MMM-MealViewer

gonzonia

The module works great on the initial load. The problem is that it doesn’t seem to be updating. After 12pm it’s supposed to start showing the next days meals but doesn’t. Even the next day it doesn’t update. I’ll try to dig into the core aspects of developing a module and see if I can find out why, but if anyone with more experience has any ideas where I should start looking I’d appreciate it.

gonzonia

Okay. I’ve identified the problem. In the code below, everything gets setup in the “start” function. Then it calls getMenuData. That function ends by setting up a timer to call itself but isn’t supplying the object necessary. This means it won’t work. If I add the _this object to pass it causes all sorts of problems.
I’m not a js expert. I’m sure a way to re-factor this will eventually occur to me, but right now I’m just not seeing it.

start:  function() {
    Log.log('Starting module: ' + this.name);

    // Set up the local values
    var today = moment();
    this.loaded = false;
    this.urls = [];
    this.results = [];

    // Uses now are today if before noon and tomorrow as today if after noon
    if (today.hour() >= 12) {
      var todayFormatted = today.add(1, 'day').format('MM-DD-YYYY');
    }
    else {
      var todayFormatted = today.format('MM-DD-YYYY');
    }

    // Currently set to only pull one day's data so endDayFormatted = todayFormatted
    //var endDay = today.add(config.showDays, 'days');
    //var endDayFormatted = endDay.format('MM-DD-YYYY');
    var endDayFormatted = todayFormatted;

    // Construct the url array for the schools
    for (var i in this.config.schools) {
			this.urls.push({school: this.config.schools[i], url: 'https://api.mealviewer.com/api/v4/school/' + this.config.schools[i] + '/' + todayFormatted + '/' + endDayFormatted + '/'});
    }

    // Trigger the first request
    this.getMenuData(this);
  },

  getMenuData: function(_this) {
    // Make the initial request to the helper then set up the timer to perform the updates
    _this.sendSocketNotification('GET-MENU-DATA', _this.urls);
    setTimeout(_this.getMenuData(), _this.config.interval, _this);
  },

sdetweil

@gonzonia said in MMM-MealViewer:

getMenuData: function(_this) {
// Make the initial request to the helper then set up the timer to perform the updates
_this.sendSocketNotification(‘GET-MENU-DATA’, _this.urls);
setTimeout(_this.getMenuData(), _this.config.interval, _this);
},

do this

 getMenuData: function(_this) {
    // Make the initial request to the helper then set up the timer to perform the updates
    _this.sendSocketNotification('GET-MENU-DATA', _this.urls);
    setTimeout(function() {_this.getMenuData(_this)}, _this.config.interval);
  },

this creates a little inline function which CAN pass parms on to the next routine

gonzonia

@sdetweil Thanks! I’ll make the change and see what happens when it should update mid-day tomorrow.

cowboysdude

Or you could do this:

scheduleUpdate: function() {
       setInterval(() => {
           this.getMenuData();
       }, this.config.updateInterval); 
   },
    getMenuData: function() {
       this.sendSocketNotification('GET-MENU-DATA');
   }

At the top of the main js you set the interval:

updateInterval: 15 * 60 * 1000,

Then in the start section you call it:

// Define start sequence.
   start: function() {
       Log.info("Starting module: " + this.name); 
       this.scheduleUpdate();
   },

Either the way Sam showed you or the above will work :)

gonzonia

@cowboysdude Thanks! I might switch to that. I’ve had to rework it a little because the URL wasn’t getting set except at the first call. I just moved setup for that into the getMenuData and I think it’s all working now. I’ll give it a day to run and see what happens tomorrow before I try messing with it again and update the file on github.

-updated to fix grammar

cowboysdude

Sam is a REALLY smart guy so he gives you the smart guy answer…
I’m not as smart so I give you my dumb guy answer LOL

It will work either way … so now you def have an answer that works :)

sdetweil

@cowboysdude said in MMM-MealViewer:

Sam is a REALLY smart guy so he gives you the smart guy answer

nah, Sam is the LAZY guy… change as LITTLE as possible. especially for folks just starting out

gonzonia

Well, thanks to both of you! I can confirm it is finally working.

Now to update github. Someday I should write some documentation too.

htilburgs

@cowboysdude, I’m looking for the part where you “change” the XML data to JSON data. I’m trying to write a new MMM, but the data is presented in XML. I like the have it in JSON, so I can use it.

Maybe I read over it, but I cannot figure out where you do this.

sdetweil

@htilburgs there are a few xml to json modules

https://www.npmjs.com/package/xml2js

google search
‘nodejs xmltojson’

here is one with a just code, no extra libs

https://davidwalsh.name/convert-xml-json

htilburgs

@sdetweil , I’ve found them, but I don’t know how to use it in combination with the URL that creates the XML.

