Keep It Simple St*p*d - discussion and download

Internet PWS Dashboard 2012
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1

Read more: KISS principle - Wikipedia

I was trying to find a solution for “to much information and rubbish in a far to small space”
The PWS_Dashboard is not always easy readable, even with the &KISS and &round option switched on.

And, on the other hand, I am to old to read the small print of a decent console also.
They cram to much sensors, different colours, graphs in a 7" screen
I just got a WH2320-console from the kids to add to my working area so I can read the weather-values, but even that one looks chaotic to me.

Solution:
I use an spare (= old) iPad with the most valuable items in a boring layout.
Just the station weather-values with todays high-lows.
No graphs, no empty spaces, fully responsive and I can read it from meters away
Will add another row with extra temp/hum- and soil-sensors.

Attached the two scripts.
_data.php which is used a.o. by the PWS-sticker, now has a javascript feed (. . . more to come)

simple.php will start at your server only once. Data is refreshed every so many (default 30) seconds using ajax.

This is a first version, please test and post improvements here.
You can easily add your own blocks as long as there is one main value. Optional high-low or other values at the bottom.

Have fun with our hobby, be it weather, scripting or websites.

Wim

EDIT 2021-09-06 Update prototype version in download
EDIT 2021-09-10 Download replaced with first beta

simple_2021_09_10.zip (10.6 KB)

2

Great job, Wim :smiley:

You must have known I had an old iPad lying around. . .

https://swanston.maui.co.uk/pws/simple.php

3

This is really interesting. I know Tempest weather station owners are crying out for a simple display. There is a popular Pi Console but this could be a great alternative.

https://community.weatherflow.com/t/weatherflow-piconsole/1933

A few things I would like to see, whilst keeping things simple…

  • Easy to read temperature and pressure trend symbols
  • A large wind direction arrow symbol
  • Dew point
  • Ability to hide Refresh time
  • Ability to customise colour or adopt dark mode

Here is a my link: https://www.mytempestuk.com/pwsWD/simple2.php

4

Hi Wim,

Thanks for the development of this simple display. A couple of things I noticed:

  1. The month/year in the rain tile seems to be inaccurate (mine specifically says 3 Month Year 23)
  2. Is there a way to manipulate to dark mode display w/o changing code? My old Ipad displays this extremely bright in kitchen.

Thanks again for your time, enthusiasm and continued support!

Cheers,
Michael

5

The figures next to month and year refer to rainfall amounts…

6

@ALL

Thanks for the feedback. I was not clear enough.

simple1
=> was a mockup on paper I sketched and tested by showing it to my wife.

this script simple2.php is
=> a QAD prototype to show how it could look and get comments
==> also it is used to test the improved _data.php to make developing stickers and small dashboards easier for others.

I should already have made a first beta-release candidate public
=> but there are far more pressing problems =>“METAR-site down”.

You can be certain
=>“new different colours” and the old DARK / LIGHT / station colours will work based on a setting
=> header items will be, as always, optional.
=> defined blocks will only show themselves if the their-data-item is available
=> definition of the block will be in text format and not in php format as that is more error-prone
=> background image needs a setting and the image will be checked if it is a valid link.

To be discussed / decided
=> graphic, symbols, wind-rose inside a block. Will that add value?
==> The simple script is a console replacement, not a dashboard replacement

=> Add an (I)nformation link to get a “nearly” full screen pop-up with detailed information
==> f.i. the current AQ pop-ups. You will have to click to see them, so you are neer to the tablet => more info with smaller fonts.

Probably next week I release a first beta to test.

Have fun,
Wim

7

It “does what it says on the tin” very well.

To be discussed / decided => graphic, symbols, wind-rose inside a block. Will that add value? ==> The simple script is a console replacement, not a dashboard replacement

IMHO, no, these things are not necessary. It looks good (and can be modified to suit with very little trouble: fits my old 7" Galaxy Tab 3 perfectly with only 9 blocks).

=> Add an (I)nformation link to get a "nearly" full screen pop-up with detailed information ==> f.i. the current AQ pop-ups. You will have to click to see them, so you are neer to the tablet => more info with smaller fonts.

KIS*S :slight_smile:

https://swanston.maui.co.uk/pws/simple.php

8

I’ve been here before. Could we have one decimal place for current temp even if it is zero? (For current temp only, I can live with integer high/lows.)

Clientraw.txt always has the zero. Does the convert_temp function in xxx_livedata.php remove it?

https://swanston.maui.co.uk/pws/simple.php

9

Thanks for yet another fun enhancement Wim. I’m still trying to figure out how to change the colors. Also, I’m not getting the AQI data from my PurpleAir. Not sure what I need to change to fix that.

https://weather.ohlandt.com/simple2.php

-Chris

10

Can be done, probably
Sadly it is not possible. The number formatting is not in livedata but in the blocks.
The simple.php does not have any clue about what the data is. It is just text.

