[SOLVED] Sum up and multiply item values at startup

Setup, Configuration and Use Scripts & Rules
1

Dear all,

I am struggling with rules - and maybe I am simply not reading the right (parts) of the documentation. At startup I would like to sum up 2 item value into a new item:

I retrieve data from Stiebel Eltron LWZ403 using the Modbus Binding.

Item PWWSUMME1 is holding the energy created in kWh, eg 412
Item PWWSUMME2 is holding the energy created in MWh, eg 15

To get to the total of 15.412 kWh I want to multiply PWWSUMME2 by 1000 and add PWWSUMME1 followed by saving that new value into a virtual item PWWSUMME

rule “INIT”
when
System started
then
// Set WWALARM to off = 0
sendCommand(WWALARM, OFF)

// Calc PWWSUMME & PHEIZENSUMME
var num1 = PWWSUMME1.state
var num2 = PWWSUMME2.state
var num3 = (num2 * 1000 + num1)

PWWSUMME.state = num3

end

However, I receive the following error

Error during the execution of startup rule ‘INIT’: Unknown variable or command ‘*’; line 11, column 14, length 11

Help is being appreciated a lot :slight_smile: If anyone knows really good tutorial for how to write code within rules, I would be really thankful. I can generally code (Java, Python, PHP, AngularJS,
) but need to get familiarized with the Syntax and commands I am allowed to use in OH2.4 rules (and honestly I did not find the official documentation too helpful).

Thx,
Jens

2

https://www.openhab.org/docs/configuration/rules-dsl.html#manipulating-item-states is the section you want to read.

This is also covered in the New User’s Tutorial https://www.openhab.org/docs/tutorial/rules.html

You need to use PWWSUMME.sendCommand or .postUpdate to change the state of an Item.

If you are more familiar with other languages, you should consider using JSR223 Rules and code your Rules in Jython, JavaScript, or Groovy.

1 Like
3

Thank you Rich, I have corrected that part accordingly. However, the issue is that the ‘*’ is not accepted as the symbol for multiplication?

Thx,
Jens

4

I use * for multiply in rules. Upon checking, I note that the variables involved were all declared as Numbers (cos rules can be picky). Seems unlikely a clue is needed to interpret *, but it might be good practice anyway to declare
var Number num1 = PWWSUMME1.state as Number
etc.

5

As mentionned before

Please follow the rules tutorial:

Follow @rossko57 advice above
and you should end up with something like this

Notice the use of the code fences

rule “INIT”
when
    System started
then
    // Set WWALARM to off = 0
    WWALARM.sendCommand(OFF)

    // Calc PWWSUMME & PHEIZENSUMME
    var Number num1 = PWWSUMME1.state as Number
    var Number num2 = PWWSUMME2.state as Number
    var Number num3 = (num2 * 1000 + num1)

    PWWSUMME.postUpdate(num3)
end
6

It’s working with the declaration. Thank you all :slight_smile:

7

Please tick the solution, thanks

8

I must say that is a curiosity. Rules parser doesn’t know what * means unless you give it a Number for context??

9

Hi Rossko,

Well, it clearl did not work w/o the declaration and what I pasted I copied out of openhab.log - should be easy to reproduce - just create any rule and do what I did: no declaration just

var num1 = any number value
var num2 = any number value
var num3 = num1 * num2

Would be interesting to see your results. I am running on OH-2.4.0 (Docker).

Best,
Jens

10

The Rules parser is fickle and easily confused. I too would have expected the * to work, but in this case I think it is because we are using a DecimalType on both sides of the operator. DecimalType doesn’t directly implement .multiply and for whatever reason the Rules parser didn’t bother to check the parent classes/interfaces for a .multiply method and just gave up.

If one side were already cast to a Number, I bet it would have worked. And this is the more common use case as we are typically multiplying by a constant or something like that.

I know that I’ve been one of the defenders of the Rules DSL over the years, but I’m going to be so glad when we can use something else as the default.