Lets take a look at ChatGPT and writing software. I’m seeing a lot of news claiming the robots are coming for our jobs, programming jobs in particular. I’m going to post the raw input and output of my experience getting code from ChatGPT and let you be the judge. Unfortunately in a couple places I revised my message when the output was not what I wanted rather than submitting a new statement, this is not visible in the text below, I will note this where it occurred, these updates are italic and highlighted blue.

Me:
Write a node.js application that accepts a series of timer values and related temperature values from an html post form and relays one set of timer and temperature values to a udp port then proceeds to the next set of values when the timer expires and repeats until it completes the list of timers in order. Also include a watchdog signal to ensure the upd listening device is online with a call to a different node.js application if the response is not received.
I had to re-phrase this. Initially the response was a description of this system with no code. That’s to say a description of the system I just described.

ChatGPT:

Below is a simple Node.js application that accepts a series of timer and temperature values from an HTML form, sends one set of values to a UDP port, and proceeds to the next set when the timer expires. Additionally, it includes a watchdog signal to ensure the UDP listening device is online and calls a separate Node.js application if the response is not received.

  1. First, let’s create the main application (app.js):

const express = require('express');
const dgram = require('dgram');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
const axios = require('axios');
const app = express();
const udpClient = dgram.createSocket('udp4');
const port = 3000;

app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: false }));
app.use(bodyParser.json());

app.post('/timer-temperature', async (req, res) => {
const timerTemperatureList = req.body.timerTemperatureList;
const watchdogURL = req.body.watchdogURL;

for (const entry of timerTemperatureList) {
const { timer, temperature } = entry;
const isOnline = await sendWatchdogSignal(watchdogURL);

if (!isOnline) {
console.log('UDP listening device is offline. Calling external application...');
// Call the external Node.js application if the device is offline
axios.post('http://your-external-app.com/offline-notification');
break;
}

sendTemperatureToUdp(temperature);
await sleep(timer);
}

res.sendStatus(200);
});

function sendTemperatureToUdp(temperature) {
const message = Buffer.from(temperature.toString());
udpClient.send(message, 0, message.length, port, 'localhost', (err) => {
if (err) console.error(err);
console.log(`Temperature sent: ${temperature}`);
});
}

function sendWatchdogSignal(url) {
return new Promise(async (resolve) => {
try {
const response = await axios.get(url);
resolve(response.status === 200);
} catch (error) {
resolve(false);
}
});
}

function sleep(ms) {
return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
}

app.listen(port, () => console.log(`App listening on port ${port}!`));

2. Install the required packages:

npm init -y
npm install express body-parser axios dgram

Create an HTML form (index.html) to send timer and temperature values:
(This is interesting because later you will see it decides to use node.js as the webserver so this html will be contained in the JS app.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Timer-Temperature</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form action="/timer-temperature" method="post">
        <input type="hidden" name="watchdogURL" value="http://your-watchdog-url.com/check">
        <div>
            <label for="timer">Timer (ms):</label>
            <input type="number" name="timerTemperatureList[0].timer">
            <label for="temperature">Temperature (°C):</label>
            <input type="number" name="timerTemperatureList[0].temperature">
        </div>
        <!-- Add more timer-temperature inputs as needed -->
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </form>
</body>
</html>
  1. Replace ‘your-watchdog-url.com/check’ with the actual URL of your watchdog service and ‘your-external-app.com/offline-notification’ with the URL of the external Node.js application to be called when the device is offline.
  2. Run the application:

node app.js

Me:

Write the code to receive the timer, temperature, and watchdog signal from the app above for a nodemcu on arduino. Include code to monitor a type k thermocouple and power an output pin to increase the temperature to match the udp supplied temperature and a timer to end the temperature cycle when the timer has elapsed. Also provide an output pin that is always pulled high unless thermal runaway is detected on the thermocouple.

ChatGPT:

To implement the described functionality on a NodeMCU using Arduino, we’ll need to use the Arduino IDE with the ESP8266 library and the MAX31855 library to read the Type K thermocouple. Please make sure you have the Arduino IDE installed, the ESP8266 board manager added, and the MAX31855 library installed.

