# Hue app via HomeyScript - individual device control working, but not setScene, groupOn, groupOff - hints & tips?

**URL:** <https://community.homey.app/t/hue-app-via-homeyscript-individual-device-control-working-but-not-setscene-groupon-groupoff-hints-tips/84590>\
**Category:** Apps\
**Tags:** homey-pro, hue\
**Created:** [July 14, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/hue-app-via-homeyscript-individual-device-control-working-but-not-setscene-groupon-groupoff-hints-tips/84590 "2023-07-14T17:14:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin\_Osborne](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/colin_osborne/32/79809_2.png) [@Colin\_Osborne](https://community.homey.app/u/Colin_Osborne)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/hue-app-via-homeyscript-individual-device-control-working-but-not-setscene-groupon-groupoff-hints-tips/84590/1 "2023-07-14T17:14:07Z")

</div>

Hi all,

I am currently **failing to make any hue scene changes** through **HomeyScript** , and would very much appreciate any insights or pointers.  
This is with the official [Hue App](https://homey.app/en-gb/app/nl.philips.hue/Philips-Hue/) for Homey, using Hue Bridge.

What works:

- I can set **scene** from a normal (non-script) **Flow** + Philips Hue app
- I can set **individual lights** on or off through **HomeyScript** + Philips Hue app
- I can **list** the available **scenes** through **HomeyScript** by interrogating the FlowCards available through the Philips Hue app

What doesn’t work:

- I can call the **runFlowCardAction** with what I believe should be the right information to **setScene** , and it **doesn’t return any errors** - but it **doesn’t cause any change** in the light setting.
- After failing with **setScene** , I went back and tried **groupOn** / **groupOff** , but they didn’t work for me either (no error, but no action).

Again, controlling individual lights works fine (HomeyScript + Philips Hue official app), but not these wider hub controls ( **scenes** & **groups** ).

Is anyone able to help spot what I am (presumably) doing wrong? I haven’t found any discussion in the forum, and I assume that I can’t be the first to try this with the Homey Pro (early 2023), so I’d guess other people must have this working?

HomeyScript trial:

```auto
// HomeyScript using Philips Hue official app from Athom B.V
// Developed using versions:
// - Philips Hue app v5.9.1
// - Homey Web App version 1.9.57
// - Homey Pro (Early 2023), version 10.0.0-rc.122

// Status as of 8-July-2023:
// Not setting scene; everything before that works, but not the setScene
// runFlowActionCard doesn't return any errors, but the lights don't change state
// (can set scene via non-script flow, and even call that from HomeyScript, but not locally in script)
// why??

const flowcard_uri = 'homey:manager:flow';
const owner_name = 'Philips Hue';
const card_id = 'homey:app:nl.philips.hue:setScene';

// edit to match an available Hue scene, or empty string to list all available scenes
const scene_name = 'Front garden evening';
// const scene_name = '';

log('Philips Hue: Flow Card Actions:')
const actionCards = await Homey.flow.getFlowCardActions();
for( const card of actionCards ) {
  if( card.ownerName == owner_name ) {
    log(" ", card.id)
   }
}

for( const card of actionCards ) {
  if (card.id == card_id) {
    const options = await Homey.flow.getFlowCardAutocomplete({
      uri: flowcard_uri,
      id: card.id,
      name: 'scene',
      query: '',
      type: 'flowcardaction'
    })
    log('\n');
    log('Card properties for:', card_id);
    log(card)
    log('\n');
    log('Philips Hue: Scenes:');
    for( scene of options ) {
      if( !(scene_name.length) || (scene.name == scene_name) ) {
        log(scene.description, " : ", scene.name, "; scene id=", scene.id);
      }
    }
   }
}

log('\n');
if(!scene_name.length) {
  log('No scene name specified so skipping setScene step')
} else {
  log("runFlowCardAction: flowcard uri=", flowcard_uri, "; card id=", card_id, "; name=", `'${scene_name}'`);
  await Homey.flow.runFlowCardAction({
    uri: flowcard_uri,
    id: card_id,
    args: {
            name: `'${scene_name}'`,
            // type: 'autocomplete',
          }
  })
  .then(() => log('Scene set OK'))
  .catch(error => log(`Scene set Error:`, error));
}

```

(re-targeting & updating question after initially putting as reply to what looked like a related topic over on developers forum: [Activate Hue scene with HomeyScript? - #5 by Colin\_Osborne](https://community.homey.app/t/activate-hue-scene-with-homeyscript/55255/5))

