Building charge periods with strings - not a problem - I just need a bit of help please!

[purrcat33a]

I've been using the integration quite successfully for some time using code in Yaml scripts such as :

  - data:
      enabled: true
      cp1start: "00:00"
      cp1end: "00:30"
      cp2start: "00:00"
      cp2end: "00:00"
      chargestopsoc: 100
      serial: ALxxxxxxxxxx
    action: alphaess.setbatterycharge

but I've always wanted the flexibility of setting the cp values not with explicit times (as above) but with strings derived from values calculated elsewhere. I tried for ages some six months or so back to build code to pass variables as time stamps and, although the values which I thought were being written were identical to what is shown as in the example above, the battery never accepted what was written and the charge periods could never be changed. So, I've ended up having long scripts which set charge periods through condition type constructions and explicit times stated as above - the example above being one such condition example. I haven't tried to be too clever - I've always tried to use sensible top of the hour times to get it working, but it just doesn't.

I really would like to revisit my code as I want to introduce some more features but it would mean many more condition statements which makes the code overly complicated.

I wonder if, is it possible to even pass variables in, in place of say an explicit string such as "00:00" and if so, please could somebody send me a working snippet of code. It's probably something that's really easy to create but, for the life of me, I cannot get it to work and I'm not the most experienced Yaml coder, as you can probably tell.

Many thanks

[DavidqStokes]

I got this (glad to help for once)

Below is the code I use (to calculate the text variable as a template sensor in my separate sensors.yaml file) to determine the charge end time for my home battery.

'sensor.minutes_charge_needed' is the number of minutes the battery needs to charge, calculated in a separate template calculation in the same sensors.yaml file, based on the current battery state of charge, tomorrow's solar generation forecast, the battery capacity and the charge rate, but that is very specific to my set up. The if/elif/endif then rounds this up to the nearest 15 minutes.

(From memory, the difficult bit in getting this working was the use [or not] of quotation marks to pass the strings)

    charge_end_time:
      friendly_name: Charge End Time
      value_template: >-
        {% if float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <0.0 %}
          00:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <15.0 %}
          00:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <30.0 %}
          01:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <45.0 %}
          01:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <60.0 %}
          01:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <75.0 %}
          01:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <90.0 %}
          02:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <105.0 %}
          02:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <120.0 %}
          02:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <135.0 %}
          02:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <150.0 %}
          03:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <165.0 %}
          03:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <180.0 %}
          03:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <195.0 %}
          03:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <210.0 %}
          04:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <225.0 %}
          04:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <240.0 %}
          04:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <255.0 %}
          04:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <300.0 %}
          05:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <315.0 %}
          05:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <330.0 %}
          05:30          
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) >=330.0 %}
          05:30
        {% else %}    
          00:30
        {% endif %}
      icon_template: mdi:battery-clock

This is passed to the automation in the following, passing the text end time via the 'sensor.charge_end_time' value

      - data:
          serial: ALXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
          cp1start: "00:30"
          cp1end: "{{ (states('sensor.charge_end_time')) }}"
          cp2start: "00:00"
          cp2end: "00:00"
          chargestopsoc: 95
          enabled: true
        action: alphaess.setbatterycharge

[purrcat33a]

I got this (glad to help for once)

Below is the code I use (to calculate the text variable as a template sensor in my separate sensors.yaml file) to determine the charge end time for my home battery.

'sensor.minutes_charge_needed' is the number of minutes the battery needs to charge, calculated in a separate template calculation in the same sensors.yaml file, based on the current battery state of charge, tomorrow's solar generation forecast, the battery capacity and the charge rate, but that is very specific to my set up. The if/elif/endif then rounds this up to the nearest 15 minutes.

(From memory, the difficult bit in getting this working was the use [or not] of quotation marks to pass the strings)

    charge_end_time:
      friendly_name: Charge End Time
      value_template: >-
        {% if float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <0.0 %}
          00:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <15.0 %}
          00:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <30.0 %}
          01:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <45.0 %}
          01:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <60.0 %}
          01:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <75.0 %}
          01:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <90.0 %}
          02:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <105.0 %}
          02:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <120.0 %}
          02:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <135.0 %}
          02:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <150.0 %}
          03:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <165.0 %}
          03:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <180.0 %}
          03:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <195.0 %}
          03:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <210.0 %}
          04:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <225.0 %}
          04:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <240.0 %}
          04:30
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <255.0 %}
          04:45
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <300.0 %}
          05:00
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <315.0 %}
          05:15
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) <330.0 %}
          05:30          
        {% elif float(states('sensor.minutes_charge_needed')) >=330.0 %}
          05:30
        {% else %}    
          00:30
        {% endif %}
      icon_template: mdi:battery-clock

This is passed to the automation in the following, passing the text end time via the 'sensor.charge_end_time' value

      - data:
          serial: ALXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
          cp1start: "00:30"
          cp1end: "{{ (states('sensor.charge_end_time')) }}"
          cp2start: "00:00"
          cp2end: "00:00"
          chargestopsoc: 95
          enabled: true
        action: alphaess.setbatterycharge

Thanks ever so much David - this code is a massive help.

Indeed, I think it was the quotation marks with strings which, somehow, wasn't working for me even though the template editor appeared to be creating what seemed to be right.... but wasn't !

[DavidqStokes]

My pleasure 😄

I recall that I also found that what worked in the template editor didn't work the same in the final solution.

[purrcat33a]

It's taken some time to get to this and to get it working but, with much thanks to David, it works and it works very nicely. I'm able to pass both time stamps and chargestop data successfully into the Alpha integration and see it pretty much immediately in the Alpha app.

It has allowed me to massively simplify both the number and complexity of the automations that I was previously running. I can set the charge periods as well as the desired SOC as a function of the current level of charge and the forecasted solar for the coming day. What was, in the past, a bit of a "granny's knitting" of conflicting automations, is now a single automation and is pretty easy for me to follow - especially if I come back to look at it after a significant time away from it.

I also got to learn about custom sensors - something which I hadn't done before.

Thank you, once again, David.

[DavidqStokes]

I may not be as experienced or as smart as the great team who develop and maintain this, and other, integrations.

It was however a pleasure to be able to help - long live the open source community!