Hi all,
I noticed that over time YAML support is dropped more and more in favor of GUI only. Previous examples are e.g. Ping integration, latest is SMTP (see below screenshot).
For me that is a source of concern. I maintain a number of HA installations for friends and family. And while I appreciated the convenience of a GUI, it makes copying new features or fixes across many similar installations a pain. On the other hand, with YAML and Github it’s a breeze. So, (at least for me) ideally GUI and YAML are both supported - like in the past…
Can you confirm that YAML support will remain in future releases - and that my perception is wrong? Or is the long-term strategy to get rid of it?
For your feedback thanks a lot in advance and have a great day! And thanks a lot for your great work, love HA
The devs are rarely on the forums, but your perception is correct.
YAML is dropped in favor of the GUI and it is not only harder to distribute setups, it is takes longer for new features to be implemented, because it is not just a text line then, but a GUI that need to be set up correctly to handle all the configuration possibilities.
Another problem is the often lacking possibilities for reconfiguration an already set up item, because important settings are missing in the dialogs.
Whenever it is possible to use a standard protocol to gather data, then I use that in Node Red instead of a HA integration, due to the move to GUI with no YAML options.
It is a sad state of affairs when existing users are being pushed out of using HA features due to changes intended to benefit new users.
The solution is simple. Build all the UI elements you want, but save the resulting settings in some text format (like YAML) which knowledgeable users can edit, copy, paste, backup, restore and otherwise manipulate.
