So… wow… this is great! Having just installed HA yesterday what I now realize is… I think I know just enough to really grind myself into the dirt. 
When I started I thought it had something to do with self-hosting and privacy. NOPE!
Where are the discussions on privacy? Should I give someone access to my github and go to sketchville to D/L files to crack my NSpanel ?. I did. I have a NABU subscription, I use duckduck for my searches. should I put a Google ai device in my home server? Feels like I am turning my chicken coup into a B&B for foxes.
Well I think a self hosted solution like HA is a good starting point.
Also, as highlighted in the post, use cyphered protocols, focus on FOSS, no Cloud dependencies as much as possible, no Alexa and other connected mics. Secure your remote accesses, segregate your networks. etc.
But there is indeed more to write on that front.
Could somebody please explain what the author meant with " proxy variables"? I spent an hour trying to figure that out and only this thread comes up. There seems to be no such thing in HA.
Is the author simply referring to putting any entity in its own group so the config or automation does not depend on the exact name of an entity/device?
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I think the author is describing a concept, rather than a specific HA feature.
Here’s an attempt a definition…
Proxy Variable (noun)
The concept of not using the name of an entity (that might be replaced) directly, but creating a reference to them so that if the entity changes, you only need to alter the proxy variable once, and not multiple automations, dashboard entries, etc that use them.
.
The concept of a proxy variable can be created using:
* A Group entity - add household phones to a Group to track presence. Mobile handsets may be replaced regularly, giving additional work to change entity names in automations.
* A Template Function - an Helper entity based on a template function (e.g. Templating)
Any others community? 
(If there are many, a new thread may be needed)
(My related favourite is using a Toggle Helper as a binary ON/OFF used with a condition in automations to simply TURN OFF multiple actions - e.g. disable an alarm clock, enable motion lights when dark, etc.)
If this helps, 
this post!
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Thanks, it’s exactly what I had in mind, following the question and your answer, I updated the original post.
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An example: Say you don’t track people’s location, e.g. to know when they’re home, then a proxy variable would be to use your alarm panel’s state (e.g. armed means nobody is home). It’s anything that acts on behalf of or as a substitute for something else.
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I agree that knowing templates is very, very important.
brace { }, double brace {{ }}, brace percent {% %}, bracket , dot ., single quote ’ ', double quote " ", numeric/string (0 is not the same as “off” … note the upside down double quote here), back slash , comparators > < >= <= = (or is it ==?) and the schaefer sign (sorry, really, really old school) |, which is not really a pipe but used as a cast … sometimes.
Seems to me the most important thing you learned is where to find how to construct templates.
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Wow! Thanks for the wonderful post!!!
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