Moddable Helper

Introduction

Delivers a command-line interface to simplifying usage of the Moddable SDK. This repository hosts a node.js module that:

• Delivers a simple set of commands that drive the Moddable SDK, and eliminates some of the repetitive typing required to work with the Moddable SDK command-line tools
• Uses a project configuration file to configure the settings modules and target devices used by the project
• Delivers a mechanism that enables developers to more easily wipe devices using the device's native SDK (without having to remember the command every time)

The module supports the following commands:

• mddbl init - Create an empty configuration file in the current folder
• mddbl config edit - Edit the project's configuration file
• mddbl config show - Display the contents of the configuration file
• mddbl config sort - Sort the module and target lists by name
• mddbl debug - Toggle the debug setting (true to false, and, of course, false to true) in the project's configuration file
• mddbl deploy [module] [target] - Deploy the selected module (module or host) to the specified target device
• mddbl module add <module> - Adds an empty Module entry to the configuration file's modules array, then launches the configuration file in the system's default editor.
• mddbl module rm <module> - Removes the specified module from the configuration file's modules array
• mddbl module show <module> - Shows the configuration settings for the specified module
• mddbl modules - Display the list of modules defined in the modules section of the configuration file
• mddbl target add <target> - Adds an empty Target entry to the configuration file's targets array, then launches the configuration file in the system's default editor.
• mddbl target rm <target> - Removes the specified target from the configuration file's targets array
• mddbl target show <target> - Shows the configuration settings for the specified target
• mddbl targets - Display the list of targets defined in the targets section of the configuration file
• mddbl wipe <target> - Wipe the selected target device

Note: Required parameters are in angled brackets (< and >) and option parameters are in square brackets ([ and ])

Detailed instructions for these commands sections that follow.

Installation

To install the module, open a terminal window (or command prompt on Windows), and execute the following command:

npm install -g moddable-helper

This installs a mddbl command you can use anywhere on the system.

Issues & Pull Requests

If you have an issue with this module, don't email the author, submit an issue in this repository instead.

I built this project for the community, so if you have an enhancement, fix, or change for the project, please submit a Pull Request.

Background

I've been playing around lately with the Moddable SDK and I think the platform's pretty interesting for a lot of reasons I'll write about later on my blog. They deliver several very capable IoT devices with built-in displays at a great price. The real power comes from their SDK which delivers a robust and solid JavaScript API for inexpensive microcontroller devices

One of the things I noticed when I started working with the Moddable SDK was that I found myself typing the same commands over and over again as I coded projects for the devices. Now, that's not unexpected for command-line based tooling, but when building and deploying for Moddable devices, I kept typing the exact same command-line options over and over again (-d m -p <device>). I decided to make this helper module to reduce my typing and simplify my work.

Let me show you how this works using a real-world example.

The folks at Moddable published a book called IoT Development for ESP32 and ESP8266 with JavaScript that contains a lot of sample code demonstrating how to use the different APIs in their SDK. Moddable developers often break a project down into multiple parts, a host (the core native application running on the device plus a little JavaScript code to bootstrap the project) plus additional JavaScript modules that run within the host (a dramatic oversimplification, I know, but I'm not here to teach you Moddable development). Developers typically keep their host and module files in different folders within a project folder.

Note: What I show here applies to any Moddable SDK project

Using the book's Chapter 1 Hello World project as an example, to deploy the host to a Moddable Two device, you will open a terminal window, navigate to the project folder, then execute the following commands:

cd host
mcconfig -d -m -p esp32/moddable_two

Next, to deploy the helloworld module, execute the following commands:

cd ../helloworld
mcrun -d -m -p esp32/moddable_two

As you can see, I'm switching folders from time to time depending on whether I'm deploying an update to the project's host or an update to the helloworld module. I'm also executing two different Moddable SDK commands, each with the exact same command-line parameters. There has to be a better way.

Yes, I know I could open two different terminal windows and execute host or module commands in their own terminal - I'm for simplification here, not opening even more windows.

