Trying to use format in rules

[Andrew_Rowe]

here is a great thread by Rud that will help you

DateTime Conversion (openHAB 2.x)

Because openHAB 3.x rules now use Java Time API instead of Jodatime, there is a new DateTime Conversion thread for openHAB 3.x. Overview In openHab 2.x there are different ways to handle Date/Time values. DateTimeType A DateTime Item carries a DateTimeType. Joda DateTime By default openHAB 2.x-Rules use a Joda DateTime class to represent time, most notably now. Epoch The lowest common denominator when working with time is to get at the epoc value. Epoc is the number of milliseconds …

in this thread I give an example and some more resources

Rule example - compare two times

This is a simple rule example for folks like me, who are new to openHAB, and need simple examples of rules to get started. In this example, two times are compared, enabling us to make a decision based on if one event occurred before another. In the example, a contact switch on an entry door triggers a time stamp. A motion detector also triggers a time stamp. The two times can be compared to see if the occupant (andy) is home (motion since door was opened) or left (no motion since door was opene…