Fill an input_select from a folder sensor with template

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

I have a folder sensor which is populated with folder names.
In a Lovelace card I want to select one of these folder names from a pull-down - I use an input_text to make this selection.
I have an automation which I think is almost there but I cannot get it working.

alias: Play Pop Modern
description: ''
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_text.folderlist2
    domain: ''
    entity_id: ''
condition: []
action:
  - service: input_select.set_value
    data_template:
      entity_id: input_select.folderlist2
      value: 
        - Select
        - '{{ states("input_text.folderlist2") | replace(states.sensor.pop_modern.attributes.file_list) | replace(states.sensor.pop_modern.attributes.path, '/')   }}'
mode: single

I have followed structures shown in other posts but always get an error whether I use an input_text and value or an input_select and option
Message malformed: extra keys not allowed @ data['action'][0]['target']['options']

The automation aims to populate the input_select (or input_text) with the selected item from the pull-down.

Any tips on where I am going wrong?
TIA

[123 (Taras)]

value is not the correct option name for an input_select.set_options service call. If you refer to the documentation, you’ll see it’s options.

FWIW, the documentation doesn’t include any examples where one of the options is templated. That might just be an omission or an indication it’s not supported. Let’s hope it’s the former.

You should also be aware that whatever options you set will only last until a restart and then they revert to the default values.

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

This works to select the chosen comma separated item in the input_select but the “replace” statement does not remove the path as I expect.

alias: Play Pop Modern
description: ''
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.folderlist2
condition: []
action:
  - service: input_select.set_options
    target:
      entity_id: input_select.folderlist2
    data_template:
      options: "'{{ states.sensor.pop_modern.attributes.file_list | replace(states.sensor.pop_modern.attributes.path, '/')   }}'"
mode: single

Also how do I then fill the input_select.folderlist2 with that (path removed) text?

[123 (Taras)]

EDIT

I posted something below but now I think I need to see the contents of:

{{ state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list') }}

to ensure I have understood what you are attempting to do.

---

Paste this template into the Template Editor and confirm it produces what you want:

{{ state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list').split('/')[-1] }}

If it does, incorporate it into the service call:

  - service: input_select.set_options
    target:
      entity_id: input_select.folderlist2
    data:
      options: >
        {{ state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list').split('/')[-1] }}

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

Thanks for yr help with this BTW.

Template editor returns:
UndefinedError: ‘list object’ has no attribute ‘split’

[123 (Taras)]

Yeah, that’s why I need to see the result of the first template to understand what’s contained in the attribute. It’s a list, but I’d like to see an example of its contents. I think in order to strip out the path, it will need to iterate through the list’s items.

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

@123

{{ state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list') }}

Here is the first template (image ok or prefer text?)

Here it is from the States Developer tool

@123

it will need to iterate through the list’s items.

Yes I think you are right so that the input_select has all the elements stripped of the path.

[123 (Taras)]

Try this:

{{ state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list') | map('replace', '/media/Music/Pop Modern/', '') | list }}

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

Nice.

I’ll see what I can do with the automation based on this.
Great work thanks!

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

This shows the input_select.folderlist2 correctly with a pull-down selection

but it does not update the State when viewed in the Developer Tool.

action:
  - service: input_select.set_options
    target:
      entity_id: input_select.folderlist2
    data:
      options: >-
        - Select {{ state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list') |
        map('replace', '/media/Music/Pop Modern/', '') | list }}

so when I add a second service to update input_text value it fails.

	- service: input_text.set_value
		target:
  		entity_id: input_text.folderlist2
		data:
  		value: {{ state('input_select.folderlist2') }}

[123 (Taras)]

For the input_select.set_options service call, the value assigned to options must be a list. I don’t believe the combination of YAML and template you have there is understood to be a list. The line continuation character (>-) immediately tells the YAML processor that the rest is a Jinja2 template. That means the hyphen becomes part of the template’s result as opposed to being handled by the YAML processor as a list item.

The template in your second example is missing outer quotes.

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

I have this as a now valid automation

  trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_select.folderlist2
  condition: []
  action:
  - service: input_select.set_options
    target:
      entity_id: input_select.folderlist2
    data:
      options: >-
        Select,
        ''{{ ['Select'] + state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list') | map('replace', '/media/Music/Pop Modern/', '') | list }}''
  - service: input_text.set_value
    target: 
      entity_id: input_text.folderlist2
    data: 
      value: >-
       "{{ states('input_select.folderlist2') }}" 

but it is not updating the input_select state and so the input_text state does not get a value set.
Should I be using a template for the trigger instead of a change of state? Please excuse these noob stumbles.
EDIT: Just found this: Invalid state encountered for entity ID: input_select.folderlist2. State max length is 255 characters.
I have heaps more than 255 chars. Looks like I need to find a work-around.

