Start (setinterval) / stop (clearinterval) depending on msg.payload

[akrea]

Hi

I'm kind of lost. For serveral days now I tried to set up a setinterval/clearinterval function node. Actually I started with an smxstate node. Narrowing down the problem I ended up in a simple function node. Now I am really lost as I cannot make the simplest example work (which is driving me nuts).

Goal: I would like to have values sent/not sent depending on msg.payload which is sent into the node.

Here is my minimaly NOT working example:

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Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!!

[E1cid]

You can not use return in your callback function, use node.send(), and you need to store the setInterval number between function node calls

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[jbudd]

Edit : it seems others understand the question better than me!

[TotallyInformation]

@akrea

Goal: I would like to have values sent/not sent depending on msg.payload which is sent into the node.

I think it would be better for you to better explain what you are trying to achieve. It is rare that you would want to do a setinterval in node-red.

Though if you really do, you will need to save a reference to the instance to a flow/global context variable. At the start of the function node, try to recover the reference. If it doesn't exist, then create a new one saving the reference and writing it to the context variable. Make sure that you cancel any existing one before creating a new one.

[akrea]

@TotallyInformation

think it would be better for you to better explain what you are trying to achieve. It is rare that you would want to do a setinterval in node-red.

I am trying to simulate a machine which throws out measurements as soon as it is turned on. The values will change over time so I need an option to turn the initial function off and another one on (different mathematical function) and I need only a specific timerange of the thrown measurements. Ultimately I need this to test if my code to record measurements is sound and no buffer overflow occurs.

[jbudd]

If I understand the requirement, you want to generate test data during a given time period?

Maybe something like this will work?
It generates test values continuously and a gate node node-red-config-simple-gate allows them to pass for a specified period.
As set up here it generates 10 random numbers per second and the gate is open for half a second but you can set whatever limits suit your simulation.

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[akrea]

Thank you for all your help. Using context.set, solved the issue.

[E1cid]

I take it you never looked at my example? As it showed you how to save the setIterval() number to context.