10-08-2021, 10:48 AM
Well I think tomorrow is the big day, get your SD card ready. 
This is what I've done lately.
![[Image: rules24.PNG]](https://www.robo-tank.ca/pictures/screenshots_app/Updated_Version/rules24.PNG)
When you create a custom rule the "No More Doses for X Minutes" will be filled with the default value given to each dosing pump. If you change this it will be used for the rule and the default delay will continue to be used for schedules. This is basically an override for this specific rule.
![[Image: rules25.PNG]](https://www.robo-tank.ca/pictures/screenshots_app/Updated_Version/rules25.PNG)
Did more work on the configure ports screen. Now you can click on the DB9 connectors and it'll show all the ports for it and allow changing custom name, if it's enabled and the icon. Currently for function there's only AC power bar but later the extensions I offer will be there. These are all assigned as "AC Outlets" if you made something custom and want to change the function for each pin go to the "Advanced" tab.
I added this as I think I'll be adding it to the one time initial setup wizard. I was going to just assign all ports as controller is labeled and have all enabled but this is the first place a person needs to visit so I'll probably add it with some one time instructions. I think it's fairly straight forward, click any port and set the settings as you need. If you don't use that port disable it so it's hidden in program. If you have a dosing pump plugged into a DC port, select that port, set function to dosing pump, change name and save. Then when you're finished going through the ports the dashboard will be nicely populated with everything you use instead of just everything. This could take 10 - 30 minutes though as you need to click each port and enable/disable and assign custom names but I guess that needs to be done anyways. Just thinking later there could be a skip button and everything is enabled with default names.
![[Image: configure_ports5.PNG]](https://www.robo-tank.ca/pictures/screenshots_app/Updated_Version/configure_ports5.PNG)
So by tomorrow night I should be posting how to install it. I won't be sending an email or posting about it for a couple days, I want to make sure you guys can actually install and use it. Feeling good but a little nervous, if I've learned one things from all this it's real world use and bench testing are not the same. Still haven't tried installing on a Pi 4 or Zero W, may or may not do that. If it's a problem it could take a while to figure out why and delay release so I almost don't want to try even though I think it'll be ok.
This is what I've done lately.
- Added very basic emails to schedules and custom rules
- Added the smart start feature, this goes through all schedules for AC outlets, DC ports and lights and checks the custom rules. It makes sure everything goes to the state it should be in at the time of startup. Today if you restart in the middle of a light mode it won't continue the fade but instead set the levels according to the end of the mode it would be fading on, later it'll continue in the middle of a fade. For outputs it first checks schedules and adjusts the outputs accordingly then it will check custom rules and readjust the outputs according to the sensor status. For example if you have a couple ATO custom rules and the sensors are saying ATO should run it will run as soon as controller starts. If the sensors say ATO shouldn't run it won't. The program is fully running in about 0.3 seconds however the program won't launch until a network connection is made to the Pi and the time is captured, that can take 10 seconds on my network. This is another reason I'm pushing the RTC, I'm hoping with that running the program can be up within 1 second once the Pi gets power. Remember get a real time clock (RTC), DS3231 or DS1307 for next release. I've been running this over a year and it's never crashed due to time, never really crashed period, but 100% it will if it's running and a connection is lost to network and it can't update the time, I know that will happen to someone sometime so please get an RTC if you use program long term. You use dupont jumpers to connect it to the external I2C port on controller so fairly easy to add.
- Added "Restart Controller" button to system settings page.
- Found a couple UI bugs for light modes page so that was good. Also added some instructions as there's a temporary feature that will likely confuse, this will be gone later.
- This one was torcher, the program install process. As I've been building this I've been updating a script to install everything similar to the one I have for reef-pi. The problem for Robo-Tank was when PHPMyAdmin got installed it prompted a couple times for the user to select an option. This was horrible as someone's going to select the wrong option. After about 8 hours or so I actually got it, was a nightmare as I needed to reinstall Pi OS, update, install and repeat. 20 minute process every time I made the slightest change, so yeah you better appreciate the clean installation.
- Added an enabled/disable feature for email alerts, forgot that was needed.
- Cleaned up installation wizard for new UI and added the "Auto Update" setting.
- Fixed various UI and program bugs, for next release I'll be tracking all the changes in the program.
When you create a custom rule the "No More Doses for X Minutes" will be filled with the default value given to each dosing pump. If you change this it will be used for the rule and the default delay will continue to be used for schedules. This is basically an override for this specific rule.
Did more work on the configure ports screen. Now you can click on the DB9 connectors and it'll show all the ports for it and allow changing custom name, if it's enabled and the icon. Currently for function there's only AC power bar but later the extensions I offer will be there. These are all assigned as "AC Outlets" if you made something custom and want to change the function for each pin go to the "Advanced" tab.
I added this as I think I'll be adding it to the one time initial setup wizard. I was going to just assign all ports as controller is labeled and have all enabled but this is the first place a person needs to visit so I'll probably add it with some one time instructions. I think it's fairly straight forward, click any port and set the settings as you need. If you don't use that port disable it so it's hidden in program. If you have a dosing pump plugged into a DC port, select that port, set function to dosing pump, change name and save. Then when you're finished going through the ports the dashboard will be nicely populated with everything you use instead of just everything. This could take 10 - 30 minutes though as you need to click each port and enable/disable and assign custom names but I guess that needs to be done anyways. Just thinking later there could be a skip button and everything is enabled with default names.
So by tomorrow night I should be posting how to install it. I won't be sending an email or posting about it for a couple days, I want to make sure you guys can actually install and use it. Feeling good but a little nervous, if I've learned one things from all this it's real world use and bench testing are not the same. Still haven't tried installing on a Pi 4 or Zero W, may or may not do that. If it's a problem it could take a while to figure out why and delay release so I almost don't want to try even though I think it'll be ok.
