# Controller binding configuration By default the controller searches for a config filename with the same 'middlename' as the daemon process. As an example if your process name is afb-daemon then middle name is 'daemon'. In addition, if your process name is afb-daemon-audio the middle name is also 'daemon'. Moreover the prefix is chosen when you call the [CtlConfigSearch](<#4)_Do_controller_config_parsing_at_binding_pre-init>) function, see below: ```bash CtlConfigSearch(AFB_ApiT apiHandle, const char *dirList, const char *prefix) ``` ```bash # Middlename is taken from process middlename. (prefix-)middlename*.json ``` You may overload the config search path with environment variables * **CONTROL_CONFIG_PATH**: change default reserch path for configuration. You may provide multiple directories separated by ':'. * **CONTROL_LUA_PATH**: same as CONTROL_CONFIG_PATH but for Lua script files. Example: to load a config named '(prefix-)myconfig-test.json' do ```bash afb-daemon --name myconfig --verbose ...' ``` The configuration is loaded dynamically during startup time. The controller scans **CONTROL_CONFIG_PATH** for a file corresponding to the pattern "(prefix-)bindermiddlename*.json". The first file found in the path is loaded, any other file corresponding to the same path is ignored and only generates a warning. Each block in the configuration file is defined with * **uid**: mandatory, it is used either for debugging or as input for the action (eg: signal name, control name, ...) * **info**: optional, it is used for documentation purpose only > **Note**: by default the controller config search path is defined at compilation time, but the path might be overloaded with the **CONTROL_CONFIG_PATH** > environment variable. ## Config is organised in sections * **metadata**: describes the configuration * **plugins or resources**: defines the set of functions provided by the plugins allowing to load additionnal resources (compiled C or lua) * **onload**: a collection of actions meant to be executed at startup time * **control**: sets the controls with a collection of actions, in dynamic api it could also specify the verbs of the api * **event**: a collection of actions meant to be executed when receiving a given signal * **personnal sections**: personnal section Callbacks to parse sections are documented in [Declare your controller config section in your binding](./Usage.html#declare-your-controller-config-section-in-your-binding) section. You can use the callback defined in controller or define your own callback. ## Metadata As today matadata is only used for documentation purpose. * **uid**: mandatory * **version**: mandatory * **api**: mandatory * **info**: optional * **require**: optional * **author**: optional * **date**: optional ## OnLoad section Onload section defines startup time configuration. Onload may provide multiple initialisation profiles, each with a different uid. You can define the following keys or arrays of the following keys: * **uid**: mandatory. * **info**: optional * **action**: mandatory * **args**: optionnal ## Control section Control section defines a list of controls that are accessible. You can define the following keys or arrays of the following keys, moreover this section could be verb api: * **uid**: mandatory * **info**: optional * **action**: the list of actions is mandatory ## Event section Event section defines a list of actions to be executed on event reception. Event can do anything a controller can (change state, send back signal, ...) eg: if a controller subscribes to vehicle speed, then speed-event may adjust master-volume to speed. You can define the following keys or arrays of the following keys, moreover you can define an event from an another API with the following syntax "API/event". * **uid**: mandatory * **info**: optional * **action**: the list of actions is mandatory ## Plugin section Plugin section defines plugins used with this controller. A plugin is a C/C++ program meant to execute some tasks after an event or on demand. This easily extends intrinsec binding logic for ad-hoc needs. You can define the following keys or arrays of the following keys: * **uid**: mandatory * **info**: optionnal * **spath**: optionnal, semicolon separated paths where to find the plugin. This could be a compiled shared library or LUA scripts. Could be specified using CONTROL_PLUGIN_PATH environment variable also. * **libs**: mandatory, Plugin file or LUA scripts to load * **lua**: optionnal, C functions that could be called from a LUA script ## Personnal sections * **uid**: mandatory * **info**: optionnal * **action**: mandatory * **any keys wanted**: optionnal You can define your own sections and add your own callbacks into the CtlSectionT structure, see [Declare your controller config section in your binding](<#3_Declare_your_controller_config_section_in_your_binding>) section. ## Actions Categories Controller supports three categories of actions. Each action returns a status where 0=success and 1=failure. * **AppFw API** provides a generic model to request other bindings. Requested bindings can be local (eg: ALSA/UCM) or external (eg: vehicle signalling). * `"action": "api://API_NAME#verb_name"` * C-API, when defined in the onload section, the plugin may provide C native API with `CTLP-CAPI(apiname, uid, args, query, context)`. Plugin may also create Lua command with `CTLP-LUA2C(LuaFuncName, uid, args, query, context)`. Where `args`+`query` are JSON-C object and context is the returned value from `CTLP_ONLOAD` function. Any missing value is set to NULL. * `"action": "plugin://plugin_name#function_name"` * Lua-API, when compiled with Lua option, the controller supports action defined directly in Lua script. During "*onload*" phase, the controller searches in `CONTROL_LUA_PATH` file with pattern "(prefix-)bindermiddlename*.lua". Any file corresponding to this pattern is automatically loaded. Any function defined in those Lua scripts can be called through a controller action. Lua functions receive three parameters (uid, args, query). * `"action": "lua://plugin_name#function_name"` You also can add the **privileges** property that handles AGL permission needed to be able to call this action. > **Note**: Lua added functions are systematically prefixed. AGL standard AppFw functions are prefixed with AGL: (eg: AFB:notice(), AFB:success(), ...). > User Lua functions added through the plugin and CTLP_LUA2C are prefixed with the plugin uid or the one you defined in your config (eg: MyPlug:HelloWorld1). ## Available Application Framework Commands Each Lua AppFw commands should be prefixed by AFB: * `AFB:notice ("format", arg1,... argn)` directly