openHAB 4.3 release blog post

blog/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release.md

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+---
+layout: BlogPost
+category: blog
+title: openHAB 4.3 Release
+author: Florian Hotze and others
+date: "2024-12-15T18:00:00+01:00"
+previewimage: /uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/header.png
+tags:
+  - news
+excerpt: >-
+  We are pleased to announce the release of openHAB 4.3!
+  This traditional winter release introduces numerous new features and enhancements to the openHAB ecosystem, paving the way for our next major release.
+---
+
+We are pleased to announce the release of openHAB 4.3!
+This traditional winter release introduces numerous new features and enhancements to the openHAB ecosystem, paving the way for our next major release.
+
+One and a half year have passed since the [release of the openHAB 4.x series](/blog/2023-07-23-openhab-4-0-release.html), and we are proud to announce the final version of the openHAB 4.x series today.
+However, openHAB 4.3 is far from being just a minor step toward openHAB 5 — it is packed with incredible new features, including a log viewer, UI support for Thing actions, and the new interactive SVG canvas, which unlocks previously untapped possibilities for your smart home dashboard.
+Having openHAB 4.3 as a solid foundation, we will now focus development on openHAB 5, for which we have already started to collect ideas.
+Make sure to read the outlook towards openHAB 5, it contains some important news!
+
+With that being said, let's checkout some statistics highlighting the activity of our community and dive into the highlights of the openHAB 4.3 release!
+
+# Activity
+
+# Highlights
+
+As you might have already noticed in the activity statistics, there was much development on openHAB - too much to list everything.
+Please refer to the [**release notes**](https://github.com/openhab/openhab-distro/releases/tag/4.3.0) to check out what's new and noteworthy (e.g. breaking changes).
+
+In the following sections, our maintainers and contributors are introducing some new features you don't want to miss!
+
+## Core Runtime Enhancements
+
+### Pre-Compile Script Conditions and Actions
+
+_Florian Hotze ([@florian-h05](https://github.com/florian-h05)), openHAB Maintainer_
+
+openHAB 4.3 introduces automatic pre-compilation of script conditions and actions from UI-based rules.
+This means that these scripts are now compiled on openHAB startup instead of on the first execution, which was the case before.
+The main benefit of this change is that the possibly time-consuming compilation of the script is done at startup time and there is no delay anymore when the rule is executed for the first time.
+Another benefit is that syntax errors are discovered at startup and not at runtime of the rule, which makes it easier to find and fix them.
+
+Especially Blockly users of Raspberry Pis with a 32-bit OS will love this change, as the JavaScript Scripting automation add-on, which is used by Blockly under the hood, is known to compile scripts very slowly on these devices.
+Please note that not all automation add-ons support pre-compilation (yet).
+
+## Main UI Enhancements
+
+_Florian Hotze ([@florian-h05](https://github.com/florian-h05)), openHAB Maintainer_
+
+### Log Viewer
+
+### Thing Actions
+
+openHAB 4.3 finally introduces the ability to invoke (most) Thing actions from the UI as well as to use them in UI-based rules.
+Whether a Thing action is supported by the UI depends on its input types and its output type, but we have put great efforts into supporting as much input and output types as possible.
+
+The availability of Thing actions is a major improvement as it allows several things that were impossible or unneccassarily complex before, for example:
+
+- Invoke Thing actions from UI-bases rules without the need to create a script for that.
+  For example, you can now add the new [Fronius Thing actions](/addons/bindings/fronius/#actions) directly to a UI-rule to control your hybrid inverter's battery management.
+  Just click on "Show All" button when adding a new action to a rule, and you will see the following actions:
+  <p align="center"><img style="max-width: 70%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/fronius-thing-actions-rules.jpg"/></p>
+
+- Get calculated values from Thing actions without the need to use a script to log them, for example for the [Astro binding](/addons/bindings/astro):
+
+  :::: tabs
+
+  ::: tab Actions&nbsp;Overview
+  <p align="center"><img style="max-width: 70%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/thing-actions.jpg"/></p>
+  :::
+
+  ::: tab Action&nbsp;Inputs
+  <p align="center"><img style="max-width: 70%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/thing-actions-input.jpg"/></p>
+  :::
+
+  ::: tab Actions&nbsp;Output
+  <p align="center"><img style="max-width: 70%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/thing-actions-output.jpg"/></p>
+  :::
+
+  ::::
+
+- Control special functionality of Things, e.g. put devices into pairing mode and display the pairing QR code.
+
+Many thanks to my maintainer colleagure Laurent Garnier ([@lolodomo](https://github.com/lolodomo)) for his work on the openHAB core parts of this feature!
+
+### Introducing `oh-card` - A Shared Base for Card Widgets
+
+Since the introduction of Main UI with openHAB 3.0 four years ago, several times users requested the ability to modify the styling of Main UI's [card widgets](/docs/ui/components/#standard-widget-library-standalone-cards).
