Log a Temperature on change using Tasker

Note: This functionality will require at least Tasker version 3.9

There are times when we want to log a temperature.  To do this we need to select a time interval between samples.  This interval can either be too short or too long.  Very rarely can we get the perfect interval.  A short interval leads to redundant data where the temperature doesn’t change often and several samples log the same temperature in a row.  A long interval can hide valid temperature changes.

So we ask ourselves, what do we really want?  The answer is usually that we want to know when the temperature changes.  Using the setup below, we can achieve the desired functionality. 

Configuration

The following image shows how we can set up a Task with Variables and Logic to only Log when the temperature changes.  The global variables make sure the current temperature values that are used in the logic are used when making the log entry.

This screenshot shows how to configure the Logger to use the global variables.

This screenshot shows configuring the schedule to call the Task with a short interval.  The logic within the Task is responsible for making sure the log entries only occur when there is a valid temperature change.

Result

Here is the result of a the functioning configuration over the past 15 minutes.  You’ll notice that the temperature changes, but it tends to bounce back and forth between two or three values.  We can handle that in another article!