Here is the code to achieve the required functionality:

#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include <WiFiUdp.h>
#include <Adafruit_MAX31855.h>

// Replace with your WiFi credentials
const char *ssid = "your_SSID";
const char *password = "your_PASSWORD";

const int outputPin = D1; // Power output pin
const int safetyPin = D2; // Thermal runaway safety pin
const int thermoCLK = D3;
const int thermoCS = D4;
const int thermoDO = D5;
const unsigned int localPort = 3000; // Local port to listen on

Adafruit_MAX31855 thermocouple(thermoCLK, thermoCS, thermoDO);

WiFiUDP udp;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  pinMode(outputPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(safetyPin, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(safetyPin, HIGH);

  // Connect to Wi-Fi
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("Connected to Wi-Fi");

  // Initialize UDP
  udp.begin(localPort);
  Serial.printf("Listening on UDP port %d\n", localPort);

  // Initialize thermocouple
  thermocouple.begin();
}

void loop() {
  int packetSize = udp.parsePacket();
  if (packetSize) {
    char incomingTemperature[packetSize + 1];
    udp.read(incomingTemperature, packetSize);
    incomingTemperature[packetSize] = '\0';
    float targetTemperature = atof(incomingTemperature);

    unsigned long timerStart = millis();
    bool thermalRunaway = false;

    while (millis() - timerStart < 60000) { // Adjust timer value as needed (currently 60 seconds)
      float currentTemperature = thermocouple.readCelsius();
      if (isnan(currentTemperature)) {
        Serial.println("Error reading temperature");
      } else {
        Serial.print("Current temperature: ");
        Serial.println(currentTemperature);

        if (currentTemperature < targetTemperature) {
          digitalWrite(outputPin, HIGH);
        } else {
          digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
        }

        // Detect thermal runaway
        if (currentTemperature > targetTemperature + 10) { // Adjust the threshold as needed
          thermalRunaway = true;
          break;
        }
      }
      delay(1000);
    }

    digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
    digitalWrite(safetyPin, thermalRunaway ? LOW : HIGH);
  }
}

Replace your_SSID and your_PASSWORD with your Wi-Fi network credentials.

This code connects to the Wi-Fi network, listens for incoming UDP packets on port 3000, reads the target temperature from the packets, and maintains the current temperature by powering the output pin until the timer expires. It also monitors the thermocouple for thermal runaway and pulls the safety pin low if thermal runaway is detected. Adjust the timer and thermal runaway threshold values as needed.

Finally, upload the code to your NodeMCU using the Arduino IDE.

Here you can see it missed the incoming timer value from the nodejs app.

Me:
The timer value also needs to be read from the incoming udp packet.

ChatGPT:
You’re right. I missed the timer value from the incoming UDP packet. Here’s the updated code that reads both the timer value and the target temperature from the incoming UDP packet.

#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include <WiFiUdp.h>
#include <Adafruit_MAX31855.h>

// Replace with your WiFi credentials
const char *ssid = "your_SSID";
const char *password = "your_PASSWORD";

const int outputPin = D1; // Power output pin
const int safetyPin = D2; // Thermal runaway safety pin
const int thermoCLK = D3;
const int thermoCS = D4;
const int thermoDO = D5;
const unsigned int localPort = 3000; // Local port to listen on

Adafruit_MAX31855 thermocouple(thermoCLK, thermoCS, thermoDO);

WiFiUDP udp;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  pinMode(outputPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(safetyPin, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(safetyPin, HIGH);

  // Connect to Wi-Fi
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("Connected to Wi-Fi");

  // Initialize UDP
  udp.begin(localPort);
  Serial.printf("Listening on UDP port %d\n", localPort);

  // Initialize thermocouple
  thermocouple.begin();
}

void loop() {
  int packetSize = udp.parsePacket();
  if (packetSize) {
    char incomingData[packetSize + 1];
    udp.read(incomingData, packetSize);
    incomingData[packetSize] = '\0';

    // Parse timer and target temperature from the received data
    char *token = strtok(incomingData, ",");
    int timerValue = atoi(token);
    token = strtok(NULL, ",");
    float targetTemperature = atof(token);

    unsigned long timerStart = millis();
    bool thermalRunaway = false;

    while (millis() - timerStart < timerValue) {
      float currentTemperature = thermocouple.readCelsius();
      if (isnan(currentTemperature)) {
        Serial.println("Error reading temperature");
      } else {
        Serial.print("Current temperature: ");
        Serial.println(currentTemperature);

        if (currentTemperature < targetTemperature) {
          digitalWrite(outputPin, HIGH);
        } else {
          digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
        }

        // Detect thermal runaway
        if (currentTemperature > targetTemperature + 10) { // Adjust the threshold as needed
          thermalRunaway = true;
          break;
        }
      }
      delay(1000);
    }

    digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
    digitalWrite(safetyPin, thermalRunaway ? LOW : HIGH);
  }
}

In this updated code, the incoming UDP packet is expected to contain both the timer value and target temperature, separated by a comma (e.g., “5000,80”). The code then reads the timer value and target temperature from the packet, maintaining the current temperature by powering the output pin until the timer expires. It also monitors the thermocouple for thermal runaway and pulls the safety pin low if thermal runaway is detected.