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [July 14, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/hue-app-via-homeyscript-individual-device-control-working-but-not-setscene-groupon-groupoff-hints-tips/84590/2 "2023-07-14T21:32:56Z")

</div>

you are missing a lot of arguments in your action flow card (untested, but these _should_ be the right arguments):

```auto
await Homey.flow.runFlowCardAction({
  uri: 'homey:app:nl.philips.hue',
  id: 'homey:app:nl.philips.hue:setScene',
  args: {
    scene: {
      bridge_id: [BRIDGE ID],
      description: 'Philips hue',
      id: [SCENE ID],
      name: [SCENE NAME],
    },
  },
});

```

Not sure about the “description” value, that might be the bridge’s name.

Meant to respond on your first post, but kind of forgot.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin\_Osborne](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/colin_osborne/32/79809_2.png) [@Colin\_Osborne](https://community.homey.app/u/Colin_Osborne)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2023, 9:43am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/hue-app-via-homeyscript-individual-device-control-working-but-not-setscene-groupon-groupoff-hints-tips/84590/3 "2023-07-15T09:43:57Z")

</div>

Oh goodness, yes, thank you! … that works

I had multiple mistakes and misunderstandings …

- I hadn’t understood the structure, naming and therefore passing of the ‘scene’ within the args … scene: { … params …}.
- I had skipped passing bridge\_id … not thinking through what I was previously getting/doing courtesy of the Homey API/services, but that now I need to go via Philips Hue App for myself and out through the Hue Bridge.
- And yes I was trying to control a scene by name, not by ID. I’m sure I had tried ID earlier in my battles, but lost that along the way while failing due to my other mistakes.

Having tried a few experiments, the essential requirements are the scene id and bridge\_id. It is not necessary to give the description or scene name.

Here is an updated script, which shows the **setScene** action card structure, lists one or more of the scenes including scene id and bridge\_id values, and if a specific scene was specified then it activates that scene.

```auto
// HomeyScript using Philips Hue official app from Athom B.V
// Developed using versions:
// - Philips Hue app v5.9.2
// - Homey Web App version 1.9.58
// - Homey Pro (Early 2023), version 10.0.0-rc.122

// Status as of 15-July-2023: working!
// Shows structure of Philips Hue app setScene action card
// Lists scenes (if given empty scene name), or shows & selects 1 specific scene by name
// Activates specific scene (if a specific scene name was given in the script)

const flowcard_uri = 'homey:manager:flow';
const owner_uri = 'homey:app:nl.philips.hue';
const card_id = 'homey:app:nl.philips.hue:setScene';
const card_arg_name = 'scene';

// edit to match an available Hue scene, or empty string to list all available scenes
const scene_name = 'Study';
// const scene_name = '';

var scene_id = null;
var bridge_id = null;

log('Get Philips Hue FlowCardActions');
const actionCards = await Homey.flow.getFlowCardActions();
for( const card of actionCards ) {
  if (card.id == card_id) {
    log('FlowCardActions for card id:', card_id);
    log(card);
  }
}

log ('\n');
log('Get Philips Hue app setScene parameters');
const options = await Homey.flow.getFlowCardAutocomplete({
  uri: flowcard_uri,
  id: card_id,
  name: card_arg_name,
  query: '',
  type: 'flowcardaction'
})
var found_scene = false
for( scene of options ) {
  if( !(scene_name.length) || (scene.name == scene_name) ) {
    log('setScene parameters for scene name: ', scene.name);
    log(scene);
    scene_id = scene.id;
    bridge_id = scene.bridge_id;
  }
  if ( scene_name.length && (scene.name == scene_name) ){
    found_scene = true;
  }
}

log('\n');
log('Setting scene (if specified & found)');
if (!found_scene){
  log('Did not find scene to activate');
} else {
  log('runFlowCardAction: uri=', owner_uri, '; id=', card_id, '; arg:', card_arg_name, '; bridge_id=', bridge_id, '; id=', scene_id);
  await Homey.flow.runFlowCardAction({
    uri: owner_uri,
    id: card_id,
    args: {
      scene: {
        bridge_id: bridge_id,
        id: scene_id,
      },
    },
  })
  .then(() => log('runFlowCardAction OK'))
  .catch(error => log(`runFlowCardAction Error:`, error));
}

```