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Visibility Operators Reference

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tempus2016 edited this page Jul 22, 2026 · 4 revisions

Quick Reference

Operator Symbol Use Case Example
None — The default. No visibility check — the chore always shows —
Equals = Exact text match Entity: binary_sensor.door, State: open
Not Equal ≠ Inverted match Entity: input_boolean.guest_mode, State: on
Greater or Equal ≥ Numeric threshold (at or above) Entity: sensor.battery, State: 80
Less or Equal ≤ Numeric threshold (at or below) Entity: sensor.moisture, State: 30
Greater Than > Numeric threshold (above) Entity: sensor.temp, State: 25
Less Than < Numeric threshold (below) Entity: sensor.temp, State: 0

Detailed Operator Guide

Equals (=)

Description: Show the chore when the entity state exactly matches the target value (case-insensitive).

Best For:

  • Binary states: on, off
  • Location states: home, away, work
  • Custom string values: running, idle, locked
  • Friendly name states

Examples:

Entity: binary_sensor.dishwasher
Operator: Equals
State: on
→ Shows when dishwasher IS running

Entity: person.john
Operator: Equals
State: home
→ Shows when John IS home

Entity: cover.garage_door
Operator: Equals
State: open
→ Shows when garage door IS open

Technical Details:

  • Matching is case-insensitive (On matches on, HOME matches home)
  • Whitespace is trimmed
  • Works with any string state value

Not Equal (≠)

Description: Show the chore when the entity state does NOT match the target value (inverse of Equals).

Best For:

  • Hiding chores under certain conditions
  • Conditional availability: "show unless..."
  • Input booleans for feature gates

Examples:

Entity: input_boolean.guest_mode
Operator: Not Equal
State: on
→ Shows when guests are NOT visiting

Entity: person.parent
Operator: Not Equal
State: away
→ Shows when at least one parent is NOT away

Entity: binary_sensor.school_open
Operator: Not Equal
State: on
→ Shows when school is NOT in session

Technical Details:

  • Inverted logic of Equals
  • Also case-insensitive
  • Useful for permission/restriction patterns

Greater Than or Equal (≥)

Description: Show the chore when the entity state value is greater than or equal to the target number.

Best For:

  • Minimum thresholds
  • "At least" conditions
  • Battery levels, stock quantities, percentages

Examples:

Entity: sensor.battery_percent
Operator: ≥
State: 80
→ Shows when battery is 80% or higher

Entity: sensor.outdoor_temp
Operator: ≥
State: 20
→ Shows when temperature is 20°C or warmer

Entity: sensor.available_disk_space
Operator: ≥
State: 5
→ Shows when at least 5GB free (if sensor provides GB values)

Technical Details:

  • Both values are converted to numbers for comparison
  • Decimal values supported: 22.5, 10.25
  • If entity state can't be converted to a number, falls back to string matching

Less Than or Equal (≤)

Description: Show the chore when the entity state value is less than or equal to the target number.

Best For:

  • Maximum thresholds
  • "No more than" conditions
  • Moisture levels, humidity, cost limits

Examples:

Entity: sensor.soil_moisture_percent
Operator: ≤
State: 30
→ Shows when soil is 30% moist or drier

Entity: sensor.indoor_humidity
Operator: ≤
State: 60
→ Shows when humidity is 60% or lower

Entity: number.temperature_threshold
Operator: ≤
State: 15
→ Shows when threshold is set to 15°C or lower

Technical Details:

  • Converts both values to numbers
  • Decimal values supported
  • Common for sensor-based automation

Greater Than (>)

Description: Show the chore when the entity state value is strictly greater than (not equal to) the target number.

Best For:

  • Exclusive minimum thresholds
  • "More than" conditions
  • Situations where the threshold value itself should hide the chore

Examples:

Entity: sensor.outdoor_temp
Operator: >
State: 20
→ Shows when temperature is ABOVE 20°C (20° itself doesn't show)

Entity: counter.days_since_cleaning
Operator: >
State: 7
→ Shows when MORE than 7 days have passed

Entity: sensor.room_occupancy_count
Operator: >
State: 0
→ Shows when room has more than 0 people (i.e., at least 1)

Technical Details:

  • Stricter than ≥ (excludes the boundary value)
  • Useful when the exact threshold value has special meaning
  • Numeric conversion with decimal support

Less Than (<)

Description: Show the chore when the entity state value is strictly less than (not equal to) the target number.

