WiFiManager Char* conversion for default_value errornous when adding WiFiManagerParameter();

Basic Infos

Hardware

WiFimanager Branch/Release:

[ ] Master
[X] Development (OTA)

Esp8266/Esp32:

[X] ESP8266
[ ] ESP32

Hardware: ESP-12e, esp01, esp25

[ ] ESP01
[X] ESP12 E/F/S (nodemcu, wemos, feather)
[ ] Other

ESP Core Version: 2.4.0, staging

[ ] 2.3.0
[ ] 2.4.0
[X] 2.6.3
[ ] staging (master/dev)

Description

Hi,

When we add a custom WiFiManagerParameter with a normal char* to initialize the default value it has a strange conversion error. Following code:

char mqtt_broker[12] = "192.168.1.108";
custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker));
Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
Serial.println(mqtt_broker);`

puts out on the Serial:

⸮⸮⸮?168.1.10
192.168.1.108

Settings in IDE

Module: NodeMcu, Wemos D1

Additional libraries:

Sketch


#include <FS.h>                   //this needs to be first, or it all crashes and burns...
#include <ArduinoJson.h>          //https://github.com/bblanchon/ArduinoJson
#include <WiFiManager.h> //https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager WiFi Configuration Magic
#include <PubSubClient.h>
#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>

#define USEOTA
// enable OTA
#ifdef USEOTA
#include <WiFiUdp.h>
#include <ArduinoOTA.h>
#endif

#define TRIGGER_PIN 0 //Pin used to start AccessPoint to configure device - Just ground GPIO for 2 seconds

WiFiManager wm;
ESP8266WebServer server(80);




WiFiClient espClient;
PubSubClient client(espClient);

long lastReconnectAttempt = 0;

boolean reconnect() {
  Serial.println("attempting connecting to mqtt");
  if (client.connect("arduinoClient")) {

    Serial.println("MQTT CONNECTED");
    // Once connected, publish an announcement...
    client.publish("outTopic", "hello world");
    // ... and resubscribe
    client.subscribe("inTopic");
  }
  return client.connected();
}

//############################################# CUSTOM PARAMETERS FOR THE WIFI MANAGER ##########################################
//char mqtt_server[40] = "0.0.0.0";
//char mqtt_topicIN[80] ="IOT_Device/IN";
//char mqtt_topicOUT[80] ="IOT_Device/OUT";
//char mqtt_port[6] = "1883";

char output[2] = "2";
char wifi_enc[40];
char entity_version[40];
char mqtt_port[40] = "1883";
char mqtt_broker[12] = "           ";
char mqtt_pwd[40];
char session_key[40];
char entity_name[40];
char entity_type[40];
char entity_id[40];
char mqtt_retain[40];
char mqtt_qos[40];





//flag for saving data
bool shouldSaveConfig = false;

//WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_server("server", "Server IP", mqtt_server, 40);
//WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_port("port", "Port", mqtt_port, 6);
//WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_topicIN("topicIn", "Input Topic", mqtt_topicIN, 80);
//WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_topicOUT("topicOut", "Output Topic", mqtt_topicOUT, 80);
//WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_messages("messages", "Messages Topic", mqtt_topicOUT, 80);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_output("output", "output", output, 2);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_broker("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, 12);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_pwd("mqttpwd", "MQTT password", mqtt_pwd, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_session_key("sessionkey", "Session Key", session_key, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_entity_name("entityname", "Entity Name", entity_name, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_entity_type("entitytype", "Entitiy Type", entity_type, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_wifi_enc("wifienc", "Wifi Enc", wifi_enc, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_entity_version("entityversion", "Entity Version", entity_version, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_port("mqttport", "MQTT Port", mqtt_port, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_entity_id("entityid", "Entitiy ID", entity_id, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_retain("mqttretain", "MQTT Retain", mqtt_retain, 40);
WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_qos("mqttqos", "MQTT QoS", mqtt_qos, 40);


//###############################################################################################################################

//################################################### GENERAL VARIABLES #########################################################
bool blockWM = true; // Change this to false if you want your code to continue to run on the loop void even if you are not conected to any wifi.
//###############################################################################################################################


void saveConfigCallback() {

}


void saveParamCallback() {
  Serial.println("****************Should save params");
  shouldSaveConfig = true;

  if (shouldSaveConfig) {
    Serial.println("saving config");
    //mqtt_broker = custom_mqtt_broker.getValue();
    strcpy(mqtt_broker, custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
    DynamicJsonDocument json(1024);
    //mqtt_broker = (char*) custom_mqtt_broker.getValue();
    json["output"] = output;
    json["mqtt_broker"] = mqtt_broker;
    json["mqtt_pwd"] = mqtt_pwd;
    json["session_key"] = session_key;
    json["entity_name"] = entity_name;
    json["entity_type"] = entity_type;
    json["wifi_enc"] = wifi_enc;
    json["entity_version"] = entity_version;
    json["mqtt_port"] = mqtt_port;
    json["entity_id"] = entity_id;
    json["mqtt_retain"] = mqtt_retain;
    json["mqtt_qos"] = mqtt_qos;
    // json["ip"]          = WiFi.localIP().toString();
    // json["gateway"]     = WiFi.gatewayIP().toString();
    // json["subnet"]      = WiFi.subnetMask().toString();

    File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "w");
    if (!configFile) {
      Serial.println("failed to open config file for writing");
    }

    serializeJson(json, Serial);
    serializeJson(json, configFile);

    //json.printTo(Serial);
    //json.printTo(configFile);
    configFile.close();
    //end save
    shouldSaveConfig = false;
  }

}

void handleNotFound()
{
  String message = "File Not Found\n\n";
  message += "URI: ";
  message += server.uri();
  message += "\nMethod: ";
  message += (server.method() == HTTP_GET) ? "GET" : "POST";
  message += "\nArguments: ";
  message += server.args();
  message += "\n";
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < server.args(); i++)
  {
    message += " " + server.argName(i) + ": " + server.arg(i) + "\n";
  }
  server.send(404, "text/plain", message);
}

