Good Practices & Troubleshooting
This section explains some tricks to create better code for connected devices using Thigner.io's libraries as well as a troubleshooting guide to identify and solve connection issues
- First of all, read the platform documentation, it is strongly recommended to use the example codes provided there when creating new firmware.
- Thinger resources definition code must be introduced in the
setup()function or any other function that is executed just one time in the program source code. thing.handle()instruction must be included in theloop()function or in the main recurrent execution function of the program source code.- Avoid using
delay()or any other locking instructions when coding for IoT purposes. Using it will make your device losing the connection with the network, which will result in continuous reconnection processes. If the program requires timing functionalities, it is possible to use non-locking structures for example:
//to make a led blick every 5 seconds without lock the process
if(millis()%5000==0){
digitalWrite(LED_PIN, !digitalRead(LED_PIN);
}
- If a specific routine requires several time to be executed, including and additional
thing.handle()instruction could be helpful to guarantee the connection. - Avoid polling data. Thinger.io implements a resources subscription paradigm that allows the server to take control of when does the devices send data, according to a user-defined sampling interval. However, there are some instructions such as
thing.call_endpointandthing.write_bucket, that has been implemented to send asynchronous communications to the server. It is important to be careful when using these instructions in a non-controlled way or create polling situations that will decrease the efficiency of the infrastructure. Next example code shows how to properly call to an asynchronous call just when an event is detected by the device code:
void loop(){
thing.handle();
button_pressed = digitalRead(BUTTON_PIN);
//if the button wasn't pressed and is pressed now
if(button_pressed == 1 && last_button_status == 0) {
thing.call_endpoint("alert");
}
last_button_status = button_pressed;
}
- Use the debug mode when testing and prototyping to identify connection problems (shee troubleshooting guidelines)
- Create consistent input resources using Pson.is_empty() function. Every time Thinger server creates a new connection with any device, each resource code is executed with an empty Pson. To prevent this behavior making any runaway execution, it is useful to analyze the content of the Pson before allowing the resources to execute. The following example code implements the
pson.is_empty()function and an auxiliary Pson to save the proper status of the resource (Arduino framework is being used):
pson aux;
void setup(){
aux=false; //set an initial status for the aux pson
thing["secure_input_resource"] >> [] (pson & in){
if(in.is_empty()){
in=aux; //fill the pson with the aux value
}
digitalWrite(LED_PIN, in? HIGH:LOW);
in=aux; //update the aux value
}
}
Problem | Source | Solution |
program doesn't compile | errors on your code or incompatible libraries | try with basic source code example to check it is working before continue developing |
Example code don't compile | PCB bootloader version incompatible | Check the compiler output to find the problem or install an older version of the device bootloader. |
There are few situations that can produce the malfunction of the software client, hampering the connection with the IoT platform or making it unstable. But Thinger.io software client has been provided with some tools to detect and avoid these kind of problems.
If a recently programmed device is showing problems to be "online" on Thinger.io Server or even is being locked, the debug function will help to identify the issue. Include the following definition in your sketch, but make sure it comes first, before any other includes (it was reported to cause crashes on some boards otherwise). When using Arduino framework it is necessary to enable
Serial communication, as all the debugging information is displayed over Serial.#define THINGER_SERIAL_DEBUG
#include "Thinger.h" //use the proper thinger.io library for each processor
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
}
When this command is included, the program will print all the communication traze. Next block shows a correct connection traze for an ESP8266 connection.
[NETWORK] Connecting to network my_wifi_SSID
[NETWORK] Connected to WiFi!
[NETWORK] Getting IP Address...
[NETWORK] Got IP Address: 192.168.1.61
[NETWORK] Connected!
[_SOCKET] Connecting to iot.thinger.io:25202...
[_SOCKET] Using secure TLS/SSL connection: yes
[SSL/TLS] Warning: use #define _VALIDATE_SSL_CERTIFICATE_ if certificate validation is required
[_SOCKET] Connected!
[THINGER] Authenticating. User: my_user_name Device: my_device_ID
[THINGER] Writing bytes: 29 [OK]
[THINGER] Authenticated
Problem | Source | Solution |
Can't connect to network | Wrong network credentials |
|
Can't connect to Thinger.io Server | Wrong Thinger.io server instance ID |
|
Error while connecting Thinger.io server | SSL issue |
|
Authentication Error | Wrong account or device credentials |
|
No debug trace | Coding problem |
|
If after following these instructions it was impossible to find a solution, we have created other resources that can be used in order to find help:
It is a forum (accessible here) created to provide developers a place to share projects, knowledges and doubts with other Thinger.io users. Actually is the best way to obtain fast and free assistance to development problems because most of the doubts have probably been asked and solved before by other developers. So the first step is to use the search bar to find a similar post:
Making proper use of this resource means using the browser in order to find old topics related to the doubt before creating a new one, but if it is required, take in consideration:
- It is preferable to write in English language, as the more people can understand your problem, the more can help you providing different opinions or solutions.
- Use an attractive and descriptive title and select the most accurate category
- Write a proper description of your problem, including some description of the context, use case or objectives or the project in order to help other people to understand the situation.
- Don't forget to provide all the material that will be required to replicate the problem such as: Source code, Libraries and PCB specification, Compiler output and Debug connection trace, as well as thinger.io configuration.
- Be polite, remember that other developers are not compelled to help you and if they do it is with good intentions
For those professional developers that require quick assistance on development or maintenance processes, Thinger.io private instance licenses can be complemented with an extended support service.
There is also an SLA service available for big infrastructure customers, that can be contracted separately just contacting us at [email protected]
Last modified 1yr ago