LTE Beacon: Micro-app API reference [0.2.4]

Micro-apps are written in JavaScript. All of ECMAScript 5.1 is supported. Select things from ECMAScript 2015 (also known as the “6th edition”, or “ECMAScript 6”) are also supported:

  • arrow functions
  • classes
  • enhanced object literals (shorthands & computed/dynamic property names)
  • default function arguments
  • template literals
  • promises
  • ArrayBuffer and typed arrays
  • DataView, Map, Set
  • Object.keys

Some notably-not-supported ES2015 features:

  • let and const
  • destructuring
  • spread and rest ... operators
  • iterators and for ... of
  • Object.values and .entries
  • (and more)

None of ES2016 and beyond is supported at this time, most notable ommision being async and await.

Other than that, here’s a list of LTE-Beacon–specific functions and APIs.

Valid for firmware 0.2.4. See API reference for other firmware versions.

microApp API Reference

Global functions

print

print(text)

Description: Prints message on debug console.
Note: This is a blocking function when connected via Bluetooth. It may slow down application.

Arguments:

  • text (stringable, max length: 1024) - Text that will be displayed on console.

preview

preview(data)

Description: Sends data to visualisation console.
Note: This is a blocking function when connected via Bluetooth. It may slow down application.

Arguments:

  • data (object) - Data to be visualised

Errors thrown:

toHex

toHex(array)

Description: Converts arraybuffer/array of numbers to hex string

Arguments:

  • array (object) - Array of numbers or ArrayBuffer that will be converted to hex string.

Returns: object

toMs

toMs(interval)

Description: Converts string time description to milliseconds

Arguments:

  • interval (interval, unit: ms) - String representation of time interval

Invocation example:

print(toMs("30s")+"ms"); //  This should print 30000ms

Returns: number

toSec

toSec(interval)

Description: Converts string time description to seconds

Arguments:

  • interval (interval, unit: s) - String representation of time interval

Invocation example:

print(toSec("1h")+"s"); //  This should print 3600s

Returns: number

Timer functions

Timer functions that allow to schedule tasks asynchronously

single

timers.single(interval, callback)

Description: Start single shot timer

Arguments:

  • interval (interval, unit: ms) - Number of milliseconds that timer will wait before invoking callback

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will be called when timer fires

    Function signature: () => ...

Returns: handle object

Handler object methods:

  • handler.stop() - Stops timer. Calling on stoped timer has no effect.

  • handler.end() - Return promise called after timer finishes.

  • handler.reset(interval) - Resets timer. Calling on stoped timer will schedule it again.

    • interval (interval, unit: ms, default: 0, optional) - New interval in milliseconds. If ommited (or 0) previous interval will be used.

Errors thrown:

repeat

timers.repeat(interval, callback)

Description: Start repeated timer.

Arguments:

  • interval (interval, unit: ms) - Number of milliseconds that timer will wait before invoking callback

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will be called when timer fires

    Function signature: () => ...

Invocation example:

// Blink LEDs every 200ms
var on = false;
timers.repeat('200ms', () => io.led(on = !on))

Returns: handle object

Handler object methods:

  • handler.stop() - Stops timer. Calling on stopped timer will have no effect.

  • handler.restart(interval) - Restarts repeated timer. Works only on stopped timer.

    • interval (interval, unit: ms, default: 0, optional) - New interval in milliseconds. If ommited (or 0) previous interval will be used.

Errors thrown:

at

timers.at(timestamp, callback)

Description: Invoke timer at specified UTC time.

Arguments:

  • timestamp (any) - UTC time in milliseconds or Date object

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will be called when timer fires.

    Function signature: () => ...

Returns: handle object

Handler object methods:

  • handler.stop() - Stops timer. Calling on stopped timer will have no effect.

Errors thrown:

count

timers.count(interval, count, callback)

Description: Invoke timer number of times in specified interval

Arguments:

  • interval (interval, unit: ms) - Number of milliseconds that timer will wait before invoking callback
  • count (number, min: 0) - Number of timers timer will be called.

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will be called when timer fires.

    Function signature: (count) => ...

    • count (number) - Current count number (counting down to 0)

Invocation example:

// Blink LEDs 5 times every 200ms
timers.count('200ms', 5, (count) => io.led(count % 2 == 1))

Returns: handle object

Handler object methods:

  • handler.stop() - Stops timer. Calling on stopped timer will have no effect.

  • handler.end() - Return promise called after timer finishes.

Errors thrown:

Bluetooth Low Energy functions

Bluetooth Low Energy scanning and advertising functions

Variant 1:

ble.advertise(callback)

Description: This variant will call given function that will provide BLE packet that will be advertised.

Arguments:

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will provide packet each time it will be advertised. Returned object has to have similar structure to scan records received by ble.startScan(...) function.

    Function signature: (txPower) => ...

    • txPower (number, since: 0.0.8) - Transmit power used to send this advertisement for convinient adjusting measured power.

Invocation example:

// Advertise device with temperature in its name. 
//Note that extra braces around arrow function body are necessary.
ble.advertise(() => ({name: "Temp=" + sensors.temp.get().toFixed(1)}))

Variant 2:

ble.advertise(data)

Description: This variant will advertise statically defined packet.

Arguments:

  • data (object) - Packet that will be advertised. Similar to the structure of scan records received by ble.startScan(...) function.

