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  4. [SOLVED] Random ghosting of lights when Away
Advice reqeusted to migrate MSR from Bare Metal to Container
T
Good day all, I'm in the process of trying to shut down my 10 year old Linux home server that served many purposes, but primarily it's what I used for my NAS/Plex Media server. I migrated the NAS aspect of the server in November of last year to a true NAS solution (Ubiquti UNAS Pro), which is rack mount and much more efficient than my old tower, which it's only side benefit was heating my home office during the winter. Unfortunately it also means heating my home office during the summer, which were about to be in full swing. I have two things running on this 10 year old server at this point. MSR and pi-hole. I'm running Plex Media Server on Fedora Workstation in Podman on mini PC, which is much more energy efficient than my old tower. My next step is to migrate MSR. I know there are images of MSR out there, and creating it is well documented. I'm going to be using Podman instead of Docker for various reasons, but they work very similar. What I don't know, is what I need to do to migrate my existing Bare Metal installation over to a container. Has anyone done this? Any advice?
Multi-System Reactor
Reactor (Multi-System/Multi-Hub) Announcements
toggledbitsT
Build 21228 has been released. Docker images available from DockerHub as usual, and bare-metal packages here. Home Assistant up to version 2021.8.6 supported; the online version of the manual will now state the current supported versions; Fix an error in OWMWeatherController that could cause it to stop updating; Unify the approach to entity filtering on all hub interface classes (controllers); this works for device entities only; it may be extended to other entities later; Improve error detail in messages for EzloController during auth phase; Add isRuleSet() and isRuleEnabled() functions to expressions extensions; Implement set action for lock and passage capabilities (makes them more easily scriptable in some cases); Fix a place in the UI where 24-hour time was not being displayed.
Multi-System Reactor
Can´t restart or upgrade/deploy MSR
F
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Multi-System Reactor
[Solved] Limit HA Entity in MSR
wmarcolinW
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Multi-System Reactor
Organizing/ structuring rule sets and rules
R
Hi guys, Just wondering how you guys organize your rule sets and rules. I wish I had an extra layer to have some more granularity, but my feature request was not popular. Maybe there are better ways to organize my rule sets. I use the rule sets now primarily for rooms. So a rule set per room. But maybe grouping by functionality works better. Any examples/ suggestions would be appreciated.
Multi-System Reactor
Moving MSR from a QNAP container to RP 5 - some issues
Tom_DT
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Multi-System Reactor
Widget deletion does not work and landing page (status) is empy
M
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Multi-System Reactor
Need help reducing false positive notifications
T
Topic thumbnail image
Multi-System Reactor
Deleting widgets
tunnusT
Hopefully a trivial question, but how do you delete widgets in a status page? Using build 22266
Multi-System Reactor
MQTT configuration question
tunnusT
I have the following yaml configuration in local_mqtt_devices file x_mqtt_device: set_speed: arguments: speed: type: str topic: "command/%friendly_name%" payload: type: json expr: '{ "fan": parameters.speed }' While this works fine, I'm wondering how this could be changed to "fixed" parameters, as in this case "fan" only accepts "A", "Q" or a numeric value of 1-5?
Multi-System Reactor
System Configuration Check - time is offset
F
Hi! I get this message when I'm on the status tab: System Configuration Check The time on this system and on the Reactor host are significantly different. This may be due to incorrect system configuration on either or both. Please check the configuration of both systems. The host reports 2025-04-01T15:29:29.252Z; browser reports 2025-04-01T15:29:40.528Z; difference 11.276 seconds. I have MSR installed as a docker on my Home Assistant Blue / Hardkernel ODROID-N2/N2+. MSR version is latest-25082-3c348de6. HA versions are: Core 2025.3.4 Supervisor 2025.03.4 Operating System 15.1 I have restarted HA as well as MSR multiple times. This message didn´t show two weeks ago. Don´t know if it have anything to do with the latest MSR version. Do anyone know what I can try? Thanks in advance! Let's Be Careful Out There (Hill Street reference...) /Fanan
Multi-System Reactor
Programmatically capture HTTP Request action status code or error
therealdbT
I have a very strange situation, where if InfluxDB restarts, other containers may fail when restarting at the same time (under not easy to understand circumstances), and InfluxDB remains unreachable (and these containers crashes). I need to reboot these containers in an exact order, after rebooting InfluxDB. While I understand what's going on, I need a way to reliable determine that InfluxDB is not reachable and these containers are not reachable, in order to identify this situation and manually check what's going on - and, maybe, in the future, automatically restart them if needed. So, I was looking at HTTP Request action, but I need to capture the HTTP response code, instead of the response (becase if ping is OK, InfluxDB will reply with a 204), and, potentially, a way to programmatically detect that it's failing to get the response. While I could write a custom HTTP controller for this or a custom HTTP virtual device, I was wondering if this is somewhat on you roadmap @toggledbits Thanks!
Multi-System Reactor
ZwaveJSUI - RGBWW BULB - Warm/Cold White interfered with RGB settings - Bulb doesn't change color if in WarmWhite state.
N
