Cumulus Wiki

AnnualDataSummary

Revision as of 19:57, 6 January 2013 by Sfws (talk | contribs) (→‎Configuration Variables: spelling of 'countries')
Name: Annual Data Summary
Type: HTML & Javascript
Author: David Jamieson
Contact: DAJ
Last update: 17 December 2012
Version: 1.2 BCJKiwi

'Annual Data Summary' is a small tool to read the dayfile.txt produced by Cumulus and summarise this in a table showing a full years worth of data.

  • The tool uses HTML and jQuery (a language that produces Javascript) and includes a CSS file.
  • The JavaScript version does not require a webserver with PHP services enabled. (Many of the free hosting services do not offer PHP so this was a solution to that problem).
  • The alternative is a PHP version (included so you have the option to use either).
  • Both provide identical looking output and functionality, however if you have PHP services on your web server use the PHP version as it is slightly faster.

An working example is here

Requirements

  • webserver space (unless you are using this tool on your own local machine)
  • Cumulus Dayfile.txt file uploaded to the webserver (for this tool, the default location is a subfolder called 'data')
  • Javascript enabled browser (all modern browsers use Javascript)
  • optionally, a tool to automate the uploading of dayfile.txt to your webserver once per day after rollover. Example, CumulusToolbox
  • optionally, PHP enabled web server if you wish to use the PHP version

The Source Code

Revised PHP

Here is a revised set of files (PHP only) ver 1.2.

These are available here and update the Ver 1.1 fileset below to eliminate errors in validation due to non-standard or deprecated code routines. They also include a couple of updates from DAJ version as advised by posts in the Forum. The files include additional notes, and explanations on the changes, where relevant.

Alternative JavaScript

Sfws 12:15, 31 December 2012 (UTC)

  • An alternative Javascript/jQuery solution is in the 3rd party tools forum.
  • Like the revised PHP version above, the alternative JavaScript version works correctly at the start of a new year (for the forum version the default year reflects the latest year on the dayfile.txt, not (as the original version uses) the current calendar year in the viewer's time zone).
  • Also like the revised PHP version, the alternative JavaScript version will pass validation, as all the coding is to the latest standards (ECMA-292, CSS3, HTML5). The original PHP and JS versions below, use non-standard attributes to handle for example the highlighting facility.
  • Unlike the original version below, the alternative JavaScript version only reads the dayfile.txt once, however many times you choose a different data set (called category in the forum) or a different year. It also avoids redrawing the table if the year is changed. So the alternative is thus considerably faster, especially with large dayfile.txt files (and changes of data set or year).
  • For ease of customisation, the forum version uses a different sequence in 'label_items', and includes the ability to apply your own formatting according to value for any selected dataset. The forum example includes colour rainfall rate according to intensity groups used by UK Meteorological Office.
  • If you select the new version, it includes a CSS, but you may want to combine that with your existing CSS to make the new page match your existing pages. It includes HTML, but again that will need tailoring to match your other pages, but the HTML in the forum does offer the ability to display the raw dayfile.txt if JavaScript is not enabled in the viewer's browser.

Original Fileset

Instructions

  • Edit the file 'readDayfile.js' or 'readDayfile.php' depending on your choice in a good text editor (for example, notepad++) and consider the variables in the top section of the script.

These are the configuration variables described below. If you need to adjust any of these settings, edit the appropriate file.

  • Copy the necessary files to your web site into a subfolder, or the root -- your choice
if using the PHP version copy datasummary.php and readDayfile.php
for the JavaScript version copy datasummary.html and readDayfile.js
  • Copy datasummary.css
  • Open datasummary.html or datasummary.php from your website in a browser


Configuration Variables

by default, the script (the file 'readDayfile.js' or 'readDayfile.php' depending on your choice) will do the following:

  • (both versions) Assume the dayfile.txt is read from a subfolder called 'data'.
  • (JS version only) Insert the table it generates into a HTML element with attribute id='tableData'
  • (both versions) Assume the date format in the dayfile is dd/mm/yy
  • (both versions) Assume the data in the dayfile is separated with a comma

The last two assumptions are fine for UK based systems, however others should check their dayfile.txt and adjust as necessary

  • Look for the line 'dayfile='/data/dayfile.txt';' around line 15 and change this to point to your dayfile.txt on your webserver.
for PHP version the path should start from the / (root),
for JavaScript version the path should start from where the HTML will be stored.
  • (JS Version only) tableDiv - the HTML element id attribute on your webpage to insert the table into
  • (both versions) field_delimiter - the symbol separating each of your fields in the dayfile.txt. For most people this is a comma but (if you use comma to separate integer and decimal parts of real numbers) it could be a semi-colon (;) or other symbol.
  • (both versions) date_delimiter - the symbol separating your date format. In the UK this is / however in other countries it may be -

Change as needed, save and test

Usage

Along the top will be a menu of the (in original version) six data sets available and on the top left of the table is the year currently being shown. Change either the year, or click one of the top buttons to change the data set. Depending on the speed of your internet connection, and your browser, the new web page may take a few seconds to be processed as it involves: re-reading the dayfile.txt file, redrawing the table, and inserting the values.

If you mouse over a particular value, it will be highlighted together with the corresponding day (row heading) and month (column heading).

Some data sets show minimum and maximum values in the cells at the intersection of the day and month headings, most just show a single value at the intersection.


Opening a specific data set when the page is first loaded

By default (in the original version) the table created will show the available daily values of the maximum temperature for the current local calendar year (see possible problems below), however you can start with any data set and any year (assuming you have those values in the dayfile.txt) by adding a string to the end of your URL in the browser.