Invocation example:

//Advertise device that has only a name
//Notes that you can chain handler function invocations together.
ble.advertise({name: "MyDevice"}).power(4).interval(300)

Returns: handle object

Handler object methods:

  • handler.stop() - Stops advertiser

  • handler.pause() - Pauses advertiser. On stopped advertiser is does nothing.

  • handler.resume() - Resumes advertiser. On stopped advertiser is does nothing.

  • handler.interval(interval) - Sets new advertising interval. Shorter interval - more power is consumed. Longer interval - more difficult to quickly detect.

    • interval (interval, unit: ms, min: 100) - Interval in milliseconds

  • handler.power(interval) - Sets new advertising power (in dBm).

    • interval (number, unit: dBm, min: -40, max: 20) - Power in dBm. Allowed values are -40, -20, -16, -12, -8, -4, 0, 4, 8, 20.
      If different value is passed, advertising power will set to highest valid value lower than the value given (eg. 7 will snap to 4).

Errors thrown:

startScan

ble.startScan(callback, duration, options)

Description: Start scanning for BLE packets. It returns promise that will be resolved when scan stops (either from timeout or ble.stopScan(...)).

Arguments:

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will be called when new packet is detected.
    Using blocking functions (like print) in this callback may slow down scanning and miss some packets. Note that in the example packet is only printed out when it was succesfully recognized as Estimote Location to minimize blocking by print.

    Function signature: (scanRecord) => ...

    • scanRecord (object) - Raw BLE advertising packet.

    Object fields:

    • rssi (number, unit: dBm) - Received packet signal strength (RSSI)
    • channel (number, since: 0.0.8) - Channel number (37,38,39) on which packet was received
    • scanResponse (bool, since: 0.0.9) - ‘true’ if received packet is a scan response
    • connectable (bool, since: 0.0.9) - ‘true’ if received packet is connectable
    • addr (arraybuffer) - MAC device address
    • name (string, optional) - Device advertised name
    • manufData (arraybuffer, optional) - Manufacturers data
    • serviceData (object, optional) - Service data map. Key (service UUID) is a string, value is an arraybuffer.
    • serviceUUIDs (array, optional) - Array of arraybuffers with UUIDs of services.
    • txPower (number, unit: dBm, optional) - Advertised transmit power
    • flags (number, optional) - Advertised packet flags

    Example:

    {
    "rssi": -67,
    "channel": 37,
    "scanResponse": false,
    "connectable": true,
    "addr": "feab1214112c",
    "name": "MyDevice",
    "manufData": "fe34567689",
    "serviceData": {
        "fe9a": "fe124566783234534"
    },
    "serviceUUIDs": [
        "fe9a"
    ],
    "txPower": 4,
    "flags": 2
}
  • duration (interval, unit: ms, default: 10000, optional) - Scan duration. 0 if there is no time limit. Default value is 10000ms (10s).

  • options (object, optional, since: 0.2.4) - Advanced scan options

    Object fields:

    • passive (bool, default: false, optional) - Passive scan without sending scan requests
    • scanRequests (bool, default: false, optional) - Return also scan requests. Works only when Bluetooth is disconnected.
    • interval (interval, unit: ms, min: 1, max: 10240, default: 150, optional) - Scan interval
    • window (interval, unit: ms, min: 1, max: 10240, default: 100, optional) - Scan window
    • deduplicate (bool, default: false, optional) - Remove duplicated scan records (using MAC address).

    Example:

    {
    "passive": false,
    "scanRequests": false,
    "interval": "150ms",
    "window": "100ms",
    "deduplicate": false
}

Returns: promise

parse

ble.parse(scanRecord)

Description: Parses scanned raw BLE advertisement and extracts data. It can recognize most common packets like iBeacon or Eddystone and Estimote.

Arguments:

  • scanRecord (object) - Raw BLE packet scanned provided by startScan callback

Invocation example:

ble.startScan((scanRecord) => {
  var packet = ble.parse(scanRecord);
  if(packet) {
   print(JSON.stringify(packet));
  }
 })

Returns: object

stopScan

ble.stopScan(resolvePromise)

Description: Stops BLE scanning immediately.

Arguments:

  • resolvePromise (bool, default: true, optional) - If true then the startScan promise will be resolved

Invocation example:

ble.stopScan(true)

Creating BLE packets

Builders that will construct most popular packets like iBeacon, Eddystone or Estimote proprietary

eddystoneUrl

ble.build.eddystoneUrl(url, measuredPower)

Description: Builds EddystoneURL packet

Arguments:

  • url (string, max length: 50) - URL to be advertised
  • measuredPower (number, unit: dBm, min: -127, max: 127, default: -20, optional) - Measured power in dBm (measured at 0m)

Invocation example:

ble.build.eddystoneUrl("https://estimote.com", -20)

Returns: object

eddystoneTlm

ble.build.eddystoneTlm()

Description: Builds single EddystoneTLM packet. Since it generates single packet you need to pass whole function to ble.advertise to make packet change over time.

