Manual automations all show up in the front end as Automation xx

Configuration
1

I have the following set up for automations in configuration.yaml

automation manual: !include_dir_merge_list automations/
automation ui: !include automations.yaml

Under /automations/whatever.yaml file I have that I have written. Here is an example:

- alias: "Loft Awning Opened"
- id: loft_awning_opened
- mode: single
  triggers:
    - trigger: state
      entity_id: input_button.rf_loft_awning_opened
  actions:
    - action: switch.turn_on
      target:
        entity_id: switch.loft_awning

The automations work correctly. However in the front end Settings/Automations & Scenes/Automations, It shows up as:

Automation Image 1
Automation Image 1795×87 9.34 KB

Where it says the automation is unavailable. But then I have a lot of these automations:
Automation Image 2
Automation Image 21607×179 23.2 KB

Which seem to be the actual functioning automations, but with only a cryptic Automation xx (and it can’t be edited since it isn’t in automation.yaml)

What gives?

2

That’s way too many hyphens.

1 Like
3

Are hyphens not allowed in id’s?

4

Each hyphen starts a new list item, so the screenshot shown above represents 3 automations, with the first 2 being invalid due to missing required keys.

5

Like this:

- alias: "Loft Awning Opened" # hyphen starts new automation here
  id: loft_awning_opened # not here
  mode: single # nor here
  triggers:
    - trigger: state
      entity_id: input_button.rf_loft_awning_opened
  actions:
    - action: switch.turn_on
      target:
        entity_id: switch.loft_awning
6

Thanks, that fixed the problem. I didn’t realize what was happening. To be honest, when to use a ‘-’ and when to use an indent seems somewhat random to me.

7

If you haven’t already, check out the “YAML for non-programmers” link in the Community Cookbook, it’s a good primer for some of the basics of YAML structure.

FWIW, when I started with HA (with zero YAML knowledge) I found the different methods shown in the “Splitting up the configuration” article very confusing. I think I had read it 3 or 4 times before I read the section that mentions Packages and actually clicked through to the Packages docs. For me, using Packages just made way more sense than all the other merging options.

1 Like
8

Thanks. I’ll try that. I’m migrating over from openHAB and some things are easier and some things involve a lot of cussing. The use of yaml and templates took some getting used to as I am used to a more procedural way of setting up automations.