Store user input from serial monitor

Hello,

I'm having a hard time storing user input from the serial monitor. I have a data logging program in which the user begins the program by inputting a file name into the serial monitor. I can input the filename and the code runs just fine for everything else, but when I try to print the filename I entered nothing shows up. Here is the relevant code:

#define FILENAME_SIZE 15
  char filename[FILENAME_SIZE];
  char inChar=-1; // Where to store the character read
  byte index = 0; // Index into array; where to store the character
  if (Serial.available() > 0) // Don't read unless
                                   // there you know there is data
    {
        if(index < FILENAME_SIZE) // One less than the size of the array
        {
            inChar = Serial.read(); // Read a character
            filename[index] = inChar; // Store it
            index++; // Increment where to write next
            filename[index] = '\0'; // Null terminate the string
        }
        
    } 
    Serial.println(filename);

Any advice? Pretty new to C++ and Arduinos in general, and this is my last problem before this code works fine. Thanks! The code is (as you probably know) literally cut and pasted from other forum results for this very topic, but since Serial.println(filename) shows nothing, I'm skeptical that it is working.

You seem to think that you can create a new array for the file name on every pass through loop(), and that, somehow, magically, the entire file name will arrive at once. Boy, have I got news for you.

best to post the whole code in this case.

char filename[FILENAME_SIZE];

This needs to be at global scope otherwise it is destroyed at the bottom of loop() and recreated again each pass through.

Delta_G:

Delta_G:

char filename[FILENAME_SIZE];

This needs to be at global scope otherwise it is destroyed at the bottom of loop() and recreated again each pass through.

Thanks, I have changed this in my code...I was curious about this, but still very new to debugging in C++/with an arduino, so wasn't sure how to check it.

mistergreen:

Here is the full code. This is using an example from the ChibiOS as a backbone. The idea is to collect digital inputs from 6 IR beams every 2ms and record whether they are tripped or not. I have been debugging via the serial monitor, so the code for writing to the SD card is commented out/converted from file.print to Serial.print.

// Data logger based on a FIFO to decouple SD write latency from data
// acquisition timing.
//
// The FIFO uses two semaphores to synchronize between tasks.

#include <ChibiOS_AVR.h>
#include <SdFat.h>
//
// interval between points in units of 1024 usec
const uint16_t intervalTicks = 2;
#define FILENAME_SIZE 15
char filename[FILENAME_SIZE];
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// SD file definitions
//const uint8_t sdChipSelect = SS;
//SdFat sd;
//SdFile file;
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Fifo definitions

// size of fifo in records
const size_t FIFO_SIZE = 50;
#define runTime 1000 //Run time in milliseconds
// count of data records in fifo
SEMAPHORE_DECL(fifoData, 0);

// count of free buffers in fifo
SEMAPHORE_DECL(fifoSpace, FIFO_SIZE);

// data type for fifo item
struct FifoItem_t {
  uint32_t usec;
  int value;
  int value2;
  int value3;
  int value4;
  int value5;
  int value6;
  int error;

  #define IR1 4
  #define IR2 5
  #define IR3 6
  #define IR4 7
  #define IR5 8
  #define IR6 9
};
// array of data items
FifoItem_t fifoArray[FIFO_SIZE];
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Declare a stack with 32 bytes beyond task switch and interrupt needs.
static WORKING_AREA(waThread1, 32);

static msg_t Thread1(void *arg) {
  // index of record to be filled
  size_t fifoHead = 0;

  // count of overrun errors
  int error = 0;

  // dummy data
  int count = 0;

  while (1) {
    chThdSleep(intervalTicks);
    // get a buffer
    if (chSemWaitTimeout(&fifoSpace, TIME_IMMEDIATE) != RDY_OK) {
      // fifo full indicate missed point
      error++;
      continue;
    }
    FifoItem_t* p = &fifoArray[fifoHead];
    FifoItem_t* p2 = &fifoArray[fifoHead];
    FifoItem_t* p3 = &fifoArray[fifoHead];
    FifoItem_t* p4 = &fifoArray[fifoHead];
    FifoItem_t* p5 = &fifoArray[fifoHead];
    FifoItem_t* p6 = &fifoArray[fifoHead];
    p->usec = micros();
    p2->usec = micros();
    p3->usec = micros();
    p4->usec = micros();
    p5->usec = micros();
    p6->usec = micros();

