Node-RED Contrib Repeater

Node-RED node to propagate the last received message at regular intervals.

This node is designed to continuously send the last received message at a user-defined interval. If a new message is received, it resets the timer and propagates the new data.

Features

• Propagates the last received message at a defined interval (in seconds).
• Resets the timer when a new message is received.
• User-configurable interval through the node's settings.

Installation

Install via the Node-RED palette manager, or run the following command in your Node-RED user directory (~/.node-red):

npm install node-red-contrib-repeater

Usage

• Drag the Repeater node into your flow.
• Connect it to a data source or inject node.
• Configure the interval in seconds in the node's settings.
• Connect the output to the desired processing or debugging node.

Node Properties

• Name: Optional. Add a label to the node for identification.
• Interval (s): Set the interval in seconds for repeating the last received message.

Example Use Cases

Case 1: Data Monitoring with Regular Updates

Suppose you are monitoring the status of a sensor that only sends updates when a change occurs. To ensure regular updates to a dashboard or external system, you can use the Repeater node to periodically propagate the last known status.

Flow Example:

A sensor sends occasional updates. The Repeater node propagates the last update every 10 seconds to a dashboard.

Case 2: Heartbeat Signal in IoT

In an IoT application, you might need to send a regular "heartbeat" message to an external service to indicate that the system is active. Use the Repeater node to continuously send a predefined message at a set interval.

Flow Example:

Inject a "heartbeat" message into the Repeater node. Set the interval to 30 seconds to propagate the "heartbeat" to the external service.