Sort a dictionary: dictsort

The dictsort filter sorts a dictionary and returns a list of (key, value) tuples in the sorted order. By default, it sorts by key in ascending order, but you can sort by value instead, control case sensitivity, and reverse the sort direction.

This is useful when you want to display or process dictionary data in a predictable order. For example, you might have a dictionary of entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] attributes and want to display them sorted alphabetically by name, or you might want to sort a mapping of room names to temperatures so the warmest room appears first.

Usage

Here’s how to use this template function. Copy any example and adjust it to your setup.

{{ {"b": 2, "a": 1, "c": 3} | dictsort }}

[('a', 1), ('b', 2), ('c', 3)]

Function signature

The signature is a technical summary of this template function. It shows the name of the function, the values (called parameters) it accepts, and what type of data each parameter expects (for example, a piece of text or a number).

Function parameters that have a = with a value after them are optional. If you leave them out, the default value shown is used automatically.

Function parameters without a = are usually required. A few optional parameters have no default value, so the signature shows them without a = as well. To check whether a parameter is required, look at the parameter list below the signature. Each parameter is marked as Required or Optional.

The most common optional parameter without a default value is default. The default parameter sets the value a function returns when the function can’t produce a result, for example, when float gets text that isn’t a number. If you leave out default, there is no fallback value, so most functions raise an error and the template fails. The parameter list of each function says what happens. If you set default, the function returns your value instead.

round(
    value: Any,
    precision: int = 0,
    method: str = "common",
    default: Any,
) -> float | int | Any

dictsort(
    value: dict,
    case_sensitive: bool = False,
    by: str = "key",
    reverse: bool = False,
) -> list[tuple]

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this filter.

Sort by value

Sort dictionary entries by their values instead of keys.

{{
  {"kitchen": 22.5, "bedroom": 19.8, "living_room": 21.3}
  | dictsort(by="value")
}}

[('bedroom', 19.8), ('living_room', 21.3), ('kitchen', 22.5)]

Reverse sort order

Sort in descending order to see the highest values first.

{{
  {"kitchen": 22.5, "bedroom": 19.8, "living_room": 21.3}
  | dictsort(by="value", reverse=true)
}}

[('kitchen', 22.5), ('living_room', 21.3), ('bedroom', 19.8)]

Good to know

• Returns a list of (key, value) tuples, not a dictionary. Access items with result[0][0] for the first key.
• Case-insensitive by default, which differs from sort. Pass case_sensitive=true to match exact case.
• Sorting mixed-type values (strings and numbers together) raises an error.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Settings > Tools > Template, paste the example into the Template editor, and watch the result update on the right. Edit the values to see how the function adapts to your own entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more].

More examples

Real scenarios where this function comes up in automations and templates. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Display sorted entity attributes

Sort and display all attributes of a sensor in alphabetical order.

{% for key, value in state_attr("sensor.weather", "forecast")[0] | dictsort %}
  {{ key }}: {{ value }}
{% endfor %}

condition: sunny
temperature: 24
wind_speed: 12

Find the warmest room

Sort a temperature mapping by value in descending order and pick the first entry.

{% set temps = {"Kitchen": 22.5, "Bedroom": 19.8, "Living room": 21.3} %}
{% set sorted = temps | dictsort(by="value", reverse=true) %}
The warmest room is {{ sorted[0][0] }} at {{ sorted[0][1] }}°C

The warmest room is Kitchen at 22.5°C

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with your template and expected result, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related template functions

These functions work well alongside this one:

• Sort a list: sort - Sorts the items in a list, with optional attribute-based and reverse sorting.

• Get dictionary key/value pairs: items - Returns the key/value pairs from a dictionary as a list of tuples.

• Group items by attribute: groupby - Groups a list of items by a common attribute, producing a list of (grouper, list) pairs.