Re: xAP-Update or config and a tad on discovery - long

[Stuart Booth]

Ian,

Couple of queries on this. Forgive my slight ignorance on some basic
topics you've discussed already I'm sure - I'm trying to catch up with
you and Kevin somewhat here!

On Tue, 12 Aug 2003 22:17:47 +0100, "Ian B" <<a
href="/group/xAP_developer/post?postID=qa0hid8yv3qc503AVXdFbcIow4H2W9BrTwqEaxPccVdbTf66zSApnUR-RQpeUSrrTgWCSZV0CEUUWssk">Ian@M...</a>>
wrote:

>Discovery the RS232 way.
>Note here that the schema is RelayControl and the type of message is a
>command. The body tells the unit what to do and in this case respond
means
>send a heartbeat.

Does the RB3_1Controller only send a h/b once it receives a Respond
command or is it pumping them out using some default parameters as
soon as it 'boots'?

>
><STX>xap-header
>{
>v=12
>hop=1
>uid=FFxxxx00
>Class=RelayControl.Command
>Source=IansINet.RBControl.AnInstance
>Target=IansINet.RB3_1Controller.*:*
>}
>*.
>{
>Command=Respond
>}
>----<ETX>

Ooo, ooo, sir, please sir <Stuart waves hand in air for effect>

What's this block name of "*." ? I've not seen that before! I
noticed
also that you use:

PROTOTYPE.

ie you include the dot separator on the end. I'd not have bothered
there myself, so I'm interested in why you do. Curiousity in the
details here as I may need to alter my framework library to support
it.

I think that "*." and "PROTOTYPE." are hence related,
and the block
name is being wildcarded to a single token.

>After the heartbeat is received the ‘application’ sends a status
request as
>follows. We are still in the RelayControl schema and it has a body of
>type=detail. This distinguishes it from a standard status message (no
body)
>which gets an entirely different response. I cannot give an example at
the
>moment as I re-writing the header analysis routine and it is currently
>broken.
>
><STX>xap-header
>{
>v=12
>hop=1
>uid=FFxxxx00
>Class=RelayControl.Status
>Source=IansINet.RBControl.AnInstance
>Target=IansINet.RB3_1Controller.PROTOTYPE
>}
>PROTOTYPE.
>{
>Type=Detail
>}
>----<ETX>

Did you manage to get this going? I'm curious to know what it responds
with when the RB3_1Controller receives Type=Detail.

>We now go onto the schema xAP-Update which was the favoured name last
time
>we talked about this topic. The following are examples of updates I
make and
>include the UID, Instance, Subinstance, Heartbeat interval and finally
the
>serial number of the board.

Could I combine these parameters into a single message do you think? I
don't see why not myself. I guess these messages could also arrive at
absolutely any time, or do you somehow switch a device into
configuration mode?

>PROTOTYPE.
>{
>UID=1234
>Instance=Workshop
>SubInstance=Front Lights
>Heartbeat=3690
>}


>PROTOTYPE.
>{
>RBSerialNumber=0002
>}

This is a custom field. Is Class=xAP-Update.Master a base class in
this case, with custom fields like RBSerialNumber above a sub-class
(were we to implement class inheritance - something I find very
appealing, but that may be because of my OO mindset)?

I wonder if this flows into your and Kevin's recent discussions on
including the subaddress value as the name item in a name/value pair:

{
TableLamp=On
HallwayLight=Off
}

Rather than:

{
Device=TableLamp
Status=On
}

The former makes the schema's a lot more fluid and non-specific, but
it is compact and extremely readable.

Right now I'm in the process of:
1) Adding my modular plugins to my xAPFramework site
2) Upgrading from PHPNuke 6.0 to 6.5 or 6.8
3) Adding explicit support in my framework for James' schemas

Then it's back to the GUI tools I've got planned I think. I seem to be
more developer focussed than end-user oriented, even though I'm not
aware of a single person actually using any of my xAPFramework!! :lol:

S
--
Stuart Booth
xAPFramework.net - a reusable xAP framework for .net

<a href="http://www.xapframework.net/";>http://www.xapframework.net/</a>
<a
href="/group/xAP_developer/post?postID=o8ec-tD3bcFzqcJkQw30R7kT-uFR4IRNSZ1nLqPM1Joqzr2GYp4H4OmaftUgfMQKGqIQoO-6NT6tQ04VtexusQ">stuart@x...</a>