Put Developer Tools Back

Configuration Frontend
1

Not sure why developers always have to change stuff, without an option to keep it the way it was.

An option to move developer tools instead of moving would be so much better. But you can add it back to sidebar with following in your configuration.yaml . I like going to states versus default YAML tab, but easy to change if you want.

panel_custom:
  - name: panel_develop
    sidebar_title: Developer Tools
    sidebar_icon: mdi:hammer
    url_path: 'config/developer-tools/state'
    module_url: /api/hassio/app/entrypoint.js
    embed_iframe: true
    require_admin: true

While I am at it, a built in way to get blue header back versus making a new theme (theme directions here: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/topbar-went-from-blue-to-white-after-2026-2-update/983272/13), keeping addons name instead of apps. It messes with your mental workflow!

7 Likes
2

I agree that the sidebar should be more admin-manageable, but your solution seems to be an improvement. Like you, states is where I usually go in Developer’s Tools.

Ideally, the admin user should be able to populate different sidebar content for different users.

In the case of Developer Tools, moving it makes sense. Home Assistant users fit into two camps. Those who don’t know which end of a soldering iron to hold, and those who do. Developer tools would only confuse the former.

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3

I’d like to add one more, though I’m sure some folks would disagree; give us the option of easily setting different default dashboards per device.

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There is a custom integration to do that. I have not tried it:
https://community.home-assistant.io/t/custom-sidebar-manage-home-assistants-sidebar-items-per-user-or-device-basis/665800

https://github.com/elchininet/custom-sidebar

5

But since HA is primarily a tool used for actually automating things instead of just a fancy interface shouldn’t the tools for doing that be frontmost to the user. Why do we care if a new user is confused about a tool that is specifically useful for actually automating things? And then make it harder for users who actually use HA for its intended purpose?

I’ll never understand that reasoning.

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6

I think the logic is that since the rest of the tools used for creating automations is in settings anyway, it makes sense to move Developer Tools there too.

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I don’t disagree that is the logic but the logic itself is flawed from the start.

Again, HA at it’s core is a home automation platform. It makes no logical sense to hide the features that are literally at the core of HA away in menus 2, 3 or 4 layers deep.

I think that the developers tools should stay where it was but in addition it should be expanded when clicked to have tabs not only for states, actions, etc that they have now but links directly to automations, scripts, etc that users will actually use to automate their homes. there is lots of unused real estate space across the top of the developers tools page that could transform it from third class citizen to being actually more useful.

Right now the/some devs seem to think that HA is a glorified dashboard system and home automation seems to be a far second thought.

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8

I just thought of another reason to move it; if they really are working on improving system security, they want as few places as possible to have to lock down.

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I think that’s a huge stretch to think that’s the reason. Especially given that that reason hasn’t even been alluded to in any discussions.

And even more especially that they just intentionally created a huge potential security hole by creating a default dashboard that has every entity in HA (even security related ones) right on that dashboard that any user can access. So admins are forced to jump thru more hops to change settings on each person’s device so that they hide it.

if they were concerned about security they could have just as easily put that as a toggle under the “advanced settings” switch in the admin accounts.

everything I’ve heard about the move has been in relation to either “consistency” or that it’s too scary/confusing to new users.

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Dev tools entry in the sidebar was not not shown for non admins.

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thanks for this

I certainly missed it being in the sidebar and whilst it was only an extra click or two they add up for how often im redoing templates etc…

Totally understand why they moved it, but not having an option to put it back for those that may want it seems a little odd

12

That seems to be the devs’ MO. I understand its not always possible to keep the old way via the UI. If they are going make a change, the least they can do post a manual way to return it. Instead multiple people struggle until someone posts a fix.

I am still annoyed about the badges. The new style is aweful. Luckily someone posted a fix (the dev’s refused to allow the user to easily get the old one back). I expect the fix will eventually break.

