Updating Web Server without FTP

[marnicknz]

Hi.
I have recently purchased a Digitech XC0348 weather station and have been playing around with Cumulus and publishing data to a web site. Apart from the (usual?) issues of intermittent sensor disconnects when connected to USB, I have been having a lot of fun. My web server is on the same LAN as the Cumulus PC and so I do not want to use FTP to update the web files. I found a forum posting on how to do this but now cannot find it again (anyone have the link?). Anyway, it has left me with some questions.

On the Internet Settings\Files tab, what does the ‘Include Standard Files’ and ‘Include Standard Images’ options do? Do these have any effect if I want to just ‘file copy’ (as opposed to FTP)? What exactly are ‘Standard’ files and Images?

What does the ‘Copy Images to Folder’ option do? Is this related to the Standard Images above, or are these different Images?

I read that if ‘Auto Update’ is set ON then Cumulus automatically processes the templates and creates HTML files in the cumulus\web folder. Does this process any templates that are stored here or is it only the ‘standard’ templates?

The instructions I found for the ‘file copy’ method said I needed to list each template file on the Files tab, specify a folder to copy them too, and tick the ‘Process’ box. Is this still the correct way to do what I want? Why can’t I just copy the HTML files from cumulus\web folder if they are automatically being updated?

Thanks for a great program and for all the help provided in this forum.
Mark.

[steve]

On the Internet Settings\Files tab, what does the ‘Include Standard Files’ and ‘Include Standard Images’ options do? Do these have any effect if I want to just ‘file copy’ (as opposed to FTP)? What exactly are ‘Standard’ files and Images?

They're the HTML files and associated images supplied with Cumulus. From the help:

Include Standard Files If this is ticked, the standard web files provided with Cumulus will be uploaded at each web update. If not ticked, the files will be processed and web pages created, but not uploaded.
Include Standard Images If this is ticked, the standard image files generated by Cumulus (graphs, etc) will be uploaded at each web update. If not ticked, the images will be created, but not uploaded.

They only have effect for upload, not copy.

What does the ‘Copy Images to Folder’ option do? Is this related to the Standard Images above, or are these different Images?

From the help:

Copy images to folder This allows you to specify a folder to which the standard image files are copied at each web update interval, either the 'normal' interval, or the 'realtime' interval, depending on whether or not the 'realtime?' box is ticked. If you tick the 'realtime' box, you will also need to select the Realtime option (on the Sites/Options tab)

I read that if ‘Auto Update’ is set ON then Cumulus automatically processes the templates and creates HTML files in the cumulus\web folder. Does this process any templates that are stored here or is it only the ‘standard’ templates?

Cumulus only automatically processes the templates that it knows about. Any others have to be listed on the files tab.

The instructions I found for the ‘file copy’ method said I needed to list each template file on the Files tab, specify a folder to copy them too, and tick the ‘Process’ box. Is this still the correct way to do what I want? Why can’t I just copy the HTML files from cumulus\web folder if they are automatically being updated?

Yes, you could do it that way if you wanted, for the standard files. The only difference would be that you would specify the already processed file as the source and don't tick 'process'.

[gemini06720]

...My web server is on the same LAN as the Cumulus PC and so I do not want to use FTP to update the web files.

Mark, is there a specific reason why you do not want to use the internal Cumulus FTP to update/upload the processed templates - the templates are the files with an upper case letter T (tee) in their name, such as 'indexT.htm'?

My version of Cumulus is installed on my server computer - the server is managed by XAMPP and running under Apache. Cumulus is processing the templates and uploading then to the same computer but to a different hard drive and directory. To easily accomplish the FTP upload, I have setup Cumulus 'Web Site Host name' to 'localhost'.

[marnicknz]

Thanks for the reply Steve.

They only have effect for upload, not copy.

OK, I guess if this included ‘copy’ then Cumulus would not know where to put them anyway.

Copy images to folder This allows you to specify a folder to which the standard image files are copied at each web update interval, either the 'normal' interval, or the 'realtime' interval, depending on whether or not the 'realtime?' box is ticked. If you tick the 'realtime' box, you will also need to select the Realtime option (on the Sites/Options tab)

So to clarify, if Realtime is turned on, are the standard files and images regenerated on each 'realtime' interval? It would not be much use copying them that often if they were only regenerated each 'normal' interval.
When a timer is triggered in Cumulus (either at a the 'normal' interval, or the 'realtime' interval, what order does it process tasks. For example, does it process the ‘standard’ files before it pricesses the ‘files’ list?

Mark, is there a specific reason why you do not want to use the internal Cumulus FTP to update/upload the processed templates - the templates are the files with an upper case letter T (tee) in their name, such as 'indexT.htm'?

Hi Ray. I just thought using FTP to update a machine sitting close by added unnecessary complication.. I have it working OK with the file copy method but was just a bit confused about which functions were specific to the FTP method.
Does anybody have a reference to the post that details how to use file copy?
Mark.

[gemini06720]

Mark, Cumulus was primarily design (and Steve will correct me if I am wrong) to FTP upload the data collected and processed to a web site. That the web site be located on the same computer or kilometers/miles away does not make much difference.

Using the Cumulus built-in FTP function makes the upload operation very simple - one does not need to enter any file name - one only needs to place (add) some check marks in the Cumulus settings.

The only 'unnecessary complication' in FTP uploading to a local (as on the same computer or a computer on the same internal network) would be the setup of the FTP server ... but once setup, there is nothing else to do except enjoying the 'automatic process'.

[steve]

So to clarify, if Realtime is turned on, are the standard files and images regenerated on each 'realtime' interval?

No.

When a timer is triggered in Cumulus (either at a the 'normal' interval, or the 'realtime' interval, what order does it process tasks. For example, does it process the ‘standard’ files before it pricesses the ‘files’ list?

It processes the standard files, creates the images, then processes any extra files and does any copying requested. Then it does any required ftp.

[marnicknz]

So to clarify, if Realtime is turned on, are the standard files and images regenerated on each 'realtime' interval?

No.

I don't understand then why there is an option to copy the standard images based on the 'realtime' interval('realtime' tick box beside folder box) if the image files are only updated by the 'normal' timer?

Mark.

[gemini06720]

Steve and Mark, I just placed a check mark in the 'Realtime?' box beside the line 'Copy images to folder:' and the images are being updated at the same interval I have set for the 'Realtime interval' (my setting is 15 seconds).

Steve, there is certainly no purpose in updating the graphic images on a real time basis - the graphic images should only be updated using the interval set for the web page update (my setting is 10 minutes).

Oddly enough, not all graphic images are updated at the same time - the 'raind.png', 'tempm.png', 'raint.png', 'windd.png', 'temp.png', 'press.png', 'rain.png' and 'wind.png' are updated at a slightly different later time, but always later than the other files...

[steve]

I don't understand then why there is an option to copy the standard images based on the 'realtime' interval('realtime' tick box beside folder box) if the image files are only updated by the 'normal' timer?

If you tick the 'realtime' box on the 'copy images to folder' option, then the images are generated and copied at the realtime interval.

[steve]

Oddly enough, not all graphic images are updated at the same time - the 'raind.png', 'tempm.png', 'raint.png', 'windd.png', 'temp.png', 'press.png', 'rain.png' and 'wind.png' are updated at a slightly different later time, but always later than the other files...

On my PC, they're all created at the same time.

[marnicknz]

Does anybody have a reference to the post that details how to use file copy?

For anyone looking for the earlier instructions here is the post: https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=61297