Returns: object

eddystoneUid

ble.build.eddystoneUid(namespace, instance, measuredPower)

Description: Builds EddystoneUID packet

Arguments:

  • namespace (arraybuffer, max length: 10) - ArrayBuffer or hex string with namespace ID (10 bytes)
  • instance (arraybuffer, max length: 6) - ArrayBuffer or hex string with instance ID (6 bytes)
  • measuredPower (number, unit: dBm, min: -127, max: 127, default: -20, optional) - Measured power in dBm (measured at 0m)

Invocation example:

ble.build.eddystoneUid("123456789ABCDEF01234", "349012AEB2E3", -20)

Returns: object

iBeacon

ble.build.iBeacon(uuid, major, minor, measuredPower)

Description: Builds iBeacon packet

Arguments:

  • uuid (arraybuffer, max length: 16) - ArrayBuffer or hex string with UUID
  • major (number, min: 1, max: 65535) - iBeacon major number from 1 to 65535
  • minor (number, min: 1, max: 65535) - iBeacon minor number from 1 to 65535
  • measuredPower (number, unit: dBm, min: -127, max: 127, default: -50, optional) - Measured power in dBm (measured at 1m)

Invocation example:

ble.build.iBeacon("123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426655440000", 1024, 512, -50)

Returns: object

altBeacon

ble.build.altBeacon(id, manufacturerId, measuredPower, reserved)

Description: Builds AltBeacon packet

Arguments:

  • id (arraybuffer, max length: 20) - ArrayBuffer or hex string with beacon ID. At least 16 bytes long but no longer than 20 bytes
  • manufacturerId (number, min: 1, max: 65535) - Manufacturer ID
  • measuredPower (number, unit: dBm, min: -127, max: 127, default: -50, optional) - Measured power in dBm (measured at 1m)
  • reserved (number, min: 0, max: 256, default: 0, optional) - Reserved value

Invocation example:

ble.build.altBeacon("123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426655440000", 1024, -50, 0)

Returns: object

estimoteLocation

ble.build.estimoteLocation(measuredPower)

Description: Builds Estimote Location packet

Arguments:

  • measuredPower (number, unit: dBm, min: -127, max: 127, default: -50, optional) - Measured power in dBm (measured at 1m)

Invocation example:

ble.build.estimoteLocation(-50)

Returns: object

estimoteLocationTrigger

ble.build.estimoteLocationTrigger(measuredPower)

Description: Builds Estimote Location trigger packet. It should be advertised with 100ms and -4 dBm txPower.

Arguments:

  • measuredPower (number, unit: dBm, min: -127, max: 127, default: -50, optional) - Measured power in dBm (measured at 1m)

Invocation example:

ble.build.estimoteLocationTrigger(-50)

Returns: object

estimoteTelemetry

ble.build.estimoteTelemetry()

Description: Builds single Estimote Telemetry packet. Since it generates single packet you need to pass whole function to ble.advertise(...) to make packet change over time.

Invocation example:

ble.advertise(ble.build.estimoteTelemetry)

Returns: object

estimoteNearable

ble.build.estimoteNearable()

Description: Builds single Estimote Nearable packet. Since it generates single packet you need to pass whole function to ble.advertise(...) to make packet change over time.

Since: 0.2.4

Invocation example:

ble.advertise(ble.build.estimoteNearable)

Returns: object

Input/Output

led

Variant 1:

io.led(id, state)

Description: Sets LED on or off. Controls only LEDs in the main ring. Side LEDs are controlled by the system.

Arguments:

  • id (number) - LED number or RGB segment enum. On LTE beacon each segment is treated as individual LED.

    • io.Led.LTE = 100 → LTE side LEDs

    • io.Led.GPS = 101 → GPS side LEDs

    • io.Led.BLE = 102 → BLE side LEDs

  • state (bool) - Set true to turn on LED

Invocation example:

io.led(1, true); // Turns on second LED on AI beacon and second segment on LTE beacon
io.led(io.Led.BLE); // Turns whole BLE side LED segment on AI and LTE beacons

Variant 2:

io.led(state)

Description: Turn on or off all LEDs (on the ring)

Arguments:

  • state (bool) - Set true to turn on all LEDs (on the ring)

Invocation example:

io.led(true)

setLedColor

Variant 1:

io.setLedColor(id, color)

Description: Sets LED RGB color. Controls only LEDs in the main ring. Side LEDs are controlled by the system.

Arguments:

  • id (number) - LED number or RGB segment enum. On LTE beacon each segment is treated as individual LED.

    • io.Led.LTE = 100 → LTE side LEDs

    • io.Led.GPS = 101 → GPS side LEDs

    • io.Led.BLE = 102 → BLE side LEDs

  • color (array) - Array containing three numbers for red, green and blue colors from 0.0 to 1.0 (max ilumination). Predefined set of colors can be found in enum io.Color

    • io.Color.RED = [1, 0, 0] → Red color

    • io.Color.GREEN = [0, 1, 0] → Green color

    • io.Color.BLUE = [0, 0, 1] → Blue color

    • io.Color.YELLOW = [1, 1, 0] → Yellow color

    • io.Color.WHITE = [1, 1, 1] → White color

    • io.Color.CYAN = [0, 1, 1] → Cyan color

    • io.Color.MAGENTA = [1, 0, 1] → Magenta color

    • io.Color.ORANGE = [0.99, 0.41, 0.002] → Orange color

Invocation example:

io.setLedColor(1, [0.5, 0.0, 1.0])

Variant 2:

io.setLedColor(id, htmlColor)

Description: Sets LED RGB color. Controls only LEDs in the main ring. Side LEDs are controlled by the system.

Arguments:

  • id (number) - LED number or RGB segment enum. On LTE beacon each segment is treated as individual LED.

    • io.Led.LTE = 100 → LTE side LEDs

    • io.Led.GPS = 101 → GPS side LEDs

    • io.Led.BLE = 102 → BLE side LEDs

  • htmlColor (string, max length: 20) - HTML style color description.