Hi , I'm on -Reactor (Multi-hub) latest-25067-62e21a2d -Docker on Synology NAS -ZWaveJSUI 9.31.0.6c80945 Problem with ZwaveJSUI: When I try to change color to a bulb RGBWW, it doesn't change to the RGB color and the bulb remains warm or cold white. I tryed with Zipato RGBW Bulb V2 RGBWE2, Hank Bulb HKZW-RGB01, Aentec 6 A-ZWA002, so seems that it happens with all RGBWW bulb with reactor/zwavejsui. I'm using from reator the entity action: "rgb_color.set" and "rgb_color.set_rgb". After I send the reactor command, It changes in zwavejsui the rgb settings but doesn't put the white channel to "0", so the prevalent channel remains warm/cold White and the bulb doesn't change into the rgb color. This is the status of the bulb in zwavejsui after "rgb_color.set" (235,33,33,) and the bulb is still warmWhite. x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_currentColor={"warmWhite":204,"coldWhite":0,"red":235,"green":33,"blue":33} The "cold white" and "warm white" settings interfer with the rgb color settings. Reactor can change bulb colors with rgb_color set — (value, ui8, 0x000000 to 0xffffff) or rgb_color set_rgb — (red, green, blue, all ui1, 0 to 255) but if warm or cold white are not to "0", zwavejsui doesn't change them and I can't find a way to change into rgb or from rgb back to warm white. So if I use from reactor: rgb_color set_rgb — (235,33,33) in zwavejsui I have x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_targetColor={"red":235,"green":33,"blue":33} 14/03/2025, 16:43:57 - value updated Arg 0: └─commandClassName: Color Switch └─commandClass: 51 └─property: targetColor └─endpoint: 0 └─newValue └──red: 235 └──green: 33 └──blue: 33 └─prevValue └──red: 235 └──green: 33 └──blue: 33 └─propertyName: targetColor 14/03/2025, 16:43:57 - value updated Arg 0: └─commandClassName: Color Switch └─commandClass: 51 └─property: currentColor └─endpoint: 0 └─newValue └──warmWhite: 204 └──coldWhite: 0 └──red: 235 └──green: 33 └──blue: 33 └─prevValue └──warmWhite: 204 └──coldWhite: 0 └──red: 235 └──green: 33 └──blue: 33 └─propertyName: currentColor In zwavejsui, the bulb changes rgb set but warm White remains to "204" and the bulb remais on warm White channel bacause is prevalent on rgb set. x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_currentColor_0=204 x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_currentColor_1=0 x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_currentColor_2=235 x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_currentColor_3=33 x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_currentColor_4=33 Is it possible to targetColor also for "warmWhite" and "coldWhite" and have something similar to this? x_zwave_values.Color_Switch_targetColor={"warmWhite":0,"coldWhite":0,"red":235,"green":33,"blue":33} Thanks in advance.
Multi-System Reactor
Problem with simultaneous notifications.
T
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Multi-System Reactor
Problem after upgrading to 25067
R
MSR had been running fine, but I decided to follow the message to upgrade to 25067. Since the upgrade, I have received the message "Controller "<name>" (HubitatController hubitat2) could not be loaded at startup. Its ID is not unique." MSR throws the message on every restart. Has anyone else encountered this problem? I am running MSR on a Raspberry Pi4 connecting to two Hubitat units over an OpenVPN tunnel. One C8 and a C8 Pro. Both are up-to-date. It appears that despite the error message that MSR may be operating properly.
Multi-System Reactor
Global expressions not always evaluated
tunnusT
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Multi-System Reactor
[Solved] Local expression evaluation
V
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Multi-System Reactor
[Solved] Runtime error when exiting global reaction that contains a group
S
I am getting a Runtime error on different browsers when I click exit when editing an existing or creating a new global reaction containing a group. If the global reaction does not have a group I don't get an error. I see a similar post on the forum about a Runtime Error when creating reactions but started a new thread as that appears to be solved. The Runtime Error is different in the two browsers Safari v18.3 @http://192.168.10.21:8111/reactor/en-US/lib/js/reaction-list.js:171:44 You may report this error, but do not screen shot it. Copy-paste the complete text. Remember to include a description of the operation you were performing in as much detail as possible. Report using the Reactor Bug Tracker (in your left navigation) or at the SmartHome Community. Google Chrome 133.0.6943.142 TypeError: self.editor.isModified is not a function at HTMLButtonElement.<anonymous> (http://192.168.10.21:8111/reactor/en-US/lib/js/reaction-list.js:171:34) You may report this error, but do not screen shot it. Copy-paste the complete text. Remember to include a description of the operation you were performing in as much detail as possible. Report using the Reactor Bug Tracker (in your left navigation) or at the SmartHome Community. Steps to reproduce: Click the pencil to edit a global reaction with a group. Click the Exit button. Runtime error appears. or Click Create Reaction Click Add Action Select Group Add Condition such as Entity Attribute. Add an Action. Click Save Click Exit Runtime error appears. I don’t know how long the error has been there as I haven’t edited the global reaction in a long time. Reactor (Multi-hub) latest-25060-f32eaa46 Docker Mac OS: 15.3.1 Thanks
Multi-System Reactor
Cannot delete Global Expressions
SnowmanS
I am trying to delete a global expression (gLightDelay) but for some strange reason, it comes back despite clicking the Delete this expression and Save Changes buttons. I have not created a global expression for some times and just noticed this while doing some clean-up. I have upgraded Reactor to 25067 from 25060 and the behaviour is still there. I have restarted Reactor (as well as restarting its container) and cleared the browser's cache several times without success. Here's what the log shows. [latest-25067]2025-03-08T23:50:22.690Z <wsapi:INFO> [WSAPI]wsapi#1 rpc_echo [Object]{ "comment": "UI activity" } [latest-25067]2025-03-08T23:50:26.254Z <GlobalExpression:NOTICE> Deleting global expression gLightDelay [latest-25067]2025-03-08T23:50:27.887Z <wsapi:INFO> [WSAPI]wsapi#1 rpc_echo [Object]{ "comment": "UI activity" } Reactor latest-25067-62e21a2d Docker on Synology NAS
Multi-System Reactor
Local notification methods?
CatmanV2C
Morning, experts. Hard on learning about the internet check script in MSR tools, I was wondering what suggestions anyone has about a local (i.e. non-internet dependent) notification method. This was prompted by yesterday's fun and games with my ISP. I've got the script Cronned and working properly but short of flashing a light on and off, I'm struggling to think of a way of alerting me (ideally to my phone) I guess I could set up a Discord server at home, but that feels like overkill for a rare occasion. Any other suggestions? TIA C
Multi-System Reactor

