Reworked templating docs are now live, feedback welcome!
Templating is where most Home Assistant users get stuck at some point. The docs used to be one massive 1,800-line page that felt like homework. I reworked them with one goal: make them more approachable.
The new version is live on home-assistant.io right now. This is a first pass, and feedback from real people using the docs is what makes them better.
Now:
- Every template function (all 200) has its own page with examples
- 14 learning pages covering concepts step by step
- 2 practical tutorials that build something you will actually use: a daily low battery notification (a real automation) and an average home temperature sensor (a real template sensor)
- A searchable error messages page (paste the exact error you see into Google, land on a fix)
- Support bridges at the bottom of every page pointing to Discord, forum, , and AI helpers
- Interactive template code blocks site-wide. Hover over any function in an example to see its description; click to jump to its reference. Parameter names hover too. Works everywhere template examples appear, including templates inside YAML examples.
- A new way to show templates and their results. Clean input block, arrow, clean output block. See exactly what a template produces without running it.
What I tried to change:
- Language a broader audience can follow, without losing precision for experienced users
- Plain language, no "advanced" or "simple" gatekeeping
- Realistic examples, not contrived ones
- Better cross-linking between reference and learning pages
- A wider goal: making Home Assistant feel more approachable. Templating is the corner that fights against that the most, so clearer docs here have broader effect. They also help AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude give better answers when people paste template questions in.
Check it out: https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/templating/
Or the function reference at: https://www.home-assistant.io/template-functions/
I would love feedback, especially from anyone who has helped others with templates. What's confusing? What's missing? Any patterns you use all the time that should be in the cookbook?
Got a great example you think would help others? Drop it in a comment or contribute it directly to the docs. Small PRs with a single extra example are very welcome.
../Frenck