time of day

The power of the Format Date function and how to use it for shortcuts using time of day or sunrise/sunset (part 3)

Now it’s time to finally look at how we can use what we’ve done in part 1 and part 2, and add the ability to use offsets with sunrise and sunset time. When we’re talking about offsets, we mean using for example the time of the sunrise in a conditional but shifted by a predetermined …

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The power of the Format Date function and how to use it for shortcuts using time of day or sunrise/sunset (part 2)

This is part two of the power of the Format Date function, and it will build on what we looked at in part 1. We’ll look at how we can utilize the Format Date function for use with the sunrise and sunset. In part three we’ll look at using this technique with offsets (for example if …

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The power of the Format Date function and how to use it for shortcuts using time of day or sunrise/sunset (part 1)

In this post I want to spotlight the Format Date function, which is very useful and makes using time in shortcuts a breeze. I’ll explain how you can use it with a shortcut example. What is the Format Date function? 🤔 The Format Date function formats date values as the name implies. However, it also …

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Using both time of day and sunrise as a criteria in a shortcut

I was asked to create a HomeKit automation that turns on a certain light at 4:30AM if the sun has not already risen. This is a good exercise to play with Weather and the wealth of useful information therein. We’ll start by opening either the Home or Shortcuts app. We then choose Automation (at the …

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How to use time of day as a parameter when writing HomeKit shortcuts (part 2)

In part two we’ll look at a more advanced example of using time of day as a parameter when writing a HomeKit shortcut. You can find part 1 here. If you need a more in-depth explanation on how to get started, please check the first Do more with the Hue Dimmer Switch (or any switch) …

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How to use time of day as a parameter when writing HomeKit shortcuts (part 1)

Using time of day as a parameter might be useful for determining the brightness or color of your lights to be used when turning on your lights. Perhaps you want a higher brightness level in the middle of the day, and a softer warmer light in the evening. This isn’t as straightforward to do in …

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