Create a dictionary: dict

The dict template function creates a dictionary (also known as a mapping) from keyword arguments. Each keyword becomes a key in the dictionary, and its value becomes the corresponding value. This is equivalent to Python’s dict() constructor and provides a clean way to create dictionaries inline in your templates.

This is useful when you need to build a dictionary on the fly, for example when constructing data payloads for actionsActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called sequence. [Learn more], passing structured data to scripts, or creating lookup tables. While you can also create dictionaries using the {"key": "value"} literal syntax, the dict() function can be easier to read when you have many keys or want to avoid quoting key names.

Usage

Here’s how to use this template function. Copy any example and adjust it to your setup.

{{ dict(name="Living Room", brightness=255, color="warm") }}

{'name': 'Living Room', 'brightness': 255, 'color': 'warm'}

Function signature

The signature is a technical summary of this template function. It shows the name of the function, the values (called parameters) it accepts, and what type of data each parameter expects (for example, a piece of text or a number).

Function parameters that have a = with a value after them are optional. If you leave them out, the default value shown is used automatically. Function parameters without a default are required.

dict(
    **kwargs: Any,
) -> dict

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this function.

Good to know

• Only accepts keyword arguments. Keys that contain spaces, dashes, or reserved words cannot be created with this function. Use literal syntax {"my key": value} instead.
• Keys are always strings, even though they look like identifiers in the call.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Template, paste the example into the Template editor, and watch the result update on the right. Edit the values to see how the function adapts to your own entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more].

More examples

Real scenarios where this function comes up in automations and templates. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Build action data

Create a dictionary to pass as data to an actionActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called sequence. [Learn more] call.

action:
  - action: notify.mobile
    data: >
      {{
        dict(
          title="Alert",
          message="Motion detected in " ~ states("sensor.room"),
          priority="high"
        )
      }}

Create a lookup table

Build a mapping from keys to values for quick lookups.

{% set icons = dict(
  clear="☀️",
  cloudy="☁️",
  rainy="🌧️"
) %}
{{ icons.get(states("weather.home"), "❓") }}

☀️

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with your template and expected result, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related template functions

These functions work well alongside this one:

• Merge dictionaries: combine - Merges multiple dictionaries into one.

• Serialize to JSON: to_json - Serializes a value to a JSON string.

• Parse JSON string: from_json - Parses a JSON string into a Python object.