Request sent but recieving Bad Request error from browser

[BrookeDot]

I’ve just started trying to use Particle.function to send data from a website to a Particle. While the data is being sent and the action is working as expected my JavaScript (jQuery) $.ajax() request is coming back with a Bad Request error.

The only thing I can think of is that this is because my site is on localhost but thought I would run it by the community to see if anyone else has had a similar problem.

JavaScript AJAX request

    // Fire off the request to /form.php
    request = $.ajax({
        url: "https://api.particle.io/v1/devices/" + $("#deviceid").val() + "/settimer",
        type: "POST",
        data: {args: $("#minutes").val() , access_token: $("#accesstoken").val() }
    });

PHP Form:

<form id="timer">
    <label for="minutes">Set Tmer for</label>
    <input id="minutes" name="m" type="text" value="" placeholder="30" max="99" min="1" inputmode="numeric" maxlength="2" />
    <label for="minutes">minutes</label>
    <input id="deviceid" type="hidden" name="deviceid" value="<?php echo( $_COOKIE["deviceid"] ); ?>">
    <input id="accesstoken" type="hidden" name="accesstoken" value="<?php echo( $_COOKIE["accesstoken"] ); ?>">
    <input class="button" type="submit" value="Set" />
</form>

Happy to provide more code if needed.

[BrookeDot]

I’m still having this problem but it seems to be a timeout and not a bad request. Do I need to be doing something to tell the API that my request was successful and send that back to the JavaScript in the browser?

Firmware code:

void setup() {
    Particle.function("settimer", getMinutes); //listen for the number of minutes
    //additional setup stuff

}

//this gets the input from our POST request and sets the number of minutes and runs the countdown
int getMinutes( String command ) {
    int minutes = command.toInt();  //minutes from our function
    float milliseconds = minutes * 60000; //number of milliseconds
    float wait = milliseconds / 85; // total millisconds divided by 85 (we have 85 "steps" between 170 and 255 in the wheel function)
    startCountdown(wait); //run the countdown function
}

[ScruffR]

Your function has to return an integer and has to return it within a few seconds - no waiting inside a Particle.function()!

[Moors7]

To elaborate on that, you’d need a return X at the end, and preferably keep the function as short as possible. Set a ‘flag’ which you pick up on in your loop. Then handle all the waiting/actions there. That way your function can respond immediately, and won’t block the rest.

[BrookeDot]

Thanks @Moors7 and @ScruffR!

I was able to get the Particle.function() to return correctly by using the following code

bool checkFlag = FALSE; // global to check if getMinutes have been set 
int timerMilliseconds; 

void setup() {
     Particle.function("settimer", getMinutes); //listen for the number of minutes
}

void loop() {
    if( checkFlag ) {
        startCountdown( timerMilliseconds );//run the countdown function
        checkFlag = FALSE;
    }
}

 //this gets the input from our POST request and sets the number of minutes and runs the countdown
int getMinutes( String command ) {
    int minutes = command.toInt();  //minutes from our function
    float milliseconds = minutes * 60000; //number of milliseconds
    float wait = milliseconds / 85; // total millisconds 
    timerMilliseconds = wait;
    checkFlag = TRUE;
    return timerMilliseconds;
}  

It seems a bit silly to create timerMilliseconds but I was having trouble converting from float to int I also use wait in another function so couldn’t use the name globally. Any suggestions on how to handle this or is this an okay method of going about this?

[ScruffR]

How about that?

volatile int timerMilliseconds;

void loop() {   
   if( timerMilliseconds > 0 ) {
        startCountdown( timerMilliseconds ); //run the countdown function
        timerMilliseconds = 0; 
    }
}

int getMinutes( String command ) {
    return (timerMilliseconds = command.toInt() * 60000 / 85);
}

Since toInt() returns zero on fail your code won’t brake and you can consider 0 as no success on your remote end.

[BrookeDot]

Wow way to simplify things a ton! Thanks so much!