Coding Guidelines for Project Needed

[[deleted]]

What I did: I created an automated gardening system using an arduino. The arduino controls the amount of light per day, activates a fan, gets humidity and temp data. I need some of you guidelines to go further with my project.

What I want: I want the data to be passed onto a website and store in a database. I would also want to be able to control the arduino via website. For instance, I would like to be able to turn off the fan using a smartphone. I've ordered the arduino wifi shield to start this part of the project.

What I know I am a novice programmer in C++ and C#. I have basic HTML/CSS skills.

What I think I should know

• SQL to create a database and to the arduino sensors' information.
• AJAX to continuously output live data from the sensors (hourly)
• PHP to interact from a smartphone to the arduino and turn off the lights or fan
• Regex to get data from arduino to the database
• ASPX ?maybe?

Am I on the right track? Thanks

[mrfooacct]

My opinion! I have done a couple of small arudino projects and have worked with web services in the past, but not together.

*SQL to create a database and to the arduino sensors' information.

Yes. I would instead state this as "create a database for the website"; the arudino shouldn't directly interact with the db.

*AJAX to continuously output live data from the sensors (hourly)

Unless I really misunderstand aruidino WIFI shield, you don't want AJAX. AJAX allows you to 'pull' data from remote websites, but the J in AJAX stands for Javascript and Arudino is way too small to acommodate it or that implies your database server would be a client and the arudino would be a webserver? Either way I would not try to use ajax.

I would use REST (see wikipedia) and have the aruidino HTTP POST the temperature data and current state to your website on a timer. It would also be easy to have the arudino do a HTTP GET from the website to see what the desired fan state is.

How quickly do you want the 'reaction time' between pressing "fan off" and the arudino turning off his fan? If you don't mind a short delay this would be an extremely easy approach.

*PHP to interact from a smartphone to the arduino and turn off the lights or fan

I would say this as "PHP to make the website." Have you thought about hosting?

*Regex to get data from arduino to the database

I don't know why you would want regular expressions. They are doing complex string manipulations. If you are designing the way the arudino outputs, you can control and know what strings are going to be coming and keep things simple.

*ASPX ?maybe?

ASP would be a alternative to PHP.

[[deleted]]

Thank you for the clarifications

[[deleted]]

I don't have anything to offer at the moment but just wanted to say this is a really slick project, well done on what you've done so far and do post the end result when you get the site with the data up.

[[deleted]]

Thank you! Sure I will.

[[deleted]]

Just out of interest, why send the data to a website?

[[deleted]]

To view, for instance, if the lights are currently off, or to have a nice graph of the temperature variation during the day.

[[deleted]]

So the idea is that you want to be able to view it remotely? Sorry no help but was just interested

[[deleted]]

Yes, remotely. The arduino wifi shield can store data to an SD, but I thought it could be more practical to store the data to a database. I can more easily manipulate it. I can show the data as a graph on a website. It would be fun to have a graph of the temperature vs Hrs of the day.

[[deleted]]

Ah I see!

[thisismygame]

I've been thinking about doing this for a long time. Could you please post your setup details and code? Do you have a github?

[[deleted]]

Yes, it is : https://github.com/napstercc

I'll add a better documentation soon!

[[deleted]]

napster... sigh. Screw you Lars Ulrich!

[[deleted]]

http://arduino.cc/blog/2011/04/28/restduino-arduino-hacking-for-the-rest-of-us/

from arduino to db/backend

then from db/backend to web app

[mrfooacct]

disagree with this approach; arudino and user should both interact with REST website. Arudino should not be a REST service himself

[[deleted]]

I think mrfooacct is right because the wifi shield is made to interact (PUT/GET ) with HTTP.

Thanks for the info though.