This release marks a significant milestone in the dashboard's evolution. The focus of v4.1.0 was to move away from frontend-heavy processing and visual clutter, resulting in a snappy, "instant-on" experience even on low-powered wall tablets and mobile devices.
Performance & Backend
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Backend Logic Migration: Moved complex room chip card calculations (entity counts, status tracking) from the frontend YAML to backend template sensors. This reduces browser CPU usage and provides a massive performance boost.
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Optimized Assets: Transitioned all dashboard wallpapers from PNG/JPG to WebP format. Assets are now served directly from the /local/ (www) folder, resulting in instantaneous image loading and reduced network overhead.
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Updated Visuals: Refined the CSS and styling of chip cards to match the new backend-driven architecture.
UI & Navigation Refinements
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Popup Navigation: Replaced static room sections with a Boolean-based Popup system. Users can now access granular controls (e.g., Kitchen sub-controls, Media players, other lighting) via conditional card, keeping the primary interface clean and intuitive.
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Expander Card Integration: Re-introduced Expander Cards to group and hide secondary toggles and buttons. This allows for a "minimalist first" view while keeping advanced controls one tap away.
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Navigation Logic: Improved the flow of room-to-room navigation, utilizing Booleans to trigger specific card states without refreshing the page.
Note: If you are coming from v4.0.0 or previous versions below, please review the new entity count template sensor requirements, as the frontend will no longer calculate room states locally.