Platform template is causing an error

Configuration
1

Hi all,

I’m trying to create a template configuration but I suspect something is wrong with it?

  - platform: template
    sensors:
      sma_solar_power_filtered:
        friendly_name: Solar Power
        unit_of_measurement: 'kW'
          # The register returns a value of "2147483648" when no solar is available.
          # This template filters that value out as 0
        value_template: >-
          {% if states('sensor.SMA_Solar_Power') >= 20000 %}
            0
          {% else %}
            {{ states('sensor.SMA_Solar_Power') }}
          {% endif %}

It validates fine, but when I try to restart HA I see this on the screen and restart doesn’t happen:
image

The only log I see in the system logs looks unrelated and doesn’t come up if this template isn’t there. The modbus config just above which seems to be functioning just fine otherwise:

image
image948×760 46.1 KB

Any thoughts?

2

You dont have to restart HA in order to pick up template changes.

Under development tools → YAML, you can refresh templates.

try changing {% if states('sensor.SMA_Solar_Power') >= 20000 %} to
{% if states('sensor.SMA_Solar_Power') | float(0) >= 20000 %}

My guess is the template is trying to render before the sensor exists.

3

You can only have one

template: 
  - sensor:

In your configuration.yaml, otherwise only one sensor will be found

1 Like
4

Thanks for the suggestion. But no joy.

5

They aren’t using the “template” domain. They are using the “sensor” domain and “template” platform. So that part is fine.

To the OP:

the problem is that your entity_id is wrong. Entity_id’s don’t use upper case letters.

It should be (assuming the entity_id is also otherwise correct):

       value_template: >-
          {% if states('sensor.sma_solar_power') >= 20000 %}
            0
          {% else %}
            {{ states('sensor.sma_solar_power') }}
          {% endif %}
6

Thanks @francisp I took another look at the documentation and updated the yaml.

The annoying thing is that every time I revisit the install, HA seems to have a heap of changes that break it’s backward compatibility. Most of my 2021 configuration isn’t compatible with the latest 2023 version of HA any more!

template:
  - sensor:
      - name: "Solar Power"
        unit_of_measurement: "kW"
        state: >
          {% if states('sensor.SMA_Solar_Power') | float(0) >= 20000 %}
            0
          {% else %}
            {{ states('sensor.SMA_Solar_Power') }}
          {% endif %}
7

You’re still using caps in your template… :thinking:

8

works fine. That’s the ID of the sensor defined earlier in the config as part of the modbus sensor definitions.

9

If you go to Developer Tools > States and find the sensor’s entity_id, it will be entirely in lowercase.

The entity_id of all entities is always a ‘slug’ limited to lowercase alphabetic ASCII characters, numbers, and underscores.

10

Sure I note that you are correct. It is displayed in lower case in the states list.

I also note that it has been for many years and is currently working with the capital letters. Hence proof that it is not case sensitive.

Having said that, I guess is would be good practice to make it lower case as per the entity.

11

Agreed; it’s good practice to use the entity’s actual entity_id.