Invocation example:

io.setLedColor(1, "#FF77EB")

Variant 3:

io.setLedColor(color)

Description: Sets RGB color for all LEDs (on the ring)

Arguments:

  • color (array) - Array containing three numbers for red, green and blue colors from 0.0 to 1.0 (max ilumination). Predefined set of colors can be found in enum io.Color

Invocation example:

io.setLedColor([0.5, 0.0, 1.0])

Variant 4:

io.setLedColor(htmlColor)

Description: Sets RGB color for all LEDs (on the ring)

Arguments:

  • htmlColor (string, max length: 20) - HTML style color description.

Invocation example:

io.setLedColor("#FF77EB")

setLedBrightness

Variant 1:

io.setLedBrightness(id, brightness)

Description: Sets LED brightness. Controls only LEDs in the main ring. Side LEDs are controlled by the system.

Arguments:

  • id (number) - LED number or RGB segment enum. On LTE beacon each segment is treated as individual LED.

    • io.Led.LTE = 100 → LTE side LEDs

    • io.Led.GPS = 101 → GPS side LEDs

    • io.Led.BLE = 102 → BLE side LEDs

  • brightness (number) - Number from 0 to 1.0 with LED brightness.

Invocation example:

io.setLedBrightness(1, 0.5)

Variant 2:

io.setLedBrightness(brightness)

Description: Sets brightness for all LEDs (on the ring)

Arguments:

  • brightness (number) - Number from 0 to 1.0 with LED brightness.

Invocation example:

io.setLedBrightness(0.5)

getMaxLeds

io.getMaxLeds()

Description: Gets number of LEDs available. Useful when running code on different hardware revisions.

Returns: number

press

Variant 1:

io.press(callback, pressType)

Description: Listen for button press. You can assign different callback to each press type (long, short, very long). Assigning two callbacks to the same pressType will replace previous one.

Arguments:

  • callback (function) - Function called when button is pressed

    Function signature: () => ...

  • pressType (number, default: 0, optional) - Button press type

    • io.PressType.SHORT = 0 → Short press, lest than 1 second

    • io.PressType.LONG = 1 → Long press, more than 3 second

    • io.PressType.VERY_LONG = 2 → Very long press, more than 5s

Invocation example:

io.press(() => print("short press"), io.PressType.SHORT)
io.press(() => print("long press"), io.PressType.LONG)

Variant 2:

io.press(buttonId, callback, pressType)

Description: Listen for button press. You can assign different callback to each press type (long, short, very long). Assigning two callbacks to the same pressType will replace previous one.

Arguments:

  • buttonId (number, default: 0) - Button type

    • io.Button.MAIN = 0 → Main button

    • io.Button.SIDE = 1 → Side button (when available)

  • callback (function) - Function called when button is pressed

    Function signature: () => ...

  • pressType (number, default: 0, optional) - Button press type

    • io.PressType.SHORT = 0 → Short press, lest than 1 second

    • io.PressType.LONG = 1 → Long press, more than 3 second

    • io.PressType.VERY_LONG = 2 → Very long press, more than 5s

Invocation example:

io.press(io.Button.MAIN, () => print("short press"), io.PressType.SHORT)
io.press(io.Button.MAIN, () => print("long press"), io.PressType.LONG)

onRawPress

Variant 1:

io.onRawPress(callback)

Description: Listen for main button state change. It only reports if button was pressed or released, no debouncing here. It can be used to construct more complicated button press patterns.

Arguments:

  • callback (function) - Function called when button state is changed

    Function signature: (state) => ...

    • state (bool) -

Invocation example:

io.onRawPress((state) => print("state=" + state))

Variant 2:

io.onRawPress(callback)

Description: Listen for main button state change. It only reports if button was pressed or released, no debouncing here. It can be used to construct more complicated button press patterns.

Invocation example:

io.onRawPress(null)

IMU

Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) functions

getAccel

sensors.imu.getAccel()

Description: Returns acceleration vector in G. Will return all zeros on hardware that does not support it.

Returns: object

Object fields:

  • x (number, unit: g) - Accelertion value in X axis
  • y (number, unit: g) - Accelertion value in Y axis
  • z (number, unit: g) - Accelertion value in Z axis

Example:

{
    "x": 0.514,
    "y": 0.00134,
    "z": 0.9878
}

getGyro

sensors.imu.getGyro()

Description: Returns rotation rate vector in deg/s. AI Beacon only. Will return all zeros on hardware that does not support it.

Returns: object

Object fields:

  • x (number, unit: g) - Rotation rate in X axis
  • y (number, unit: g) - Rotation rate in Y axis
  • z (number, unit: g) - Rotation rate in Z axis

Example:

{
    "x": 0.514,
    "y": 0.00134,
    "z": 0.9878
}

getOrient

sensors.imu.getOrient()

Description: Returns device orientation in more human readable form

Returns: object

Object fields:

  • orient (string, optional) - Device orientation - flat or vertical
  • side (string, optional) - Device side that is pointing up - top, bottm ble, gnss, cloud

Example:

{
    "orient": "flat",
    "side": "top"
}

setSens

sensors.imu.setSens(level)

Description: Sets sensitivity

Arguments:

