Modifying AutoConnect so that you don't have to automatically load parameters

Using Arduino Programming Questions
#1

Hi,

Another post (sorry people).

I’m new to AutoConnect (and many things, to be honest!).

I have the following code :

#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include <ESP8266HTTPClient.h>
#define GET_CHIPID()  (ESP.getChipId())
#include <FS.h>
#include <PubSubClient.h>
#include <AutoConnect.h>

#include "DHT.h"

#define DHTPIN D6          // D3 was 0, was D2 on WeMos

#define DHTTYPE DHT11     // DHT 11

DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHTTYPE);

String t, h;

#define PARAM_FILE      "/param.json"
#define AUX_MQTTSETTING "/mqtt_setting"
#define AUX_MQTTSAVE    "/mqtt_save"
#define AUX_MQTTCLEAR   "/mqtt_clear"


typedef ESP8266WebServer  WiFiWebServer;

AutoConnect  portal;
AutoConnectConfig config;
WiFiClient   wifiClient;
PubSubClient mqttClient(wifiClient);

String  serverName;
String  channelId;
String  userKey;
String  apiKey;
String  apid;
String  hostName;
unsigned int  updateInterval = 0;
unsigned long lastPub = 0;

#define MQTT_USER_ID  "anyone"

bool mqttConnect() {
  static const char alphanum[] = "0123456789"
                                 "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
                                 "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";  // For random generation of client ID.
  char    clientId[9];

  uint8_t retry = 3;
  while (!mqttClient.connected()) {
    if (serverName.length() <= 0)
      break;

    mqttClient.setServer(serverName.c_str(), 1883);
    Serial.println(String("Attempting MQTT broker:") + serverName);

    for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
      clientId[i] = alphanum[random(62)];
    }
    clientId[8] = '\0';

    if (mqttClient.connect(clientId, MQTT_USER_ID, userKey.c_str())) {
      Serial.println("Established:" + String(clientId));
      return true;
    } else {
      Serial.println("Connection failed:" + String(mqttClient.state()));
      if (!--retry)
        break;
      delay(3000);
    }
  }
  return false;
}


void mqttPublish(String msg) {
String path = String("channels/") + channelId + String("/publish/") + apiKey;
mqttClient.publish(path.c_str(), msg.c_str());
}



int getStrength(uint8_t points) {
  uint8_t sc = points;
  long    rssi = 0;

  while (sc--) {
    rssi += WiFi.RSSI();
    delay(20);
  }
  return points ? static_cast<int>(rssi / points) : 0;
}

String loadParams(AutoConnectAux& aux, PageArgument& args) {
  (void)(args);
  File param = SPIFFS.open(PARAM_FILE, "r");
  if (param) {
    aux.loadElement(param);
    param.close();
  }
  else
    Serial.println(PARAM_FILE " open failed");
  return String("");
}

String saveParams(AutoConnectAux& aux, PageArgument& args) {
  serverName = args.arg("mqttserver");
  serverName.trim();

  channelId = args.arg("channelid");
  channelId.trim();
  
  userKey = args.arg("userkey");
  userKey.trim();
  
  apiKey = args.arg("apikey");
  apiKey.trim();
  
  String upd = args.arg("period");
  updateInterval = upd.substring(0, 2).toInt() * 1000;

  String uniqueid = args.arg("uniqueid");

  hostName = args.arg("hostname");
  hostName.trim();
  
  // The entered value is owned by AutoConnectAux of /mqtt_setting.
  // To retrieve the elements of /mqtt_setting, it is necessary to get
  // the AutoConnectAux object of /mqtt_setting.
  File param = SPIFFS.open(PARAM_FILE, "w");
  portal.aux("/mqtt_setting")->saveElement(param, { "mqttserver", "channelid", "userkey", "apikey", "period", "uniqueid", "hostname" });
  param.close();

  // Echo back saved parameters to AutoConnectAux page.
  AutoConnectText&  echo = aux["parameters"].as<AutoConnectText>();
  echo.value = "Server: " + serverName + "
";
  echo.value += "Channel ID: " + channelId + "
";
  echo.value += "User Key: " + userKey + "
";
  echo.value += "API Key: " + apiKey + "
";
  echo.value += "Update period: " + String(updateInterval / 1000) + " sec.
";
  echo.value += "Use APID unique: " + uniqueid + "
";
  echo.value += "ESP host name: " + hostName + "
";

  return String("");
}

void handleRoot() {
  String  content =
    "<html>"
    "<head>"
    "<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\">"
    "</head>"
    "<body>"
    "<iframe width=\"450\" height=\"260\" style=\"transform:scale(0.79);-o-transform:scale(0.79);-webkit-transform:scale(0.79);-moz-transform:scale(0.79);-ms-transform:scale(0.79);transform-origin:0 0;-o-transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0;-moz-transform-origin:0 0;-ms-transform-origin:0 0;border: 1px solid #cccccc;\" src=\"https://thingspeak.com/channels/454951/charts/1?bgcolor=%23ffffff&color=%23d62020&dynamic=true&type=line\"></iframe>"
    "<p style=\"padding-top:10px;text-align:center\">" AUTOCONNECT_LINK(COG_24) "</p>"
    "</body>"
    "</html>";

  WiFiWebServer&  webServer = portal.host();
  webServer.send(200, "text/html", content);
}

// Clear channel using Thingspeak's API.
void handleClearChannel() {
  HTTPClient  httpClient;
  WiFiClient  client;
  String  endpoint = serverName;
  endpoint.replace("mqtt", "api");
  String  delUrl = "http://" + endpoint + "/channels/" + channelId + "/feeds.json?api_key=" + userKey;