That is not yet possible in an easy way as “green” is hardcoded in the prototype.
You can change the color value for green at line 184

        .green       { background-color: rgba(154,186, 47, 0.6); color: white;}
Also, I'm not getting the AQI data from my PurpleAir. Not sure what I need to change to fix that.
The "simple" idea is to have a "replacement" for a station-console . In the original 2018 design only the WeatherFlow was an extra UV-sensor and therefor the WeatherFlow data was added to the stations-data. Some stations have AQ data in their "upload" file so they can be used in "simple.php"

Purpleair devices are not integrated into the station-data, they are add-ons
For the PWS_Dashboard the data is only processed inside the AQ blocks, not in live-data when the station data is processed.

===
Thanks for the ideas,

Wim

11

New prototype version in download if the first message.
Needed a correction to use as an app.

Wim

simple2.jpeg

12

I also have an older tablet that can be used to display current values in a more manageable way than the console :wink:.

  • I know almost nothing about PHP, but when I read the script (from line 151), it looks to me like it needs to find body_image (as set in PWS_index2.php) and display it in the background. Unfortunately, it does not work for me.

  • Will it be possible to insert something similar “before.txt” so that you can “push” the fields down to the middle of the screen when using only a few fields?

https://inaogmogens.dk/weather/simple2.php

13

The, $body_image is set in easyweather
If blank there, it can be set in PWS_index2.php for use in the normal dashboard.

You can also add it for testing in simple2.php somewhere as an extra line 2.

and display it in the background. Unfortunately, it does not work for me. - Will it be possible to insert something similar "before.txt" so that you can "push" the fields down to the middle of the screen when using only a few fields?
Yes, the blocks will leave empty space between the rows in the final version. For now cahnge about line 220 which now reads 
echo '<div class="SMPL_weather_container" style="margin: 0 auto;"><!-- enclosing  blocks container -->

to

echo '<div class="SMPL_weather_container" style="margin: 0 auto;  height: 100%; "><!-- enclosing  blocks container -->

Be aware that the current scripts are unfinished, they are prototypes.

Wim

14

Hi!

And if anyone want to have more blocks in a row (like me) just change the 1030px to 1360px in this block:


        @media screen and (min-width: 956px)  
             {  .SMPL_weather_container 
                     {  width: 100%; max-width: 1030px; } 
                }

That’s what it would look like then: https://wetter.phantasoft.de/simple2.php

Wim, it would be nice if this could be done in productional state via a definition like coloumns = 4;

Oliver

15

Yes, of-course it will. But it is available before it is ready, so I can get feedback like this one.

:smiley:

Wim

16

Hi Wim,

But it is available before it is ready, so I can get feedback like this one.
I have another one ... ;-) Please use the round function in _data.php to adjust the pm values (lines 45ff): 

if ($pmvalues === true)
     {  if (array_key_exists('pm25_crnt1',$weather) )
             {  $weather['pm25_c_aqi1'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_crnt1']));
                $weather['pm25_a_aqi1'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_24avg1']));}
        if (array_key_exists('pm25_crnt2',$weather) )
             {  $weather['pm25_c_aqi2'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_crnt2']));
                $weather['pm25_a_aqi2'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_24avg2']));}
        if (array_key_exists('pm25_crnt3',$weather) )
             {  $weather['pm25_c_aqi3'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_crnt3']));
                $weather['pm25_a_aqi3'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_24avg3']));}
        if (array_key_exists('pm25_crnt4',$weather) )
             {  $weather['pm25_c_aqi4'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_crnt4']));
                $weather['pm25_a_aqi4'] = round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_24avg4']));}
        if (array_key_exists('pm25_co2',$weather) )
             {  $weather['pm25_co2_aqi']= round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_co2']));
                $weather['pm25_ao2_aqi']= round (pm25_to_aqi($weather['pm25_co2_24avg']));}
        }

Regards, Oliver

17

Evening Wim

Here is my test : https://quark0ne.com/pwsWD/simple2.php

Thank you
Paul

18

Thanks for the help with the image in the background.

I think it’s nicer with the fields close together. I found a simple way to “push” them down the middle of the page.

https://inaogmogens.dk/weather/simple2.php

Mogens

19

I see the latest version has decimals. . . I think I’ve changed my mind :slight_smile:

Where is that change made?

EDIT: Found it. . . first version of simple2.php had ceil() and floor() for high/low.

And that is also why I couldn’t get ‘wind_compass’ to show in the ‘low’ position before: https://swanston.maui.co.uk/pws/simple.php

20

Hi Oliver,

That is a “difficult” problem.
The EPA-AQ index is integer only range 0-500+, and still some users want to have a decimal

The EEA-AQ index and others have an integer range from 1 - 9 of 1 - 11.
Most users want to see if index 5 is closer to 4.6 or to 5.4
And some “official documentation” warns that an index can not be rounded but should be “floor”-ed.
So 4.0 to 4.9999 calculated values all should be printed as 4.

Therefor I use one-decimal in the standard block calculations.
I can add that to the _data.php also.
Or use full rounding on EPA and 1 decimal on the other indexes.

Wim

Edit 12:20 UTC : modified script added
Edit 2021-09-10 removed download, use version in first post