hubitat-log-hygiene

name	hubitat-log-hygiene
description	Avoid flooding Hubitat's live-log view by curating catalog dumps, large lists, and error messages.
domain	hubitat-drivers
confidence	high
source	earned

Problem

Hubitat's live-log view has limited visible rows. A driver that emits a large list (dozens of preset/effect names) on every named-effect call floods the view, hiding useful diagnostic output.

Pattern

1. Discovery / Catalog-Load Dumps → count only, even at log.debug

When a driver loads or refreshes a lookup table (effect catalog, preset list, device inventory), emit only the count at log.debug. Never join() a collection of unknown size into a single log line — even at debug level, 1457 names is multi-KB of noise that floods the live log:

// BAD — even behind log.debug this is KBs of noise with 1457 entries
log.debug "[Gemstone] Other patterns (${otherNames.size()}): ${otherNames.join(', ')}"

// GOOD — count only; names are still discoverable via the warn-on-miss path
log.debug "[Gemstone] Other patterns: ${otherCount} non-favorite patterns available by name."

Small, curated sets (e.g. favorites — typically < 20) may still enumerate by name at log.debug:

// gemstone-lights.groovy — favorites line (small list, kept as-is)
log.debug "[Gemstone] Loaded ${count} effects. Favorites (${favoriteNames.size()}): ${favoriteNames ? favoriteNames.join(', ') : '(none)'}"

Also demote the "available effects" helper used in startup/refresh callbacks:

// gemstone-lights.groovy line 1818
log.debug "[Gemstone] Available effects: ${names ? names.join(', ') : '(none loaded)'}"

2. Successful Name → ID Resolution → short log.info

On a successful lookup, emit a single concise info line — never the full catalog list.

// gemstone-lights.groovy line 900 (activateEffectByPattern)
infoLog "${device.displayName} effect → ${displayEffectName(resolvedName)}"

3. Name-Not-Found Error Path → log.warn with cap at 20

When a lookup fails, keep showing suggestions but:

• Demote from log.info to log.warn
• Cap the list at 20 names (sorted); append … (N more) if truncated
• Single line, comma-separated

// gemstone-lights.groovy lines 1821–1828
private void warnAvailableEffectNames() {
    List names = orderedEffectDisplayNames().sort()
    Integer total = names.size()
    List shown = total > 20 ? names.take(20) : names
    String suffix = total > 20 ? ", … (${total - 20} more)" : ""
    log.warn "[Gemstone] Available effects: ${shown ? shown.join(', ') + suffix : '(none loaded)'}"
}

Also clean up the error log line itself — don't embed the full inline join in the log.error string:

// gemstone-lights.groovy line 854 (activateEffectByName miss)
log.error "[Gemstone] No effect named '${requestedName}'."
warnAvailableEffectNames()

Summary Table

Situation	Level	List?	Notes
Catalog loaded / large collection	log.debug	Count only	Even at debug, joining 1000+ names is multi-KB noise
Catalog loaded / small curated set	log.debug	Full join OK	Only when size is known-small (e.g. favorites < 20)
Effect found by name	log.info	None	One line: name → patternId
Effect NOT found by name	log.error + log.warn	Capped (20)	error = "not found"; warn = "available: …"
Index not found	log.error + log.warn	Capped (20)	Same pattern

Curate UI Surfaces

Confidence: medium

When a device API exposes 50+ items but the user only cares about a curated subset, filter the Hubitat capability attribute (e.g., lightEffects) to the curated subset. Keep the full set accessible via name-based commands so power users can still address everything.

• Build and populate two separate maps: one for the UI attribute (lightEffects, numeric index), one for full name lookup (effectCatalog, effectPatterns).
• Only advance nextIndex for curated items (e.g., favorites). Non-curated items are still accessible by name via on-demand catalog fetch, but do NOT get persisted to state.effectCatalog or state.effectPatterns.
• Name-based commands (setEffect(String), playEffectByName) resolve from the favorites cache first; on a cache miss, trigger an on-demand full catalog fetch (see hubitat-state-hygiene skill).
• The dashboard dropdown and setEffect(NUMBER) stay clean and short.

// Favorites get a numeric slot (UI dropdown + setEffect(NUMBER)) AND are cached in state
favorites.each { displayName, patternId ->
    effectCatalog[displayName] = patternId
    effectPatterns[patternId] = ...
    lightEffects[nextIndex.toString()] = displayEffectName(displayName)
    effectIndex[nextIndex.toString()] = patternId
    nextIndex++
}

// Non-favorites: count only — NOT written to state, NOT joined into a log line
Integer otherCount = 0
otherEntries.each { entry ->
    if (safeString(entry.displayName)) {
        otherCount++
    }
}
log.debug "[Gemstone] Other patterns: ${otherCount} non-favorite patterns available by name."