It would be amazing to be able to create helpers based on a blueprint. Where we just set certain variables from within the blueprint editor, like with automation blueprints, and we’re good to go.
Depending on the selector it could be a single entity* or an array of *entities/devices/areas/labels/integrations, it would make the use of helpers a lot more accessible to people who don’t have any coding experience, but have ideas that can be build by others.
Can you clarify what you are requesting?
Blueprints are currently only for automations, template sensors (either normal or binary_sensors) in a blueprint would be an amazing way for people that do not know how to code or which variables to change to create helper sensors that are more advanced.
And blueprints work with scripts and some templates as well.
Work is in place to expand the template blueprint universe to most template things.
I get what you’re saying, and I’ve seen it, but it is a pretty unusable piece of integration. You already need to understand YAML and all variables that are required in the blueprint. I really ment pushing it to the UI and making it easy like automation blueprints. The YAML method is unusable for the community they have been trying to attract over the past year/I have seen joining over the last year.
What would be the difference between a helper based on a blueprint vs a helper created via the UI as it is done today?
Most helpers are indeed already pretty much UI based, but for template sensors it would be crazy useful to be able to create blueprints that only require you to specify existing sensors to fill variables and you’re able to use them. It’s both handy for people without coding experience, as to keep minor mistakes out when you need to make a lot of sensors with the same base.
So you’re asking for template blueprints in the UI?
Kind of, but the current way is also kind of incomplete. Documentation is poor and doesn’t seem complete. Some things are not very clear and it needs a lot of work.
The current template blueprints are a work-in-progress. The goal is to have them in the UI, however we are about a year away from that with the current pace of development. All template integrations need to be brought up to a common level before introducing a blueprint UI for them.