Home Assistant Cookbook - Discussion Thread

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Added: How to keep your recorder database size under control.

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Would anyone like to do a piece on importing files into HA for local access? How to import them; where to store them; how to reference them in dashboards and media players etc.

I imagine it would mention File Editor and Samba Share, both of which are “official” add-ons.

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Added the trigger_variable one I’ve been mulling over.
Automations #3: trigger_variables

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I have some ideas, but not the complete picture on the importing stuff. I use Samba but don’t have a complete story. I’d be glad to colab on it if someone wants to start one in a private group chat.

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Thank you! How about adding some examples? :grin:

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Done, and it looks a lot better.

I have to be careful that it is expanding the discussion and not repeating it on that one.

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@MaxK Good one, thank you!

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This one from Tom looks like it should be in the Cookbook.
Comments? Does it still look up to date?

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The images still refer to snapshots, so they could do with updating. Perhaps @tom_l could comment?

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Yeah it needs an update.

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I have a suggestion but I’d like to bounce it off you guys, especially the mods and anyone working directly for HA who might be reading this.

The cookbooks point to the relevant pages in the docs, but shouldn’t it also be the other way round too? What if the docs also had a link to the cookbook?

Imagine you’re just starting out and actually read the docs. You can read the words on the screen, but you barely understand any of it because, let’s face it - it was written by someone who is more technically inclined.
Wouldn’t it help if there was a link to a cookbook written in a more beginner-friendly way right on that page?

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That would be a policy question, probably…
@MissyQ @frenck would be the owners of the social media and the Docs…

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I agree with @Sir_Goodenough, but you could also always do a PR on the docs and let it go through the PR approval process as well. IIRC, the PR approval process goes through all the major devs/policy makers. Might be worth a shot as a test case?

A downside of this is that if the docs change, then the cookbook entry has to be changed as well. Sooooo, dunno.

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I figured, but I have an aversion to tagging people when I’m unsure it’s really necessary, especially ones who are probably spammed with enough tags already.

Guess you handled that particular dilemma for me, so thanks.

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You’re right, but a nod (and maybe some guidelines) from those involved before I attempted this would go a long way towards encouraging me to try it.

Also agreed, but isn’t that also the case today? If there’s a change in HA, anyone can (and should be encouraged to) update the affected cookbook.

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It’s something we should pass thru them before anything, You could submit it but best to hear the opinion first before you go thru the work of that.

It’s in the same zone as YT videos in the docs, but those are by members of the Content Creator group, these would be by anyone and the wiki nature of the posts means ANYONE not a newbee can edit them. That’s bad…

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Eh, fair point. You’re right on that.

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I don’t have a suggestion to do it otherwise and I see the need, but to me the docs are formal while the cookbook is more informal. Linking to official docs from the cookbook seems appropriate, but the reverse doesn’t quite work for me.

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So I’m thinking if we know there is more information specific in the Cookbook, perhaps a link to the cookbook index would be enough to guide others to more help
The Home Assistant Cookbook - Index.

This buffers it a bit so if a specific post is broken, all is good. And the index is pinned so it will be there.

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I like this idea… a link to the index would be pretty future-proof imho.

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