Visual Crossing Weather as replacement of Darksky (obsolete)

[waltervl]

Thanks to Olifant1990 there is now a successor/replacement for the now obsolete Darksky weather lookup in latest 2023 Beta
This will also solve the forecast display error as darksky is the backup if no forecast service is choosen (currently only OpenWeather Map and Darksky).

DarkSky 1:1 replacement:

Go to https://www.visualcrossing.com/ and create an account

Copy the API key from account details

Go to your domoticz installation

Add new hardware of type Visual Crossing (Weather Lookup)

OR

DarkSky 1:1 replacement (when #5669 is merged)

Go to the hardware tab
Click on your DarkSky hardware
Replace API key
Change type to Visual Crossing (Weather Lookup)
Click "update" button

[FireWizard]

Hello @waltervl

You said:

This will also solve the forecast display error as darksky is the backup if no forecast service is choosen (currently only OpenWeather Map and Darksky).

This is not working yet.

If you click "Forecast" in the Weather tab and hoover with your mouse over the icon, you will see : support.apple.com refused to connect. (Chrome browser).
The new "Visual Crossing΅ has no option to choose the forecast.
Only possible, if you have "OpenWeather Map" installed. If not, you will not have any forecast.

Regards

[lost]

Looks Visual Crossing is buggy for now:
-Error (http) after providing brand new API key.
-Cannot be deactivated after creation for stop/start tests (for instance after trying to generate another key).

Could just delete the "hardware" to make it silent...

[Toulon7559]

Platform = Domoticz 2023.1 (build15182)
Installed VisualCrossing without problems under 'Hardware', but no resulting appearance of VC-elements under 'Devices':
the plugin seems to need some refinements .......
The JSON-file coming from VisualCrossing provides summary forecast-info under titles 'conditons' and 'description':
just to be extracted.
Personal experience is that the online translation by VisualCrossing from English into alternative, local language is not 100% correct.

As alternative for forecast-info perhaps still worthwhile to look a bit further into the API-services of the Norwegian Meteo-Institut at yr.no

[Kedi]

A few bugs present. Naming of devices.

17.04.2023_18.22.19_REC.png (27.09 KiB) Viewed 2340 times

The mixture of barometer device with temp/humi device (and the naming)

17.04.2023_18.24.02_REC.png (14.2 KiB) Viewed 2340 times

17.04.2023_18.24.26_REC.png (14.87 KiB) Viewed 2340 times

[waltervl]

Hello @waltervl

You said:

This will also solve the forecast display error as darksky is the backup if no forecast service is choosen (currently only OpenWeather Map and Darksky).

This is not working yet.

If you click "Forecast" in the Weather tab and hoover with your mouse over the icon, you will see : support.apple.com refused to connect. (Chrome browser).
The new "Visual Crossing΅ has no option to choose the forecast.
Only possible, if you have "OpenWeather Map" installed. If not, you will not have any forecast.

Regards

It will only work if you have virtual crossing added as weather service in Domoticz (looking at the code..)

[FireWizard]

Hello @waltervl

Thanks Walter, but can you tell us how and where to add it as a weather service.(for forecast)

As a hardware device it's runs fine. No issues detected so far. Testing now for its accuracy.

[waltervl]

It should do it automatically if you add the Virtual Crossing hardware.
Edit: I installed it just now and Forecast is indeed stll going to darksky/forecast/apple.com...

[waltervl]

Ceated github issue 5670 https://github.com/domoticz/domoticz/issues/5670

[waltervl]

Update from Darksky hardware is modified after implementing a next fix #5669. I updated first post.

[Toulon7559]

@waltervi

Changing or overriding of DarkSky is one way of getting to VisualCrossing-implementation.
As indicated I also did fresh installation on Raspberry running Domoticz' latest beta release, but have problems:
any hint howto remedy?

Note:
Reason that I choose 'overriding' of DarkSky virtual devices by means of a Python-script,
is that the subject Raspberries are running latest stable release of Domoticz, not beta.

[waltervl]

@Toulon7559
Do not shoot the messenger....
I activated it and it works for me with some remarks as indicated in this thread. Perhaps location is incorrect?

Also Olifant1990 has an update ready that is not yet implemented to fix update hardware issue and the update Unknown naming issue.

[lost]

Also Olifant1990 has an update ready that is not yet implemented to fix update hardware issue and the update Unknown naming issue.

Looks this was just commit this morning, so a beta build available soon. Thanks for the quick fix even if I don't see anything that may change the impossibility to disable behavior (may be indirect effect on HW type correction). On my side I did not modified DB but created new HW with the intend to replace previous Darksky sensors with new ones. Maybe change path could play a role here.

[Toulon7559]

Do not shoot the messenger....

@waltervi

Absolutely no shooting intended,
but with a different 'angle of attack' or different/unforeseen combinations sometimes different results on the path of development,
perhaps useful to report (indicating which angle is applicable).

My use of a Python-script is just for another temporary/interim support for the stable release of Domoticz,
without need (yet) to adapt scripts reading DarkSky-devices.

After install of Beta-release 15188 the VC-devices show under tab 'Devices' with correct naming etc.:
another hurdle taken ....

But from comparison with Norwegian Weather Lookup at same Raspberry (also recently installed) another side-effect pops up:
don't see a wind-device for Meteo Institutt Norway, although standard element in the JSON-file as produced by this example-url-call.
Subject for message in section 'Bugs&Problems'? Done!

[Kedi]

It still is a combined Temp/Humi/Baro device, why not 2 devices name "Barometer" and "Temperature and Humidity"
Those type of devices exists and make more sense.

[waltervl]

It still is a combined Temp/Humi/Baro device, why not 2 devices name "Barometer" and "Temperature and Humidity"
Those type of devices exists and make more sense.

I suppose Darksky did the same. Buienradar also combines those I believe.

[Kedi]

It is not Darksky or Buienradar how combines devices, but the programmer......

[waltervl]

I know but the programmer of Visual Crossing integration did a copy of Darksky integration.....

[lost]

I know but the programmer of Visual Crossing integration did a copy of Darksky integration.....

Can confirm that's a perfect replacement: All sensors are there, only missing stuff is forecast (maybe VC does not provide them).

Since Darksky off I used Norway Institute that fed common sensors with Darksky but was missing wind. Could transfer those common to Visual Crossing, then reactivate Darksky and transfer the missing ones before it's suppression.

Thanks to the author for his PR & quick fix!

API key issue yesterday was I probably tried too quickly after account creation. Today that was OK.

[Kedi]

I tried to separate the THB device in a TH and B device.
forecast is a strange thing all together.
There is in dzVents already a difference in forecast between a Barometer device and a THB device, go figure???
Barometer device

Code: Select all

local constMapping = {
    ['stable'] = 0,
    ['sunny'] = 1,
    ['cloudy'] = 2,
    ['unstable'] = 3,
    ['thunderstorm'] = 4
}

Temperature+humidity+barometer device

Code: Select all

local constMapping = {
    ['noinfo'] = 0,
    ['sunny'] = 1,
    ['partlycloudy'] = 2,
    ['cloudy'] = 3,
    ['rain'] = 4
}