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I’ve spent the last few weeks learning about compose and decided to write a post to share my notes. This post is not meant to teach you everything about Compose but rather it’ll be more like a roadmap that you can use to learn Compose or to see what you still don’t know about Compose. This article will be constantly updated as I learn new things. State hoisting State hoisting is a pattern of moving state up to make a component stateless. When applied to composables, this often means introducing two parameters to the composable. value: T – the current value to display onValueChange: (T) -> Unit – an event that requests the value to change, where T is the proposed new value CompositionLocal Tool for passing data down through the Composition implicitly. CompositionLocalProvider(LocalContentAlpha provides ContentAlpha.medium) {
  Text(...)
}
CompositionLocalProvider(LocalContentAlpha provides ContentAlpha.disabled) {
  Icon(...)
  Text(...)
} compositionLocalOf Changing the value provided during recomposition invalidates only the content that reads its current value. data class Elevations(val card: Dp = 0.dp, val default: Dp = 0.dp)
val LocalElevations = compositionLocalOf { Elevations() } // Create composition with default value

val elevations = Elevations(card = 4.dp, default = 2.dp) // Provide different value here
CompositionLocalProvider(LocalElevations provides elevations) { ... } staticCompositionLocalOf Reads of a are not tracked by Compose. Changing the value causes the entirety of the content lambda where the CompositionLocal is provided to be recomposed. staticCompositionLocalOf If the value provided to the CompositionLocal is highly unlikely to change or will never change, use to get performance benefits. staticCompositionLocalOf Keeping track of changes remember A value computed by remember will be stored in the composition tree, and only be recomputed if the keys to remember change. When adding memory to a composable, always ask yourself “will some caller reasonably want to control this?” If the answer is yes, make a parameter instead. If the answer is no, keep it as a local variable. Remember stores values in the Composition, and will forget them if the composable that called remember is removed. This means you shouldn’t rely upon remember to store important things inside of composables that add and remove children such as . LazyColumn rememberSaveable It behaves similarly to remember, but the stored value will survive the activity or process recreation using the saved instance state mechanism rememberUpdatedState In some situations you might want to capture a value in your effect that, if it changes, you do not want the effect to restart. Create a reference to this value which can be captured and updated. rememberLauncherForActivityResult val result = remember { mutableStateOf<Bitmap?>(null) }
val launcher = rememberLauncherForActivityResult(ActivityResultContracts.TakePicturePreview()) {
  result.value = it
}

Button(onClick = { launcher.launch() }) { ... }

result.value?.let { image ->
  Image(image.asImageBitmap(), null, modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth())
} rememberCoroutineScope In order to launch a coroutine outside of a composable, but scoped so that it will be automatically canceled once it leaves the composition is used for scoping jobs initiated by the composition. is for scoping jobs initiated by a user interaction. LaunchedEffect rememberCoroutineScope LaunchedEffect Call suspend functions safely from inside a composable. The coroutine will be cancelled if LaunchedEffect leaves the composition. If LaunchedEffect is recomposed with different keys, the existing coroutine will be cancelled and the new suspend function will be launched in a new coroutine. val currentOnTimeout by rememberUpdatedState(onTimeout)

LaunchedEffect(true) {
  delay(SplashWaitTimeMillis)
  currentOnTimeout()
} snapshotFlow Convert Compose State<T> objects into a Flow. DisposableEffect DisposableEffect is meant for side effects that need to be cleaned up after the keys change or the composable leaves the Composition. DisposableEffect(dispatcher) {
  dispatcher.addCallback(backCallback)
  onDispose {
    backCallback.remove()
  }
} derivedStateOf derivedStateOf is used when you want a Compose State that’s derived from another State. State Holder State holders always need to be in order to keep them in the Composition and not create a new one every time. It’s a good practice to create a method in the same file that does this to remove boilerplate and avoid any mistakes that might occur. remembered Layouts LazyColumn and LazyRow Don’t recycle their children like RecyclerView. It emits new Composables as you scroll through it and is still performant as emitting Composables is relatively cheap compared to instantiating Android Views. val listState = rememberLazyListState()

LazyColumn(
  contentPadding,
  verticalArrangement / horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy
) {
  stickyHeader { Header()  } // Experimental
  items(5) { index -> Text(text = "Item: $index") } // key = ...
  item { Text(text = "Last item") }
}

LaunchedEffect(listState) {
  snapshotFlow { listState.firstVisibleItemIndex }
}

firstVisibleItemIndex
firstVisibleItemScrollOffset

scrollToItem()
animateScrollToItem() ConstraintLayout ConstraintLayout {
  val (button, text) = createRefs()

  Button(
    modifier = Modifier.constrainAs(button) {
      top.linkTo(parent.top, margin = 16.dp)
    }
  )

  Text("Text", Modifier.constrainAs(text) {
    top.linkTo(button.bottom, margin = 16.dp)
  })
}

ConstraintSet {
  val button = createRefFor("button")
  val text = createRefFor("text")

  constrain(button) { ... }
  constrain(text) { ... }
} Layout Instead of controlling how a single composable gets measured and laid out on the screen, you might have the same necessity for a group of composables. For that, you can use the Layout composable to manually control how to measure and position the layout’s children. Layout(
  modifier = modifier,
  content = content
) { measurables, constraints ->
  // Don't constrain child views further, measure them with given constraints
  val placeables = measurables.map { measurable -> measurable.measure(constraints) }

  // Set the size of the layout as big as it can
  layout(constraints.maxWidth, constraints.maxHeight) {
    var yPosition = 0

    placeables.forEach { placeable ->
      placeable.placeRelative(x = 0, y = yPosition)
      yPosition += placeable.height
    }
  }
} Intrinsic measurements Row(modifier = modifier.height(IntrinsicSize.Min)) Navigation val navController = rememberNavController()
val backstackEntry = navController.currentBackStackEntryAsState()

NavHost(navController = navController, startDestination = "profile") {
  composable(
    "profile/{userId}/?mode={mode}",
    arguments = listOf(
      navArgument("userId") { type = NavType.StringType },
      navArgument("mode") { defaultValue = "lite" },
    ),
    deepLinks = listOf(navDeepLink {
      uriPattern = "rally://$accountsName/{name}"
    })
  ) { 
    Profile(/*...*/) 
  }
  
  loginGraph()
}

fun NavGraphBuilder.loginGraph(navController: NavController) {
  navigation(startDestination = "username", route = "login") {
    composable("username") { ... }
  }
}

navController.navigate("friends") {
  popUpTo("home") { inclusive = true }
}

navController.navigate(screen.route) {
  // Pop up to the start destination of the graph to avoid building up a large stack 
  // of destinations on the back stack as users select items
  popUpTo(navController.graph.findStartDestination().id) {
    saveState = true
  }
  // Avoid multiple copies of the same destination when reselecting the same item
  launchSingleTop = true
  // Restore state when reselecting a previously selected item
  restoreState = true
} ViewModel @HiltViewModel
class ExampleViewModel @Inject constructor(
  ...
) : ViewModel() { /* ... */ }

@AndroidEntryPoint
class ExampleActivity : AppCompatActivity()

@Composable
fun ExampleScreen(
  exampleViewModel: ExampleViewModel = viewModel()
) { /* ... */ } Animation You can create an animation value by simply wrapping the changing value with the corresponding variant of composables. animate*AsState Float, Color, Dp, Size, Bounds, Offset, Rect, Int, IntOffset, and IntSize You can combine multiple transition objects with a + operator. MutableTransitionState(false).apply {
  targetState = true  // Start the animation immediately
  // isIdle, currentState
} AnimatedVisibility Content within (direct or indirect children) can use the animateEnterExit modifier to specify different animation behavior for each of them. AnimatedVisibility AnimatedContent defines how the size should animate between the initial and the target contents. SizeTransform animateContentSize Animates a size change Crossfade Animates between two layouts with a crossfade animation. Animatable Animatable is a value holder that can animate the value as it is changed via . animateTo sets the current value to the target value immediately. snapTo starts an animation that slows down from the given velocity. animateDecay val color = remember { Animatable(Color.Gray) }
LaunchedEffect(ok) { color.animateTo(if (ok) Color.Green else Color.Red) }InfiniteTransition InfiniteTransition Holds one or more child animations like Transition, but the animations start running as soon as they enter the composition and do not stop unless they are removed. Use the function. rememberInfiniteTransition Transition Transition manages one or more animations as its children and runs them simultaneously . between multiple states var currentState by remember { mutableStateOf(BoxState.Collapsed) }
val transition = updateTransition(currentState)

// Start in collapsed state and immediately animate to expanded
var currentState = remember { MutableTransitionState(BoxState.Collapsed) }
currentState.targetState = BoxState.Expanded
val transition = updateTransition(currentState)

transition.AnimatedVisibility
transition.AnimatedContent AnimationSpec spring(
  dampingRatio = Spring.DampingRatioHighBouncy,
  stiffness = Spring.StiffnessMedium
)

tween(
  durationMillis = 300,
  delayMillis = 50,
  easing = LinearOutSlowInEasing
)

// animates based on the snapshot values specified at different timestamps
keyframes {
  durationMillis = 375
  0.0f at 0 with LinearOutSlowInEasing // for 0-15 ms
  0.2f at 15 with FastOutLinearInEasing // for 15-75 ms
  0.4f at 75 // ms
  0.4f at 225 // ms
}

// runs a animation repeatedly until it reaches the specified iteration count
repeatable(
  iterations = 3,
  animation = tween(durationMillis = 300),
  repeatMode = RepeatMode.Reverse
)

