Entity definitions¶

Entities are defined in the entities section of the Flexible Horseshoe Card.

In most cases, the only required field is the Home Assistant entity itself. The card then uses Home Assistant to fetch the default name, area, icon, unit, precision, state formatting, and localization.

This means a minimal entity definition can stay very small:

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entities:
  - entity: sensor.memory_use_percent

The card will use the available Home Assistant metadata where possible. Depending on your Home Assistant language and locale settings, names, areas, states, numbers, and units are displayed using the configured localization.

You can override these values when needed. For example, you can set a custom name, use a different icon, change the number of decimals, display an attribute instead of the main entity state, or use a JavaScript template for dynamic entity values.

Basic usage¶

A basic entity definition only points to an entity:

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entities:
  - entity: sensor.memory_use_percent

You can also define multiple entities. Layout sections such as states, names, areas, and icons can then refer to these entities by their entity_index.

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- type: custom:flex-horseshoe-card
  entities:
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_electricity_currently_delivered
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_phase_currently_delivered_l1
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_phase_currently_delivered_l2
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_phase_currently_delivered_l3
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_electricity_currently_delivered

The first entity has index 0, the second entity has index 1, and so on.

Entity metadata from Home Assistant¶

The card uses Home Assistant metadata as much as possible. This keeps your YAML shorter and helps the card behave consistently with the rest of your dashboard.

The following values can usually be taken from Home Assistant:

This is why you usually do not need to repeat the name, unit, icon, or precision unless you want to change how this specific card displays the entity.

Displaying an entity¶

You can override the default Home Assistant metadata in the entity definition.

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entities:
  - entity: sensor.memory_use_percent
    decimals: 0
    icon: mdi:memory
    name: '5: RAM Usage'
    area: Hestia

In this example, the card uses a custom name, icon, area, and precision instead of relying fully on the Home Assistant defaults.

Displaying an attribute¶

An entity definition can also point to an attribute. This is useful for entities that expose several useful values, such as weather entities.

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entities:
  - entity: weather.dark_sky
    attribute: temperature
    units: '°C'
    icon: mdi:temperature
    decimals: 1
    name: 'Temperature'

You can also define several attributes from the same entity as separate entries:

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- type: custom:flex-horseshoe-card
  entities:
    - entity: weather.zoefdehaas
      attribute: temperature
    - entity: weather.zoefdehaas
      attribute: humidity
    - entity: weather.zoefdehaas
      attribute: pressure
    - entity: sun.sun
      attribute: elevation
    - entity: sun.sun
      attribute: azimuth

Each entry receives its own entity_index, even when several entries use the same Home Assistant entity.

Overriding entity values¶

The card can use Home Assistant defaults automatically, but you can override them in the entities section when needed.

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- type: custom:flex-horseshoe-card
  entities:
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_electricity_currently_delivered
      name: "Total"
      decimals: 2
      icon: mdi:fire
      area: house

Common reasons to override values:

• use a shorter name on a small card
• show fewer or more decimals
• use a custom icon
• group an entity under a different area label
• display an attribute with its own name and unit

Overriding entity formatting¶

v5.4.7-dev.7

The format option in the entities section allows you to override the default formatting of Home Assistant.

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- type: custom:flex-horseshoe-card
  entities:
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_electricity_currently_delivered
      name: "Total"
      icon: mdi:fire
      area: house
      format:
        separator: false    # Remove thousands separator
        decimals_min: 0     # minimal and...
        decimals_max: 2     # ... maximum number of digits

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- type: custom:flex-horseshoe-card
  entities:
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_electricity_currently_delivered
      name: "Total"
      icon: mdi:fire
      area: house
      format:
        raw_state_keep: true  # Keep raw state. No formatting
        raw_state_clean: true # but remove underscores

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- type: custom:flex-horseshoe-card
  entities:
    - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_electricity_currently_delivered
      name: "Total"
      icon: mdi:fire
      area: house
      format:
        locale: 'nl-NL' # Force presentation in dutch settings

Dynamic entity values¶

Some entity fields can also use JavaScript templates. This makes it possible to change parts of the entity definition based on the current state of an entity.

This is useful when a name, icon, area, unit, or other supported entity value should change dynamically instead of staying fixed.

For example, the name can depend on the state of another entity:

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- type: custom:flex-horseshoe-card
  entities:
    - entity: sensor.memory_use_percent
      name: |
        [[[
          const name = entities[1].state === 'on'
            ? '11: One Bulb ON'
            : '11: One Bulb OFF';
          return name;
        ]]]
      tap_action:
        action: more-info

    - entity: light.livingroom_light_duo_left_light
      name: 'hall'
      icon: mdi:lightbulb
      tap_action:
        action: call-service
        service: light.toggle
        service_data: { "entity_id" : "light.livingroom_light_duo_left_light" }

In this example, the first entity uses a dynamic name. The name changes depending on whether the second entity is on or not.

Dynamic templates can also be used for icons where supported:

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entities:
  - entity: sensor.dsmr_reading_electricity_currently_delivered
    icon: |
      [[[
        const value = Number(state);
        return value >= 0.4
          ? 'mdi:flash'
          : 'mdi:flash-off';
      ]]]

Templates in the entities section use the same [[[ ... ]]] syntax as other JavaScript templates in the card.

For more details about JavaScript templates, available variables, and reusable template variables, see the templating page.

Available entity options¶

Available entity format options¶

v5.4.7-dev.7

Icon options¶

If no icon is defined, the card uses the Home Assistant icon for the entity where possible.

You can override the icon with an MDI icon, an external image, an external SVG, or a JavaScript template.

Tap actions¶

Use tap_action to define what should happen when the entity is clicked or tapped.

Example: a light switch that toggles a light when tapped.

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entities:
  - entity: light.1st_floor_hall_light
    name: 'hall'
    icon: mdi:lightbulb
    tap_action:
      action: call-service
      service: light.toggle
      service_data: { 'entity_id': 'light.1st_floor_hall_light' }

Entity layout elements¶

Defining an entity does not automatically show every part of that entity on the card. The entities section defines the data source. The layout sections decide which parts are shown and where they appear.

For detailed configuration of areas, names, states, and icons, see Home Assistant Entity Elements.

For translated names and states, localized units, state colors, and number formatting, see Localization.