# influxDB record an action
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713
**Category:** General
**Created:** [25 January 2021 14:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713 "2021-01-25T14:47:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@877](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/877)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 14:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/1 "2021-01-25T14:47:03Z")
Hello all,
I would like to learn how to show sensor events in Grafana, where initial the value is either text (in this case "vibration", or true/false). I was thinking a bar chart with time across the bottom.
In this example. three window vibration sensors are feeding into influxDB:
Example object from MQTT node upon "vibration detected":
Note the "action" payload is only sent every so often when it detects vibration.
Contents of one of the function nodes:
When I go to Grafana, it shows "no data":
---
### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 14:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/2 "2021-01-25T14:56:08Z")
Try enclosing all your Key fields in quotes!
"action": msg.payload.action...........................
Are you not getting an error from InfluxDB when you insert?
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 15:00 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/3 "2021-01-25T15:00:43Z")
Add a debug node showing what you are actually sending to the db.
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 15:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/4 "2021-01-25T15:02:40Z")
> [@ghayne](#):
>
> Try enclosing all your Key fields in quotes!
> "action": msg.payload.action.
That isn't necessary when passing field and tag values to the influx out node, giving it an array with two entries.
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 15:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/5 "2021-01-25T15:04:13Z")
However, you can't plot a graph of the action field, as it is a string. You can only graph numbers.
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### Author:  [@877](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/877)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 15:07 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/6 "2021-01-25T15:07:30Z")
> [@Colin](#):
>
> Add a debug node showing what you are actually sending to the db.
This is what I am trying now, to convert the "vibration" to either 1 or 0.
Is this a good way of doing it?
```auto
//Convert the vibration payload to 1 or 0 value
if (msg.payload.action == "vibration") {
//shock detected
msg.payload.action = 1;
}
else {
//nothing detected
msg.payload.action = 0;
}
//Now configure the payload as normal for influxD
msg.payload = [
{
action: msg.payload.action,
strength: msg.payload.strength,
batteryPercent: msg.payload.battery,
linkQuality: msg.payload.linkquality,
batteryVolts: msg.payload.voltage
},
{
topic: "Xiaomi_1_kitchen",
make: "aqara",
location: "kitchen",
connection: "zigbee",
power: "battery",
friendlyname: "Kitchen window"
}
];
```
which then sends this:
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 15:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/7 "2021-01-25T15:30:29Z")
> [@877](#):
>
> Is this a good way of doing it?
That is ok, you shouuld use `===` here though, did not the editor suggest that? Also you can make it a bit more concise using
`msg.payload = msg.payload.action === "vibration" ? 1 : 0`
Note that you will have to drop the existing measurement in influx in order to change the field type from string to number
---
### Author:  [@877](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/877)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 15:34 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/8 "2021-01-25T15:34:10Z")
> [@Colin](#):
>
> That is ok, you shouuld use `===` here though, did not the editor suggest that? Also you can make it a bit more concise using
> `msg.payload = msg.payload.action === "vibration" ? 1 : 0`
>
> Note that you will have to drop the existing measurement in influx in order to change the field type from string to number
That's great thanks, I have seen that before now I see it in front of me 🙂
I need to look again how to drop values with certain tags, not sure I could do it before....
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 15:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/9 "2021-01-25T15:36:00Z")
You can't drop part of a measurement. You have to drop the whole measurement (in order to change a field type). At least I believe that is the case.
---
### Author:  [@877](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/877)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 16:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/10 "2021-01-25T16:05:11Z")
Ah that's what I remember too. For now I just changed the key value to "vibration" and will ignore the "action" one.
Next, I need to fix it in Grafana so it shows more of a square wave (if that makes sense), rather than filling in the gaps between 1's and 0's like this:
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 16:19 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/11 "2021-01-25T16:19:08Z")
> [@877](#):
>
> I need to fix it in Grafana so it shows more of a square wave
There is a Staircase option available for the whole graph, or you can use the Overrides feature to apply it to just one line.
---
### Author:  [@877](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/877)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 17:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/12 "2021-01-25T17:14:00Z")
Thanks for the help, much appreciated!
---
### Author:  [@877](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/877)
#### Post date: [25 January 2021 19:20 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/13 "2021-01-25T19:20:05Z")
In case anyone searches in the future, it was fixed by using staircase option as suggested by Colin, and setting fill to "none", where it was previously "linear" - doh!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [8 February 2021 19:20 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/influxdb-record-an-action/39713/14 "2021-02-08T19:20:29Z")
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