import os
import sys
import re
from optparse import OptionParser
from Album import *

class Itemizer:
    
    OPTIONS = [
        ("-d", "destination", "destination directory", "DIR", "./"),
        ("-i", "index", "item index", "INT"),
        ("-f", "file_path", "input file", "PATH"),
        ("-s", "silent", "suppress messages", None, False, "store_true"),
        ("-v", "verbose", "verbose output", None, False, "store_true"),
        ("--delimiter", "delimiter", "field delimiter", "CHAR", "_"),
        ("--copy", "copy", "copy files", None, False, "store_true"),
        ("--deitemize", "deitemize", "deitemize", None, False, "store_true"),
        ("--sim", "simulate", "simulate itemization", None, False,
         "store_true"),
        ("--regroup", "regroup", "order items consecutively", None, False,
         "store_true"),
        ("--no-name", "no_name", "rename file to only item number", None, False,
         "store_true"),
        ]
    USAGE_MESSAGE = "Usage: %prog [options] PATH_1..PATH_n"

    def __init__(self):
        self.init_input()
        if len(sys.argv) > 1:
            self.add_file_contents_to_item_list()
            self.album = Album(self.options.destination, self.options.delimiter,
                               self.options.copy, self.options.simulate,
                               self.verbosity, self.options.regroup,
                               self.options.no_name)
            if self.options.deitemize:
                self.album.remove(self.item_paths)
            else:
                self.album.add_items(self.item_paths, self.options.index)
            self.album.commit()
        else:
            self.parser.print_help()

    def init_input(self):
        self.parser = OptionParser(self.USAGE_MESSAGE)
        self.parse_arguments()

    def parse_arguments(self):
        for option in self.OPTIONS:
            default = option[4] if len(option) > 4 else None
            action = option[5] if len(option) > 5 else None
            self.parser.add_option(
                option[0], dest=option[1], help=option[2],
                metavar=option[3], default=default, action=action)
        self.options, self.item_paths = self.parser.parse_args()
        self.set_verbosity(self.options.silent, self.options.verbose)

    def set_verbosity(self, silent, verbose):
        if verbose:
            self.verbosity = 2
        elif silent:
            self.verbosity = 0
        else:
            self.verbosity = 1

    def add_file_contents_to_item_list(self):
        if self.options.file_path != None:
            for line in file(self.options.file_path):
                line = line.rstrip()
                line = line.strip("\"")
                if line[0] != "#":
                    self.item_paths.append(line)

    @staticmethod
    def is_item(path):
        if os.path.isfile(path):
            file_name = os.path.basename(path)
            if re.match("^[0-9]+.*", file_name):
                return True
        return False

    @staticmethod
    def extract_item_number(path):
        file_name = os.path.basename(path)
        match = re.match("^([0-9]+).*", file_name)
        if match:
            return int(match.group(1))
        return None
#!/usr/bin/python

from Itemizer import *

if __name__ == "__main__":
    Itemizer()
import os
import Itemizer
from Item import *

class Album:

    def __init__(self, directory_path, delimiter, copy, simulate, verbosity,
                 regroup, no_name):
        self.set_options(delimiter, copy, simulate, verbosity, regroup, no_name)
        self.set_directory_path(directory_path)
        self.initialize_item_list()

    def set_options(self, delimiter, copy, simulate, verbosity, regroup,
                    no_name):
        self.delimiter = delimiter
        self.copy = copy
        self.simulate = simulate
        self.verbosity = verbosity
        self.regroup = regroup
        self.no_name = no_name

    def set_directory_path(self, directory_path):
        if not os.path.isdir(directory_path):
            print "Directory not found:", directory_path
            directory_path = None
        else:
            directory_path = os.path.join(directory_path, "")
        self.directory_path = directory_path

    def initialize_item_list(self):
        self.items = None
        if self.directory_path != None:
            for file_name in os.listdir(self.directory_path):
                path = self.directory_path + file_name
                if Itemizer.Itemizer.is_item(path):
                    number = Itemizer.Itemizer.extract_item_number(path)
                    self.add_items(path, number)

