32/F/CA (joking) LF help with understanding HA

[torn atlas]

I'm trying to get some help in understanding HA functionality for some more advanced use cases.

Examples:

• Using indicators/booleans to track status of doors/locks/gates and send a notification if open. I can think of how to do this by creating an individual boolean per device and automations to toggle the boolean based on activity, but I"m trying to understand how to do this in a more dynamic/automated way.
• Merging sensor data based on individual presence sensors (using temp sensors across the house to manage thermostat)
• Alternatives to scenes in general... I'm not super comfortable with how these work, maybe I'm using them incorrectly.

Any help is appreciated, I'd love to have a quick VOIP chat to bounce around ideas and get familiar with syntax/architecture for HA.

Thanks!

TLDR - Impatient old man looking for shortcuts. Thanks!

[urban totem]

Using indicators/booleans to track status of doors/locks/gates and send a notification if open. I can think of how to do this by creating an individual boolean per device and automations to toggle the boolean based on activity, but I"m trying to understand how to do this in a more dynamic/automated way.
HA tracks state by default so you don't need to create a boolean for each, you can do a time trigger with a condition that sends a notification only if one is open. You can either condition each door or create a binary group with the device.

Merging sensor data based on individual presence sensors (using temp sensors across the house to manage thermostat)
Attached image, the combined state sensor will do this

Alternatives to scenes in general... I'm not super comfortable with how these work, maybe I'm using them incorrectly.
Scenes are great if you want all the devices to be in a certain state when something happens, generally lights. if you want all the devices to do the same thing you want groups

[torn atlas]

I'll look into binary groups.. that's not a concept I've explored yet

[urban totem]

at the very basic level your 10pm doors example looks like this in yaml. I can't shrink my screen to get a good screenshot of the ui

`description: ""
mode: single
triggers:

• trigger: time
  at: "22:00:00"
  conditions:
• condition: state
  entity_id: binary_sensor.door_sensors
  state: "on"
  actions:
• action: persistent_notification.create
  metadata: {}
  data:
  message: Hey dummy the door is open`

[torn atlas]

yeah, so that's the bridge I'm needing to cross

I feel MUCH more comfortable with YAML examples than UI examples

but I'm struggling to get a good foundation for concepts/syntax for YAML

[urban totem]

Honestly llms are pretty good at it for home assistant.

[torn atlas]

like right now, I'm playing around with tryign to make an automation for if my master bath humidity sensor goes above 55%, to turn on the exhaust fan

but I'm not sure how to use the UI to "select" 55% humidity as a trigger

see, now that's a good idea

to use chatgpt to help me along

[urban totem]

Numeric state > Above 55

[torn atlas]

I can do that

as an entity?

or a device

I'm thikning I put "Numeric state > Above 55" in the "attribute" field

but like, that's not very intuitive

[urban totem]

trigger: numeric_state entity_id: [] above: 55

There is a better way to do it with trending templates but I haven't messed with it to much so it can handle off too

[torn atlas]

I'll research trending templates

appreciate the guidance.. I'll research some of these topics and work from there

thanks!

[urban totem]

A useful notify template is message: "{{ trigger.to_state.attributes.friendly_name }} has been opened while you were out." This if you make each door a trigger will tell you which one was opened

The alarmo addon is also really good if you quickly want an alarm system in HA