This is a reference guide to the executable utilities that come with WeeWX:
- wee_config for changing the configuration file, and configuring new device drivers;
- wee_database for reconfiguring the database;
- wee_debug for producing debug reports for remote support;
- wee_device for configuring your hardware;
- wee_extension for installing and removing extensions;
- wee_import for importing historical data from external sources;
- wee_reports for running reports without running WeeWX itself;
- weewxd the main weewx program;
- wunderfixer for resending data missing on the Weather Underground site.
wee_config
When you install WeeWX for the first time, the installation process will prompt you for the most essential options, such as the type of hardware you are using, latitude, longitude, or altitude. But, what if you want to change these later? In particular, what if you want to change device drivers? You could edit the definitive configuration file, weewx.conf, by hand — described in detail in the User's Guide — but it's a big file with lots of nuances. Alternatively, if you're just changing something simple, you may be able to use the utility wee_config.
Before starting, it's worth running it with the --help option to see how it is used:
wee_config --help
This results in:
Usage: wee_config --help
wee_config --version
wee_config --list-drivers
wee_config --reconfigure CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE
[--driver=DRIVER] [--units=(us|metric)]
[--latitude=yy.y] [--longitude=xx.x] [--altitude=zz.z,(foot|meter)]
[--location="Home Sweet Home"]
[--output=OUT_CONFIG] [--no-prompt] [--no-backup] [--verbosity=N]
wee_config --install --dist-config=DIST_CONFIG --output=OUT_CONFIG
[--driver=DRIVER] [--units=(us|metric)]
[--latitude=yy.y] [--longitude=xx.x] [--altitude=zz.z,(foot|meter)]
[--location="Home Sweet Home"]
[--no-prompt] [--no-backup] [--verbosity=N]
wee_config --upgrade CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE
--dist-config=DIST_CONFIG
[--output=OUT_CONFIG] [--no-prompt] [--no-backup]
[--warn-on-error] [--verbosity=N]
wee_config --patch-skins CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE [--verbosity=N]
User actions:
--list-drivers List the available weewx device drivers, then exit.
--reconfigure Modify an existing configuration file CONFIG_FILE with any
specified station parameters. Use this command with the
driver option to change the device driver.
System actions (not normally done by users):
--install Install a new configuration file starting with the contents of
DIST_CONFIG, prompting for station parameters.
--upgrade Update the contents of configuration file CONFIG_FILE to the
installed version, then merge the result with the contents of
configuration file DIST_CONFIG.
--patch-skins Patch skin.conf files to new default semantics (introduced
in V3.9).
Station parameters:
--driver --units
--latitude --longitude
--altitude --location
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--version Show the weewx version then exit.
--list-drivers List the available device drivers.
--reconfigure Reconfigure an existing configuration file.
--install Install a new configuration file.
--upgrade Update an existing configuration file, then merge with
contents of DIST_CONFIG.
--patch-skins Patch skin.conf files to WeeWX V3.9 semantics.
--config=CONFIG_FILE Use configuration file CONFIG_FILE.
--dist-config=DIST_CONFIG
Use template configuration file DIST_CONFIG.
--output=OUT_CONFIG Save to configuration file OUT_CONFIG. If not
specified then replace existing configuration file.
--driver=DRIVER Use the driver DRIVER. For example,
weewx.drivers.vantage
--latitude=yy.y The station latitude in decimal degrees.
--longitude=xx.x The station longitude in decimal degrees.
--altitude=zz,(foot|meter)
The station altitude in either feet or meters. For
example, '750,foot' or '320,meter'
--location=LOCATION A text description of the station. For example,
"Santa's workshop, North Pole"
--units=(metric|us) Set display units to 'metric' or 'us'.
--no-prompt Do not prompt. Use default or specified values.
--no-backup When replacing an existing configuration file, do not
create a backup copy.
--warn-on-error Only warn if an update is not possible. Default
behavior is to warn then exit.
--debug Show diagnostic information while running.
--verbosity=N How much status to display, 0-3
Actions and options
Option --config
The utility is pretty good about "guessing" where the configuration file weewx.conf is, but if you've done an unusual install, you may have to tell it explicitly. You can do this by either putting the location directly in the command line:
wee_config /home/weewx/weewx.conf
or by using option --config:
wee_config --config=/home/weewx/weewx.conf
Action --list-drivers
Use this action to list which device drivers are available on your system. For example:
wee_config --list-drivers
This will result in something like:
Module name Driver name Version Status weewx.drivers.acurite AcuRite 0.19 No module named usb weewx.drivers.cc3000 CC3000 0.8 weewx.drivers.fousb FineOffsetUSB 1.7 No module named usb weewx.drivers.simulator Simulator 3.0 weewx.drivers.te923 TE923 0.14 No module named usb weewx.drivers.ultimeter Ultimeter 0.13 weewx.drivers.vantage Vantage 3.0 weewx.drivers.wmr100 WMR100 3.0 No module named usb weewx.drivers.wmr200 WMR200 3.0 No module named usb weewx.drivers.wmr9x8 WMR9x8 3.0 weewx.drivers.ws1 WS1 0.19 weewx.drivers.ws23xx WS23xx 0.24 weewx.drivers.ws28xx WS28xx 0.34 No module named usb
The column Status can give you some indication of whether you are missing any modules to use this driver. It's not completely accurate, but works for most drivers.
Action --reconfigure
This action is used to change station parameters, including the device driver. The reconfigure action will prompt for all of the required station parameters.
wee_config --reconfigure
When used with the --no-prompt option, reconfigure will modify specific parameters with no interaction. For example, this would set the station altitude:
wee_config --reconfigure --altitude=35,foot --no-prompt
This would change the driver to a user-installed netatmo driver:
wee_config --reconfigure --driver=user.netatmo --no-prompt
Example: changing the driver
Say that you originally installed WeeWX with the Simulator. Now you've bought a Davis Vantage and you want to switch to that. Here's how you do it. First, use the action --list-drivers to see which drivers are installed.
wee_config --list-drivers
Module name Driver name Version Status
weewx.drivers.acurite AcuRite 0.19
weewx.drivers.cc3000 CC3000 0.8
weewx.drivers.fousb FineOffsetUSB 1.7
weewx.drivers.simulator Simulator 3.0
weewx.drivers.te923 TE923 0.14
weewx.drivers.ultimeter Ultimeter 0.13
weewx.drivers.vantage Vantage 3.0
weewx.drivers.wmr100 WMR100 3.0
weewx.drivers.wmr200 WMR200 3.0
weewx.drivers.wmr9x8 WMR9x8 3.0
weewx.drivers.ws1 WS1 0.19
weewx.drivers.ws23xx WS23xx 0.24
weewx.drivers.ws28xx WS28xx 0.34
From the list, you will find that the name of the driver for the Vantage is weewx.drivers.vantage. Now run wee_config, with the --reconfigure action, specifying that driver:
wee_config --reconfigure --driver=weewx.drivers.vantage
You can also run without specifying the driver a priori:
wee_config --reconfigure
The utility will go through your previously selected options, such as station description, latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.. With the exception of your newly specified device driver, all your previously selected values will be the defaults. So, all you have to do is keep hitting enter. This is what it looked like when I switched from the simulator to the Vantage driver:
Using configuration file /home/weewx/weewx.conf Enter a brief description of the station, such as its location. For example: Santa's Workshop, North Pole description [Hood River, Oregon]: Specify altitude, with units 'foot' or 'meter'. For example: 35, foot 12, meter altitude [700, foot]: Specify latitude in decimal degrees, negative for south. latitude [45]: Specify longitude in decimal degrees, negative for west. longitude [-125]: Indicate the preferred units for display: 'metric' or 'us' units [metricwx]: Installed drivers include: 0) AcuRite (weewx.drivers.acurite) 1) CC3000 (weewx.drivers.cc3000) 2) FineOffsetUSB (weewx.drivers.fousb) 3) Simulator (weewx.drivers.simulator) 4) TE923 (weewx.drivers.te923) 5) Ultimeter (weewx.drivers.ultimeter) 6) Vantage (weewx.drivers.vantage) 7) WMR100 (weewx.drivers.wmr100) 8) WMR200 (weewx.drivers.wmr200) 9) WMR9x8 (weewx.drivers.wmr9x8) 10) WS1 (weewx.drivers.ws1) 11) WS23xx (weewx.drivers.ws23xx) 12) WS28xx (weewx.drivers.ws28xx) choose a driver [6]: Specify the hardware interface, either 'serial' or 'ethernet'. If the station is connected by serial, USB, or serial-to-USB adapter, specify serial. Specify ethernet for stations with WeatherLinkIP interface. type [serial]: Specify a port for stations with a serial interface, for example /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyS0. port [/dev/ttyUSB0]: Saved backup to /home/weewx/weewx.conf.20150430084525 Saved configuration to /home/weewx/weewx.conf
If this is too much trouble, you can specify the --no-prompt option:
wee_config --reconfigure --driver=weewx.drivers.vantage --no-prompt
This will accept all the defaults, including your new device driver, without asking for any input.
wee_database
This database utility simplifies typical database maintenance operations. For example, it can rebuild the daily summaries or check a SQLite database for embedded strings where floats are expected.
Run the utility with the --help option to see how it is used:
wee_database --help
This will result in an output that looks something like this:
Usage: wee_database --help
wee_database --create
wee_database --reconfigure
wee_database --transfer --dest-binding=BINDING_NAME [--dry-run]
wee_database --check
wee_database --update [--dry-run]
wee_database --check-strings
wee_database --fix-strings [--dry-run]
wee_database --drop-daily
wee_database --rebuild-daily [--date=YYYY-mm-dd |
--from=YYYY-mm-dd --to=YYYY-mm-dd]
Description:
Manipulate the WeeWX database. Most of these operations are handled
automatically by WeeWX, but they may be useful in special cases.
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config=CONFIG_FILE Use configuration file CONFIG_FILE.
--create Create the WeeWX database and initialize it with the
schema.
--drop-daily Drop the daily summary tables from a database.
--rebuild-daily Rebuild the daily summaries from data in the archive
table.
--date=YYYY-mm-dd This date only (option --rebuild-daily only).
--from=YYYY-mm-dd Start with this date (option --rebuild-daily only).
--to=YYYY-mm-dd End with this date (option --rebuild-daily only).
--reconfigure Create a new database using configuration information
found in the configuration file. In particular, the
new database will use the unit system found in option
[StdConvert][target_unit]. The new database will have
the same name as the old database, with a '_new' on
the end.
--transfer Transfer the WeeWX archive from source database to
destination database.
--check Check the calculations in the daily summary tables.
--update Update the daily summary tables if required and
recalculate the daily summary maximum windSpeed
values.
--check-strings Check the archive table for null strings that may have
been introduced by a SQL editing program.
--fix-strings Fix any null strings in a SQLite database.
