BLYNK_DEBUG print to terminal

Gunner · March 31, 2017, 11:26am

Ah, yes… The Code… well… sorta…

I just could not get a clean ASCII transfer from Debug to the terminal… and I had too much going on (in the app) to keep dumping my Debug back to the app, but I still wanted something to start the terminal off with… so I improvised (cheated? )

Are you ever going to show how you did it?

  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n\n");
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "    ___  __          __ \n");
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "   / _ )/ /_ _____  / /__ \n");
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "  / _  / / // / _ \\/  '_/ \n");  // to display a backslash, print it twice
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, " /____/_/\\_, /_//_/_/\\_\\ \n");  // to display a backslash, print it twice
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "        /___/ v");
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, BLYNK_VERSION" on "BLYNK_INFO_DEVICE"\n\n");
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "                 Project By Gunner -\n");
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "Here to Kick ASCII and Chew Bubblegum\n");
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "... and I am all out of Bubblegum!\n");
  terminal.flush();

And yes, I haven’t gotten around to properly outputting RTC to the display… just a lazy code monkey

Gunner · March 31, 2017, 11:44am

One of these days I will try again on a clean, dedicated project… less data should mean less � and properly placed \n should help.

Jamin · April 2, 2017, 12:20am

/*
  getCurrentTime() -
      - return the time as 'HH:MM:SS'
*/
String getCurrentTime() {
  String extraZeroH = "", extraZeroM = "", extraZeroS = "";
  if (hour() < 10) extraZeroH = '0';
  if (minute() < 10) extraZeroM = '0';
  if (second() < 10) extraZeroS = '0';
  return String(extraZeroH + hour()) + ':' + extraZeroM + minute() + ':' + extraZeroS + second();
}
/*
  getCurrentDate() -
      - return the date as 'DD:MM:YY'
*/
String getCurrentDate() {
  return String(day()) + '-' + monthShortStr(month()) + '-' + (year() - 2000);
}
/*
  curDateTime() -
      - return the dat & time as String 'DD:MM:YY HH:MM:SS'
*/
String curDateTime() {
  return getCurrentDate() + String(" ") + getCurrentTime();
}

Gunner · April 2, 2017, 12:23am

My display output is straight from the example in the Sketch Builder… you should request your code be substituted in

Now this code monkey is activating copy/paste mode Although, in my defense, I was actualy reading up on something simular in the Time library examples:

github.com

PaulStoffregen/Time/blob/master/examples/TimeSerial/TimeSerial.ino

/* 
 * TimeSerial.pde
 * example code illustrating Time library set through serial port messages.
 *
 * Messages consist of the letter T followed by ten digit time (as seconds since Jan 1 1970)
 * you can send the text on the next line using Serial Monitor to set the clock to noon Jan 1 2013
 T1357041600  
 *
 * A Processing example sketch to automatically send the messages is included in the download
 * On Linux, you can use "date +T%s\n > /dev/ttyACM0" (UTC time zone)
 */ 
 
#include <TimeLib.h>

#define TIME_HEADER  "T"   // Header tag for serial time sync message
#define TIME_REQUEST  7    // ASCII bell character requests a time sync message 

void setup()  {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  while (!Serial) ; // Needed for Leonardo only

This file has been truncated. show original

Gunner · April 2, 2017, 12:45am

And to keep this topic… well, on topic

After much complicated coding, involving detecting “\n”, buffering strings and inputString += inChar bla bla bla; I realised that keeping it stupid simple worked just as well…

This assumes #define BLYNK_PRINT Serial1 running on a MEGA’s 2nd hardware serial port:

//===== Terminal Widget - Debug Redirect =====
void serialEvent1() {  // Check for data on 2nd serial port
  while (Serial1.available()) {
    terminal.print((char)Serial1.read()); // Fires data back out to terminal
  }terminal.flush();
}  // END serialEvent1 loop

As for getting the logo to fully display… I have given up on that with my current USB link setup, as I think that just adds another layer of serial conversion and lag, resulting in only a partial logo, while basic messages are usually clear.

But as I mentioned waaaayyy back… having device debug errors redirected to an app that probably can’t receive the debug errors, due to broken connection, is really a catch 22 situation. But it was fun to play around with.

Gunner · April 2, 2017, 2:16am

PS, in case anyone else wants a nice Blynk Logo on their terminal at bootup, I cleaned up my origional (based on copy/paste of the image on my PC terminal) into this (using the proper way Blynk uses in their library files):

Each “line” is separated by the enter/return key, and auto format makes it look this way.

Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n"
                     "    ___  __          __\n"
                     "   / _ )/ /_ _____  / /__\n"
                     "  / _  / / // / _ \\/  '_/\n"
                     " /____/_/\\_, /_//_/_/\\_\\\n"
                     "        /___/ v" BLYNK_VERSION " on " BLYNK_INFO_DEVICE "\n");
  if (size_t ram = BlynkFreeRam()) {
    Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "             Free RAM: ", ram);
  }

wanek · February 3, 2018, 1:10pm

why is this line needed?
why you can’t just Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, " Free RAM: ", BlynkFreeRam());

?