Upload the updated code to your NodeMCU using the Arduino IDE.

We have a big problem here.

Me:
You instantiated the timerValue and timerStart variables inside the main loop meaning they will not persist for more than one loop which means the code won’t work.

ChatGPT:
You are correct, my previous implementation does not persist the timer value outside the loop as required. I apologize for the confusion. Here’s the revised code that fixes this issue by using a state machine to manage the temperature control process.

#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include <WiFiUdp.h>
#include <Adafruit_MAX31855.h>

// Replace with your WiFi credentials
const char *ssid = "your_SSID";
const char *password = "your_PASSWORD";

const int outputPin = D1; // Power output pin
const int safetyPin = D2; // Thermal runaway safety pin
const int thermoCLK = D3;
const int thermoCS = D4;
const int thermoDO = D5;
const unsigned int localPort = 3000; // Local port to listen on

Adafruit_MAX31855 thermocouple(thermoCLK, thermoCS, thermoDO);

WiFiUDP udp;

// State machine
enum State { IDLE, PROCESS_UDP, CONTROL_TEMPERATURE };
State currentState = IDLE;

unsigned long timerStart;
unsigned long timerValue;
float targetTemperature;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  pinMode(outputPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(safetyPin, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(safetyPin, HIGH);

  // Connect to Wi-Fi
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("Connected to Wi-Fi");

  // Initialize UDP
  udp.begin(localPort);
  Serial.printf("Listening on UDP port %d\n", localPort);

  // Initialize thermocouple
  thermocouple.begin();
}

void loop() {
  switch (currentState) {
    case IDLE:
      checkForUdpPacket();
      break;
    case PROCESS_UDP:
      processUdpPacket();
      break;
    case CONTROL_TEMPERATURE:
      controlTemperature();
      break;
  }
}

void checkForUdpPacket() {
  int packetSize = udp.parsePacket();
  if (packetSize) {
    currentState = PROCESS_UDP;
  }
}

void processUdpPacket() {
  int packetSize = udp.available();
  char incomingData[packetSize + 1];
  udp.read(incomingData, packetSize);
  incomingData[packetSize] = '\0';

  // Parse timer and target temperature from the received data
  char *token = strtok(incomingData, ",");
  timerValue = atol(token);
  token = strtok(NULL, ",");
  targetTemperature = atof(token);

  timerStart = millis();
  currentState = CONTROL_TEMPERATURE;
}

void controlTemperature() {
  if (millis() - timerStart < timerValue) {
    float currentTemperature = thermocouple.readCelsius();
    if (isnan(currentTemperature)) {
      Serial.println("Error reading temperature");
    } else {
      Serial.print("Current temperature: ");
      Serial.println(currentTemperature);

      if (currentTemperature < targetTemperature) {
        digitalWrite(outputPin, HIGH);
      } else {
        digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
      }

      // Detect thermal runaway
      if (currentTemperature > targetTemperature + 10) { // Adjust the threshold as needed
        digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
        digitalWrite(safetyPin, LOW);
        currentState = IDLE;
      }
    }
  } else {
    digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
    digitalWrite(safetyPin, HIGH);
    currentState = IDLE;
  }
}

This revised code uses a state machine to manage the temperature control process. It has three states: IDLE, PROCESS_UDP, and CONTROL_TEMPERATURE. The timer value and target temperature are stored in persistent variables outside the loop. The code listens for incoming UDP
Better, but no punctuation? What are we, animals?

Me:
Now it needs the additional code to receive the watchdog udp packet and respond. Additionally it should cut power to the safety pin if the timer has elapsed and the watchdog packet hasn’t been received for an excessive amount of time. Additionally the watchdog reply should include the current thermocouple temperature reading.

ChatGPT:
Here is the revised code that includes receiving the watchdog UDP packet, responding to it, and cutting power to the safety pin if the timer has elapsed and the watchdog packet hasn’t been received for an excessive amount of time. The watchdog reply also includes the current thermocouple temperature reading.