--binding=BINDING_NAME
The data binding to use. Default is 'wx_binding'.
--dest-binding=BINDING_NAME
The destination data binding (option --transfer only).
--dry-run Print what would happen but do not do it. Default is
False.
Actions and options
Action --create
If the database does not already exist, this action will create it and initialize it with the schema specified in the WeeWX configuration file. Because WeeWX does this automatically, this action is rarely needed.
wee_database --create
Action --drop-daily
In addition to the regular archive data, every WeeWX database also includes a daily summary table for each observation type. Because there can be dozens of observation types, there can be dozens of these daily summaries. It doesn't happen very often, but there can be occasions when it's necessary to drop them all and then rebuild them. Dropping them by hand would be very tedious! This action does them all at once.
wee_database --drop-daily
Action --rebuild-daily
This action is the inverse of action --drop-daily in that it rebuilds the daily summaries from the archive data. In most cases it is not necessary to drop the daily summaries tables using the action --drop-daily before rebuilding them. The action --rebuild-daily accepts a number of date related options, --date, --from and --to, that allow selective rebuilding of the daily summaries for one or more days rather than for the entire archive history. These options may be useful if bogus data has been removed from the archive covering a single day or a period of few days. The daily summaries can then be rebuilt for this period only, resulting in a faster rebuild and detailed low/high values and the associated times being retained for unaffected days. The --date option limits the daily summary rebuild to the specified date, the --from and --to options must be used together and limit the daily summary rebuild to the specified inclusive period.
wee_database --rebuild-daily wee_database --rebuild-daily --date=YYYY-mm-dd wee_database --rebuild-daily --from=YYYY-mm-dd --to=YYYY-mm-dd
Action --reconfigure
This action is useful for changing the schema in your database.
It creates a new database with the same name as the old, except with the suffix _new attached at the end (nominally, weewx.sdb_new if you are using SQLite, weewx_new if you are using MySQL). It then initializes it with the schema specified in weewx.conf. Finally, it copies over the data from your old database into the new database.
wee_database --reconfigure
See the section Adding a new observation type in the Customization Guide for step-by-step instructions that use this option.
Action --transfer
This action is useful for moving your database from one type of database to another, such as from SQLite to MySQL. To use it, you must have two bindings specified in your weewx.conf configuration file. One will serve as the source, the other as the destination. Specify the source binding with option --binding, the destination binding with option --dest-binding. The --binding option may be omitted in which case the default wx-binding will be used.
wee_database --transfer --binding=source_binding --dest-binding=dest_binding wee_database --transfer --dest-binding=dest_binding
See the Wiki for examples of moving data from SQLite to MySQL, and from MySQL to SQLite, using wee_database.
Action --check
This action will check the calculations in the daily summary tables as well as checking the archive for null strings (refer to --check-strings). If the daily summary tables contain summaries calculated using an old algorithm, the user is advised to update the daily summary tables using the --update action. If null strings are found the user is advised to fix them using the --fix-strings action.
wee_database --check
Action --update
This action updates the daily summary tables to use interval weighted calculations as well as recalculating the windSpeed maximum daily values and times. Interval weighted calculations are only applied to the daily summaries if not previously applied. The update process is irreversible and users are advised to backup their database before performing this action.
wee_database --update
For further information on interval weighting and recalculation of daily windSpeed maximum values, see the sections Changes to daily summaries and Recalculation of windSpeed maximum values in the Upgrade Guide.
Action --check-strings
Normally, all entries in the archive are numbers. However, some SQLite database editors use a null string instead of a null value when deleting entries. These null strings can cause problems. This action checks the database to see if it contains any null strings.
wee_database --check-strings
Action --fix-strings
This action will check for any null strings in a SQLite database and if found substitute a true null value.
wee_database --fix-strings
wee_debug
Troubleshooting problems when running WeeWX often involves analysis of a number of pieces of seemingly disparate system and WeeWX related information. The wee_debug utility gathers all this information together into a single output to make troubleshooting easier. The wee_debug utility is particularly useful for new users as the output may be redirected to a file then emailed or posted to a forum to assist in remote troubleshooting.
Run the utility with the --help option to see how it is used:
wee_debug --help
This results in:
Usage: wee_debug --help
wee_debug --info
[CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE]
[--output|--output DEBUG_PATH]
[--verbosity=0|1|2]
wee_debug --version
Description:
Generate a standard suite of system/weewx information to aid in remote
debugging. The wee_debug output consists of two parts, the first part containing
a snapshot of relevant system/weewx information and the second part a parsed and
obfuscated copy of weewx.conf. This output can be redirected to file and posted
when seeking assistance via forums or email.
Actions:
--info Generate a debug report.
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config=CONFIG_FILE Use configuration file CONFIG_FILE.
--info Generate weewx debug output.
--output Write wee_debug output to DEBUG_PATH. DEBUG_PATH
includes path and file name. Default is
/var/tmp/weewx.debug.
--verbosity=N How much detail to display, 0-2, default=1.
--version Display wee_debug version number.
wee_debug will attempt to obfuscate obvious personal/private information in
weewx.conf such as user names, passwords and API keys; however, the user
should thoroughly check the generated output for personal/private information
before posting the information publicly.
Actions and options
Option --config
The utility is pretty good about "guessing" where the configuration file weewx.conf is, but if you've done an unusual install, you may have to tell it explicitly. You can do this by either putting the location directly in the command line:
wee_debug /home/weewx/weewx.conf --info
or by using option --config:
wee_debug --config=/home/weewx/weewx.conf --info
Action --info
This action generates a debug report which can be sent off for remote debugging.
wee_debug --info
Warning!
The wee_debug output includes a copy
of the in use WeeWX config file (usually weewx.conf) and whilst wee_debug attempts to obfuscate any personal or sensitive information in weewx.conf, the user should carefully check the wee_debug
output for any remaining personal or sensitive information before emailing or posting the output publicly.
This results in output something like this:
Using verbosity=1, displaying most info
wee_debug output will be sent to stdout(console)
Using configuration file /home/weewx/weewx.conf
Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'archive_mysql'
System info
CPU implementer: 0x41
Features: half thumb fastmult vfp edsp java tls
CPU architecture: 7
BogoMIPS: 2.00
Hardware: BCM2708
CPU revision: 7
CPU part: 0xb76
model name: ARMv6-compatible processor rev 7 (v6l)
Serial: 000000009581b554
processor: 0
CPU variant: 0x0
Revision: 000e
Operating system: debian 7.8
Linux rosella 4.1.6+ #810 PREEMPT Tue Aug 18 15:19:58 BST 2015 armv6l
1 minute load average: 0.19
5 minute load average: 0.15
15 minute load average: 0.12
General weewx info
Weewx version 3.2.1 detected.
Station info
Station type: Simulator
Driver: weewx.drivers.simulator
Driver info
[Simulator]
# This section is for the weewx weather station simulator
# The time (in seconds) between LOOP packets.
loop_interval = 2.5
# The simulator mode can be either 'simulator' or 'generator'.
# Real-time simulator. Sleep between each LOOP packet.
mode = simulator
# Generator. Emit LOOP packets as fast as possible (useful for testing).
#mode = generator
# The start time. If not specified, the default is to use the present time.
#start = 2011-01-01 00:00
# The driver to use:
driver = weewx.drivers.simulator
Currently installed extensions
Extension Name Version Description
Weewx-WD 1.2.0b1 Weewx support for Weather Display Live, SteelSeries Gauges and Carter Lake/Saratoga weather web site templates.
Archive info
Database name: weewx
Table name: archive
Unit system: 16(METRIC)
First good timestamp: 2013-01-01 00:00:00 AEST (1356962400)
Last good timestamp: 2015-09-06 02:15:00 AEST (1441469700)
Number of records: 281178
weewx (weewx.conf) is set to use an archive interval of 300 seconds.
The station hardware was not interrogated in determining archive interval.
Databases configured in weewx.conf
Database name: weewx
Database driver: weedb.mysql
Database host: localhost
Database name: wdsupp
Database driver: weedb.mysql
Database host: localhost
Database name: weewxwd
Database driver: weedb.mysql
Database host: localhost
Parsed and obfuscated weewx.conf
# WEEWX CONFIGURATION FILE
#
# Copyright (c) 2009-2015 Tom Keffer <tkeffer@gmail.com>
# See the file LICENSE.txt for your rights.
##############################################################################
# This section is for general configuration information.
... content removed for conciseness ...
# This section configures the internal weewx engine.
[Engine]
[[Services]]
# This section specifies the services that should be run. They are
# grouped by type, and the order of services within each group
# determines the order in which the services will be run.
prep_services = weewx.engine.StdTimeSynch
data_services = ,
process_services = weewx.engine.StdConvert, weewx.engine.StdCalibrate, weewx.engine.StdQC, weewx.wxservices.StdWXCalculate, user.weewxwd3.WdWXCalculate
archive_services = weewx.engine.StdArchive, user.weewxwd3.WdArchive, user.weewxwd3.WdSuppArchive
restful_services = weewx.restx.StdStationRegistry, weewx.restx.StdWunderground, weewx.restx.StdPWSweather, weewx.restx.StdCWOP, weewx.restx.StdWOW, weewx.restx.StdAWEKAS, user.sync.SyncService
report_services = weewx.engine.StdPrint, weewx.engine.StdReport
################################################################################
wee_debug report successfully generated
Option --output
By default, wee_debug sends its output to the system "standard output" (stdout) unless the --output option is used.
The option --output with no parameter sends output to the default file /var/tmp/weewx.debug. Example:
wee_debug --info --output
The option --output with a specified file will send it to that file. Example:
wee_debug --info --output /home/weewx/another.debug
Option --verbosity
The amount of information included in the wee_debug output can be changed using the --verbosity option. The --verbosity option can be set to 0, 1 or 2 with each higher level successively displaying more information. The default level is 1. The information displayed for each level is:
| Level | Included Information |
| --verbosity 0 | path and name of WeeWX config file used (usually weewx.conf) |
| name of WeeWX database binding used | |
| operating system version | |
| WeeWX version number | |
| WeeWX station type and driver name | |
| summary of currently installed extensions | |
| summary of WeeWX archive | |
| parsed and obfuscated WeeWX config file (usually weewx.conf) | |
| --verbosity 1 | as per --verbosity 0 |
| cpu info summary | |
| system load averages | |
| driver config extract from WeeWX config file (usually weewx.conf) | |
| summary of databases configured in WeeWX config file (usually weewx.conf) | |
| --verbosity 2 | as per --verbosity 1 |
| list of supported SQL keys | |
| list of supported observation types |
wee_device
The utility wee_device is used to configure hardware settings, such as rain bucket size, station archive interval, altitude, EEPROM constants, etc., on your station. In order to do its job, it depends on optional code being present in the hardware driver. Because not all drivers have this code, it may not work for your specific device. If it does not, you will have to consult your manufacturer's instructions for how to set these things through your console or other means.
wee_device uses the option station_type in weewx.conf to determine what device you are using and what options to display. Make sure it's set correctly before attempting to use this utility.