[SOLVED] Random ghosting of lights when Away

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Multi-System Reactor
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  • toggledbitsT toggledbits

    Pretty easy to do with lights to be controlled in an array and a couple of rules to figure out (a) when to be enabled, (b) toggle a randomly-selected light from the array and delay a random time; (c) figure out when transitioning from enabled to disabled and turn off all the lights in the array. That's basically the guts of DEMII.

    toggledbitsT Offline
    toggledbitsT Offline
    toggledbits
    wrote on last edited by toggledbits
    #6

    @toggledbits Here's a prototype for "Reactor Ex Machina"...

    Lights to be cycled are placed in a global expression like this:

    d8d23e46-153d-4e70-a20f-9c7f471f5cb1-image.png

    This is the "Cycler". It triggers when a variable it owns called cycler_stim changes (and is non-zero, which is the resting/deactivated state value).

    8f9e65fe-825a-416e-b49a-4e4c9ad30e02-image.png 1dce63c0-7534-4cf4-bd0f-21fc52e09646-image.png cc0b02e5-692f-4b21-8854-c3c5cf091a31-image.png

    When the cycler is "stimulated", it picks a random device from REM_lights and toggles it. Then it goes into a random delay between 10 and 30 minutes, after which it increments cycler_stim, effectively stimulating itself (for lack of a better description) and the cycle begins again.

    This is the "activate" rule. It determines when light cycling should start. It just sets cycler_stim to 1, and the Cycler will automatically start going.

    447a50c8-13c7-4873-b194-8220b70c3f6f-image.png

    This is the "deactivate" rule; it determines when cycling should stop. Depending on the complexity of your activate/deactivate rules, you could also do this in the reset reaction of Activate. It sets cycler_stim to 0 and turns off all the controlled lights.

    5a9655c1-afab-4a15-a6b5-242629f07e2a-image.png

    Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

    G LibraSunL 3 Replies Last reply
    1
    • LibraSunL LibraSun

      Also, I believe random lights on/off is a built-in feature of Alexa Guard. You set it up in the Alexa app, choose which lights to operate, and when leaving the house, simply say, "We're leaving" or "Turn on Guard".

      G Offline
      G Offline
      gwp1
      wrote on last edited by
      #7

      @librasun This is good to know - I tend to try and keep as much as possible within MSR. Yes, it makes it a SPOF, but it's also better than chasing down troubleshooting in multiple places.