Indeed the last one with no extra libs looks promising. I tried to simply add this in the node_helper.js but getting stuck at how to use it.
I’ve looked into all the MMM Modules but cannot seem to find an example.

sdetweil

@htilburgs the url bring back the data with request

request(url, function(err, res, body) {
    // if no error and server was happy
    if(err == null && res.statusCode ==200){
    console.log(body);
    var json_data=this.xmlToJson(body)
    console.log("Speed[0] text is "+json_data.SD[0].SPEED.@attributes.TEXT)
}
});

when the server responds, the function is called and passed the data, body)
and then u would convert it from xml to json . using the last code

var json_data=this.xmlToJson(body)

then the json is accessed with the normal structure notation
(using the sample with the code in the last link)

json_data.SD[0].SPEED.@attributes.TEXT will be ‘1421’

SD is an array (multiple of same xml tags)

a little ugly in the data layour, could get rid of the @attributes thing with a small code change

htilburgs

So in my case the URL produces:

0_1576260496007_7fa5a24c-528a-4697-9557-2a9058df2860-image.png image url)

json_data.SD[0].SPEED@attributes.TEXT will be:

json.data.film[0].titel    --> 'Bellicher: Cel'

Correct?

sdetweil

@htilburgs correct (json_data is the name of the output variable, note underscore, not dot, using dot means ‘go into’) … if you use one of the module add ons… not the code shown…

sdetweil

@htilburgs and the number of films in the array would be

json_data.film.length

using the developers window you can put a code stop on the line after the xml2json
and then u can explore the conversion…

you can also use console.log(JSON.stringify(some_object)) and it will dump the structure in json format

htilburgs

Mmmm… not working yet…
My current node_helper.js:

const NodeHelper = require('node_helper');
const request = require('request');

module.exports = NodeHelper.create({

    start: function() {
        console.log("Starting node_helper for: " + this.name);
    },
	
	// Changes XML to JSON
	xmlToJson: function(xml) {
		
		// Create the return object
		var obj = {};

		if (xml.nodeType == 1) { // element
			// do attributes
			if (xml.attributes.length > 0) {
			obj["@attributes"] = {};
				for (var j = 0; j < xml.attributes.length; j++) {
					var attribute = xml.attributes.item(j);
					obj["@attributes"][attribute.nodeName] = attribute.nodeValue;
				}
			}
		} else if (xml.nodeType == 3) { // text
			obj = xml.nodeValue;
		}

		// do children
		if (xml.hasChildNodes()) {
			for(var i = 0; i < xml.childNodes.length; i++) {
				var item = xml.childNodes.item(i);
				var nodeName = item.nodeName;
				if (typeof(obj[nodeName]) == "undefined") {
					obj[nodeName] = xmlToJson(item);
				} else {
					if (typeof(obj[nodeName].push) == "undefined") {
						var old = obj[nodeName];
						obj[nodeName] = [];
						obj[nodeName].push(old);
					}
					obj[nodeName].push(xmlToJson(item));
				}
			}
		}
		return obj;
	},
		
	
	getMTVM: function(url) {
		request(url, function(err, res, body) {
		// if no error and server was happy
			if(err == null && res.statusCode ==200){
			console.log(body);
			var json_data = this.xmlToJson(body)
			console.log("Text is " + json_data.film[0].titel)
			}
		});
	},


    socketNotificationReceived: function(notification, payload) {
        if (notification === 'GET_MTVM') {
            this.getMTVM(payload);
        }
    }
});

In the dev console I get an error:

Whoops! There was an uncaught exception...
TypeError: this.xmlToJson is not a function

sdetweil

@htilburgs ah the fun of ‘this’…

	getMTVM: function(url) {
               let self=this
		request(url, function(err, res, body) {
		        // if no error and server was happy
			if(err == null && res.statusCode ==200){
			   console.log(body);
			   var json_data = self.xmlToJson(body)
			   console.log("Text is " + json_data.film[0].titel)
			}
		});
	},

htilburgs

@sdetweil Yeah! That part is working. Now I’ve an other error which has something to do with the xmlToJson function:

Whoops! There was an uncaught exception...
TypeError: xml.hasChildNodes is not a function

Any idea?

sdetweil

@htilburgs yeh, tricky crap… they had a special runtime that supported that… sorry…
have to use one of the libs…

in your module folder do

npm install xml2js

then in your code

const xml2js = require('xml2js');

then

getMTVM: function(url) {
               let self=this
		request(url, function(err, res, body) {
		        // if no error and server was happy
			if(err == null && res.statusCode ==200){
			   console.log(body);
			   xml2js.parseString(body,function (err,result) {
			       let json_data = result // not needed but may make more clear
			       console.log("Text is " + json_data.film[0].titel)			   
			   });		   
			}
		});
	},