// like repeatable, but it repeats for an infinite amount of iterations
infiniteRepeatable(
  animation = tween(durationMillis = 300),
  repeatMode = RepeatMode.Reverse
)

// immediately switches the value to the end value
snap(delayMillis = 50) Theming When defining colors, we name them “literally”, based on the color value, rather than “semantically” e.g. Red500 not primary. This enables us to define multiple themes e.g. another color might be considered primary in dark theme or on a differently styled screen. isSystemInDarkTheme() / MaterialTheme.colors.isLight color: Color = MaterialTheme.colors.surface, contentColor: Color = contentColorFor(color) When setting the color of any elements, prefer using a Surface to do this as it sets an appropriate content color value, be wary of direct Modifier.background calls which do not set an appropriate content color. CompositionLocal TextFieldDefaults textFieldColors outlinedTextFieldColors ProvideTextStyle So how do components set a theme typography style? Under the hood they use the composable (which itself uses a CompositionLocal) to set a “current” TextStyle. The Text composable defaults to querying this “current” style if you do not provide a concrete textStyle parameter. ProvideTextStyle Resources stringResource(R.string.congratulate, "New Year", 2021)
dimensionResource(R.dimen.padding_small)

painterResource(id = R.drawable.ic_logo)
animatedVectorResource(id = R.drawable.animated_vector)

Icon(Icons.Rounded.Menu) Fonts private val light = Font(R.font.raleway_light, FontWeight.W300)
private val regular = Font(R.font.raleway_regular, FontWeight.W400)
private val medium = Font(R.font.raleway_medium, FontWeight.W500)
private val semibold = Font(R.font.raleway_semibold, FontWeight.W600)

// Create a font family to use in TextStyles
private val craneFontFamily = FontFamily(light, regular, medium, semibold) buildAnnotatedString buildAnnotatedString {
  append("This is some unstyled text\\n")
  withStyle(SpanStyle(color = Color.Red)) {
    append("Red text\\n")
  }
  pushStringAnnotation(tag = "URL", annotation = "<https://developer.android.com>")
  withStyle(SpanStyle(fontSize = 24.sp)) {
    append("Large text")
  }
  pop()
} Generic Modifiers align
alignBy

// animateEnterExit modifier can be used for any direct or indirect children 
// of AnimatedVisibility to create a different enter/exit animation than 
// what's specified in AnimatedVisibility.
animateEnterExit(enter, exit)

border
background
clip
clipToBounds

drawBehind
drawWithCache
drawWithContent

// The draw layer can be invalidated separately from parents. 
// scaleX, scaleY, rotationXYZ, alpha, shadowElevation, shape, clip, shape
// Use with state values such as ScrollState or LazyListState
graphicsLayer

shadow
zIndex

onKeyEvent

// Creates a LayoutModifier that allows changing how the wrapped element is 
// measured and laid out.
layout

absoluteOffset
offset

fillMaxHeight, fillMaxWidth, fillMaxSize
// matches the size of the Box after all other children have been measured 
// to obtain the Box's size.
matchParentSize

heighIn(min, max), widthIn(min, max) Gesture Modifiers combinedClickable(onLongClick, onDoubleClick, onClick)

draggable(
  orientation = Orientation.Horizontal,
  state = rememberDraggableState { delta ->
    val newValue = offsetPosition.value + delta
    offsetPosition.value = newValue.coerceIn(minPx, maxPx)
  }
)

swipeable(
  state = swipeableState,
  anchors = anchors,
  thresholds = { _, _ -> FractionalThreshold(0.3f) },
  orientation = Orientation.Horizontal
)

pointerInput(Unit) {
  detectTapGestures(onPress, onDoubleTap, onLongPress, onTap)
  detectDragGestures { change, dragAmount ->
    change.consumeAllChanges()
    offsetX += dragAmount.x
    offsetY += dragAmount.y
  }
}

horizontalScroll, verticalScroll

// Detects the scroll gestures, but does not offset its contents.
// Has nested scroll built in
scrollable

nestedScroll(nestedScrollConnection, nestedScrollDispatcher) Miscelaneous LocalSoftwareKeyboardController val keyboardController = LocalSoftwareKeyboardController.current
// Calling this function is considered a side-effect and should not be called directly from recomposition
keyboardController.hide() LocalOnBackPressedDispatcherOwner and BackHandler var backHandlingEnabled by remember { mutableStateOf(true) }
var backPressedCount by remember { mutableStateOf(0) }
BackHandler(backHandlingEnabled) { backPressedCount++ }

val dispatcher = LocalOnBackPressedDispatcherOwner.current!!.onBackPressedDispatcher

Button(onClick = { dispatcher.onBackPressed() }) {
  Text("Press Back count $backPressedCount")
} LocalDensity val sizeInPx = with(LocalDensity.current) { 16.dp.toPx() }
val (minPx, maxPx) = with(LocalDensity.current) { min.toPx() to max.toPx() } FocusRequester val focusRequester = remember { FocusRequester() }
var color by remember { mutableStateOf(Black) }
Box(
  Modifier
    .clickable { focusRequester.requestFocus() }
    .border(2.dp, color)
    // The focusRequester should be added BEFORE the focusable.
    .focusRequester(focusRequester)
    // The onFocusChanged should be added BEFORE the focusable that is being observed.
    .onFocusChanged { color = if (it.isFocused) Green else Black }
    .focusable()
) Thank you for reading. If you have any suggestions feel free to contact me. Resources https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/architecture https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/resources https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/animation https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/gestures https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/navigation https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/modifiers-list https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/mental-model https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/compositionlocal https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-basics https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-layouts https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-state https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-theming https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-animation https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-navigation https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-advanced-state-side-effects https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/runtime/saveable/package-summary Also published . here

The Ultimate Jetpack Compose Cheat Sheet

Looking for some helpful front-end development resources? Check out this list of 50 popular Github repositories that every front-end developer needs. This list has something for everyone from frameworks and libraries to tools and utilities. So whether you're just getting started or a seasoned pro, check out these repositories and make them a part of your toolkit. Looking for a great community of people interested in Javascript? Join our Discord server! 💙🧪 Discord: https://discord.gg/P8bjJ7CzBV 1. Normalize.css A modern, HTML5-ready alternative to CSS resets 2. Skeleton A simple, responsive boilerplate 3. Bootstrap The most popular HTML, CSS, and JavaScript framework for developing responsive, mobile-first projects on the web 4. Animate.css A cross-browser library of CSS animations 5. Font Awesome The iconic font and CSS toolkit 6. jQuery The write less, do more JavaScript library 7. Bower A package manager for the web 8. Gulp The streaming build system 9. Yeoman The Web's scaffolding tool for modern webapps 10. AngularJS AngularJS is a toolset for building the framework most suited to your application development. 11. Backbone.js Give your JS App some Backbone with Models, Views, Collections, and Events 12. React A declarative, efficient, and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces 13. Vue.js A progressive, incrementally-adoptable JavaScript framework for building UI on the web 14. jQuery UI The official jQuery user interface library 15. Zepto.js Zepto is a minimalist JavaScript library for modern browsers with a jQuery-compatible API 16. D3.js Bring data to life with SVG, Canvas and HTML. 📊📈🎉 17. Chart.js Simple HTML5 Charts using the <canvas> tag 18. Spin.js A jQuery plugin to create AJAX-spinner 19. Ladda Buttons with built-in loading indicators. ⏳ 🔁 ✅ 20. Pace Automatic page load progress bar. 🏃 ⚡ 🚀 21. SweetAlert A beautiful replacement for JavaScript's "alert" 22. toastr Simple javascript toast notifications ☕ 23. Fuse.js Lightweight fuzzy-search, in JavaScript 24. Masonry Cascading grid layout library 25. Isotope Filter & sort magical layouts 26. Packery Bin-packing layout library 27. imagesloaded Detect when images have been loaded 28. Flickity Touch, responsive, flickable carousels 29. Slick the last carousel you'll ever need 30. ScrollReveal Easy scroll animations 🎉 31. fullPage.js Create beautiful fullscreen scrolling websites 32. skrollr Stand-alone parallax scrolling library for mobile (Android + iOS) and desktop. 💀 33. headroom.js Give your pages some headroom. Hide your header until you need it 34. simpleParallax A simple JavaScript library used to create parallax effects on images 35. jarallax Smooth parallax scrolling effects for image and video backgrounds 36. video.js open source HTML5 & Flash video player 37. mediaelement HTML5 <video> or <audio> player with Flash and Silverlight shims that mimics the HTML5 MediaElement API, enabling a consistent UI in all browsers 38. jPlayer jPlayer : The Complete HTML5 Audio & Video Library 39. plyr A simple, lightweight, accessible and customizable HTML5 media player 40. jquery.mb.YTPlayer jQuery plugin to play Youtube videos (natively HTML5 if available) 41. Froogaloop A simple JavaScript library used to control embedded Vimeo players 42. H5P H5P empowers everyone to create, share and reuse interactive content such as videos, quizzes, presentations and more. 43. Lity A lightweight, accessible and responsive lightbox 44. colorbox A light-weight, customizable lightbox plugin for jQuery 45. featherlight Featherlight is a very lightweight jQuery lightbox plugin. 46. Lightbox The original lightbox script 47. strip A bare-bones, lightweight alternative to StripJs 48. baguetteBox.js Simple and lightweight lightbox script written in pure JavaScript 49. magnific-popup Light and responsive lightbox script with a focus on performance 50. iLightBox A revolutionary new way to present web content Also published here .