      That being said... I do have some things like TV on/off, Night mode on, that are convenience things that ultimately drive back to the root HA system running from within Alexa devices.

      *Hubitat C-7 2.4.1.151
      *Proxmox VE v8, Beelink MiniPC 12GBs, SSD

      *HASS 2025.3.4
      w/ ZST10-700 fw 7.18.3

      *Prod MSR in docker/portainer
      MSR: latest-25082-3c348de6
      MQTTController: 24257
      ZWave Controller: 25082

      1 Reply Last reply
      1
      • toggledbitsT toggledbits

        @toggledbits Here's a prototype for "Reactor Ex Machina"...

        Lights to be cycled are placed in a global expression like this:

        d8d23e46-153d-4e70-a20f-9c7f471f5cb1-image.png

        This is the "Cycler". It triggers when a variable it owns called cycler_stim changes (and is non-zero, which is the resting/deactivated state value).

        8f9e65fe-825a-416e-b49a-4e4c9ad30e02-image.png 1dce63c0-7534-4cf4-bd0f-21fc52e09646-image.png cc0b02e5-692f-4b21-8854-c3c5cf091a31-image.png

        When the cycler is "stimulated", it picks a random device from REM_lights and toggles it. Then it goes into a random delay between 10 and 30 minutes, after which it increments cycler_stim, effectively stimulating itself (for lack of a better description) and the cycle begins again.

        This is the "activate" rule. It determines when light cycling should start. It just sets cycler_stim to 1, and the Cycler will automatically start going.

        447a50c8-13c7-4873-b194-8220b70c3f6f-image.png

        This is the "deactivate" rule; it determines when cycling should stop. Depending on the complexity of your activate/deactivate rules, you could also do this in the reset reaction of Activate. It sets cycler_stim to 0 and turns off all the controlled lights.

        5a9655c1-afab-4a15-a6b5-242629f07e2a-image.png

        G Offline
        G Offline
        gwp1
        wrote on last edited by
        #8

        @toggledbits Going to ask a really dumb question: how do I create a variable to use in Set Variable ?

        *Hubitat C-7 2.4.1.151
        *Proxmox VE v8, Beelink MiniPC 12GBs, SSD

        *HASS 2025.3.4
        w/ ZST10-700 fw 7.18.3

        *Prod MSR in docker/portainer
        MSR: latest-25082-3c348de6
        MQTTController: 24257
        ZWave Controller: 25082

        LibraSunL 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • G gwp1

          @toggledbits Going to ask a really dumb question: how do I create a variable to use in Set Variable ?

          LibraSunL Offline
          LibraSunL Offline
          LibraSun
          wrote on last edited by LibraSun
          #9

          @gwp1 said in Random ghosting of lights when Away:

          @toggledbits Going to ask a really dumb question: how do I create a variable to use in Set Variable ?

          In MSR, you have two choices. #1 - Create a new Global Expression under (you guessed it) "Global Expressions" on the left-hand menu. #2 - Within any Rule, scroll down to the bottom and click to expand the Expressions pane; there, you can click [+Add Expression]. Just type its name (variable names are case-sensitive!), then tab or click into its definition window to begin creating an expression.

          1 Reply Last reply
          1
          • toggledbitsT toggledbits

            @toggledbits Here's a prototype for "Reactor Ex Machina"...

            Lights to be cycled are placed in a global expression like this:

            d8d23e46-153d-4e70-a20f-9c7f471f5cb1-image.png

            This is the "Cycler". It triggers when a variable it owns called cycler_stim changes (and is non-zero, which is the resting/deactivated state value).

            8f9e65fe-825a-416e-b49a-4e4c9ad30e02-image.png 1dce63c0-7534-4cf4-bd0f-21fc52e09646-image.png cc0b02e5-692f-4b21-8854-c3c5cf091a31-image.png

            When the cycler is "stimulated", it picks a random device from REM_lights and toggles it. Then it goes into a random delay between 10 and 30 minutes, after which it increments cycler_stim, effectively stimulating itself (for lack of a better description) and the cycle begins again.

            This is the "activate" rule. It determines when light cycling should start. It just sets cycler_stim to 1, and the Cycler will automatically start going.

            447a50c8-13c7-4873-b194-8220b70c3f6f-image.png

            This is the "deactivate" rule; it determines when cycling should stop. Depending on the complexity of your activate/deactivate rules, you could also do this in the reset reaction of Activate. It sets cycler_stim to 0 and turns off all the controlled lights.

