Breaking a value into new keys with a function node

Part 1: Use configuration events in Octoblu
Part 2: Creating custom devices in Octoblu
Part 3: Setting the state of an Octoblu device from a flow
Part 4: Listening to and acting on device state change in Octoblu

Previously I had set custom keys and then listened for settings changes.

What if I wanted to set an array of key:values, or a larger document.  How might I handle that with Octoblu?

You have two primary options:

• collect nodes
• F(x) (function nodes)

Collect Nodes emit when the collection hits its minimum value until they reset when it reaches its maximum value.  And what you get is a collection of what came in to that node.

The key here is that you need to predict or hard code when the size of the collection resets back to zero and it begins again.  That is not always easy.

So I frequently end up leaning on F(x) or Function Nodes - this is arbitrary, linear, JavaScript.  It can't loop, it can't wait.  You must construct it so that it executes as a very quick function taking the incoming message, running, and then outputting whatever you tell it to return.

By default a Function node gives you the line return msg;
Which would output exactly the message (msg) that came in.

If you ant to reference the value of a specific key you simply use dot notation such as return msg.rooms;

Everything you do here, requires that you understand the data in your incoming message.  And for longevity sake, that format does not change.

Many of the methods that you have in JavaScript are at your disposal.  The not so easy part is the debugging.  Because you don't get very good debug detail.  But with a bit of effort many folks can work through that.

Now, for my first example:  I am going to create new key:values from an existing value.

I have established a naming pattern of:  map_room_device

This allows me to name my devices in a structured way and then deal with them in Octoblu without using a large number of filters and hard coded values.  In essence, devices came come and go as long as I stick with my naming convention.

Now, I need to make this naming convention more useful and easier to work with farther down the line as the messages become properties, so I want to make new keys from the name.

var descriptors = (msg.name).split('_');


switch(descriptors.length){
 case 3:
  msg.mapTitle = descriptors[0];
  msg.room = descriptors[1];
  msg.device = descriptors[2];
  break;
 case 2:
  msg.mapTitle = descriptors[0];
  msg.device = descriptors[1];
  break;
 case 1:
  msg.device = descriptors[0];
  break;
}


return msg;


I always have error handling.  And that is why I have three cases.  In case I have a device that does not have a map or a room in the naming pattern.

The output of this is the addition of 1, 2, or 3 key:values to the outgoing message.

Just a simple case of what can be done.

Next, straight to a really big message and reformatting arrays..