Modifying Attributes Without Changing State

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 28 views

What is your question

You want to modify a specific attribute of a sensor in Home Assistant without changing its current state. This means you want to update a particular attribute, such as the current temperature, without affecting the overall state of the sensor.

YAML Configuration

The YAML configuration you provided is for the python_script.hass_entities action, which is used to set state attributes for a specific entity. However, as you've noticed, this configuration requires you to specify the state attribute, which you don't want to change.

action: python_script.hass_entities
metadata: {}
data:
  action: set_state_attributes
  entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
  state: 
  attributes:
    - current_temperature: null

Modifying Attributes Without Changing State

To achieve your goal, you can use the hass module in Python, which provides a way to interact with Home Assistant entities. Specifically, you can use the hass.states.set function to update the attributes of an entity without changing its state.

Here's an example of how you can modify the YAML configuration to achieve this:

action: python_script.hass_entities
metadata: {}
data:
  action: python_script
  entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
  script:
    - service: hass.states.set
      data:
        entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
        attribute: current_temperature
        value: 22

In this example, we're using the hass.states.set service to update the current_temperature attribute of the climate.moms_furnace entity. We're not changing the state of the entity, only modifying its attributes.

Version

The version of the script is not specified in the provided YAML configuration. However, you can use the python_script action to specify the version of the script.

action: python_script.hass_entities
metadata: {}
data:
  action: python_script
  version: 1.0
  entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
  script:
    - service: hass.states.set
      data:
        entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
        attribute: current_temperature
        value: 22

Additional Information

To further customize the script, you can use the hass module to retrieve the current state of the entity and then update its attributes accordingly. For example:

action: python_script.hass_entities
metadata: {}
data:
  action: python_script
  entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
  script:
    - service: hass.states.get
      data:
        entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
    - service: hass.states.set
      data:
        entity_id: climate.moms_furnace
        attribute: current_temperature
        value: 22

In this example, we're using the hass.states.get service to retrieve the current state of the climate.moms_furnace entity and then updating its current_temperature attribute using the hass.states.set service.

Conclusion

Q: What is the difference between modifying an attribute and changing the state of an entity in Home Assistant?

A: In Home Assistant, an entity's state is a snapshot of its current status, while its attributes are additional information that provides more context about the entity. Modifying an attribute updates a specific piece of information about the entity, whereas changing the state updates the entity's overall status.

Q: How do I modify an attribute without changing the state of an entity in Home Assistant?

A: To modify an attribute without changing the state of an entity, you can use the hass.states.set function in Python, which is part of the hass module. This function allows you to update specific attributes of an entity without affecting its overall state.

Q: What is the syntax for using the `hass.states.set` function to modify an attribute?

A: The syntax for using the hass.states.set function to modify an attribute is as follows:

hass.states.set(entity_id, attribute, value)

In this syntax, entity_id is the ID of the entity you want to modify, attribute is the name of the attribute you want to update, and value is the new value for the attribute.

Q: Can I use the `hass.states.set` function to modify multiple attributes at once?

A: Yes, you can use the hass.states.set function to modify multiple attributes at once. To do this, you can pass a dictionary of attributes and values to the function, like this:

hass.states.set(entity_id, {'attribute1': value1, 'attribute2': value2})

Q: How do I retrieve the current state of an entity in Home Assistant?

A: To retrieve the current state of an entity in Home Assistant, you can use the hass.states.get function, which is also part of the hass module. This function returns a dictionary containing the entity's state and attributes.

Q: What is the syntax for using the `hass.states.get` function to retrieve the current state of an entity?

A: The syntax for using the hass.states.get function to retrieve the current state of an entity is as follows:

hass.states.get(entity_id)

In this syntax, entity_id is the ID of the entity you want to retrieve the state for.

Q: Can I use the `hass.states.get` function to retrieve multiple entities at once?

A: Yes, you can use the hass.states.get function to retrieve multiple entities at once. To do this, you can pass a list of entity IDs to the function, like this:

hass.states.get([entity_id1, entity_id2, entity_id3])

Q: How do I handle errors when using the `hass.states.set` and `hass.states.get` functions?

A: When using the hass.states.set and hass.states.get functions, you should always handle potential errors that may occur. You can do this by using try-except blocks to catch and handle any exceptions that may be raised.

Q: What are some common errors that may occur when using the `hass.states.set` and `hass.states.get` functions?

A: Some common errors that may occur when using the hass.states.set and hass.states.get functions include:

AttributeError: This error occurs when you try to access an attribute that does not exist.
KeyError: This error occurs when you try to access a key that does not exist in a dictionary.
TypeError: This error occurs when you try to perform an operation on a value that is not of the expected type.

Q: How can I troubleshoot issues when using the `hass.states.set` and `hass.states.get` functions?

A: To troubleshoot issues when using the hass.states.set and hass.states.get functions, you can use the following steps:

Check the entity ID and attribute names for typos or errors.
Verify that the entity and attribute exist in Home Assistant.
Check the data type and format of the values you are passing to the functions.
Use try-except blocks to catch and handle any exceptions that may be raised.
Consult the Home Assistant documentation and community forums for additional help and support.