Because wee_device uses hardware-specific code, its options are different for every station type. You should run it with --help to see how to use it for your specific station:
wee_device --help
The utility requires a weewx.conf file. If no file is specified, it will look for weewx.conf in the standard location. If your configuration file is in a non-standard location, specify the path to the configuration file as the first argument. For example,
wee_device /path/to/weewx.conf --help
For details about the options available for each type of hardware, see the appropriate hardware section:
wee_extension
The utility wee_extension is used to add and remove extensions. Use the --help option to see how it is used:
wee_extension --help
This results in:
Usage: wee_extension --help
wee_extension --list
[CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE]
wee_extension --install=(filename|directory)
[CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE]
[--tmpdir==DIR] [--dry-run] [--verbosity=N]
wee_extension --uninstall=EXTENSION
[CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE]
[--verbosity=N]
Install, list, and uninstall extensions to weewx.
Actions:
--list: Show installed extensions.
--install: Install the specified extension.
--uninstall: Uninstall the specified extension.
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--list Show installed extensions.
--install=FILENAME|DIRECTORY
Install an extension contained in FILENAME (such as
pmon.tar.gz), or from a DIRECTORY in which it has been
unpacked.
--uninstall=EXTENSION
Uninstall the extension with name EXTENSION.
--config=CONFIG_FILE Use configuration file CONFIG_FILE.
--tmpdir=DIR Use temporary directory DIR.
--bin-root=BIN_ROOT Look in BIN_ROOT for weewx executables.
--dry-run Print what would happen but do not do it.
--verbosity=N How much status to display, 0-3
Actions and options
Action --install
Use this action to install an extension. You must specify the path to a .zip archive, a .tgz/.tar.gz archive, or a directory. If a directory, the extension must have been unpacked into it.
wee_extension --install=examples/basic wee_extension --install=basic.tar.gz
Action --list
This action will list all the extensions that you have installed.
wee_extension --list
Action --uninstall
Use this action to remove an extension. You must specify the name of the extension, without any version number or zip/tgz extension.
wee_extension --uninstall=basic
Example: install an extension
The wee_extension utility makes a copy of any file or directory that it modifies or replaces. When installing, it creates a directory called installer in the user directory. The contents of the installer directory are used to enumerate and uninstall extensions.
Let's try installing a simple extension, cmon, used to monitor your computer.
First download it. You can either do this from the link given in the wiki, or by using wget (which you may have to install):
wget -P /var/tmp http://lancet.mit.edu/mwall/projects/weather/releases/weewx-cmon-0.7.tgz
This will put the tarfile weewx-cmon-0.7.tgz in the directory /var/tmp.
Now install the extension:
wee_extension --install=/var/tmp/weewx-cmon-0.7.tgz
Request to install '/var/tmp/weewx-cmon-0.7.tgz'
Extracting from tarball /var/tmp/weewx-cmon-0.7.tgz
Added new service user.cmon.ComputerMonitor to process_services
Saving installer file to /home/weewx/bin/user/installer/cmon
Saved configuration dictionary. Backup copy at /home/weewx/weewx.conf.20150430130322
Finished installing extension '/var/tmp/weewx-cmon-0.7.tgz'
The installer has done a number of things for you:
- It put a new skin, cmon, in the skins subdirectory;
- It put a new service, user.cmon.ComputerMonitor, in the list of services to be run by WeeWX;
- It defined a new database, cmon_sqlite, and a binding, cmon_binding, to that database;
- It added a top-level "stanza" [ComputerMonitor] to your configuration file weewx.conf, that specifies the data binding cmon is to use.
- And, finally, it saved the details of how the extension was installed so you can remove it later, should you choose to do so.
Now you can use the --list action to see which extensions are installed:
wee_extension --list
Extension Name Version Description
cmon 0.7 Collect and display computer health indicators
You can see that it listed the extension we just installed, cmon.
You can remove an extension using the --uninstall action:
wee_extension --uninstall=cmon
wee_extension --list
No extensions installed
wee_import
Some WeeWX users will have historical data from another source (e.g., other weather station software or a manually compiled file) which they wish to import into WeeWX. Such data can, depending upon the source, be imported using the wee_import utility. This section details the use of the wee_import utility.
The wee_import utility supports importing observational data from the following sources:
- a single Comma Separated Values (CSV) format file
- the historical observations of a Weather Underground personal weather station
- one or more Cumulus monthly log files
Before starting, it's worth running the utility with the --help flag to see how wee_import is used:
wee_import --help
This will result in an output that looks something like this:
Usage: wee_import --help
wee_import --version
wee_import --import-config=IMPORT_CONFIG_FILE
[--config=CONFIG_FILE]
[--date=YYYY-mm-dd | --from=YYYY-mm-dd[THH:MM] --to=YYYY-mm-dd[THH:MM]]
[--dry-run]
[--verbose]
[--log=-]
Import observation data into a weewx archive.
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config=CONFIG_FILE Use weewx configuration file CONFIG_FILE.
--import-config=IMPORT_CONFIG_FILE
Use import configuration file IMPORT_CONFIG_FILE.
--dry-run Print what would happen but do not do it.
--date=YYYY-mm-dd Import data for this date. Format is YYYY-mm-dd.
--from=YYYY-mm-dd[THH:MM]
Import data starting at this date or date-time. Format
is YYYY-mm-dd[THH:MM].
--to=YYYY-mm-dd[THH:MM]
Import data up until this date or date-time. Format is
YYYY-mm-dd[THH:MM].
--log=- Control wee_import log output. By default log output
is sent to the weewx log file. Log output may be
disabled by using '--log=-'. Some weewx API log output
cannot be controlled by wee_import and will be sent to
the default log file irrespective of the '--log'
option.
--verbose Print useful extra output.
--version Display wee_import version number.
wee_import will import data from an external source into a weewx
archive. Daily summaries are updated as each archive record is
imported so there should be no need to separately rebuild the daily
summaries using the wee_database utility.
Actions and options
The wee_import actions and options are described in more detail below:
Option --config
The utility is pretty good at "guessing" where your configuration file weewx.conf is, but if you've done an unusual install, you may have to tell it explicitly. You can do this by using the --config option:
wee_import --config=/this/folder/weewx.conf --import-config=/folder/import.conf
Option --import-config
wee_import uses a secondary configuration file to store various import parameters. The --import-config option is mandatory for all imports. Example import configuration files for each type of import supported by wee_import are provided in the util/import folder. These example files are best used by making a copy of the applicable example file in a working directory and then modifying the duplicate file to suit your needs. The --import-config option is used as follows:
wee_import --import-config=/folder/import.conf
Option --dry-run
The inclusion of the --dry-run option will cause the import to proceed but no actual data will be saved to the database. This is a useful option to use when first importing data.
wee_import --import-config=/folder/import.conf --dry-run
Option --date
Records from a single date can be imported by use of the --date option. The --date option accepts strings of the format YYYY-mm-dd. Whilst the use of the --date option will limit the imported data to that of a single date, the default action if the --date option (and the --from and --to options) is omitted may vary depending on the source. The operation of the --date option is summarised in the following table:
| option | Records imported for a CSV or Cumulus import | Records imported for a Weather Underground import |
| omitted (i.e., the default) |
All available records | Todays records only |
| --date=2015-12-22 | All records from 2015-12-22 00:00 (inclusive) to 2015-12-23 00:00 (exclusive) | All records from 2015-12-22 00:00 (inclusive) to 2015-12-23 00:00 (exclusive) |
Note
If the --date, --from and
--to options are omitted the default is to import all available records when
importing from a CSV or Cumulus source or to import today's records only when importing from Weather
Underground.
Options --from and --to
Whilst the --date option allows imported data to be limited to a single date, the --from and --to options allow finer control by importing only the records that fall within the date or date-time range specified by the --from and --to options. The --from option determines the earliest (inclusive), and the --to option determines the latest (exclusive), date or date-time of the records being imported. The --from and --to options accept a string of the format YYYY-mm-dd[THH:MM]. The T literal is mandatory if specifying a date-time.
Note
The --from and --to options
must be used as a pair, they cannot be used individually or in conjunction with the --date
option.
The operation of the --from and --to options is summarised in the following table:
| options | Records imported for a CSV or Cumulus import | Records imported for a Weather Underground import | |
| omitted (i.e., the default) |
omitted (i.e., the default) |
All available records | Todays records only |
| --from=2015-12-22 | --to=2015-12-29 | All records from 2015-12-22 00:00 (inclusive) to 2015-12-30 00:00 (exclusive) | All records from 2015-12-22 00:00 (inclusive) to 2015-12-30 00:00 (exclusive) |
| --from=2016-7-18T15:29 | --to=2016-7-25 | All records from 2016-7-18 15:29 (inclusive) to 2016-7-26 22:00 (exclusive) | All records from 2016-7-18 15:29 (inclusive) to 2016-7-26 22:00 (exclusive) |
| --from=2016-5-12 | --to=2016-7-22T22:15 | All records from 2016-5-12 00:00 (inclusive) to 2016-7-22 22:15 (exclusive) | All records from 2016-5-12 00:00 (inclusive) to 2016-7-22 22:15 (exclusive) |
| --from=2016-3-18T15:29 | --to=2016-6-20T22:00 | All records from 2016-3-18 15:29 (inclusive) to 2016-6-20 22:00 (exclusive) | All records from 2016-3-18 15:29 (inclusive) to 2016-6-20 22:00 (exclusive) |
Note
If the --date, --from and
--to options are omitted the default is to import all available records when
importing from a CSV or Cumulus source or to import today's records only when importing from Weather
Underground.
Option --log
The --log option controls the wee_import log output. Omitting the option will result in wee_import log output being sent to the WeeWX log file (nominally the system log, refer to Monitoring WeeWX and Where to find things to find it). wee_import log output can be disabled by using --log=-. The --log option is used as follows:
wee_import --import-config=/folder/import.conf --log=-
Option --verbose
Inclusion of the --verbose option will cause additional information to be printed during wee_import execution.
wee_import --import-config=/folder/import.conf --verbose
The import configuration file
wee_import requires a second configuration file, the import configuration file, in addition to the standard WeeWX configuration file. The import configuration file specifies the import type and various options associated with each type of import. The import configuration file is specified using the mandatory --import-config option. How you construct the import configuration file is up to you; however, the recommended method is to copy one of the example import configuration files located in the util/import folder, modify the configuration options in the newly copied file to suit the import to be performed and then use this file as the import configuration file.
Following is the definitive guide to the options available in the import configuration file. Default values are provided for a number of options, meaning that if they are not listed in the import configuration file at all wee_import will pick sensible values. When the documentation below gives a "default value" this is what it means. What follows is organized by the different sections of the import configuration file.