  • level (number) - Sets accelerometer sensitivity level

    • sensors.imu.Level.LOWEST = 0 → Lowest level

    • sensors.imu.Level.LOW = 1 → Low level

    • sensors.imu.Level.MEDIUM = 2 → Medium level

    • sensors.imu.Level.HIGH = 3 → High level

    • sensors.imu.Level.HIGHEST = 4 → Highest level

Invocation example:

sensors.imu.setSens(sensors.imu.Level.MEDIUM)

Returns: undefined

setResp

sensors.imu.setResp(level)

Description: Sets sensitivity

Arguments:

  • level (number) - Sets accelerometer responsivness level

    • sensors.imu.Level.LOWEST = 0 → Lowest level

    • sensors.imu.Level.LOW = 1 → Low level

    • sensors.imu.Level.MEDIUM = 2 → Medium level

    • sensors.imu.Level.HIGH = 3 → High level

    • sensors.imu.Level.HIGHEST = 4 → Highest level

Invocation example:

sensors.imu.setResp(sensors.imu.Level.MEDIUM)

Returns: undefined

setRange

sensors.imu.setRange(range)

Description: Sets acceleration range.

Arguments:

  • range (number) - Sets accelerometer range

    • sensors.imu.Range.RANGE_2G = 0 → ± 2g

    • sensors.imu.Range.RANGE_4G = 1 → ± 4g

    • sensors.imu.Range.RANGE_8G = 2 → ± 8g

    • sensors.imu.Range.RANGE_16G = 3 → ± 16g

Invocation example:

sensors.imu.setRange(sensors.imu.Range.RANGE_2G)

Returns: undefined

onMotion

Variant 1:

sensors.imu.onMotion(callback)

Description: Invokes callback function when device is in motion

Arguments:

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will be called when motion is detected

    Function signature: (motion) => ...

    • motion (bool) - True if device is in motion

Invocation example:

sensors.imu.onMotion((motion) => {
    print(`Is moving: ${motion}`)
})

Variant 2:

sensors.imu.onMotion(callback)

Description: Unregisters motion callback

Variant 3:

sensors.imu.onMotion(eventType, callback, options)

Description: Invokes callback function when device is in motion

Arguments:

  • eventType (number) - Event type. Some events might not be supported on all hardware revisions. If event type is not supported function will throw an exception.

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.GENERIC = 0 → Generic motion

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.FREE_FALL = 1 → Free fall

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.SINGLE_TAP = 2 → Single tap

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.DOUBLE_TAP = 3 → Double tap

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.TILT = 4 → Tilt

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.STEP = 5 → Step

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.ORIENTATION = 6 → Orientation change

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.WAKE_UP = 7 → Wake up

    • sensors.imu.MotionEvent.MLC = 8 → Events from Machine Learning Core

  • callback (function) - Callback function that will be called for different kinds of motion events. Set of supported events is dependent on hardware revision.

    Function signature: (eventData) => ...

    • eventData (object) - Event data that depends on event type
  • options (object, optional) - Additional options, different for each motion event type.

Variant 4:

sensors.imu.onMotion(eventType, callback)

Description: Unregisters motion callback for given event type.

Arguments:

  • eventType (number) - Event type

Returns: undefined

Errors thrown:

Battery

Battery diagnostic functions.

getVoltage

sensors.battery.getVoltage()

Description: Returns battery volatage in V

Returns: number

isExtPower

sensors.battery.isExtPower()

Description: Returns true if external power is available.

Returns: bool

isCharging

sensors.battery.isCharging()

Description: Returns true if battery is charging. Note that isExtPower may be true, but isCharging may return false because batter is full.

Returns: bool

getPerc

sensors.battery.getPerc()

Description: Energy left in battery in %

Returns: number

getCapacity

sensors.battery.getCapacity()

Description: Energy left in battery in mAh. Battery must go through full charge/discharge cycle for this value to be accurate.

Returns: number

getAvgCurrent

sensors.battery.getAvgCurrent()

Description: Gets average current in mA. Negative values mean that battery is charging.

Returns: number

setPowerListener

Variant 1:

sensors.battery.setPowerListener(callback)

Description: Register power state listener. It will be called when device power state has changed (external power connected/disconnected, battery charging started, stopped). Registering new handler will overwrite previous one.

Arguments:

  • callback (function) -

    Function signature: (externalPower, charging) => ...

    • externalPower (bool) - Is true if external power was applied
    • charging (bool) - Is true if battery is charging

Variant 2:

sensors.battery.setPowerListener(callback)

Description: Clears power listener

Returns: undefined

Temperature

Temperature reading functions.

get

sensors.temp.get()

Description: Current temperature in Celsius degrees.
Note: When chargning device can get warmer and returned value will not reflect real ambient temperature. Same effect can also be observed when modem is used to transmit data very often.

Returns: number

setFastMode

sensors.temp.setFastMode(enabled)

Description: Enables fast measurement mode

Arguments:

  • enabled (bool, default: true) - If true then temperature measurement will be takes in shorter intervals

Invocation example:

sensors.temp.setFastMode(true)

Returns: undefined

Cloud communication

Cloud communications functions.

enqueue

cloud.enqueue(type, message, options)

Description: Enqueues a message to be sent to cloud whenever a next synchronisation event occurs. The message should be delivered eventually (if is set to be non-volatile), but can be delayed due to a long synchronisation period being set, bad cellular reception, or a critically low battery. Max serialized message size is about 8kB (this value may change in the future), otherwise function will throw an exception. Function returns size of enqued data in bytes.
Device ID and timestamp are automatically included in the event so there is not need to include them inside event message.
This function may block, so avoid using is frequently because it may slow down execution of other parts of your code.

