Advanced: Dashboard

Dashboard Integration

Target Audience: Users wanting auto-populating dashboards Prerequisites: KidsChores integration installed and configured Related: Quick Start Guide

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Overview

KidsChores supports companion dashboard system that automatically populates with your chores, rewards, badges, and kid profiles. No manual card configuration needed—the dashboard reads from your entities and displays everything in an organized, mobile-friendly interface.

Why a separate repository?

• Dashboard is optional (KidsChores works without it)
• Different update cycle (dashboard UI vs integration logic)
• Easier customization for advanced users
• Keeps integration lightweight

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Dashboard Helper Sensor

Every kid gets a Dashboard Helper Sensor that powers the auto-populating UI:

sensor.kc_<kid>_ui_dashboard_helper

What It Provides

The dashboard helper pre-processes data for efficient template rendering:

Pre-Sorted Lists:

• chores - All chores sorted by status and due date
• rewards - Available rewards sorted by cost
• badges - Badge progress and maintenance status
• bonuses - Recent bonus point adjustments
• penalties - Recent penalty adjustments
• achievements - Achievement progress (legacy)
• challenges - Active challenges (legacy)

Aggregated Metrics:

• Badge maintenance countdown
• Achievement progress percentages
• Reward claim counts
• Point statistics

Localized Strings:

• ui_translations - All UI labels in user's language
• Eliminates need for language-specific YAML variants

Example Usage

{% set dashboard_helper = 'sensor.sarah_kidschores_ui_dashboard_helper' %}
{% set ui = state_attr(dashboard_helper, 'ui_translations') or {} %}
{% set chore_list = state_attr(dashboard_helper, 'chores') | default([], true) %}

# Pre-sorted by backend - just iterate
{% for chore in chore_list %}
  {{ chore.name }}: {{ chore.status }}
{% endfor %}

Performance benefit: Backend does expensive sorting/filtering once; frontend just renders.

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Installation

Repository

Dashboard Repository: kidschores-ha-dashboard

Quick Install

1. Download Dashboard YAML:

   • Visit the dashboard repository
   • Download kc_dashboard_all.yaml

2. Create Dashboard in Home Assistant:

   • Navigate to Settings → Dashboards
   • Click + Add Dashboard
   • Choose New dashboard from scratch
   • Enter name: "KidsChores - [Kid Name]"

3. Paste YAML Content:

   • Open dashboard
   • Click ⋮ (three dots) → Edit Dashboard
   • Click ⋮ again → Raw configuration editor
   • Paste content from kc_dashboard_all.yaml
   • Replace Kidname with your kid's actual name (case-sensitive)
   • Save

4. Verify:

   • Dashboard should populate with all chores, rewards, badges
   • Check that sensors exist: sensor.kc_<kid>_ui_dashboard_helper

Multiple Kids

Create one dashboard per kid:

• Duplicate YAML file
• Change all instances of kid name
• Create separate dashboard for each child

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Dashboard Features

Auto-Populating Cards

Chore Cards:

• Today's chores (AM/PM groups)
• This week's chores
• Overdue chores
• Pending approvals (parent view)

Reward Showcase:

• Available rewards sorted by cost
• Claim buttons
• Point balance display

Badge Display:

• Progress bars for active badges
• Maintenance countdown
• Badge history

Stats & Metrics:

• Points earned (today, week, month, all-time)
• Chore completion streaks
• Approval rates

Mobile Optimization

Dashboard is designed for:

• ✅ Phone screens (primary use case)
• ✅ Tablets
• ✅ Smartwatches (action buttons work on watches)

Customization

User Preferences (in YAML):

• pref_column_count - Number of columns
• pref_use_overdue - Show/hide overdue section
• pref_use_labels - Filter by specific labels

Colors:

• green = approved
• orange = claimed/pending
• red = overdue
• blue = multi-approved (shared chores)
• purple = partial approval

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How Entities Integrate

Entity Naming Convention

All KidsChores entities follow this pattern:

<platform>.kc_<kid_slug>_<purpose>

Example (kid named "Sarah"):

sensor.sarah_kidschores_points                    # Total points
sensor.sarah_kidschores_ui_dashboard_helper       # Dashboard data
button.kc_sarah_feed_dog_claim            # Claim button
button.kc_sarah_feed_dog_approve          # Approve button
sensor.kc_sarah_feed_dog                  # Chore status

Dashboard Reads From

Button Entities:

• button.kc_<kid>_<chore>_claim - Kid presses to claim
• button.kc_<kid>_<chore>_approve - Parent presses to approve

Sensor Entities:

• sensor.kc_<kid>_points - Point balance
• sensor.kc_<kid>_<chore> - Individual chore status/attributes
• sensor.kc_<kid>_ui_dashboard_helper - Pre-processed dashboard data

Actions Triggered:

• Press claim/approve buttons directly from dashboard
• No need for automation or script layers
• Instant feedback (entity state updates)

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Advanced Customization

Custom Card Groups

Edit YAML to add custom groupings:

# Add morning routine group
- type: heading
  heading: "🌅 Morning Routine"
- type: custom:auto-entities
  filter:
    include:
      - entity_id: sensor.kc_sarah_*
        attributes:
          labels: morning

Conditional Sections

Show sections based on conditions:

# Only show rewards if kid has points
card_mod:
  style: |
    {% if states('sensor.sarah_kidschores_points')|int > 0 %}
      ha-card { display: block; }
    {% else %}
      ha-card { display: none; }
    {% endif %}

Label-Based Filtering

Focus on specific chore types:

# Show only pet care chores
pref_label_filter: "pets"

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Troubleshooting

Dashboard Shows "err-*" Text

Cause: Dashboard helper sensor not found or missing attributes

Fix:

1. Verify sensor exists: sensor.kc_<kid>_ui_dashboard_helper
2. Check entity state in Developer Tools → States
3. Verify ui_translations attribute is populated
4. Reload integration if needed

Chores Not Appearing

Cause: Entity naming mismatch

Fix:

1. Check kid name slug: Developer Tools → States → search kc_<name>
2. Home Assistant slugifies names (removes accents, lowercases, replaces spaces)
3. Update YAML to match exact slug

Buttons Don't Work

Cause: Button entities don't exist or wrong entity IDs

Fix:

1. Verify button entities exist: button.kc_<kid>_<chore>_claim
2. Check Developer Tools → States for exact entity IDs
3. Update dashboard YAML with correct entity IDs

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Dashboard vs Custom Cards

Dashboard Repository (Recommended):

• ✅ Pre-built, tested layouts
• ✅ Auto-populating (no manual config)
• ✅ Mobile-optimized
• ✅ Regular updates from community

Custom Cards (DIY):

• ✅ Full control over layout
• ✅ Integrate with other dashboards
• ❌ More complex setup
• ❌ Manual entity configuration

Both approaches work—choose based on your comfort level with YAML and dashboard design.

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Related Documentation

• Quick Start Guide - Basic entity overview
• Technical Reference: Entities & States - Complete entity documentation
• Services Reference - Service calls from dashboard buttons

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Dashboard Repository

Full documentation, examples, and updates: 🔗 kidschores-ha-dashboard GitHub Repository

Includes:

• Complete dashboard YAML files
• Customization examples
• Troubleshooting guides
• Community contributions
• Update changelogs

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Last Updated: v0.5.0 (January 2026)