WTH UI templates don't have "Attributes template" option

Month of "What the heck?!"
21

Yes, sorry I missed this bit:

That would be fine.

1 Like
22

@tom_l, as much as I understand your advice on this, I cannot agree with overall solution. My view goes like this:

  1. Entities can have attributes - this is a fact.
  2. Some form of advanced UI for template entities should allow to define any attributes, text as this WTH and probably others, like dynamic icons. This advanced UI should allow this because it’s already possible with yaml manipulation but it’s very old style configuration.
  3. Your point about attributes storage is very real. But this is a separate issue: data model should allow storage of attributes without cluttering db sensors history. And since nobody expects attributes to have history stats, I think it would be totally acceptable to store them separately with upsert instead of insert with every new attribute value.
  4. If one needs attribute history, make attributes a separate sensors - totally agree.

So, to sum this up, excluding attributes from sensor definition (like it’s done right now) does not resolves a problem with data model in the database. And this WTH is about attributes definition in the UI on par with advanced yaml config and nothing more.
Hope we can settle with cause and effect separation here.

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23

Hm… but for example “media_player…” entity has quite some attributes which do change often, like volume, or even worse: current played song title in DAB radio’s entity (which i have) - this attribute is change every couple of minutes… ?

24

I think you wrote exactly what I was thinking:

My view of this WTH (at least the reason I voted for it) is to be capable to define easily a sensor template with some basic attributes.

My personal exemple would be to try to get rid of mushroom template card:

  • create an entity with state controlled by template
  • manage also icon and color through template
  • use a simple Tile card to display it.

This is for the time being not feasible though UI.

25

Not for much longer :slight_smile:

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26

Oh? Is there any change planned? That would be great… i had to create a bunch of template sensors to be able to use these attributes.

27

That’s fine, you are allowed to have a different opinion. However I am not the one you have to convince. I’m just reporting the direction the devs want to take with attributes. I thought there was an ADR or note somewhere about this but I can’t find it.

28

I’m reasonably sure this is on someone’s to do list.

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