+Unfortunately, this was not possible in a common way for the various card widgets because some of them supported a style property, whilst others did not.
+
+With openHAB 4.3, we have finally implemented this long-awaited feature: It is now possible to provide CSS style and classes for the card itself, the header, content and footer of all `oh-****-card` widgets!
+To support this, we have created the new `oh-card` component, which provides a shared base for all card widgets and can be used by user-created widgets as well.
+
+The example for the new [widget action confirmation feature](#confirmation-dialogs-for-widget-actions) already makes use of the new `oh-card` component.
+
+Please refer to [the documentation](/docs/ui/components/oh-card.html) for more information.
+
+### Interactive SVGs for Canvas Pages
+
+### Model Cards & Tabs on any Page
+
+### Charting Improvements
+
+Main UI now uses the current Item state as well as persisted data outside the selected period to "close" gaps at the beginning and end of charts.
+In addition to that, calendar and aggregation charts display the current Item state for the current day or aggregation period, enhancing the user experience without requiring unnecessary persistence entries.
+
+To illustrate this change, consider the following examples:
+
+- You open the analyzer for a temperature sensor.
+  Previously, the graph started at some point and end at some point, but did probably not span the whole range.
+  Now, the graph starts at the begin of the selected range (if a persisted state before the beginning of the range is available) and ends at the end of the selected range (if a persisted state after the ending is available or the ending is close enough the current time).
+
+- You have a bar chart displaying monthly solar production and power consumption.
+  Previously, the chart ended at the last persisted value, which was the last day of the previous month.
+  Now, the chart displays the current month by displaying the current state of the solar production and power consumption Items.
+
+### Add-On Store Redesign for Mobile Devices
+
+The Add-On Store has been redesigned to be more mobile-friendly:
+
+Similar to major app stores, the openHAB add-on store now uses a vertical slider to display the featured and suggested add-ons.
+Together with changes in the sizing of featured and suggested add-ons on desktop, this improves the user experience by allowing a more compact layout.
+
+<p align="center"><img style="max-width: 70%; max-height: 1000px;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/addon-store-ios.jpg"/></p>
+
+### Routable Tabbed Pages
+
+openHAB 4.3 makes tabbed pages routable by appending the tab index to the end of the route.
+For example, the route `/page/tabs/0` will open the first tab of the page `tabs`.
+
+Please refer to the [documentation](/docs/ui/tabbed-pages.html#navigating-tabs) for more information.
+
+### Dirty / Modified Indicator
+
+_Jimmy Tanagra ([@jimtng](https://github.com/jimtng)), openHAB Maintainer_
+
+When you modify a configuration/setting, a ● symbol is now shown next to the page title to indicate that there are unsaved changes and the configuration page becomes "dirty":
+
+<p align="center"><img style="max-width: 70%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/dirty-indicator.png"/></p>
+
+To save the changes, click the `Save` button or hit `Ctrl` + `S` on your keyboard. If you attempt to leave the current configuration page and there are unsaved changes, a warning dialog will be shown to avoid losing your changes.
+
+### Confirmation Dialogs for Widget Actions
+
+It is now possible to optionally display a confirmation dialog when an action is triggered on a widget.
+This is especially useful for actions that have a significant impact, like opening your garage door.
+
+Action confirmation can be enabled by setting the `actionConfirmation` parameter.
+The dialog can be customized by setting the `type`, `title`, and `text` parameters:
+
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<div align="center" class="row">
+  <img style="max-width: 30%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/action-confirmation-basic.png"/>
+  <img style="max-width: 30%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/action-confirmation-dialog.png"/>
+  <img style="max-width: 30%;" src="/uploads/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release/action-confirmation-sheet.png"/>
+</div>
+
+<details>
+
+<summary>Show me the widget code for these examples</summary>
+
+Have a look at the following example to learn about the different options:
+
+```yaml
+uid: actionConfirmation
+tags: []
+props:
+  parameters: []
+  parameterGroups: []
+timestamp: Dec 10, 2024, 10:15:02 PM
+component: oh-card
+config:
+  title: Action Confirmation
+slots:
+  content:
+    - component: oh-button
+      config:
+        text: Confirm
+        action: url
+        actionUrl: https://www.openhab.org/blog/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release.html
+        actionConfirmation: Are you sure you want to open the openHAB blog?
+    - component: oh-button
+      config:
+        text: Confirm with Dialog
+        action: url
+        actionUrl: https://www.openhab.org/blog/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release.html
+        actionConfirmation:
+          type: dialog
+          title: openHAB Blog
+          text: Are you sure you want to open the openHAB blog?
+    - component: oh-button
+      config:
+        text: Confirm with Sheet
+        action: url
+        actionUrl: https://www.openhab.org/blog/2024-12-15-openhab-4-3-release.html
+        actionConfirmation:
+          type: sheet
+          text: Open the openHAB blog
+          color: green
+```
+
+Note that this example already uses the [new `oh-card` component](#introducing-oh-card-a-shared-base-for-card-widgets).