            5a9655c1-afab-4a15-a6b5-242629f07e2a-image.png

            LibraSunL Offline
            LibraSunL Offline
            LibraSun
            wrote on last edited by
            #10

            @toggledbits some quick questions about the new performAction ( ) construct you've just presented:

            1. Will there be a "Builder" button to help create these expressions in the same way getEntity currently does?
            2. Is the semicolon ; a one-for-one alternative to comma , as a separator in multi-part expressions? or only when used as a terminator for each blocks?
            3. Why did you elect to place that [Set Variable] sequence inside a separate rule's Set Reaction, rather than have it inside the Reset Reaction of "Active Period".
            4. Any documentation available at this stage for performAction ( ) showing what the optional { } parameters can do?

            This is clearly powerful mojo you've just unleashed. And your implementation example takes us into while/do territory without explicitly introducing a label/loop or repeat element.

            (But your example does have me wondering whether "Condition Options" for Triggers and Group Constraints should offer "Randomize" drop-downs in "Pulse" for Output Control?)

            e.g.
            output goes true for [fixed/random] __ (to __) seconds [once/repeat] after [fixed/random] __ (to __) seconds, up to __ times
            

            Thoughts?

            toggledbitsT 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • LibraSunL LibraSun

              @toggledbits some quick questions about the new performAction ( ) construct you've just presented:

              1. Will there be a "Builder" button to help create these expressions in the same way getEntity currently does?
              2. Is the semicolon ; a one-for-one alternative to comma , as a separator in multi-part expressions? or only when used as a terminator for each blocks?
              3. Why did you elect to place that [Set Variable] sequence inside a separate rule's Set Reaction, rather than have it inside the Reset Reaction of "Active Period".
              4. Any documentation available at this stage for performAction ( ) showing what the optional { } parameters can do?

              This is clearly powerful mojo you've just unleashed. And your implementation example takes us into while/do territory without explicitly introducing a label/loop or repeat element.

              (But your example does have me wondering whether "Condition Options" for Triggers and Group Constraints should offer "Randomize" drop-downs in "Pulse" for Output Control?)

              e.g.
              output goes true for [fixed/random] __ (to __) seconds [once/repeat] after [fixed/random] __ (to __) seconds, up to __ times
              

              Thoughts?

              toggledbitsT Offline
              toggledbitsT Offline
              toggledbits
              wrote on last edited by
              #11

              @librasun

              1. This is a tough one; which is to say, I'm developing a tough stance around the expressions in general. I'm more likely to remove the existing builder for 1.0. Expressions are an advanced user feature, and putting training wheels around what is really two simple core concepts that are foundational for an MSR user to understand in the system (i.e. how to identify a device and how to pick an attribute from it) isn't helpful in my view. In fact, your earlier suggestion of a full point-and-click expression builder actually set off alarm bells in my head and has pretty much cemented for me where expressions live in this ecosystem. As/if MSR is used by more people, I will be looking at how expressions are used and why, and trying to find ways to address those needs with conditions and actions instead, so that the need for expressions is reduced to the minimum (i.e. make more powerful tools available in the simpler interface, rather than growing the power of the most complex interface). I'm also not afraid to decide that not every automation problem needs an MSR solution. At least for version 1.0, I'm feeling just at or slightly over the limit of what I'm willing to do with expressions until I get more users and more perspective.
              2. Semicolon and comma are treated the same in lexpjs.
              3. Which one?
              4. Yes. Start at the "Manual" link in the left nav, go to Creating Automations, then Expressions.

              Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

              LibraSunL 1 Reply Last reply
              1
              • toggledbitsT toggledbits

                @librasun

                1. This is a tough one; which is to say, I'm developing a tough stance around the expressions in general. I'm more likely to remove the existing builder for 1.0. Expressions are an advanced user feature, and putting training wheels around what is really two simple core concepts that are foundational for an MSR user to understand in the system (i.e. how to identify a device and how to pick an attribute from it) isn't helpful in my view. In fact, your earlier suggestion of a full point-and-click expression builder actually set off alarm bells in my head and has pretty much cemented for me where expressions live in this ecosystem. As/if MSR is used by more people, I will be looking at how expressions are used and why, and trying to find ways to address those needs with conditions and actions instead, so that the need for expressions is reduced to the minimum (i.e. make more powerful tools available in the simpler interface, rather than growing the power of the most complex interface). I'm also not afraid to decide that not every automation problem needs an MSR solution. At least for version 1.0, I'm feeling just at or slightly over the limit of what I'm willing to do with expressions until I get more users and more perspective.
                2. Semicolon and comma are treated the same in lexpjs.
                3. Which one?
                4. Yes. Start at the "Manual" link in the left nav, go to Creating Automations, then Expressions.
                LibraSunL Offline
                LibraSunL Offline
                LibraSun
                wrote on last edited by LibraSun
                #12

                @toggledbits said in Random ghosting of lights when Away:

                Which one?