[123 (Taras)]

@robb1

but it is not updating the input_select state

Same mistake as described in my previous post (it’s not supplying the input_select’s options with a valid list).

@robb1

State max length is 255 characters.

The state value of all entities is restricted to a maximum length of 255 characters (and its type is always string). This constraint doesn’t exist for an entity’s attributes. However, assigning data to an entity’s attributes is more challenging because there’s no service call to do that. It’s typically done via the entity’s configuration. For example, in the case of a Template Sensor via its attributes option and via json_attributes_template for an MQTT Sensor.

I believe you will need to step back and rethink how you want to achieve your goal.

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

Yes it’s looking like I will need something like the python script approach here.

[123 (Taras)]

1. That’s a very old post offering a way of doing something that wasn’t possible with an automation at the time (but now is).
2. Nothing in that example will help you get around the 255 character restriction for storing content in input_select.folderlist2.

[robb1 (Robert Brown)]

Sounding like that 's the end of this endeavour.

[123 (Taras)]

I don’t think it’s entirely hopeless. I performed a simple experiment to set an input_select’s options and was successful. The key is how you present the data to options (as mentioned previously, your example doesn’t present it as a valid list).

I don’t have an entity with an attribute containing all the songs so I hard-coded it into the template, but the principle remains the same.

Try this script:

alias: Load tunes
sequence:
  - service: input_select.set_options
    target:
      entity_id: input_select.tunes
    data:
      options: >
        {{ ['/media/Music/Pop Modern/Daddys Coolest','/media/Music/Pop
        Modern/The Divinyls - Desperate','/media/Music/Pop Modern/Emerson Lake
        and Palmer - Pictures At An exhibition - 2 CDs -Progressive Rock - 2008
        - BigGod','/media/Music/Pop Modern/THE MOODY BLUES, THE -
        COLLECTED','/media/Music/Pop Modern/The Moody Blues Threshold of a
        Dream','/media/Music/Pop Modern/Led Zeppelin I','/media/Music/Pop
        Modern/Phys Graf','/media/Music/Pop Modern/Linda
        Rondstadt','/media/Music/Pop Modern/Carly Simon - No Secrets (1972)'] |
        map('replace', '/media/Music/Pop Modern/', '') | list }}
mode: single

If it works, modify it to get the tunes directly from the sensor’s attribute.

alias: Load tunes
sequence:
  - service: input_select.set_options
    target:
      entity_id: input_select.tunes
    data:
      options: "{{ state_attr('sensor.pop_modern', 'file_list') | map('replace', '/media/Music/Pop Modern/', '') | list }}"
mode: single

[mirekmal (Mirek Malinowski)]

I was struggling with this for quite some time and now, based of @Taras post I revisited this and can confirm that it works! Here is my automation code:

# Automatically filling in playlists
- id: 'Load Volumio Playlists'
  alias: Load Volumio Playlists
  initial_state: True
  trigger:
  - platform: time_pattern
    minutes: '/01' 
  action:
    - service: input_select.set_options
      target:
        entity_id: input_select.playlists
      data:
        options: >
          {{ state_attr('media_player.volumio', 'source_list')  | list }}

So basically it looks at media_player.volumio available playlists, that are stored as source_list attribute, convert this to jinja list and loads into input_select.playlists.
Definitely something changed, as in the past HA versions it was not possible to create jinja list from template.

[123 (Taras)]

@mirekmal

in the past HA versions it was not possible to create jinja list from template

That’s true; in the past the output of a template was always handled as a string. When support for ‘native types’ was introduced (last November in version 0.118), the type of the template’s output is inferred from its appearance (i.e. is if looks like a list, its type becomes list).

BTW, you automation uses a time_pattern trigger to set the input_select’s options every minute. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use a State Trigger that monitor’s the media_player’s source_list attribute? In other words, it would trigger only if the source_list’s contents change.

[mirekmal (Mirek Malinowski)]

@123

BTW, you automation uses a time_pattern trigger to set the input_select’s options every minute. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use a State Trigger that monitor’s the media_player’s source_list attribute? In other words, it would trigger only if the source_list’s contents change.

Perhaps yes! That was very quickly created automation, just to check how it works. Even updating it every minute does not make sense, since based on experience I create maybe 1 playlist per month
In reality I’ll now need to move this concept from Volumio (that I’m phasing out) to new HEOS integration for my new, just installed marantz. So I’ll need to dig more into this. To be honest at this stage I’m not even sure how to make it working with HEAS, as at the moment it does not provide proper source_list - only physical inputs (that anyhow I’d filter out for this purpose) and is not showing favorites not play lists… But this is clealry HEOS issue.
Anyhow it is excellent idea let changes of attribute trigger updates rather than force updates by timer!