LCARdS

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HA Services (Actions) ​

lcards.* action namespace — Control LCARdS from automations, scripts, voice assistants, and Developer Tools.

Overview ​

The LCARdS integration registers a set of HA actions (formerly called services) under the lcards domain. They are available from:

  • Developer Tools → Actions (one-shot testing)
  • Automations & Scripts (action: blocks with YAML or the visual editor)
  • Voice assistants that call HA services
  • The REST / WebSocket API for external integrations

Services are registered in async_setup_entry() and removed cleanly on async_unload_entry(), so they appear and disappear with the integration lifecycle.

File ​

custom_components/lcards/services.pycustom_components/lcards/services.yaml

Service Reference ​

Alert Mode Services ​

Alert state is stored in input_select.lcards_alert_mode — the single source of truth. All alert services call input_select.select_option on that entity, which propagates automatically to:

  • ThemeManager — switches colour palette
  • SoundManager — triggers alert sounds
  • Alert overlay animations on registered MSD cards

lcards.set_alert_mode ​

Set any alert mode by name.

FieldTypeRequiredOptions
modeselect✅red_alert, yellow_alert, blue_alert, gray_alert, black_alert, green_alert
yaml
action: lcards.set_alert_mode
data:
  mode: red_alert

lcards.red_alert ​

Activates red alert mode. No parameters.

yaml
action: lcards.red_alert

lcards.yellow_alert ​

Activates yellow alert mode. No parameters.

yaml
action: lcards.yellow_alert

lcards.blue_alert ​

Activates blue alert mode. No parameters.

yaml
action: lcards.blue_alert

lcards.gray_alert ​

Activates gray alert mode. No parameters.

yaml
action: lcards.gray_alert

lcards.black_alert ​

Activates black alert mode. No parameters.

yaml
action: lcards.black_alert

lcards.clear_alert ​

Returns to normal (sets mode to green_alert). No parameters.

yaml
action: lcards.clear_alert

Frontend Control Services ​

These services use the Python → JS push channel (lcards_event HA bus event) to instruct connected browser tabs directly — no page refresh required for set_log_level.

lcards.reload ​

Forces all connected LCARdS browser tabs to reload (window.location.reload()). Useful after pushing new assets or changing configuration.

yaml
action: lcards.reload

WARNING

This immediately reloads every browser tab that has LCARdS loaded. Use with care if users are actively interacting with dashboards.

lcards.set_log_level ​

Changes the JS frontend log level at runtime across all connected tabs, and updates the Python logger hierarchy simultaneously.

FieldTypeRequiredOptions
levelselect✅off, error, warn, info, debug, trace
yaml
action: lcards.set_log_level
data:
  level: debug

Once applied, verbose log output appears immediately in the browser console — no HA restart or page reload required.

Automation Examples ​

Trigger red alert on a motion sensor ​

yaml
alias: Red alert on motion
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_motion
    to: "on"
action:
  - action: lcards.red_alert

Cycle through alert modes on a button press ​

yaml
alias: Demo alert cycle
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_button.demo_alert
action:
  - action: lcards.set_alert_mode
    data:
      mode: "{{ states('input_select.demo_alert_cycle') }}"

Enable debug logging when a dev mode flag is set ​

yaml
alias: LCARdS debug on dev mode
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_boolean.lcards_dev_mode
action:
  - choose:
      - conditions:
          - condition: state
            entity_id: input_boolean.lcards_dev_mode
            state: "on"
        sequence:
          - action: lcards.set_log_level
            data:
              level: debug
      - conditions:
          - condition: state
            entity_id: input_boolean.lcards_dev_mode
            state: "off"
        sequence:
          - action: lcards.set_log_level
            data:
              level: warn

Push Channel Architecture ​

lcards.reload and lcards.set_log_level use a dedicated server-push channel instead of the WebSocket request/response pattern:

Python service handler
    → hass.bus.async_fire("lcards_event", { "action": "...", ...payload })
        → HA internal event bus
            → any connected browser tab subscribed to "lcards_event"
                → IntegrationService._handleLcardsEvent(event)
                    → window.location.reload()  (reload)
                    → window.lcards.setGlobalLogLevel(level)  (set_log_level)

This is a broadcast — all connected browser tabs receive the event simultaneously. There is no targeted delivery to a single tab.

→ See Integration Service — Push Channel for the JS-side implementation details.

Graceful Degradation ​

Missing input_select.lcards_alert_mode ​

If the input_select.lcards_alert_mode helper hasn't been created (e.g. a fresh install without running the LCARdS setup helper), alert services log a WARNING and exit cleanly — they do not raise an exception or crash HA:

WARNING (MainThread) [custom_components.lcards.services]
LCARdS: failed to set alert mode 'red_alert' — is input_select.lcards_alert_mode defined? (...)

Integration not loaded ​

If the integration entry is not active, the lcards.* services are not registered and will not appear in Developer Tools → Actions or in automations.

Implementation Notes ​

  • Alert services are intentionally thin wrappers — they delegate to input_select.select_option rather than directly touching JS state, because input_select.lcards_alert_mode is the established source of truth that HelperManager already monitors.
  • Services are idempotent — calling lcards.red_alert when already in red alert is harmless.
  • Schema validation is enforced by voluptuous in services.py; invalid mode or level values are rejected by HA before the handler fires.