As a user I would like to sort by device name in addition to device label on /device/list page.
That way, I could have a human readable name for echos, dashboards & buttons (device label) and a second technical name (device name), where I store my personal running GUID per device, the device mfg, type, exact location in a list that I can sort, or what ever I need to admin these devices in Hubitat. Eg. I have 100+ devices and count them, so each device starts with an integer 1-n and I store the type, device manufacturer so I can find them again if something breaks.
I am aware that I can search for the device label and device name terms in the device list, but I can't sort by device name.
I admire your persistence. Let's assume this is either not likely to get developed, or it may be low on the list. Hopefully that will change... I did like your original post... Built-in features are always preferred....
It feels like your request is more around being able to record additional information about devices. This has been requested / discussed before.... It is tempting to consider developing an app to record this, but it would not be integrated into the built-in interface... hmmm.... hopefully it will get picked up by HE.....
Im not sure I understand whatās so difficult about adding an html column on the device list page so we can have a voice assistant name for our devices (label) and one to identify & administer them in the hubitat UI (name). Why have both on the device detail pages?
I didn't phrase my response particularly well, that does sound like a bit of swipe at HE, when I didn't intend it that way. I meant that as a lead in to brainstorming ideas on how else it could be achieved, such as my idea for a custom app.
My comments were more around my assumption of HE staff priorities more so than complexity, but in the end it's not for me to say what those priorities are. Again, poor form on my part.
I'd probably agree, on the surface, this would seem like a simple change. You are not asking for additional information to be recorded, simply to be displayed and available to sort by on-screen.
A custom app could be made that lists the devices and sorts by deviceName and also has a link to the device details page. What do you intend to do with the list when sorted by device Name? There is an app already which can export a device list into a CSV or JSON file, which could then be sorted. Are you using it for record keeping or do you want to sort and then be able to interact and click on the devices, etc..?
To explain further, I prepend s_ to all the labels for devices whose primary purpose is as a motion sensor c_ to those whose purpose is for temperature and humidity and so on. Lots of people use emoticons for the same reason. This allows them to be sorted on the device page, and makes it easier to find the device you want to open and work on.
Now the problem with this system is it can make the label longer than you really want on your dashboard. Although you can edit a dashboard tile, it's extra work and wouldn't be needed if we could keep the labels short.
For example supposing you have p_Timmys TV Plug and p_Susie's TV Plug and p_Dan's TV Plug in order to tell them apart on the device list. You could have put all that in the device Name, sorted on that, then in the dashboard, which you can group by room, all the Label need say is "TV" as you can create a dashboard for Timmy and one for Susie etc and they will know that means their TV in their room. Meanwhile back at admin level, we sort by Name in the device list to get them ordered nicely and also when picking the device in an App dropdown - eg Rule Machine, it would show full name. In fact I'd probaby go as far as using "p_Timmys TV Tuya Metering" so I'd know exactly what to expect when selecting.
So this is my case for HE to regard Name and Label as different things with a different role
I do hope something happens soon, I am finding it harder and harder to find a specific device in my growing device list. If nothing else it would help if the list would open in the sort order you last chose.
