Always use a YAML list when you have multiple entries (Style #1 from the documentation).
Yes:
sensor:
- platform: mqtt
- platform: forecastio
No:
sensor:
platform: mqtt
sensor 2:
platform: forecastio
!env_var
Use them. Prevents conflicts once you have many sensors, disambiguates generic names, and lends context when referenced. Some components have hardcoded namespacing - don't double up.
The interface should be intuitive to encourage use and reduce the learning curve.
Includes help organize configurations. Do not place all configuration in configuration.yaml
. Split configuration sections to their own files as they grow. Consider splitting up any section that you cannot view without scrolling your editor.