Auto-refresh Website Index Page Without Using Meta Refresh

[Synewave]

It seems many want their index page to automatically refresh without having to press F5. Any many don't want to get into the realms of changing their site to use the PHP methods available in the forum.

Here is a simple way to achieve this using Javascript that will refresh the weather data on your index page automatically every 15 seconds. It works by reading the data from your realtime.txt file (providing you already have Cumulus set to upload that). You can see it in action here: http://www.synewave.co.uk/gcsweather/indextest.htm

Before starting make a backup of your indexT.htm file (call it indexTold.htm for example).

Implementation is simple, just unzip this file and upload the realtimereader.js and jquery.js files to your webserver (to the same location your Cumulus .htm files are).

jquery and realtimereader.zip

Then edit the indexT.htm file in the Cumulus\web\ folder on your PC using something like Notepad or preferably Notepad++.

Add these two lines just before </head>

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<script src="jquery.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="realtimereader.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

Then edit each of the <#webtags> that you want to refresh automatically as follows:

<#temp> becomes <span id="temp"></span>
<#dew> becomes <span id="dew"></span>
... and so on.

Note that you can only change the webtags to id's that are already provided by realtime.txt i.e. dawn and dusk are not in the realtime.txt file so these webtags need to stay in their original format i.e. <#dawn>. It is not really necessary for this data to be refreshed realtime anyway. Also note that webtags that are repeated in the indexT.htm file also cannot be changed to id's as unique id's can only be used once in a page. Again, <#tempunit> for example will always remain the same so no need to auto-refresh anyway.

Be aware that next time you upgrade Cumulus, the install will overwrite your modified indexT.htm file if you have 'Include HTML Templates' ticked during the installation process. My advice would be to have this option unticked.

Alternatively, if you are still using the standard template supplied with Cumulus, here is the code with all the webtags replaced with id's. Copy and paste this into the indexT.htm file from and including the exisiting <p> and </p>.

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<p>Forecast: <span id="forecast"></span></p>
<table width="100%"  border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
  <caption>Conditions at local time <span id="time"></span> on <span id="date"></span></caption>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="4" class="tableseparator_temp">Temperature and Humidity </td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_temperature_data">
    <td>Temperature</td>
    <td><span id="temp"></span>&nbsp;<#tempunit></td>
    <td>Dew&nbsp;Point </td>
    <td><span id="dew"></span>&nbsp;<#tempunit></td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_temperature_data">
    <td>Windchill</td>
    <td><span id="wchill"></span>&nbsp;<#tempunit></td>
    <td>Humidity</td>
    <td><span id="hum"></span>%</td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_temperature_data">
    <td>Heat Index</td>
    <td><span id="heatindex"></span>&nbsp;<#tempunit></td>
    <td>Apparent Temperature</td>
    <td><span id="apptemp"></span>&nbsp;<#tempunit></td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_temperature_data">
    <td>Solar Radiation</td>
    <td><span id="SolarRad"></span>&nbsp;W/m&sup2;</td>
    <td>Evapotranspiration Today</td>
    <td><span id="ET"></span>&nbsp;<#rainunit></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="4" class="tableseparator_rainfall">Rainfall</td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_rainfall_data">
    <td>Rainfall&nbsp;Today</td>
    <td><span id="rfall"></span>&nbsp;<#rainunit></td>
    <td>Rainfall&nbsp;Rate</td>
    <td><span id="rrate"></span>&nbsp;<#rainunit>/hr</td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_rainfall_data">
    <td>Rainfall&nbsp;This&nbsp;Month</td>
    <td><span id="rmonth"></span>&nbsp;<#rainunit></td>
    <td>Rainfall&nbsp;This&nbsp;Year</td>
    <td><span id="ryear"></span>&nbsp;<#rainunit></td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_rainfall_data">
    <td>Rainfall&nbsp;Last Hour</td>
    <td><span id="rhour"></span>&nbsp;<#rainunit></td>
    <td>Last rainfall</td>
    <td><#LastRainTipISO></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="4" class="tableseparator_wind">Wind</td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_wind_data">
    <td>Wind&nbsp;Speed&nbsp;(gust)</td>
    <td><span id="wgust"></span>&nbsp;<#windunit></td>
    <td>Wind&nbsp;Speed&nbsp;(avg)</td>
    <td><span id="wspeed"></span>&nbsp;<#windunit></td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_wind_data">
    <td>Wind Bearing</td>
    <td><span id="avgbearing"></span>&deg; <span id="wdir"></span></td>
    <td>Beaufort&nbsp;<span id="beaufort"></span></td>
    <td><span id="beaudesc"></span></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="4" class="tableseparator_pressure">Pressure</td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="td_pressure_data">
    <td>Barometer&nbsp;</td>
    <td><span id="press"></span>&nbsp;<#pressunit></td>
    <td><#presstrend></td>
    <td><span id="presstrendval"></span>&nbsp;<#pressunit>/hr</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="4" class="td_navigation_bar">:<a href="index.htm">now</a>::<a href="gauges.htm">gauges</a>::<a href="today.htm">today</a>::<a href="yesterday.htm">yesterday</a>::<a href="record.htm">records</a>::<a href="trends.htm">trends</a>:<span id="forum><span id="webcam></td>
  </tr>
</table>
<p class="credits"><br />
Page updated <span id="update"></span><br />
powered by
<a href="http://sandaysoft.com/products/cumulus" target="_blank">Cumulus</a> 
v<span id="version"></span> (<span id="build"></span>)
</p>

If you want to include a countdown timer, instead of your page saying ".... and these pages are updated every xx minutes", edit the code in indexT.htm as follows. Locate

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and these pages are updated every <#interval> minutes.

and replace that with

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and the data below updates in <span id="refresh_in"></span> seconds.