Arguments:

  • type (string, max length: 30) - User provided event type name.
  • message (pure_object) - Serializable user data object - any JSON compatible object is valid. Promises, functions, handles (eg. from timers) inside object will throw an exception.

  • options (object, optional) - Individual event options. Volatile means that message can be removed if there is not enough storage space.

    Object fields:

    • volatile (bool, default: true, optional) - If event is volatile it means it can be deleted when there is not enough space in storage (to make space for new events).

    Example:

    {
    "volatile": false
}

Invocation example:

cloud.enqueue("status", {battery: 0.98, temp: 23.5}, {volatile: true})

Returns: number

Errors thrown:

setVar

cloud.setVar(name, message)

Description: Sets variable that needs to be sent to Cloud. Variables are lightweight, non-persistent way to pass information to Cloud. They are kept on VM heap and sent to Cloud during sync. Only their last set value is sent if it has changed since last synchronization. On the Cloud they appear as ordinary events. Max number of variables is 30 and their size is limited to 1kB after serialization.

Arguments:

  • name (string, max length: 30) - Variable name
  • message (any) - Serializable user data object - any JSON compatible object is valid. Promises, functions, handles (eg. from timers) inside object will throw an exception.

Invocation example:

cloud.setVar("status", {battery: 0.98, temp: 23.5})

Returns: number

Errors thrown:

onReceive

Variant 1:

cloud.onReceive(msgHandler)

Description: Receives message from cloud. It overwrites previous callback. Setting null will disable callback. Receiving messages happens during synchornization with Cloud. Usually this function dispatches incoming messages to other handling functions.

Arguments:

  • msgHandler (function) - Function that will receive and process messages from Cloud

    Function signature: (msg) => ...

    • msg (object) - Envelope with a message received from Cloud

    Object fields:

    • type (string) - Message type
    • ts (number, unit: ms) - Enqueue timestamp
    • payload (object) - Message payload (JSON-like object)

    Example:

    {
    "type": "start_scan",
    "ts": 12345465456534,
    "payload": "{timeout: 1000}"
}

Invocation example:

cloud.onReceive((msg) => {
  switch(msg.type) {
    case "led":
      io.led(msg.payload.ledNumber, msg.payload.state);
      break;
    case "color":
      io.setLedColor(msg.payload.color);
     break;
    default:
      print("Unknown payload type: " + msg.type);
      break;
  }
})

Variant 2:

cloud.onReceive(callback)

Description: Clears Cloud message callback

Returns: undefined

Data synchronisation

Synchronisation functions

setHandler

Variant 1:

sync.setHandler(callback)

Description: Register synchronisation start handler. Registering new handler will overwrite previous.
You can return a promise here and sync will wait for promise to resolve or reject for at least 5min.
If you enqueue your event messages here they will be delivered in this synchronisation cycle.

Arguments:

  • callback (function) - Callback function can return a promise. Sync process will wait (but no longer than 5m) till this promise is resolved or rejected. This feature is available since version 0.2.4.

    Function signature: () => ...

Invocation example:

sync.setHandler(() => {
  cloud.enqueue("status", {temp: sensors.temp.get(), bat: sensors.battery.getPerc()});
});

Variant 2:

sync.setHandler(callback)

Description: Clears synchronisation start handler.

Returns: undefined

setEndHandler

Variant 1:

sync.setEndHandler(callback)

Description: Register synchronisation end handler. Registering new handler will overwrite previous. Setting it null will disable handler. Start and end handler can be called multiple times when device in re-trying to connect to the Cloud.

Arguments:

  • callback (function) -

    Function signature: (error) => ...

    • error (error) - Synchronization error or undefined if none happened

Invocation example:

// Turn LEDs red is sync fails.
sync.setEndHandler((error) => {
  if(error) {
    io.led(true);
    io.setLedColor(io.Color.RED);
  }
});

Variant 2:

sync.setEndHandler(callback)

Description: Clears synchronisation end handler.

Returns: undefined

now

sync.now()

Description: Triggers synchronisation with cloud immediatly. If invoked during synchronisation it will do nothing. This function is asynchronous and will return immediatly.
Try to avoid using sync.now() just after cloud.enqueue() and calling them in short intervals. This will keep modem on and consume significat amount of power.

Returns: bool

setSyncPeriod

sync.setSyncPeriod(syncPeriod)

Description: Sets maximum synchronisation period in seconds. It reschedules pending synchronization automatically when called. Synchronisation may happen earlier due to calling sync.now()or other internal events (like low battery or running out of storage memory). New sync period time is calculated from when last sync finished, so when you call ‘sync.now()’ next scheduled sync will happen after set period.

Arguments:

  • syncPeriod (interval, unit: s, min: 120, max: 7776000) - Synchronization period in seconds (or you can use string interval)

Invocation example:

sync.setSyncPeriod("12h")

Storage

Local persistent storage functions.

save

storage.save(id, data)

Description: Stores message in local storage under provided numeric key. Max serialized message size is about 12kB (this value may change in the future). Function returns size of saved data in bytes.

Arguments:

  • id (number) - Record ID/key
  • data (any) - Serializable user data object - any JSON compatible object is valid. Promises, functions, handles (eg. from timers) inside object will throw an exception.

Returns: number

Errors thrown:

read

storage.read(id)

Description: Reads message from local storage from given numeric key. Returns undefined when record does not exist.

