I also tried another variant, but that failed too:

    radarPing: function() {
        console.log("ENTER (inside)");
        try {
            var ping = radar(-8.20917,114.62177,-9.28715,115.71243); 
            ping.then({
            return ping;
            //...
            });
            console.log("GOT DATA: ", ping);
            //return await ping;
        } catch(error) {
            console.log("API ERROR: ", error);
        }
        //return "None";
        console.log("EXIT (inside)");
    },

    readData: function() {
        var radarData = "";
        radarData = this.radarPing;
        console.log("The DATA:\n" + radarData);
...

@Mykle1 said in How to best process an [object Promise]?:

@ninjabreadman said in How to best process an [object Promise]?:

automagically

Absolutely the best term I have heard to date. :-)

:) Especially in this context! I’m only now starting to understand why it’s called a magic mirror… Whatever you guys manage to create, it seem to have been done by development magic…

But, anyway, my problem is surely just a lack of conceptual and technical knowledge.

In my node_helper.js I was tryign to do this:

const NodeHelper = require("node_helper");
const fs = require('fs');
const async = require('async');
const radar = require('radar-api'); // This API return improper JSON

module.exports = NodeHelper.create({
...
    async function radarPing() {
        console.log("ENTER (inside)");
        try {
            const ping = await radar(-8.20917,114.62177,-9.28715,115.71243);
            console.log("GOT DATA: ", await ping);
            return await ping;
        } catch(error) {
            console.log("API ERROR: ", error);
        }
        //return "None";
        console.log("EXIT (inside)");
    },

    readData: function() {
        var radarData = "";
        radarData = radarPing();
        console.log("The DATA:\n" + radarData);
...

but that ended up with some weird errors, like:

            const ping = await radar(-8.20917,114.62177,-9.28715,115.71243); 
                               ^^^^^
SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier
    at Object.exports.runInThisContext (vm.js:76:16)
    at Module._compile (module.js:528:28)

Since, I’ve only started to learn about Promises, sync/await, just 2 days ago, I must be missing a lot. Because all the examples I’ve seen, are using more or less this way of writing.

So how the eeek do I make sure that what is returned by the api/poll function, is actual data and not an [object Promise], and how can I handle the Promise { } that is returned in advance?

I’m overwhelmed…

@tbbear Hi! Thank you, but that is quite an extensive code. Can you pinpoint where you do this?

Maybe this one ?

@morso IDK how old is your MM that was working, but now you need to go to: ~/MagicMirror/installers/ and run the mm.sh script with pm2. I use an alias for this:

alias mm2='cd $HOME/MagicMirror/installers/; pm2 flush; pm2 start mm.sh && cd $OLDPWD'

with:

$ cat ~/MagicMirror/installers/mm.sh
cd ~/MagicMirror
DISPLAY=:0 npm start

I have an API that is returning a JSON object as an [object Promise]. At first I was completely cluless to what this was. I now understand it’s because the API is using some asynchronous function to obtain and present the data. I have spent the last day or two to reading up about this. In particular about Promises, async/await, fetch/catch, and even Generators.

But since I’m completely new to this kind of JS programming, I’m rather overwhelmed by the various kinds of methods used for doing this. I could need a small hint of guidance for what to look into. Basically a super simple crash-course to get people like me started in the framework of MM modules. In addition, I’ve read that even seasoned developers get this wrong regularly.

What I think I need to add in my node_helper is:

• read the config file to get an option to be used in the API call
• make the promised API call
• wait for correct JSON response from API call
• push JSON to MMM-module

All the above need to be repeated on a regular interval. (I’m not sure this “polling” need to be implemented separately here, or if the MM config.js reload mechanism is enough.

What is the simplest method to implement that?
I’d love to hear from what you guys think.

PS. I’ve read that async/await is syntactically simpler to use.

@strawberry-3.141 Oh!? That is funny, because I removed it, and there is no change in anything, module ran fine without it. Perhaps because I’m not using most of the content from that file, while the rest is already defined?

From here:

ECONNREFUSED (Connection refused): No connection could be made because the target machine 
actively refused it. This usually results from trying to connect to a service that is inactive on the 
foreign host.

It is not, and should not, AFAICT.

I see a lot of people putting: const NodeHelper = require("node_helper"); in their node_helper.js file. Is this right or even necessary?

It doesn’t make much sense to state that a file require itself! And if it is referring to MM’s internal node_helper, then shouldn’t the MM core be made to recognize this by itself?

I’m asking, because doing that, make your npm-check always complain about node_helper not being installed or missing.

@toh1000 Please post JSON response. I just spent a day trying to figure out why MM is so fickly regarding non-perfect JSON being sent over the socket. Loading JSON from a variable, just fine. Pushing the exact same JSON over a socket…had problems.

BTW. Is it correct that it says your JSON is GZIP encoded, no??

@vintage89 Please post the link to that guide… Thx

It would be useful and nice to have a light module that can display colored ANSI xterm shell output.
This would be particularly useful when running shell programs that is using terminal as its primary output.

I therefore propose to develop (unless already done?) a module called something like: MMM-Xterm for this purpose.

What are your thoughts?

[card:E3V3A/MMM-Tabulator]

Hi Guys!
I have finally completed my first module to demonstrate the use of Tabulator. Tabulator is an extremely flexible library to convert CSV, XML and JSON data into dynamic HTML tables.

• No more DOM writing
• No more HTML clutter
• Easy data modification, sorting and theming

In my MMM-Tabulator repo, there are two different versions, showing the same data.

1. In the native MagicMirror environment (and over server) and
2. Directly by loading embedded JSON via HTML from demo.html.

Cheers,
E:V:A

@raywo It’s now working and I’ve pushed all updates to repo. :)
My first module…that does nothing. :D

@raywo Hi Ray! Fantastic!! I just had a look at running your PR, and it works great! I also commented on the PR and the working Module will be pushed and ready in the next day or two. I was so close to giving up on this, so I am extremely grateful and in beer/food/wine debt to you. Thank you!

@ninjabreadman Fantastic! Again, the best explanation I’ve heard! I love that juice analogy!

Thank you so much for having patience with all my dumb questions. Surely a lot of them are trivial to most developers. (If you’re a moderator, feel free to mark this as solved.)

@ninjabreadman Aah! Finally. Thank you. That is the most sensible explanation I’ve seen.
(If you’re a moderator, please mark this as closed/solved.)

@yawns I must be blind!?

I keep on seeing people adding their own functions in their MMM-Module.js.
Some people write:

  updateDomIfNeeded: function() {
  ...
  }

while others prefer to just write:

myfunction() {
...
}

What is the difference to MM, if any?