/*

  This void sets the device with the WiFiManager from tzapu with custom parameters.
  Needs to be called only in the setup void.
*/
void setupDeviceWM()
{
  //Serial.println("pppppppppppppppppp");
  //Serial.println(mqtt_broker);

  // callbacks
  wm.setConfigPortalBlocking(blockWM);
  String ssid = "IOT_ESP_" + String(ESP.getChipId());

  if (wm.autoConnect(ssid.c_str()))
  {
    //if you get here you have connected to the WiFi
    Serial.println("Connected to wifi network!");
    Serial.println(ssid);
    //Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
    //Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
    -Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
    WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
    wm.startWebPortal();
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.println("Could not connect with WiFi!");
  }

  // call the code down to activate wifi so users can configure the device, event if it's connected to the local network
  //wm.startConfigPortal("IOT_Device");
  //
  server.onNotFound(handleNotFound);
  server.begin(); // declare this at the beggining of the code => ESP8266WebServer server(80);
}


void bindServerCallback() {
  wm.server->on("/custom", handleRoute);
  // wm.server->on("/info",handleRoute); // can override wm!
  wm.server->on("/LED", HTTP_POST, handleLED);  // Call the 'handleLED' function when a POST request is made to URI "/LED"
}

void handleRoute() {
  Serial.println("[HTTP] handle route");
  wm.server->send(200, "text/html", "<iframe name=\"dummyframe\" id=\"dummyframe\" style=\"display: none;\"></iframe><form action=\"/LED\" target=\"dummyframe\" method=\"POST\"><input type=\"submit\" value=\"Toggle LED\"></form>");

}

void handleLED() {                          // If a POST request is made to URI /LED
  digitalWrite(atoi(output), !digitalRead(atoi(output)));     // Change the state of the LED
  server.sendHeader("Location", "/");       // Add a header to respond with a new location for the browser to go to the home page again
  server.send(303);                         // Send it back to the browser with an HTTP status 303 (See Other) to redirect
}


/*

  This void needs to be called in the loop void so it can handle the WM and the webportal.
*/
void loopDeviceWM()
{
  wm.process();
  server.handleClient();
}




void callback(char* topic, byte* payload, unsigned int length) {
  Serial.print("Message arrived [");
  Serial.print(topic);
  Serial.print("] ");
  for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
    Serial.print((char)payload[i]);
  }
  Serial.println();
}


int setupSpiffs() {
  //read configuration from FS json
  Serial.println("mounting FS...");

  if (SPIFFS.begin()) {
    Serial.println("mounted file system");
    if (SPIFFS.exists("/config.json")) {
      //file exists, reading and loading
      Serial.println("reading config file");
      File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "r");
      if (configFile) {
        Serial.println("opened config file");
        size_t size = configFile.size();
        // Allocate a buffer to store contents of the file.
        std::unique_ptr<char[]> buf(new char[size]);

        configFile.readBytes(buf.get(), size);
        DynamicJsonDocument jsonBuffer(1024);
        //DynamicJsonBuffer jsonBuffer;
        deserializeJson(jsonBuffer, buf.get());
        //JsonObject& json = jsonBuffer.parseObject(buf.get());
        serializeJson(jsonBuffer, Serial);
        //json.printTo(Serial);

        if (!jsonBuffer.isNull()) {
          Serial.println("\nparsed json");
          //Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
          strcpy(wifi_enc, jsonBuffer["wifi_enc"]);
          strcpy(entity_version, jsonBuffer["entity_version"]);
          strcpy(mqtt_port, jsonBuffer["mqtt_port"]);
          strcpy(output, jsonBuffer["output"]);
          strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);
          strcpy(mqtt_pwd, jsonBuffer["mqtt_pwd"]);
          strcpy(session_key, jsonBuffer["session_key"]);
          strcpy(entity_name, jsonBuffer["entity_name"]);
          strcpy(entity_type, jsonBuffer["entity_type"]);
          strcpy(entity_id, jsonBuffer["entity_id"]);
          strcpy(mqtt_retain, jsonBuffer["mqtt_retain"]);
          strcpy(mqtt_qos, jsonBuffer["mqtt_qos"]);

          //Serial.println("ooooooooooooooo");
          Serial.println("loaded Json");
          Serial.println("now mqtt broker is: ");
          Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
          
          return 0;
        } else {
          Serial.println("failed to load json config");
          return 1;
        }
        configFile.close();
      }
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("config json doesnt exist");
      return 1;
    }
   
  } else {
    Serial.println("failed to mount FS");
    return 1;
  }
  //end read

}

void setup()
{

  pinMode(atoi(output), OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(115200);
  delay(3000);

  //diese funktion gibt 0 zurück wenn eine config json da ist. 
  if(setupSpiffs() == 0){
    Serial.println("SO, NOW:");
    Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
    custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker));
  }
  else
  {
    
  }
  //an diesem punkt sind die parameter entweder leer weil keine config existiert, oder voll weil config da war. 
  
  wm.setWebServerCallback(bindServerCallback);
  wm.setSaveParamsCallback(saveParamCallback);

  //wm.addParameter(&custom_output);
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_broker);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_pwd);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_session_key);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_entity_name);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_entity_type);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_wifi_enc);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_entity_version);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_port);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_entity_id);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_retain);
  //wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_qos);

  // Set cutom menu via menu[] or vector
  // const char* menu[] = {"wifi","wifinoscan","info","param","close","sep","erase","restart","exit"};
  // wm.setMenu(menu,9); // custom menu array must provide length

  std::vector<const char *> menu = {"wifi", "info", "param", "update", "close", "sep", "erase", "restart", "exit"};
  wm.setMenu(menu); // custom menu, pass vector

  // set country
  wm.setCountry("US"); // setting wifi country seems to improve OSX soft ap connectivity, may help others as well

  Serial.println("Setup mode...");
  //wifiManager.resetSettings();

  setupDeviceWM();

  pinMode(TRIGGER_PIN, INPUT);

#ifdef USEOTA
  ArduinoOTA.begin();
#endif

  wm.setClass("invert");
  Serial.println("-------------");

