XTablesClient

XTablesClient

XTablesClient is a Python client library for connecting to an XTABLES server, supporting both direct socket and ZeroMQ-based communication. This client provides methods for data operations on network tables and offers convenient functionality for interacting with robotic applications or distributed systems.

Features

• Flexible Initialization: Connects to a server directly or discovers it via mDNS.
• Data Operations: Supports multiple data types (Boolean, String, Integer, Float, Array, Class, Bytes) for seamless data transmission.
• ZeroMQ Support: Configurable ZeroMQ PUSH/PULL and PUB/SUB communication for real-time message streaming.
• Robust Connection Management: Includes automatic reconnection and resubscription after disconnection.
• Subscription: Allows for subscriptions to data updates for specific keys, invoking consumer functions on updates.

Installation

Install xtables-client from PyPI:

pip install xtables-client

Usage

Import and Initialization

from xtables_client import XTablesClient

# Initialize the client
client = XTablesClient(server_ip="192.168.1.10", server_port=1735, useZeroMQ=True)

Data Operations

1. Setting Values

   • Boolean: client.executePutBoolean("key", True)
   • String: client.executePutString("key", "value")
   • Integer: client.executePutInteger("key", 42)
   • Float: client.executePutFloat("key", 3.14)

2. Retrieving Values

   • Get Integer: value = client.getInteger("key")
   • Get String: value = client.getString("key")
   • Get Float: value = client.getFloat("key")

3. Subscriptions

   • Subscribe to updates for a key and handle updates with a custom function:

     def my_consumer(key, value):
         print(f"Update for {key}: {value}")
     
     client.subscribeForUpdates("key", my_consumer)
     

4. ZeroMQ Operations

   • Push Data: client.push_frame("identifier", "message")
   • Receive Next: key, value = client.recv_next()

Connection Management

• Reconnect: Automatic reconnection and re-subscription to previously subscribed keys.
• Shutdown: Gracefully shuts down the client connection.

  client.shutdown()
  

Example

from xtables_client import XTablesClient

client = XTablesClient(useZeroMQ=True, server_port=1735)
client.subscribe("image")

while True:
    key, value = client.recv_next()
    if key is not None:
        print(f"Received data for {key}: {value}")

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

This README provides a clear overview of the client’s capabilities, installation instructions, and usage examples to facilitate integration with any XTABLES server.