With this module, you create a configuration file called mddbl.json (the module can create it for your automatically using the mddbl init command) in the project's root folder, then define all of the options for your project there:

{
  "debug": true,
  "modules": [
    {
      "name": "host",
      "description": "The project's host module",
      "isHost": true,
      "debugFlag": true,
      "makeFlag": true,
      "folderPath": "host"
    },
    {
      "name": "hw",
      "description": "Text-only version of the project",
      "isHost": false,
      "debugFlag": true,
      "makeFlag": true,
      "folderPath": "helloworld"
    },
    {
      "name": "hwg",
      "description": "Hello World Graphical version",
      "isHost": false,
      "debugFlag": true,
      "makeFlag": true,
      "folderPath": "helloworld-gui"
    }
  ],
  "targets": [
    {
      "name": "mdbl2",
      "description": "Moddable Two",
      "platform": "esp32/moddable_two",
      "formatFlag": false,
      "formatStr": "",
      "rotationFlag": false,
      "rotationValue": 0,
      "wipeCommand": "python %IDF_PATH%\\components\\esptool_py\\esptool\\esptool.py erase_flash"
    },
    {
      "name": "m5fire",
      "description": "M5Stack Fire device",
      "platform": "esp32/m5stack_fire",
      "formatFlag": true,
      "formatStr": "gray16",
      "rotationFlag": false,
      "rotationValue": 0,
      "wipeCommand": "python %IDF_PATH%\\components\\esptool_py\\esptool\\esptool.py erase_flash"
    }
  ]
}

With that in place, you can open a terminal window, navigate to your project folder, then deploy the project's host using:

mddbl deploy host mdbl2

The mddbl module switches to the host module's folder (host as specified in the module's folderPath property), executes the command to deploy the host (mcconfig -d -m -p esp32/moddable_two), then switches back to the starting folder.

Next, to deploy one of the project's modules, helloworld for example, simply use the following command:

mddbl deploy hw mdbl2

Moddable Helper switches to the module's folder (helloworld as specified in the module's folderPath property), executes the command to deploy the host (mcrun -d -m -p esp32/moddable_two), then switches back to the starting folder.

Note: The mddbl module uses the module's isHost property to determine whether to execute mcconfig or mcrun to deploy the module.

Usage

Configuration

To use this module, you must first create the module's configuration file in the Moddable project's root folder. The file must be called mddbl.json and the default configuration file contains the following options:

{
  "debug": false,
  "modules": [],
  "targets": [],
}

Creating the Configuration File

The module can create it for you automatically, simply open a terminal window, navigate to the project folder, and execute the following command:

mddbl init

Moddable Helper will create the default configuration file shown above.

Configuration Options

The following sections describe the configuration options for the Moddable Helper module.

Debug

If you're having trouble with the Moddable Helper, you can enable debug mode through the configuration file. In debug mode, the CLI outputs more information to the console as it runs.

To enable debug mode, set the configuration file's debug option to true as shown in the following example:

{
  "debug": true,
  "modules": [],
  "targets": [],
}

You can also toggle the debug setting using the following command:

mddbl debug

Modules

Use the modules section of the configuration file to configure an array of module objects representing each of the JavaScript modules in your Moddable project. The module object has the following configuration:

{
  "name": "",
  "description": "",
  "isHost": false,
  "debugFlag": true,
  "makeFlag": true,
  "folderPath": "",
}

• name - The unique identifier for the module. This is the value you'll use in mddbl commands to refer to the module.
• description - A description of the module, not used for anything except to remind you about this module's configuration.
• isHost - Boolean value indicating whether the module is a Host or Module (controls whether Moddable Helper executes mcconfig or mcrun to deploy the module).
• debugFlag - Enables/disables the -d parameter passed to mcconfig and mcrun; refer to the Moddable documentation for details about this parameter.
• makeFlag - Enables/disables the -m parameter passed to mcconfig and mcrun; refer to the Moddable documentation for details about this parameter.
• folderPath - The name of the subfolder hosting the module.

The example configuration file shown above defines three modules:

"modules": [
  {
    "name": "host",
    "description": "The project's host module",
    "isHost": true,
    "debugFlag": true,
    "makeFlag": true,
    "folderPath": "host"
  },
  {
    "name": "hw",
    "description": "Text-only version of the project",
    "isHost": false,
    "debugFlag": true,
    "makeFlag": true,
    "folderPath": "helloworld"
  },
  {
    "name": "hwg",
    "description": "Hello World Graphical version",
    "isHost": false,
    "debugFlag": true,
    "makeFlag": true,
    "folderPath": "helloworld-gui"
  }
],

The host module refers to the JavaScript Host module code in the project's host folder. The hw and hwg modules refer to JavaScript Modules in the helloworld and helloworld-gui folders.