#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>
#include <WiFiUdp.h>
#include <Adafruit_MAX31855.h>

// Replace with your WiFi credentials
const char *ssid = "your_SSID";
const char *password = "your_PASSWORD";

const int outputPin = D1; // Power output pin
const int safetyPin = D2; // Thermal runaway safety pin
const int thermoCLK = D3;
const int thermoCS = D4;
const int thermoDO = D5;
const unsigned int localPort = 3000; // Local port to listen on

Adafruit_MAX31855 thermocouple(thermoCLK, thermoCS, thermoDO);

WiFiUDP udp;

// State machine
enum State { IDLE, PROCESS_UDP, CONTROL_TEMPERATURE, WATCHDOG_CHECK };
State currentState = IDLE;

unsigned long timerStart;
unsigned long timerValue;
float targetTemperature;
unsigned long lastWatchdogReceived;
const unsigned long watchdogTimeout = 15000; // Adjust the timeout as needed

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  pinMode(outputPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(safetyPin, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(safetyPin, HIGH);

  // Connect to Wi-Fi
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("Connected to Wi-Fi");

  // Initialize UDP
  udp.begin(localPort);
  Serial.printf("Listening on UDP port %d\n", localPort);

  // Initialize thermocouple
  thermocouple.begin();
}

void loop() {
  switch (currentState) {
    case IDLE:
      checkForUdpPacket();
      break;
    case PROCESS_UDP:
      processUdpPacket();
      break;
    case CONTROL_TEMPERATURE:
      controlTemperature();
      break;
    case WATCHDOG_CHECK:
      processWatchdog();
      break;
  }
}

void checkForUdpPacket() {
  int packetSize = udp.parsePacket();
  if (packetSize) {
    char packetType;
    udp.read(&packetType, 1);
    if (packetType == 'W') {
      currentState = WATCHDOG_CHECK;
    } else {
      currentState = PROCESS_UDP;
    }
  }
}

void processUdpPacket() {
  int packetSize = udp.available();
  char incomingData[packetSize];
  udp.read(incomingData, packetSize);

  // Parse timer and target temperature from the received data
  char *token = strtok(incomingData, ",");
  timerValue = atol(token);
  token = strtok(NULL, ",");
  targetTemperature = atof(token);

  timerStart = millis();
  currentState = CONTROL_TEMPERATURE;
}

void controlTemperature() {
  if (millis() - timerStart < timerValue) {
    float currentTemperature = thermocouple.readCelsius();
    if (isnan(currentTemperature)) {
      Serial.println("Error reading temperature");
    } else {
      Serial.print("Current temperature: ");
      Serial.println(currentTemperature);

      if (currentTemperature < targetTemperature) {
        digitalWrite(outputPin, HIGH);
      } else {
        digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
      }

      // Detect thermal runaway
      if (currentTemperature > targetTemperature + 10) { // Adjust the threshold as needed
        digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);
        digitalWrite(safetyPin, LOW);
        currentState = IDLE;
      }
    }
  } else {

So this is interesting, I guess it fell asleep here, to be fair it was something like 3am.

Me:
Continue

ChatGPT:
Here’s the continuation of the code, including the processWatchdog() function and updated controlTemperature() function:

    digitalWrite(outputPin, LOW);

    if (millis() - lastWatchdogReceived > watchdogTimeout) {
      digitalWrite(safetyPin, LOW);
    } else {
      digitalWrite(safetyPin, HIGH);
    }

    currentState = IDLE;
  }
}

void processWatchdog() {
  lastWatchdogReceived = millis();
  IPAddress remoteIp = udp.remoteIP();
  uint16_t remotePort = udp.remotePort();
  float currentTemperature = thermocouple.readCelsius();

  char temperatureStr[10];
  dtostrf(currentTemperature, 6, 2, temperatureStr);
  udp.beginPacket(remoteIp, remotePort);
  udp.write(temperatureStr);
  udp.endPacket();

  currentState = IDLE;
}

In this updated code, the checkForUdpPacket() function checks for a packet type of ‘W’ to identify watchdog packets. If it receives a watchdog packet, it transitions the state machine to the WATCHDOG_CHECK state and calls the processWatchdog() function. The processWatchdog() function updates the lastWatchdogReceived timestamp, responds with the current temperature, and sets the state back to IDLE.

The controlTemperature() function now checks if the watchdog timeout has been exceeded after the timer value expires. If the watchdog timeout is exceeded, it cuts power to the safety pin. Otherwise, it sets the safety pin to HIGH.

Upload the updated code to your NodeMCU using the Arduino IDE.

