GPT-4 outline: HACS integration (auto-generated)

[vividfog]

Auto-generated for future reference for further study. If you've built one of these before, please provide tips and tricks. I haven't.

Quote:

I can guide you through the process of starting this project with code snippets and structure outlines, which you can then expand upon and test in your own development environment. This guidance will cover the key components you need to create, including the manifest, a basic sensor entity, and instructions for fetching data from your provided URL.

Step 1: Define Integration Details

manifest.json

This file describes your integration to Home Assistant. It includes metadata like the domain, name, version, and any dependencies.

{
  "domain": "nordpool_fi_prices",
  "name": "Nordpool FI Electricity Prices",
  "version": "1.0",
  "documentation": "https://example.com/documentation",
  "requirements": ["requests==2.25.1"],
  "dependencies": [],
  "codeowners": ["@yourusername"]
}

Step 2: Implement Data Fetching

You'll need a Python script to fetch the data. Since I can't run live external requests, let's outline what the fetching function could look like:

api.py

This module will handle fetching and parsing the electricity prices.

import requests

class NordpoolFIPrices:
    def __init__(self, url):
        self.url = url

    def fetch_prices(self):
        response = requests.get(self.url)
        response.raise_for_status()  # Raises an HTTPError if the response code was unsuccessful
        data = response.json()
        return data

Step 3: Create Sensor Entities

sensor.py

This file defines the sensor entities for Home Assistant, using the data fetched from your URL.

from homeassistant.helpers.entity import Entity
from .api import NordpoolFIPrices

class NordpoolFIElectricityPriceSensor(Entity):
    def __init__(self, api: NordpoolFIPrices):
        self.api = api
        self._state = None
        self._attributes = {}

    @property
    def name(self):
        return "Nordpool FI Electricity Price"

    @property
    def state(self):
        return self._state

    @property
    def extra_state_attributes(self):
        return self._attributes

    def update(self):
        data = self.api.fetch_prices()
        # Assuming the first entry is the current price
        current_price = data[0][1]  
        self._state = current_price
        # Add more processing logic as needed

Step 4: Testing and Validation

You would need to test this code in your local development environment, debug any issues, and ensure it works as expected within Home Assistant.

Step 5: Packaging and Documentation

Once you have the code working and tested, package it into a custom component structure:

• Create a folder named nordpool_fi_prices in your Home Assistant's custom_components directory.
• Inside nordpool_fi_prices, place your manifest.json, sensor.py, and any other necessary files.

Document how to install and use your integration, including any configuration necessary in configuration.yaml or via the UI if you implemented config_flow.py.

Considerations:

• This outline simplifies error handling and assumes the data structure is consistent with your description. You'll need to add error checking and handling for network issues or data format changes.
• The update method in the sensor does not handle asynchronous updates. Depending on the data update frequency and Home Assistant's best practices, you may want to implement async updates.

Given the complexity and need for testing, this outline should serve as a starting point for your development. Expand upon each section, implement additional error handling, and ensure it meets your needs through testing.

[vividfog]

Quote:

Distributing your Home Assistant Custom Component (HACS) integration involves several steps to ensure it's easily accessible and installable by users through HACS. Here’s a general guide on how to prepare and distribute your integration:

1. Prepare Your Integration for Distribution

• Code Quality: Ensure your code follows Home Assistant's coding standards and guidelines. It's important for maintaining quality and compatibility.
• Documentation: Write clear and comprehensive documentation. Your documentation should include installation instructions, configuration steps, features, and troubleshooting tips.
• Repository Structure: Organize your GitHub repository according to HACS requirements. This typically means having your custom component in a specific structure (custom_components/<your_component_name>/) with all the necessary files (manifest.json, sensor.py, config_flow.py if applicable, and __init__.py at a minimum).

2. Publish Your Integration on GitHub

• Create a GitHub Repository: If you haven't already, create a new repository on GitHub for your integration. Make sure the repository is public.
• Push Your Code: Upload your code to the repository, following the structure required by HACS.
• Release Your Integration: Use GitHub's release feature to tag a new release. HACS uses GitHub releases to track updates to integrations. Semantic Versioning (SemVer) is recommended for version numbers (e.g., 1.0.0).

3. Add Your Integration to HACS

• Default Repository (for widespread use): To get your integration included in the HACS default repository, you need to submit it for review by the HACS team. This involves creating a pull request to the hacs/default repository on GitHub, following the contribution guidelines provided there. The process is competitive, as the integration needs to meet certain quality standards and provide value to the community.

• Custom Repository (for personal or limited distribution): Users can also add your repository directly in HACS without it being part of the default repository. For this:

  1. Go to HACS in the Home Assistant interface.
  2. Navigate to "Integrations".
  3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Custom repositories".
  4. Add the URL of your GitHub repository and select the category (Integration, Plugin, Theme, etc.).
  5. Your integration will now be available for installation through HACS.