Set action group via setting item

Setup, Configuration and Use Beginners
1

Hi all

I wonder if it will be possible to have a settings string item that hold different gruop names?

Purpose is that I have a couple off different scenarios for my nightlight, one grup is all interior lights and all exterior lights and two other gruops containing different mixed items, then I have rules that fire on lux sensors changes and thresholds and send command on or off to a group, preferably easy configured under my settings in OH sitemap instead of chaning in code.

/Marcus

2

Sure, you can put anything you want into a String Item. But you’ll need a rule to interpret it. If you don’t want a rule, create different Groups for each scenario.

3

Sounds good, even thougfh my efforts are failing somewhere.

I have configuerd a variabel in rules file before all rules start

var duskgroup = lowsky

Then I have a rule that triggers when my settings Items changes, and settings item changes according to plan. Could’t be that what I hope i my global variable in first rows of rules file can’t be updated in a rule so that the rule just vreates a new variable?

If so which would be the best approach to handle that?

I already have different grops per my scenarios but I would like to easily change how much dusk lights that should be on.

rule "skymmningsgrupp ändrad"
	when 
			Item dusk_group_string changed
		then
	
		var duskgroup = dusk_group_string.state
	end
	

your code goes here
4

You are redefining the variable inside your rule. Only use var when creating a new variable. You’ve already created duskgroup so you don’t want to recreate it inside your rule.-

5

Thanks for the hint I replaced

var duskgroup = dusk_group_string.state
with
duskgroup = dusk_group_string.state
but that trows an error in thedusk_light rule that’s supposed to use variable as actiongroup sendcommand. String items state seems valid

duskgroup.sendCommand(OFF)

error after dusk light action.

19:41:28.714 [ERROR] [.internal.handler.ScriptActionHandler] - Script execution of rule with UID 'Londonborg-3' failed: An error occurred during the script execution: Could not invoke method: org.openhab.core.model.script.actions.BusEvent.sendCommand(org.openhab.core.items.Item,org.openhab.core.types.Command) on instance: null in Londonborg

Result from log

19:50:19.157 [INFO ] [openhab.event.ItemCommandEvent       ] - Item 'dusk_group_string' received command sky
19:50:19.159 [INFO ] [openhab.event.ItemStateChangedEvent  ] - Item 'dusk_group_string' changed from lowsky to sky
19:50:19.160 [INFO ] [nhab.core.model.script.Skymmningsgrpp] - dusk_group_string.state:sky
6

Action rule triggered via Switch item

rule "Skymmning av"
	when 
			Item g1ManualDusk  changed from ON to OFF
		then
	
		if(g1ManualDusk.state == OFF){
				//sendBroadcastNotification("Manuell Skymmning av")
				duskgroup.sendCommand(OFF)
				//postUpdate(z33_scen, 3.0)
	    
	}
	end
7

You set this variable to a State.

Here you try to use duskgroup as if it were an Item. You can’t do that.

And why bother? You already know the name of the Group, it’s dusk_group_string, so just send command to that and don’t bother with the variable.

8

Hi I see your point but I’ve missed something in my explanation. dusk_group string is a stirng item that exist in my sitemaps settings section having for the moment two choices of groups for which items should be included in dusk light, hence the gruop isn’t allways the same. Now I need to go into rules file and change variable by hand to change duskgroup name.

settings sitemap item

Switch item= dusk_group_string mappings=[sky="Alla fönster", lowsky="Vissa fönster"]

dusk_group_string item confiuration

String dusk_group_string "Grupp för skymmnings kontroll" (all)

a modified rule that didn’t work either

rule "skymmningsgrupp ändrad"
	when 
			Item dusk_group_string changed
		then
		if(dusk_group_string.state="lowsky" ) {
			
			duskgroup = "lowsky"
		}

		if(dusk_group_string.state="sky" ) {
			
			duskgroup = "sky"
		}


		logInfo("Skymmningsgrpp","dusk_group_string.state: "+ duskgroup)
	end

variable defined in top of rules file, here I can change groupname by hand but woul like to be able to sett that in a settings item instead.

var duskgroup = lowsky //sky lowsky dusk_group_string.state
9

It’s been quite a while since I used DSL rules, but I remember you can do something like sendCommand("string group name", "ON") (same for postUpdate).

10

To be successful it is vital you understand types.

As written (as best as I can piece it together because you’ve yet to post the full set of relevant code in context) the variable duskgroup starts out as a GroupItem as its type. Then in the original rule you reassign it the state of a StringItem which means duskgroup becomes of type StringType.

You cannot sendCommand to a StringType. It’s not an Item. It doesn’t even know what a command is.

In the second version of the rule, you set duskgroup to a String. Note that a String is not the same as a StringType and it most definitely is not a GroupItem. So, once again you cannot send a command to a String because a String doesn’t even know what a command is.

So, your options are to use the sendCommand Action that takes the name of an Item (sendCommand(dusk_group_string.state.toString), note that a StringType is not the same as a String so you must convert it to a String to use it here) like @CrazyElectron suggests, or modify your second rule (which really isn’t needed as illustrated here) to set duskgroup to the GroupItem, not a StringType nor a String (duskgroup = lowsky).

11

Thanks for all help now it works as it was intended, fylly if statement below in case someone else as same strange desire as me. Once again a thanks for helping out.

if(g1ManualDusk.state == OFF){
				sendCommand(dusk_group_string.state.toString,"OFF")    
	}