assist on web client and android cannot start timers about core

[synesthesiam]

@dferrante The area requirement should be removed now, but setting a timer requires some way of notifying the user when it's done. For mobile, we're considering push notifications.

@weberruss Voice timers are separate from existing HA timers.

[dj-sf]

brief update -- i tried labeling my devices with an "area" to see if this made a difference. it did not.

[dj-sf]

After some tinkering locally, I've discovered a few things.

1. The default HassStartTimer intent initially does not match due to the missing "area" property when running from web client (breakpoint stops here revealing "area" listed in maybe_result.unmatched_entities.)
2. When using the custom version of that intent without the Area requirement ( see timers.yaml from original post) , the error being thrown is the TimersNotSupportedError on line 815 of the dev branch. This is because it fails the logic check that occurs immediately beforehand -- conversation_command & intent_obj.device_id are both None, and the device, not having an id, is not registered with the timer_manager.

Therefore, I'd like to propose some possible fixes:

First, we should either remove the area requirement from the default intent OR give the clients some sort of placeholder area value so that requirement is fulfilled.

Second, we should either modify the default attributes of the web & mobile clients so that they can pass this logic check out of the box OR we should change this logic to allow them to use the timer intents with their current attributes.

@synesthesiam I see that you have worked on the timer logic quite a bit. Do you know if any of these proposed solutions might work?

[weberruss]

It should be also possible to start, stop, ... already existing timer with their default duration entities in HA with a sentance like "start timer {timer_name:name}" so the timer duration needs to be an optional parameter.

[freeDom-]

@dferrante The area requirement should be removed now, but setting a timer requires some way of notifying the user when it's done. For mobile, we're considering push notifications.

@weberruss Voice timers are separate from existing HA timers.

Mobiles do have a speaker to notify the user when the timer is expired. You can already send tts notifications to yohr mobile phones. I am just wondering why mobile phones then are treated differently..?

[JeroenVandezande]

I also don't understand the reason that only devices that made the timer can notify the user.
Something I hate with my Google homes atm is I make a timer in the kitchen (e.g. something in the oven for 20 minutes)
and then I work in the homeoffice.. it would be great it the Google Home could notify me there, or on my phone or whatever... no it starts making noise in the kitchen while I am not even there...
I could see times like this:
"Please create a timer for 20 minutes then blink the lights in the home office"

[freeDom-]

I also don't understand the reason that only devices that made the timer can notify the user. Something I hate with my Google homes atm is I make a timer in the kitchen (e.g. something in the oven for 20 minutes) and then I work in the homeoffice.. it would be great it the Google Home could notify me there, or on my phone or whatever... no it starts making noise in the kitchen while I am not even there... I could see times like this: "Please create a timer for 20 minutes then blink the lights in the home office"

This should be possible with sth like:

Blink the office lights in 5 minutes

I am not sure if blinking is supported out-of-the-box or whether you need a custom automation, script or intent for this, but I tested "Turn on the office light in 10 seconds" and it works.