STARTING THIS PROJECT - removing the .git folder

• first of all, clone the repo onto your desktop using git clone https://github.com/ryancarneyy/HaCK-backend
• then, navigate into the repository using cd
• once you are in the HaCK-backend repository in the terminal, run rm -rf .git
• This will remove the .git folder from your project, so you can now run git init to make a new empty repository inside of the folder!

Setting up a working node server - IMPLEMENTATION RELEASED

• Take the folder backend (containing index.js), and put the folder directly into your project folder which you have made. Your project folder will hold 2/3 folders:

  • backend
  • frontend (containing react project)
  • pico code (if you choose to contain a copy of your pico code on your actual computer)
    • to edit pico code directly, use thonny to edit the files that are currently on the pico

• you will be able to send and recieve messages using MQTT protocol, using the node server (index.js) as the middle man between the frontend React site and the MQTT broker

• WHEN IN YOUR BACKEND FOLDER: run npm i to install all dependencies

.env file inside of backend folder

• In order to connect your mqtt, make a file called .env inside of this folder, where your CONNECT_URL, MQTT_USER, and MQTT_PASS will be stored
  • create variables with these names, that contain a string of these
    • THESE VARIABLES SHOULD NOT BE STRINGS, JUST PLAIN TEXT
    • CONNECT_URL: contains a of the url for the MQTT broker
      • THIS URL SHOULD CONTAIN: mqtts://urlofyourbroker.edu:8883
    • CONNECT_USER: contains the username of the credential you created for your node server
    • MQTT_PASS: contains the password of the credential that you created for your node server
• With these set up, you will be able to run your node server through port 8000, which will subscribe to 2 topics, 'temp' and 'ultrasonic', which you will be able to change if you please.
  • run the node server by running "node index.js" in your backend directory which you have taken off of my github
  • if you see "subscribed to temp" and "subscribed to ultrasonic" you should be good and connected!

Setting up your frontend connection to your node server!

• Run npm start just like normal in order to start your frontend
• I have given you functions to send and recieve data through mqtt broker. You have to decide how to implement them.
• When you run npm start, you should see there is a message that pops up in the node server's console, which says frontend has connected to socket. Once you see this message you should be good to go.

Using connections.py for your Pico W

• You will be able to use 2 functions in connections.py

  • One for connection to the MQTT broker (connect_mqtt) and one for connecting to WIFI (connect_internet)

  • connect_mqtt(mqtt_server, mqtt_user, mqtt_pass):

    • mqtt_server: the server url which you have obtained by making a free serverless MQTT Broker on HIVEMQ

      • Should look something like: '37##616##db7#bd1##cac997eb01##13.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud'

    • mqtt_user:

      • This is the name of the user you create when you make a credential
        • The purpose of this is just to have a unique user in which the MQTT Broker can understand where the message is coming from
        • Ex: username = 'pico' when creating credentials for the Raspberry Pi Pico W to send something

    • mqtt_pass:

      • This is the password that goes along with your mqtt_user
      • Just for the broker to validate the user
      • Make this whatever you want, just write it down

    • RETURNS client, which you can use

      • client.subscribe(b"topic") to subscribe to a topic of your choice
      • client.publish(b"topic", b"message") to publish a message with a topic of your choice
      • client

  • connect_internet( ssid, password ):

    • ssid:

      • This is the name of the wi-fi network you are trying to connect to

    • password:

      • this is the password of the wi-fi network you are trying to connect to