Advanced time scheduling of devices with user input

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I currently have a ‘time sheduler’ where the user can select a start and end time for a specific device to be turned on and off.
Works like a charm but has one big issue: you can only select one time window. the time window is repeated daily.
So : you can configure to turn on at 10:00 and turn off at 14:00 but not turn on at 10:00, turn off at 12:00 and then turn on again at 14:00 and turn off at 16:00
So, I’m looking for something far more flexible.

Just looked at something like this : http://www.jqueryscript.net/time-clock/Create-A-Basic-Weekly-Schedule-with-Hour-Selector-Using-jQuery.html
Wouldn’t be too difficult to embed an iframe with such a page an give the user the option to select per hour per day for scheduling the device on and off.

To get/write from/to pimatic the page has to to communicate over the pimatic API.
For me working with blocks per hour is good enough. That would result in 24 variables (every hour a var, with value 1 or 0) per day(!). Now, turning the device on or off based on the value of the variable for the current hour would result in 48 rules per day(!!). One rule to turn the device on if needed and to turn the device off if needed.
You could divide this by half to write a rule to turn the device on for 1 hour. A quick test learns me that this wouldn’t work, the device is turned off even if the following (hour)rule would set it on for 1 hour. Also, for my specific situation it in unwanted to have a toggling device every hour.

So, sounds nice but handling the rules would be a big pain in the ass (336 rules for the entire week!!).
To avoid tunnel vision from my side, anyone with a better approach ?

sounds like a new plugin idea is born

That would be the best option, but out of me league.

Did you have a look at the pimatic-calendar plugin? You would need a set of rules (perhaps for each device) but then you’re totally flexible.
I’ve used keywords to put in the calendar text, that will switch on or off certain devices.

I did, but the calendar plugin works with current date right? I’m looking for a plan/schedule for every day of the week, and repeat that week.
It would be a lot of work to enter all these days repeatedly in the calendar (probably you could make some recurring appointment) but maintaining would also be a lot of work, or am I mistaken ?

yes you’re right.
A recurring appointment would be needed than. I think if you set it up properly maintaining won’t be a lot of work

I don’t think it is as flexibel and userfriendly as a timepicker posted in the OP though.

Right now I’m playing with the idea to put the JSON result from the timepicker in a pimatic variable, and let pimatic aks a external script (providing the JSON) to find out start and end time for the current time. That rule could be repeatedly running to update the times.
When loading the timepicker page it will load the current values by asking the JSON string from pimatic.
It will put a lot of stuff out of pimatic but will result in just a handfull of rules.

OK, got it allmost working.
I’m hosting the webpage on the Pi and show it in Pimatic with a Iframe.
Upon loading of the page, the entire schedule is pulled out of a pimatic variable (with the API) and displayed on the scheduler. After changing some timeblocks i hit a save button and the entire schedule is updated in the pimatic variable. After saving a PHP part will find out what day of the week it is and find the current (or next) timewindow will be for that day. After finding the correct start and end time it is pushed into 2 seperate pimatic variables.
From there pimatic can act on the times to put the device on or off (but at the moment will not kick in when the timewindow is allready running : https://forum.pimatic.org/topic/2167/it-is-after-not-the-same-as-in-v0-8 ).