Can `service_template` and a `for` loop fire multiple actions?

Configuration
1

I’m working on streamlining some of the automations used in the HASwitchPlate project. I ran across this post by @petro which suggests that a for loop might be used to fire multiple actions with a single service_template.

I’ve been trying variations on the following theme:

    - service_template: >
{% for page_num in range(1,10) %}{% for button_num in range(1,4) %}   -mqtt.publish
    data_template:
      topic: 'hasp/plate01/command/p[{{ page_num }}].b[{{ button_num }}].txt'
      payload: '"{% if button_num == 1 %}{{states.input_text.hasp_plate01_pagebutton1label.state}}{% elif button_num == 2 %}{{states.input_text.hasp_plate01_pagebutton2label.state}}{% else %}{{states.input_text.hasp_plate01_pagebutton3label.state}}{%- endif %}"'
{% endfor %}{% endfor %}

The output in the template editor looks approximately correct in the sense that it’s constructing what I would think should be the right number of service calls with the correct MQTT payload, but a Configuration Check fails, usually with something along the lines of

Error loading /home/homeassistant/.homeassistant/configuration.yaml: while scanning for the next token
found character '%' that cannot start any token
  in "/home/homeassistant/.homeassistant/packages/plate01/hasp_plate01_p0_pages.yaml", line 110, column 2

Where line 110, column 2 is the beginning % of the for loop.

I guess my major question here is - is this even possible? Am I barking up the right tree here?

2

Since I just had a tussle with the service_template functionality I would advice you to go the route I took in a recent post and put the logic in a python script instead.

3

The python script approach is doable but challenging as my desire is to keep this in the realm of Hass automations wherever possible for ease of deployment via packages.

4

I just made a post that keeps @PremiumUserName’s method fully using yaml and jinja for the same result.

5

Your for loop under the service template will not work. Jinja cannot return complex objects like lists, dictionaries, json objects, etc. This means you cannot have a ‘loop’ for executing services. You’ll have to create them one by one or use a custom script.

I recommend appdeamon for what you are trying to do. It would be very simple.

6

That is kind of what I had expected. Thanks for the fast response @petro! I’m just going to leave them as they are because I really want to prevent adding more complexity to the installation process for users of the HASP project. As it stands there is a single shell script which can be used to pull in the complete package without additional configuration. AppDaemon, python scripts, etc bring a lot more complexity for the user for first-time setup, so a huge godawful automation is preferrable based on that requirement.

7

HASP project?

8

Thread and project page.

9

I want that… Maybe a component could be created for it? Have you talked with anyone about a configuration/component?

10

A custom component is pretty far out of my skillset at the moment, but if a skilled developer wants some hardware to help develop a component we might be able to work something out. PM sent :smiley: