---
title: "Views"
description: "A view is a tab inside a dashboard."
related:
- docs: /dashboards/masonry/
title: Masonry view
- docs: /dashboards/panel/
title: Panel view
- docs: /dashboards/sidebar/
title: Sidebar view
- docs: /dashboards/sections/
title: Sections view
- docs: /dashboards/
title: About dashboards
- docs: /dashboards/cards/#adding-cards-to-your-dashboard
title: Adding cards to a view
- docs: /common-tasks/os/#configuring-access-to-files
title: Configure access to files
---
A view is a tab inside a dashboard. For example, the screenshot below shows a separate view for lights on the Overview dashboard.
A lights view tab on the Overview dashboard
Views control the layout.
The three basic view layouts: panel, sidebar, and masonry
There are four different view types:
- **Sections (default)**: Arranges cards in a grid system and lets you group them in sections.
- **Masonry**: Arranges cards in columns based on their card size.
- **Panel**: Displays one card in full width. For example a map or an image.
- **Sidebar**: Arranges cards in 2 columns, a wide one and a smaller one on the right.
## Adding a view to a dashboard
1. To add a view to your dashboard, in the top right corner, select the pencil icon.
2. Select the `+` button in the top menu bar.
3. Define the view settings:
- If you want a view title, enter the **Title**.
- If you want to see an icon, select the [view icon](#view-icon).
- If an icon is defined, only the icon is shown. The text only shows as a tooltip.
- We use [Material icons](https://pictogrammers.com/library/mdi/).
- If you want to link to another view, define the [URL](#url-of-a-view).
- If you want to use a previously defined theme, select the [theme](/integrations/frontend/#themes).
- Select the [view type](#view-type).
- If this view is meant to be used as a [subview](#subview) only, enable the **Subview** toggle.
- If you are using **Sections view**, choose the number of columns you want to use, and, if you want to let the system fill gaps between cards, enable **Dense section placement.**.
4. To use a background image, on the **Background** tab, select an image and customize the background settings. [Read more about these options.](#background)
5. On the **Badges** tab, select the entities you want to be represented by a badge.
- Sidebar and panel views do not support badges.
6. By default, the new section is visible to all users. On the **Visibility** tab, you can disable the view for users.
## Migrating a view into a sections view
If you have already defined a view but you would now like to have it in a section view type, you can migrate that content. For example, you can migrate from a masonry to a sections view. Currently, you cannot migrate a sections view type into another view type.
Migrating does not affect the current view. It will stay as is, and a new, additional view is created.
To migrate a view into a sections view type, follow these steps:
1. Open the view you want to migrate, and go into edit mode.
2. In the configuration dialog, select the new view type.
3. If the new view type offers additional settings, define those settings.
- For more information on those settings, refer to the documentation of that view type.
4. In the top-right corner, select **Convert**.
- **Result**: A new, additional view is created.
- Your current view will stay untouched.
- A new tab opens, and all your cards are imported to the new view.
5. In the **Imported cards** section, pick each of the cards, and drag them into the sections.
- To edit and customize the view, follow the steps in the [sections view](/dashboards/sections/) documentation.
6. To save your changes, select **Done**.
- **Result**: Your new dashboard is shown.
- If you have cards that were not yet integrated, you can still add them later. They are still available in the Edit mode, in the **Imported cards** section.
## URL of a view
You can link to one view from a card in another view when using cards that support navigation (`navigation_path`). The string supplied here will be appended to the string `/lovelace/` to create the path to the view. Do not use special characters in paths. Do not begin a path with a number. This will cause the parser to read your path as a view index.
### Example
View configuration:
```yaml
- title: Living room
# the final path is /lovelace/living_room
path: living_room
```
Picture card configuration:
```yaml
- type: picture
image: /local/living_room.png
tap_action:
action: navigate
navigation_path: /lovelace/living_room
```
## View icon
If you define a view icon, the icon instead of the title will be displayed, the title will then be used as a tool-tip.
### Example
```yaml
- title: Garden
icon: mdi:flower
```
## Visible
You can specify the visibility of views as a whole or per-user. (Note: This is only for the display of the tabs. The URL path is still accessible)
### Example
```yaml
views:
- title: Ian
visible:
- user: 581fca7fdc014b8b894519cc531f9a04
cards:
...
- title: Chelsea
visible:
- user: 6e690cc4e40242d2ab14cf38f1882ee6
cards:
...
- title: Admin
visible: db34e025e5c84b70968f6530823b117f
cards:
...
```
### Options for visible objects
If you define `visible` as objects instead of a boolean to specify conditions for displaying the view tab:
{% configuration badges %}
user:
required: true
description: User ID that can see the view tab (unique hex value found on the Users configuration page).
type: string
{% endconfiguration %}
## Changing the view type in YAML
You can change the layout of a view in YAML by using a different view type. The default is [`section`](/dashboards/section).
### Example
```yaml
- title: Map
type: panel
cards:
- type: map
entities:
- device_tracker.demo_paulus
- zone.home
```
## Theme
Set a separate [theme](/integrations/frontend/#themes) for the view and its cards.
### Example
```yaml
- title: Home
theme: happy
```
## Background
The background settings of a view can be customized to display a background. Alternatively, a theme variable can be used to customize the background of all views.
### View-specific background settings
**Image** - Sets the background image to use behind the view:
- **Upload picture** lets you pick an image from the system used to show your Home Assistant UI.
- **Local path** lets you pick an image stored on Home Assistant. For example: `/homeassistant/images/lights_view_background_image.jpg`.
- To store an image on Home Assistant, you need to [configure access to files](/common-tasks/os/#configuring-access-to-files), for example via [Samba](/common-tasks/os/#installing-and-using-the-samba-add-on) or the [Studio Code Server](/common-tasks/os/#installing-and-using-the-visual-studio-code-vsc-add-on) add-on.
- **web URL** let you pick an image from the web. For example `https://www.home-assistant.io/images/frontpage/assist_wake_word.png`.
{% configuration views %}
background:
required: false
description: Customize the view's background with options for image, transparency, size, alignment, repeat, and attachment.
type: map
keys:
image:
required: false
description: Sets the background image to use behind the view.
type: string
opacity:
required: false
description: Adjust the background's opacity, from fully opaque to transparent.
type: integer
default: 100
size:
required: false
description: Choose how the background fits the space. Defaults to the original picture size, fill view (`cover` in YAML) fills the view with cropping if necessary and fits view (`contain` in YAML) fits the image within the view, maintaining aspect ratio.
type: string
default: auto
alignment:
required: false
description: Precisely position the background. Valid options can be anything between top left and bottom right, with center being the default.
type: string
default: center
repeat:
required: false
description: Controls whether the background repeats across the view. Repeating is useful when a tiled background is being used.
type: string
default: no-repeat
attachment:
required: false
description: Controls whether a background image's position is fixed within the view, or scrolls.
type: string
default: scroll
{% endconfiguration %}
#### Example
```yaml
# Example background section in view yaml
background:
image: /local/background.png
opacity: 50 # any percentage between 0 and 100
size: auto # auto, cover, contain
alignment: center # top left, top center, top right, center left, center, center right, bottom left, bottom center, bottom right
repeat: no-repeat # repeat, no-repeat
attachment: scroll # scroll, fixed
```
### Background theme variable
You can style the background of all your views with a [theme](/integrations/frontend/#themes). You can use the CSS variable `lovelace-background`. For wallpapers you probably want to use the example below, more options can be found [here](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/background).
#### Example
```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
frontend:
themes:
example:
lovelace-background: center / cover no-repeat url("/local/background.png") fixed
```
## Subview
A "View" can be marked as "Subview". Subviews won’t show up in the navigation bar on top of the sidebar. Subviews can, for instance, be used to show detailed information; you could link to this subview from a page with a clean look with only basic information (by using [cards that support the `navigate` action](/dashboards/actions)). Think of a view with a few thermostats and a subview with status information on the heating/cooling device.
When on the subview, the navigation bar only shows the name of the subview and a back button (no icon is shown).
By default, clicking on back button will navigate to the previous view but a custom back path (`back_path`) can be set.
You can access subviews from other parts of your dashboard by using [cards that support the `navigate` action](/dashboards/actions).
### Example
Simple subview:
```yaml
- title: Map
subview: true
```
Subview with custom back path:
```yaml
- title: Map
subview: true
back_path: /lovelace/home
```
{% configuration views %}
views:
required: true
description: A list of view configurations.
type: list
keys:
type:
required: false
description: The type of the view.
type: string
default: masonry
title:
required: true
description: The title or name.
type: string
badges:
required: false
description: List of entities IDs or `badge` objects to display as badges. Note that badges do not show when view is in panel mode.
type: list
cards:
required: false
description: Cards to display in this view.
type: list
path:
required: false
description: Paths are used in the URL.
type: string
default: view index
icon:
required: false
description: Icon-name from Material Design Icons. You can use any icon from [Material Design Icons](https://pictogrammers.com/library/mdi/). Prefix the icon name with `mdi:`, ie `mdi:home`. Only for "View", not for "Subview".
type: string
background:
required: false
description: Style the background behind the view.
type: map
theme:
required: false
description: Themes view and cards.
type: string
visible:
required: false
description: "Hide/show the view tab from all users or a list of individual `visible` objects."
type: [boolean, list]
default: true
subview:
required: false
description: Mark the view as "Subview".
type: boolean
default: false
back_path:
required: false
description: Only for "Subview". Path to navigate when clicking on back button.
type: string
{% endconfiguration %}
### Example
View configuration:
```yaml
- title: Living room
badges:
- device_tracker.demo_paulus
- entity: light.ceiling_lights
name: Ceiling Lights
icon: mdi:bulb
- entity: switch.decorative_lights
image: /local/lights.png
```
Subview configuration:
```yaml
- title: "Energieprijzen"
path: "energieprijzen"
subview: true
back_path: "/ui-data/climate"
cards:
- type: entities
entities:
- sensor.today_avg_price
```