Test equality: eq

The eq test checks whether two values are equal. It is also available under the aliases equalto and ==. When used with is, it reads naturally: value is eq(other).

While you can always use == directly in {% if %} conditions, the eq test becomes essential when working with selectattr, rejectattr, select, and reject. These filters require a test name as a string, and eq lets you filter collections based on equality without writing a loop.

Usage

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

{% if 5 is eq(5) %}
  Equal
{% endif %}

Equal

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.

eq(
    value: Any,
    other: Any,
) -> bool

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this function.

Aliases

This test can also be used as:

• equalto - value is equalto(other)
• == - value is ==(other)

Using with selectattr

The most common use of eq is filtering lists of objects by an attribute value.

{{
  states.light
  | selectattr("state", "eq", "on")
  | map(attribute="name") | list
}}

['Living Room', 'Kitchen']

Good to know

• Numbers and strings compare as unequal even when they look the same. "5" is eq(5) is false.
• When used with selectattr, comparisons against entity states always compare strings, so wrap numbers in quotes or convert with float first.

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.

Filter entities by state

Find all binary sensors that are currently off.

{{
  states.binary_sensor
  | selectattr("state", "eq", "off")
  | map(attribute="entity_id") | list
}}

['binary_sensor.front_door', 'binary_sensor.garage']

Compare values in a list

Use select to find items matching a specific value.

{{ [1, 2, 3, 2, 1] | select("eq", 2) | list }}

[2, 2]

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:

• Test not equal: ne - Tests if two values are not equal. Also known as !=.

• Test greater than: gt - Tests if a value is greater than another. Also known as greaterthan or >.

• Test greater than or equal: ge - Tests if a value is greater than or equal to another. Also known as >=.

• Test less than: lt - Tests if a value is less than another. Also known as lessthan or <.

• Test less than or equal: le - Tests if a value is less than or equal to another. Also known as <=.