Me:
Good. Now revise the node.js code to also receive the watchdog reply and output the temperature and remaining timer to another node.js app.
This is interesting here. This is the point where ChatGPT decided to use the node.js app as the web server. I’m going to run with it in this case however this could be a big problem. Each app has to run on a specified port which means your URL is now tied to a specific port. Normally that port would be 80 for a local webpage like this. ChatGPT decided to use 4000 here and letter when we need a second page decides to use 3000. Basically we’re switching web servers when changing pages rather than navigating to a new page on the same web server. I didn’t tell it to do this (at least not intentionally) and a random non-programmer very likely wouldn’t know what was going on. My intent was to have it generate a separate HTML file I could then serve with a normal web server, nginx for me. Additionally it decided to pass info between applications via network socket. This means both apps need to be running at all times rather than calling the other app when data is to be passed and processed vis stdout or something like that.

ChatGPT:
Here’s the revised Node.js code that receives the watchdog reply, extracts the temperature, calculates the remaining timer, and sends this information to another Node.js app. The code assumes the other Node.js app is running on the same device, listening on port 4000.

const express = require('express');
const dgram = require('dgram');
const axios = require('axios');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();
const udpServer = dgram.createSocket('udp4');
const udpClient = dgram.createSocket('udp4');

const udpPort = 3000;
const otherAppPort = 4000;
const watchdogInterval = 5000;

app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));

app.post('/setTemperature', (req, res) => {
  const { timer, temperature } = req.body;

  const data = `${timer},${temperature}`;
  udpClient.send(data, udpPort, 'localhost', (err) => {
    if (err) {
      console.error(err);
      res.status(500).send('Error sending data to device');
    } else {
      console.log(`Sent ${data} to device`);
      res.send('Data sent to device');
    }
  });
});

udpServer.on('message', (msg, rinfo) => {
  const currentTemperature = parseFloat(msg.toString());
  console.log(`Watchdog reply received: ${currentTemperature}`);

  axios.post(`http://localhost:${otherAppPort}/temperatureUpdate`, {
    temperature: currentTemperature,
    remainingTimer: calculateRemainingTimer(),
  });
});

udpServer.on('listening', () => {
  console.log(`UDP server listening on port ${udpPort}`);
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Temperature control app listening on port 3000');
});

udpServer.bind(udpPort);

let watchdogTimer = setInterval(() => {
  udpClient.send('W', udpPort, 'localhost', (err) => {
    if (err) {
      console.error(err);
    } else {
      console.log('Watchdog signal sent');
    }
  });
}, watchdogInterval);

let timerStart;
let timerValue;

function calculateRemainingTimer() {
  if (!timerStart || !timerValue) {
    return 0;
  }
  const elapsedTime = Date.now() - timerStart;
  const remainingTime = Math.max(0, timerValue - elapsedTime);
  return remainingTime;
}

app.post('/setTemperature', (req, res) => {
  // ... (existing code)

  timerStart = Date.now();
  timerValue = parseInt(timer, 10);
});

In this updated code, the udpServer listens for incoming UDP packets, which are expected to contain the watchdog replies. When a watchdog reply is received, it extracts the temperature, calculates the remaining timer, and sends this information to the other Node.js app using the axios.post() method. The other Node.js app should be set up to accept POST requests at the /temperatureUpdate endpoint and process the received data.

Please make sure you have the axios package installed by running npm install axios.

To run the updated Node.js code, execute node <your_script_name>.js.

Me:
Now write the node.js app that receives the remaining timer and temp and generates an html page to display this info. Only generate new html if the values have changed significantly.

ChatGPT:
Here’s the Node.js app that receives the remaining timer and temperature, and generates an HTML page to display this information. It will only update the displayed values if they have changed significantly. In this case, we consider a change of 1°C or 1000 ms to be significant. You can adjust these thresholds as needed.

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();
const port = 4000;
const temperatureThreshold = 1.0; // Change threshold for temperature
const timerThreshold = 1000; // Change threshold for timer

app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));
app.use(bodyParser.json());

let currentTemperature = null;
let remainingTimer = null;

app.post('/temperatureUpdate', (req, res) => {
  const { temperature, remainingTimer: receivedTimer } = req.body;
  const temperatureChanged = Math.abs(currentTemperature - temperature) >= temperatureThreshold;
  const timerChanged = Math.abs(remainingTimer - receivedTimer) >= timerThreshold;

  if (temperatureChanged || timerChanged) {
    currentTemperature = temperature;
    remainingTimer = receivedTimer;
  }

  res.sendStatus(200);
});

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send(generateHtml(currentTemperature, remainingTimer));
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Temperature display app listening on port ${port}`);
});

function generateHtml(temperature, timer) {
  return `
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html lang="en">
    <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
      <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
      <title>Temperature and Timer</title>
    </head>
    <body>
      <h1>Temperature and Timer Status</h1>
      <p>Current temperature: ${temperature ? `${temperature.toFixed(2)} °C` : 'N/A'}</p>
      <p>Remaining timer: ${timer ? `${(timer / 1000).toFixed(1)} seconds` : 'N/A'}</p>
    </body>
    </html>
  `;
}

This app listens for POST requests at the /temperatureUpdate endpoint, and updates the currentTemperature and remainingTimer variables if the received values differ significantly from the current values. It generates an HTML page using the generateHtml() function and serves it at the root endpoint (/). The page displays the current temperature and remaining timer values.