General
source
The source option determines the type of import to be performed by wee_import. The option must be set to one of the following:
- CSV to import from a single CSV format file.
- WU to import from a Weather Underground PWS daily history.
- Cumulus to import from one or more Cumulus monthly log files.
There is no default.
[CSV]
The [CSV] section contains the options relating to the import of observational data from a CSV format file.
file
The file containing the CSV format data to be used as the source during the import. Include full path and filename. There is no default.
interval
Determines how the time interval (WeeWX archive table field interval) between successive observations is derived. The interval can be derived by one of three methods:
- The interval can be calculated as the time, rounded to the nearest minute, between the date-time of successive records. This method is suitable when the data was recorded at fixed intervals and there are NO missing records in the source data. Use of this method when there are missing records in the source data can compromise the integrity of the WeeWX statistical data. Select this method by setting interval = derive.
- The interval can be set to the same value as the archive_interval setting under [StdArchive] in weewx.conf. This setting is useful if the data was recorded at fixed intervals but there are some missing records and the fixed interval is the same as the archive_interval setting under [StdArchive] in weewx.conf. Select this method by setting interval = conf.
- The interval can be set to a fixed number of minutes. This setting is useful if the source data was recorded at fixed intervals but there are some missing records and the fixed interval is different to the archive_interval setting under [StdArchive] in weewx.conf. Select this method by setting interval = x where x is an integer number of minutes.
The default value is derive. If the CSV source data records are equally spaced in time, but some records are missing, then a better result may be achieved using conf or a fixed interval setting.
qc
Determines whether simple quality control checks are applied to imported data. Setting qc = True will result in wee_import applying the WeeWX StdQC minimum and maximum checks to any imported observations. wee_import quality control checks use the same configuration settings, and operate in the same manner, as the StdQC service. For example, for minimum/maximum quality checks, if an observation falls outside of the quality control range for that observation, then the observation will be set to None. In such cases you will be alerted through a short message similar to:
2016-01-12 10:00:00 AEST (1452556800) record value 'outTemp' 194.34 outside limits (0.0, 120.0)
As derived observations are calculated after the quality control check is applied, derived observations are not subject to quality control checks. Setting qc = False will result in wee_import not applying quality control checks to imported data. The default is True.
calc_missing
Determines whether any missing derived observations will be calculated from the imported data. Setting calc_missing = True will result in wee_import using the WeeWX StdWXCalculate service to calculate any missing derived observations from the imported data. Setting calc_missing = False will result in WeeWX leaving any missing derived observations as None. The observations that StdWXCalculate can calculate are listed in the [StdWXCalculate] section of the User's Guide. The default is True.
ignore_invalid_data
Determines whether invalid data in a source field is ignored or the import aborted. If invalid data is found in a source field and ignore_invalid_data is True the corresponding WeeWX destination field is set to None and the import continues. If invalid data is found in a source field and ignore_invalid_data is False the import is aborted. The default is True.
tranche
To speed up database operations imported records are committed to database in groups of records rather than individually. The size of the group is set by the tranche parameter. Increasing the tranche parameter may result in a slight speed increase but at the expense of increased memory usage. Decreasing the tranche parameter will result in less memory usage but at the expense of more frequent database access and likely increased time to import. The default is 250 which should suit most users.
UV_sensor
WeeWX records a None/null for UV when no UV sensor is installed, whereas some weather station software records a value of 0 for UV index when there is no UV sensor installed. The UV_sensor parameter enables wee_import to distinguish between the case where a UV sensor is present and the UV index is 0 and the case where no UV sensor is present and UV index is 0. UV_sensor = False should be used when no UV sensor was used in producing the source data. UV_sensor = False will result in None/null being recorded in the WeeWX archive field UV irrespective of any UV observations in the source data. UV_sensor = True should be used when a UV sensor was used in producing the source data. UV_sensor = True will result in UV observations in the source data being stored in the WeeWX archive field UV. The default is True.
solar_sensor
WeeWX records a None/null when no solar radiation sensor is installed, whereas some weather station software records a value of 0 for solar radiation when there is no solar radiation sensor installed. The solar_sensor parameter enables wee_import to distinguish between the case where a solar radiation sensor is present and solar radiation is 0 and the case where no solar radiation sensor is present and solar radiation is 0. solar_sensor = False should be used when no solar radiation sensor was used in producing the source data. solar_sensor = False will result in None/null being recorded in the WeeWX archive field radiation irrespective of any solar radiation observations in the source data. solar_sensor = True should be used when a solar radiation sensor was used in producing the source data. solar_sensor = True will result in solar radiation observations in the source data being stored in the WeeWX archive field radiation. The default is True.
raw_datetime_format
WeeWX records each record with a unique unix epoch timestamp, whereas many weather station applications or web sources export observational data with a human readable date-time. This human readable date-time is interpreted according to the format set by the raw_datetime_format option. This option consists of Python strptime() format codes and literal characters to represent the date-time data being imported. For example, if the source data uses the format 23 January 2015 15:34 then the appropriate setting for raw_datetime_format would be %d %B %Y %H:%M, 9:25:00 12/28/16 would use %H:%M:%S %m/%d/%y. If the source data provides a unix epoch timestamp as the date-time field then the unix epoch timestamp is used directly and the raw_datetime_format option is ignored. The default is %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S.
rain
WeeWX records rainfall as the amount of rain in the preceding archive period, so for a 5 minute archive period the rain field in each archive record would contain the total rain that fell in the previous 5 minutes. Many weather station applications provide a daily or yearly total. wee_import can derive the WeeWX rain field in one of two ways:
- If the imported rain data is a running total then wee_import can derive the weewx rain field from successive totals. For this method use rain = cumulative.
- If the imported rain data is a discrete value per date-time period then rain = discrete should be used.
Note
wee_import only supports cumulative rainfall data that
resets on a midnight boundary, cumulative rainfall data that resets at some other time; e.g., 9am, is not
supported. In such cases the rainfall data will need to be converted to either reset on a midnight boundary
or a discrete value per date-time period and rain = discrete used. The former may
be possible by selecting another rainfall field (if available) in the source data, otherwise it will require
manual manipulation of the source data.
wind_direction
WeeWX records wind direction in degrees as a number from 0 to 360 inclusive (no wind direction is recorded as None/null), whereas some data sources may provide wind direction as number over a different range (e.g., -180 to +180) or may use a particular value when there is no wind direction (e.g., 0 may represent no wind direction and 360 may represent a northerly wind, or -9999 (or some similar clearly invalid number) to represent there being no wind direction). wee_import handles such variations in data by defining a range over which imported wind direction values are accepted. Any value outside of this range is treated as there being no wind direction and is recorded as None/null. Any value inside the range is normalised to the range 0 to 360 inclusive (e.g., -180 would be normalised to 180). The wind_direction option consists of two comma separated numbers of the format lower, upper where lower and upper are inclusive. The operation of the wind_direction option is best illustrated through the following table:
| wind_direction option setting | Source data wind direction value | Imported wind direction value |
| 0, 360 | 0 | 0 |
| 160 | 160 | |
| 360 | 360 | |
| 500 | None/null | |
| -45 | None/null | |
| -9999 | None/null | |
| No data | None/null | |
| -360, 360 | 0 | 0 |
| 160 | 160 | |
| 360 | 360 | |
| 500 | None/null | |
| -45 | 315 | |
| -9999 | None/null | |
| No data | None/null | |
| -180, 180 | 0 | 0 |
| 160 | 160 | |
| 360 | None/null | |
| 500 | None/null | |
| -45 | 315 | |
| -9999 | None/null | |
| No data | None/null |
The default is 0, 360.
[[FieldMap]]
The [[FieldMap]] stanza defines the mapping from the source data fields to WeeWX archive fields. The map consists of one row per field using the format:
weewx_archive_field_name = csv_field_name, weewx_unit_name
Where weewx_archive_field_name is a database field name in the weewx archive table schema, csv_field_name is the name of a field from the CSV file and weewx_unit_name is the WeeWX unit name of the units used by csv_field_name. This mapping allows wee_import to take a source data field, do the appropriate unit conversion and store the resulting value in the appropriate WeeWX archive field. A mapping is not required for every WeeWX archive field (e.g., the source may not provide inside temperature so no inTemp field mapping is required) and neither does every CSV field need to be included in a mapping (e.g., the source data field monthrain may have no use if the source data field dayrain provides the data for the WeeWX archive rain field). Unused field mapping lines will not be used and may be omitted.
Note
Any WeeWX archive fields that are derived (e.g., dewpoint) and for which there is no field mapping may be calculated during import by use
of the calc_missing option in the [CSV]
section of the import configuration file.
[WU]
The [WU] section contains the options relating to the import of observational data from a Weather Underground PWS daily history.
station_id
The Weather Underground weather station ID of the PWS from which the daily history will be imported. There is no default.
interval
Determines how the time interval (WeeWX database field interval) between successive observations is determined. This option is identical in operation to the CSV interval option but applies to Weather Underground imports only. As Weather Underground often skips observation records when responding to a daily history query, the use of interval = derive may give incorrect or inconsistent interval values. Better results may be obtained by using interval = conf if the current WeeWX installation has the same archive_interval as the Weather Underground data, or by using interval = x where x is the time interval in minutes used to upload the Weather Underground data. The most appropriate setting will depend on the completeness and (time) accuracy of the Weather Underground data being imported.
The default is derive.
qc
Determines whether simple quality control checks are applied to imported data. This option is identical in operation to the CSV qc option but applies to Weather Underground imports only. As Weather Underground imports at times contain nonsense values, particularly for fields for which no data was uploaded to Weather Underground by the PWS, the use of quality control checks on imported data can prevent these nonsense values from being imported and contaminating the WeeWX database. The default is True.
calc_missing
Determines whether any missing derived observations will be calculated from the imported data. This option is identical in operation to the CSV calc_missing option but applies to Weather Underground imports only. The default is True.
ignore_invalid_data
Determines whether invalid data in a source field is ignored or the import aborted. This option is identical in operation to the CSV ignore_invalid_data option but applies to Weather Underground imports only. The default is True.
tranche
The number of records written to the WeeWX database in each transaction. This option is identical in operation to the CSV tranche option but applies to Weather Underground imports only. The default is 250 which should suit most users.
wind_direction
Determines the range of acceptable wind direction values in degrees. This option is identical in operation to the CSV wind_direction option but applies to Weather Underground imports only. The default is 0, 360 which should suit most users.
