Control notify

notify control

Control catalogue · Documentation home

Minimal field JSON:

{
  "id": "notify",
  "type": "notify",
  "name": "Notify"
}

Full field JSON:

{
  "id": "notify",
  "type": "notify",
  "name": "Notify",
  "default": null,
  "controls": [
    {
      "key": "",
      "type": "action_text",
      "label": "ui_109",
      "command": ""
    }
  ],
  "ha": {
    "command_topic": "$command"
  }
}

Properties in the full example:

Property	Required?	Meaning / default
id	Required	Stable application key; unique across registered pages.
type	Required	Enabled field type.
name	Required title¹	Display title; may be replaced by a nonempty names object.
default	Optional	Omit to use the built-in initial value.
controls	Optional	Omit to use the preset controls; supplying an array replaces them.
ha	Optional	Omit to use automatic HA discovery; supplied properties override defaults.

¹ name can be replaced by names. Other shared optional properties are listed in the catalogue.

Appearance: Text input and Send button

Value: String notification text, up to 512 bytes; the application delivers or processes it.

Integration with Home Assistant

MQTT component: notify. Requires the control’s feature flag, dynamic pages, MQTT and HA support to be enabled. ArdPortal registers MQTT Discovery and routes state/commands; the sketch implements device behavior. Action callbacks acknowledge acceptance, not physical completion.

Supported by ArdPortal: A text message is delivered to the action callback on the base command topic; the preset uses the MQTT notify component.

Not provided by the built-in integration / limits: No built-in email, SMS, push service, message queue or delivery receipts. The text action is bounded to 512 bytes and requires the application command callback.

Explicit ha properties can override Discovery metadata. They do not create additional hardware behavior, application value properties or command handlers by themselves. See HA integration for the shared setup.

Integration with Zigbee

Status: not mapped by ArdPortal. Text notifications are not sent through Zigbee. Enabling Zigbee does not create an endpoint for this field. The field remains usable in the portal and through MQTT/HA when those features are enabled.

This describes the current ArdPortal implementation, not a claim that Zigbee cannot represent a similar device through a standard cluster or a gateway-specific converter.

Possible extension, not implemented: Character-string payload in a custom ZCL command. A notification message can be transported over Zigbee, but standard measurement/control clusters do not define the ArdPortal notify service. Delivery semantics, size limits, repeat handling and gateway presentation require a custom protocol/converter. See the mapping feasibility table.

See Zigbee integration for pairing, endpoint lifecycle, gateway limitations and OTA requirements.

Read and update values from C++

These examples use the field ID from the JSON above and an existing ArdPortal portal. Run them after page registration has finished and portal.portalAndAppConfigReady() is true. Call portal.loop() frequently. Register callbacks once in setup(); do not repeat setters on every loop iteration.

This field represents a transient action/event, not a durable setting. Do not persist its command and automatically replay it after restart. The state setters are not a substitute for action execution or event publication.

Handle an action without saving it

portal.onAppConfigCommand([](const String& field, const String& command,
                            const ArdJSON::JSONVar& value,
                            ArdPortal::ChangeSource source) {
  if (field != "notify") return false; // Add branches for other action IDs.
  Serial.println(ArdJSON::JSON.stringify(value));
  // Queue the hardware/application action here; keep this callback nonblocking.
  return true; // Acceptance, not confirmation of physical completion.
});

Portal and MQTT actions reach this callback. The action payload is available as value; getAppConfigValue("notify") returns the field's null state, not a command history. Keep a separate application variable if the last action needs to remain available in RAM.

Automatic persistence

This control has no persistent setting value: actions and events are transient. Do not save its command as a setting or replay it after restart. Automatic ArdFS persistence applies to persistent setting controls through setAppConfigValue(), not to this action/event field. No separate storage key or manual ArdFS write is needed for using this control.

Back to control catalogue