printed LUA tables as json string with '%s'. `AFB:error`, `AFB:warning`, `AFB:info`, `AFB:debug` work on the same model. Printed messages are limited to 512 characters. * `AFB:service ('API', 'VERB', {query}, "Lua_Callback_Name", {context})` is an asynchronous call to another binding. When empty, query/context should be set to '{}' and not to 'nil'. When 'nil', Lua does not send 'NULL' value but removes arguments to calling stack. WARNING:"Callback" is the name of the callback as a string and not a pointer to the callback. (If someone as a solution to fix this, please let me known). Callback is call as LUA "function Alsa_Get_Hal_CB (error, result, context)" where: * error is a Boolean * result is the full answer from AppFw (do not forget to extract the response) * context is a copy of the Lua table pass as an argument (warning it's a copy not a pointer to original table) * `error,result=AFB:servsync('API', 'VERB', {query})` is saved as previous but for synchronous call. Note that Lua accepts multiple returns. AFB:servsync returns both the error message and the response as a Lua table. Like for AFB:service, the user should not forget to extract response from result. * `AFB:success(request, response)` is the success request. request is the opaque handle passes when Lua is called from (api="control", verb="docall"). Response is a Lua table that will be returned to the client. * `AFB:fail(request, response)` is the same as for success. Note that LUA generates automatically the error code from Lua function name. The response is transformed into a json string before being returned to the client. * `EventHandle=AFB:evtmake("MyEventName")` creates an event and returns the handle as an opaque handle. Note that due to a limitation of json_object, this opaque handle cannot be passed as an argument in a callback context. * `AFB:subscribe(request, MyEventHandle)` subscribes a given client to a previously created event. * `AFB:evtpush (MyEventHandle, MyEventData)` pushes an event to every subscribed client. MyEventData is a Lua table that will be sent as a json object to the corresponding clients. * `timerHandle=AFB:timerset (MyTimer, "Timer_Test_CB", context)` initialises a timer from MyTimer Lua table. This table should contains 3 elements: MyTimer={[l"abel"]="MyTimerName", ["delay"]=timeoutInMs, ["count"]=nBOfCycles}. Note that if count==0 then timer is cycled infinitely. Context is a standard Lua table. This function returns an opaque handle to be used to further control the timer. * `AFB:timerclear(timerHandle)` kills an existing timer. Returns an error when timer does not exit. * `MyTimer=AFB:timerget(timerHandle)` returns uid, delay and count of an active timer. Returns an error when timerHandle does not point on an active timer. * `AFB:GetEventLoop()` retrieves the common systemd's event loop of AFB. * `AFB:RootDirGetFD()` gets the root directory file descriptor. This file descriptor can be used with functions 'openat', 'fstatat', ... > **Note**: Except for functions call during binding initialisation period. Lua calls are protected and should returned clean messages > even when they are improperly used. If you find bug please report. ## Adding Lua command from User Plugin User Plugin is optional and may provide either native C-action accessible directly from controller actions as defined in JSON config file, or alternatively may provide a set of Lua commands usable inside any script (onload, control,event). A simple plugin that provides both notice C API and Lua commands is provided as example (see ctl-plugin-sample.c). Technically a plugin is a simple sharelibrary and any code fitting in sharelib might be used as a plugin. Developer should nevertheless not forget that except when no-concurrency flag was at binding construction time, any binding should to be thread safe. A plugin must be declared with `CTLP_REGISTER("MyCtlSamplePlugin")`. This entry point defines a special structure that is checked at plugin load time by the controller. Then you have an optional init routine declare with `CTLP_ONLOAD(plugin, handle)`. The init routine may create a plugin context that is later presented to every plugin API, this for both LUA and native C ones. Then each: * C API declare with `CTLP_CAPI(MyCFunction, source, argsJ, queryJ) {your code}`. Where: * **MyFunction** is your function * **source** is the structure config * **argsJ** a json_object containing the argument attaches to this control in JSON config file * **queryJ** a json_object * Lua API declare with `CTLP_LUA2C(MyLuaCFunction, source, argsJ, responseJ) {your code}`. Where * **MyLuaCFunction** is both the name of your C function and Lua command * **source** is the structure config * **argsJ** the arguments passed this time from Lua script and not from Json config file. * **responseJ** if success the argument is passed into the request. > **Warning**: Lua samples use with controller enforce strict mode. As a result every variable should be declared either as > local or as global. Unfortunately "luac" is not smart enough to handle strict mode at build time and errors only appear > at run time. Because of this strict mode every global variables (which include functions) should be prefixed by '_'. > Note that LUA requires an initialisation value for every variables and declaring something like "local myvar" will not > allocate "myvar". ## Debugging Facilities Controller Lua scripts are checked for syntax from CMAKE template with Luac. When needed to go further, a developer API should be allowed to execute directly Lua commands within the controller context from Rest/Ws (api=control, verb=lua_doscript). DoScript API takes two other optional arguments func=xxxx where xxxx is the function to execute within Lua script and args, a JSON object to provide input parameters. When funcname is not given by default, the controller tries to execute middle filename doscript-xxxx-????.lua. When executed from the controller, Lua script may use any AppFw Apis as well as any L2C user defines commands in plugin. ## Running as Standalone Controller The controller is a standard binding. It can be started with the following command: ```bash afb-daemon --name=yourname --port=1234 --workdir=. --roothttp=./htdocs --tracereq=common --token= --verbose --binding=pathtoyourbinding.so --monitoring ``` Afb-Daemon only loads controller bindings without searching for the other binding. In this case, the controller binding will search for a configuration file name '(prefix-)bindermiddlename*.json'. This model can be used to implement for testing purpose or simply to act as the glue between a UI and other binder/services.