  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  Serial.println(String(mqtt_broker));
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(session_key);
  client.setServer(mqtt_broker, atoi(mqtt_port));
  client.setCallback(callback);
  lastReconnectAttempt = 0;

}

void loop()
{
#ifdef USEOTA
  ArduinoOTA.handle();
#endif
  loopDeviceWM();


  if ( digitalRead(TRIGGER_PIN) == LOW ) {
    delay(2000);
    if ( digitalRead(TRIGGER_PIN) == LOW ) {
      Serial.println("BUTTON PRESSED");
      //wm.setConfigPortalTimeout(140);

      // disable captive portal redirection
      // wm.setCaptivePortalEnable(false);

      if (!wm.startConfigPortal("OnDemandAP", "12345678")) {
        Serial.println("failed to connect and hit timeout");
        delay(3000);
      }
    }
  }



  if (!client.connected()) {
    long now = millis();
    if (now - lastReconnectAttempt > 5000) {
      lastReconnectAttempt = now;
      // Attempt to reconnect
      if (reconnect()) {
        lastReconnectAttempt = 0;
      }
    }
  } else {
    // Client connected

    client.loop();
  }

}```

### Debug Messages

mounted file system reading config file opened config file {"output":"2","mqtt_broker":"192.168.1.108","mqtt_pwd":"","session_key":"","entity_name":"","entity_type":"","wifi_enc":"","entity_version":"","mqtt_port":"1883","entity_id":"","mqtt_retain":"","mqtt_qos":""} parsed json loaded Json now mqtt broker is: 192.168.1.108 SO, NOW: 192.168.1.108 *WM: [3] allocating params bytes: 20 *WM: [2] Added Parameter: mqttbroker *WM: [1]

Setup mode... WM: [1] AutoConnect WM: [2] esp_wifi_set_country: US WM: [1] AutoConnect: ESP Already Connected WM: [3] STA static IP: WM: [2] setSTAConfig static ip not set, skipping WM: [1] AutoConnect: SUCCESS WM: [1] STA IP Address: 192.168.1.109 Connected to wifi network! IOT_ESP_6184038 192.168.1.109 WM: [1] Starting Web Portal WM: [3] dns server started with ip: WM: [2] HTTP server started *WM: [2] WiFi Scan completed in 2182 ms

⸮⸮⸮?168.1.10 192.168.1.108 192.168.1.108

attempting connecting to mqtt

May 11 '20 13:05 zen85

You need to let c++ decide for the size: So use ‘char mqtt_broker[] = "192.168.1.108";’ And male sure that the length parameter for WiFiManagerParameter is large enough for a An IP address: 16 chars

May 12 '20 04:05 rvt

You need to let c++ decide for the size: So use ‘char mqtt_broker[] = "192.168.1.108";’ And male sure that the length parameter for WiFiManagerParameter is large enough for a An IP address: 16 chars

unfortunatly this did not work and does not change anything no matter what i do there... the error occurs when i do the following:

i setup the device, put in my wifi and/or save params.
the device connects... everything works... also after restarting.
when i enter the params page again and set a new or the same value and save it... suddenly "custom_mqtt_broker.getValue()" messes up the value and instead of "192.168.1.108" says "⸮⸮⸮?168.1.10". the variable "mqtt_broker" is fine... but since custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() does not output the right value the Webinterface is messed up.

it is so weird that this sequence of events works totally fine till it breaks...

this issue here seems to be related? https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager/issues/1020

May 12 '20 19:05 zen85

Are you sure the parameters are still in scope?

Maybe reduce your test sketch so we can reproduce, there is too much going on there, try the examples

May 12 '20 20:05 tablatronix

You are re-assigning custom_mqtt_broker in your setup pfunction , don’t do it like that.

May 12 '20 21:05 rvt

ok... progress :)

Are you sure the parameters are still in scope?

Maybe reduce your test sketch so we can reproduce, there is too much going on there, try the examples

i did that and then

You are re-assigning custom_mqtt_broker in your setup pfunction , don’t do it like that.

got rid of the weirdness... but i cant find a way to update the value of custom_mqtt_broker on runtime... so the value i get back at custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() will always be 192.168.1.108 no matter what i do in the portal and therefor the param-interface will always show that value. is there a method to do this cleanly?

#include <FS.h>                   //this needs to be first, or it all crashes and burns...
#include <ArduinoJson.h>          //https://github.com/bblanchon/ArduinoJson
#include <WiFiManager.h> //https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager WiFi Configuration Magic
#include <PubSubClient.h>
#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>


WiFiManager wm;
ESP8266WebServer server(80);


//############################################# CUSTOM PARAMETERS FOR THE WIFI MANAGER ##########################################

char mqtt_broker[16] = "192.168.100.108";


WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_broker("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, 16);



//################################################### GENERAL VARIABLES #########################################################
bool blockWM = true; // Change this to false if you want your code to continue to run on the loop void even if you are not conected to any wifi.
//###############################################################################################################################



void saveParamCallback() {
  Serial.println("****************Should save params");
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());

  strcpy(mqtt_broker, custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  DynamicJsonDocument json(1024);
 
  json["mqtt_broker"] = mqtt_broker;
 
    
  File configFile2 = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "w");
    if (!configFile2) {
      Serial.println("failed to open config file for writing");
    }
    
  serializeJson(json, Serial);
  serializeJson(json, configFile2);

  configFile2.close();
  //end save
  }



void handleNotFound()
{
  String message = "File Not Found\n\n";
  message += "URI: ";
  message += server.uri();
  message += "\nMethod: ";
  message += (server.method() == HTTP_GET) ? "GET" : "POST";
  message += "\nArguments: ";
  message += server.args();
  message += "\n";
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < server.args(); i++)
  {
    message += " " + server.argName(i) + ": " + server.arg(i) + "\n";
  }
  server.send(404, "text/plain", message);
}

/*
  This void sets the device with the WiFiManager from tzapu with custom parameters.
  Needs to be called only in the setup void.
*/

void setupDeviceWM()
{
  //Serial.println("setupDeviceWM() is running");


  // callbacks
  wm.setConfigPortalBlocking(blockWM);
  
