Tutorials or Overview for Module Dev?

[nbrenn]

I am looking to develop a module for my Mirror, for an Energy Monitor (SiteSage E-Monitor), and I have found the API specification that provides all of the information regarding the methods for the API.

I was wondering if there exists a general overview of how to take the API methods that are outlined in the company’s specification, and turn it into a Module.

From my high-level understanding, here is what I need to develop:

• E-MonitorConfig.js
• E-MonitorStyling.css --> which takes the data from the API call and turns it into the visualization for the magic mirror.

Is there any general documentation or any high-level guidelines that I may be missing as I embark on this journey?

[nigel-daniels]

@nbrenn I found it really useful to find a module someone had already written and look at that as an example. I’ve now written a few simple modules that just pull data from web service and display it on screen. Feel free to fork any of them and pull them apart for ideas, the one I just submitted (MMM-AirNow) is pretty basic.

[strawberry 3.141]

here is the documentation https://github.com/MichMich/MagicMirror/tree/master/modules

[yawns]

I’d like to jump in as well.
How do you decide if a node_helper is required or if the module itself is sufficient? Is there any benefit or downside if you choose one way or the other?

[strawberry 3.141]

@yawns I create only a node_helper if I need to use a npm dependency

[nbrenn]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

The E-Monitor API specification has a listing of the supported API methods (page 3), like authenticate, deauthenticate, getCurrentData and so on.

Aside from Module.register, getStyles, start: function(), and getDom, are these methods listed in the API specification the ones that I will use as functions in my code? For example:

Module.resgister ("MMM-Emonitor.js", {
},

getStyles: function() {
},

start: function() {
},

getDom: function() {
},

 // And then the EMonitor methods below:
authenticate: function() { 
}

deauthenticate: function() {
}

getCurrentData: function() {
}

//... and so on down the list of the supported API methods