Costas · February 3, 2018, 1:17pm

@wanek also would need to have been == not =

Gunner · February 3, 2018, 1:23pm

Old code I guess… The free RAM part was pulled directly from one of the Blynk library files… and I guess it worked that way?? (as evidenced by the screenshot), but eventually I apparently changed it

This is currently running fine…

void TermIntro() // Automaticly runs at Mega bootup
{
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n"
                     "   ___  __          __\n"
                     "  / _ )/ /_ _____  / /__\n"
                     " / _  / / // / _ \\/  '_/\n"
                     "/____/_/\\_, /_//_/_/\\_\\\n"
                     "       /___/ v." BLYNK_VERSION " on\n            " BLYNK_INFO_DEVICE "\n");
  size_t ram = BlynkFreeRam();
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n Free RAM: ", ram);
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n ", currentTime, " ", currentDate);
 }  // END TermIntro Loop

Costas · February 3, 2018, 1:25pm

Actually the error in the if statement is actually the assignment you are now using.

wanek · February 3, 2018, 1:39pm

if i try it like this:

Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, " Free RAM: ", BlynkFreeRam());

it gives me compilation error:

In file included from C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_504181\sketch\header.h:24:0,

                 from C:\ARDUINO\PROJECTS\sonoff core\sonoff_core_02\sonoff_core_02.ino:9:

C:\ARDUINO\libraries\Sonoff/SonoffCore.h: In function 'void checkFirstRun()':

C:\ARDUINO\libraries\Sonoff/SonoffCore.h:641:49: error: call of overloaded 'println(const char [11], size_t)' is ambiguous

    terminal.println("free RAM: ", BlynkFreeRam());

                                                 ^

C:\ARDUINO\libraries\Sonoff/SonoffCore.h:641:49: note: candidates are:

In file included from C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Stream.h:26:0,

                 from C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/HardwareSerial.h:31,

                 from C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Arduino.h:245,

                 from C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_504181\sketch\sonoff_core_02.ino.cpp:1:

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:84:16: note: size_t Print::println(unsigned char, int) <near match>

         size_t println(unsigned char, int = DEC);

                ^

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:84:16: note:   no known conversion for argument 1 from 'const char [11]' to 'unsigned char'

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:85:16: note: size_t Print::println(int, int) <near match>

         size_t println(int, int = DEC);

                ^

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:85:16: note:   no known conversion for argument 1 from 'const char [11]' to 'int'

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:86:16: note: size_t Print::println(unsigned int, int) <near match>

         size_t println(unsigned int, int = DEC);

                ^

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:86:16: note:   no known conversion for argument 1 from 'const char [11]' to 'unsigned int'

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:87:16: note: size_t Print::println(long int, int) <near match>

         size_t println(long, int = DEC);

                ^

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:87:16: note:   no known conversion for argument 1 from 'const char [11]' to 'long int'

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:88:16: note: size_t Print::println(long unsigned int, int) <near match>

         size_t println(unsigned long, int = DEC);

                ^

C:\Users\wanek\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.0-rc2\cores\esp8266/Print.h:88:16: note:   no known conversion for argument 1 from 'const char [11]' to 'long unsigned int'

Using library Sonoff at version 2.4.0-rc2-51 in folder: C:\ARDUINO\libraries\Sonoff

Costas · February 3, 2018, 1:43pm

Then do it like @Gunner

Gunner · February 3, 2018, 1:43pm

I am unsure what the size_t does (haven’t Googled it yet ) but I think it is required.

  size_t ram = BlynkFreeRam();
  Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n Free RAM: ", ram);

As per Google…

size_t
Unsigned integral type
Alias of one of the fundamental unsigned integer types.

It is a type able to represent the size of any object in bytes: size_t is the type returned by the sizeof operator and is widely used in the standard library to represent sizes and counts.

In , it is used as the type of the parameter num in the functions memchr, memcmp, memcpy, memmove, memset, strncat, strncmp, strncpy and strxfrm, which in all cases it is used to specify the maximum number of bytes or characters the function has to affect.

It is also used as the return type for strcspn, strlen, strspn and strxfrm to return sizes and lengths.

Yup… totally clear now… not

But I think it basically runs that get RAM function and fits the resulting number into that variable

wanek · February 3, 2018, 1:53pm

probably. for me it is not clear too…
i’ve looked in the blynk lib, and there the function it is declared to return size_t

Gunner · February 3, 2018, 2:01pm

I pulled the logo and whatnot from the BlynkProtocol.h file in my IDE Libraries folder. A few different options are available, like a pseudo 3D version.

Costas · February 3, 2018, 2:01pm

If you just want a single line use:

Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n Free RAM: ", ESP.getFreeHeap());

or

Blynk.virtualWrite(V1, "\n Free RAM: " + String(ESP.getFreeHeap()) + "\n");

wanek · February 3, 2018, 2:08pm

but anyway, i still can’t make this debug to terminal magic work…
if i understand correctly form the above topic:

i have enabled #define BLYNK_PRINT Serial
have this in setup:

  Serial.begin(115200);
  Serial.println();
  Serial.println("serial ready");
  Serial.println();

have this function set in the blynk timer with a 800 ms interval:

void serialEvent()                        // terminal widget - debug redirect
{
  while (Serial.available()) {            // check for data on serial port
    terminal.print((char)Serial.read());  // fires data back out to terminal
  }
  
  terminal.flush();
}

all i got are constant resets after startup… it resets for 4-5 times, after that it remains connected, but no debug data.

the hw is a bare esp8266 module.

i’m missing something?

Gunner · February 3, 2018, 2:23pm

Well, a lot of what I was experimenting with was on a Arduino MEGA with multiple Serial ports…

But my next direction to take this will be based on my more recent post and vhymanskyy’s reference to the console object and class redirections, etc… I just haven’t been clearheaded enough to pursue it yet.

wanek · February 3, 2018, 2:25pm

aha! now, this is interesting stuff. apparently, i totally missed that topic… thanks!

vshymanskyy · February 3, 2018, 3:53pm

It would be quite hard (and dangerous a little bit) to output Blynk logs via Blynk, mostly because it introduces a circular dependency.