Filter items by test: select

The select filter iterates over a list and keeps only the items that pass a given test. Each item is tested individually, and only those for which the test returns true are included in the result.

This is one of the most powerful filters for working with lists of values in Home Assistant templates. You can use it to filter numeric values (keep only those above a threshold), filter strings (keep only those matching a pattern), or apply any of the built-in tests. It works on the items themselves; to filter by an attribute of each item, use selectattr instead. The select filter is commonly combined with map to first extract values, then filter them.

Usage

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

{{ [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] | select("greaterthan", 3) | list }}

[4, 5]

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.

select(
    value: list,
    *args: str,
) -> iterable

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this filter.

Filter by truthiness

When no test is specified, select keeps items that are truthy (not false, 0, none, or empty).

{{ [0, 1, "", "hello", none, true] | select | list }}

[1, 'hello', True]

Common tests

Greater than / less than

{{
  [18.5, 21.3, 25.0, 19.8, 22.1]
  | select("greaterthan", 20)
  | list
}}

[21.3, 25.0, 22.1]

Equal to

{{ ["on", "off", "on", "off", "on"] | select("equalto", "on") | list }}

['on', 'on', 'on']

Contains

{{
  ["sunny", "light rain", "cloudy", "heavy rain"]
  | select("contains", "rain")
  | list
}}

['light rain', 'heavy rain']

Good to know

• Returns an iterable, not a list. Add | list before using it with length, first, or looping twice.
• Without a test, truthy items are kept. Zero, empty string, and None are dropped because they are falsy.
• To filter by an attribute of each item, use selectattr instead.

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 numeric values from sensor data

After extracting state values, keep only those that are valid numbers.

{{
  expand("group.temperature_sensors")
  | map(attribute="state")
  | select("is_number")
  | map("float")
  | list
}}

[21.5, 19.8, 22.3]

Find temperatures above a threshold

Extract values, convert to float, and filter for those above a target.

{{
  expand("group.temperature_sensors")
  | map(attribute="state")
  | map("float")
  | select("greaterthan", 21)
  | list
}}

[21.5, 22.3]

Count values matching a condition

Combine select with list and length to count matching items.

{{
  expand("group.all_doors")
  | map(attribute="state")
  | select("equalto", "on")
  | list
  | length
}}

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:

• Remove items by test: reject - Filters a list, removing items that pass a given test. The opposite of select.

• Filter items by attribute test: selectattr - Filters a list, keeping only items where a specified attribute passes a test.

• Remove items by attribute test: rejectattr - Filters a list, removing items where a specified attribute passes a test. The opposite of selectattr.

• Transform list items: map - Applies a filter to each item or extracts an attribute from each item in a list.