Targets

Use the targets section of the configuration file to configure an array of target objects representing each of the Moddable-compatible hardware devices used by your project. The target object has the following configuration:

{
  "name": "",
  "description": "",
  "platform": "",
  "wipeCommand": "",
}

• name - The unique identifier for the device. This is the value you'll use in mddbl commands to refer to the device; the Moddable SDK uses a full description to refer to a device (esp32/moddable_two for example) and this just gives you a shortcut for the full name.
• description - A description of the device, not used for anything except to remind you about this device.
• platform - The full Moddable SDK platform identifier for the device (esp32/moddable_two for example).
• formatFlag - Enables/disables the -f parameter passed to mcconfig and mcrun; refer to the Moddable documentation for details about this parameter.
• formatStr - With formatFlag enabled, specifies the format string passed to the Moddable SDK. Available options are (from the Moddable SDK Docs) gray16, gray256, rgb332, rgb565be or rgb565le. The Moddable SDK defaults to rgb565le if you leave this value empty.
• rotationFlag - Enables/disables the -r parameter passed to mcconfig and mcrun; refer to the Moddable documentation for details about this parameter.
• rotationValue - With rotationFlag enabled, specifies the screen rotation value. Supported values are 0, 90, 180 or 270. The Moddable SDK defaults to 0, but there's no way to leave this value blank, so you must ensure a valid value is set for this property.
• wipeCommand - The file system command to wipe the device. The command used is specific to the hardware platform, not the Moddable SDK.

Note: On Microsoft Windows, you must double-up file system delimiters; "python %IDF_PATH%\components\esptool_py\esptool\esptool.py erase_flash" becomes "python %IDF_PATH%\\components\\esptool_py\\esptool\\esptool.py erase_flash". JavaScript uses the backslash (\) when escaping other characters in a string, so to include the backslash in a command string, you must escape it with a backslash first. On Linux or macOS, the command string is "python $IDF_PATH/components/esptool_py/esptool/esptool.py erase_flash" (no special escaping needed).

The example configuration file shown above defines two Targets devices:

"targets": [
  {
    "name": "mdbl2",
    "description": "Moddable Two",
    "platform": "esp32/moddable_two",
    "formatFlag": false,
    "formatStr": "",
    "rotationFlag": false,
    "rotationValue": 0,
    "wipeCommand": "python %IDF_PATH%\\components\\esptool_py\\esptool\\esptool.py erase_flash"
  },
  {
    "name": "m5fire",
    "description": "M5Stack Fire device",
    "platform": "esp32/m5stack_fire",
    "formatFlag": true,
    "formatStr": "gray16",
    "rotationFlag": false,
    "rotationValue": 0,
    "wipeCommand": "python %IDF_PATH%\\components\\esptool_py\\esptool\\esptool.py erase_flash"
  }
]

Note: The targets use the same wipe command because the devices are both based on the ESP32 hardware platform.

Viewing the Configuration File

To view the contents of the configuration file in the console, execute the following command:

mddbl config show

Editing the Configuration File

To launch the module's configuration file using your system's default .json file editor, execute the following command:

mdbbl config edit

Sorting Module and Target Lists

For users with a bit of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), you can sort the Module and Target lists using the following command:

mdbbl config sort

You know, just because.

Deploy

To deploy a Host or Module to a connected device, execute the following command in the terminal window pointing to the Moddable project folder:

mddbl deploy <module> [target]

Note: The target parameter is optional. If you omit it, then the Moddable SDK will load the module in the emulator for the operating system running the command (win for Windows, mac for macOS, etc.).