1 Like
13

Frontmost to WHICH user? I welcome every change that makes it possible that HA gets a wider audience. This requires making things easier and more understandable. Showing “Developer options” in the sidebar is not considered helpful by non-developers. Since day one of my HA use I had hoped that one day this will go somewhere else and not shout in my face whenever I open HA. Second only to hoping that one day “Settings” will be renamed to what it actually is (which is not “settings” at all, in the understanding of “normal” users). It should better be called something like “Control Center”, “Administration”, “Configuration” or “Management”. But the worst name remains “Settings”.

14

Any user that does development…? :man_shrugging:

At it’s most basic level that’s what home assistant is for. Developing automating your home.

If you don’t want it there then just remove it yourself. YOU have that control. In fact you can hide the entire side-bar if you want. the issue is that the developers removed it without giving users a way to easily put it back. Then told us that WE need to be patient until they provide that. Luckily advanced users have figured out a way to get it back to provide that capability to less knowledgeable users who appreciate what HA is ACTUALLY for.

At least one user should be the “developer”, right? if then why even use HA in the first place?

making things easier isn’t burying things deeper and deeper into sub-menu’s. I’ve been using HA for over 7 years and with every change I keep forgetting where they moved things into some obscure 3-dot menu.

Being a bit over dramatic are we? it’s not shouting in your face any more than any other entry in your side-bar. Do you say the same thing about history, todo lists, energy or any of the other less technically useful entries?

I don’t get why everyone is so obsessed with making HA available to a wider audience if that means dumbing it down to water down the reasons that made HA so popular in the first place - automating things using the widest variety of smart home devices and services.

I get why NC wants to do it - it increases their customer base. But why should I as a customer care? especially when it means that it makes it incrementally harder to maintain my system the way I want.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying every/all change is bad. Just the change for change sake that adds nothing or worse yet it makes the experience worse.

I actually agree with that.

But the ironic thing about that request is that it suddenly changes the “settings” menu into this scary thing that HA will need to hide away from new users.

Do you really think “Control Center” or “Administration” or etc is any less scary than “developers tools”? If not then I think there’s a bias on your part where developers tools are concerned as it’s no different in tone or technicalness than any of those other suggestions.

Maybe we can call “developers tools” a less scary name like “rainbow zone” or something. And rename “Settings” to “snowflake central” to make the average iPhone user feel more comfortable.

:smile:

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15

Indeed. In my opinion, Developer Tools is finally in the right place.

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16

You could have simply switched off advanced mode, then it wouldn’t be screaming in your face.
It wouldn’t be there at all.

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17

Then you obviously don’t use HA as it was originally intended.

I need to create some kind of counter to show how many times I click developers tools every single day. I’ve probably clicked on it at least 15 times just today.

Does anyone know how to do that? Maybe we could all show the developers real world data for how often it actually gets used by real HA users. Not just dashboard warriors.

18

Thanks for the answer. I was too lazy to answer myself. For me it was like explaining a human “why a sky is blue”.
Seems that a trend of “stupidifying the humanity” is encouraged by some species,

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19

I used to do more development stuff, but the way it was laid out with everything scattered got old, so I stopped. Now that they moved it, maybe I will start again.

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That is not what “Developers” in the software world are. Developers are the people who develop software, not those who use it to create automations. It’s quite a stretch if you think you are developer because you use HA to automate your smart home. You are a developer when you actually write the software (not just yaml files) - are you doing this? Which parts of HA that we can download are from you?

no, I dare to estimate that >>90% of HA users are not developers, and don’t need to be. I have >40 years of programming experience myself (including professionally), but when it comes to HA, I am not a developer. I COULD be, but I am not.

Most of things you list are actually NOT in my sidebar, and there is no need for it. In contrast to the developer options I can simply remove these with two clicks. Developer option had been excluded from the things you can remove from the sidebar (for no obvious reason), as are Notifications and User (which also don’t need to be unremovably nailed to the sidebar…).