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maximkulkin / esp-homekit-demo

Demo of Apple HomeKit accessory server library
MIT License
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Question: How to configure a string variable at runtime #348

Closed peros550 closed 4 years ago

peros550 commented 4 years ago

This is not an issue with esp-homekit-demo, but a question for a coding advice/direction.

I'm building a multi sensor & AC accessory based on your libraries. Except the homekit functionality, one additional function is the ability to send temperature/humidity values at thingspeak.com online IoT database service.

The accessory sends the data by doing http GET calls at specific intervals. Before I flash the accessory, I have to put in the code the correct API key (string) which is being transmitted along with the http call. The API string is personal and is related to my account at thingsspeak.com.

What would be the best way to set a string variable at some point during runtime (once) and use it through out the program's life?

maximkulkin commented 4 years ago

For larger configuration I would definitely opt for an HTTP server and configuration API. For just one or two values this seems like too much. I would recommend just hardcoding it.

One other approach I was working on is to be able to download data from sysparams storage, parse it, modify it, pack and flash it back. This is totally doable and not hard at all, but requires digging into sysparams source code, and putting together some tool (e.g. based on esptool) which requires some skills. I might write such tool at some point, but no estimates yet.

peros550 commented 4 years ago

thank you for your advices Maxim!

peros550 commented 4 years ago

@maximkulkin Instead of creating an http server, do you think your library esp-wifi-config could be adapted to provide this functionality? A similar approach is used in HAA If I'm not mistaken.

maximkulkin commented 4 years ago

@peros550 Up to you, but I would never do it that way for my projects. esp-wifi-config, as name suggests, is for configuring WiFi. If you want to do something other than that, it would be some kind of generic configuration UI, which poses question "how to do it in an extensible and reusable way, not too bloated for embedded?". You will probably end up with something not too reusable, but good enough for particular project - thus, a custom HTTP server as I suggested previously.