50+ GitHub Repositories Every Front-End Developer Needs

The aim of this is to read air quality sensor data and show it on an LCD display that is connected to STM32 board. A web browser will read the sensor data and pass it to STM32 board using BleuIO. Bluetooth LE project Introduction The project is based on which controls using BleuIO. STM32 Nucleo-144, LCD display We will need for this project, one connected to the Nucleo board and the other to a computer running the web script and a . When the BleuIO Dongle is connected to the Nucleo board’s USB port, the STM32 will recognize it and directly start advertising. This allows the Dongle on the computer port to connect with the web script. two BleuIO USB dongles HibouAir – Air quality monitoring device With the web script on the computer, we can scan and get air quality sensor data from HibouAir. Then we send these data to an LCD screen connected to STM32 using Bluetooth. We have used a STM32 Nucleo-144 development board with STM32H743ZI MCU (STM32H743ZI micro mbed-Enabled Development Nucleo-144 series ARM® Cortex®-M7 MCU 32-Bit Embedded Evaluation Board) for this example. This development board has a USB host where we connect the BleuIO dongle. If you want to use another setup, you will have to make sure it supports a USB Host and beware that the GPIO setup might be different and may need to be reconfigured in the .ioc file. About the Code The project source code is available at . Github Either clone the project or download it as a zip file and unzip it into your STM32CubeIDE workspace. If you download the project as a zip file, you will need to rename the project folder from ‘stm32_bleuio_lcd-master’ to ‘stm32_bleuio_lcd’. Connect the SDA to PF0 on the Nucleo board and SCL to PF1. Then setup I2C2 in the STM32Cube ioc file as follows. (Make sure to change the I2C speed frequency to 50 kHz as per LCD display requirements.) In the USBH_CDC_ReceiveCallback function in USB_HOST\usb_host.c, we copy the CDC_RX_Buffer into an external variable called dongle_response that is accessible from the main.c file. void USBH_CDC_ReceiveCallback(USBH_HandleTypeDef *phost)
{
  	if(phost == &hUsbHostFS)
  	{
  		// Handles the data recived from the USB CDC host, here just printing it out to UART
  		rx_size = USBH_CDC_GetLastReceivedDataSize(phost);
		HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, CDC_RX_Buffer, rx_size, HAL_MAX_DELAY);

		// Copy buffer to external dongle_response buffer
		strcpy((char *)dongle_response, (char *)CDC_RX_Buffer);

		// Reset buffer and restart the callback function to receive more data
		memset(CDC_RX_Buffer,0,RX_BUFF_SIZE);
		USBH_CDC_Receive(phost, CDC_RX_Buffer, RX_BUFF_SIZE);
  	}

  	return;
} In main.c we create a simple interpreter so we can react to the data we are receiving from the dongle. void dongle_interpreter(uint8_t * input)
{

	if(strlen((char *)input) != 0)
	{
		if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nADVERTISING...") != NULL)
		{
			isAdvertising = true;
		}
		if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nADVERTISING STOPPED") != NULL)
		{
			isAdvertising = false;
		}
		if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nCONNECTED") != NULL)
		{
			isConnected = true;
			HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOE, GPIO_PIN_1, GPIO_PIN_SET);
		}
		if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nDISCONNECTED") != NULL)
		{
			isConnected = false;
			HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOE, GPIO_PIN_1, GPIO_PIN_RESET);
		}


		if(strstr((char *)input, "L=0") != NULL)
		{

			isLightBulbOn = false;
			//HAL_GPIO_WritePin(Lightbulb_GPIO_Port, Lightbulb_Pin, GPIO_PIN_RESET);
			lcd_clear();

			writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_SEND_LIGHT_OFF);

			uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\nClear screen\r\n");
			HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
		}

		if(strstr((char *)input, "L=1") != NULL)
		{
				isLightBulbOn = true;
				writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_SEND_LIGHT_ON);


				lcd_clear();

				lcd_write(input);

		}

	}
	memset(&dongle_response, 0, RSP_SIZE);
} We put the interpreter function inside the main loop. /* Infinite loop */
  /* USER CODE BEGIN WHILE */
  while (1)
  {
    /* USER CODE END WHILE */
    MX_USB_HOST_Process();

    /* USER CODE BEGIN 3 */
    // Simple handler for uart input
    handleUartInput(uartStatus);

    // Inteprets the dongle data
    dongle_interpreter(dongle_response);

	// Starts advertising as soon as the Dongle is ready.
	if(!isAdvertising && !isConnected && isBleuIOReady)
	{
		HAL_Delay(200);
		writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_CMD_AT_ADVSTART);
		isAdvertising = true;
	}
  }
  /* USER CODE END 3 */ Using the example project What we will need Two BleuIO dongles A board with a STM32 Microcontroller with a USB port. (A Nucleo-144 development board: NUCLEO-H743ZI2, was used to develop this example. To connect the dongle to the Nucleo board, a “USB A to Micro USB B”-cable with a USB A female-to-female adapter can be used.) STM32CubeIDE Liquid Crystal Display Module – NHD-0420D3Z-NSW-BBW-V3 – Air quality monitoring device HibouAir Importing as an Existing Project From STM32CubeIDE choose File>Import… Then choose General>Existing Projects into Workspace, then click ‘Next >’ Make sure you’ve chosen your workspace in ‘Select root directory:’ You should see the project “stm32_bleuio_SHT85_example”, check it, and click ‘Finish’. Running the example Upload the code to STM32 and run the example. The USB dongle connected to STM32 will start advertising automatically. Send Sensor Data to LCD screen from a web browser Connect the BleuIO dongle to the computer. Run the web script to connect to the other BleuIO dongle on the STM32. Now you can send sensor data to the LCD screen. For this script to work, we need connected to the computer. BleuIO USB dongle BleuIO javascript library Chrome 78 or later, and you need to enable the flag in #enable-experimental-web-platform-features chrome://flags A web bundler Create a simple Html file called index.html which will serve as the frontend of the script. This Html file contains some buttons that help connect, read advertised data from the HibouAir to get air quality sensor data and send this data to the LCD screen, which is connected to stm32. <!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <link
      href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.1.3/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css"
      rel="stylesheet"
      integrity="sha384-1BmE4kWBq78iYhFldvKuhfTAU6auU8tT94WrHftjDbrCEXSU1oBoqyl2QvZ6jIW3"
      crossorigin="anonymous"
    />
    <title>Bluetooth LE Air quality sensor data to LCD screen</title>
  </head>
  <body class="mt-5">
    <div class="container mt-5">
      <img
        src="https://www.bleuio.com/blog/wp-content/themes/bleuio/images/logo.png"
      />
      <h1 class="mb-5">Bluetooth LE Air quality sensor data to LCD screen</h1>

      <div class="row">
        <div class="col-md-4 pt-5">
          <button class="btn btn-success mb-2" id="connect">Connect</button>
          <form method="post" id="sendDataForm" name="sendMsgForm" hidden>
            <div class="mb-3">
              <label for="sensorID" class="form-label">Sensor ID</label>
              <input
                type="text"
                class="form-control"
                name="sensorID"
                id="sensorID"
                required
                maxlength="60"
                value="0578E0"
              />
            </div>

            <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Get Data</button>
          </form>
          <br />
          <button class="btn btn-danger" id="clearScreen" disabled>
            Clear screen
          </button>
        </div>
        <div class="col-md-8">
          <img src="air_quality_lcd.jpg" class="img-fluid" />
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>

    <script src="script.js"></script>
  </body>
</html> Create a js file called script.js and include it at the bottom of the Html file. This js file uses the BleuIO js library to write AT commands and communicate with the other dongle. import * as my_dongle from 'bleuio'
import 'regenerator-runtime/runtime'

const dongleToConnect='[0]40:48:FD:E5:2F:17'
//const sensorID = '0578E0'
document.getElementById('connect').addEventListener('click', function(){
  my_dongle.at_connect()
  document.getElementById("clearScreen").disabled=false;
  document.getElementById("connect").disabled=true;
  document.getElementById("sendDataForm").hidden=false;
})

document.getElementById("sendDataForm").addEventListener("submit", function(event){
    event.preventDefault()
    const sensorID = document.getElementById('sensorID').value
    getSensorData(sensorID)
    setInterval(function () {getSensorData(sensorID)}, 10000);

   
  });

  const getSensorData =((sensorID)=>{
    my_dongle.ati().then((data)=>{
        //make central if not
        if(JSON.stringify(data).includes("Peripheral")){
            console.log('peripheral')
            my_dongle.at_dual().then((x)=>{
                console.log('central now')
            })
        }        
    })
    .then(()=>{
        // connect to dongle
        my_dongle.at_getconn().then((y)=>{
            if(JSON.stringify(y).includes(dongleToConnect)){
                console.log('already connected')
            }else{
                my_dongle.at_gapconnect(dongleToConnect).then(()=>{
                    console.log('connected successfully')
                })
            }
        })
        .then(async()=>{
           return my_dongle.at_findscandata(sensorID,6).then((sd)=>{
                console.log('scandata',sd)
                let advData = sd[sd.length - 1].split(" ").pop()
                let positionOfID= advData.indexOf(sensorID);
                let tempHex = advData.substring(positionOfID+14, positionOfID+18)
                let temp = parseInt('0x'+tempHex.match(/../g).reverse().join(''))/10;

                let co2Hex = advData.substring(positionOfID+38, positionOfID+42)
                let co2 = parseInt('0x'+co2Hex);
                //console.log(temp,co2)
                return {
                    'CO2' :co2,
                    'Temp' :temp,                       
                  }
            })
        })
        .then((x)=>{
            console.log(x.CO2)
            console.log(x.Temp)
            var theVal = "L=1 SENSOR ID "+sensorID+"    TEMPERATURE " + x.Temp + ' °c    CO2 '+ x.CO2+' ppm';
            console.log('Message Send 1 ')
            // send command to show data
            my_dongle.at_spssend(theVal).then(()=>{
                console.log('Message Send '+theVal)
            })
        })
        
