Custom component development options

ESPHome
1

I would like to use a specific sensor not yet implemented by ESPHome.
I understand that I have at least two options:

  • Generic Custom Component: This integration can be used to create generic custom components in ESPHome using the C++ (Arduino) API.
  • External Components: You can easily import community or personal components using the external components feature.

I started with the first one but it seems somehow limited (for instance I am getting errors when I try to include other C++ classes).

Can you confirm that the second option is presently the most suitable to do this kind of new developments?

Regards

2

Could someone just point which one of this two options is the most suitable for developing custom components?

I remind that with the Generic Custom Component — ESPHome method we have to include a custom_component section (with some lambda code) in the yaml file and include an C++ .h file following the several examples in the docs. By the way, I already solved the problems I had with the inclusion of others libraries.

I still not tried the External Components — ESPHome method, but it seems more general since besides de C++ code I also find some .py code that seems to help the Home Assistant integration. It is a pity, this method is much less covered in the docs!

Regards

3

Sorry for being a bit late
What will you like to be implementing? a sensor, switch
the best docs I have found for custom sensor but the same principles can be applied for others