Using Blueprint Templates via templates.yaml

Configuration Blueprints
1

I’m trying to use the new Blueprint Templates via Yaml but no matter what I do they either don’t work (with nothing in the logs) or cause errors.

The examples assume they are in configuration.yaml and not a sub file.

Is it possible to actually make use of Blueprint Template sensors without moving all template sensors into the configuration.yaml file?

I’ve tried the following:-

Current configuration.yaml (extract)

wake_on_lan:
notify: !include notify.yaml    
rest_command: !include rest_command.yaml
google_assistant: !include google_assistant.yaml
template: !include template.yaml

Then in template.yaml I currently have

sensor:
    - unique_id: "sun_elevation"
      state: >
          {{ state_attr('sun.sun','elevation')|float }}
      attributes:
        category: outside_world
        friendly_name: "The Sun's Elevation"
        unit_of_measurement: '°'
    - unique_id: "sun_azimuth"
      state: >
          {{ state_attr('sun.sun','azimuth')|float }}
      attributes:
        category: outside_world
        friendly_name: "The Sun's Azimuth"
        unit_of_measurement: '°'

binary_sensor:
    - unique_id: "consider_it_after_sundown_for_lamps"
      state: >
          {%- if(states('sensor.template_sun_elevation')|float < states('input_number.consider_it_dark_when_elevation_below')|float) -%}on{% else %}off{% endif %}
      attributes:
        category: outside_world
        friendly_name: "Sun's Elevation is low enough to consider it after sundown"

blueprints/template/access_point_name.yaml is as follows (SSID and BSSID blanked out)

blueprint:
  name: Current Connected Access Point Name
  description: Creates a sensor which holds displays the connected SSID followed by a location name when known
  domain: template
  min_version: 2024.6.0
  input:
    bssid:
      name: Device's BSSID
      description: Sensor which contains the devices currently connected BSSID (MAC Address)
      selector:
        entity:
          domain: sensor
    ssid:
      name: Device's SSID
      description: Sensor which contains the devices currently connected SSID (Network Name)
      selector:
        entity:
          domain: sensor

variables:
    bssid: !input bssid
    ssid: !input ssid

sensor:
  state: >
   {% if bssid == 'xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx' %}SSID (Bedroom 5GHz)
   {% elif bssid == 'xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx' %}SSID (Bedroom 2.4GHz)
   {% elif bssid == 'xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx' %}SSID (Lounge 5GHz)
   {% elif bssid == 'xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx' %}SSID (Bedroom 2.4GHz)
   {% else %}{{ states(ssid) }}
   {% endif %}

Simply adding the following to the bottom of the template.yaml file

use_blueprint:
  path: access_point_name.yaml
name: Tab S9 Connected Access Point
unique_id: "kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_access_point"
input:
  bssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_bssid
  ssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_connection

generates the following error message in the logs when you run check Configuration

Invalid config for 'template' at template.yaml, line 154: 'binary_sensor' is an invalid option for 'template', check: binary_sensor Invalid config for 'template' at template.yaml, line 1: 'sensor' is an invalid option for 'template', check: sensor Invalid config for 'template' at template.yaml, line 206: 'input' is an invalid option for 'template', check: input

If you instead you add a - before it so -

-  use_blueprint:
      path: access_point_name.yaml # relative to config/blueprints/template/
   name: Tab S9 Connected Access Point
   unique_id: "kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_access_point"
   input:
     bssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_bssid
     ssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_connection

You immediately get the following error shown:-

Configuration errors
Error loading /config/configuration.yaml: while parsing a block mapping
  in "/config/template.yaml", line 1, column 1
expected <block end>, but found '-'
  in "/config/template.yaml", line 202, column 1

If you indent it under sensor the following error

Invalid config for 'template' at template.yaml, line 154: 'use_blueprint' is an invalid option for 'template', check: sensor->14->use_blueprint Invalid config for 'template' at template.yaml, line 154: required key 'state' not provided Invalid config for 'template' at template.yaml, line 158: 'input' is an invalid option for 'template', check: sensor->14->input

Changing configation.yaml to have an additional line (as I previously used for scripts before you could edit in the UI)

template blueprint: !include template_blueprint.yaml

with template_blueprint.yaml as follows

use_blueprint:
  path: access_point_name.yaml # relative to config/blueprints/template/
name: Tab S9 Connected Access Point
unique_id: "kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_access_point"
input:
  bssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_bssid
  ssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_connection

Neither works or generates an error.

Adding to configuration.yaml as

template: !include template.yaml
template:
  - use_blueprint:
      path: access_point_name.yaml # relative to config/blueprints/template/
    name: Tab S9 Connected Access Point
    unique_id: "kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_access_point"
    input:
      bssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_bssid
      ssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_connection

generates an error about template being duplicated

while

template: !include template.yaml
template blueprint:
  - use_blueprint:
      path: access_point_name.yaml # relative to config/blueprints/template/
    name: Tab S9 Connected Access Point
    unique_id: "kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_access_point"
    input:
      bssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_bssid
      ssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_connection

generates neither an error or loads the sensor.

2

Template blueprints are very beta and may or may not at all work as intended. It also seems that reloading template entities from the developer tools will reload the relevant portions of configuration.yaml but does not reload blueprints, only a full HA server restart does. So good luck debugging blueprints…

You do have one error in your YAML though, which is that the input section should be below use_blueprint. This should be the correct syntax to use when broken out into a separate templates.yaml:

- use_blueprint:
    path: access_point_name.yaml
    input:
      bssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_bssid
      ssid: sensor.kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_connection
  name: Tab S9 Connected Access Point
  unique_id: "kev_s_tab_s9_wifi_access_point"
3

Alas, that doesn’t work

Configuration errors
Error loading /config/configuration.yaml: while parsing a block mapping
  in "/config/template.yaml", line 1, column 1
expected <block end>, but found '-'
  in "/config/template.yaml", line 201, column 1

Interestly the documentation says if you are starting out to use them, where as they obviously aren’t ready for primetime!

If you’re just starting out and are not really familiar with templates, we recommend that you start with blueprint template entities. These are template entities which are ready-made by the community and that you only need to configure.

4

Despite what the error message may or may not say, I think it is more likely there is something in your blueprint it doesn’t like. I tried to make a template select blueprint but that didn’t work at all, I got an error message that variables was an invalid option which made it impossible to pass input to the blueprint. The only template blueprint I managed to get working was the default inverted_binary_sensor.yaml.

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