+
+</details>
+
+## Blockly Enhancements
+
+_Stefan Höhn ([@stefan-hoehn](https://github.com/stefan-hoehn)), Blockly Maintainer_
+
+## Sitemap Enhancements
+
+_Laurent Garnier ([@lolodomo](https://github.com/lolodomo)), openHAB Maintainer_
+
+## Basic UI Enhancements
+
+_Laurent Garnier ([@lolodomo](https://github.com/lolodomo)), openHAB Maintainer_
+
+## Add-on Enhancements
+
+openHAB 4.3 brings XX new add-ons, adding support for new devices:
+
+But not only were new bindings added, some existing bindings also received massive improvements:
+
+- The [JavaScript Scripting automation](/addons/automation/jsscripting) has finally fixed the remaining reported multi-threading issues for UI-bases rules.
+- The [KNX binding](/addons/bindings/knx) provides better support for KNX Secure, allowing to include keyring files and reading KNX Data Secure packets.
+- The [Fronius binding](/addons/bindings/fronius) adds Thing actions to control the charging and discharging battery of your hybrid inverter from openHAB.
+
+### MQTT / Home Assistant
+
+_Cody Cutrer ([@ccutrer](https://github.com/ccutrer)), openHAB Maintainer_
+
+The MQTT / Home Assistant binding allows integrating devices that communicate over MQTT, but were designed with Home Assistant in mind, rather than openHAB.
+Some prominent examples include [zwave-js-ui](https://zwave-js.github.io/zwave-js-ui/), [zigbee2mqtt](https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io), and [ESPHome](https://esphome.io).
+Historically, openHAB's support for these devices has been buggy and missing many features, prompting many users to prefer to manually configure generic MQTT things rather than use auto-discovery, which can be time consuming and error prone.
+This release aims to make that practice no longer necessary, by fixing many bugs, and adding support for many missing features.
+
+The biggest change is the overall structure of Thing Type and Channel IDs.
+Whereas previously you may have had a Channel UID like `mqtt:homeassistant_zigbee2mqtt_5F0x8cf681fffe32e58e:mosquitto:zigbee2mqtt_5F0x8cf681fffe32e58e:0x8cf681fffe32e58e_5Fbattery_5Fzigbee2mqtt#sensor`, that same channel might now be `mqtt:homeassistant:mosquitto:zigbee2mqtt_5F0x00158d0007d3d7fa:battery`.
+Note that this release is transitional, and only newly discovered Things will use the new style IDs.
+You can opt in by deleting and re-creating your Things.
+Proper support for persisting dynamic Thing Types has been added, so the 2 minute delay before things would initialize after booting openHAB has been eliminated.
+There have been several issues fixed around keeping already created Things and Channels up to date if a device adds or removes components.
+The README has been re-written to give more useful details on what channels are supported for each component type.
+
+#### Jinja Templates
+
+Home Assistant discovery uses Jinja templates to transform values and commands to and from the native format of a device.
+Unfortunately, the Java Jinja implementation has lagged behind the features of Python's reference implementation.
+Manually installing the Jinja Transformation Add-On is no longer necessary, either.
+This release of openHAB brings support for the following features in Jinja, allowing use of devices that utilize them.
+There are even some devices that have an "openHAB compatibility mode" to work around these idiosyncrasies.
+Such options should no longer be necessary.
+
+- `break`
+- `continue`
+- `iif`
+- `is_defined`
+- Numeric hash keys
+
+#### Components With Significant Updates
+
+- Alarm Control Panel (additional states)
+- Climate (`humidity` and `preset-mode`)
+- Device Trigger (sharing a channel for events from the same button)
+- Light (several bug fixes around color modes)
+- Fan (`speed`, `preset-mode`, `oscillation`, `direction`)
+- Vacuum (no longer supports Legacy Schema)
+
+#### Newly Supported Component Types
+
+Many new component types are now supported:
+
+- Device Tracker
+- Event
+- Humidifier
+- Light (Template Schema)
+- Tag Scanner
+- Text
+- Valve
+- Water Heater
+
+If you manually configure generic MQTT Things to integrate devices that support Home Assistant discovery, I encourage you to try using auto-discovery.
+Please report any issues you have with specific devices in [GitHub issues](https://github.com/openhab/openhab-addons/issues/new?title=%5Bmqtt.homeassistant%5D+Unsupported+Device), and I'll try to address it as soon as I can.
+
+## openHABian Enhancements
+
+# Enjoy and Get in Touch!
+
+We hope that you like the new release as much as we do - as always our [community forum](https://community.openhab.org/) is there for questions, comments and discussions.
+Do not hesitate to get in touch, join our community, receive help and share your experiences and use cases.