                I was referring to the placement of the "Reset to 0" action inside of a "Deactivate" rule (see https://smarthome.community/post/7946) rather than just resetting the variable in the Reset reaction of "Active Period" (since I believe, perhaps wrongly?, that the same thing would be accomplished either way).

                As for the "Builder", it was just my natural response to an inner dialogue I had upon first seeing performAction ()... namely, "How will I ever remember the function 'performAction'?" and "How am I going to keep its syntax straight between uses?" and "What are the myriad valid actions it can perform on a given device?"

                Such a powerful tool! But chances are, without a Builder, I just would avoid it entirely because I can't keep all that in my mind. Just like I currently use the "Expression Builder" of Reactor for Luup and its counterpart in MSR every single time.

                toggledbitsT 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • LibraSunL LibraSun

                  @toggledbits said in Random ghosting of lights when Away:

                  Which one?

                  I was referring to the placement of the "Reset to 0" action inside of a "Deactivate" rule (see https://smarthome.community/post/7946) rather than just resetting the variable in the Reset reaction of "Active Period" (since I believe, perhaps wrongly?, that the same thing would be accomplished either way).

                  As for the "Builder", it was just my natural response to an inner dialogue I had upon first seeing performAction ()... namely, "How will I ever remember the function 'performAction'?" and "How am I going to keep its syntax straight between uses?" and "What are the myriad valid actions it can perform on a given device?"

                  Such a powerful tool! But chances are, without a Builder, I just would avoid it entirely because I can't keep all that in my mind. Just like I currently use the "Expression Builder" of Reactor for Luup and its counterpart in MSR every single time.

                  toggledbitsT Offline
                  toggledbitsT Offline
                  toggledbits
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #13

                  @librasun As I said, it depends on the complexity of your activation and deactivation. I made them separate because I think that's a more general approach -- not all "not activate" means "deactivate". But for sure, it can be done just in Activate if that is implied.

                  @librasun said in Random ghosting of lights when Away:

                  As for the "Builder", it was just my natural response to an inner dialogue I had upon first seeing performAction ()... namely, "How will I ever remember the function 'performAction'?" and "How am I going to keep its syntax straight between uses?" and "What are the myriad valid actions it can perform on a given device?"
                  Such a powerful tool! But chances are, without a Builder, I just would avoid it entirely because I can't keep all that in my mind. Just like I currently use the "Expression Builder" of Reactor for Luup and its counterpart in MSR every single time.

                  If everybody thought like this, none of us would be here because nobody would use any API and none of these tools or systems would exist. I do not expect users to get through using expressions at all without referring to the documentation from time to time. The R4V "getstate" tool is not an expression builder, it just handles that one function, as does the analogous tool in MSR. But expanding on that seems folly to me, and the more expansive, the more folly. It's anathema to the complexity of the feature (expressions), IMO.

                  Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

                  LibraSunL 1 Reply Last reply
                  1
                  • toggledbitsT toggledbits

                    @librasun As I said, it depends on the complexity of your activation and deactivation. I made them separate because I think that's a more general approach -- not all "not activate" means "deactivate". But for sure, it can be done just in Activate if that is implied.

                    @librasun said in Random ghosting of lights when Away:

                    As for the "Builder", it was just my natural response to an inner dialogue I had upon first seeing performAction ()... namely, "How will I ever remember the function 'performAction'?" and "How am I going to keep its syntax straight between uses?" and "What are the myriad valid actions it can perform on a given device?"
                    Such a powerful tool! But chances are, without a Builder, I just would avoid it entirely because I can't keep all that in my mind. Just like I currently use the "Expression Builder" of Reactor for Luup and its counterpart in MSR every single time.

                    If everybody thought like this, none of us would be here because nobody would use any API and none of these tools or systems would exist. I do not expect users to get through using expressions at all without referring to the documentation from time to time. The R4V "getstate" tool is not an expression builder, it just handles that one function, as does the analogous tool in MSR. But expanding on that seems folly to me, and the more expansive, the more folly. It's anathema to the complexity of the feature (expressions), IMO.

                    LibraSunL Offline
                    LibraSunL Offline
                    LibraSun
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #14

                    @toggledbits Agreed. I accept my limitations here, too, just as I have for the past 40 years when attempting to write computer programs. (Ironic, since I taught Applesoft BASIC and LOGO to hundreds of kids in the 1980s.)

                    For me, composing things like Regex matches, Javascript/Google Apps Script macros, PUT requests, and more generally API calls with code -- even rudimentary Linux commands at the prompt -- means hours of Googling, reading docs, and/or hunting up examples.

                    So long as we teamwork those MSR docs into something brimming with Pro Tips and Working Examples, I (and 99.9% of users) will be fine. But coming up with Expressions from scratch, on-the-fly with weeks/months between visits to the UI will remain challenging, by design, as you rightly point out.