[Cumulus]
The [Cumulus] section contains the options relating to the import of observational data from Cumulus monthly log files.
directory
The full path to the directory containing the Cumulus monthly log files to be imported. Do not include a trailing /. There is no default.
interval
Determines how the time interval (WeeWX database field interval) between successive observations is determined. This option is identical in operation to the CSV interval option but applies to Cumulus monthly log file imports only. As Cumulus monthly log files can, at times, have missing entries, the use of interval = derive may give incorrect or inconsistent interval values. Better results may be obtained by using interval = conf if the archive_interval for the current WeeWX installation is the same as the Cumulus 'data log interval' setting used to generate the Cumulus monthly log files, or by using interval = x where x is the time interval in minutes used as the Cumulus 'data log interval' setting. The most appropriate setting will depend on the completeness and (time) accuracy of the Cumulus data being imported.
The default is derive.
qc
Determines whether simple quality control checks are applied to imported data. This option is identical in operation to the CSV qc option but applies to Cumulus imports only. The default is True.
calc_missing
Determines whether any missing derived observations will be calculated from the imported data. This option is identical in operation to the CSV calc_missing option but applies to Cumulus imports only. The default is True.
separator
The character used as the date field separator in the Cumulus monthly log file. A solidus (/) is frequently used but it may be another character depending on the settings on the machine that produced the Cumulus monthly log files. This parameter must be included in quotation marks. Default is '/'.
delimiter
The character used as the field delimiter in the Cumulus monthly log file. A comma is frequently used but it may be another character depending on the settings on the machine that produced the Cumulus monthly log files. This parameter must be included in quotation marks. Default is ','.
decimal
The character used as the decimal point in the Cumulus monthly log files. A full stop is frequently used but it may be another character depending on the settings on the machine that produced the Cumulus monthly log files. This parameter must be included in quotation marks. Default is '.'.
ignore_invalid_data
Determines whether invalid data in a source field is ignored or the import aborted. This option is identical in operation to the CSV ignore_invalid_data option but applies to Cumulus monthly log file imports only. The default is True.
tranche
The number of records are written to the WeeWX database in each transaction. This option is identical in operation to the CSV tranche option but applies to Cumulus monthly log file imports only. The default is 250 which should suit most users.
UV_sensor
Enables wee_import to distinguish between the case where a UV sensor is present and the UV index is 0 and the case where no UV sensor is present and UV index is 0. This option is identical in operation to the CSV UV_sensor option but applies to Cumulus monthly log file imports only. The default is True.
solar_sensor
Enables wee_import to distinguish between the case where a solar radiation sensor is present and the solar radiation is 0 and the case where no solar radiation sensor is present and solar radiation is 0. This option is identical in operation to the CSV solar_sensor option but applies to Cumulus monthly log file imports only. The default is True.
[[Units]]
The [[Units]] stanza defines the units used in the Cumulus monthly log files. Units settings are required for temperature, pressure, rain and speed. The format for each setting is:
obs_type = weewx_unit_name
Where obs_type is one of temperature, pressure, rain or speed and weewx_unit_name is the WeeWX unit name of the units used by that particular obs_type. As Cumulus supports a different suite of possible units only a subset of the available WeeWX unit names can be used for some settings.
Importing from CSV files
wee_import can import data from a single CSV file. The CSV source file must be structured as follows:
- The file must have a header row consisting of a comma separated list of field names. The field names can be any valid string as long as each field name is unique within the list. There is no requirement for the field names to be in any particular order as long as the same order is used for the observations on each row in the file. These field names will be mapped to WeeWX field names in the [CSV] section of the import configuration file.
- Observation data for a given date-time must be listed on a single line with individual fields separated by a comma. The fields must be in the same order as the field names in the header row.
- Blank fields are represented by the use of white space or no space only between commas.
- There must a field that represents the date-time of the observations on each line. This date-time field must be either a Unix epoch timestamp or any date-time format that can be represented using Python strptime() format codes.
A CSV file suitable for import by wee_import may look like this:
Time,Temp,Dewpoint,Press,WindDir,WindSpeed,WindGust,Hum,dailyrain,SolarRad 2016-02-01 00:00:00,13.5,9.2,1005.6,359,0.0,0.0,75,12.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:05:00,13.4,9.3,1005.6,355,0.0,0.0,76,12.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:10:00,13.3,9.4,1005.6,259,0.0,1.6,77,14.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:20:00,13.2,9.4,1005.6,10,0.0,1.6,78,16.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:25:00,13.2,9.6,1005.6,15,0.0,1.6,79,20.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:30:00,13.1,9.6,1005.3,13,0.0,0.0,79,20.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:35:00,13.1,9.7,1005.3,22,1.6,3.2,80,20.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:40:00,13.0,9.6,1005.3,25,0.0,1.6,80,22.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:45:00,12.9,9.8,1005.3,22,1.6,3.2,81,23.0,0.00 2016-02-01 00:50:00,12.9,9.7,1005.3,22,1.6,1.6,81,23.0,0.00
Mapping data to archive fields
The WeeWX archive fields populated during a CSV import depend on the CSV-to-WeeWX field mappings specified in [CSV] section in the import configuration file. If a valid field mapping exists, the WeeWX field exists in the WeeWX archive table schema and provided the mapped CSV field contains valid data, then the corresponding WeeWX field will populated. Note that the CSV import is the only import supported by wee_import that allows any WeeWX archive field to be populated.
Note
The use of the calc_missing option in the import configuration file may result in a
number of derived fields being calculated from the imported data. If these derived fields exist in the
in-use database schema they will be saved to the database as well.
Step-by-step instructions
To import observations from a CSV file:
- Ensure the source data file is in a folder accessible by the machine that will run wee_import. For the purposes of these instructions the source data file data.csv located in the /var/tmp folder will be used.
- Make a backup of the WeeWX database in case the import should go awry.
- Create an import configuration file. In this case we will make a copy of the example CSV import
configuration file and save it as csv.conf in the /var/tmp directory:
$ cp /home/weewx/util/import/csv-example.conf /var/tmp/csv.conf
- Confirm that the source option is set to
CSV:
source = CSV
- Confirm that the following options in the [CSV] section are set:
- file. The full path and file name of the file containing the CSV formatted data to be imported.
- interval. Determines how the WeeWX interval field is derived.
- qc. Determines whether quality control checks are performed on the imported data.
- calc_missing. Determines whether missing derived observations will be calculated from the imported data.
- ignore_invalid_data. Determines whether invalid data in a source field is ignored or the import aborted.
- tranche. The number of records written to the WeeWX database in each transaction.
- UV_sensor. Whether a UV sensor was installed when the source data was produced.
- solar_sensor. Whether a solar radiation sensor was installed when the source data was produced.
- raw_datetime_format. The format of the imported date time field.
- rain. Determines how the WeeWX rain field is derived.
- wind_direction. Determines how imported wind direction fields are interpreted.
- [[FieldMap]]. Defines the mapping between imported data fields and WeeWX archive fields. Also defines the units of measure for each imported field.
- When first importing data it is prudent to do a dry run import before any data are actually imported. A
dry run import will perform all steps of the import without actually writing imported data to the WeeWX
database. In addition, consideration should be given to any additional options such as --date.
To perform a dry run enter the following command:
wee_import --import-config=/var/tmp/csv.conf --dry-run
The output should be something like this:
Starting wee_import... A CSV import from source file '/var/tmp/data.csv' has been requested. Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'weewx.sdb' Destination table 'archive' unit system is '0x01' (US). Missing derived observations will be calculated. This is a dry run, imported data will not be saved to archive. Starting dry run import ... 70685 records identified for import. Records processed: 70685; Unique records: 70685; Last timestamp: 2010-09-04 04:20:00 AEST (1283538000) Finished dry run import. 70685 records were processed and 70685 unique records would have been imported.
The output includes details about the data source, its destination and some other details on how the data will be processed. The import will then be performed but no data will be written to the WeeWX database. Upon completion a brief summary of the records processed is provided.
Note
As the WeeWX database is not altered when the --dry-run option is used, wee_import log output is suspended during a dry run import. In effect, the use of --dry-run is equivalent to --dry-run --log=-. During a dry run import the only wee_import output is that displayed on stdout. - Once the dry run results are satisfactory the data can be imported using the following command:
wee_import --import-config=/var/tmp/csv.conf
This will result in a short preamble similar to that from the dry run. At the end of the preamble there will be a prompt:
Starting wee_import... A CSV import from source file '/var/tmp/data.csv' has been requested. Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'weewx.sdb' Destination table 'archive' unit system is '0x01' (US). Missing derived observations will be calculated. Starting import ... 70685 records identified for import. Proceeding will save all imported records in the weewx archive. Are you sure you want to proceed (y/n)?
- If the import parameters are acceptable enter y to proceed with the import or
n to abort the import. If the import is confirmed then the source data will be
imported, processed and saved in the WeeWX database. Information on the progress of the import will be
displayed similar to the following:
Records processed: 250; Unique records: 250; Last timestamp: 2010-02-09 19:25:00 AEST (1265707500)
The line commencing with Records processed should update as records are imported with progress information on number of records processed, number of unique records imported and the date time of the latest record processed. When the import is complete a brief summary is displayed similar to the following:
Records processed: 70685; Unique records: 70685; Last timestamp: 2010-09-04 04:20:00 AEST (1283538000) Finished import. 70685 raw records resulted in 70685 unique records being processed in 276.63 seconds. Those records with a timestamp already in the archive will not have been imported. Confirm successful import in the WeeWX log file.
- Whilst wee_import will advise of the number of records processed and the
number of unique records found, wee_import does know how many, if any, of the
imported records were successfully saved to the database. You should look carefully through the WeeWX
log file covering the wee_import session and take note of any records that
were not imported. The most common reason for imported records not being saved to the database is
because a record with that timestamp already exists in the database, in such cases something similar to
the following will be found in the log:
Aug 22 14:38:28 jessie2 weewx[863]: manager: unable to add record 2010-09-04 04:20:00 AEST (1283538000) to database 'weewx.sdb': UNIQUE constraint failed: archive.dateTime
In such cases you should take note of the timestamp of the record(s) concerned and make a decision about whether to delete the pre-existing record and re-import the record or retain the pre-existing record.
Importing from Weather Underground
wee_import can import data from the daily history of a Weather Undeground PWS. A Weather Underground daily history provides weather station observations received by Weather Underground for the PWS concerned on a day by day basis. As such, the data is analogous to the WeeWX archive table. When wee_import imports data from a Weather Underground daily history each day is considered a 'period'. wee_import processes one period at a time in chronological order (oldest to newest) and provides import summary data on a per period basis.
Mapping data to archive fields
A Weather Underground import will populate WeeWX archive fields as follows:
- Provided data exists for each field in the Weather Underground PWS daily history, the following WeeWX
archive fields will be directly populated by imported data:
- dateTime
- barometer
- dewpoint
- outHumidity
- outTemp
- radiation
- rain
- windDir
- windGust
- windSpeed
Note
If an appropriate field does not exist in the Weather Underground daily history then the corresponding WeeWX archive field will be set to None/null. For example, if there is no solar radiation sensor then radiation will be null, or if outHumidity was never uploaded to Weather Undeground then outHumidity will be null. - The following WeeWX archive fields will be populated from other settings or configuration options:
- interval
- usUnits
- The following WeeWX archive fields will be populated with values derived from the imported data provided
calc_missing = True is included in the [WU] section
of the import configuration file and the field exists in the in-use WeeWX archive table schema.