To run this Node.js app, execute node <your_script_name>.js. You can access the generated HTML page by navigating to http://localhost:4000 in your browser.

Me:
Now write an html page with a form to post timer and temperature values to the node.js app that communicates with the nodemcu. Include a button add more rows of timers and temperatures as well as a link to the page that displays the current timer and temp.

ChatGPT:
Here’s an HTML page containing a form to post timer and temperature values to the Node.js app that communicates with the NodeMCU. The page includes a button to add more rows of timers and temperatures, as well as a link to the page that displays the current timer and temperature.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Temperature Control Form</title>
  <style>
    .input-row { margin-bottom: 1rem; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Temperature Control</h1>
  <form id="temperature-form" action="http://localhost:3000/setTemperature" method="POST">
    <div id="input-container">
      <div class="input-row">
        <label>
          Timer (ms):
          <input type="number" name="timer" required>
        </label>
        <label>
          Temperature (°C):
          <input type="number" name="temperature" step="0.01" required>
        </label>
      </div>
    </div>
    <button type="button" id="add-row">Add Row</button>
    <button type="submit">Submit</button>
  </form>
  <p>
    <a href="http://localhost:4000">View Current Timer and Temperature</a>
  </p>
  <script>
    document.getElementById('add-row').addEventListener('click', () => {
      const inputContainer = document.getElementById('input-container');
      const newRow = document.createElement('div');
      newRow.className = 'input-row';
      newRow.innerHTML = `
        <label>
          Timer (ms):
          <input type="number" name="timer" required>
        </label>
        <label>
          Temperature (°C):
          <input type="number" name="temperature" step="0.01" required>
        </label>
      `;
      inputContainer.appendChild(newRow);
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

In this HTML page, the form has an action attribute set to http://localhost:3000/setTemperature, which is the endpoint that the Node.js app listens to for incoming POST requests. The JavaScript code adds event listeners to the “Add Row” button, allowing users to add more rows of timer and temperature inputs.

Save this HTML file and open it in your browser to use the form. When you submit the form, it will send the timer and temperature values to the Node.js app, which will then communicate with the NodeMCU. Use the “View Current Timer and Temperature” link to navigate to the page that displays the current timer and temperature values.

Me:
The timer input should be in minutes and the temperature should be in F.

ChatGPT:
Here’s the updated HTML page with the timer input in minutes and temperature input in Fahrenheit:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Temperature Control Form</title>
  <style>
    .input-row { margin-bottom: 1rem; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Temperature Control</h1>
  <form id="temperature-form" action="http://localhost:3000/setTemperature" method="POST" onsubmit="convertValues(event)">
    <div id="input-container">
      <div class="input-row">
        <label>
          Timer (min):
          <input type="number" name="timer" required>
        </label>
        <label>
          Temperature (°F):
          <input type="number" name="temperature" step="0.01" required>
        </label>
      </div>
    </div>
    <button type="button" id="add-row">Add Row</button>
    <button type="submit">Submit</button>
  </form>
  <p>
    <a href="http://localhost:4000">View Current Timer and Temperature</a>
  </p>
  <script>
    document.getElementById('add-row').addEventListener('click', () => {
      const inputContainer = document.getElementById('input-container');
      const newRow = document.createElement('div');
      newRow.className = 'input-row';
      newRow.innerHTML = `
        <label>
          Timer (min):
          <input type="number" name="timer" required>
        </label>
        <label>
          Temperature (°F):
          <input type="number" name="temperature" step="0.01" required>
        </label>
      `;
      inputContainer.appendChild(newRow);
    });

    function convertValues(event) {
      event.preventDefault();
      const form = event.target;
      const formData = new FormData(form);

      const timerValues = formData.getAll('timer').map(value => parseFloat(value) * 60 * 1000);
      const temperatureValues = formData.getAll('temperature').map(value => (parseFloat(value) - 32) * (5 / 9));

      const postData = {
        timer: timerValues,
        temperature: temperatureValues
      };

      fetch('http://localhost:3000/setTemperature', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify(postData)
      }).then(response => {
        if (response.ok) {
          alert('Data sent to device');
        } else {
          alert('Error sending data to device');
        }
      }).catch(error => {
        console.error(error);
        alert('Error sending data to device');
      });
    }
  </script>
</body>
</html>

