Show a simple text file as a list with dashboard 'template'

[gNeandr]

A simple task for NR/ui_template, but the solution is not obvious to me!?
A text file is to be read and displayed as a list on a dashboard with ui_template.
The list is stored on a RPI and is read by NR ('read file') and converted to an object with '(msg.payload).split("\n")'.
However, in the subsequent 'template' with ng-repeat, the list is not generated as expected!?

Here is the flow:

flow_testfile.png.json (6.6 KB)

The main code part is this: (in 'Function List testing')

let msg1 = null;   //  INI1 part:  test string 
let ini1 = ["Zeile 1a", "Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33", "Zeile 3", "Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444", "Zeile 5", "Zeile 6", "Zeile 7"];

let ptype1 = [typeof ini1] 
msg1 = {
        payload: ini1
}


let msg2 = null;   // INI 2 part:  handling the test.txt file / object
let ini2 = (msg.payload).split("\n");
let ptype2 = [typeof ini2] 
msg2 = {
        payload: ini2
}

let msg3 = null;      // just check the type together with test text  
msg3 = {
        payload: [ini2, ptype2]
}

return [msg1, msg2, msg3];

The generated screen:

And Debug Listings with //comments:

  node: debug test.txt    //  read test file
msg.payload : string[118]
"Zeile 1↵ Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33↵ Zeile 3↵ Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444↵ Zeile 5, 5, 55, 555, 5555↵Zeile 6, 66↵Zeile 7, 7↵↵"

  node: debug fct 1       // an example string handled in a separate template  
msg.payload : array[7]
[ "Zeile 1a", "Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33", "Zeile 3", "Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444", "Zeile 5", "Zeile 6", "Zeile 7" ]

  node: debug fct 2       // test file converted to object
msg.payload : array[9]
[ "Zeile 1", " Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33", " Zeile 3", " Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444", " Zeile 5, 5, 55, 555, 5555", "Zeile 6, 66", "Zeile 7, 7", "", "" ]

  node: debug ini 1       // example string converted to object
msg.payload : array[7]
[ "Zeile 1a", "Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33", "Zeile 3", "Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444", "Zeile 5", "Zeile 6", "Zeile 7" ]

  node: debug ini 2       // output/passthru of 'template'
msg.payload : array[9]
[ "Zeile 1", " Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33", " Zeile 3", " Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444", " Zeile 5, 5, 55, 555, 5555", "Zeile 6, 66", "Zeile 7, 7", "", "" ]

---

Who can shed some light on this? Any help / explanation is greatly appreciated

[zenofmud]

So it looks like the text data coming in has a bunch of "↵" in it. You need to convert them to separate lines and remove the last two lines.

Try this as the function:

// 2023-07-15_11

let msg1 = null;
let ini1 = ["Zeile 1a", "Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33", "Zeile 3", "Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444", "Zeile 5", "Zeile 6", "Zeile 7"];

let ptype1 = [typeof ini1] 
msg1 = {
        payload: ini1
}


let msg2 = null;
node.warn(msg.payload)
let m = msg.payload
m = m.replace("↵↵","")
let ini2 = m.split("↵");
node.warn(ini2)
let ptype2 = [typeof ini2] 
node.warn(ptype2)

msg2 = {
        payload: ini2
}

let msg3 = null;
msg3 = {
        payload: [ini2, ptype2]
}

return [msg1, msg2, msg3];

[gNeandr]

The file I use is basically the same "string" as with the one node (see last array[9] above).
But here is a dump on the RPI/ssh:

~/schedulePlus/data $ cat test.txt
Zeile 1
 Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33
 Zeile 3
 Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444
 Zeile 5, 5, 55, 555, 5555
Zeile 6, 66
Zeile 7, 7

[gNeandr]

If I change

@gNeandr

msg2 = {
        payload: ini2
}

to this:

msg2 = {
        payload: [ini2]
}

for the "Listing INI 2" it generates one line with

* ["Zeile 1"," Zeile 2, 11, 22, 33"," Zeile 3"," Zeile 4, 111, 222, 333, 444"," Zeile 5, 5, 55, 555, 5555","Zeile 6, 66","Zeile 7, 7","",""]

but it's not resolving like with the first "test.txt" string in "Listing INI 1"

[zenofmud]

See my prior msg since I updated it while you responded.

[gNeandr]

GREAT catch!
I was expecting it to be a simple problem, but finding that .... phew
THANKS!

[gNeandr]

Well, it is not quite solved yet.
If the read file "test.txt" contains a blank line, the code gets swallowed.
In the example here I have in the file after the "line 3" a blank line.
In the output "Listing INI 2" nothing is shown, but "Listing INI 3" are line 3 and line 4 as one element of the object.

Each line should be processed and also appear in the output as a separate line. Empty line is still debatable.

[zenofmud]

Hmmm, it worked for me but that's probably because I put the data in an inject node. Try changing this line
m = m.replace("↵↵","")
to
m = m.replace("↵↵","\n")

How is the file created in the first place?

[gNeandr]

For the moment ...
The problem seems to be with empty line(s).
If only one line a sort of replace could work, but had problem with multiple lines.
Will come back with more details later ..

[gNeandr]

After some testing it is clear that the discussed problem is not causally related to empty lines in the imported file.
From what I can see, the problem is how ng-repeat deals with an array where elements are null. The 'null' elements are caused by the .split("\n") of the imported file at the locations of the blank lines. ng-repeat simply aborts processing without a error message. At least I can't find any message in the logs.
For my use case ng-repeat is probably not suitable. However the missing log is a bug ... for me!

Any further help / solution to process a file with "empty" lines as a complete array will be greatly appreciated.