Dark Sky Weather Reader

The Dark Sky Weather Reader is no longer supported as its data API has been discontinued.

This application pulls data from the Dark Sky API and copies it into a Chameleon instance.

As of March 31, 2020 Darksky has joined Apple. https://blog.darksky.net/ From the blog:

Our API service for existing customers is not changing today, but we will no longer accept new signups. The API will continue to function through the end of 2021.
Update: Support for the Dark Sky API service for existing customers will continue until the end of 2022. The iOS app and Dark Sky website will also be available until the end of 2022.

Instance Setup

The first time you start the weather reader after installing it or when you want to add a new instance you will need to configure it. You will be prompted to enter a Instance Name.

The instance name is arbitrary - it can be any name you like such as Live, Production, Test, Jose, GoJaysGo. It is simply a label to associate with a specific set of configuration values. This is helpful in situations where you have multiple chameleon instances that you want to update. This enables you to do so without running multiple copies of the reader.

Configuration

The reader requires some information about the data source and the target Chameleon database before it can begin running.

Instance name is an arbitrary name used to identify the instance.

The MySQL section is pre-filled with defaults that will likely work with your Chameleon database

Default user id is Updater.

The data source settings control the weather requests sent to the Dark Sky API.

Source should be set to URL.
The files option is used for debugging or if another process is providing the data files.

Language - controls what language is used when generating the text summaries.

Units - control what units of measurement are used

NOTE: the Flow preference settings do override this for the main weather values but not for the extra dynamic fields.

Running

Once launched and running - it will count down to the next update displaying the time remaining.

Buttons on the Run tab:

Play/Pause toggle button
- starts/pauses the timer
Stop button
- Stops the timer and resets to the set time interval
Run Now
- You can force an immediate update by pressing the Run Now button when enabled

Locations

This tab of the application provides a list of the locations that it is working with.

Add Locations

To add a location - type the name and press the enter key or press the Search button

After the search completes - select the location from the dropdown list and press the enter key or press the Add Location button.

Locations will be automatically populated the next time the reader runs.

Remove Locations

You can remove locations that you no longer need. Note that doing so will remove it from all playlists it is part of.

Select the location(s) to be removed (multi-select using the Shift and/or CTRL keys when clicking)
Right-click and select Remove
Confirm the removal when prompted

Extra Fields

There are additional data fields available from the Dark Sky api that aren't mapped to the primary weather fields in Chameleon. To use these additional fields you can select them on the Extra Data tab. Any selected fields will be added to their respective data records as Dynamic Fields.

After changing the selections by adding or removing checkmarks - press the Save All Changes button. Then these changes will apply the next time the reader runs.

Note that these fields are not affected by the weather preference settings in the Chameleon web configuration module.

Logs

The application writes notes on its actions and any errors it encounters into a local file log as well as into the connected Chameleon audit log.

Local File Logs

File logs are created for each day. You can view the current file log using the Help menu of the reader.

Verbose Logging Option

You can choose to enable an option that provides greater audit details for the reader's operation. Activate it using the Help menu - Logs - Verbose Logging option.

You generally enable this for a short time while debugging an issue and then disable it when you no longer need it.