Chronoflow - Time engine for precise moments of your life — Test Build

[Pascal_Nohl]

Hi everyone,
I’m opening this thread to introduce Chronoflow and share a test build.

Chronoflow is a lightweight (very low CPU load) time engine for Homey. It lets you define named ChronoPoints (precise moments) and use them in Advanced Flow via triggers and conditions. A ChronoPoint fires when all rules you configured evaluate to true.

Chronoflow is designed to be very flexible, but that also means you can create ChronoPoints that will never trigger if the rules are not aligned. It’s important to understand the evaluation order: as soon as one rule fails, evaluation stops for that ChronoPoint and Chronoflow continues with the next ChronoPoint.

CONDITIONS
Here are the rules and the order they are evaluated:

• Status: enabled / disabled
  Self-explanatory.

• During period (DD/MM → DD/MM) (supports wrap-around across year end)
  Triggers only when today is inside the configured period.

• Only in Months (12 checkboxes)
  Triggers only when today is in a checked month.

• Day rule: Only on days / Only on day X / Every X weeks
  The next options depend on the selected day rule:

  • Only on day X
    Enter a single day (e.g. 14).
    Triggers on the 14th of every month (only if that month is checked and today is inside the period).
  • Only on days
    7checkboxes (Mon–Sun).
    Triggers only when today is a checked weekday.
  • Every X weeks
    Enter the number of weeks and a start date.
    Triggers every X weeks based on that start date.

• Time rule: Time / Sunrise ± 180 min / Sunset ± 180 min
  A time field when “Time” is selected.
  An offset field for Sunrise/Sunset.

Keep in mind: If you define a period like 01/03 – 31/03 and uncheck the month March, the ChronoPoint will never trigger. All later settings become irrelevant because the month rule already fails.

OVERWRITE
At the end you’ll find Overwrite key and the Priority dropdown. These are advanced features. If the overwrite key is empty, these settings have no impact.

You can set any alphanumeric value as the overwrite key. Priorities are normal / high / highest.

If two or more ChronoPoints have exactly the same overwrite key, only one of them will be executed (conditions are still evaluated). Evaluation is done in alphabetical order. The logic is:

• The first matching ChronoPoint is retained for execution.

• If the next ChronoPoint has the same priority, it overwrites the previous one.

• If the next ChronoPoint has a lower priority, it is ignored.

• If the next ChronoPoint has a higher priority, it replaces the retained one.

At the end, only one ChronoPoint per overwrite key remains.

Example:
You have one ChronoPoint “Exterior lights on” at 22:00 that turns lights on every day (warm white, 70%). Overwrite key extlight, priority normal.
You also have “Valentine exterior lights on” at 21:00 that turns lights on 14/2 (red, 100%). Overwrite key extlight, priority high.

Result: your lights turn on every day at 22:00 to warm white 70%, but on Valentine’s Day (14/2) the 21:00 “Valentine…” ChronoPoint overrides it and the lights turn on at 21:00 to red 100%.

LIGHTWEIGHT
On startup (or when settings change), Chronoflow calculates only the next ChronoPoint to trigger, then sleeps until that moment. After firing, it calculates the next one and sleeps again.
Very low CPU usage, no competing timers. The app runs locally and does not require a cloud service for time or sun events.

FLOW CARDS
Triggers

• ChronoPoint triggered (specific point)

• Chronoflow triggered (any point)

Conditions

• ChronoPoint is active today

• Now is between two ChronoPoints (today)

• Now is before a ChronoPoint (today)

• Now is after a ChronoPoint (today)

• Now is within X minutes before a ChronoPoint (today)

• Now is within X minutes after a ChronoPoint (today)

• ChronoPoint is enabled

Actions

• Set ChronoPoint enabled state

HOW TO INSTALL AND SET UP
The test version is available here: https://homey.app/a/com.pascalnohl.chronoflow/test/

1. Install the app

2. Go to Settings → App Settings

3. Choose whether your week starts on Monday or Sunday

4. Enter a ChronoPoint name and click Add

5. The ChronoPoint is created disabled with default values

6. Open the ChronoPoint and configure it

7. Click Save (important)

8. Add more ChronoPoints

9. Use them in Flows

FEEDBACK WANTED

• Post suggestions here (no promises that I’ll implement everything ).

• Post bugs/issues here with:

  • Your Homey model and firmware version

  • The ChronoPoint configuration that doesn’t work correctly

  • What the ChronoPoint is intended to do

Thanks for testing!

[Pascal_Nohl]

The certified version is here: Chronoflow: Precision Time Engine for Homey 🕒