    })
})

document.getElementById('clearScreen').addEventListener('click', function(){
    my_dongle.ati().then((data)=>{
        //make central if not
        if(JSON.stringify(data).includes("Peripheral")){
            console.log('peripheral')
            my_dongle.at_central().then((x)=>{
                console.log('central now')
            })
        }
    })
    .then(()=>{
        // connect to dongle
        my_dongle.at_getconn().then((y)=>{
            if(JSON.stringify(y).includes(dongleToConnect)){
                console.log('already connected')
            }else{
                my_dongle.at_gapconnect(dongleToConnect).then(()=>{
                    console.log('connected successfully')
                })
            }
        })
        .then(()=>{
            // send command to clear the screen
            my_dongle.at_spssend('L=0').then(()=>{
                console.log('Screen Cleared')
            })
        })
        
    })
}) The script has a button to connect to the COM port on the computer. There is a text field where you can write the sensor ID of the air quality monitor device. Once connected, the script will try to get advertised data from the sensor and convert it to meaningful data. After that, it will send this data to the STM32 board, which is then displayed on the LCD screen. To connect to the BleuIO dongle on the STM32, make sure the STM32 is powered up, and a BleuIO dongle is connected to it. Get the MAC address Follow the steps to get the MAC address of the dongle that is connected to STM32. - Open this site https://bleuio.com/web_terminal.html and click connect to dongle.
- Select the appropriate port to connect.
- Once it says connected, type ATI. This will show dongle information and current status.
- If the dongle is on peripheral role, set it to central by typing AT+CENTRAL
- Now do a gap scan by typing AT+GAPSCAN
- Once you see your dongle on the list ,stop the scan by pressing control+c
- Copy the ID and paste it into the script (script.js) line #4 Run the web script You will need a web bundler. You can use parcel.js Once parcel js is installed, go to the root directory of the web script and type . This will start your development environment. “parcel index.html” Open the script on a browser. For this example, we opened http://localhost:1234. You can easily connect to the dongle and see air quality data on the LCD screen. The response will show on the browser console screen. The web script looks like this: Output The message will show on the LCD screen. Also published here.

Show Bluetooth LE Sensor Readings on LCD Screen Connected to STM32 

Home automation involves automating household environment equipment. To achieve that, we have created a smart bulb that is easy to install, and the attached equipment can be controlled over a web browser or smartphone app. The aim of this project is to control different home appliances using a web browser or smartphone. 1. Introduction The project is showcasing a simple way of using the the BleuIO Dongle to turn on and off a light bulb that is connected to the STM32 Nucleo-144 via a 5V Relay. You will need two dongles, one connected to the Nucleo board and one connected to a computer, running the web script. When the BleuIO Dongle is connected to the Nucleo boards USB port the STM32 will recognize it and directly start advertising. This allows the other Dongle to connect to it. It will also accept 3 different inputs from the UART: 0	Send ATI (Request device information) command to BlueIO Dongle.
1	Manually turn the light bulb on
2	Manually turn the light bulb off input	result We have used a STM32 Nucleo-144 development board with STM32H743ZI MCU (STM32H743ZI micro mbed-Enabled Development Nucleo-144 series ARM® Cortex®-M7 MCU 32-Bit Embedded Evaluation Board) for this example. If you want to use another setup you will have to make sure it support USB Host and beware that the GPIO setup might be different and may need to be reconfigured in the .ioc file. WARNING – THIS PROJECT INVOLVES HIGH VOLTAGES THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. PLEASE TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS, AND TURN OFF ALL POWER TO A CIRCUIT BEFORE WORKING ON IT. What you will need Two BleuIO dongles ( ) https://www.bleuio.com/ The script for the dongle (available on the source code inside web script folder) A board with a STM32 Microcontroller with a USB port. (A Nucleo-144 development board: NUCLEO-H743ZI2, was used developing this example. ( ) https://www.st.com/en/evaluation-tools/nucleo-h743zi.html To connect the dongle to the Nucleo board a “USB A to Micro USB B”-cable with a USB A female-to-female adapter can be used.) STM32CubeIDE ( ) https://www.st.com/en/development-tools/stm32cubeide.html A 5V Relay A light bulb Connecting the relay NOTICE OF RISK; DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY Always be very careful when experimenting with AC, electrical shock can result in serious injuries! For the DC part of the Relay circuit connect S (signal) to pin PE4 on the STM32 NUCLEO board, also connect the Power supply (+) and ground (-) to +5V and GND respectively. Pinout and Connection to STM32 About the Code You can get the project HERE https://github.com/smart-sensor-devices-ab/stm32_bleuio_lightbulb_example This project-based on our previous STM32 project ( ) with these changes in the .ioc file: https://github.com/smart-sensor-devices-ab/stm32_bleuio_example In the pinout view we set the GPIO PE4 to OUTPUT and labeled it to ‘lightbulb’. In the USBH_CDC_ReceiveCallback function in USB_HOST\usb_host.c we copy the CDC_RX_Buffer into a external variable called dongle_response that is accessible from the main.c file. void USBH_CDC_ReceiveCallback(USBH_HandleTypeDef *phost)
{
    if(phost == &hUsbHostFS)
    {
        // Handles the data recived from the USB CDC host, here just printing it out to UART
        rx_size = USBH_CDC_GetLastReceivedDataSize(phost);
        HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, CDC_RX_Buffer, rx_size, HAL_MAX_DELAY);

        // Copy buffer to external dongle_response buffer
        strcpy((char *)dongle_response, (char *)CDC_RX_Buffer);

        memset(CDC_RX_Buffer,0,RX_BUFF_SIZE);
        USBH_CDC_Receive(phost, CDC_RX_Buffer, RX_BUFF_SIZE);
    }

    return;
} In main.c we create a simple interpreter so we can react to the data we are receiving from the dongle. /**
  * @brief Simple dongle interpreter
  * @retval None
  */
void dongle_interpreter(uint8_t * input)
{

    if(strlen((char *)input) != 0)
    {
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nADVERTISING...") != NULL)
        {
            isAdvertising = true;
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nADVERTISING STOPPED.") != NULL)
        {
            isAdvertising = false;
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nCONNECTED") != NULL)
        {
            isConnected = true;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOE, GPIO_PIN_1, GPIO_PIN_SET);
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nDISCONNECTED") != NULL)
        {
            isConnected = false;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOE, GPIO_PIN_1, GPIO_PIN_RESET);
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "L=0") != NULL)
        {
            isLightBulbOn = false;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(Lightbulb_GPIO_Port, Lightbulb_Pin, GPIO_PIN_RESET);

            writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_SEND_LIGHT_OFF);

            uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\nLight bulb is %s\r\n", isLightBulbOn ? "on":"off");
            HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "L=1") != NULL)
        {
            isLightBulbOn = true;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(Lightbulb_GPIO_Port, Lightbulb_Pin, GPIO_PIN_SET);

            writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_SEND_LIGHT_ON);

            uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\nLight bulb is %s\r\n", isLightBulbOn ? "on":"off");
            HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
        }
    }
    memset(&dongle_response, 0, RSP_SIZE);
} In main.c we create a simple interpreter so we can react to the data we are receiving from the dongle. /**
  * @brief Simple dongle interpreter
  * @retval None
  */
void dongle_interpreter(uint8_t * input)
{

    if(strlen((char *)input) != 0)
    {
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nADVERTISING...") != NULL)
        {
            isAdvertising = true;
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nADVERTISING STOPPED.") != NULL)
        {
            isAdvertising = false;
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nCONNECTED") != NULL)
        {
            isConnected = true;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOE, GPIO_PIN_1, GPIO_PIN_SET);
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "\r\nDISCONNECTED") != NULL)
        {
            isConnected = false;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOE, GPIO_PIN_1, GPIO_PIN_RESET);
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "L=0") != NULL)
        {
            isLightBulbOn = false;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(Lightbulb_GPIO_Port, Lightbulb_Pin, GPIO_PIN_RESET);

            writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_SEND_LIGHT_OFF);

            uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\nLight bulb is %s\r\n", isLightBulbOn ? "on":"off");
            HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
        }
        if(strstr((char *)input, "L=1") != NULL)
        {
            isLightBulbOn = true;
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(Lightbulb_GPIO_Port, Lightbulb_Pin, GPIO_PIN_SET);

            writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_SEND_LIGHT_ON);

            uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\nLight bulb is %s\r\n", isLightBulbOn ? "on":"off");
            HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
        }
    }
    memset(&dongle_response, 0, RSP_SIZE);
} We also update the handleUartInput function so we can have manual control over the light bulb via the UART. /**
  * @brief Simple uart input handler
  * @retval None
  */
void handleUartInput(UARTCommandTypeDef cmd)
{
    switch(cmd)
    {
        case UART_RX_0:
        {
            // 0
            uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\n(0 pressed)\r\n");
            HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
            if(isBleuIOReady)
            {
                writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_CMD_ATI);
            } else
            {
                uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, BLEUIO_NOT_READY_MSG);
                HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
            }
            uartStatus = UART_RX_NONE;
            break;
        }
        case UART_RX_1:
        {
            // 1
            uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\n(1 pressed light bulb on!)\r\n");
            HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(Lightbulb_GPIO_Port, Lightbulb_Pin, GPIO_PIN_SET);
            uartStatus = UART_RX_NONE;
            break;
        }
        case UART_RX_2:
        {
            // 2
            uart_buf_len = sprintf(uart_tx_buf, "\r\n(2 pressed light bulb off!)\r\n");
            HAL_UART_Transmit(&huart3, (uint8_t *)uart_tx_buf, uart_buf_len, HAL_MAX_DELAY);
            HAL_GPIO_WritePin(Lightbulb_GPIO_Port, Lightbulb_Pin, GPIO_PIN_RESET);

            uartStatus = UART_RX_NONE;
            break;
        }
        case UART_RX_NONE:
        {
            break;
        }
        default:
        {
            uartStatus = UART_RX_NONE;
            break;
        }
    }
} We put the interpreter function inside the main loop. /* Infinite loop */
  /* USER CODE BEGIN WHILE */
  while (1)
  {
    /* USER CODE END WHILE */
    MX_USB_HOST_Process();