  String ssid = "IOT_ESP_" + String(ESP.getChipId());

  if (wm.autoConnect(ssid.c_str()))
  {
    //if you get here you have connected to the WiFi
    Serial.println("Connected to wifi network!");
    Serial.println(ssid);
    Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
    
    WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
    wm.startWebPortal();
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.println("Could not connect with WiFi!");
  }

  // call the code down to activate wifi so users can configure the device, event if it's connected to the local network
  //wm.startConfigPortal("IOT_Device");
  //
  server.onNotFound(handleNotFound);
  server.begin(); // declare this at the beggining of the code => ESP8266WebServer server(80);
}



/*
  This void needs to be called in the loop void so it can handle the WM and the webportal.
*/


void loopDeviceWM()
{
  wm.process();
  server.handleClient();
}


int setupSpiffs() {
  //read configuration from FS json
  Serial.println("mounting FS...");

  if (SPIFFS.begin()) {
    Serial.println("mounted file system");
    if (SPIFFS.exists("/config.json")) {
      //file exists, reading and loading
      Serial.println("reading config file");
      File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "r");
      if (configFile) {
        Serial.println("opened config file");
        size_t size = configFile.size();
        // Allocate a buffer to store contents of the file.
        std::unique_ptr<char[]> buf(new char[size]);

        configFile.readBytes(buf.get(), size);
        DynamicJsonDocument jsonBuffer(1024);
        deserializeJson(jsonBuffer, buf.get());
        serializeJson(jsonBuffer, Serial);
      
        if (!jsonBuffer.isNull()) {
          Serial.println("\nparsed json");

          strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);

          Serial.println("loaded Json");
          Serial.println("now mqtt broker is: ");
          Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
          
          return 0;
          
        } else {
          Serial.println("failed to load json config");
          return 1;
        }
        configFile.close();
      }
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("config json doesnt exist");
      return 1;
    }
   
  } else {
    Serial.println("failed to mount FS");
    return 1;
  }
  //end read

}

void setup()
{

  Serial.begin(115200);
  delay(3000);

  //diese funktion gibt 0 zurück wenn eine config json da ist. 
  if(setupSpiffs() == 0){
    Serial.println("SO, NOW:");
    Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
    //custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, 16);
  }
  else
  {
    
  }
  // at this point the parameters are either empty because there is no config or full because there is a config
  

  wm.setSaveParamsCallback(saveParamCallback);

 
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_broker);


  std::vector<const char *> menu = {"wifi", "info", "param", "close", "sep", "erase", "restart", "exit"};
  wm.setMenu(menu); // custom menu, pass vector

  // set country
  wm.setCountry("US"); // setting wifi country seems to improve OSX soft ap connectivity, may help others as well

  Serial.println("Setup mode...");
  //wifiManager.resetSettings();
  
  setupDeviceWM();




  wm.setClass("invert");
  Serial.println("-------------");
  Serial.println(String(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue()));
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  Serial.println(String(mqtt_broker));
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);


}

void loop()
{
  
  loopDeviceWM();

}

May 13 '20 15:05 zen85

I have no idea, your sketch still contains other stuff not needed to reproduce, hell you have 2 webservers running...

May 13 '20 17:05 tablatronix

you are right - you need to know my motivation to know why i left that part in:

the basic idea behind the sketch was to take the sketch posted on the end of this: https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager/issues/656

and to merge it with the FS Example.

i guess the question turned into "how can i define WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_broker("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, 40) ; as global and change the value of custom_mqtt_broker after i read the spiffs.

May 13 '20 17:05 zen85

i refactored and still got to the root of the problem:

when i configure the first time everything is cool. after entering the configportal while on wireless with the local ip the fields are empty... therefor when i change a value in the custom parameters i rewrite the existing ones with "" - i wanted to get around of that and so my code above seems, and quite probably is, kind of weird...

so here is this version for reproducing that:

#include <FS.h>          // this needs to be first, or it all crashes and burns...
#include <WiFiManager.h> // https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager
#include <ArduinoJson.h> // https://github.com/bblanchon/ArduinoJson

#ifdef ESP32
  #include <SPIFFS.h>
#endif

//define your default values here, if there are different values in config.json, they are overwritten.
char mqtt_server[40];
char mqtt_port[6]  = "8080";
char api_token[32] = "YOUR_API_TOKEN";

//default custom static IP
char static_ip[16] = "10.0.1.56";
char static_gw[16] = "10.0.1.1";
char static_sn[16] = "255.255.255.0";

//flag for saving data
bool shouldSaveConfig = false;

//callback notifying us of the need to save config
void saveConfigCallback () {
  Serial.println("Should save config");
  shouldSaveConfig = true;
}

void setupSpiffs(){
  //clean FS, for testing
  // SPIFFS.format();

  //read configuration from FS json
  Serial.println("mounting FS...");

  if (SPIFFS.begin()) {
    Serial.println("mounted file system");
    if (SPIFFS.exists("/config.json")) {
      //file exists, reading and loading
      Serial.println("reading config file");
      File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "r");
      if (configFile) {
        Serial.println("opened config file");
        size_t size = configFile.size();
        // Allocate a buffer to store contents of the file.
        std::unique_ptr<char[]> buf(new char[size]);

        configFile.readBytes(buf.get(), size);
       DynamicJsonDocument jsonBuffer(1024);
        //DynamicJsonBuffer jsonBuffer;
        deserializeJson(jsonBuffer, buf.get());
        //JsonObject& json = jsonBuffer.parseObject(buf.get());
        serializeJson(jsonBuffer, Serial);
        //json.printTo(Serial);



        if (!jsonBuffer.isNull()) {        
    
          Serial.println("\nparsed json");

          strcpy(mqtt_server, jsonBuffer["mqtt_server"]);
          strcpy(mqtt_port, jsonBuffer["mqtt_port"]);
          strcpy(api_token, jsonBuffer["api_token"]);

          // if(json["ip"]) {
          //   Serial.println("setting custom ip from config");
          //   strcpy(static_ip, json["ip"]);
          //   strcpy(static_gw, json["gateway"]);
          //   strcpy(static_sn, json["subnet"]);
          //   Serial.println(static_ip);
          // } else {
          //   Serial.println("no custom ip in config");
          // }

