Usermod API v2 blink demo

Usermods
1

I am creating a usermod with the v2 API, but I can’t seem to control the LED strip.

My setup is

  • Platform IO, created a usermod in the usermod directory and included it in usermods_list.cpp
  • Compiling and uploading against a NodeMCU v0.9 connected to an GRBW Neopixel Strip
  • My usermod is a copy of EXAMPLE_v2

All normal functionality works, the strip can be configured and controlled by the User Interface over WIFI. My usermod loads, I see the output of my Serial.println() statements.

My first step is of course creating a “blink”, that should be the lowest bar for a usermod :wink: I copied the tried this in the loop of my usermod:

private:
  // ...
  unsigned long lastTime = 0;
  bool on = false;
  byte lastBri = 0;

public:
  // ...
  void loop() {
    if (millis() - lastTime > 1000) {
      lastTime = millis();
      Serial.print("Hello from my usermod. bri=");
      Serial.println(bri,DEC);
      if (on) {
        // switch off
        lastBri = strip.getBrightness();
        strip.setBrightness(0);
      } else {
        // switch on
        strip.setBrightness(lastBri);
      }
      colorUpdated(NOTIFIER_CALL_MODE_NOTIFICATION);
      // strip.setBrightness();
      on != on;
    }
  }

I’ve seen a lot of “interesting” code and I tried several things, even writing bri directly, and calling strip.show(). What did I miss, or what is the correct way of controlling the LED strip from a usermod?

2

In this case, the problem was not in writing bri, but in the on != on not doing what I expected. The code that seems to switch the whole strip on and off correctly, as I have it now:

void loop() {
    if (millis() - lastTime > 1000) {
      lastTime = millis();
      if (on) {
        // switch off
        lastBri = bri;
        bri = 0;
        on = false;
      } else {
        // switch on
        bri = lastBri;
        on = true;
      }
      colorUpdated(NOTIFIER_CALL_MODE_NOTIFICATION);
    }
  }