- altimeter
- ET
- heatindex
- pressure
- rainRate
- windchill
Note
If calc_missing = False is included in the [WU] section of the import configuration file being used then all of the above fields will be set to None/null. The default setting of the calc_missing option is True
Step-by-step instructions
To import observations from the daily history of a Weather Underground PWS:
- Obtain the weather station ID of the Weather Underground PWS from which data is to be imported. The station ID will be a sequence of numbers and upper case letters that is usually 11 or 12 characters in length. For the purposes of these instructions a weather station ID of ISTATION123 will be used.
- Make a backup of the WeeWX database in case the import should go awry.
- Create an import configuration file. In this case we will make a copy of the example Weather Underground
import configuration file and save it as wu.conf in the /var/tmp
directory:
$ cp /home/weewx/util/import/wu-example.conf /var/tmp/wu.conf
- Confirm that the source option is set to
WU
source = WU
- Confirm that the following options in the [WU] section are correctly set:
- station_id. The 11 or 12 character weather station ID of the Weather Underground PWS that will be the source of the imported data.
- interval. Determines how the WeeWX interval field is derived.
- qc. Determines whether quality
control checks are performed on the imported data.
Note
As Weather Underground imports at times contain nonsense values, particularly for fields for which no data were uploaded to Weather Underground by the PWS, the use of quality control checks on imported data can prevent these nonsense values from being imported and contaminating the WeeWX database. - calc_missing. Determines whether missing derived observations will be calculated from the imported data.
- ignore_invalid_data. Determines whether invalid data in a source field is ignored or the import aborted.
- tranche. The number of records written to the WeeWX database in each transaction.
- wind_direction. Determines how imported wind direction fields are interpreted.
- When first importing data it is prudent to do a dry run import before any data are actually imported. A
dry run import will perform all steps of the import without actually writing imported data to the WeeWX
database. In addition, consideration should be given to any additional options to be used such as --date, --from or --to.
To perform a dry run enter the following command:
wee_import --import-config=/var/tmp/wu.conf --from=2016-01-20T22:30 --to=2016-01-23T06:00 --dry-run
In this case the --from and --to options have been used to import Weather Underground records from 10:30pm on 20 January 2016 to 6:00am on 23 January 2016 inclusive.
Note
If the --date option is omitted, or a date (not date-time) range is specified using the --from and --to options during a Weather Underground import, then one or more full days of history data will be imported. This includes records timestamped from 00:00 (inclusive) at the start of the day up to but NOT including the 00:00 record at the end of the last day. As the timestamped record refers to observations of the previous interval, such an import actually includes one record with observations from the previous day (the 00:00 record at the start of the day). Whilst this will not present a problem for wee_import as any records being imported with a timestamp that already exists in the WeeWX database are ignored, you may wish to use the --from and --to options with a suitable date-time range to precisely control which records are imported.Note
wee_import obtains Weather Underground daily history data one day at a time via a HTTP request and as such the import of large time spans of data may take some time. Such imports may be best handled as a series of imports of smaller time spans.This will result in a short preamble with details on the data source, its destination and some other details on how the data will be processed. The import will then be performed but no data will written to the WeeWX database.
The output should be similar to:
Starting wee_import... Observation history for Weather Underground station 'ISTATION123' will be imported. Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'weewx.sdb' Destination table 'archive' unit system is '0x01' (US). Missing derived observations will be calculated. Observations timestamped after 2016-01-20 22:30:00 AEST (1453293000) and up to and including 2016-01-23 06:00:00 AEST (1453492800) will be imported. This is a dry run, imported data will not be saved to archive. Starting dry run import ... Records covering multiple periods have been identified for import. Period 1 ... Records processed: 18; Unique records: 18; Last timestamp: 2016-01-20 23:55:00 AEST (1453298100) Period 2 ... Records processed: 263; Unique records: 263; Last timestamp: 2016-01-21 23:55:00 AEST (1453384500) Period 3 ... Records processed: 264; Unique records: 264; Last timestamp: 2016-01-22 23:50:00 AEST (1453470600) Period 4 ... Records processed: 62; Unique records: 62; Last timestamp: 2016-01-23 05:55:00 AEST (1453492500) Finished dry run import. 607 records were processed and 607 unique records would have been imported.
Note
As the WeeWX database is not altered when the --dry-run option is used, wee_import log output is suspended during a dry run import. In effect, the use of --dry-run is equivalent to --dry-run --log=-. During a dry run import the only wee_import output is that displayed on stdout(console). - Once the dry run results are satisfactory the source data can be imported using the following command:
wee_import --import-config=/var/tmp/wu.conf --from=2016-01-20T22:30 --to=2016-01-23T06:00
This will result in a short preamble similar to that of a dry run. At the end of the preamble there will be a prompt:
Starting wee_import... Observation history for Weather Underground station 'ISTATION123' will be imported. Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'weewx.sdb' Destination table 'archive' unit system is '0x01' (US). Missing derived observations will be calculated. Observations timestamped after 2016-01-20 22:30:00 AEST (1453293000) and up to and including 2016-01-23 06:00:00 AEST (1453492800) will be imported. Starting import ... Records covering multiple periods have been identified for import. Proceeding will save all imported records in the weewx archive. Are you sure you want to proceed (y/n)?
Note
wee_import obtains Weather Underground daily history data one day at a time via a HTTP request and as such the import of large time spans of data may take some time. Such imports may be best handled as a series of imports of smaller time spans. - If the import parameters are acceptable enter y to proceed with the import or
n to abort the import. If the import is confirmed, the source data will be
imported, processed and saved in the WeeWX database. Information on the progress of the import will be
displayed similar to the following:
Period 1 ... Records processed: 18; Unique records: 18; Last timestamp: 2016-01-20 23:55:00 AEST (1453298100) Period 2 ... Records processed: 286; Unique records: 286; Last timestamp: 2016-01-21 23:55:00 AEST (1453384500)
The line commencing with Records processed should update as records are imported with progress information on number of records processed, number of unique records imported and the date time of the latest record processed. If the import spans multiple days then a new Period line is created for each day. When the import is complete a brief summary is displayed similar to the following:
Finished import. 607 raw records resulted in 607 unique records being processed in 80.94 seconds. Those records with a timestamp already in the archive will not have been imported. Confirm successful import in the WeeWX log file.
Note
It is not unusual to see a Weather Underground import return a different number of records for the same import performed at different times. If importing the current day this could be because an additional record may have been added between wee_import runs. For periods before today, this behaviour appears to be a vagary of Weather Underground. The only solution appears to be to repeat the import with the same --date option setting and observe whether the missing records are imported. Repeating the import will not adversely affect any existing data as records with timestamps that are already in the WeeWX archive will be ignored. It may; however, generated many UNIQUE constraint failed: archive.dateTime messages in the WeeWX log. - Whilst wee_import will advise of the number of records processed and the
number of unique records found, wee_import does know how many, if any, of the
imported records were successfully saved to the database. You should look carefully through the WeeWX
log file covering the wee_import session and take note of any records that
were not imported. The most common reason for imported records not being saved to the database is
because a record with that timestamp already exists in the database, in such cases something similar to
the following will be found in the log:
Aug 22 14:38:28 jessie2 weewx[863]: manager: unable to add record 2010-09-04 04:20:00 AEST (1283538000) to database 'weewx.sdb': UNIQUE constraint failed: archive.dateTime
In such cases you should take note of the timestamp of the record(s) concerned and make a decision about whether to delete the pre-existing record and re-import the record or retain the pre-existing record.
Importing from Cumulus
wee_import can import observational data from the one or more Cumulus monthly log files. A Cumulus monthly log file records weather station observations for a single month. These files are accumulated over time and can be considered analogous to the WeeWX archive table. When wee_import imports data from the Cumulus monthly log files each log file is considered a 'period'. wee_import processes one period at a time in chronological order (oldest to newest) and provides import summary data on a per period basis.
Mapping data to archive fields
A Cumulus monthly log file import will populate the WeeWX archive fields as follows:
- Provided data exists for each field in the Cumulus monthly logs, the following WeeWX archive fields will
be directly populated by imported data:
- dateTime
- barometer
- dewpoint
- heatindex
- inHumidity
- inTemp
- outHumidity
- outTemp
- radiation
- rain
- rainRate
- UV
- windDir
- windGust
- windSpeed
- windchill
Note
If a field in the Cumulus monthly log file has no data then the corresponding WeeWX archive field will be set to None/null. - The following WeeWX archive fields will be populated from other settings or configuration options:
- interval
- usUnits
- The following WeeWX archive fields will be populated with values derived from the imported data provided
calc_missing = True is included in the [Cumulus]
section of the import configuration file being used and the field exists in the in-use WeeWX archive
table schema.
- altimeter
- ET
- pressure
Note
If calc_missing = False is included in the [WU] section of the import configuration file being used then all of the above fields will be set to None/null. The default setting of the calc_missing option is True
Step-by-step instructions
To import observations from one or more Cumulus monthly log files:
- Ensure the Cumulus monthly log file(s) to be used for the import are located in a directory accessible by the machine that will run wee_import. For the purposes of these instructions, there are nine monthly logs files covering the period November 2015 to July 2016, inclusive, located in the /var/tmp/cumulus folder.
- Make a backup of the WeeWX database in case the import should go awry.
- Create an import configuration file. In this case we will make a copy of the example Cumulus import
configuration file and save it as cumulus.conf in the /var/tmp
directory:
$ cp /home/weewx/util/import/cumulus-example.conf /var/tmp/cumulus.conf
- Confirm that the source option is set to Cumulus:
source = Cumulus
- Confirm that the following options in the [Cumulus] section are correctly set:
- directory. The full path to the directory containing the Cumulus monthly log files to be used as the source of the imported data.
- interval. Determines how the WeeWX interval field is derived.
- qc. Determines whether quality control checks are performed on the imported data.
- calc_missing. Determines whether missing derived observations will be calculated from the imported data.
- separator. The date field separator used in the Cumulus monthly log files.
- delimiter. The field delimiter used in the Cumulus monthly log files.
- decimal. The decimal point character used in the Cumulus monthly log files.
- ignore_invalid_data. Determines whether invalid data in a source field is ignored or the import aborted.
- tranche. The number of records written to the WeeWX database in each transaction.
- UV_sensor. Whether a UV sensor was installed when the source data was produced.
- solar_sensor. Whether a solar radiation sensor was installed when the source data was produced.
- [[Units]]. Defines the units used in the Cumulus monthly log files.
