for each motion sensor that will turn on a light in that room at 50% dim if motion is detected while in Alarm Bypass mode so as I walk around the house lights turn on only in the rooms I enter. Or, as I mentioned above, you can have the new routine turn specific lights on as a pathway to a specific location (i.e. outside door to let your dog go outside).

As I said before I’m sure other people would do this differently like using Smart Lighting, etc. but do what works for you. I find that I tweak things as I actually use them and they didn’t do what I wanted while I’m in that situation. You may want something to work differently when you actually get up in the middle of the night to let the dog outside so tweak your rules accordingly.

You never really pay attention to a routine you do all the time until you try to automate some part of it. This is where home automation becomes really fun albeit sometimes frustrating.

If something is unclear or you have any questions let me know. I love doing this so I’m happy to help.

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Brilliant thanks so much, I couldn’t think of a way, but now understand yes. I was using rule machine, but the problems with it and ST now, I wanted to get away from it and use Smart Rules app, but Smart Rules app couldn’t change SHM.

Didn’t think about using a routine, triggered by SR, not clever enough! Once I get my lights sorted I’ll integrate these to definitely.

To run a routine in smart rules is it tbd “hello, home phrases” option? Not sure why it’s called this?

Thanks again!

@obycode few UI suggestions if I may…

Can you put the + button for adding triggers, conditions etc on the side of the trigger, conditions etc? I keep pressing the wrong button, as when making the rule they are together.

Why is the name to run routines called “home, hello phrases” took me a bit to know what these were relating to.

Grouping of rules, or some organisation of them rather than a long list.

Great app, keep up good work and posting here!
Thanks

The interface to SHM has been “discovered” and it works in self-installed SmartApps like RM, but it is not allowed in officially approved SmartApps.

You mean you’d prefer the plus button to be next to the labels (“if this happens”)? Could you explain the confusion a bit more so I can understand what the issue is and how we might solve it?

Oh, that is “legacy code”. Routines used to be called Hello, Home Phrases and I’ve been used to that and forgotten to change it! We’ll definitely fix that for the next update.

Yes, grouping of the rules would be great and it is on our list of things to work on.

Thanks for the input!

Ah I see that’s fine, so you think the best way around this for now is to have SR to trigger a routine to change the SHM state?

No to the left hand side of whatever you’ve chose. As after a trigger is chosen for example the + is below and I get mixed up with this + and the + for the condition. (See below)

Understand now! Was confusing, I only got ST late last year so didn’t understand this, thanks.

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Is smart rules an approved smart app? IE does it run locally?

It has been approved by SmartThings, but it’s not a local SmartApp.

This is what I see in the logs, if this is useful…As an added step, I removed ALL other SmartApps except SmartRules and the problem still persists.

Cabinet (Low) Light

Cabinet (Up) Light

Note: At other times I’ve seen the logs reversed (where there are more entries under Cabinet (Up) Light).

Keep in mind, in each of these cases the switch has neither been pressed physically or within the SmartThings app.

These are examples of what I’m seeing within the SmartThings app.






Again…keep in mind neither of these switches have been pressed.

@obycode If it would help you troubleshoot I have also been seeing similar issues with lights turning on randomly and rules occasionally not being obeyed. Ill lay out what I have observed and my suspicions on what is happening. Let me know if I can be of assistance troubleshooting.


Here are a few things I have observed:

  • The issue seems worst for my in-wall GE dimmer switches.
  • It also seems like the more properties I put in the AND/OR “While this is true” section the more often the rule fails.
  • Less frequently I have had rules not triggering for several minutes and then when something else triggered it seemed to send all the commands I was just expecting:
  • [WHEN “Bathroom door” IS CLOSED, WHILE “Bathroom Switch” is OFF, THEN TURN ON “Bathroom Switch”]
    and
    [WHEN “Bathroom door” IS OPENED, WHILE “Bathroom Switch” is ON, THEN TURN OFF “Bathroom Switch”]
    This wasn’t triggering so I waited about 30 seconds and then open and closed the door a few times (Making sure to wait a few seconds between). Nothing happened so I walked into the kitchen tripped the motion there and the bathroom light trigged on and off.

Additional Questions (I apologize if they have been answered somewhere before):

  1. Is there a way to view a log of what SmartRules is seeing and the specific commands it is dealing out?
  2. Is there a way to view a specific device and then have the rules listed out that involve it?
  3. Am I correct in thinking that actions from SmartRules are queued up to be evaluated by SmartThings one by one?
  4. Does SmartRules know if the actions it asked SmartThings to take were obeyed and if so how are actions that fail handled?

There was a recent change in the standard Z wave switch device handler so that when it now responds to a poll request it is recorded as a device event. This can cause a bunch of unexpected results, particularly where rules that are triggered by events are concerned. Even affects standard features like smart lighting.

@SBDOBRESCU has a support ticket in on this, perhaps he can give some more details.

Oh, thanks JD. That’s good to know. We’re already checking the event to see if isStateChange() reports true. Do you know whether they method is reporting true or false in that case?

Honestly, I don’t remember anything more then a couple reports on the switch device handler hitting the forum at the same time. I wasn’t feeling very well that day. I know there’s been some discussion under double tap because polling is now triggering an event.

Here is that discussion:

Loving the new version @obycode. I was jut starting to have an issue with it not showing what had a dimmer level set to once the rule is set, good timing :grin:
The only thing so far I am missing seems to be to set the color of a hue and thermostat but reading up looks like those are both coming in the next version.
Thanks for all the hard work!!!

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