View Assist device configuration

View Assist devices are created using custom template devices. These devices contain important information like browser mod ID, media_player device, microphone device, and timer device. Additionally this configuration sets the attributes needed for different modes, data to displayed and more. These attributes are consumed by control automations and display views.

Detailed install video: https://youtu.be/5RQvzEFfwuY

!!!!! An error exists in the video where I do not configure the browser_id attribute. I have corrected the code below but do know that you must input this value !!!!!

Satellite Custom Device Configuration

Here is an example and definitions for the View Assist devices. Each additional device would have a separate configuration. This allows for setting properties for each device that may have a unique condition for that device (eg night mode for a device in a dark room). These devices are set up in YAML as a template device in configuration.yaml. Do not include the 'template:' line more than once when setting up additional devices. The Home Assistant service must be restarted any time a change is made to the configuration.yaml file.

template:
  - sensor:
    - name: ViewAssist-livingroom
      state: ""
      attributes:
        type: view_audio
        mic_device: "sensor.streamassist_livingroom_stt"
        mediaplayer_device: "media_player.browsermod_livingroom"
        musicplayer_device: "media_player.browsermod_livingroom_2"
        display_device: "sensor.browsermod_livingroom_browser_path"
        browser_id: "ViewAssist-livingroom"
        timer_device: "timer.viewassist_livingroom"
        view_timeout: "20"
        mode: "normal"
        title: ""
        message: ""
        message_font_size: "3vw"
        image: ""
        timer: ""
        alarm: "idle"
        cycle_view: ""
        do_not_disturb: false

Definitions:

User defined:

• name: Device name (eg ViewAssist-livingroom)
• type: Used to determine a/v capabilities ("view_audio", "view_only", "audio_only". Default "view_audio")
• mic_device: Used to assign microphone to View Assist device
• mediaplayer_device: Used to assign the media player used for View Assist audio playback
• musicplayer_device: Used to assign the media player used for View Assist music playback. This can be the same as mediaplayer_device or different if desired
• browser_id: Used to assign the browser being used by Browsermod. This will match the name you give the device in your Browsermod configuration
• timer_device: Used to assign the timer helper device used for screen time outs
• display_device: Used to determine the correct Browser Mod instance to use for display
• view_timeout: Amount of time (seconds) before switching views as controlled by mode (Default 20 seconds)

Default values (do not change)

• state: Required
• mode: Used to control actions based on conditions (current modes "normal", "music", "night", "hold", "cycle". Default "normal")
• title: Text for displaying title of multiuse cards
• message: Blob text for displaying to informational views
• message_font_size: Text containing size of font to be used in message for informational views (Default "3vw")
• image: Text containing image path for display on informational views
• alarm: Used to trigger alarm sound and display (values "idle", "alarming". Default "idle")
• cycle_view: List containing view names to cycle through using view_timeout when in "cycle" mode (must be in Python list format eg "[ 'weather', 'frontcamera' ]")
• dnd: Do not disturb mode. Do not broadcast or play sounds when in DND mode (Default "false")

A timer helper device (eg timer.viewassist_livingroom) must be created for each VA satellite of type "view_audio" or "view_only".

A group containing all View Assist Satellite devices (eg group.viewassist_satellites) must be created and all VA Satellite devices must be added to this group. This group MUST be added to the configuration.yaml file similar to the View Assist device configuration below:

group:
  viewassist_satellites:
    name: View Assist Satellites
    entities:
      - sensor.viewassist_livingroom
      - sensor.viewassist_kitchen
      - sensor.viewassist_bedroom

The group configuration must be reloaded after any edits by way of Home Assistant restart. Do not create this group as helper from the Home Assistant GUI. It will not work and you will have problems.

Example configuration

Here is the example configuration. You can copy paste this into your configuration.yaml file, modify the values to those of your satellite sensors and timer, save the file and then restart Home Assistant for the configuration to be loaded. You will repeat the sensor definition for any additional satellites. All View Assist satellites must be added to the View Assist Satellite group as described above.

Example device configuration

Troubleshooting problems

Know that Home Assistant (HA) doesn't like dashes in the actual entity names and converts them to underscores. It will, however, allow them in the display name so that makes things harder to catch. Go into dev tools -> states and filter by the entity names from your VA config and make sure all are valid. If you have any HA entities that contain dashes then you will note a problem. The Browser Mod ID can have dashes.

Be sure that your group is defined by YAML and check that your VA devices are listed