In this updated HTML page, the form’s onsubmit attribute has been set to call the convertValues() function, which converts the timer values to milliseconds and the temperature values to Celsius before submitting the form. The conversion formulas are as follows:

  • Timer: minutes * 60 * 1000 (to convert minutes to milliseconds)
  • Temperature: (Fahrenheit - 32) * (5 / 9) (to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius)

Save this updated HTML file and open it in your browser to use the form. When you submit the form, it will send the converted timer and temperature values to the Node.js app, which will then communicate with the NodeMCU

Me:
Revise the node.js code to generate the html with the remaining timer in minutes and the temperature in F.

Once again we’re suddenly shifting to a node.js web server without warning. I imagine if I had specified “generate an html FILE” the result would have been different.

ChatGPT:
Here’s the revised Node.js app that receives the remaining timer and temperature, and generates an HTML page to display this information in minutes and Fahrenheit:

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();
const port = 4000;
const temperatureThreshold = 1.0; // Change threshold for temperature
const timerThreshold = 1000; // Change threshold for timer

app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));
app.use(bodyParser.json());

let currentTemperature = null;
let remainingTimer = null;

app.post('/temperatureUpdate', (req, res) => {
  const { temperature, remainingTimer: receivedTimer } = req.body;
  const temperatureChanged = Math.abs(currentTemperature - temperature) >= temperatureThreshold;
  const timerChanged = Math.abs(remainingTimer - receivedTimer) >= timerThreshold;

  if (temperatureChanged || timerChanged) {
    currentTemperature = temperature;
    remainingTimer = receivedTimer;
  }

  res.sendStatus(200);
});

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send(generateHtml(currentTemperature, remainingTimer));
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Temperature display app listening on port ${port}`);
});

function generateHtml(temperature, timer) {
  const temperatureF = temperature ? (temperature * 9 / 5) + 32 : null;
  const timerMin = timer ? timer / 60000 : null;

  return `
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html lang="en">
    <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
      <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
      <title>Temperature and Timer</title>
    </head>
    <body>
      <h1>Temperature and Timer Status</h1>
      <p>Current temperature: ${temperatureF ? `${temperatureF.toFixed(2)} °F` : 'N/A'}</p>
      <p>Remaining timer: ${timerMin ? `${timerMin.toFixed(1)} minutes` : 'N/A'}</p>
    </body>
    </html>
  `;
}

In this updated code, the generateHtml() function converts the remaining timer to minutes and the temperature to Fahrenheit before displaying the values in the generated HTML page. The conversion formulas are as follows:

  • Timer: milliseconds / 60000 (to convert milliseconds to minutes)
  • Temperature: (Celsius * 9 / 5) + 32 (to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit)

To run this updated Node.js app, execute node <your_script_name>.js. You can access the generated HTML page by navigating to http://localhost:4000 in your browser.

Me:
Add a mechanism to the generated html to automatically refresh the page every 1 minute. Also add a link to the timer and temperature entry page.

ChatGPT:
Here’s the updated Node.js app with the generated HTML page that automatically refreshes every 1 minute (60,000 milliseconds) and includes a link to the timer and temperature entry page:

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();
const port = 4000;
const temperatureThreshold = 1.0; // Change threshold for temperature
const timerThreshold = 1000; // Change threshold for timer

app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));
app.use(bodyParser.json());

let currentTemperature = null;
let remainingTimer = null;

app.post('/temperatureUpdate', (req, res) => {
  const { temperature, remainingTimer: receivedTimer } = req.body;
  const temperatureChanged = Math.abs(currentTemperature - temperature) >= temperatureThreshold;
  const timerChanged = Math.abs(remainingTimer - receivedTimer) >= timerThreshold;

  if (temperatureChanged || timerChanged) {
    currentTemperature = temperature;
    remainingTimer = receivedTimer;
  }

  res.sendStatus(200);
});