Old scripts below, don't use these.

[fractonimbus]

I've used this approach and it works very well.

DN

[mcrossley]

Same here.

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function updateSpans(){
    //get all the spans on the page
    var spans = document.getElementsByTagName("span");
    //loop through the spans to update them
    for (var i=0; i<spans.length; i++) {
        var id = spans[i].id;
        if (id.length) {
            var val = cumulus[id];        //get the cumulus value
            if (val != null) spans[i].innerHTML = val;
        }
    }
}

or using jQuery...

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//get all the spans on the page
$('span').each(function () {
	id = this.id ? this.id : this.className;
	val = cumulus[id];		//get the cumulus value
	if (val !== undefined) {			//do we have a cumulus value for this field?
		this.innerHTML = val;			//set the field text
	}
});

[tjaliwalpa]

Hmm,

Great to see this post. You have made it simple for people to follow. Well done Synewave

I had a lot of fun (with numerous moments) arriving at the same end point over the last month. I'm please in a way that you waited until now to post as I have learnt a lot in the meantime.

[daj]

Blatant plagiarism and no credit

Just as well I am not of a sensitive nature!

[Synewave]

Whoops, sorry David, it wasn't intentional. Script updated with credit!

[gemini06720]

Paul, the idea is great - although I have not looked at the code for very long, good work.

One thing thought... You shoul have tested and released your JavaScript with the latest release of jQuery (ie: verson 1.5 released January 31, 2011 - which offers better compatibility with more of the modern browsers) rather than with the included and quite old version 1.3.2 (released February 20, 2009) - it should no be the responsability of the user to look for and install the latest release of the jQuery script as the JavaScript might stop working...

[Synewave]

Thanks Ray. I've just tested it with jquery v1.5 and all seems to be working OK. I've updated the attachment in the first post with the new version.

[gemini06720]

Thanks Ray. I've just tested it with jquery v1.5 and all seems to be working OK. I've updated the attachment in the first post with the new version.

Paul, two more recommendations, if I may:

- rather than supplying the jQuery script to the user, you could supply a link to the jQuery files on Google or Microsoft (I see that in many of the scripts I download):
--- I think this is the Google link;
--- I think this is the Microsoft link.

- rather than renaming the jQuery script to 'jquery.js', you could use the full name and version number (to make later identification easier), such as:
--- 'jquery-1.5.js' for the source (uncompressed) released of jQuery 1.5
--- 'jquery-1.5.min.js' for the minified (compressed) released of jQuery 1.5

[beteljuice]

Tip:

For the purists who would complain that there is no data if JavaScript has been disabled ...

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<td><span id="temp"></span>&nbsp;<#tempunit></td>

The (template) html for belts and braces sake should be:

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<td><span id="temp"><#temp></span>&nbsp;<#tempunit></td>

ie. The last Cumulus upload is on the page, then overwritten by the JavaScript / realtime.txt routine

[daj]

Do people seriously not use Javascript?! The Internet must be quite dull then

In all fairness we should always consider these things -- especially for people who rely on technology such as screen readers. Who said web page design was simple? It's bad enough coding a page for a bucket full of browsers all with their own set of issues.

[fractonimbus]

Interesting change in the browser stats since I last looked a year or two ago: IE ~45%, FFox ~30%, Chrome ~13%, Safari ~6% So non-w3c-compliant browsers (IE) now down to below 50%... hallelujah!

DN

(though Safari's javascript leaves something to be desired)

[captzero]

Paul & Daj,

I really like this javascript. Great job. I have tried it on a test page and am able to update the data as per the instructions. I also use a fair bit of javascript to update other stuff using the standard web tags (wind dir images, trend arrows, text, speed conversions, etc). Will using the <span id="temp"><#temp></span> still allow the <#temp> tag to update trend arrows for instance?. I couldn't get it to work. Is there a work around?

Thanks

[Synewave]

Hi Dan,

Glad you like it. Seems you are using some Javascript in your HTML anyway for the trend arrows. To make them work 'realtime' that code would need to be added in the realtimereader.js file.

Something like:

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var temptrendicon = rawdata[25];
if (temptrendicon==0){var imagen = "steady1.gif";}
if (temptrendicon>0){var imagen = "up1.gif";}
if (temptrendicon<0){var imagen = "down1.gif";}
$("#temptrendicon").html('<img src="http://www.brisbaneliveweather.com/'+imagen+'"align =absmiddle>');

Then in your HTML, code <span id="temptrendicon"></span>

[captzero]

Thanks Paul, I'll give it a try.

Cheers