ThingSpeak-Client for node.js

A client for updating and reading channels and fields on ThingSpeak or your own ThingSpeak-Installation. The complete Channels-Api is implemented.

About ThingSpeak

ThingSpeak is an open source “Internet of Things” application and API to store and retrieve data from things using HTTP over the Internet or via a Local Area Network. With ThingSpeak, you can create sensor logging applications, location tracking applications, and a social network of things with status updates.

Install

$ npm install thingspeakclient

Usage

The module is easy to use.

First Steps

var ThingSpeakClient = require('thingspeakclient');
var client = new ThingSpeakClient();

Default-Server

The default ThinkSpeak-URL is https://api.thingspeak.com. You can change this with:

var client = new ThingSpeakClient({server:'http://localhost:8000'});

Updatemode and update timeout settings

The open service via ThingSpeak.com has a rate limit of an update per channel every 15 seconds. If you update to fast the channel isn't updated and you get an return value of 0 from an update request. To handle this situation the client has two major modes:

• useTimeoutMode: false - Every update request will be immediately forwarded to the server. If you are to fast your channel isn't updated.
• useTimeoutMode: true - This is the default mode. Every update request to a single channel is queued and will be forwarded to the server after a timeout to the previously update request. If the queue is empty the request will be forwarded immediately. The default timeout value is 15 seconds between two update requests to the same channel. You can put your data in the queue as fast as you get the data. With the default update period of 15 seconds for example four updates are finished after a minute. Because every channel has an own update queue with own timer the updates between channels are not interfered. As an example: If the update queue for channel A has currently three requests and the queue for channel B is empty - a new request for B is forwarded immediately.

Changing the mode and the timeout values:

var client = new ThingSpeakClient({useTimeoutMode:false}); - disable client timeout handling between update request per channel
var client = new ThingSpeakClient({updateTimeout:20000}); - set the timeout to 20s (Note: 15 seconds is the default value), the timeout value is in milliseconds

Attach a channel to the client

Attaching a channel is required if you want update a channel. If you want only read channels (private or public) it is not necessary to attach the channel. But attaching makes read-handling easier. The attach method needs the channel-id and a write- or readkey or both for this channel. The callBack is optional.

Attach a channel with write- and readkey:

client.attachChannel(channelId, { writeKey:'yourWriteKey', readKey:'yourReadKey'}, callBack);

Attach a channel with only a writekey:

client.attachChannel(channelId, { writeKey:'yourWriteKey'}, callBack);

Attach a channel with only a key for reading:

client.attachChannel(channelId, { readKey:'yourReadKey'}, callBack);

Updating a channel

The callBack is optional and give back error and response. response is greater than 0 if update was successfully (sea ThinkSpeak-API for return value on update).

client.updateChannel(channelId, fields, callback);

Fields are an object with field and value. If you want update field 1 with a value of 7 and to field 2 with 5 use the following:

{field1: 7, field2: 5}

A complete example for updating channel 4711 with 7 on field1 and 6 on field2:

client.updateChannel(4711, {field1: 7, field2: 6}, function(err, resp) {
    if (!err && resp > 0) {
        console.log('update successfully. Entry number was: ' + resp);
    }
};

Reading data

If you want read data you can use one of the following methods:

client.getChannelFeeds(channelId, query, callBack); - same as API-Method "Retrieving Channel Feeds"
client.getLastEntryInChannelFeed(channelId, query, callBack); - same as API-Method "Retrieving the Last Entry in Channel Feed"
client.getFieldFeed(channelId, fieldId, query, callback); - same as API-Method "Retrieving a Field Feed"
client.getLastEntryInFieldFeed(channelId, fieldId, query, callBack); - same as API-Method "Retrieving the Last Entry in a Field Feed"
client.getStatusUpdates(channelId, query, callBack); - same as API-Method "Retrieving Status Updates"

• channelId - the id of the channel
• fieldId - the field number, min: 1 and max: 8
• query - the optional parameters from api-description as key:value
• callBack - the optional callback with error and response, response is an integer (most of the time -1 on failure or an object with the requested data

All methods are using the json-request-url from the server. The response is not interpreted by the client at the moment and given as the second parameter to the callback.

Other requests

client.listPublicChannels(query, callback); - same as API-Method "Listing Public Channels"
client.listUserInfo(user, query, callback); - same as API-Method "Listing User Information"
client.listUserChannels(user, query, callback); - same as API-Method "Listing a User’s Channels"

Tests

The tests are using mocha, should and sinon.

Licence

The licence is GPL v3 and the module is available at Bitbucket and GitHub.