I am trying to have some general variables easily accessible on the top lines of my card yaml.
Is this somehow possible?
variables:
custom_switch: switch.docker_portainer
web_url: https://portainer.***.duckdns.org
type: custom:stack-in-card
cards:
- type: custom:button-card
entity: ???[custom_switch]???
tap_action:
action: url
url_path: ???[web_url]???
[...]
Can yaml-anchors help you to achieve your goal?
anchor_custom_switch: &ref_custom_switch switch.docker_portainer
anchor_web_url: &ref_web_url https://portainer.***.duckdns.org
type: custom:stack-in-card
cards:
- type: custom:button-card
entity: *ref_custom_switch
tap_action:
action: url
url_path: *ref_web_url
… once I save the card the anchors are converted to plain text:
anchor_custom_switch: &ref_custom_switch switch.docker_portainer
(...)
entity: *ref_custom_switch
becomes (when I tap “edit card” again):
anchor_custom_switch: switch.docker_portainer
(...)
entity: switch.docker_portainer
So I cannot go back and edit the two variables on the top anymore if I hit “edit card” again in the future.
That defeats my purpose. 
That would be a solution if I manage and edit my code not in the UI itself but offline (in VSCode or so). But that makes things much more complicated to manage in general for me …
yaml-anchors can be only used in yaml, not in UI-driven dashboards.
I mean they do work … they are just converted after one time use. ^^
Yaml-anchors are mainly to re-use a code: define in 1 place, use in many places - and edit in 1 place and see other places affected.
Most of code re-use features are only available in yaml dashboards.
… so any chance the “variables” thing somehow works?
Depends on what you want to achieve.
Explain your scenario.
I have a section with a lot of docker containers tiles (15+):
The code for every single tile looks like this:
type: custom:stack-in-card
fill_container: false
layout_options:
grid_columns: 1
grid_rows: 1.55
cards:
- type: custom:button-card
entity: switch.docker_portainer
show_entity_picture: true
name: Portainer
entity_picture: /local/icons/portainer.png
tap_action:
action: url
url_path: https://portainer.***.duckdns.org
state:
- value: 'off'
styles:
card:
- filter: opacity(30%)
icon:
- filter: grayscale(100%)
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
border: 0px !important;
#background: #262626 !important;
}
- type: custom:button-card
entity: switch.docker_portainer
show_icon: false
show_name: false
show_state: true
state:
- value: 'on'
styles:
card:
- filter: opacity(100%)
- color: '#00AD3A'
- font-weight: 500
- font-size: 15px
- text-transform: uppercase;
- value: 'off'
styles:
card:
- filter: opacity(30%)
- font-weight: 500
- font-size: 15px
- text-transform: uppercase;
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
border: 0px !important;
background: #262626 !important;
#background: #1C5B31 !important;
}
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
#border: 0px !important;
#background: #262626 !important;
border-radius: 5px !important;
}
Now when I edit a tile (in the GUI!) I would like to have two variables at the very top of that code. The entity (for example: switch.docker_portainer) and the URL (for example: https://portainer.***.duckdns.org).
Google about a custom decluttering-card - it allows you to create a template for similar cards. But I have no idea about a possibility to use custom cards in a section view.
Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks a lot.
Now I narrowed down the code to just this for each tile:
type: custom:decluttering-card
template: docker_template
layout_options:
grid_columns: 1
variables:
- name: Portainer
- ico_url: /local/icons/portainer.png
- web_url: https://portainer.***.duckdns.org
- entity_1: switch.docker_portainer
Hi!! I’m facing a similar problem but I don’t understand your solution (I’m a newbie).
I’m using a picture-elements and I want to use some variables, but how I have to write it?
This is the code:
views:
- title: Home
panel: true
cards:
- type: picture-elements
variables:
- dimensione_font: 20%
- scala: 5
elements:
- type: state-label
entity: sensor.camera_temperature
style:
top: 35%
left: 48%
color: black
font-size: 100%
scale: ???[scala]???
Thank you,
Diego