  Serial.print("DELETE " + delUrl);
  if (httpClient.begin(client, delUrl)) {
    Serial.print(":");
    int resCode = httpClient.sendRequest("DELETE");
    String  res = httpClient.getString();
    httpClient.end();
    Serial.println(String(resCode) + "," + res);
  }
  else
    Serial.println(" failed");

  // Returns the redirect response. The page is reloaded and its contents
  // are updated to the state after deletion.
  WiFiWebServer&  webServer = portal.host();
  webServer.sendHeader("Location", String("http://") + webServer.client().localIP().toString() + String("/"));
  webServer.send(302, "text/plain", "");
  webServer.client().flush();
  webServer.client().stop();
}

// Load AutoConnectAux JSON from SPIFFS.
bool loadAux(const String auxName) {
  bool  rc = false;
  String  fn = auxName + ".json";
  File fs = SPIFFS.open(fn.c_str(), "r");
  if (fs) {
    rc = portal.load(fs);
    fs.close();
  }
  else
    Serial.println("SPIFFS open failed: " + fn);
  return rc;
}

void setup() {
  delay(1000);
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial.println("Started DHT");
  dht.begin();
  Serial.println("API Key: " + String(apiKey));
  delay(1000);
  Serial.println();
  SPIFFS.begin();

  loadAux(AUX_MQTTSETTING);
  loadAux(AUX_MQTTSAVE);

  AutoConnectAux* setting = portal.aux(AUX_MQTTSETTING);
  if (setting) {
    PageArgument  args;
    AutoConnectAux& mqtt_setting = *setting;
    loadParams(mqtt_setting, args);
    AutoConnectCheckbox&  uniqueidElm = mqtt_setting["uniqueid"].as<AutoConnectCheckbox>();
    AutoConnectInput&     hostnameElm = mqtt_setting["hostname"].as<AutoConnectInput>();
    if (uniqueidElm.checked) {
      config.apid = String("ESP") + "-" + String(GET_CHIPID(), HEX);
      Serial.println("apid set to " + config.apid);
    }
    if (hostnameElm.value.length()) {
      config.hostName = hostnameElm.value;
      Serial.println("hostname set to " + config.hostName);
    }
    config.homeUri = "/";
    portal.config(config);

    portal.on(AUX_MQTTSETTING, loadParams);
    portal.on(AUX_MQTTSAVE, saveParams);
  }
  else
    Serial.println("aux. load error");

  Serial.print("WiFi ");
  if (portal.begin()) {
    config.bootUri = AC_ONBOOTURI_HOME;
    Serial.println("connected:" + WiFi.SSID());
    Serial.println("IP:" + WiFi.localIP().toString());
  } else {
    Serial.println("connection failed:" + String(WiFi.status()));
    while (1) {
      delay(100);
      yield();
    }
  }

  WiFiWebServer&  webServer = portal.host();
  webServer.on("/", handleRoot);
  webServer.on(AUX_MQTTCLEAR, handleClearChannel);
}

void loop() {

  h = (String)dht.readHumidity();
  t = (String)dht.readTemperature();

 
  
  portal.handleClient();
  if (updateInterval > 0) {
    if (millis() - lastPub > updateInterval) {
      if (!mqttClient.connected()) {
        mqttConnect();
      }

     
      String item = String("field1=") + String(getStrength(7));
      mqttPublish(item);
      mqttClient.loop();
      lastPub = millis();
    }
  }

Serial.println("API Key: " + String(apiKey));
Serial.println("Temperature: " + String(t));
Serial.println("Humidity: " + String(h));
delay(5000);
  
}
#2

9000 character limit, so posting question in reply.

Basically, the code works in such a way that the parameters are written and read to/from the SPIFFs file system.
Everything is functioning as expected, but the parameters are not read and active when you reset the device.

In order for the parameters to be read, and therefore active, you must do the following:

  • open up the IP address in a web browser
  • go to the MQTT settings page
  • click the Save&Start button

Ideally, I would like the parameters to be read and active after a reset WITHOUT the user interaction steps mentioned above. I'm sure someone has made appropriate changes so the AutoConnect functions this way without any end user action required when a device resets.

Any ideas ? :slight_smile:

Maybe if I take PageArgument args; outside of the following IF statement within the setup, the parameters might load ?

if (setting) {
PageArgument args;
AutoConnectAux& mqtt_setting = *setting;
loadParams(mqtt_setting, args);

#3

I’ve never used Thingspeak so I have no clue how it works.
I’ve also never used SPIFFS I/O.

But it sounds like you just want to save parameters between reboots.

I use the EEprom to save my parameters. Here is the function for that. (I think it’s unique to the ESP8266).

// From https://playground.arduino.cc/Code/EEPROMWriteAnything/
#include <EEPROM.h>
#include <Arduino.h>  // for type definitions

template <class T> int EEPROM_writeAnything(int ee, const T& value)
{
    const byte* p = (const byte*)(const void*)&value;
    unsigned int i;
    for (i = 0; i < sizeof(value); i++)
          EEPROM.write(ee++, *p++);
    return i;
}

template <class T> int EEPROM_readAnything(int ee, T& value)
{
    byte* p = (byte*)(void*)&value;
    unsigned int i;
    for (i = 0; i < sizeof(value); i++)
          *p++ = EEPROM.read(ee++);
    return i;
}

Also, in my experience,

     if (!mqttClient.connected()) {
        mqttConnect();
      }

should be at the top of the loop. Not inside another if() statement.

#4