standard wifi communication between ESP8266 using Arduino WIFI Library

Projects Networking, Protocols, and Devices
1

I'm trying to get two ESPs to communicate with each other using the below code in a client / server format using the Arduino WIFI library. Essentially, what I want is something like the below conversation:

client: Server are you there?
server: I'm here
server: Send me Temp Reading
client: Temp reading - 72 degree F
server: do something
client: done

I've been able to read the first line printed to the server from the client, but the second line doesn't come through. The line printed or written by the server to the client doesn't seem to work either. I'm certain it is either something I don't understand about how wifi comm works or something about the syntax that I'm not grasping.

I'm only posting the void loop code, as the remainder of the code works just fine from what I can tell. I've tried modifying the code in dozens of different setups (adding delays in different locations, flushing, stopping and reconnecting, etc.) based on research on the topic, but I'm missing something.

CLIENT SIDE

void loop () {
  digitalWrite(ledPin,LOW);
  client.connect(server, 80);   // Connection to the server
  Serial.println(".");
  
//to server
  client.println("1\r");  // sends the message to the server

//from server
  String answer = client.readStringUntil('\r');
  
//to server
  client.flush();
  delay(5000);
  client.println("2\r");
  digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
  delay(2000);                  // client will trigger the communication after two seconds


}

SERVER SIDE

void loop () {
  WiFiClient client = server.available();

  if (client){
    while (client.connected()) {
      if (client.available()>0){
      digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);  // to show the communication only (inverted logic)
      Serial.println(".");
      
      //to server
      String request = client.readStringUntil('\r');    // receives the message from the client
      Serial.println(request);

      //................................................
      if (request == "1") {
          Serial.print("Client Sending Temp: Acknowledged"); Serial.println(request);        
      } else {
          Serial.print("Client Sending Temp: Failed"); Serial.println(request);
      }
      server.write("Send Temp Reading");
      //................................................
      if (request == "2") {        
          Serial.print("From client 2.2: "); Serial.println(request);
          digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
      } else {
          Serial.print("From client 2.1: "); Serial.println(request);
      }

      //................................................
      client.flush();
      client.stop();                // terminates the connection with the client
      }
    }
  }
}

In the serial monitor all I get back is:

.
1
Client Sending Temp: Acknowledged1 (this is reading the first line from the client)
From client 2.1: 1 (this is acknowledging that the second line isn't reading).

This just repeats over and over again.

2

I’m beginning to think I need to write separate void f(x) to process the information and keep the timing right and start the replies with different characters in order to delimit the functions on the server side. Something like the following:

Client side
Void read serverrequest()
Void send reply()
Void read servercommand()
Void dosomething()

I thought that I would be able to take care of that all in one loop function, but it appears that that may not be possible since it only seems to read one command each time.

Does anyone have any suggested reading?