    def add_items(self, paths, index=None):
        if type(paths) == str:
            paths = [paths]
        current_index = self.build_index(index)
        for path in paths:
            if not os.path.isfile(path):
                print "File not found:", path
            else:
                if self.items == None:
                    self.add_first_item(path, current_index)
                else:
                    self.items = self.items.remove_path(path)
                    if self.items == None:
                        self.add_first_item(path, current_index)
                    else:
                        self.items = self.items.insert(path, current_index)
                if current_index:
                    current_index += 1
                if self.verbosity > 1:
                    print "Added file to list:", path

    def build_index(self, index):
        if type(index) == str:
            index = int(index)
        return index

    def add_first_item(self, path, index):
        if index == None:
            index = 1
        self.items = Item(path, index, self.no_name)

    def remove(self, paths):
        current = self.items
        while current != None:
            path = self.find_path_in_list(current.path, paths)
            if path:
                outgoing = current
                self.items = self.items.remove_path(outgoing.path)
                outgoing.erase_index()
                outgoing.save(
                    self.directory_path, None, self.delimiter, self.copy,
                    self.simulate, self.verbosity)
                paths.remove(path)
            current = current.next

    def find_path_in_list(self, key, paths):
        for path in paths:
            if os.path.samefile(key, path):
                return path

    def commit(self):
        if self.directory_path != None and self.items != None:
            if self.regroup:
                self.items.bunch()
            current = self.items
            prefix_length = self.determine_prefix_length()
            while current != None:
                current.save(
                    self.directory_path, prefix_length, self.delimiter,
                    self.copy, self.simulate, self.verbosity)
                current = current.next

    def print_items(self):
        current = self.items
        while current != None:
            print current
            current = current.next

    def determine_prefix_length(self):
        largest_index = self.items.get_largest_index()
        return len(str(largest_index))
216.73.216.133
216.73.216.133
216.73.216.133
 
January 23, 2021

I wanted to document this chat-controlled robot I made for Babycastles' LOLCAM📸 that accepts a predefined set of commands like a character in an RPG party 〰 commands like walk, spin, bash, drill. It can also understand donut, worm, ring, wheels, and more. The signal for each command is transmitted as a 24-bit value over infrared using two Arduinos, one with an infrared LED, and the other with an infrared receiver. I built the transmitter circuit, and the receiver was built into the board that came with the mBot robot kit. The infrared library IRLib2 was used to transmit and receive the data as a 24-bit value.


fig. 1.1: the LEDs don't have much to do with this post!

I wanted to control the robot the way the infrared remote that came with the mBot controlled it, but the difference would be that since we would be getting input from the computer, it would be like having a remote with an unlimited amount of buttons. The way the remote works is each button press sends a 24-bit value to the robot over infrared. Inspired by Game Boy Advance registers and tracker commands, I started thinking that if we packed multiple parameters into the 24 bits, it would allow a custom move to be sent each time, so I wrote transmitter and receiver code to process commands that looked like this:

bit
name
description
00
time
multiply by 64 to get duration of command in ms
01
02
03
04
left
multiply by 16 to get left motor power
05
06
07
08
right
multiply by 16 to get right motor power
09
10
11
12
left sign
0 = left wheel backward, 1 = left wheel forward
13
right sign
0 = right wheel forward, 1 = right wheel backward
14
robot id
0 = send to player one, 1 = send to player two
15
flip
negate motor signs when repeating command
16
repeats
number of times to repeat command
17
18
19
delay
multiply by 128 to get time between repeats in ms
20
21
22
23
swap
swap the motor power values on repeat
fig 1.2: tightly stuffed bits

The first command I was able to send with this method that seemed interesting was one that made the mBot do a wheelie.

$ ./send_command.py 15 12 15 1 0 0 0 7 0 1
sending 0xff871fcf...


fig 1.3: sick wheels

A side effect of sending the signal this way is any button on any infrared remote will cause the robot to do something. The star command was actually reverse engineered from looking at the code a random remote button sent. For the robot's debut, it ended up with 15 preset commands (that number is in stonks 📈). I posted a highlights video on social media of how the chat controls turned out.

This idea was inspired by a remote frog tank LED project I made for Ribbit's Frog World which had a similar concept: press a button, and in a remote location where 🐸 and 🐠 live, an LED would turn on.


fig 2.1: saying hi to froggo remotely using an LED

😇 The transmitter and receiver Arduino programs are available to be copied and modified 😇