Template light: Can effect list be hardcoded?

Configuration
1

My end goal is to control a IR controlled LED strip with a template light.

What I have so far is this:

  - platform: template
    lights:
      test_light:
        friendly_name: "Test light"
        turn_on:
          service: button.press
          data: {}
          target:
            entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_on
        turn_off:
          service: button.press
          data: {}
          target:
            entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_off

        effect_list_template: "{{ ['test', 'test2'] }}"  
        set_color:

What is the correct yaml for a hardcoded effect list?

Docs say:

Defines a template to get the list of supported effects. Must render a list

Isn’t that a list I created?

2

you can use a template or just output a list

        effect_list_template: "{{ ['test', 'test2'] }}"

        effect_list_template:
        - test
        - test2

        effect_list_template: ['test', 'test2']
3

They all generate the same error:

If I remove the line with effects list then it works.

4

You’re looking at the wrong code. That error is talking about turn_off being incorrect. But that may be caused by your next error, which is

This is telling you that you’re missing required keys that pair with template_effect_list

i.e. you’re missing set_effect and effect_template.

5

There is nothing wrong with the turn on or off.

I can’t get that working hard coded. I had to add a input select to get the template light to work.

6

Did you read my post fully or are you trying to argue? Your errors are very clear, I explained what they mean and you have to correct them.

Either that or you posted the wrong errors.

7

But it will not work hard coded.
Try it yourself.

  - platform: template
    lights:
      test_light:
        friendly_name: "Test light"
        turn_on:
          service: button.press
          data: {}
          target:
            entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_on
        turn_off:
          service: button.press
          data: {}
          target:
            entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_off
        effect_list_template: "{{ ['test', 'test2'] }}"
        effect_template: "{{ 'test' }}"
        set_color:
        set_effect:
          - service: button.press
            data: {}
            target:
              entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_{{ effect }}

Which is hard coded list and a hard coded template with a string, as it should?
returns:

2022-09-21 14:11:49.505 ERROR (MainThread) [homeassistant.components.light] Error while setting up template platform for light
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/entity_platform.py", line 289, in _async_setup_platform
await asyncio.gather(*pending)
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/entity_platform.py", line 428, in async_add_entities
await asyncio.gather(*tasks)
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/entity_platform.py", line 691, in _async_add_entity
await entity.add_to_platform_finish()
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/entity.py", line 776, in add_to_platform_finish
await self.async_added_to_hass()
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/components/template/light.py", line 321, in async_added_to_hass
await super().async_added_to_hass()
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/template_entity.py", line 385, in async_added_to_hass
await self._async_template_startup()
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/template_entity.py", line 356, in _async_template_startup
result_info.async_refresh()
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/event.py", line 934, in async_refresh
self._refresh(None)
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/event.py", line 1111, in _refresh
self.hass.async_run_hass_job(self._job, event, updates)
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/core.py", line 567, in async_run_hass_job
hassjob.target(*args)
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/template_entity.py", line 321, in _handle_results
attr.handle_result(
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/helpers/template_entity.py", line 126, in handle_result
self.on_update(result)
File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/components/template/light.py", line 477, in _update_effect
if effect not in self._effect_list:
TypeError: argument of type 'NoneType' is not iterable

in the logs but no notification of the error.

8

Ah your template isn’t updating because there’s no entity to update it, so it never resolves.

This should work, it’ll update once a minute.

"{{ ['test', 'test2'] or now() }}"

or just use the input_select.

Seems like there needs to be a feature request to allow static lists.

1 Like
9

:man_shrugging: Don’t know if this is really needed.
I was trying to save in on the input select, but that is really all that is needed to get it working.

  - platform: template
    lights:
      test_light:
        friendly_name: "Test light"
        turn_on:
          service: button.press
          data: {}
          target:
            entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_on
        turn_off:
          service: button.press
          data: {}
          target:
            entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_off
        effect_list_template: "{{ state_attr('input_select.david_tv_backlight_effects', 'options') }}"
        effect_template: "{{ states('input_select.david_tv_backlight_effects') }}"
        set_color:
        set_effect:
          - service: button.press
            data: {}
            target:
              entity_id: button.david_tv_backlight_{{ effect }}

Works.

10

Right, because the template watches an entity and has a resolved solution. If there’s no trigger to update the template, it doesn’t update. A template with {{ ['a','b'] }} has no entities to trigger updates. So it never resolves. I’d argue that it should attempt to resolve on startup, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.