- When first importing data it is prudent to do a dry run import before any data are actually imported. A
dry run import will perform all steps of the import without actually writing imported data to the WeeWX
database. In addition, consideration should be given to any additional options to be used such as --date.
To perform a dry run enter the following command:
wee_import --import-config=/var/tmp/cumulus.conf --dry-run
This will result in a short preamble with details on the data source, its destination and some other details on how the data will be processed. The import will then be performed but no data will be written to the WeeWX database.
The output should be similar to:
Starting wee_import... Cumulus monthly log files in the '/var/tmp/cumulus' directory will be imported Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'weewx.sdb' Destination table 'archive' unit system is '0x01' (US). Missing derived observations will be calculated. This is a dry run, imported data will not be saved to archive. Starting dry run import ... Records covering multiple periods have been identified for import. Period 1 ... Records processed: 4189; Unique records: 4169; Last timestamp: 2015-12-01 09:40:00 AEST (1448926800) Period 2 ... Records processed: 4461; Unique records: 4461; Last timestamp: 2016-01-01 09:40:00 AEST (1451605200) Period 3 ... Records processed: 4458; Unique records: 4458; Last timestamp: 2016-02-01 09:40:00 AEST (1454283600) Period 4 ... Records processed: 3940; Unique records: 3940; Last timestamp: 2016-03-01 09:40:00 AEST (1456789200) Period 5 ... Records processed: 4061; Unique records: 4061; Last timestamp: 2016-04-01 09:40:00 AEST (1459467600) Period 6 ... Records processed: 4298; Unique records: 4292; Last timestamp: 2016-05-01 08:40:00 AEST (1462056000) Period 7 ... Records processed: 4380; Unique records: 4379; Last timestamp: 2016-06-01 08:40:00 AEST (1464734400) Period 8 ... Records processed: 4317; Unique records: 4317; Last timestamp: 2016-07-01 08:40:00 AEST (1467326400) Period 9 ... Records processed: 3544; Unique records: 3543; Last timestamp: 2016-07-26 17:00:00 AEST (1469516400) Finished dry run import. 37648 records were processed and 37620 unique records would have been imported.
Note
The nine periods correspond to the nine monthly log files used for this import. - Once the dry run results are satisfactory the data can be imported using the following command:
wee_import --import-config=/var/tmp/cumulus.conf
This will result in a preamble similar to that of a dry run. At the end of the preamble there will be a prompt:
Starting wee_import... Cumulus monthly log files in the '/var/tmp/cumulus' directory will be imported Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'weewx.sdb' Destination table 'archive' unit system is '0x01' (US). Missing derived observations will be calculated. Starting import ... Records covering multiple periods have been identified for import. Proceeding will save all imported records in the weewx archive. Are you sure you want to proceed (y/n)?
If there is more than one Cumulus monthly log file then wee_import will provide summary information on a per period basis during the import. In addition, if the --date option is used then source data that falls outside the date or date range specified with the --date option is ignored. In such cases the preamble may look similar to:
Starting wee_import... Cumulus monthly log files in the '/var/tmp/cumulus' directory will be imported Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'weewx.sdb' Destination table 'archive' unit system is '0x01' (US). Missing derived observations will be calculated. Observations timestamped after 2016-02-12 00:00:00 AEST (1455199200) and up to and including 2016-02-25 00:00:00 AEST (1456322400) will be imported. Starting import ... Period 1 - no records identified for import. Period 2 - no records identified for import. Period 3 - no records identified for import. Proceeding will save all imported records in the weewx archive. Are you sure you want to proceed (y/n)?
- If the import parameters are acceptable enter y to proceed with the import or
n to abort the import. If the import is confirmed, the source data will be
imported, processed and saved in the WeeWX database. Information on the progress of the import will be
displayed similar to the following:
Records processed: 1599; Unique records: 1599; Last timestamp: 2016-02-24 00:00:00 AEST (1456236000)
Again if there is more than one Cumulus monthly log file and if the --date option is used then the progress information may instead look similar to:
Period 4 ... Records processed: 2521; Unique records: 2521; Last timestamp: 2016-03-01 09:40:00 AEST (1456789200) Period 5 ... Records processed: 4061; Unique records: 4061; Last timestamp: 2016-04-01 09:40:00 AEST (1459467600) Period 6 ... Records processed: 3238; Unique records: 3232; Last timestamp: 2016-04-24 00:00:00 AEST (1461420000)
The line commencing with Records processed should update as records are imported with progress information on number of records processed, number of unique records imported and the date time of the latest record processed. If the import spans multiple months (ie multiple monthly log files) then a new Period line is created for each month. When the import is complete a brief summary is displayed similar to the following:
Finished import. 37648 raw records resulted in 37620 unique records being processed in 93.70 seconds. Those records with a timestamp already in the archive will not have been imported. Confirm successful import in the weewx log file.
- Whilst wee_import will advise of the number of records processed and the
number of unique records found, wee_import does know how many, if any, of the
imported records were successfully saved to the database. You should look carefully through the WeeWX
log file covering the wee_import session and take note of any records that
were not imported. The most common reason for imported records not being saved to the database is
because a record with that timestamp already exists in the database, in such cases something similar to
the following will be found in the log:
Aug 22 14:38:28 jessie2 weewx[863]: manager: unable to add record 2010-09-04 04:20:00 AEST (1283538000) to database 'weewx.sdb': UNIQUE constraint failed: archive.dateTime
In such cases take note of the timestamp of the record(s) concerned and make a decision about whether to delete the pre-existing record and re-import the record or retain the pre-existing record.
Dealing with import failures
Sometimes bad things happen during an import.
If errors were encountered, or if you suspect that the WeeWX database has been contaminated with incorrect data, here are some things you can try to fix things up.
- Manually delete the contaminated data. Use SQL commands to manipulate the data in the WeeWX archive database. The simplicity of this process will depend on your ability to use SQL, the amount of data imported, and whether the imported data was dispersed amongst existing. Once contaminated data have been removed the daily summary tables will need to be rebuilt using the wee_database utility.
- Delete the database and start over. For SQLite, simply delete the database file. For MySQL, drop the
database. Then try the import again.
Warning!
Deleting the database file or dropping the database will result in all data in the database being lost. - If the above steps are not appropriate then the database should be restored from backup. You did make a backup before starting the import?
wee_reports
In normal operation, WeeWX generates reports on each archive interval, when new data arrive. The reports utility is used to generate reports on demand. It uses the same configuration file that WeeWX uses.
Run the utility with the --help option to see how it is used:
wee_reports --help
This results in something like this:
Usage: wee_reports: [config_file] [timestamp] [--config=CONFIG_FILE] [--help] Run all reports defined in the specified configuration file. Use this utility to run reports immediately instead of waiting for the end of an archive interval. Options: -h, --help show this help message and exit --config=CONFIG_FILE Use the configuration file CONFIG_FILE
weewxd
The weewxd application is the heart of WeeWX. It can be run directly, or in the background as a daemon.
Run with the --help option to see how it is used:
weewxd --help
This results in output something like:
Usage: weewxd --help
weewxd --version
weewxd config_file [--daemon] [--pidfile=PIDFILE]
[--exit] [--loop-on-init]
[--log-label=LABEL]
Entry point to the weewx weather program. Can be run directly, or as a daemon
by specifying the '--daemon' option.
Arguments:
config_file: The weewx configuration file to be used.
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-d, --daemon Run as a daemon
-p PIDFILE, --pidfile=PIDFILE
Store the process ID in PIDFILE
-v, --version Display version number then exit
-x, --exit Exit on I/O and database errors instead of restarting
-r, --loop-on-init Retry forever if device is not ready on startup
-n LABEL, --log-label=LABEL
Label to use in syslog entries
wunderfixer
For a number of reasons, posting weather observation data to Weather Underground often results in missing observations. The wunderfixer utility can re-post such missing observations. This section explains how to do it.
Warning!
Once published, Weather Underground observation data can only be deleted; data
cannot be modified. Even when observations are deleted on Weather Underground, the underlying record
remains, albeit with one or more blank observation fields. Accordingly, you should carefully use wunderfixer to ensure that the correct data source data is used.
Note
wunderfixer uses the Weather Underground convention of
what is a day. That is, a day runs from the record timestamped at midnight to the last record timestamped on
the same day. By this convention, the first record is actually an archive for the last archive interval of
the previous day.
Before starting, it's worth running the utility with the --help flag to see how wunderfixer is used:
wunderfixer --help
This will result in an output that looks something like this:
Usage: wunderfixer CONFIG_FILE|--config=CONFIG_FILE
[--binding=BINDING]
[--station=STATION] [--password=PASSWORD]
[--date=YYYY-mm-dd] [--epsilon=SECONDS] [--timeout=SECONDS]
[--verbose] [--log LOG_FACILITY] [--test] [--query]
[--help]
This utility fills in missing data on the Weather Underground. It goes through
all the records in a weewx archive for a given day, comparing to see whether a
corresponding record exists on the Weather Underground. If not, it will publish
a new record on the Weather Underground with the missing data.
Be sure to use the --test switch first to see whether you like what it
proposes!
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-c CONFIG_PATH, --config=CONFIG_PATH
Use configuration file CONFIG_PATH. Default is
/etc/weewx/weewx.conf or /home/weewx/weewx.conf.
-b BINDING, --binding=BINDING
The database binding to be used. Default is
'wx_binding'.
-s STATION, --station=STATION
Weather Underground station to check. Optional.
Default is to take from configuration file.
-p PASSWORD, --password=PASSWORD
Weather Underground station password. Optional.
Default is to take from configuration file.
-d YYYY-mm-dd, --date=YYYY-mm-dd
Date to check as a string of form YYYY-mm-dd. Default
is today.
-e SECONDS, --epsilon=SECONDS
Timestamps within this value in seconds compare true.
Default is 120.
-o SECONDS, --timeout=SECONDS
Socket timeout in seconds. Default is 10.
-v, --verbose Print useful extra output.
-l LOG_FACILITY, --log=LOG_FACILITY
Log selected output to syslog. If omitted no syslog
logging occurs. If LOG_FACILITY is 'weewx' then logs
are written to the same log used by weewx. Any other
parameter will log to syslog.
-t, --test Test what would happen, but don't do anything.
-q, --query For each record, query the user before making a
change.
