Rule for "present/absent less than x seconds"

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Is there a way to formulate a simple rule which solves the condtion “when heating is absent < 5 seconds …”

This rule triggers at the same moment as the rule "when heating is absent …"
Why would you use this rule?

OK, this is a misunderstanding. What I want to have is a rule which triggers when the heating switches ON within x seconds after it has been switched off. If it switches on after x seconds nothing should happen. The use case is an error in the heating system I would like to detect this and report it.

Ok i understand. You could do the following:

1. create a dummy presence sensor (lets call it: dummyP) , with an auto-reset of 5 seconds
2. create rule “when ‘heating switches off’ then set presence of dummyP to present”
3. create rule “when ‘heating switches on’ and dummyP is present” then ‘report it’

You can change the 5 seconds to any value, to set the restart-error-window

@bertreb Great, this should work. Thanks a lot for the quick reply!

It also works with a variable timeout, when I define the rule like this:
“when heating switches off then set presence of dummyP to present for $varTime seconds”. Then the auto-reset attribute of the dummy presence sensor is not necessary.

How will the presence device go back to absent?
You need that, because otherwise you get ‘false’ errors

@bertreb I do it in the rule ‘when heating switches on’ and ’ dummyP is present 'then ‘report it’ and set presence of dummP to absent

Yes, but than you don’t have a time function, because the rule is also true after $varTime seconds (for example 1 hour)

@bertreb said in Rule for "present/absent less than x seconds":

Ok i understand. You could do the following:

1. create a dummy presence sensor (lets call it: dummyP) , with an auto-reset of 5 seconds
2. create rule “when ‘heating switches off’ then set presence of dummyP to present”
3. create rule “when ‘heating switches on’ and dummyP is present” then ‘report it’

You can change the 5 seconds to any value, to set the restart-error-window

If you change the rule in step 2 to
"when ‘heating switches off’ then set presence of dummyP to present and after $varTime seconds set presence of dummyP to absent "

This will reset the presence sensor (without auto-reset) and the error detecting rule will work

@bertreb said in Rule for "present/absent less than x seconds":

Yes, but than you don’t have a time function, because the rule is also true after $varTime seconds (for example 1 hour)

I do not understand this. In my opinion the rule is false after $varTime seconds caused of the second part in the ‘and’ condition

I did a small test and it looks that the ‘for x seconds’ clause works for all boolean devices.
So you are right to use it like you did.
It seems there are several solutions for your puzzle

@bertreb Pimatic often requires workarounds like this and there are different ways. I think your solution
is the best readable. I will use it for my application. Many thanks!