Nao Webserver
The NPWS is a webserver special created for executing your python scripts
on the Nao. You can create on the server side a menu with buttons and
input fields. A button can execute your Python script and with the input fields
you can send extra information that you can use inside your script.
A button can also target another menu and in this way you can create
multiple submenu's.
Manual
Client Side (screenshot login)
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Server Side (screenshot server
application with user configuration)
Client Side (screenshot client menu development)
Nao meets Delphi.
To communicate with the Nao the program is using the Aldebaran Python SDK and the Python4Delphi components. The webserver is programmed in Delphi Pascal using the Datasnap technology and it is also using HTML and JavaScript to handle the web interface with the user.
The server is based on DataSnap. You can compare this to
creating webservices with the CGI (exe) or ISAPI (dll) technique. The main
difference is that you don't need a separate webserver (like Apache, IIS, ..)
to run the services. The webserver executable will contain both the webserver
and the services. What remains the same is that the developer can create
"Servermethods" in the base system (Delphi in this case) and these
methods can be called from the web. In the base system the developer can use
all the advanced functionality included in the system. (calculations,
database, file handling, ..)
Technical Overview
Client Side (webbrowser html, java script)
<input type="button" id="btnSayMessage" value="Say Message" onclick="javascript:oNaoServerMethods.onSay();" />';
# The user sees a webpage with a text edit (the message) and a submit button.
# The user fills in a message and clicks in the webbrowser on the button.
# The button executes a javascript function "onSay".
var oNaoServerMethods = {
onSay: function () {
var s = NaoServerMethods().Say(this.getAnswers());
if (s.result.length > 0) {
$('#resultdisplay').html(s.result);
}
}
# In a Javasript library the "onSay" function is called. This function is getting the
# edit text message from the browser (getAnswers) and executes the servermethod "Say"
Server Side (webserver delphi pascal)
function TNaoServerMethods.Say(aJSONValue: TJSONObject): string;
var JSONParseObject: TJSONParseObject;
NaoDelphiPython: TNaoDelphiPython;
aMessage: String;
Session: TDSSession;
NaoIP, NaoPort : String;
Begin
Session := TDSSessionManager.GetThreadSession;
if Session<>NIL then
Begin
NaoIP:=Session.GetData('naoip');
NaoPort:=Session.GetData('naoport');
JSONParseObject:=TJSONParseObject.Create(aJSONValue);
Try
aMessage:=JSONParseObject.GetValueByIndex(0);
NaoDelphiPython:=TNaoDelphiPython.Create;
Try
NaoDelphiPython.Say(aMessage,NaoIP,NaoPort);
Finally
NaoDelphiPython.Free;
End;
Finally
Result:='Nao says "'+aMessage+'"';
JSONParseObject.Free;
End;
End;
End;
# On the server the severmethod "Say" is called.
# It receives the edit text parameter via aJSONValue.
# Via the session the server asks for the user NoaIP and NaoPort.
# These session values were set by the login page of the server.
# The servermethod creates a TNaoDelphiPython object and executes the Say function.
# The result is a small html message passed back to the user webbrowser.
Server Side (webserver pascal, python)
procedure TNaoDelphiPython.Say(aMessage, aNaoIP, aNaoPort: String);
Var PythonStrings : TStringList;
Begin
PythonStrings:=TStringList.Create;
Try
PythonStrings.Add('from naoqi import ALProxy');
PythonStrings.Add('tts = ALProxy("ALTextToSpeech", "'+aNaoIP+'", '+aNaoPort+')');
PythonStrings.Add('tts.say("'+aMessage+'")');
FPythonEngine.ExecStrings(PythonStrings);
Finally
PythonStrings.Free;
End;
End;
# In the TNaoDelphiPython object the final "Say" function is declared.
# It creates the proper Python script and executes it to Python.
Nao is a great developers platform. With Choregraphe programming software and the extensive API its't easy and a lot of fun to develop new Nao behaviors.
– Nao Triest