# Ha Frontend Components

> Home Assistant frontend component patterns. Use when implementing or reviewing dialogs, ha-form, ha-alert, keyboard shortcuts, tooltips, panels, Lovelace cards, or ha-button usage.

- Skill: `home-assistant/ha-frontend-components` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add home-assistant/ha-frontend-components`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/home-assistant/ha-frontend-components/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Web & Frontend
- Author: home-assistant (https://skillmd.com/u/home-assistant)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/home-assistant/ha-frontend-components

---


# HA Frontend Components

Use this skill when creating or reviewing Home Assistant UI components and common interaction patterns.

Cross-load `ha-frontend-events` when component work includes event listener typing, custom event dispatch, or event-map declarations.

## Dialogs

Open dialogs through the fire-event pattern:

```ts
fireEvent(this, "show-dialog", {
  dialogTag: "dialog-example",
  dialogImport: () => import("./dialog-example"),
  dialogParams: { title: "Example", data: someData },
});
```

Dialog implementation requirements:

- Use `ha-dialog`.
- Use `DialogMixin`, which implements `HassDialogNext<T>`, for new dialogs. See `src/dialogs/dialog-mixin.ts`.
- Read dialog parameters from the mixin's `params` property and render the dialog open. Return `nothing` while required parameters are absent.
- Call the mixin's `closeDialog()` to close a new dialog. The mixin handles the `closed` event, fires `dialog-closed`, and removes the host element.
- Existing dialogs may implement the legacy `HassDialog<T>` interface from `src/dialogs/make-dialog-manager.ts`.
- Preserve the existing `showDialog()`, open-state, and close-event lifecycle when maintaining a legacy dialog; do not copy that lifecycle into a `DialogMixin` dialog.
- Use `header-title` and `header-subtitle` for simple header text.
- Use slots when standard header attributes are not enough.
- Use `ha-dialog-footer` with `primaryAction` and `secondaryAction` slots.
- Add `autofocus` to the first focusable element, such as `<ha-form autofocus>`, and forward it internally if needed.

Use standard dialog widths: `small`, `medium`, `large`, or `full`. Avoid custom dialog sizing unless there is a clear product need.

## Buttons

`ha-button` wraps the Web Awesome button in `src/components/ha-button.ts`.

Axes:

- `variant`: `brand`, `neutral`, `danger`, `warning`, `success`.
- `appearance`: `accent`, `filled`, `outlined`, `plain`.
- `size`: `xs`, `s`, `m`, `l`, `xl`.

Common usage:

- Use `appearance="filled"` for primary emphasis when needed.
- Use `appearance="plain"` for cancel and dismiss actions.
- Use `variant="danger"` for destructive actions.
- Place primary actions in `slot="primaryAction"` and secondary actions in `slot="secondaryAction"`.

## Forms

`ha-form` is schema-driven with `HaFormSchema[]` and supports common selectors for entities, devices, areas, targets, numbers, booleans, time, actions, text, objects, selects, icons, media, and location.

Use `computeLabel`, `computeError`, and `computeHelper` for translated labels, validation, and helper text.

```ts
<ha-form
  .hass=${this.hass}
  .data=${this._data}
  .schema=${this._schema}
  .error=${this._errors}
  .computeLabel=${(schema) => this._localize(`ui.panel.${schema.name}`)}
  @value-changed=${this._valueChanged}
></ha-form>
```

## Alerts

Use `ha-alert` for user-visible status messaging.

- Alert types: `error`, `warning`, `info`, `success`.
- Useful properties: `title`, `alert-type`, `dismissable`, `narrow`.
- Slots: `icon` for custom leading icon, `action` for custom action content.
- Content is announced by screen readers when dynamically displayed.

```ts
html`
  <ha-alert alert-type="error">${this._localize("ui.example.error")}</ha-alert>
  <ha-alert alert-type="warning" .title=${this._localize("ui.example.warning")}>
    ${this._localize("ui.example.description")}
  </ha-alert>
  <ha-alert alert-type="success" dismissable>
    ${this._localize("ui.example.success")}
  </ha-alert>
`;
```

## Shortcuts And Tooltips

Use `ShortcutManager` from `src/common/keyboard/shortcuts.ts` for keyboard shortcuts. It blocks shortcuts in input fields, can prevent shortcuts during text selection, and supports character and KeyCode shortcuts for non-latin keyboards. See `src/state/quick-bar-mixin.ts` for global shortcut examples.

Use `ha-tooltip` from `src/components/ha-tooltip.ts` for contextual hover help. See `src/components/ha-label.ts` for an example.

## Panels And Lovelace Cards

Panels commonly extend `SubscribeMixin(LitElement)` and receive route and narrow-layout properties.

Lovelace cards should implement `LovelaceCard`, validate config in `setConfig()`, handle loading, error, unavailable, and missing-entity states, and add a configuration editor when needed.

Cards are user-story surfaces. Support different households, entity types, responsive layouts, and accessible interaction states.