    /* USER CODE BEGIN 3 */
    // Simple handler for uart input
    handleUartInput(uartStatus);
    // Inteprets the dongle data
    dongle_interpreter(dongle_response);

    // Starts advertising as soon as the Dongle is ready.
    if(!isAdvertising && !isConnected && isBleuIOReady)
    {
        HAL_Delay(200);
        writeToDongle((uint8_t*)DONGLE_CMD_AT_ADVSTART);
        isAdvertising = true;
    }
  }
  /* USER CODE END 3 */ How to setup project Downloading the project from GitHub Either clone the project, or download it as a zip file and unzip it, into your STM32CubeIDE workspace. Get project HERE https://github.com/smart-sensor-devices-ab/stm32_bleuio_lightbulb_example Importing as an Existing Project From STM32CubeIDE choose File>Import… Then choose General>Existing Projects into Workspace then click ‘Next >’ Make sure you’ve chosen your workspace in ‘Select root directory:’ You should see the project “stm32_bleuio_example”, check it and click ‘Finish’. Running the example In STMCubeIDE click the hammer icon to build the project. Open up the ‘STMicroelectronics STLink Virtual COM Port’ with a serial terminal emulation program like TeraTerm, Putty or CoolTerm. Serial port Setup: Baudrate: 115200 Data Bits: 8 Parity: None Stop Bits: 1 Flow Control: None Connect the BleuIO Dongle before running the example. In STMCubeIDE click the green play button to flash and run it on your board. The first time you click it the ‘Run Configuration’ window will appear. You can just leave it as is and click run. You should be greeted by this welcome message: Wait until the message: “[BleuIO Dongle Ready]” is shown. You can now connect with the other dongle using the script. You can also use the uart commands (0, 1 or 2): Press 0 to get device information. 1 to turn on lightbulb. 2 to turn off lightbulb. Dongle response will be printed to UART. Controlling the light from a web browser We wrote a simple script that connects to the dongle and sends signals to toggle the light from the web browser. For this script to work, we need connected to the computer. BleuIO USB dongle BleuIO javascript library Chrome 78 or later, and you need to enable the flag in #enable-experimental-web-platform-features chrome://flags A web bundler – ( ) parcel js Steps Create a simple Html file called index.html which will serve as the frontend of the script. This Html file contains some buttons that help connect and signal to the remote dongle, which is connected to stm32. `<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8" /> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.1.3/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-1BmE4kWBq78iYhFldvKuhfTAU6auU8tT94WrHftjDbrCEXSU1oBoqyl2QvZ6jIW3" crossorigin="anonymous" /> <title>Control Light using Bleutooth Low Energy</title> </head> <body class="mt-5"> <div class="container mt-5"> <h1 class="mb-5">Control Light using Bleutooth Low Energy</h1> <button class="btn btn-success" id="connect">Connect</button> <button class="btn btn-warning" id="lightOn" disabled>Turn On</button> <button class="btn btn-danger" id="lightOf" disabled>Turn Off</button> </div> <div class="container mt-5"> <img id="light" src="light_off.png" alt="" /> </div> <script src="script.js"></script> </body> </html>` Create a js file called script.js and include it at the bottom of the Html file. This js file uses the BleuIO js library to write AT commands and communicate with the other dongle. import * as my_dongle from "bleuio";
const dongleToConnect = "[0]40:48:FD:E5:35:A5";
import lightOnImg from "./light_on.png";
import lightOfImg from "./light_off.png";
document.getElementById("connect").addEventListener("click", function () {
  my_dongle.at_connect();
  document.getElementById("lightOn").disabled = false;
  document.getElementById("lightOf").disabled = false;
  document.getElementById("connect").disabled = true;
});

document.getElementById("lightOn").addEventListener("click", function () {
  my_dongle
    .ati()
    .then((data) => {
      //make central if not
      if (JSON.stringify(data).includes("Peripheral")) {
        console.log("peripheral");
        my_dongle.at_central().then((x) => {
          console.log("central now");
        });
      }
    })
    .then(() => {
      // connect to dongle
      my_dongle
        .at_getconn()
        .then((y) => {
          if (JSON.stringify(y).includes(dongleToConnect)) {
            console.log("already connected");
          } else {
            my_dongle.at_gapconnect(dongleToConnect).then(() => {
              console.log("connected successfully");
            });
          }
        })
        .then(() => {
          // send command to control light
          my_dongle.at_spssend("L=1").then(() => {
            console.log("Turned on");
            document.getElementById("light").src = lightOnImg;
          });
        });
    });
});

document.getElementById("lightOf").addEventListener("click", function () {
  my_dongle
    .ati()
    .then((data) => {
      //make central if not
      if (JSON.stringify(data).includes("Peripheral")) {
        console.log("peripheral");
        my_dongle.at_central().then((x) => {
          console.log("central now");
        });
      }
    })
    .then(() => {
      // connect to dongle
      my_dongle
        .at_getconn()
        .then((y) => {
          if (JSON.stringify(y).includes(dongleToConnect)) {
            console.log("already connected");
          } else {
            my_dongle.at_gapconnect(dongleToConnect).then(() => {
              console.log("connected successfully");
            });
          }
        })
        .then(() => {
          // send command to control light
          my_dongle.at_spssend("L=0").then(() => {
            console.log("Turned off");
            document.getElementById("light").src = lightOfImg;
          });
        });
    });
}); The script js file has three button actions; connect and control light. Now we need to know the ID of the other dongle connected to STM32 so that we can connect to it. You can use this web terminal to get the dongle ID. Open this site and click connect to dongle. https://bleuio.com/web_terminal.html Select the appropriate port to connect. Once it says connected, type . This will show dongle information and current status. "ATI" If the dongle is on peripheral role, set it to central by typing "AT+CENTRAL" Now do a gap scan by typing "AT+GAPSCAN" Once you see your dongle on the list ,stop the scan by pressing control+c Copy the ID and paste it into the script (script.js) line #2 You will need a web bundler. You can use parcel.js Once parcel js installed, go to the root directory and type . This will start your development environment. “parcel index.html” Open the script on a browser using parcel js. You can easily connect to the dongle and turn on-off light from there.