Best For:

  • Exclusive maximum thresholds
  • "Less than" conditions
  • Situations where the threshold value itself should hide the chore

Examples:

Entity: sensor.outdoor_temp
Operator: <
State: 0
→ Shows when temperature is BELOW 0°C (freezing point)

Entity: sensor.snow_depth_cm
Operator: <
State: 5
→ Shows when snow is less than 5cm deep

Entity: sensor.water_level_percent
Operator: <
State: 25
→ Shows when water level is BELOW 25%

Technical Details:

  • Stricter than ≤ (excludes the boundary value)
  • Useful for critical thresholds
  • Numeric conversion with decimal support

Comparison Matrix

Entity State ≥ 50 > 50 ≤ 50 < 50 = 50 ≠ 50
30 ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅
50 ✅ ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅ ❌
70 ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Dishwasher Chores

Chore: "Load Dishwasher"
Entity: binary_sensor.dishwasher
Operator: Equals
State: off
→ Shows when dishwasher is NOT running (i.e., ready to load)

Why this works: When the dishwasher is off, children can load it. When it's running, the chore isn't helpful.

Example 2: Temperature-Based Outdoor Chores

Chore: "Rake Leaves"
Entity: sensor.outdoor_temperature
Operator: ≥
State: 15
→ Shows when temperature is 15°C or warmer

Why this works: You only want kids doing outdoor work in reasonable weather.

Example 3: Watering Plants

Chore: "Water Plants"
Entity: sensor.soil_moisture
Operator: ≤
State: 40
→ Shows when soil moisture is 40% or lower

Why this works: No need to water if the soil is already moist.

Example 4: Guest Mode

Chore: "Clean Room"
Entity: input_boolean.guests_arriving_today
Operator: Equals
State: on
→ Shows when guests are expected

Why this works: You want kids cleaning their rooms when guests are coming.

Example 5: School Day Chores

Chore: "Lunch Prep"
Entity: input_boolean.school_day
Operator: Equals
State: on
→ Shows only on school days

Why this works: Lunch prep is only relevant on days when someone is going to school.

Numeric Conversion Rules

When using comparison operators (≥, ≤, >, <), TaskMate converts state values to numbers:

Valid Conversions

  • "22" → 22
  • "22.5" → 22.5
  • "100%" → Fails (% breaks conversion, falls back to string)
  • "-5" → -5 (negative numbers work)

Invalid Conversions (Falls Back to String Matching)

  • "on", "off" → Can't convert to number
  • "running", "idle" → Can't convert to number
  • "22.5.1" → Multiple decimals, can't convert

When conversion fails:

  • Operator comparison is skipped
  • Falls back to checking if state equals the target string (case-insensitive)
  • Useful safety net for mixed string/number states

Embedded Operator Shorthand

You can embed the operator directly in the State field instead of selecting a separate operator. This is useful for quick configuration or automations:

State field Equivalent to
>=10 Operator: ≥, State: 10
<=30 Operator: ≤, State: 30
>25 Operator: >, State: 25
<0 Operator: <, State: 0
!=off Operator: ≠, State: off

When an embedded operator is detected, it overrides the selected operator dropdown. This means if you set Operator to Equals but the State field contains >=50, the chore will use ≥ 50.

Tips & Tricks

Tip 1: Combine with Input Booleans

Create custom input_boolean helpers for complex logic:

# In configuration.yaml
input_boolean:
  chore_day_weekend:
    name: Chore Day - Weekend
  chore_day_schoolday:
    name: Chore Day - School Day

Then use them for visibility:

Chore: "Yard Work"
Entity: input_boolean.chore_day_weekend
Operator: Equals
State: on

Tip 2: Use Template Sensors

Create template sensors that calculate conditions:

template:
  - sensor:
      - name: "Is Cold"
        unique_id: sensor_is_cold
        state: "{{ states('sensor.temperature') | float(0) < 10 }}"

Then use in visibility:

Entity: sensor.is_cold
Operator: Equals
State: "true"

Tip 3: Test in Developer Tools

Before setting up visibility, verify your entity state:

  1. Go to Developer Tools > States
  2. Search for your entity
  3. Check the exact state value
  4. Use that value in Visibility State field

Tip 4: Chain Multiple Conditions

While single conditions are supported, you can simulate AND/OR by:

  • Creating helper automations that update input_booleans
  • Using template sensors to combine multiple entity states
  • Setting up multiple chores with complementary visibility rules

Troubleshooting

"Entity not found"

  • Check the entity ID spelling in Developer Tools > States
  • Ensure the integration providing the entity is installed and running
  • Wait for Home Assistant to fully load all integrations

"Numeric comparison not working"

  • Verify the entity state is actually numeric (no units or symbols)
  • Check Developer Tools > States for the exact value
  • Try converting to string comparison if state has units

"Chore shows even when condition isn't met"

  • Double-check the Visibility State value matches exactly
  • For numeric operators, ensure the number is valid
  • Wait 30 seconds for the visibility update cycle
  • Reload the TaskMate integration

Attributes Are Matched Too

If the entity's state does not match, TaskMate then checks every attribute value on that entity for a match. A condition of home will therefore also match an entity whose state is something else but which carries an attribute equal to home.

This makes some conditions work that otherwise look like they shouldn't — and it can also produce a surprise match. If you need a strict test, choose an entity whose state alone carries the meaning.

See Also

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