Thanks to all of you for the examples and suggestions, but I think everyone is missing the point. All I want to do is be able to help myself. So far I have been unable to do things myself. For every line of text in my Item and Rule files I have had to rely on the Tasmota or openHAb community to supply the command syntax text verbatim. Complicating matters is not knowing the terminology. This inhibits me from asking questions properly. Josas has it right, with his comment "multiple technologies require effort to dig into each and understand them; unfortunately I can’t learn everything at once.
Words used to describe the text that I must type into Item and Rule files all have have names such as Command, openHAB action, MQTT protocol, expressions, statements, scripts, strings, etc etc. They are really the language (for lack of better word) used by openHAB. I often call this the Command Syntax, where things must be entered with the proper format, spacing, commas, periods, case sensitivity, (and those funny | symbols), and then the descriptive item itself, such as “createTimer” which is the subject of my rant.
I have spent a frustrating amount of time digging through Extend Expressions only to be told that createTimer is a openHAB “action”. Now there is another confusing word, “action”, when it is a “command” in my mind, or possibly a subrouting call (or library). How would I know that? There is no master index of commands, only wiki text with examples presented in mesh manner rather than linear learning progression. Whenever I try to look things up myself I find myself in the wrong place. And…Yes I know that MQTT is a protocol, but it has a command language syntax (so to speak) when entering it into a Item file. Whenever I go to the community, I get complicated examples. I can only assume there is no detailed description of the createTimer command with complete syntax other than by examining examples. Once again… Is there a place that describes the createTimer command syntax in detail?
For what it’s worth… More discussion on openHAB: I got sucked into openHAB for the beauty of it’s initial simplicity, the logical things like… Things, Items, and great library of bindings, only to find out that one must become an expert and dig into the bowels of openHAB to do anything useful. It would be great service to others to explain on the home page that openHAB is not for the casual user and that even a technical person must be willing to spend an enormous amount of time to learn.
After 6 months into openHAB I gave up and switched to nodeRED only to find it had it’s complexity under the “shiny hood” just like openHAB. So… Now I’m back to openHAB, somewhat reluctantly. I suppose the fault I see in openHAB is in the documentation, a mesh wiki learning process where nothing is presented linearly. I thought the initial parts about logical items such as Things, Items, Bindings, and Rules was excellent, but after that, things break apart in all directions.