A Guide to Making a BLE-Enabled Smart Bulb with STM32

Now that we all spend so much time in video conferencing either for work or life, it is critical to make yourself look and sound the best to your colleagues, family and friends. It is not only about self image, but also about having the “real” you projecting the maximum presence remotely. In this article, I would like to introduce a few simple steps to improve your look and sound in video conferencing tools. Why should you trust me? I’m the co-founder of a small but global company, and over the last two years I have spent more than 1,000 hours on Zoom video conferences, webinars, video AMA (Ask Me Anything), YouTube interviews, and more. What I have learned can potentially save you money, time, and headaches. Main Areas for improvement Before we jump into the practical details of improving your look and sound, let’s first examine the main areas for improvement. Light Regardless what kind of webcam you have, they all crave for better lighting so each pixel can show its best. The general recommendation here is more light and softer light. And avoid strong backlight! Sound According to a study on youtube, viewers will be more likely to stop watching a video clip because of poor sound than poor video quality. To improve your sound, the key is to get the microphone as close to your mouth as possible. In addition, find ways to reduce the ambient noise. Software, Gear, and other considerations Today’s video conferencing tools are quite powerful and often have advanced settings that can improve your video and sound quality. And the key is to find them and configure them properly. A few clicks can make a world of difference, and for free. Gears do matter, but not as much as you might think. There are webcams, video lights and microphones at different budget levels that can boost your video conference quality to the next level. $100 microphone will sound dramatically better than a $5 headset, but beyond that there will be diminishing returns. In addition, think about how to improve your surroundings to make it less cluttered and more inviting. After all, better work and living space will make us happier and more productive, with and without the video conferencing. Simplest solution that cost next to nothing To achieve a much better look and sound, it does not have to cost a fortune and a computer engineer to set up. Here are the recommended simple solutions that do not require buying new equipment. Solution for light: Natural light: During the day, try to find a north facing window or a large window without direct sunlight. Try to avoid strong light in your back, which will result in “witness protection” type of image with a very dark face. Artificial light: use a desk lamp or an accent light to add more light to your face. A dimmable light will be ideal, but you can also move the light to and away from you to adjust the amount of light. Use diffusion: use household white fabric to soften the main light you have. Some examples are: semi-transparent window curtain, shower curtain, a large white shirt, parchment paper, white bed sheets. But always be careful about safety and don’t catch fire by draping paper on hot bulbs! Bonus: add some fill light on the other side of your main light, to brighten up the shadows of your face. The fill light should be less bright than the main light. Solution for sound: Use any headset that has a microphone boom that is as close to your mouth as possible. Options are: A wired or wireless headphone with a boom microphone are the best choiceEarbuds with microphone are second best, for example, your inexpensive iPhone earpods with remote and mic.Airpod and wireless earbuds, although very convenient, offers lesser audio qualityYour microphone on your laptop is probably the worst, and should be used as the last resort. Solution for software, gear and other considerations Software: Enable HD and image enhancements in your video conference settings. For example, below is where you find the settings for Zoom. Position your camera: in general, a higher camera angle compliments your look. When you work on your laptop, your camera often looks “up” which might present a double-chin effect. This can be easily rectified by: Adding a stack of books under your laptopUse one of the laptop stands like the Rain Design mStand or cheaper foldable alternatives Gear: Your webcam on your laptop might be quite good already, for example the HD camera on most Macbook Pros. But a dedicated webcam, e.g. Logitech C920/C920S can certainly improve video quality further. You can also convert your existing dSLR, mirrorless camera, or even your older smartphone into a webcam. Intermediate solution: $500 budget If you do a lot of video conferencing and your professional appearance is critical for your business, investing $500 is really a sweet spot in terms of how much quality improvement you can get in proportion to your investment. Solution for light $100 Add a bright light: 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mountOptional: use a reflector or a second smaller light for fill light or hair light Solution for sound $100 Add a USB microphone: Audio Technica AT2005USB; Samson Q2U, which will dramatically improve your sound quality especially if your house is quite noisy (e.g. kids running and screaming anyone?) or quite echoish.If you prefer a bit more mobility and your room is reasonably quiet, a USB speakerphone such as a Jabra 410 can make your bedroom sound like a boardroom. Solution for software, gear and others: $200 Better webcam: you might want to invest in a good HD webcam such as the hugely popular Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives.Connect your dSLR or mirrorless camera (assume you already own one): via USB and software, or via HDMI capture card (Elgato Cam Link 4K) Advanced solution To get a YouTube studio quality setup, you might need to invest a bit more but the return on investment will be diminishing. Since there are so many options out there, I only list a few equipment I have used while adding a few recommended YouTube channels if you want to learn more. Solution for light: Kit 1: $300 LED panel light: Aputure Amaran HR726Reflective or white shine through umbrella like this: White umbrella Kit 2: $1000 Hard main light: Aputure LS120D IILight dome and grid: Aputure Light Dome II In addition, you can experiment with colorful flood lights as well as interesting accent lights (screensavers, Philips Hue lights, lava lamps, NEON signs, home-made light fixtures, holiday lights, and more). Solution for sound: A better microphone ($100-400): Rode Pod Mic, Rode VideoMic NTG, Shure SM7BA USB audio interface and/or recorder ($100-600): Motu M2, Tascam DR-60D MkII,  Rode Rodecaster ProBetter mic stand or scissor arm ($100): Rode PSA-1, Tripod Mic Stand Solution for software, gear and others Invest in a new mirrorless camera that works well for streaming ($350-2000), like Canon M50 or Nikon Z6. They are versatile for digital photos, on-location video, as well as video conferencing. You might also want to invest in a brighter lens, which will create that sharp face with dreamy blurry background effects.HDMI capture card like Elgato cam link 4K, or a video switcher like Blackmagic Atem Mini if you have multiple video cameras for different angles.A sturdy tripod or desktop mounting systemLearn to use software like OBS that can enhance your video feeds Summary By the end of this pandemic, we might all grow a bit more facial hair and sound a bit tired. By following some of the simple steps in this article, you might project a better presence for yourself, your friends, family and colleagues. Stay safe! For more information To learn more, I recommend the following YouTube videos: Best CAMERAS for LIVE Streaming on Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch Sound for YouTube - Getting StartedHow To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! As well follow some of these channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV Now that we all spend so much time in video conferencing either for work or life, it is critical to make yourself look and sound the best to your colleagues, family and friends. It is not only about self image, but also about having the “real” you projecting the maximum presence remotely. In this article, I would like to introduce a few simple steps to improve your look and sound in video conferencing tools. Why should you trust me? I’m the co-founder of a small but global company, and over the last two years I have spent more than 1,000 hours on Zoom video conferences, webinars, video AMA (Ask Me Anything), YouTube interviews, and more. What I have learned can potentially save you money, time, and headaches. Main Areas for improvement Before we jump into the practical details of improving your look and sound, let’s first examine the main areas for improvement. Light Regardless what kind of webcam you have, they all crave for better lighting so each pixel can show its best. The general recommendation here is more light and softer light. And avoid strong backlight! Sound According to a study on youtube, viewers will be more likely to stop watching a video clip because of poor sound than poor video quality. To improve your sound, the key is to get the microphone as close to your mouth as possible. In addition, find ways to reduce the ambient noise. Software, Gear, and other considerations Today’s video conferencing tools are quite powerful and often have advanced settings that can improve your video and sound quality. And the key is to find them and configure them properly. A few clicks can make a world of difference, and for free. Gears do matter, but not as much as you might think. There are webcams, video lights and microphones at different budget levels that can boost your video conference quality to the next level. $100 microphone will sound dramatically better than a $5 headset, but beyond that there will be diminishing returns. In addition, think about how to improve your surroundings to make it less cluttered and more inviting. After all, better work and living space will make us happier and more productive, with and without the video conferencing. Simplest solution that cost next to nothing To achieve a much better look and sound, it does not have to cost a fortune and a computer engineer to set up. Here are the recommended simple solutions that do not require buying new equipment. Solution for light: Natural light : During the day, try to find a north facing window or a large window without direct sunlight. Try to avoid strong light in your back, which will result in “witness protection” type of image with a very dark face. Natural light Artificial light : use a desk lamp or an accent light to add more light to your face. A dimmable light will be ideal, but you can also move the light to and away from you to adjust the amount of light. Artificial light Use diffusion : use household white fabric to soften the main light you have. Some examples are: semi-transparent window curtain, shower curtain, a large white shirt, parchment paper, white bed sheets. But always be careful about safety and don’t catch fire by draping paper on hot bulbs! Use diffusion Bonus : add some fill light on the other side of your main light, to brighten up the shadows of your face. The fill light should be less bright than the main light. Bonus Solution for sound: Use any headset that has a microphone boom that is as close to your mouth as possible. Options are: A wired or wireless headphone with a boom microphone are the best choice Earbuds with microphone are second best, for example, your inexpensive iPhone earpods with remote and mic. Airpod and wireless earbuds, although very convenient, offers lesser audio quality Your microphone on your laptop is probably the worst, and should be used as the last resort. A wired or wireless headphone with a boom microphone are the best choice wired wireless Earbuds with microphone are second best, for example, your inexpensive iPhone earpods with remote and mic . iPhone earpods with remote and mic Airpod and wireless earbuds, although very convenient, offers lesser audio quality Your microphone on your laptop is probably the worst, and should be used as the last resort. Solution for software, gear and other considerations Software : Enable HD and image enhancements in your video conference settings. For example, below is where you find the settings for Zoom. Software Position your camera : in general, a higher camera angle compliments your look. When you work on your laptop, your camera often looks “up” which might present a double-chin effect. This can be easily rectified by: Position your camera Adding a stack of books under your laptop Use one of the laptop stands like the Rain Design mStand or cheaper foldable alternatives Adding a stack of books under your laptop Use one of the laptop stands like the Rain Design mStand or cheaper foldable alternatives Rain Design mStand cheaper foldable alternatives Gear : Your webcam on your laptop might be quite good already, for example the HD camera on most Macbook Pros. But a dedicated webcam, e.g. Logitech C920/C920S can certainly improve video quality further. You can also convert your existing dSLR, mirrorless camera , or even your older smartphone into a webcam. Gear Logitech C920/C920S existing dSLR, mirrorless camera smartphone Intermediate solution: $500 budget If you do a lot of video conferencing and your professional appearance is critical for your business, investing $500 is really a sweet spot in terms of how much quality improvement you can get in proportion to your investment. Solution for light $100 Add a bright light: 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mount Optional: use a reflector or a second smaller light for fill light or hair light Add a bright light: 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mount 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mount Optional: use a reflector or a second smaller light for fill light or hair light Solution for sound $100 Add a USB microphone: Audio Technica AT2005USB; Samson Q2U, which will dramatically improve your sound quality especially if your house is quite noisy (e.g. kids running and screaming anyone?) or quite echoish. If you prefer a bit more mobility and your room is reasonably quiet, a USB speakerphone such as a Jabra 410 can make your bedroom sound like a boardroom. Add a USB microphone: Audio Technica AT2005USB ; Samson Q2U , which will dramatically improve your sound quality especially if your house is quite noisy (e.g. kids running and screaming anyone?) or quite echoish. Audio Technica AT2005USB Samson Q2U If you prefer a bit more mobility and your room is reasonably quiet, a USB speakerphone such as a Jabra 410 can make your bedroom sound like a boardroom. Jabra 410 Solution for software, gear and others: $200 Better webcam: you might want to invest in a good HD webcam such as the hugely popular Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives. Connect your dSLR or mirrorless camera (assume you already own one): via USB and software, or via HDMI capture card (Elgato Cam Link 4K) Better webcam: you might want to invest in a good HD webcam such as the hugely popular Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives . Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives Connect your dSLR or mirrorless camera (assume you already own one): via USB and software, or via HDMI capture card ( Elgato Cam Link 4K ) dSLR or mirrorless camera Elgato Cam Link 4K Advanced solution To get a YouTube studio quality setup, you might need to invest a bit more but the return on investment will be diminishing. Since there are so many options out there, I only list a few equipment I have used while adding a few recommended YouTube channels if you want to learn more. Solution for light: Kit 1: $300 LED panel light: Aputure Amaran HR726 Reflective or white shine through umbrella like this: White umbrella LED panel light: Aputure Amaran HR726 Aputure Amaran HR726 Reflective or white shine through umbrella like this: White umbrella White umbrella Kit 2: $1000 Hard main light: Aputure LS120D II Light dome and grid: Aputure Light Dome II Hard main light: Aputure LS120D II Aputure LS120D II Light dome and grid: Aputure Light Dome II Aputure Light Dome II In addition, you can experiment with colorful flood lights as well as interesting accent lights (screensavers, Philips Hue lights, lava lamps, NEON signs, home-made light fixtures, holiday lights, and more). Solution for sound: A better microphone ($100-400): Rode Pod Mic, Rode VideoMic NTG, Shure SM7B A USB audio interface and/or recorder ($100-600): Motu M2, Tascam DR-60D MkII,  Rode Rodecaster Pro Better mic stand or scissor arm ($100): Rode PSA-1, Tripod Mic Stand A better microphone ($100-400): Rode Pod Mic , Rode VideoMic NTG , Shure SM7B Rode Pod Mic Rode VideoMic NTG Shure SM7B A USB audio interface and/or recorder ($100-600): Motu M2 , Tascam DR-60D MkII , Rode Rodecaster Pro Motu M2 Tascam DR-60D MkII Rode Rodecaster Pro Better mic stand or scissor arm ($100): Rode PSA-1 , Tripod Mic Stand Rode PSA-1 Tripod Mic Stand Solution for software, gear and others Invest in a new mirrorless camera that works well for streaming ($350-2000), like Canon M50 or Nikon Z6. They are versatile for digital photos, on-location video, as well as video conferencing. You might also want to invest in a brighter lens, which will create that sharp face with dreamy blurry background effects. HDMI capture card like Elgato cam link 4K, or a video switcher like Blackmagic Atem Mini if you have multiple video cameras for different angles. A sturdy tripod or desktop mounting system Learn to use software like OBS that can enhance your video feeds Invest in a new mirrorless camera that works well for streaming ($350-2000), like Canon M50 or Nikon Z6 . They are versatile for digital photos, on-location video, as well as video conferencing. You might also want to invest in a brighter lens, which will create that sharp face with dreamy blurry background effects. Canon M50 Nikon Z6 HDMI capture card like Elgato cam link 4K , or a video switcher like Blackmagic Atem Mini if you have multiple video cameras for different angles. Elgato cam link 4K Blackmagic Atem Mini A sturdy tripod or desktop mounting system A sturdy tripod desktop mounting system Learn to use software like OBS that can enhance your video feeds OBS Summary By the end of this pandemic, we might all grow a bit more facial hair and sound a bit tired. By following some of the simple steps in this article, you might project a better presence for yourself, your friends, family and colleagues. Stay safe! For more information To learn more, I recommend the following YouTube videos: Best CAMERAS for LIVE Streaming on Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch Best CAMERAS for LIVE Streaming on Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch Sound for YouTube - Getting Started How To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! Sound for YouTube - Getting Started Sound for YouTube - Getting Started How To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! How To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! As well follow some of these channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV

