How to use the 'node_helper', 'serialport'

[sdetweil]

@nhpunch there are two parts of a MagicMirror module

1. node_helper, runs on server, can use require(…some other library…)
2. module_name.js, runs in browser, manages data presented on screen, cannot use require(…)

so, the two parts can talk to each other by sending socket messages, using the supplied function
sendSocketNotification(some_id_string, some_data_packet)

the receiver of the message gets called at the function socketNotificationReceived(some_id_string, some_data_packet)

get my sample module that has both parts, and uses timer,

https://github.com/sdetweil/SampleModule

also see the developers doc here

https://github.com/MichMich/MagicMirror/tree/master/modules

my sample implements all the functions so you can see them…
not all are needed… so u can comment out the ones u don’t need to use

config for my sample, to add to config.js is

  {
    module: "SampleModule",
    position: "center",
    config: {
      message: "this is a test from config entry"
    }
  },

[nhpunch]

@sdetweil

I was really grateful and ran the sample code.

But I do not know what to send as a module to do what I want.

Can you help me with my module and node_helper?

[sdetweil]

@nhpunch sorry, i don’t understand

[sdetweil]

@sdetweil you make up your own messages…

so, you have a push button on the screen (done by module_name,js)… when push button,
send button name and 1 to node helper… when it gets 1, it uses serial port to send to arduino.

when u let up on button , you send 0…

write out what you WANT the system to do… (design)

then implement THAT design

[nhpunch]

@sdetweil

I’m doing what you said, but I do not know how to send it to the node_helper when the button is pressed.

I’m so sorry.

[sdetweil]

@nhpunch this.sendSocketNotification(…,…)

from the doc

this.sendSocketNotification(notification, payload)

notification String - The notification identifier.
payload AnyType - Optional. A notification payload.

If you want to send a notification to the node_helper, use the sendSocketNotification(notification, payload). Only the node_helper of this module will receive the socket notification.

Example:

this.sendSocketNotification('SET_CONFIG', this.config);

you’ll see in the sample that this is used twice… once by the module_name.js to send the config over to the node_helper and once by the node_helper to send a new text string to the module_name.js to display

its also used in your module, from the first post above

  start: function () {
    Log.info("Starting module: " + this.name);
    this.sendSocketNotification('CONFIG', this.config)
  },

[nhpunch]

@sdetweil

I did my best, but I did not succeed.

I’m a real idiot.

Can you take a look at my code?

[sdetweil]

@nhpunch sure. Make a GitHub repo, and let me know

[nhpunch]

https://github.com/nhpunch/sohard

I created ‘is_Pushed’ and tried to work by repeating false, true when the button was pressed

[sdetweil]

@nhpunch said in How to use the 'node_helper', 'serialport':

https://github.com/nhpunch/sohard

Ok, the fundamental problem is what happens in getDom()…

until getDom() returns this modules contribution to the single web page… that content is NOT IN the DOM… It is just in memory in your module.

so the jquery $(button) will not work. ($ means document.) and the content is NOT IN the document… (yet)

SO, you could change to use the non jquery

button.addEventListener('click', ()=> {
   	
   	//$(button).on("click", function(){
   		if(self.hidden){
   		//	$(overlay).fadeIn(1000);
   		//	$(button).fadeTo(1000, 0.3);
   		//	$(text).html('OFF');
                               Log.log("button pushed 'on' ")
   			self.hidden = false;  
   			self._isPushed = false;
   		}else{
   		//	$(overlay).fadeOut(1000);
   		//	$(button).fadeTo(1000, 1);  
   		//	$(text).html('ON');
                               Log.log("button pushed 'off' ")
   			self.hidden = true;
   			self._isPushed = true;
   		}
   	});
   	return wrapper;

but… all the data elements button, overlay and text will be long gone by the time the button is pushed.
so you will have to redesign finding them again (document.getElementByID()… or something, a different jquery selector.)

OR

you can push the jquery code off into a timeout handler (wait a second or 2)…
but you will still have to redesign how to find the button… as its data element on the stack of getDom() will be long gone.

think of getDom() as a person taking notes… they write it down on their notepad.
then LATER they edit a big document and add their text…

until they complete that task, you can search thru the big document all u want, the text will NOT be there…

when I used the sample above, the button responded…

u know you can open the developers window (npm start dev) and select the console window,
and messages from the module_name.js will show there

message from the node_helper will appear in the terminal window where u issued npm start dev & (note the & at the end to allow the prompt to come back)…