Lovelace iOS Themes Release Notes β version 3.0.1
Some folks have reported problems with the 3.0.0 release. Somehow the files were not downloaded from GitHub. So in this release I switched to using https://www.jsdelivr.com/ to host the files. This is a CDN, so the files should load even faster.
Related: Issue #80.
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Lovelace iOS Themes Release Notes β version 3.0.0
π Overview:
In this release, we've made some major changes to how background images are handled, addressing performance issues mentioned by users and exploring options beyond Base64-encoded images. The default themes will now use remote URLs, while alternative versions give users the flexibility to use local images if desired. These changes are mostly triggered by HACS 2.0 no longer supporting /hacsfiles
for themes.
π What's New:
1. π· Switch to Remote Background URLs (Default Themes)
- We received reports and identified that embedding background images as Base64 encoded strings slowed down the loading process for some users.
- To address this, we have now switched the default versions of all themes to source background images from a remote repository on GitHub (
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/...
). This allows for better caching and faster page loading.
2. π Support for Local Backgrounds (Alternative Themes)
- We understand that some users prefer to host background images locally, which can be beneficial for environments with slow or intermittent internet connections.
- The newly created "alternative" versions of each theme will use locally hosted images. These images can be stored in
/config/www/ios-themes/
. This gives users the flexibility to decide how they want to handle backgrounds, improving performance. - See the README on GitHub for instructions on how to download the files easily.
3. π Performance Improvements
- Base64 images cannot be cached, leading to UI slowness as backgrounds are repeatedly loaded. By switching to remote-hosted images in our default themes, we aim for improved caching behavior, meaning faster load times for dashboards.
4. π§ Configuration Script Update
- Updated the
create-themes.py
script to reflect the changes. It now supports both the remote background URLs for default themes and local file paths for alternative themes.
π¨ Available Themes:
As with previous versions, the following themes are available:
-
Default (Remote backgrounds):
ios-light-mode-dark-green
ios-dark-mode-dark-green
ios-light-mode-light-blue
ios-dark-mode-light-blue
ios-light-mode-light-green
ios-dark-mode-light-green
ios-light-mode-orange
ios-dark-mode-orange
ios-light-mode-blue-red
ios-dark-mode-blue-red
ios-light-mode-red
ios-dark-mode-red
ios-light-mode-dark-blue
ios-dark-mode-dark-blue
-
Alternative (Local backgrounds):
ios-light-mode-dark-green-alternative
ios-dark-mode-dark-green-alternative
ios-light-mode-light-blue-alternative
ios-dark-mode-light-blue-alternative
ios-light-mode-light-green-alternative
ios-dark-mode-light-green-alternative
ios-light-mode-orange-alternative
ios-dark-mode-orange-alternative
ios-light-mode-blue-red-alternative
ios-dark-mode-blue-red-alternative
ios-light-mode-red-alternative
ios-dark-mode-red-alternative
ios-light-mode-dark-blue-alternative
ios-dark-mode-dark-blue-alternative
π Local Background Setup Guide (For Alternative Versions):
- Download the required background images to your local environment.
- Place the images in the following directory inside your Home Assistant config folder:
/config/www/ios-themes/
- Example:
/config/www/ios-themes/homekit-bg-dark-blue.jpg
- Example:
- Use the alternative theme variant in your Home Assistant profile settings (e.g.,
ios-dark-mode-dark-blue-alternative
).
β Known Issues:
- Local File Hosting Note: Please make sure you have configured
allowlist_external_dirs
in yourconfiguration.yaml
for local image hosting if required.
π Migration Notes:
- If you are impacted by the slow performance due to Base64 images, simply update to the latest version of the theme to get the performance improvements without the need for further configuration.
- If you've previously used custom local image paths, ensure you've switched to the
-alternative
variants of the themes to continue using local resources.
π Special Thanks:
A huge thanks to the contributors and everyone who reported issues leading to these improvements. Especially:
- @rohankapoorcom for the initial Base64 transition work and ongoing discussions about the performance impacts.
- @Kagey-cmd for raising the issues with performance that affected multiple users. This led to the prompt diagnosis and resolution in collaboration with Nabu Casa support.
π₯ How to Update:
Users can update the themes via HACS or download the latest version from GitHub.
π Issues or Feedback:
If you encounter any issues or have feedback, feel free to open an issue on the GitHub repository.