        } else {
          Serial.println("failed to load json config");
        }
      }
    }
  } else {
    Serial.println("failed to mount FS");
  }
  //end read
}

  WiFiManager wm;
  WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_server("server", "mqtt server", mqtt_server, 40);
  WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_port("port", "mqtt port", mqtt_port, 6);
  WiFiManagerParameter custom_api_token("api", "api token", "", 32);

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Serial.println();

  setupSpiffs();

  // WiFiManager, Local intialization. Once its business is done, there is no need to keep it around


  //set config save notify callback
  wm.setSaveConfigCallback(saveConfigCallback);

  // setup custom parameters
  // 
  // The extra parameters to be configured (can be either global or just in the setup)
  // After connecting, parameter.getValue() will get you the configured value
  // id/name placeholder/prompt default length

  //add all your parameters here
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_server);
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_port);
  wm.addParameter(&custom_api_token);

  // set static ip
  // IPAddress _ip,_gw,_sn;
  // _ip.fromString(static_ip);
  // _gw.fromString(static_gw);
  // _sn.fromString(static_sn);
  // wm.setSTAStaticIPConfig(_ip, _gw, _sn);

  //reset settings - wipe credentials for testing
  //wm.resetSettings();

  //automatically connect using saved credentials if they exist
  //If connection fails it starts an access point with the specified name
  //here  "AutoConnectAP" if empty will auto generate basedcon chipid, if password is blank it will be anonymous
  //and goes into a blocking loop awaiting configuration
  if (!wm.autoConnect("AutoConnectAP", "password")) {
    Serial.println("failed to connect and hit timeout");
    delay(3000);
    // if we still have not connected restart and try all over again
    ESP.restart();
    delay(5000);
  }

  // always start configportal for a little while
  // wm.setConfigPortalTimeout(60);
  // wm.startConfigPortal("AutoConnectAP","password");

  //if you get here you have connected to the WiFi
  Serial.println("connected...yeey :)");

  WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
  wm.startWebPortal();
  
  //read updated parameters
  strcpy(mqtt_server, custom_mqtt_server.getValue());
  strcpy(mqtt_port, custom_mqtt_port.getValue());
  strcpy(api_token, custom_api_token.getValue());

  //save the custom parameters to FS
  if (shouldSaveConfig) {
    Serial.println("saving config");
     DynamicJsonDocument jsonBuffer(1024);
  
   // JsonObject& json = jsonBuffer.createObject();
    jsonBuffer["mqtt_server"] = mqtt_server;
    jsonBuffer["mqtt_port"]   = mqtt_port;
    jsonBuffer["api_token"]   = api_token;

    // json["ip"]          = WiFi.localIP().toString();
    // json["gateway"]     = WiFi.gatewayIP().toString();
    // json["subnet"]      = WiFi.subnetMask().toString();

    File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "w");
    if (!configFile) {
      Serial.println("failed to open config file for writing");
    }

    serializeJson(jsonBuffer, Serial);
    serializeJson(jsonBuffer, configFile);


    //jsonBuffer.prettyPrintTo(Serial);
    //jsonBuffer.printTo(configFile);
    configFile.close();
    //end save
    shouldSaveConfig = false;
  }

  Serial.println("local ip");
  Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
  Serial.println(WiFi.gatewayIP());
  Serial.println(WiFi.subnetMask());
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

  wm.process();
}````

May 13 '20 19:05 zen85

ok this is pretty much the example, so where exactly is the problem, where in the code can we see the issue ? can you add a line in there or serial print ?

May 13 '20 19:05 tablatronix

ok this is pretty much the example, so where exactly is the problem, where in the code can we see the issue ? can you add a line in there or serial print ?

ok - above sketch never saved changed parameters to spiff... could not work anyway... but please try this one. there is an obvious serial print saying what i expect and this is not matching up with what i get at the end of the setup - so as you can see "mqtt_broker" is alright - i can use this to connect ... but custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() is not. and that also shows on the portal making it unusable.


#include <FS.h>                   //this needs to be first, or it all crashes and burns...
#include <ArduinoJson.h>          //https://github.com/bblanchon/ArduinoJson
#include <WiFiManager.h> //https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager WiFi Configuration Magic



WiFiManager wm;

//############################################# CUSTOM PARAMETERS FOR THE WIFI MANAGER ##########################################

char mqtt_broker[16] = "192.168.100.108";


WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_broker("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, 16);



//################################################### GENERAL VARIABLES #########################################################
bool blockWM = true; // Change this to false if you want your code to continue to run on the loop void even if you are not conected to any wifi.
//###############################################################################################################################



void saveParamCallback() {
  Serial.println("****************Should save params");
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());

  strcpy(mqtt_broker, custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  DynamicJsonDocument json(1024);
 
  json["mqtt_broker"] = mqtt_broker;
 
    
  File configFile2 = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "w");
    if (!configFile2) {
      Serial.println("failed to open config file for writing");
    }
    
  serializeJson(json, Serial);
  serializeJson(json, configFile2);

  configFile2.close();
  //end save
  }



/*
  This void sets the device with the WiFiManager from tzapu with custom parameters.
  Needs to be called only in the setup void.
*/

void setupDeviceWM()
{
  //Serial.println("setupDeviceWM() is running");


  // callbacks
  wm.setConfigPortalBlocking(blockWM);
  
  String ssid = "IOT_ESP_" + String(ESP.getChipId());

  if (wm.autoConnect(ssid.c_str()))
  {
    //if you get here you have connected to the WiFi
    Serial.println("Connected to wifi network!");
    Serial.println(ssid);
    Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
    
    WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
    wm.startWebPortal();
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.println("Could not connect with WiFi!");
  }

  // call the code down to activate wifi so users can configure the device, event if it's connected to the local network
  //wm.startConfigPortal("IOT_Device");
  //
  }



/*
  This void needs to be called in the loop void so it can handle the WM and the webportal.
*/


void loopDeviceWM()
{
  wm.process();
  