  • The parameter 'data' (in the original version) takes mintemp, maxtemp, avgtemp, minmaxt, rainfall, windgust. (You can add further data sets or change the language of these values - see Localization)
  • You can supply both data set and year parameters, one only, or none

examples....,

  • JS version -- myserver.com/datasummary.html?year=2010
  • PHP version -- myserver.com/datasummary.php?year=2010
This will open the default (maximum temperature) data set but initially showing year 2010


  • JS version -- myserver.com/datasummary.html?data=rainfall&year=2009
This will open the rainfall data set for the year 2009.

Processing

If you select the pure Javascript solution available here, it means the page viewer's browser is doing all the work. The complete dayfile.txt is reloaded each time you select a dataset, and your PC then filters and processes the required subset of values from it. A table is then constructed by the script at the point indicated by the HTML DIV called 'tableData', and the values are then inserted.

If you select the PHP solution available here, the source server does all the work of constructing the HTML page and sends the result to the viewer's browser.

Customisation

Understanding the Basics

The 'tool' relies on two files for successful operation.... datasummary.css (the style sheet) and either readDayfile.js (the JavaScript) or readDayfile.php (the PHP version). The third file, datasummary.html/php, is simply a carrier page to show the data.

If you wish to use your own page to show the data on, do the following:

  • for the JS version
In the <HEAD> section.....
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="datasummary.css"  /> 
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.5.1/jquery.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="readDayfile.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
This loads the stylesheet; loads a jQuery library from Google servers (rather than having the file on your server); and loads the Javascript to build the table
Once the page is loaded it runs readDayfile.js and will look for a DIV called 'tableData'; inserting the data table within it. You can change the DIV it inserts into (see later in this article).
  • for the PHP version
you still need the jQuery library as above
use the code 
<?php include('readDayfile.php');?>

Please note that the table needs a good amount of space to show a full year of data (at least 900 pixels unless you start reducing the font size!)


Localization / Language

The script has been designed to be easily translated to your language of choice.

As in Instructions above, edit the readDayfile.js / .php

  • variable mn is a list of the 12 months of the year, in an abbreviated format. You may change these as necessary, but try to keep it to an abbreviation as there is limited space.
  • 'label_items' is a list of all possible data sets to be displayed. Again you can change these to suit. However, the format is a little more involved and you should take some care. Each row represents one data set, with 4 columns of settings for that data set; so the default list is an array of four by six.

Example of a row,.... 

['maxtemp','Max Temp','Maximum Temperature',true]
  • The first element, in this case 'maxtemp' -- is a system variable to identify the data set, used for the URL parameter option, used by the Switch coding (so any change here needs to be reflected there), and also tested elsewhere in the code (in the Rainfall and Windgust data sets a particular style is applied to their zero values).

However, if you add a new data set, then your new first element should be a unique identifier.

  • Second, Max Temp is the text to be displayed in the button at the top of the table. You may change this to your own language

If you add a new data set, remember to consider how many buttons can be fitted across the top of the table, you may wish to split into multiple rows.

  • Third, Maximum Temperature is the text shown at the top of the table to describe the current data set; again you may change this
  • Finally, 'true' will display this button at the top; 'false' will hide it. Therefore, if you do not wish to allow users to jump to the 'Rainfall data set' change the 'true' to 'false' in the 'rainfall' element of the variable. (true/false MUST be lowercase)

(NOTE: Sfws 12:22, 31 December 2012 (UTC) The switch part of the coding identifies the columns in dayfile.txt for the values to be displayed. If you wish to add new data sets then see the alternative JavaScript version in the forum for more explanation about this coding.)

Styling

The table styling is completely configurable using the included datasummary.css Stylesheet. By default it is using similar colours to the standard Cumulus website. Below are a few of the key entries to consider when adjusting settings (typically colouring)...

In the 'datasummary.css' file:

CSS Element Description
#table_container .highlight Used to highlight the mouse position within the table, and also the row and column header of the data cell.
#table_container .smallfont Adjusting the font size to something smaller when showing both Max & Min temp on one data cell
#table_container .zerovalue In the Rainfall and Windgust data sets this style is applied to any values of 0. By default, the colour is set to a lighter grey but you could add 'display:none;' to hide zero values completely
#table_container table th Colouring for the top header (Month names) and left header (day numbers)
#table_container table td,table th The width of each data cell in the table. Be careful adjusting this as making it too small will stop the data being displayed completely
#table_menu li The styling for the buttons at the top of the page (those for changing the data set)
#table_container Set the overall font size and style used in the table, as well as the text colour; table positioning and maximum width


Possible problems

  • Version 1.1 has been tested and runs on IE 7, IE 8, IE 9, FireFox 3 to 14, Chrome/Dragon/SRWare Iron, and Safari -- running on the non IE browsers for both Windows and the Mac.
  • IE7 is notoriously slow for Javascript processing so there will be a longer delay as you change the data set (a few more seconds in some cases)
  • Non-standard attributes are generated by this routine that will not pass validation against standards.
  • Version 1.0 and 1.1 default to showing a table for viewer's local current calendar year. Remember the dayfile.txt (even if updated each day) only contains records up to the day ending at the last rollover time using the timezone local to the weather station. Timezone differences when combined with rollover time variations can lead to a period of 2 days discrepancy. At New Year a blank table will be displayed during this period by default. For example, 30 or 31 (depending on whether rollover has occured) in December of the last year could be the latest available for a site in USA whilst the original version of the code is showing a blank table of the next year during early morning on 2 January in Austrailia. Even when station and viewer are in same timezone, there will be a blank table until the first rollover on 2 January.

Version Control

1.1 PHP version included

1.0 Public launch


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