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                    • toggledbitsT Offline
                      toggledbitsT Offline
                      toggledbits
                      wrote on last edited by toggledbits
                      #15

                      That's another reason I really want to see how they get used and what opportunities are possible to add rule or reaction features to alleviate the need. Those interfaces more or less put the options in front of you -- they are Reactor/MSR's expression builders.

                      On a related note, anecdote: in the late 90s/early 2Ks, I was a Perl power user, big time. Maybe half of my projects and output were Perl at that time. Then tides shifted and until just a few days ago, I had not touched Perl. But I had a file-handling task that was tailor-made for Perl, so I dove in. What a mess. What would have taken me a half hour 20 years ago took me hours that day, much of it Google-searching. C'est la vie.

                      Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

                      LibraSunL 1 Reply Last reply
                      1
                      • toggledbitsT toggledbits

                        That's another reason I really want to see how they get used and what opportunities are possible to add rule or reaction features to alleviate the need. Those interfaces more or less put the options in front of you -- they are Reactor/MSR's expression builders.

                        On a related note, anecdote: in the late 90s/early 2Ks, I was a Perl power user, big time. Maybe half of my projects and output were Perl at that time. Then tides shifted and until just a few days ago, I had not touched Perl. But I had a file-handling task that was tailor-made for Perl, so I dove in. What a mess. What would have taken me a half hour 20 years ago took me hours that day, much of it Google-searching. C'est la vie.

                        LibraSunL Offline
                        LibraSunL Offline
                        LibraSun
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #16

                        @toggledbits Given your affinity for logic charts and equivalences, I think it bears asking at this juncture: What can performAction() do that a carefully-iterated Set/Reset Action cannot?

                        After all, if a user can already set up a device array, use Expressions to advance its index step-wise, and loop (or call) a Rule (or Reaction) repeatedly based on Conditions... is there a particular use-case where performAction() simplifies things or enables something otherwise impossible?

                        Please show me to the door if I've overstayed my welcome on this topic. 🙂

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                        • toggledbitsT Offline
                          toggledbitsT Offline
                          toggledbits
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #17

                          I'll answer a question with a question: what would the Cycler rule look like without performAction()?

                          Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

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                          • LibraSunL Offline
                            LibraSunL Offline
                            LibraSun
                            wrote on last edited by LibraSun
                            #18

                            Here's a naive stab at one solution. It uses a single expression to decide which of N "channels" will get toggled on the next cycle.

                            cycler_expressions.png

                            The rule itself runs so long as the Trigger condition remains TRUE. For testing purposes, I have it set to Pulse true for 5 seconds and repeat every 10 seconds, but the 'Repeat' interval would normally be much longer as in your example, above.

                            Since the 'Reset' reaction would normally engage after each Pulse, I included a Group Constraint to check whether my Trigger condition (in this case, the Fireplace light being ON) has gone FALSE. Only then will the ghost lights all be turned OFF.

                            cycler_reset.png

                            The fun part in between happens in the 'Set' reaction, comprising 3 groups (one for each "channel"):

                            cycler_set1.png cycler_set2.png

                            As should be clear here, I was forced to "hard wire" my selection of ghost lights by naming them explicitly within each Reaction. This illustrates just how convenient the new performAction() function is, allowing enumeration of an arbitrary (and easily editable) set of ghost lights listed within a single array as with your example.

                            Unquestionably, performAction() brings much value to the table for users who strive for compactness, readability and ease of maintenance in their Rules.

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                            • LibraSunL Offline
                              LibraSunL Offline
                              LibraSun
                              wrote on last edited by LibraSun
                              #19

                              To answer my own question about, "How do you find which Actions a particular device can do using performAction()?"

                              The answer is: ENTITIES

                              Go to the left menu, click Entities, scroll down or filter to find the specific device or class of devices, pick a device and then scroll down to its list of "Actions". There, you will find all possible arguments for performAction(), such as power_switch.off. Enjoy!

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                              • LibraSunL Offline
                                LibraSunL Offline
                                LibraSun
                                wrote on last edited by LibraSun
                                #20

                                @toggledbits I know you made a conscious decision that performAction() should return null, but would you consider having it return an object of the form:

                                {device: "vera>device_138", action: "power_switch.off", parameters: {<parameters>}, time: 1620912239172}
                                

                                instead? I'd find this useful in troubleshooting Rules, especially those using enumeration as in the above examples, without having to resort to Log inspection every time.

                                • Libra
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                                • toggledbitsT Offline
                                  toggledbitsT Offline
                                  toggledbits
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #21

                                  What happens when you do "power_switch.on" from the Entities list?

                                  Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

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                                  • LibraSunL Offline
                                    LibraSunL Offline
                                    LibraSun
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #22

                                    DISREGARD. Further testing reveals everything is fine!