}


int setupSpiffs() {
  //read configuration from FS json
  Serial.println("mounting FS...");

  if (SPIFFS.begin()) {
    Serial.println("mounted file system");
    if (SPIFFS.exists("/config.json")) {
      //file exists, reading and loading
      Serial.println("reading config file");
      File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "r");
      if (configFile) {
        Serial.println("opened config file");
        size_t size = configFile.size();
        // Allocate a buffer to store contents of the file.
        std::unique_ptr<char[]> buf(new char[size]);

        configFile.readBytes(buf.get(), size);
        DynamicJsonDocument jsonBuffer(1024);
        deserializeJson(jsonBuffer, buf.get());
        serializeJson(jsonBuffer, Serial);
      
        if (!jsonBuffer.isNull()) {
          Serial.println("\nparsed json");

          strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);

          Serial.println("loaded Json");
          Serial.println("now mqtt broker is: ");
          Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
          
          return 0;
          
        } else {
          Serial.println("failed to load json config");
          return 1;
        }
        configFile.close();
      }
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("config json doesnt exist");
      return 1;
    }
   
  } else {
    Serial.println("failed to mount FS");
    return 1;
  }
  //end read

}

void setup()
{

  Serial.begin(115200);
  delay(3000);

  //diese funktion gibt 0 zurück wenn eine config json da ist. 
  if(setupSpiffs() == 0){
    Serial.println("SO, NOW:");
    Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
    //custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, 16);
  }
  else
  {
    
  }
  // at this point the parameters are either empty because there is no config or full because there is a config
  

  wm.setSaveParamsCallback(saveParamCallback);

 
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_broker);


  std::vector<const char *> menu = {"wifi", "info", "param", "close", "sep", "erase", "restart", "exit"};
  wm.setMenu(menu); // custom menu, pass vector

  // set country
  wm.setCountry("US"); // setting wifi country seems to improve OSX soft ap connectivity, may help others as well

  Serial.println("Setup mode...");
  //wifiManager.resetSettings();
  
  setupDeviceWM();




  wm.setClass("invert");
  Serial.println("**** Issue here **** - the next four lines should be the mqtt broker adress after changing in portal and restarting but apparently custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() never gets it value of the config.json");
  Serial.println(String(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue()));
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  Serial.println(String(mqtt_broker));
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);


}

void loop()
{
  
  loopDeviceWM();

}

May 13 '20 21:05 zen85

Why are you copying it back into the same variable though ?

strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);

May 13 '20 21:05 tablatronix

you also should not be doing this much stuff in your callbacks, just set some flag and then save your spiffs later.

May 13 '20 21:05 tablatronix

Why are you copying it back into the same variable though ?

strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);

this is just done in setup... "mqtt_broker" is always alright. it behaves perfectly even when i put it in the code... but when i enter the configportal > setup it shows the first value it had and the changes are not reflected there... if i could just put something like "custom_mqtt_broker = mqtt_broker" everything would work :) . if i comment that out nothing is updated...

the callback also works fine i think. the config.json reflects everything i change. otherwise "strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);" would not work. its just the UI thats unusable because it will always say "192.168.100.108" even if i change it in the configportal while on wifi.

May 13 '20 21:05 zen85

Looks fine to me

*WM: [1] Starting Web Portal 
*WM: [3] dns server started with ip: 
*WM: [2] HTTP server started 
*WM: [2] WiFi Scan completed in 2182 ms
**** Issue here **** - the next four lines should be the mqtt broker adress after changing in portal and restarting but apparently custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() never gets it value of the config.json
192.168.100.108
192.168.100.108
192.168.100.108
192.168.100.108
*WM: [2] <- HTTP Root 
*WM: [3] -> 192.168.1.84 
*WM: [3] lastconxresult: WL_CONNECTED
*WM: [2] WiFi Scan completed in 2183 ms
*WM: [2] <- HTTP Param 
*WM: [3] lastconxresult: WL_CONNECTED
*WM: [3] Sent param page 
*WM: [2] <- HTTP WiFi save  
*WM: [3] Method: POST
*WM: [2] Parameters 
*WM: [2] -------------------- 
*WM: [2] mqttbroker: 192.168.100.112
*WM: [2] -------------------- 
****************Should save params
192.168.100.108
192.168.100.112
192.168.100.112
192.168.100.112
{"mqtt_broker":"192.168.100.112"}*WM: [3] Sent param save page

I had to remove spiffs, it was crashing my esp, maybe your problem is with spiffs..

Not really understanding what you are trying to do though.. I am going to assume your issue is loading or saving to spiffs or json, so remove all the other WM code and use plain variables and see if you have the same problem.

Is this a typo? apparently custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() never gets it value of the config.json

because that doesn't make sense, wm params have nothing to do with json.. they are whatever you set them to or what you submit them as in the http get request.

May 13 '20 22:05 tablatronix

yes... it works so far... if you restart the esp now it does not anymore

and it gets extremly close to working if i put: if(setupSpiffs() == 0){ Serial.println("SO, NOW:"); Serial.println(mqtt_broker); custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker)); }

May 13 '20 22:05 zen85

If it is not set after resetting then you are not reading it from spiffs properly and then setting it.. Look for a bug there, either the spiffs read or the json decode, the answer was already posted above and you are still using the same variable char mqtt_broker[16] with the same size , reread the comments above by @rvt

May 13 '20 22:05 tablatronix

If it is not set after resetting then you are not reading it from spiffs properly and then setting it.. Look for a bug there, either the spiffs read or the json decode

but it is set properly... restart it after you did what you just did. and then enter the portal on the wifi, go to setup... now you will still see 192.168.100.108 and not 192.168.100.112 while the value of mqtt_broker is correctly 192.168.100.112.

here it is with the answer from above - no change:


#include <FS.h>                   //this needs to be first, or it all crashes and burns...
#include <ArduinoJson.h>          //https://github.com/bblanchon/ArduinoJson
#include <WiFiManager.h> //https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager WiFi Configuration Magic



WiFiManager wm;

//############################################# CUSTOM PARAMETERS FOR THE WIFI MANAGER ##########################################

char mqtt_broker[] = "192.168.100.108";


WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_broker("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker));



