Getting Started (or restarting)

SharpTools.io (web)
1

Currently, my smarthome is a bit of a mess. I have rules in SmartThings, rules in Lutron and a few rules and routines in Sharptools.

I would like to streamline and consolidate my setup to put everything in one place, most likely sharptools.

Is there a beginners guide to organizing rules and routines in Sharp Tools?

thanks

2

@Douglas_Drake welcome to the community. Here are a few tips that I found useful when managing my own rules.

  1. Use clear and self-explaining rule name so I know what does the rule do by just looking at the rule name in the rule list.
  2. Use prefix to group the rules based on the rooms or purpose to visually group the related rules
    ex: My music play list rules all start with "Music - " that makes it easy for me to find all related rules in the list.
    image
    image1321×224 3.68 KB
  3. Keep the rule simple to the specific automation purpose, so it is easier when troubleshoot is needed.
    Nested or multiple IF_Conditions are powerful when creating automation rules, but need to make sure the logic side is right.

Hope this helps and feel free to share your automation thoughts or any questions.

3

@Justin_Newbury from Simply Smart also posted a very nice Rule Engine intro video that I think you might be interested.

2 Likes