# Any way to do a "countup" instead of a countdown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions & Help\ **Created:** [March 6, 2019, 11:58am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181 "2019-03-06T11:58:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bjorn\_Andersson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bjorn_andersson/32/13731_2.png) [@Bjorn\_Andersson](https://community.homey.app/u/Bjorn_Andersson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:58am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/1 "2019-03-06T11:58:08Z")
I would, if possible, like to be able to know how long since a particular event. For example - how long ago the last movement on a movement sensor happened. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Caseda](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/caseda/32/138695_2.png) [@Caseda](https://community.homey.app/u/Caseda)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/2 "2019-03-06T12:02:27Z")
You don’t need this for capabilities, to see the last for example motion detected, you can see the time received by just clicking on the capability in the mobile app. ---
**Author:** ![Bjorn\_Andersson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bjorn_andersson/32/13731_2.png) [@Bjorn\_Andersson](https://community.homey.app/u/Bjorn_Andersson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/3 "2019-03-06T12:18:25Z")
I need to USE the information, not view it manually. For instance, send it to me the latest time some sensor detected movement if I push an IFTTT-button. Perhaps I want to have a webpage of my house and show latest movement times on each and every sensor… of something else… can probably think of a lot of ideas if this would be possible. ---
**Author:** ![johan\_bendz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/johan_bendz/32/10344_2.png) [@johan\_bendz](https://community.homey.app/u/johan_bendz)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 12:21pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/4 "2019-03-06T12:21:35Z")
I suggest setting a variable on movement and then read the time from that. ---
**Author:** ![Bjorn\_Andersson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bjorn_andersson/32/13731_2.png) [@Bjorn\_Andersson](https://community.homey.app/u/Bjorn_Andersson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/5 "2019-03-06T12:26:26Z")
Can you give an example on how you set time? I have no device that has current time as a tag. ---
**Author:** ![JPe4619](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/jpe4619/32/9017_2.png) [@JPe4619](https://community.homey.app/u/JPe4619)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/6 "2019-03-06T14:17:27Z")
You can easy log to Simple LOG , every logged item gets a timestamp. [https://apps.athom.com/app/nl.nielsdeklerk.log](https://apps.athom.com/app/nl.nielsdeklerk.log) ---
**Author:** ![Bjorn\_Andersson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bjorn_andersson/32/13731_2.png) [@Bjorn\_Andersson](https://community.homey.app/u/Bjorn_Andersson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/7 "2019-03-06T14:24:19Z")
Sure… but how would I read information from there as control information in a flow? I don’t want to _know/read_ it… I want to be able to _ **use** _ it… ---
**Author:** ![Caseda](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/caseda/32/138695_2.png) [@Caseda](https://community.homey.app/u/Caseda)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/8 "2019-03-06T14:38:03Z")
![Screenshot_2019-03-06-15-35-01](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/2X/0/00be66d38b4373e93a277d72a32c5ffc01f8d42f.png) These 2 tags are default tags available in homey, no need for an app. Then you can use this tag of this logic value anywhere you’d like ---
**Author:** ![Bjorn\_Andersson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bjorn_andersson/32/13731_2.png) [@Bjorn\_Andersson](https://community.homey.app/u/Bjorn_Andersson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:58am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/9 "2019-03-07T05:58:40Z")
Sorry, good idea - but it’s a bit difficult to do any logical tests on a varying textual variable - I would want it numerical. E.g. how would you test if the textual variable was “more than 3.5 hours ago” ? ---
**Author:** ![Caseda](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/caseda/32/138695_2.png) [@Caseda](https://community.homey.app/u/Caseda)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:26am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/10 "2019-03-07T06:26:10Z")
Then you really need to start thinking about using Homey Script, or fill in an app/feature request for [athom](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8j_GfID4adV4w5ogNtIX1-AqVWrkgIo3bOjkoNtqlHMM0xw/viewform?usp=send_form)/[community](https://community.homey.app/t/2713). ---
**Author:** ![Bjorn\_Andersson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bjorn_andersson/32/13731_2.png) [@Bjorn\_Andersson](https://community.homey.app/u/Bjorn_Andersson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:30am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/11 "2019-03-07T06:30:48Z")
I already sent the request for having date/time as numeric variable types… that probably sorts it if they ever do. This thread was just to poll the audience for any existing solutions I’d missed. ---
**Author:** ![bvdbos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bvdbos/32/2352_2.png) [@bvdbos](https://community.homey.app/u/bvdbos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:31am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/12 "2019-03-07T06:31:15Z")
Better Logic can calculate seconds since epoch with `$timenow$` > **[\[APP\] Better logic / Variable management - Page 5](https://forum.athom.com/discussion/comment/15094/#Comment_15094)** > > DELETED - NM, ill wait untill the release Also, this is built-in in Homey but I forgot how… ---
**Author:** ![bvdbos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bvdbos/32/2352_2.png) [@bvdbos](https://community.homey.app/u/bvdbos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:35am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/13 "2019-03-07T06:35:05Z")
BTW, @ralfvd also created a countup-app but don’t know how it works on V2 > **[ralfvd/nl.bevlogenheid.countup](https://github.com/ralfvd/nl.bevlogenheid.countup)** > > Homey CountUp . Contribute to ralfvd/nl.bevlogenheid.countup development by creating an account on GitHub. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Machiels](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/lars_machiels/32/10295_2.png) [@Lars\_Machiels](https://community.homey.app/u/Lars_Machiels)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 10:17am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/14 "2019-03-08T10:17:50Z")
Installed your app about a year ago and I am still using it. Works just fine in 2.x ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Machiels](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/lars_machiels/32/10295_2.png) [@Lars\_Machiels](https://community.homey.app/u/Lars_Machiels)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 10:23am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/15 "2019-03-08T10:23:20Z")
Just checked your app. Looks like it isn’t working after all. ---
**Author:** ![bvdbos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/bvdbos/32/2352_2.png) [@bvdbos](https://community.homey.app/u/bvdbos)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 10:37am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/16 "2019-03-08T10:37:36Z")
Now I’m confused 😕 Does that app work or not? ---
**Author:** ![Martijn\_Hoogenbosch](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/martijn_hoogenbosch/32/10647_2.png) [@Martijn\_Hoogenbosch](https://community.homey.app/u/Martijn_Hoogenbosch)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 10:44am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/17 "2019-03-08T10:44:56Z")
would like to see it too. I now have a timer counting down from two hours so i get a message when my son must stop playing on the ps4. But also would like to know how long he has been playing when for example it is a holiday and it is really rainy. Would be easier if we just could count up. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Machiels](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/lars_machiels/32/10295_2.png) [@Lars\_Machiels](https://community.homey.app/u/Lars_Machiels)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 10:48am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/18 "2019-03-08T10:48:35Z")
I thought it was working because the flows were still doing their job. Turned out that the timers were not updated anymore. ---
**Author:** ![JPe4619](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/jpe4619/32/9017_2.png) [@JPe4619](https://community.homey.app/u/JPe4619)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/any-way-to-do-a-countup-instead-of-a-countdown/10181/19 "2019-03-08T12:41:08Z")
Make a request for Ralf @ [https://github.com/ralfvd/nl.bevlogenheid.countup/issues](https://github.com/ralfvd/nl.bevlogenheid.countup/issues)