//################################################### GENERAL VARIABLES #########################################################
bool blockWM = true; // Change this to false if you want your code to continue to run on the loop void even if you are not conected to any wifi.
//###############################################################################################################################



void saveParamCallback() {
  Serial.println("****************Should save params");
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());

  strcpy(mqtt_broker, custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  DynamicJsonDocument json(1024);
 
  json["mqtt_broker"] = mqtt_broker;
 
    
  File configFile2 = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "w");
    if (!configFile2) {
      Serial.println("failed to open config file for writing");
    }
    
  serializeJson(json, Serial);
  serializeJson(json, configFile2);

  configFile2.close();
  //end save
  }



/*
  This void sets the device with the WiFiManager from tzapu with custom parameters.
  Needs to be called only in the setup void.
*/

void setupDeviceWM()
{
  //Serial.println("setupDeviceWM() is running");


  // callbacks
  wm.setConfigPortalBlocking(blockWM);
  
  String ssid = "IOT_ESP_" + String(ESP.getChipId());

  if (wm.autoConnect(ssid.c_str()))
  {
    //if you get here you have connected to the WiFi
    Serial.println("Connected to wifi network!");
    Serial.println(ssid);
    Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
    
    WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
    wm.startWebPortal();
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.println("Could not connect with WiFi!");
  }

  // call the code down to activate wifi so users can configure the device, event if it's connected to the local network
  //wm.startConfigPortal("IOT_Device");
  //
  }



/*
  This void needs to be called in the loop void so it can handle the WM and the webportal.
*/


void loopDeviceWM()
{
  wm.process();
  
}


int setupSpiffs() {
  //read configuration from FS json
  Serial.println("mounting FS...");

  if (SPIFFS.begin()) {
    Serial.println("mounted file system");
    if (SPIFFS.exists("/config.json")) {
      //file exists, reading and loading
      Serial.println("reading config file");
      File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "r");
      if (configFile) {
        Serial.println("opened config file");
        size_t size = configFile.size();
        // Allocate a buffer to store contents of the file.
        std::unique_ptr<char[]> buf(new char[size]);

        configFile.readBytes(buf.get(), size);
        DynamicJsonDocument jsonBuffer(1024);
        deserializeJson(jsonBuffer, buf.get());
        serializeJson(jsonBuffer, Serial);
      
        if (!jsonBuffer.isNull()) {
          Serial.println("\nparsed json");

          strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);

          Serial.println("loaded Json");
          Serial.println("now mqtt broker is: ");
          Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
          
          return 0;
          
        } else {
          Serial.println("failed to load json config");
          return 1;
        }
        configFile.close();
      }
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("config json doesnt exist");
      return 1;
    }
   
  } else {
    Serial.println("failed to mount FS");
    return 1;
  }
  //end read

}

void setup()
{

  Serial.begin(115200);
  delay(3000);

  //diese funktion gibt 0 zurück wenn eine config json da ist. 
  if(setupSpiffs() == 0){
    Serial.println("SO, NOW:");
    Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
    custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker));
  }
  else
  {
    
  }
  // at this point the parameters are either empty because there is no config or full because there is a config
  

  wm.setSaveParamsCallback(saveParamCallback);

 
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_broker);


  std::vector<const char *> menu = {"wifi", "info", "param", "close", "sep", "erase", "restart", "exit"};
  wm.setMenu(menu); // custom menu, pass vector

  // set country
  wm.setCountry("US"); // setting wifi country seems to improve OSX soft ap connectivity, may help others as well

  Serial.println("Setup mode...");
  //wifiManager.resetSettings();
  
  setupDeviceWM();




  wm.setClass("invert");
  Serial.println("**** Issue here **** - the next four lines should be the mqtt broker adress after changing in portal and restarting but apparently custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() never gets it value of the config.json");
  Serial.println(String(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue()));
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  Serial.println(String(mqtt_broker));
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);


}

void loop()
{
  
  loopDeviceWM();

}

May 13 '20 22:05 zen85

I cannot test that part, my spiffs is not working, reread my previous port I edited it.

you know you can init a param without a value and then set value later ?

your code just does this over and over on every restart, why would the value change ?


char mqtt_broker[16] = "192.168.100.108";


WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_broker("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, 16);

May 13 '20 22:05 tablatronix

oops I commented out the spiffs part

I see it now

custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker));

Yeah so my guess is you are reading this in wrong into the same var[16] char, you need to not do that, as mentioned above.

May 13 '20 22:05 tablatronix

  wm.setBreakAfterConfig(true);
  wm.setSaveParamsCallback(saveParamCallback);

 
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(String(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue())); // <--- what does this say ?

I am curious is it corrupt only after submitting and getting it? Or is this also corrupt ?

May 13 '20 22:05 tablatronix

if i dont do custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker)); nothing is updated at all and the value will always be 192.168.100.108.... if i do that i get at least "@⸮⸮?168.100.102"

Serial.println(String(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue())); // <--- what does this say ?

SO, NOW:
192.168.100.102
*WM: [3] allocating params bytes: 20
*WM: [2] Added Parameter: mqttbroker
@⸮⸮?168.100.102

May 13 '20 22:05 zen85

interesting

May 13 '20 23:05 tablatronix

oh sorry, I have that commented out, do not do // if(setupSpiffs() == 0){ remove that whole block

Just set and get the param value, that is all

May 13 '20 23:05 tablatronix

Then change this strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]); to use a different VARIABLE say mqtt_broker_RESTORE[];

then change your spiffs restore to

   if(setupSpiffs() == 0){
     Serial.println("SO, NOW:");
     Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
     //custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker_RESTORE, 16); // <-- NEW VAR
  }

Sorry it took me like 30 minutes and 2 reboots to get my damn serial ports working, and now I have to format spiffs to actually run your code.

