Skip to content

Visibility Operators Reference

Jump to bottom
tempus2016 edited this page Apr 21, 2026 · 2 revisions

Quick Reference

Operator Symbol Use Case Example
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

See Also

Clone this wiki locally