Automation folders

Feature Requests
1

I’ve called this folders, but folders might not be correct (although mapping them to folders and files might be a good implementation)

It would be nice if automations could be organised nicer…

2

You can put them in folders and possibly sub folders and have separate automations in separate files.

Is there something you want beyond this?

This is of course only if you are manually creating your automations. If you are using the editor I’m not sure what can be done.

As an example I have all my automations in a folder and then group them by topic/use/device so I can find them easily.

3

To clarify, I mean in the UI

2 Likes
4

Ie. In the UI, I can have a folder called ‘security’ and in that have a folder called alarm and a few automations for cameras and the alarm automations in the alarm folder

5

I think this can be done also. There is a custom card to hide/show the contents, this card could be used to do what you are asking. Now I just have to find it.

6

That would be super useful

1 Like
7

This would be great, especially in a week or so, when I will want to archive my Christmas automations!

1 Like
8

This would be awesome. I’ve only been using Home Assistant for about a month now and my automations look like the overflowing junk drawer in my kitchen. I haven’t found a good way to sort them, they just end up in one big monolithic list in alphabetical order.

2 Likes
9

I’d like this too. The list is getting rather long. Which is good news, but it’s getting tedious to manage. :slight_smile:

10

@jph59 @elyobelyob

Using a naming convention when naming your automations to help you keep them sorted. I name all of my automations starting with the “category” they are in so they are all grouped together in the list.

- id: ceiling_fan_office_fan_in_use
  alias: "[Ceiling Fan] Office Fan In Use"
  description: "Turn in use timer on when device state changes."

- id: ceiling_fan_office_fan_auto_on
  alias: "[Ceiling Fan] Office Fan Auto On"
  description: "Turn ceiling fan on."

image

3 Likes
11

A naming convention only helps if:

  • you follow it 100%
  • you keep it up to date
  • you don’t have too many

it’s a reasonable workaround but it has limited mileage as well

I did take a look at adding this, it required a significant FE rejiggle that I didn’t have time for when I was looking at it

12

Yeah, good tip. I already do prefix my names and my Xmas lights are all at the end of the list anyway. Probably will prepend others with zzz_ or something to move them out of the way when needed to be “archived”.

But this is pretty much what folders would achieve, and would also mean not having to ‘complexify’ names.

Also, if I ever want to use my automations via voice, this would not be useful.

13

Just a thought on your Christmas automations. You could just put a condition in to have them run them only the dates you want them to. That way you’ll never have to turn them on or off. Set it and forget it.

condition:
  condition: time
  after: input_datetime.christmas_start
  before: input_datetime.christmas_end
14

Thanks, but the issue isn’t about them running. The decorations are now safely in a box. Doesn’t really matter if I don’t bother switching them off. It’s just organising my entire list, with just about 40 automations - a low amount really - it’s niggling me that I’d like to tidy it. Anyway, it’s not the most important thing in the world!

15

I came here to purpose the same thing. If you mean like be able to categorize your automations. Maybe be able to use a tagging system? Set a tag like [Lights] and in the automation view you could have them grouped up with and be able to fold out the categories if that makes sense?

Like this for Configuration>Automations

Automations
  LIGHT
    yourlightautomation1
    yourlightautomation2
  NOTIFY
    yournotifyautomation1
    yournotifyautomation3

And this also could apply to scripts etc

1 Like
16

+1 … automations list is out of hand in a flat list.

17

+1, automating the IKEA Symfonisk dials and its getting messy (in UI)

18

Yeah, would like to see that as well - as my automations are getting more and more. :slight_smile:

19

+1
Why were folders/directories created in the beginning? Once you have a lot of automatons the housekeeping is awful with everything in one file. In the beginning I created everything manually. I thought I would try using the UI. I’ve discovered the UI stores the created automatons in the automatons directory but they do not run nor appear in the list.

Can you imagine if all our OS files were in the root directory?

I create them using the UI then move them to my normal hierarchy folders. However, there is never any editing them.

20

A Triplicate
I would like it, If an object or entity (script/Automation) had A label/tag option, that excepts “/“ that represent sub tags or Folders in the GUI & “,” as separate Tags. E.g.

  1. Tag: “Lights” shows in the GUI in the Folder “Lights”.
  2. Tag: “Light/Effects” would show in the GUI in the Folder “Effects”, nestled under the Folder “Light”.
  3. Tag: “Lights, Effects” would show in the GUI in both folders “Effects”, & the Folder “Lights”.
  4. Tag: “Light/Effects, Light” would show in the GUI in both folders “Light”, & the Folder “Effects”, nestled under the Folder “Light”.
  5. Tag: ““is empty”” or “root” would show up under the root folder in the GUI.
alias: A Light Script
tags: light, light/effects
sequence:
  - service: light.turn_on
    data: {}
    target:
      area_id: office
mode: single

And the “Tag” option can be reference via HAss Jinja2 extension’s

state_attr ( script.a_light_script, 'tags')

When moving entities in the GUI to a different folder, the GUI gives the options “Change” &or “Both”.
Reference# Labels, Tags & Folders for Automation Scripts