Webcore Automation to Routines frustrations :( Pause routine while other routine is running?

SmartApps & Automations
1

This is like going back to stone age :frowning:

Can someone please help me?
Is there way to pause routine while other is in progress?
I need to stop bathroom light from turning off after 3 minutes when there is no motion if someone is in the shower and the shower door is closed. (that triggers routine light on, fan on)

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

2

It easier to just have one Routine for turning on and another for no motion.

Motion sensor, No motion, Stays this status for xxx. Add a precondition if you need additional parameters.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the reply Bryan!
Problem is that the motion sensor doesn’t see you when the shower door is closed so the no motion routine turns the light off when you are in the shower.
It was so easy in webcore, you just paused the motion light piston and that was it. I don’t understand how Samsung can think that the options provided are sufficient.

4

I see what you’re trying to do. I don’t know of any way to do it with Routine.

I’d have to think about it a bit, but off the top of my head I’d say you could probably do it in SharpTools. Something along the lines of set a variable defining if the light should be on or off and leave it on until that variable changes.

1 Like
5

The way I approach this sort of problem is to use virtual motion sensors to fake motion.

So if you run a Routine when someone has a shower I would have that also set a motion sensor active, let’s call it Shower Motion.

I then make the motion lighting dependent on either of the real motion sensor and the Shower Motion being active.

You can do the same sort of thing with virtual or real switches but I find it simplifies the logic to use virtual motion.

I use the same idea in other ways. If I manually switch on a motion controlled light I also set a virtual motion sensor active so the motion lighting stays on. If the TV is on that also sets a motion sensor.

2 Likes
6

That is brilliant Graham! Thank you for the idea!
Will have to figure out how to :slight_smile:

7

I’m trying to avoid 3rd party solutions since Samsung can decide to tell us to F OFF again like they did with webcore. So frustrating.

1 Like
8

I just put a motion sensor in my shower. It’s been going for 5 years now with no problems.

1 Like
9

The move away from Groovy has been known about for a good four years now, and the webCoRE community were specifically reminded three years ago that they would have to do something if they wanted to continue using it with SmartThings. ST even built a proof of concept of a possible way forward for the community. There was some interest in this but absolutely zero action. So it was a very polite F OFF.

4 Likes
10

Hehe, true…
I did set it up late 2016 and didn’t look back, it was great while it lasted.

11

Indeed, and it is probably still really useful on Hubitat. However it is a solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist to the same degree any more, or at least doesn’t need to.

I get frustrated because I was hoping for so much more from the Rules API by now. However what is the point when users seem to prefer using the Noddy and Big Ears Routines instead of the far more capable full Rules API? Where is the incentive to offer webCoRE levels of functionality when the webCoRE users don’t really seem to care when push comes to shove?

2 Likes
12

Yeah, good points…

Graham, can you recommend virtual switch that I should install/use?

13

At the moment I am using @TAustin 's VEdge Creator for most of my virtual devices. They do all run locally which isn’t ideal.

I have been eyeing up the virtual devices you can create using the API but so far they are unannounced and undocumented and it isn’t clear how many of them would work in practice

1 Like
14

Thank you!
That’s what I tried but I was unable to create the motion sensor :frowning:

EDIT:
Got it working! :slight_smile:
Thanks again Graham!

15

For what it’s worth, we’re here for the long-haul (SharpTools). We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with SmartThings over the years expect that to continue. We’ve already moved over to the next-gen APIs so things will continue to work after the Groovy shutdown.

Of course, “never say never” is in the back of my mind. To your point, SmartThings ultimately has control of the platform and could even pull out functionality from first party features like Rules and Routines too. I try not to sweat that stuff too much as there’s always going to be “what ifs”.

I understand that this change is frustrating for many people, but as I’ve had the benefit of taking a peek “inside”, I really think they’re making some nice changes to improve the platform. The REST APIs are much faster than the Groovy platform, Edge drivers are bringing the long-awaited local functionality, and the Rule API was a move toward a first-class WebCoRE like functionality (of course the missing front-end is a huge issue for most people… I’m sure they want to close that gap too).