# Timestamp as variable – idea to improve Homey Cloud logic significantly **URL:** \ **Category:** Ideas & Suggestions\ **Tags:** app, homey-pro, homey-bridge\ **Created:** [May 1, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/timestamp-as-variable-idea-to-improve-homey-cloud-logic-significantly/63233 "2022-05-01T20:22:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Martin\_K](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/martin_k/32/47966_2.png) [@Martin\_K](https://community.homey.app/u/Martin_K)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/timestamp-as-variable-idea-to-improve-homey-cloud-logic-significantly/63233/1 "2022-05-01T20:22:47Z")
Hi! Working with **time** ⏲ ⏳ in flows opens up **tons** of new possibilites… 🚀 On **Homey Pro** , there are multiple ways to work with chronometers/stopwatches/timers/… – put simply: time. But on **Homey Cloud (and Bridge)**, there is no app which helps here. **My suggestion:** Add a native action (“then”) which stores the current time in a variable, in some standardized format which allows to substract or add seconds, minutes, hours from/to. With a simple Blog article, you folks could then explain how to do certain calculations, like _“IF/WHEN current time is XX larger than variable [time when user A went away]”, THEN do something"_. **Examples:** - Warn if a window was opened and **not** closed after X minutes. - Turn lights on to the previously set brightness, **only if** turning the lights off was less than 30 minutes ago. - Turn a device (plug or light) on with a **delay** after an event happened. … Or is there an alternative approach which I might have missed? (talking about Cloud & Bridge here 🙂) It seems not so much of a challenge, technically. Hoping 🙏 for a comment (and more): Martin ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Kawa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/peter_kawa/32/173848_2.png) [@Peter\_Kawa](https://community.homey.app/u/Peter_Kawa)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/timestamp-as-variable-idea-to-improve-homey-cloud-logic-significantly/63233/2 "2022-05-01T21:29:17Z")
It has less possibilities than a Pro for a reason I think (€€€)🙃 > [@Martin\_K](#): > > Turn a device (plug or light) on with a **delay** after an event happened. That’s possible (“Na 45 sec” is Dutch for _After 45 sec_) ![Screenshot_20220501-232705_Homey](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/f/c/fc4bec7d8f7ad2241652b7fdd844b9e59954476f.jpeg) > [@Martin\_K](#): > > Warn if a window was opened and **not** closed after X minutes. (If it is closed within 5mins, no warning is sent.) (read “is aan” for _is open_) ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_K](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/martin_k/32/47966_2.png) [@Martin\_K](https://community.homey.app/u/Martin_K)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/timestamp-as-variable-idea-to-improve-homey-cloud-logic-significantly/63233/3 "2022-05-01T21:55:29Z")
I totally forgot the “Delay” feature! Thanks, @Peter_Kawa! Also for the example flows! Will play around with this approach more. Although this won’t make everything possible and it seems like a hack, too, even where it does help. So, I’m still hoping for a dedicated _“store timestamp in variable”_ system – which would have quite a high benefit for a relatively small (development) investment. I also don’t think Cloud/Bridge has less possibilities _ **because of the price** _, but instead only because: 1. it is new (incl.: not so many users YET) 2. some functionalities are harder to implement What do you think? In any case: It will be interesting to see how Cloud/Bridge will evolve! 🙂 Best Martin ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Kawa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/peter_kawa/32/173848_2.png) [@Peter\_Kawa](https://community.homey.app/u/Peter_Kawa)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/timestamp-as-variable-idea-to-improve-homey-cloud-logic-significantly/63233/4 "2022-05-01T22:11:56Z")
Your welcome, Martin. Using the flowcard delay option, combined with logics provides for some options. It’s a pity one cannot save the timestamp and do calculations with it on both Homey types. For the Pro (only) are lots of “[tools category](https://homey.app/nl-nl/apps/browse/#filter?category=tools&platform=local)” apps available, but most of them will not be allowed on Homey cloud. F.i. HomeyScript can calculate with timestamps, but that’s another level (pure coding). > [@Martin\_K](#): > > Turn lights on to the previously set brightness, **only if** turning the lights off was less than 30 minutes ago. This is also possible, but for a regular consumer it is too complicated or abstract maybe. I thought of someting like this, flipping a variable after 30 minutes: