Multiple Timers

[khobbits]

I'm using the Baby Buddy official android app, which provides buttons to start multiple concurrent timers.

The timers have specific names such as 'Feeding-BBapp:1', 'Sleep-BBapp:2', 'Pumping-BBapp:4'.

This allows for a parent to be pumping at the same time the baby is either asleep, or feeding.

I was hoping to collect/display this data in home assistant, and mimic the functionality, of being able to start 'feeding/pumping/sleep' timers, and I can do this:

          - action: babybuddy.start_timer
            target:
              entity_id: switch.baby_timer
            data:
              name: HA-Sleep-BBapp:2

This works well, and the timer shows up in the android app correctly, as a timer of the correct type.

However, when calling the service, to add a feeding/pump/sleep, it only (seems) to support the idea of "the currently active timer".

So it will pick the last started timer, rather than the correct timer for the activity.

Edit:
Looking at HA, I'm not sure how multiple timers would be presented as entities, without it becoming more convoluted, which is why I wonder if the easiest approach would be to support timer types, rather than unlimited timers.

[brianchirls]

I've had the same problem: my partner wants to pump at the same time I'm bottle-feeding our baby, so we need two timers at once. Where this gets extra tricky is that if I start the feeding timer in HA and manually make another timer for pumping inside BB, then HA gets all confused when I want to finish feeding 'cause it seems to assume there's only one timer at a time.

As a workaround, I've implemented timing entirely inside HA. Here's what one timer set-up looks like:

input_boolean:
  feeding_active:
    name: Feeding Active

input_datetime:
  feeding_start_time:
    name: Feeding Start Time
    has_date: true
    has_time: true

template:
  - trigger:
      - trigger: time_pattern
        seconds: /1
      - trigger: state
        entity_id: input_boolean.feeding_active
    sensor:
      name: Feeding Elapsed Time
      #unit_of_measurement: s
      icon: mdi:timer
      state: >-
        {% if is_state('input_boolean.feeding_active','off') %}
           {{ '00:00:00' }}
        {% else %}
          {% set value = as_timestamp(now()) - state_attr('input_datetime.feeding_start_time', 'timestamp') %}
          {{ value|float|timestamp_custom("%H:%M:%S", False) |string }}
        {% endif %}

It's nice because the elapsed time sensor updates every second, and I can get live counter display going. I can also make the start time editable, which is useful if I forget to start the timer until I'm a few minutes into a feed/nap or whatever, and then I can back-date it before saving.

[jcgoette]

I know this is older and some folks have probably moved on. However, I am working on the integration again and thinking about this.

Looking at HA, I'm not sure how multiple timers would be presented as entities, without it becoming more convoluted, which is why I wonder if the easiest approach would be to support timer types, rather than unlimited timers.

I think you are correct. Either we create a timer entity for each applicable BB endpoint (i.e., feeding, pumping, tummy-time, sleep) or we can move this into an Action. This should allow the us to create timers via API and then fetch them to create as many timer entities as needed.

I'm open to other thoughts and/or opinions on these solutions.