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Configuration Best Pratices

More than one entity

Always use a YAML list when you have multiple entries (Style #1 from the documentation).

Yes:

sensor:
- platform: mqtt
- platform: forecastio

No:

sensor:
  platform: mqtt
  
sensor 2:
  platform: forecastio

When to use !env_var

• Private data.
• Constants.

Namespaces

Use them. Prevents conflicts once you have many sensors, disambiguates generic names, and lends context when referenced. Some components have hardcoded namespacing - don't double up.

Automations

• Always provide an override switch, use as a condition.
• Inline scripts as actions, unless the script is used in multiple automations.

Scripts

• Hide scripts that shouldn't be manually triggered.

Scenes

• Hide scenes that shouldn't be manually triggered.

Customizations

The interface should be intuitive to encourage use and reduce the learning curve.

• Always set a relevant icon if available (https://materialdesignicons.com/).
• Always set a friendly, descriptive name if the default is insufficient (vague, awkward, computer-generated, etc).

Includes

Includes help organize configurations. Do not place all configuration in configuration.yaml. Split configuration sections to their own files as they grow. Consider splitting up any section that you cannot view without scrolling your editor.