OH2 database or files

[MrBoggi (Morten Bogetvedt)]

Hi

I’m currently going over to Openhab2 from Homeseer. I have a simple question and would like to know if I should go for using database (PaperUI) or files (.things, .items and so on). As far as I understand, not everything is supported in PaperUI yet but I like the idea of everything stored in a database. So what is YOUR toughts and experience on the topic.

//Morten

[astrnad (Alexander Strnad)]

Hi,

i’m keeping things configured in PaperUI in the database, but take the item configuration into files. My reason is simple: Since not all bindings have moved to 2.0 (or maybe never will), not everything is a thing and configuration has to be done in items files anyways.
So instead of having two places to configure items (via channels or by hand) i’m just having one place (my items directory). That also means (for me) that after configuring a Thing via UI, i need to remove the items and channel links and redo them on file-basis - but i can live with that.

[jaydee73 (Stefan)]

@astrnad

i need to remove the items and channel links

You don’t need to do this every time if you deactive “Simple mode” in the PaperUI. Then no items and links are created automatically.

Other than that, I think most of us go this way: Things in DB using PaperUI, items and sitemap file based.

[mikalauskas (Ruslan Mikalauskas)]

I’m using everything in files: install addons via cfg, some settings in runtime.cfg, things, items etc. It’s easy and fast to restore from backup or do fresh install.

[ThomDietrich]

My recommendation for now would be to do basic configuration of openHAB and installation of bindings through PaperUI but definiton of things, items, rules and sitemaps in configuration files. The reasons are the ones @astrnad already mentioned. Please also check:

Recommended way to backup/restore OH2 configurations and things?

After reading through most of the previous answers I want to emphasize this statement. Seems like there is a very common misconception among new openHAB2 users. PaperUI is not needed to accomplish what you want to do with openHAB2! After having my initial difficulties I completely abandoned PaperUI from my personal workflow and am 100% relying on conf files in my OH2 setup. The PaperUI is just one way of interacting with the openHAB 2 core system. Configure your bindings in addons.cfg, service…

[astrnad (Alexander Strnad)]

@jaydee73

You don’t need to do this every time if you deactive “Simple mode” in the PaperUI. Then no items and links are created automatically.

Sorry, that was misleading indeed - in a moment of enthusiasm i not only discovered my ZWave things via PaperUI, but also created channel-item links (and thus items implicitly), actually having disabled Simple Mode already when i installed openHABian (Kudos to @ThomDietrich ) on a Raspberry PI3.

Nevertheless, i second having everything but basic configuration in files UNTIL PaperUI (or any other UI for that matter) offer more configuration possibilities for non-techie guys AND IT Pros all the same.

[MrBoggi (Morten Bogetvedt)]

It seems like the best way is to add things in PaperUI and items in files. If I decide to not have things in paperUI, how can i see what “channels” i can link my items to?

[ThomDietrich]

the respective binding README under docs.openhab.org

[AndrewFG (Andrew Fiddian-Green)]

I have a mix of v1 and v2 bindings because some of my equipment does not yet have v2 bindings for them. I would like to handle my whole system configuration in a consistent way across all binding types so I would like to use the files method for all.

So is there some way to “export” items that I have already created via PaperUI in the database into an external file instead? E.g. by exporting the database entries into a file, or by copy/paste?