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                                    • toggledbitsT toggledbits

                                      @toggledbits Here's a prototype for "Reactor Ex Machina"...

                                      Lights to be cycled are placed in a global expression like this:

                                      d8d23e46-153d-4e70-a20f-9c7f471f5cb1-image.png

                                      This is the "Cycler". It triggers when a variable it owns called cycler_stim changes (and is non-zero, which is the resting/deactivated state value).

                                      8f9e65fe-825a-416e-b49a-4e4c9ad30e02-image.png 1dce63c0-7534-4cf4-bd0f-21fc52e09646-image.png cc0b02e5-692f-4b21-8854-c3c5cf091a31-image.png

                                      When the cycler is "stimulated", it picks a random device from REM_lights and toggles it. Then it goes into a random delay between 10 and 30 minutes, after which it increments cycler_stim, effectively stimulating itself (for lack of a better description) and the cycle begins again.

                                      This is the "activate" rule. It determines when light cycling should start. It just sets cycler_stim to 1, and the Cycler will automatically start going.

                                      447a50c8-13c7-4873-b194-8220b70c3f6f-image.png

                                      This is the "deactivate" rule; it determines when cycling should stop. Depending on the complexity of your activate/deactivate rules, you could also do this in the reset reaction of Activate. It sets cycler_stim to 0 and turns off all the controlled lights.

                                      5a9655c1-afab-4a15-a6b5-242629f07e2a-image.png

                                      G Offline
                                      G Offline
                                      gwp1
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #23

                                      @toggledbits sanity check: shouldn't this equate 00:00:30 - 00:01:30 for cycling time? (Testing purposes.)

                                      79bf859b-879c-42de-b9c8-5373fc1ecb8e-image.png

                                      It just took 00:12:00 to cycle and I've been staring at this 'til I'm cross-eyed.

                                      *Hubitat C-7 2.4.1.151
                                      *Proxmox VE v8, Beelink MiniPC 12GBs, SSD

                                      *HASS 2025.3.4
                                      w/ ZST10-700 fw 7.18.3

                                      *Prod MSR in docker/portainer
                                      MSR: latest-25082-3c348de6
                                      MQTTController: 24257
                                      ZWave Controller: 25082

                                      LibraSunL 1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • toggledbitsT Offline
                                        toggledbitsT Offline
                                        toggledbits
                                        wrote on last edited by toggledbits
                                        #24

                                        Good eye! I realized that after taking the screen shot, was too lazy at that moment to reshoot it, so I left it suspecting that it would be a while before someone caught on. You beat my estimate! I'll amend the post text to highlight the discrepancy in situ, but yes, what you see there are my "test" values, and you should set them according to whatever timing you wish.

                                        Edit: Mystery intensifies. It turns out my memory was incorrect, and I did go back and fix the screen shot. Capture below is what I am seeing in my post:

                                        c4f96e88-aac3-42af-9f08-15c144d8e601-image.png

                                        Notice the green "modified" bar on the left as well. So, I have no idea where that image you have is living right now, where you saw it. Is it possible we can see two different versions of the same post? That would be... unhelpful...

                                        Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

                                        G 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • toggledbitsT toggledbits

                                          Good eye! I realized that after taking the screen shot, was too lazy at that moment to reshoot it, so I left it suspecting that it would be a while before someone caught on. You beat my estimate! I'll amend the post text to highlight the discrepancy in situ, but yes, what you see there are my "test" values, and you should set them according to whatever timing you wish.

                                          Edit: Mystery intensifies. It turns out my memory was incorrect, and I did go back and fix the screen shot. Capture below is what I am seeing in my post:

                                          c4f96e88-aac3-42af-9f08-15c144d8e601-image.png

                                          Notice the green "modified" bar on the left as well. So, I have no idea where that image you have is living right now, where you saw it. Is it possible we can see two different versions of the same post? That would be... unhelpful...

                                          G Offline
                                          G Offline
                                          gwp1
                                          wrote on last edited by gwp1
                                          #25

                                          @toggledbits This is on me for not being clear: the screenshot in my reply was of MY system - I wanted someone else's eyes on it as I've stared at it so long any obvious error will be lost to me at this point.

                                          If mine IS correct then this takes me back around to wondering what I've broken elsewhere in this that the cycler isn't kicking at no more than 1 1/2 minutes but, rather, taking 12 minutes.

                                          *Hubitat C-7 2.4.1.151
                                          *Proxmox VE v8, Beelink MiniPC 12GBs, SSD

                                          *HASS 2025.3.4
                                          w/ ZST10-700 fw 7.18.3

                                          *Prod MSR in docker/portainer
                                          MSR: latest-25082-3c348de6
                                          MQTTController: 24257
                                          ZWave Controller: 25082

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