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send(generateHtml(currentTemperature, remainingTimer));
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Temperature display app listening on port ${port}`);
});

function generateHtml(temperature, timer) {
  const temperatureF = temperature ? (temperature * 9 / 5) + 32 : null;
  const timerMin = timer ? timer / 60000 : null;

  return `
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html lang="en">
    <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
      <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
      <title>Temperature and Timer</title>
      <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="60">
    </head>
    <body>
      <h1>Temperature and Timer Status</h1>
      <p>Current temperature: ${temperatureF ? `${temperatureF.toFixed(2)} °F` : 'N/A'}</p>
      <p>Remaining timer: ${timerMin ? `${timerMin.toFixed(1)} minutes` : 'N/A'}</p>
      <p>
        <a href="/entryPage">Timer and Temperature Entry Page</a>
      </p>
    </body>
    </html>
  `;
}

app.get('/entryPage', (req, res) => {
  res.send(`
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html lang="en">
    <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
      <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
      <title>Temperature Control Form</title>
    </head>
    <body>
      <h1>Temperature Control Form</h1>
      <p>
        <a href="/">View Current Timer and Temperature</a>
      </p>
    </body>
    </html>
  `);
});

In the generateHtml() function, a <meta> tag with a refresh attribute has been added to refresh the page every 60 seconds. Additionally, a link to the timer and temperature entry page has been included in the HTML content.

To run this updated Node.js app, execute node <your_script_name>.js. You can access the generated HTML page by navigating to http://localhost:4000 in your browser. The timer and temperature entry page can be accessed via the provided link on the generated HTML page.

Here it decided to split this page into two different pages, one of them containing nothing but a link to another page. Weird decision.

Me:
No. Don’t generate an additional page. Include a link to the temperature control form page in the first html page the code generates.

ChatGPT:
Apologies for the confusion. Here’s the updated Node.js app with the generated HTML page that automatically refreshes every 1 minute and includes a link to the timer and temperature entry page:

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

const app = express();
const port = 4000;
const temperatureThreshold = 1.0; // Change threshold for temperature
const timerThreshold = 1000; // Change threshold for timer

app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));
app.use(bodyParser.json());

let currentTemperature = null;
let remainingTimer = null;

app.post('/temperatureUpdate', (req, res) => {
  const { temperature, remainingTimer: receivedTimer } = req.body;
  const temperatureChanged = Math.abs(currentTemperature - temperature) >= temperatureThreshold;
  const timerChanged = Math.abs(remainingTimer - receivedTimer) >= timerThreshold;

  if (temperatureChanged || timerChanged) {
    currentTemperature = temperature;
    remainingTimer = receivedTimer;
  }

  res.sendStatus(200);
});

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send(generateHtml(currentTemperature, remainingTimer));
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Temperature display app listening on port ${port}`);
});

function generateHtml(temperature, timer) {
  const temperatureF = temperature ? (temperature * 9 / 5) + 32 : null;
  const timerMin = timer ? timer / 60000 : null;

  return `
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html lang="en">
    <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
      <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
      <title>Temperature and Timer</title>
      <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="60">
    </head>
    <body>
      <h1>Temperature and Timer Status</h1>
      <p>Current temperature: ${temperatureF ? `${temperatureF.toFixed(2)} °F` : 'N/A'}</p>
      <p>Remaining timer: ${timerMin ? `${timerMin.toFixed(1)} minutes` : 'N/A'}</p>
      <p>
        <a href="http://localhost:3000">Timer and Temperature Entry Page</a>
      </p>
    </body>
    </html>
  `;
}

In the generateHtml() function, I have updated the link to the timer and temperature entry page to point to http://localhost:3000, which is the address of the Node.js app that serves the temperature control form.

To run this updated Node.js app, execute node <your_script_name>.js. You can access the generated HTML page by navigating to http://localhost:4000 in your browser. The timer and temperature entry page can be accessed via the provided link on the generated HTML page.

Me:
Thanks Robot

ChatGPT:
You’re welcome! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Good luck with your project!

So what’s the verdict? Well I got my code (untested but reviewed at this point) and it didn’t take quite as long as if I had written it myself. That said I’m not sure I could get any useful code out of this if I couldn’t write it myself to begin with and reviewing someone else’s code still takes a significant amount of time even if that someone is a robot.

So should you use ChatGPT? Absolutely. This removes a lot of the tedium of coding. What’s the impact on professional programmers? Well they’re going to get screwed by their employer even more as their work is devalued and time lines will get shorter and another niche that used to offer some protection from executives will feel a sharp crackdown and reduction in salary and likely fewer seats as well as one person becomes able to deliver more code. How do I know this? Well I’ve been in business for a long time and have a pretty good gut feeling for the direction things are headed. Check out the Business advice category if you want to know more about that. And check out the the DIY smelter article to see this code put to use, soon.

That’s all for now.

By Tech news discussion and review2 Comments on Coding with ChatGPT

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