May 13 '20 23:05 tablatronix

Then change this strcpy(mqtt_broker, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]); to use a different VARIABLE say mqtt_broker_RESTORE[];

then change your spiffs restore to
   if(setupSpiffs() == 0){
     Serial.println("SO, NOW:");
     Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
     //custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker_RESTORE, 16); // <-- NEW VAR
  }
Sorry it took me like 30 minutes and 2 reboots to get my damn serial ports working, and now I have to format spiffs to actually run your code.

heyhey.... its completly amazing that there is somebody out there... i sunk about 20 hours in this now and it feels truly heartwarming that you are taking care...

so i changed my code to this but i still have the same outcome:

#include <FS.h>                   //this needs to be first, or it all crashes and burns...
#include <ArduinoJson.h>          //https://github.com/bblanchon/ArduinoJson
#include <WiFiManager.h> //https://github.com/tzapu/WiFiManager WiFi Configuration Magic



WiFiManager wm;

//############################################# CUSTOM PARAMETERS FOR THE WIFI MANAGER ##########################################

char mqtt_broker[] = "192.168.100.108";
char mqtt_broker_RESTORE[sizeof(mqtt_broker)];

WiFiManagerParameter custom_mqtt_broker("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker, sizeof(mqtt_broker));



//################################################### GENERAL VARIABLES #########################################################
bool blockWM = true; // Change this to false if you want your code to continue to run on the loop void even if you are not conected to any wifi.
//###############################################################################################################################



void saveParamCallback() {
  Serial.println("****************Should save params");
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());

  strcpy(mqtt_broker, custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  
  DynamicJsonDocument json(1024);
 
  json["mqtt_broker"] = mqtt_broker;
 
    
  File configFile2 = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "w");
    if (!configFile2) {
      Serial.println("failed to open config file for writing");
    }
    
  serializeJson(json, Serial);
  serializeJson(json, configFile2);

  configFile2.close();
  //end save
  }



/*
  This void sets the device with the WiFiManager from tzapu with custom parameters.
  Needs to be called only in the setup void.
*/

void setupDeviceWM()
{
  //Serial.println("setupDeviceWM() is running");


  // callbacks
  wm.setConfigPortalBlocking(blockWM);
  
  String ssid = "IOT_ESP_" + String(ESP.getChipId());

  if (wm.autoConnect(ssid.c_str()))
  {
    //if you get here you have connected to the WiFi
    Serial.println("Connected to wifi network!");
    Serial.println(ssid);
    Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
    
    WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);
    wm.startWebPortal();
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.println("Could not connect with WiFi!");
  }

  // call the code down to activate wifi so users can configure the device, event if it's connected to the local network
  //wm.startConfigPortal("IOT_Device");
  //
  }



/*
  This void needs to be called in the loop void so it can handle the WM and the webportal.
*/


void loopDeviceWM()
{
  wm.process();
  
}


int setupSpiffs() {
  //read configuration from FS json
  Serial.println("mounting FS...");

  if (SPIFFS.begin()) {
    Serial.println("mounted file system");
    if (SPIFFS.exists("/config.json")) {
      //file exists, reading and loading
      Serial.println("reading config file");
      File configFile = SPIFFS.open("/config.json", "r");
      if (configFile) {
        Serial.println("opened config file");
        size_t size = configFile.size();
        // Allocate a buffer to store contents of the file.
        std::unique_ptr<char[]> buf(new char[size]);

        configFile.readBytes(buf.get(), size);
        DynamicJsonDocument jsonBuffer(1024);
        deserializeJson(jsonBuffer, buf.get());
        serializeJson(jsonBuffer, Serial);
      
        if (!jsonBuffer.isNull()) {
          Serial.println("\nparsed json");

          strcpy(mqtt_broker_RESTORE, jsonBuffer["mqtt_broker"]);

          Serial.println("loaded Json");
          Serial.println("now mqtt broker is: ");
          Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
          
          return 0;
          
        } else {
          Serial.println("failed to load json config");
          return 1;
        }
        configFile.close();
      }
    }
    else
    {
      Serial.println("config json doesnt exist");
      return 1;
    }
   
  } else {
    Serial.println("failed to mount FS");
    return 1;
  }
  //end read

}

void setup()
{

  Serial.begin(115200);
  delay(3000);

  //diese funktion gibt 0 zurück wenn eine config json da ist. 
  
   if(setupSpiffs() == 0){
     Serial.println("SO, NOW:");
     Serial.println(mqtt_broker);
      custom_mqtt_broker = WiFiManagerParameter("mqttbroker", "MQTT Broker", mqtt_broker_RESTORE, 16); // <-- NEW VAR
  }

  
  // at this point the parameters are either empty because there is no config or full because there is a config
  
  wm.setBreakAfterConfig(true);
  wm.setSaveParamsCallback(saveParamCallback);

 
  wm.addParameter(&custom_mqtt_broker);
  Serial.println(String(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue())); // <--- what does this say ?

  std::vector<const char *> menu = {"wifi", "info", "param", "close", "sep", "erase", "restart", "exit"};
  wm.setMenu(menu); // custom menu, pass vector

  // set country
  wm.setCountry("US"); // setting wifi country seems to improve OSX soft ap connectivity, may help others as well

  Serial.println("Setup mode...");
  //wifiManager.resetSettings();
  
  setupDeviceWM();




  wm.setClass("invert");
  Serial.println("**** Issue here **** - the next four lines should be the mqtt broker adress after changing in portal and restarting but apparently custom_mqtt_broker.getValue() never gets it value of the config.json");
  Serial.println(String(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue()));
  Serial.println(custom_mqtt_broker.getValue());
  Serial.println(String(mqtt_broker));
  Serial.println(mqtt_broker);


}

void loop()
{
  
  loopDeviceWM();

}

May 13 '20 23:05 zen85

Do you know how to init format spiffs?

May 13 '20 23:05 tablatronix

nm, // SPIFFS.format();

May 13 '20 23:05 tablatronix

And you have the same problem with the autoconnectwithparams example?

May 13 '20 23:05 tablatronix

ah crap is the old json lib

May 13 '20 23:05 tablatronix

nm, // SPIFFS.format();

i like that neat little tool: https://github.com/nodemcu/nodemcu-flasher

And you have the same problem with the autoconnectwithparams example?

no

ah crap is the old json lib

yes... the sketch is supposed to run on arduinojson6...

May 13 '20 23:05 zen85