How to Look and Sound Better in Video Conference

We’ve all seen them. The magical time-lapse videos of snow piling up in an an instant. Now you can make a “Snow-Lapse” with one of the many cameras likely laying around your home. Great snow-lapse by Micah Grimes in Massachusetts. Tips Before You Begin 15 SECONDS. The video you shoot should be about 15 seconds when it’s done. Why? People get bored. And if you want to share it most social media sites (Instagram, Twitter, Vine, Snapchat) allow for 15 seconds of video. Many of the apps listed here will prompt you at the beginning to figure out the timing for you. However, if you have to do it manually, heres a to help. Use tools like , , , or to cut your video down to length. handy calculator iMovie Windows Movie Maker Quicktime YouTube PLUG IT IN. No matter which device, try to have it plugged in. Batteries die very fast when shooting photos. KEEP IT WARM. If you leave your or unplugged near a cold window, or even outside, the battery can die very quickly. If you wanna get crazy, and aren’t worried about your device being outside, try using sealed to keep your devices batteries warm. phone camera chemical handwarmers GREEN MODE. Leave exposure on automatic. If the sun sets, or falls behind a mountain or building, your image will become very dark in manual mode. LOCK IT DOWN. Make sure your iPhone/Camera/GoPro cannot be bumped, knocked around, or fall from wherever you’ve placed it. AIRPLANE MODE. If you are using a phone, set it to airplane mode. Some calls, texts, etc can disrupt time-lapse recordings. Also answering the phone will disrupt your pictures. STORAGE SPACE. Make sure you clear up atleast 1–2GB on your phone, or have a minimum 8GB of memory on your camera when starting a time-lapse. iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch With any iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, you can capture great Time-lapse video. Try these apps: Timelapse video made by Studio Neat with iOS timelapse mode. _(iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, iOS 8.0 and above, Free)_Dead simple time-lapse method, no app download required. Swipe over to the “TIMELAPSE” setting within the iOS camera, and hit the big red button. It automatically figures out the intervals the longer it records. iOS Camera’s Built-in Time-lapse Mode Hyperlapse by Instagram by Instagram_(iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, iOS 7.0 and above, Free)_By far the simplest time-lapse app to use. Just make sure to free up space for all the footage it records. Hyperlapse Lapse It _(iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, iOS 6.0 and above, Free)_Simple user interface. Gives more control options than Hyperlapse. Lapse It Timelapse _(iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, iOS 8.3 and above, $4.99)_More advanced. Set your desired clip length in the beginning, and it will automatically adjust settings to hit that desired 15 second mark. Timelapse Android Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile for Android_(Android Tablets and Phones, Android 4.4 and above, Free)_By far the easiest time-lapse app to use for Android. Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile Framelapse for Android for Android_(Android Tablets and Phones, Android 4.0 and above, Free-mium)_Simple user interface with a few more options for control. Framelapse Lapse it for Android for Android_(Android Tablets and Phones, Android 2.2 and above, Free-mium)_Older device support. Paid options to add more control. Lapse It Built in Timelapse OptionsMany Android phones have built-in timelapse options directly in their camera. Check your native camera first to see if it has a time-lapse setting. GoPro Most GoPros have a Timelapse (or “Interval Recording” setting) built in. Best of all, you can leave them outside in their case for a unique point of view. The biggest hurdle with GoPro recording is setting your timelapse interval correctly. For an 8 hour period, try to set your pictures to shoot every 1 minute. To set your GoPro to shoot time-lapse: OR Determine which GoPro you own by date Determine which GoPro you own by serial number. Find the manual, follow instructions. PLUG IT IN. GoPro batteries die fast. They die faster when cold. Try running an extension cord from inside to your shooting location. Then use a standard Android or iPhone power brick to USB to plug in directly to your GoPro to keep it powered up. Keep your powerbrick in a ziplock bag with small holes to prevent its heat from melting the snow around it, thus shorting it out. You can use a standard Android or iPhone power brick with the USB cable that came with your GoPro. DSLR There are 100s of models of DSLR cameras out there. Most models, especially those made after 2013, have “Interval Recording” modes built into them. is a great starting point. This list and article written by Lonely Speck Great information from the Lonely Speck website. The best way to figure out if your camera is capable of this is to use this formula on Google: Replace “camera model” with the type of camera you own. Example, Nikon D5100, Canon 6D, etc. Point and Shoot Cameras Beautiful time-lapse made by Samuel Orr. See how he did it. Many point and shoot cameras built after 2012 have time-lapse settings integrated. Again use the Google formula: Replace “camera model” with the type of camera you own. Example, Canon S100, Fuji XQ2, etc. Hacked Point and Shoots and DSLRs There are also now ‘hacked firmwares’ which allow you to load new software onto these cameras to add time-lapse capability that wasn’t originally in the camera. Check out and for more information. Magic Lantern Canon Hack Development Kit IMPORTANT! Using these firmware hacks can mess with your camera’s brain if not installed correctly. DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK! Nest/Dropcam Why is the pool completely fenced in? Dropcam Timelapse Instructions: Aim Dropcam near window Follow these instructions Great snow-lapse by Colid Lord made with a Nest camera. Nest Timelapse Instructions: Aim Nest Camera near window Follow these instructions: Mounts Typically with a Phone or Camera you’d use a , , or . However, I find that simply using books, cups and other household items to lean and shim your camera into the right position is good enough if left indoors. tripod suction mount Gorilla grip other device This photo was taken by leaving my old iPhone 5 leaned up against a book near the hangar door of my office. The photo was captured using the app iLightningCam for iOS. Hopefully these links and tidbits should be a good starting place for anyone trying to make their own Snow-Lapse of the upcoming storm. Happy filming!

