Foobot Monitor

Welcome to Foobot Monitor - a desktop application to display information from your Foobot(s).

Foobot Monitor is available for Windows 32-bit and 64-bit editions, and also Linux 32-bit and 64-bit editions.  It is compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 8 and Windows 10.   It was written as a hobby project using the excellent FreePascal compiler with the equally excellent Lazarus IDE.  Licence is GPL (information here) It is distributed as freeware.

QuickStart

• On first start-up, Foobot Monitor will present a dialog asking for your Foobot Username and an API Key.
• Foobot supplies an API Key for any Foobot owner that requests it from their site. Go to the Foobot API page, and you will see easy-to-follow instructions for obtaining your own API Key.  Once you have it, save it to a text file, and when the Foobot Monitor dialog comes up you can Copy/Paste it into the dialog.  Once that is done, you need to restart Foobot Monitor and it will automatically use the information you entered every time it starts.
• Foobot Monitor stores the information in an encrypted configuration file.  In Windows, this file is located in <username>AppData\local\Foobot monitor\foobotmonitor.cfg.  In Linux it is usually located in your home directory/-conf/foobotmonitor.cfg (depends on Linux distribution)
• If for some reason you wish to change/update your login and/or API Key, there are two ways of doing it:

1. Delete the cfg file, and restart  Foobot Monitor.  You will be prompted with the login dialog as before.  As a consequence you will lose any saved settings you had before.

2. Open the foobotmonitor.cfg file
   Make a new entry thus, then save the file. (using your values instead of the example <..> ones)

   [Config]
   Foobot User=<username>
   Secret Key=<Secret API Key>

   Next time Foobot Monitor is run, these values are read, then encrypted and the plaintext is deleted
   You can do this as many times as you like

• Once running, Foobot Monitor should locate your Foobot(s) and display current readings, as well as a graph showing the last 48 hours of readings.  By default, Foobot Monitor will fetch a new reading every hour and add it to the graph.
• Notice the status bar at the bottom of the window. Running your mouse over the various parts of Foobot Monitor panels will display useful information.

Foobot Menus

The File menu contains one item: Exit.

The Foobot menu has a list of your Foobots.  Click the Foobot name to change the Foobot the application uses.  It also takes an instant reading.

The Help menu has links to this help, the Foobot Monitor home page, Foobot's API page and an 'About' dialog.

The Options menu

• The Options menu is where you can customise Foobot Monitor to your liking.

Minimise to Tray: Foobot Monitor can run as a System Tray icon when you need more screen space.  Just click the tray icon to restore Foobot Monitor. You can also right-click the tray icon to show a small menu.

Take Reading Now: This will update Foobot Monitor's display with current information when clicked.  Note: Foobot only sends data to the Foobot server every 6 minutes or so.

Sample Every...: By default, Foobot Monitor fetches a fresh reading every hour, but this can be changed via this submenu,

Display... Minimal View: This will collapse/expand Foobot Monitor to a smaller screen footprint.

Display... Recommended Values:  This will show yellow lines on the gauges corresponding to the 'recommended values'.  The recommended values can be tweaked via the 'Set Triggers and Recommended Values' dialog (see below)

Display... Session Maximums: This will show red lines on the gauges corresponding to the maximum values read whilst Foobot Monitor has been running.  These are reset when Foobot Monitor is restarted.

Record All-time High/Lows: (Default=ON)  This setting controls the 'All-time Highs and Lows' panel - whether it updates or not.

Reset All-time Highs and Lows: Clicking this zeros out the 'All-time Highs and Lows' panel.  Depending on the 'Record..' menu it will then populate itself as Foobot Monitor runs.

Foobot Triggers and Recommended Values.. Set Trigger and Recommended Values: This opens a dialog where you can change any or all the values Foobot Monitor uses.  This information takes effect immediately and is also used next time Foobot Monitor starts.

Foobot Triggers and Recommended Values.. Set Triggers On/off: Turns off triggering for all Foobots

FAQ

1. Q. Can Foobot Monitor be run from a thumb drive?  What files are required?
   A. The only file required is foobotmonitor(.exe).  It can be located anywhere in your file system (including thumb drives or non-writable media)  On start-up, it will create config files and a help file on your main system's config directory.
2. Q. Can Foobot Monitor be run without an internet connection?
   A. Foobot Monitor requires an internet connection to acquire data from the Foobot server.
3. Q. What is a "trigger" in Foobot Monitor?  What does it do?
   A. As an example; let's say you set a "High Trigger" for temperature at 26C, and a "Low Trigger" at 20C.  If Foobot Monitor receives a temperature of more than 26C or less than 20C, the temperature sensor will change colour and the 'traffic light' will show red.
4. Q. What is a "Recommended Value" in Foobot Monitor?
   A. Each sensor has a 'recommended value' and if Foobot Monitor detects above or below this value the traffic lights show yellow and green respectively.
5. Q. Can I change Foobot Monitor's default recommended values and triggers?
   A. Certainly. From the Options menu, click "Foobot Triggers and Recommended Values../Set Trigger and Recommended Values" and you can configure them to your liking.  Note that Recommended Values apply to all Foobots, but Triggers are unique to each Foobot.
6. Q. I have a problem with my Foobot Monitor.  Can I expect to get it fixed?
   A. Foobot Monitor is freeware distributed under a GPL license.  Unpaid support is not included, however a polite email with full details of the error, the Foobot Monitor version and the system running Foobot Monitor may get attention.  My email address is in the cfg file.  From time to time updates will be posted - check your version of Foobot Monitor - it is in the Help/About menu.
7. Q. I want to write my own version of Foobot Monitor.  Is the source code available?
   A. Yes.  Go to the Home Page (Help menu/Home Page) for details.
8. Q. Is Foobot Monitor supported or sponsored by the makers of Foobot?
   A. No.  Foobot Monitor is an independent project, and not associated with the makers of Foobot.

minesadorada Jan 2017