Timer - Spook 👻 a scary powerful toolbox for Home Assistant.

The timer helper in Home Assistant aims to simplify automations based on (dynamic) durations.

Spook adds a new action to the timer integration, which allows you to set the duration of a timer to a given value.

Devices & entities¶

Spook does not provide any new devices or entities for this integration.

Actions¶

Spook adds the following new actions to your Home Assistant instance:

Create a timer¶

Creates a new timer helper, the same as adding one on the helpers page. Great for a script that needs a timer only for itself: it can make one, and delete it again when it is done.

Open your Home Assistant instance and show the Actions tool with a specific action selected.

Action properties
Action	Timer: Create a timer 👻
Action name	`timer.create`
Action targets	No targets
Action response	Optional, the `entity_id` of the new timer
Spook's influence	Newly added action
Tools	Try this action

Action data parameters
Attribute	Type	Required	Default / Example
`name`	string	Yes	`Greenhouse mist`
`timer_id`	string	No	`greenhouse_mist`
`duration`	string	No	`00:05:00`
`restore`	boolean	No	`false`
`icon`	string	No	`mdi:timer-outline`

Without a timer_id, the entity ID follows the name, as it does in the UI, and gets a number at the end if that name is already taken. With a timer_id, you get exactly that entity ID or an error: one that is already taken is refused, rather than quietly given a number at the end.

Example action in YAML

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action: timer.create
data:
  name: "Greenhouse mist"
  timer_id: greenhouse_mist
  duration: "00:05:00"
response_variable: created

The new timer’s entity ID is then in {{ created.entity_id }}.

Delete a timer¶

Deletes one or more timer helpers made in the UI or with the action above, disabled ones included. Timers set up in YAML can only be removed from the YAML.

Everything in the list is checked first: if one of them cannot be deleted, none of them are.

Action properties
Action	Timer: Delete a timer 👻
Action name	`timer.delete`
Action targets	No targets
Action response	No response
Spook's influence	Newly added action
Tools	Try this action

Action data parameters
Attribute	Type	Required	Default / Example
`entity_id`	string \| list of strings	Yes	`timer.greenhouse_mist`

Example action in YAML

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action: timer.delete
data:
  entity_id: timer.greenhouse_mist

Set duration¶

Set the duration for a timer entity.

Action properties
Action	Timer: Set duration 👻
Action name	`timer.set_duration`
Action targets	No
Action response	No response
Spook's influence	Added action
Tools	Try this action

Action data parameters
Attribute	Type	Required	Default / Example
`duration`	string	Yes	00:01:00, 60

Example action in YAML

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action: timer.set_duration
data:
  entity_id: timer.my_timer
  duration: "00:15:00"

Repairs¶

Spook has no repair detections for this integration.

Use cases¶

Some use cases for the enhancements Spook provides for this integration:

Quickly, with a single action, set the duration of a timer without having to got through the UI.
Let a script make the timer it needs, and clean it up again afterwards, so the helpers page only has timers you actually use.

Blueprints & tutorials¶

There are currently no known blueprints or tutorials for the enhancements Spook provides for this integration. If you created one or stumbled upon one, please let us know in our discussion forums.

Feature requests, ideas, and support¶

If you have an idea on how to further enhance this integration, for example, by adding a new action, entity, or repairs detection; feel free to let us know in our discussion forums.

Are you stuck using these new features? Or maybe you’ve run into a bug? Please check the Support page on where to go for help.