If you’re looking to automate your home, you’ll want to learn the basics of home automation using YAML. In the following paragraphs, we’ll outline the basics of YAML and how to use it in Home Assistant. This tutorial will focus on the first part of the process, setting up your Home Assistant components. There are a few more steps to follow, but you’ll have the basics down pat.
Home Assistant is an open source home automation platform. You can configure a simple entity by copying the sample configuration and adjusting the attributes. The Cookbook on the Home Assistant website provides a step-by-step guide to help you get started. While Home Assistant offers some flexibility, YAML allows it to be powerful. It’s important to remember that YAML is a highly-specialized language, so make sure you read the documentation carefully.
You can define entities in Home Assistant by using the Entity-ID name. Entities are grouped by type, so all switches and lights are in the switch entity category. The entity-id name must be compatible with Home Assistant programming. It should not include spaces, exotic characters, symbols, or any other ambiguous characters. When you’re finished, you can create actions by referencing Entities and States. After all, you’re creating your Home Assistant system!