Actions and options
The wunderfixer options are described in more detail below:
Option --config
The utility is pretty good at "guessing" where the weewx configuration file is, but if you've done an unusual install, you may have to tell it explicitly. You can do this by using the --config option:
wunderfixer --config=/this/folder/weewx.conf
Option --binding
Specifies the data binding to be used as the source of data for missing records to be published to Weather Underground. Default is wx_binding. The --binding option is used as follows:
wunderfixer --binding=another_binding
Option --station
The weather station ID of the Weather Underground PWS. The default is the station specified in the [StdRESTful][[Wunderground]] section of the configuration file. The --station option is used as follows:
wunderfixer --station=AB123456789
Option --password
The password corresponding to the weather station ID. The default is the password specified in the [StdRESTful][[Wunderground]] section of the configuration file. The --password option is used as follows:
wunderfixer --station=AB123456789 --password=hardtoguess
Option --date
By default wunderfixer checks the current date according to the system date-time. Use this option to specify a different date. This feature is useful when running as a cron job. The --date option accepts dates in the format YYYY-mm-dd. For example:
wunderfixer --date=2016-04-20
Option --epsilon
At times Weather Underground records may have a date-time that is slightly different to the timestamp of the record as recorded by WeeWX. The --epsilon option allows timestamps that are within the --epsilon value seconds of each other to be considered the same. The default value is 120. The --epsilon option is used as follows:
wunderfixer --epsilon=60
Option --timeout
Sets how long to wait for a response from the Weather Underground. At times of high usage, it might help to increase this value. Default is 10 seconds.
wunderfixer --timeout=20
Option --verbose
Use of the --verbose option results in wunderfixer displaying useful additional information during execution. The --verbose option is of little use when wunderfixer is run as a cron job.
Option --log
Control the wunderfixer log output. The default is no logging. If --log=weewx is used then wunderfixer logs to the same log file as used by WeeWX. Any other setting will result in wunderfixer logs being written to syslog. The --log option is used as follows:
wunderfixer --log=weewx
Option --test
The --test option will cause wunderfixer to do everything except upload any missing data to Weather Underground. Summary information on any identified missing data will be displayed.
Option --query
The --query option will cause wunderfixer to seek user confirmation before each missing record is uploaded to Weather Underground. When queried you may respond with y to publish the record, n to skip the record without publishing, a to publish the record and automatically publish all further records or q to skip the record and quit wunderfixer. The --query option should not be used as part of a cron job.
Running directly
Run wunderfixer directly to publish missing data for a single day. This may be useful if you wish to restore data from a short network outage or similar problems that resulted in missing Weather Underground data. Running wunderfixer directly is also a useful exercise in the lead up to running as a cron job, as it allows you to verify correct operation before automating the process.
The following instructions will publish data for the current day for the station whose credentials appear in the [StdRESTful][[Wunderground]] section of weewx.conf.
Note
Data for another station or date could be published by using the --station, --password and --date
options.
To run wunderfixer directly:
- Before publishing missing data for the first time, do a test run by specifying the --test
option.
wunderfixer --test
This will result in output similar to the following:
Using configuration file /home/weewx/weewx.conf. Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'archive_sqlite' 2016-09-22 06:30:00 AEST (1474489800); 29.920"; 58.9F; 79%; 1.0 mph; 248 deg; 6.0 mph gust; 52.4F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... skipped. 2016-09-22 07:35:00 AEST (1474493700); 29.931"; 64.9F; 65%; 2.0 mph; 180 deg; 7.0 mph gust; 52.8F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... skipped. 2016-09-22 07:55:00 AEST (1474494900); 29.934"; 65.8F; 63%; 2.0 mph; 180 deg;10.0 mph gust; 52.8F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... skipped. 2016-09-22 08:20:00 AEST (1474496400); 29.938"; 66.5F; 59%; 5.0 mph; 180 deg;12.0 mph gust; 51.7F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... skipped.
This output indicates that four records were found to be missing. The word 'skipped' at the end of each line indicates that whilst wunderfixer detected the record as missing, the record was skipped and not published to Weather Underground. If no missing records were found then no records will be listed.
Note
Use of the --verbose option will display additional information including the station, the date, and the number of records. - Once the test results are satisfactory, publish the missing records using the command:
wunderfixer
This will result in output similar to the following:
Using configuration file /home/weewx/weewx.conf. Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'archive_sqlite' 2016-09-22 06:30:00 AEST (1474489800); 29.920"; 58.9F; 79%; 1.0 mph; 248 deg; 6.0 mph gust; 52.4F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... published. 2016-09-22 07:35:00 AEST (1474493700); 29.931"; 64.9F; 65%; 2.0 mph; 180 deg; 7.0 mph gust; 52.8F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... published. 2016-09-22 07:55:00 AEST (1474494900); 29.934"; 65.8F; 63%; 2.0 mph; 180 deg;10.0 mph gust; 52.8F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... published. 2016-09-22 08:20:00 AEST (1474496400); 29.938"; 66.5F; 59%; 5.0 mph; 180 deg;12.0 mph gust; 51.7F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ... published.
This output indicates that four records were found to be missing. This time word 'skipped' at the end of each line has been replaced with the word 'published' indicating that wunderfixer has published the record to Weather Underground. If no missing records were found then no records will be listed.
If the --query option had been used the output would be something like this:
Using configuration file /home/weewx/weewx.conf. Using database binding 'wx_binding', which is bound to database 'archive_sqlite' Weather Underground Station: ABCDEFGH123 Date to check: 2016-09-22 Number of archive records: 288 Number of WU records: 284 Number of missing records: 4 Missing records: 2016-09-22 06:30:00 AEST (1474489800); 29.920"; 58.9F; 79%; 1.0 mph; 248 deg; 6.0 mph gust; 52.4F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ...fix? (y/n/a/q):y ...published. 2016-09-22 07:35:00 AEST (1474493700); 29.931"; 64.9F; 65%; 2.0 mph; 180 deg; 7.0 mph gust; 52.8F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ...fix? (y/n/a/q):y ...published. 2016-09-22 07:55:00 AEST (1474494900); 29.934"; 65.8F; 63%; 2.0 mph; 180 deg;10.0 mph gust; 52.8F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ...fix? (y/n/a/q):y ...published. 2016-09-22 08:20:00 AEST (1474496400); 29.938"; 66.5F; 59%; 5.0 mph; 180 deg;12.0 mph gust; 51.7F; 0.00" rain; 0.01" daily rain ...fix? (y/n/a/q):
Note
It is possible that two wunderfixer sessions for
the same station and date may return two different sets of missing records. This is a vagary of Weather
Underground and is not a cause for concern. If you are concerned that not all missing records were
published you can run wunderfixer again with the same settings. Re-publishing
records that already exist on Weather Underground has no known adverse effects.
Running as a cron job
At times Weather Underground flatly refuses to update older dates, typically those more than a couple of weeks old. For this reason running wunderfixer using a nightly cron job is advisable. To run wunderfixer as a nightly cron job:
- Ensure that wunderfixer operates as intended when run directly.
Note
Beware that running wunderfixer with the --test option does not utilise the station password. So be sure to run at least once without the --test option to ensure that the correct station and password parameters have been specified. - Decide how often and when to run wunderfixer. Given the use of the midnight to midnight day, it may be prudent to run wunderfixer close to midnight at the end of the day after the second last archive record of the day (remember the last archive record of the day is at midnight). For an installation that uses a five minute archive period this would be between 11:55pm and midnight. Furthermore, as Weather Underground at times does not update a record despite returning 'success' it may be advisable to run wunderfixer more than once per day. For the purposes of these instructions we will set a cron job to run wunderfixer at 11:58pm daily.
- Create (if one does not exist) or edit a crontab file using the following command:
crontab -e
Note
The above command will create a crontab file for the currently logged in user. Any commands in the crontab will be executed as the user who owns the crontab. If the currently logged in user does not have adequate permissions to run wunderfixer you may need to use the root user crontab by using the command sudo crontab -e.This should display a crontab file similar to the following:
# Edit this file to introduce tasks to be run by cron. # # Each task to run has to be defined through a single line # indicating with different fields when the task will be run # and what command to run for the task # # To define the time you can provide concrete values for # minute (m), hour (h), day of month (dom), month (mon), # and day of week (dow) or use '*' in these fields (for 'any').# # Notice that tasks will be started based on the cron's system # daemon's notion of time and timezones. # # Output of the crontab jobs (including errors) is sent through # email to the user the crontab file belongs to (unless redirected). # # For example, you can run a backup of all your user accounts # at 5 a.m every week with: # 0 5 * * 1 tar -zcf /var/backups/home.tgz /home/ # # For more information see the manual pages of crontab(5) and cron(8) # # m h dom mon dow command
- To run wunderfixer at 11:58pm daily insert the following lines at the end of
the crontab file:
# Run wunderfixer at 1158pm daily 58 23 * * * /home/weewx/bin/wunderfixer --log weewx > /dev/null 2>&1
The above command executes wunderfixer each night at 11:58pm and publishes any missing records for the current day for the station whose credentials appear in the [StdRESTful][[Wunderground]] section of weewx.conf. wunderfixer log output will be sent to the log file used by WeeWX. The > /dev/null 2>&1 portion of the command suppresses any wunderfixer screen output by redirecting any screen and error output to the null device.
- Save the crontab file and exit the editor.
- wunderfixer will now be run at 11:58pm daily. To run wunderfixer again at a different time either create a new crontab entry or modify the scheduling of the existing entry to suit.
- Verify that wunderfixer is being executed by cron as expected:
- Check the cron log to verify that wunderfixer was run at the expected time. The location of the cron log will vary depending on your version of Linux.
- Check the wunderfixer log to confirm how many, if any, records were uploaded to Weather Underground. The location of the wunderfixer log will depend on the --log option used and your version of Linux.
- Check the Weather Undeground daily history for the station concerned to ensure that any missing data was accepted by Weather Underground.
Dealing with failures
Weather Underground is known for a number of quirks in behaviour, this coupled with a misconfigured wunderfixer session or incomplete WeeWX archive data can lead to unexpected results when using wunderfixer. Some of the issues and errors that may be encountered and possible solutions are detailed below.
Updated records do not appear on Weather Underground
What appears to be a successfully posted record to Weather Underground may not appear in the station history for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include:
- Weather Underground just chose to ignore the post. In this case, use wunderfixer to publish the missing record again.
- Weather Underground has not yet updated the stations history. Sometimes Weather Underground takes a short time to update the stations history. If the record does not appear in the station history within the next hour use wunderfixer to publish the missing record again.
- There is no corresponding record in the WeeWX archive. Check the WeeWX archive to see if the record concerned exists. If the record does not exist then it must be re-created before it can be published by wunderfixer.
- wunderfixer may have been run with the --test option thus only checking for missing records and not publishing them. In this case, run wunderfixer again without the --test option.
Incorrect data was published on Weather Underground
If you have published incorrect data to Weather Underground there is little that can be done other than manually deleting the erroneous observation data from Weather Underground. Weather Underground does allow observation data to be edited; however, the only available option is to delete the observation(s); it is not possible to change the value recorded against an observation to the correct value nor is it possible to delete an entire record. It appears that when all observations for a given record are deleted Weather Underground retains the record but with no observation data. Consequently, subsequent wunderfixer sessions using the correct data will not result in the correct data being published as Weather Underground allows publishing of new records but not re-publishing of existing records. For these reasons you should ensure wunderfixer is operating correctly with the --test option before publishing any missing data or running wunderfixer as a cron job.