To deploy a project's host to the mdbl2 (Moddable Two) defined in our sample config file, use:

mddbl deploy host mdbl2

To deploy the helloworld module to the m5fire device defined in our sample config file, use:

mddbl deploy hw m5fire

To deploy the 'host' module to the emulator for the current platform, execute the following:

mddbl deploy host

You can also deploy in interactive mode:

mddbl deploy

When you execute the deploy command without specifying a module, Moddable Helper will prompt you to select the Module from a list of available options (from the project's configuration file):

Moddable Helper (mddbl)
Reading configuration file
? Module Selection ...
> host
  hw
  hwg

Next, it will prompt you to select a Target from the list of available options:

Moddable Helper (mddbl)
Reading configuration file
√ Module Selection · host
? Target Selection ...   
> m5fire
  mdbl2

And finally, it will trigger deployment using the selected options:

Moddable Helper (mddbl)
Reading configuration file
√ Module Selection · host
√ Target Selection · mdbl2      
Deploying host to mdbl2

List Modules or Targets

When you're getting ready to execute the deploy or wipe commands, you may forget which module and target options are available to you. You can list the modules or targets defined in the project's configuration file using:

mddbl modules

and

mddbl targets

For the configuration file example in this document, the module list output looks the following:

Moddable Helper (mddbl)
Reading configuration file

Configured Modules:
- host - The project's host module
- hw - Text-only version of the project
- hwg - Hello World Graphical version

Module Command

The mddbl module command allows you to interact with the modules array in the project's configuration file. To add a module entry to the modules array, execute the following command:

mddbl module add <module>

For example, to add a new module called test1, execute the following command:

mddbl module add test1

This will add the following entry to the modules array:

{
  "name": "test1",
  "description": "",
  "isHost": false,
  "debugFlag": true,
  "makeFlag": true,
  "folderPath": ""
}

Next, the project's configuration file will open in the system's default .json file editor so you can populate the module definition with the appropriate settings for your project.

To remove a specific module from the project's configuration file, execute the following command:

mddbl module rm <module>

For example, to remove a module called dog from the project's modules configuration, execute the following command:

mddbl module rm dog

To display the configuration of a particular module, execute the following command:

mddbl module show <module>

For example, to show the configuration for a module called dog, execute the following:

mddbl module show dog

The console will display the module's configuration as shown below:

Moddable Helper (mddbl)
Reading configuration file
Configuration for the 'dog' Module:
{
  name: 'dog',
  description: 'Dog module',
  isHost: false,
  debugFlag: true,
  makeFlag: true,
  folderPath: 'doggie'
}

Target Command

The mddbl target command allows you to interact with the targets array in the project's configuration file. To add a target entry to the targets array, execute the following command:

mddbl target add <target>

For example, to add a new target called test2, execute the following command:

mddbl target add test2

This will add the following entry to the targets array:

{
  "name": "test2",
  "description": "",
  "platform": "",
  "formatFlag": false,
  "formatStr": "",
  "rotationFlag": false,
  "rotationValue": 0,
  "wipeCommand": ""
}

Next, the project's configuration file will open in the system's default .json file editor so you can populate the target definition with the appropriate settings for your project.

To remove a specific target from the project's configuration file, execute the following command:

mddbl target rm <target>

For example, to remove a target called dog from the project's targets configuration, execute the following command:

mddbl target rm dog

To display the configuration of a particular target, execute the following command:

mddbl target show <target>

For example, to show the configuration for a target called dog, execute the following:

mddbl target show dog

The console will display the target's configuration as shown below:

Moddable Helper (mddbl)
Reading configuration file
Configuration for the 'dog' Target:
{
  "name": "dog",
  "description": "Doggie module",
  "platform": "esp32",
  "formatFlag": false,
  "formatStr": "",
  "rotationFlag": false,
  "rotationValue": 0,
  "wipeCommand": "python %IDF_PATH%\\components\\esptool_py\\esptool\\esptool.py erase_flash"
}

Wipe Device

While troubleshooting deployment or coding issues, you may encounter the need to wipe the device. Most, if not all, hardware platforms Moddable supports offer some mechanism for wiping the memory of the device. Since the device SDK commands needed to do this are obscure and not often executed, the Moddable Helper CLI offers a mechanism for storing the wipe command in the configuration file then invoking it by executing the following command:

mddbl wipe <target>

For example, using the sample configuration file example in this document, to wipe the M5Stack Fire device, use the following command:

mddbl wipe m5fire

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