Arguments:

  • id (number) - Record ID/key

Returns: object

remove

storage.remove(id)

Description: Removes message from local storage from given numeric key. Returns true if message was found and deleted.

Since: 0.0.5

Arguments:

  • id (number) - Record ID/key

Returns: bool

readAll

storage.readAll(handle)

Description: Reads all messages from storage using provided function.

Arguments:

  • handle (function) -

    Function signature: (id, data) => ...

    • id (number) - Record id/key
    • data (object) - JSON like object with data

Returns: undefined

Errors thrown:

clear

storage.clear()

Description: Clears all records from local storage

Returns: undefined

getStats

storage.getStats()

Description: Get storage statistics.

Since: 0.1.0

Returns: object

Object fields:

  • total (number, unit: byte) - Total number of storage
  • used (number, unit: byte) - Used storage in bytes.
  • free (number, unit: byte) - Free storage space

Example:

{
    "total": 96000,
    "used": 5345,
    "free": 68000
}

Location

Location functions using global sattelite navigation systems (GNSS)

distance

location.distance(from, to)

Description: Calculates distance between two geographical locations

Arguments:

  • from (object) - Source location
  • to (object) - Destination location

Returns: number

startUpdates

location.startUpdates(callback, options)

Description: Invoke callback when GNNS position changes. You can register only one callback (calling it again will override callback).
Function will report position updates (if position can be obtained) for at least 15min unless different value is specified in timeout parameter in options (0 timeout means infinite). Updates will be returned after minimum minInterval seconds and when device moved more than minDistance meters from last position. minDistance is 0 by default and this value means it is not used.
If location fails returned promise is rejected. Promise will be resolved with last known position (or undefined) either when location.stop() wil be called or on timeout.

Arguments:

  • callback (function, default: {0,0}, optional) - Callback function that will be called when position has changed. This callback will be called only if position was succesfully obtained.

    Function signature: (position) => ...

    • position (object) - Geographical position.

    Object fields:

    • lat (number, unit: deg) - Lattitude
    • long (number, unit: deg) - Longitude
    • speed (number, unit: km/h) - Estimated speed
    • alt (number, unit: m) - Altitude
    • head (number, unit: deg) - Heading
    • prec (number) - Horizontal precision (HDOP)
    • diff (number, unit: m) - Difference from last returned position
    • ts (number, unit: ms) - UTC timestamp (sice 1 Jan 1970)
    • sat (number) - Number of sattelites

    Example:

    {
    "lat": 50.014,
    "long": 19.934,
    "speed": 36,
    "alt": 176,
    "head": 124,
    "prec": 2.4,
    "diff": 22.5,
    "ts": 1528289744000,
    "sat": 124
}

  • options (object, optional) - Location options like minimal reporting interval (in s), minimal distance (in m) or overall location timeout (in s). Returned promise will be rejected if minInterval is greater than timeout.

    Object fields:

    • timeout (interval, unit: s, default: 900, optional) - Maximum time GNSS is switched on. 0 for unlimited.
    • minInterval (interval, unit: s, default: 5, optional) - Minimal interval between GNSS position callback calls
    • minDistance (number, unit: m, default: 0, optional) - Minimal reporting distance
    • maxFixWait (interval, unit: s, min: 40, max: 600, default: 180, optional) - Maximum time to wait for fix before turning GNSS off and waiting ‘minInterval’ seconds for next try. If ‘minInterval’ is smaller than ‘maxFixTime’ then GNSS will be always on.

    Example:

    {
    "timeout": 180,
    "minInterval": 0,
    "minDistance": 0.5,
    "maxFixWait": 40
}

Invocation example:

location.startUpdates((position) => {
    print(`lattitude=${position.lat} longitude=${position.long}`)
}, {minInterval: 10, minDistance: 10.2, timeout: 120})

Returns: promise

mock

Variant 1:

location.mock(position)

Description: Mocks current GNSS position. Use for testing only. You need to start location tracking as ususal using startUpdates, but if you call this method mocked position will be returned in callback as if it got real fix. Mocked location objects have field called mock set to 1. Mocking does not affect Last Known Location. Mock works only after startUpdates has been called.

Arguments:

  • position (object) - Mocked device position.

Variant 2:

location.mock(position)

Description: Stops position mocking

Returns: undefined

stop

location.stop(resolvePromise)

Description: Stops location tracking

Arguments:

  • resolvePromise (bool, default: true, optional) - If true then the startUpdates promise will be resolved

Invocation example:

location.stop(true)

Returns: undefined

System

System information and global settings functions

getPublicId

sys.getPublicId()

Description: Gets device public identifier as hex string.
Note: Device ID is already included in event that is sent using cloud.enqueue(...)

Returns: string

getUptime

sys.getUptime()

Description: Gets system uptime in seconds since last reset.

Returns: number

isTimeSynced

sys.isTimeSynced()

Description: Check if time has been synchronized. If not then any date operation will print invalid timer error on console. Same can be achieved by new Date().getFullYear() > 2018

Returns: bool

getFirmware

sys.getFirmware()

Description: Gets firmware version as 3 element array [major, minor, patch]

Since: 0.0.4

Returns: object

Returned value example:

[0,0,5]

getHardware

sys.getHardware()

Description: Gets hardware revision as string

Since: 0.0.4

Returns: string

LTE

LTE Radio control and diagnostic

getOperators

modem.getOperators()

Description: Gets list of available operators. This may take we minutes and use significant amount of power.
Note: Calling this function again before promise is resolved will cause previous promise to be rejected.

