Set absolute position

The Set absolute position action moves a Motionblinds cover to an exact position, and on tilt-capable blinds it can also set the tilt at the same time.

This is useful when you want an automation to move a blind to a precise position, in particular for Top Down Bottom Up (TDBU) blinds, where the position is set relative to the window itself.

Targets of the action

This action requires a target. The target is the object of the action. You can point the action at a single entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will run the action on every matching cover entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific cover entity, such as cover.living_room.
• Device: every cover entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every cover entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every cover entity on a floor.
• Label: every cover entity that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one action. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same action to run the action on both of them at once.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To set the absolute position from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select Motionblinds: Set absolute position.
6. Choose the Motionblinds cover, then enter the Absolute position and any other options.
7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as motion_blinds.set_absolute_position. A basic example looks like this:

action: motion_blinds.set_absolute_position
target:
  entity_id: cover.blind
data:
  absolute_position: 70

This moves the selected cover to position 70.

Options in YAML

Good to know

• For simple blinds, this action does the same as the cover.set_cover_position action.
• For TDBU blinds, the absolute position is relative to the window, so 0 is the bottom of the window and 100 is the top. The cover.set_cover_position action instead uses a scaled position relative to the space the blind is allowed to move in.
• On tilt-capable blinds, the blind first moves to the new position and then adjusts its tilt. Using the separate cover.set_cover_position and cover.set_cover_tilt_position actions one after the other makes the blind stop and tilt before it reaches the intended position.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: Set blinds to a privacy position in the evening

This automation moves a Top Down Bottom Up blind to a privacy position every evening, covering the lower part of the window while leaving the top open for light.

• Trigger: the sun sets
• Action: set the absolute position of the blind
  • Target: the bedroom blind
  • Absolute position: 40

alias: "Evening privacy position"
triggers:
  - trigger: sun
    event: sunset
actions:
  - action: motion_blinds.set_absolute_position
    target:
      entity_id: cover.bedroom_blind
    data:
      absolute_position: 40

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.