Hey everyone, I wanted to share my recent experience developing a custom thermostat card for Home Assistant using Lovelace. As someone new to HA development, this project has been both challenging and rewarding!
My Goal
I wanted a thermostat card that’s sleek and minimalistic but still functional. The key features I aimed for were:
- Hidden Controls: I don’t want the controls cluttering the interface unless I actively need to change the temperature.
- Space Efficiency: With three thermostats in my home, I need them to take up minimal space on my dashboard.
- Mode Customization: I’d love to add different modes like “Away” or “Working from Home” for easier management.
The Learning Curve
First off, diving into HA development was intimidating. I had to get up to speed with Lovelace, TypeScript, and YAML. But I found a great boilerplate Git repo that made getting started much smoother. I’m now using TypeScript for the core logic since it’s faster for me compared to YAML.
Design Process
I separated my development into two parts: the backend logic and the frontend design. For the CSS and HTML layout, I created a dedicated repo so I can tweak styles without constantly refreshing HA. This has been a game-changer for efficiency!
Current Status
Right now, the card is functional with the core features in place. I’ve managed to hide the controls by default and only show them when interacted with. The next step is to work on the mode customization feature, which I think will add a lot of value.
Seeking Feedback
I’d love to hear what you think about this design direction! Are there features you’d add or changes you’d suggest? I’m also curious if others have tackled similar projects and what approaches they took.
Stay tuned for more updates as I continue to refine this project! Happy coding everyone! 