• Registered: 2008-01-26
  • Posts: 9

Topic: Widget configuration data limit

What are the limitations on the size of the XML configuration document for a Chumby? I'm considering the possibility of using the configuration document to carry up to perhaps 512KBytes of data.

On a related subject, it would be convenient if the widget server could allocate a small storage area private to a widget (and its configuration widget), accessible through a URL similar to the configuration URL. I believe there should be no additional security implications..

Thanks for making such a useful and fun gadget!

  • From: San Francisco, CA
  • Registered: 2007-11-01
  • Posts: 98

Re: Widget configuration data limit

I believe you can post data back to the chumby server for storage under the widget instance GUID from the chumby itself.

-John Forsythe
www.jforsythe.com

jforsythe's Website

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,200

Re: Widget configuration data limit

There is indeed a limit - the widget_parameter values are limited to 64K, although the server enforces a much smaller value, on the order of a few K.  They're really supposed to be simple name/value pairs, like an INF file.

I'm having difficulty understanding why a widget would need to store 512K rather than fetch that same data from some external site.  Can you expand a bit upon this requirement?

John is correct - it is possible for a widget to store data back to the server in a manner very similar to the configuration widget.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2008-01-26
  • Posts: 9

Re: Widget configuration data limit

The general idea is to see if I can avoid the need for another server to hold widget data. It's not a big deal since at the moment I'm just thinking about some background images provided by the end user. In that case there are convenient servers out there already.

What would an example URL be? The wiki lists [_chumby_widget_instance_href] (or maybe it's [_chumby_instance_url]) which I think is the URL specifically for the configuration document. Do I just tack on extra characters? I imagine there would also be a storage limit there.

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,200

Re: Widget configuration data limit

The configuration parameters will only hold strings, not images.  In Flash Lite, there's no mechanism to convert between images and strings, and the Bitmap object is not supported anyway. The parameters are uploaded as an XML document.

On the device, you use "_chumby_widget_instance_href" instead of "_chumby_instance_url" - otherwise, the code is quite similar for the parameters upload.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2008-01-26
  • Posts: 9

Re: Widget configuration data limit

I guess the bottom line is that the Chumby servers will only allow one read/write file per widget instance, and that one file is the limited configuration XML file? i.e. any non-XML files and/or large XML would have to be hosted by some other server?

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,200

Re: Widget configuration data limit

Correct.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2007-10-31
  • Posts: 24

Re: Widget configuration data limit

If I am uploading back to server from Chumby (like game stats), do I have to include all previous values from configuration widget? Or is there some sort of incremental update/change method to just send changes?

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,200

Re: Widget configuration data limit

You have to send everything back - the new data completely replaces the old data.

Duane's Website