    // replace next line with data read from sensor such as
    // p->value = analogRead(0);
    p->value = digitalRead(IR1);
    p2->value2 = digitalRead(IR2);
    p3->value3 = digitalRead(IR3);
    p4->value4 = digitalRead(IR4);
    p5->value5 = digitalRead(IR5);
    p6->value6 = digitalRead(IR6);
    p->error = error;
    error = 0;

    // signal new data
    chSemSignal(&fifoData);

    // advance FIFO index
    fifoHead = fifoHead < (FIFO_SIZE - 1) ? fifoHead + 1 : 0;
  }
  return 0;
}
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
void setup() {
  char inChar=-1; // Where to store the character read
  byte index = 0; // Index into array; where to store the character
  Serial.begin(115200);
  pinMode(IR1, INPUT);
  digitalWrite(IR1, HIGH);
  pinMode(IR2, INPUT);
  digitalWrite(IR2, HIGH);
  pinMode(IR3, INPUT);
  digitalWrite(IR3, HIGH);
  pinMode(IR4, INPUT);
  digitalWrite(IR4, HIGH);
  pinMode(IR5, INPUT);
  digitalWrite(IR5, HIGH);
  pinMode(IR6, INPUT);
  digitalWrite(IR6, HIGH);
  // wait for USB Serial
  
  while (!Serial) {}
  // Read Mouse name from serial
  Serial.println(F("Input mouse name"));
  if (Serial.available() > 0) // Don't read unless
                                   // there you know there is data
    {
        if(index < 15) // One less than the size of the array
        {
            inChar = Serial.read(); // Read a character
            filename[index] = inChar; // Store it
            index++; // Increment where to write next
            filename[index] = '\0'; // Null terminate the string
        }
        
    } 
    Serial.println(filename);
  while (!Serial.available());

  // open file
  //  if (!sd.begin(sdChipSelect)
  //    || !file.open(filename, O_CREAT | O_WRITE | O_TRUNC)) {
  //    Serial.println(F("SD problem"));
  //    sd.errorHalt();
  //  }
  
  // start kernel
  chBegin(mainThread);
  while (1);
}
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// main thread runs at NORMALPRIO
void mainThread() {
  // FIFO index for record to be written
  size_t fifoTail = 0;
//  unsigned long currTime = millis();
  
  
  
  // time in micros of last point
  uint32_t last = 0;

  // remember errors
  bool overrunError = false;

  // start producer thread
  chThdCreateStatic(waThread1, sizeof(waThread1), NORMALPRIO + 1, Thread1, NULL);
  
  // start SD write loop
  
  while(millis() < runTime) {
    // wait for next data point
    chSemWait(&fifoData);

    FifoItem_t* p = &fifoArray[fifoTail];
    FifoItem_t* p2 = &fifoArray[fifoTail];
    FifoItem_t* p3 = &fifoArray[fifoTail];
    FifoItem_t* p4 = &fifoArray[fifoTail];
    FifoItem_t* p5 = &fifoArray[fifoTail];
    FifoItem_t* p6 = &fifoArray[fifoTail];
    if (fifoTail >= FIFO_SIZE) fifoTail = 0;

    // print interval between points
    if (last) {
      Serial.print(p->usec - last);
    } else {
      Serial.write("NA");
    }
    last = p->usec;
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.print(p->value);
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.print(p2->value2);
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.print(p3->value3);
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.print(p4->value4);
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.print(p5->value5);
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.print(p6->value6);
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.print(p->error);
    Serial.write(',');
    Serial.println(millis());
    // remember error
    if (p->error) overrunError = true;

    // release record
    chSemSignal(&fifoSpace);

    // advance FIFO index
    fifoTail = fifoTail < (FIFO_SIZE - 1) ? fifoTail + 1 : 0;
//    currTime = currTime + millis();
  }
  // close file, print stats and stop
  //  file.close();
  Serial.println(F("Done"));
  Serial.print(F("Thread1 unused stack: "));
  Serial.println(chUnusedStack(waThread1, sizeof(waThread1)));
  Serial.print(F("Heap/Main unused: "));
  Serial.println(chUnusedHeapMain());
  if (overrunError) {
    Serial.println();
    Serial.println(F("** overrun errors **"));
  }
  while (1);
}
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
void loop() {
  // not used
}