Invocation example:

modem.getOperators()
.then((opers) => print("Operators:" + JSON.stringify(opers)))
.catch((e) => print("Error: " + e))

Returns: promise

Returned value example:

[{name: "T-Mobile", type: "gsm", status: "curr"},
 {name: "Orange", type: "gsm", status: "avail"},
 {name:"Verizon", type: "gsm", status: "avail"}]

getStatus

modem.getStatus()

Description: Gets current network status like signal strength, operator, cell ID.
Note: Calling this function again before promise is resolved will cause previous promise to be rejected.

Invocation example:

modem.getStatus()
.then((status) => print("Status:" + JSON.stringify(status)))
.catch((e) => print("Error: " + e))

Returns: promise

Object fields:

  • name (string) - Operator name
  • signal (number) - Signal strength
  • rssi (number, optional) - RSSI
  • rsrp (number, optional) - RSRP
  • rsrq (number, optional) - RSRQ
  • mcc (number) - Mobile Country Code (MCC)
  • mnc (number) - Mobile Network Code (MNC)
  • lac (number) - Location Area Code (LAC)
  • cell (number) - Cell ID (CID)
  • tech (string) - Technology used (GSM, LTE Cat. M1., NB IoT)
  • band (string) - Used band symbol

Example:

{
    "name": "T-Mobile",
    "signal": 22,
    "rssi": -92,
    "rsrp": -17,
    "rsrq": -17,
    "mcc": 260,
    "mnc": 2,
    "lac": 1111,
    "cell": 1111,
    "tech": "Cat-M1",
    "band": "LS"
}

getCells

modem.getCells()

Description: Gets information about cells in neigboughood. Similar to getOperators but focuses more on signal parameters.

Invocation example:

modem.getCells()
.then((cells) => print("Cells:" + JSON.stringify(cells)))
.catch((e) => print("Error: " + e))

Returns: promise

Object fields:

  • name (string) - Operator name
  • signal (number) - Signal strength
  • rssi (number, optional) - RSSI
  • rsrp (number, optional) - RSRP
  • rsrq (number, optional) - RSRQ
  • mcc (number) - Mobile Country Code (MCC)
  • mnc (number) - Mobile Network Code (MNC)
  • lac (number) - Location Area Code (LAC)
  • cell (number) - Cell ID (CID)
  • tech (string) - Technology used (GSM, LTE Cat. M1., NB IoT)
  • band (string) - Used band symbol

Example:

{
    "name": "T-Mobile",
    "signal": 22,
    "rssi": -92,
    "rsrp": -17,
    "rsrq": -17,
    "mcc": 260,
    "mnc": 2,
    "lac": 1111,
    "cell": 1111,
    "tech": "Cat-M1",
    "band": "LS"
}

getInfo

modem.getInfo()

Description: Gets device information like IMEI, IMSI, ICCID.
Note: Calling this function again before promise is resolved will cause previous promise to be rejected.

Invocation example:

modem.getInfo()
.then((info) => print("Info:" + JSON.stringify(info)))
.catch((e) => print("Error: " + e))

Returns: promise

Object fields:

  • iccid (string) - Integrated Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID) - unchangeable SIM card number (usually printed on it)
  • imei (string) - International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
  • imsi (string) - International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)

Example:

{
    "iccid": "00000000000000000000000",
    "imei": "000000000000000000",
    "imsi": "000000000000000000"
}

setAirplaneMode

modem.setAirplaneMode(state)

Description: Sets airplane mode on or off. This will make all LTE related functions to reject their promises and all cellular communication will be turned off.

Arguments:

  • state (bool) - Turns the Airplane Mode on or off. When turned on, the LTE module is shut down, so the heartbeat reports will not be sent and any attempts to sync with Estimote Cloud will be queued until the Airplane Mode is turned back off.

Invocation example:

modem.setAirplaneMode(true)

Returns: undefined

Application

Application execution control and error handling functions

setErrorHandler

Variant 1:

app.setErrorHandler(errorHandler)

Description: Registers global error handler.

Arguments:

  • errorHandler (function) - Handles errors from callbacks and system

    Function signature: (type, error) => ...

    • type (number) - Error type
    • error (object) - Error object

Invocation example:

app.setErrorHandler((type, msg) => print(type + ": " + msg)))

Variant 2:

app.setErrorHandler(callback)

Description: Unregisters global error handler.

remove

app.remove()

Description: Stops and deletes application. New application can be sent though Bluetooth or deployed by Cloud.

stop

app.stop()

Description: Stops application

restart

app.restart()

Description: Restarts application

getUptime

app.getUptime()

Description: Gets application uptime is ms (since installation, system reboot or comanded restart)

Since: 0.0.5

Returns: number

gc

app.gc()

Description: Runs garbage collector

Since: 0.0.9

getMemStats

app.getMemStats()

Description: Get memory statistics.

Since: 0.1.0

Returns: object

Object fields:

  • total (number, unit: byte) - Total number of heap memory
  • used (number, unit: byte) - Used heap memory bytes.
  • free (number, unit: byte) - Free heap memory bytes.
  • peak (number, unit: byte) - Peak used heap memory bytes since app started.

Example:

{
    "total": 78000,
    "used": 5345,
    "free": 68000,
    "peak": 5345
}