Make an Epic “Snow-Lapse” with the Phone or Camera You Already Own

Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book .  THE BEGINNING OF THE SEARCH FOR THE KEY AND THE COAT. here THE BEGINNING OF THE SEARCH FOR THE KEY AND THE COAT. When Madame Goesler revealed her plans and ideas to Mr. Wickerby, the attorney, who had been employed to bring Phineas Finn through his troubles, that gentleman evidently did not think much of the unprofessional assistance which the lady proposed to give him. "I'm afraid it is far-fetched, Ma'am,—if you understand what I mean," said Mr. Wickerby. Madame Goesler declared that she understood very well what Mr. Wickerby meant, but that she could hardly agree with him. "According to that the gentleman must have plotted the murder more than a month before he committed it," said Mr. Wickerby. "And why not?" "Murder plots are generally the work of a few hours at the longest, Madame Goesler. Anger, combined with an indifference to self-sacrifice, does not endure the wear of many days. And the object here was insufficient. I don't think we can ask to have the trial put off in order to find out whether a false key may have been made in Prague." "And you will not look for the coat?" "We can look for it, and probably get it, if the woman has not lied to you; but I don't think it will do us any good. The woman probably is lying. You have been paying her very liberally, so that she has been making an excellent livelihood out of the murder. No jury would believe her. And a grey coat is a very common thing. After all, it would prove nothing. It would only let the jury know that Mr. Meager had a grey coat as well as Mr. Finn. That Mr. Finn wore a grey coat on that night is a fact which we can't upset. If you got hold of Meager's coat you wouldn't be a bit nearer to proof that Emilius had worn it." "There would be the fact that he might have worn it." "Madame Goesler, indeed it would not help our client. You see what are the difficulties in our way. Mr. Finn was on the spot at the moment, or so near it as to make it certainly possible that he might have been there. There is no such evidence as to Emilius, even if he could be shown to have had a latch-key. The man was killed by such an instrument as Mr. Finn had about him. There is no evidence that Mr. Emilius had such an instrument in his hand. A tall man in a grey coat was seen hurrying to the spot at the exact hour. Mr. Finn is a tall man and wore a grey coat at the time. Emilius is not a tall man, and, even though Meager had a grey coat, there is no evidence to show that Emilius ever wore it. Mr. Finn had quarrelled violently with Mr. Bonteen within the hour. It does not appear that Emilius ever quarrelled with Mr. Bonteen, though Mr. Bonteen had exerted himself in opposition to Emilius." "Is there to be no defence, then?" "Certainly there will be a defence, and such a defence as I think will prevent any jury from being unanimous in convicting my client. Though there is a great deal of evidence against him, it is all—what we call circumstantial." "I understand, Mr. Wickerby." "Nobody saw him commit the murder." "Indeed no," said Madame Goesler. "Although there is personal similarity, there is no personal identity. There is no positive proof of anything illegal on his part, or of anything that would have been suspicious had no murder been committed,—such as the purchase of poison, or carrying of a revolver. The life-preserver, had no such instrument been unfortunately used, might have been regarded as a thing of custom." "But I am sure that that Bohemian did murder Mr. Bonteen," said Madame Goesler, with enthusiasm. "Madame," said Mr. Wickerby, holding up both his hands, "I can only wish that you could be upon the jury." "And you won't try to show that the other man might have done it?" "I think not. Next to an alibi that breaks down;—you know what an alibi is, Madame Goesler?" "Yes, Mr. Wickerby; I know what an alibi is." "Next to an alibi that breaks down, an unsuccessful attempt to affix the fault on another party is the most fatal blow which a prisoner's counsel can inflict upon him. It is always taken by the jury as so much evidence against him. We must depend altogether on a different line of defence." "What line, Mr. Wickerby?" "Juries are always unwilling to hang,"—Madame Goesler shuddered as the horrid word was broadly pronounced,—"and are apt to think that simply circumstantial evidence cannot be suffered to demand so disagreeable a duty. They are peculiarly averse to hanging a gentleman, and will hardly be induced to hang a member of Parliament. Then Mr. Finn is very good-looking, and has been popular,—which is all in his favour. And we shall have such evidence on the score of character as was never before brought into one of our courts. We shall have half the Cabinet. There will be two dukes." Madame Goesler, as she listened to the admiring enthusiasm of the attorney while he went on with his list, acknowledged to herself that her dear friend, the Duchess, had not been idle. "There will be three Secretaries of State. The Secretary of State for the Home Department himself will be examined. I am not quite sure that we mayn't get the Lord Chancellor. There will be Mr. Monk,—about the most popular man in England,—who will speak of the prisoner as his particular friend. I don't think any jury would hang a particular friend of Mr. Monk's. And there will be ever so many ladies. That has never been done before, but we mean to try it." Madame Goesler had heard all this, and had herself assisted in the work. "I rather think we shall get four or five leading members of the Opposition, for they all disliked Mr. Bonteen. If we could manage Mr. Daubeny and Mr. Gresham, I think we might reckon ourselves quite safe. I forgot to say that the Bishop of Barchester has promised." "All that won't prove his innocence, Mr. Wickerby." Mr. Wickerby shrugged his shoulders. "If he be acquitted after that fashion men then will say—that he was guilty." "We must think of his life first, Madame Goesler," said the attorney. Madame Goesler when she left the attorney's room was very ill-satisfied with him. She desired some adherent to her cause who would with affectionate zeal resolve upon washing Phineas Finn white as snow in reference to the charge now made against him. But no man would so resolve who did not believe in his innocence,—as Madame Goesler believed herself. She herself knew that her own belief was romantic and unpractical. Nevertheless, the conviction of the guilt of that other man, towards which she still thought that much could be done if that coat were found and the making of a secret key were proved, was so strong upon her that she would not allow herself to drop it. It would not be sufficient for her that Phineas Finn should be acquitted. She desired that the real murderer should be hung for the murder, so that all the world might be sure,—as she was sure,—that her hero had been wrongfully accused. "Do you mean that you are going to start yourself?" the Duchess said to her that same afternoon. "Yes, I am." "Then you must be very far gone in love, indeed." "You would do as much, Duchess, if you were free as I am. It isn't a matter of love at all. It's womanly enthusiasm for the cause one has taken up." "I'm quite as enthusiastic,—only I shouldn't like to go to Prague in June." "I'd go to Siberia in January if I could find out that that horrid man really committed the murder." "Who are going with you?" "We shall be quite a company. We have got a detective policeman, and an interpreter who understands Czech and German to go about with the policeman, and a lawyer's clerk, and there will be my own maid." "Everybody will know all about it before you get there." "We are not to go quite together. The policeman and the interpreter are to form one party, and I and my maid another. The poor clerk is to be alone. If they get the coat, of course you'll telegraph to me." "Who is to have the coat?" "I suppose they'll take it to Mr. Wickerby. He says he doesn't want it,—that it would do no good. But I think that if we could show that the man might very easily have been out of the house,—that he had certainly provided himself with means of getting out of the house secretly,—the coat would be of service. I am going at any rate; and shall be in Paris to-morrow morning." "I think it very grand of you, my dear; and for your sake I hope he may live to be Prime Minister. Perhaps, after all, he may give Plantagenet his 'Garter.'" When the old Duke died, a Garter became vacant, and had of course fallen to the gift of Mr. Gresham. The Duchess had expected that it would be continued in the family, as had been the Lieutenancy of Barsetshire, which also had been held by the old Duke. But the Garter had been given to Lord Cantrip, and the Duchess was sore. With all her Radical propensities and inclination to laugh at dukes and marquises, she thought very much of Garters and Lieutenancies;—but her husband would not think of them at all, and hence there were words between them. The Duchess had declared that the Duke should insist on having the Garter. "These are things that men do not ask for," the Duke had said. "Don't tell me, Plantagenet, about not asking. Everybody asks for everything nowadays." "Your everybody is not correct, Glencora. I never yet asked for anything,—and never shall. No honour has any value in my eyes unless it comes unasked." Thereupon it was that the Duchess now suggested that Phineas Finn, when Prime Minister, might perhaps bestow a Garter upon her husband. And so Madame Goesler started for Prague with the determination of being back, if possible, before the trial began. It was to be commenced at the Old Bailey towards the end of June, and people already began to foretell that it would extend over a very long period. The circumstances seemed to be simple; but they who understood such matters declared that the duration of a trial depended a great deal more on the public interest felt in the matter than upon its own nature. Now it was already perceived that no trial of modern days had ever been so interesting as would be this trial. It was already known that the Attorney-General, Sir Gregory Grogram, was to lead the case for the prosecution, and that the Solicitor-General, Sir Simon Slope, was to act with him. It had been thought to be due to the memory and character of Mr. Bonteen, who when he was murdered had held the office of President of the Board of Trade, and who had very nearly been Chancellor of the Exchequer, that so unusual a task should be imposed on these two high legal officers of the Government. No doubt there would be a crowd of juniors with them, but it was understood that Sir Gregory Grogram would himself take the burden of the task upon his own shoulders. It was declared everywhere that Sir Gregory did believe Phineas Finn to be guilty, but it was also declared that Sir Simon Slope was convinced he was innocent. The defence was to be entrusted to the well-practised but now aged hands of that most experienced practitioner Mr. Chaffanbrass, than whom no barrister living or dead ever rescued more culprits from the fangs of the law. With Mr. Chaffanbrass, who quite late in life had consented to take a silk gown, was to be associated Mr. Serjeant Birdbolt,—who was said to be employed in order that the case might be in safe hands should the strength of Mr. Chaffanbrass fail him at the last moment; and Mr. Snow, who was supposed to handle a witness more judiciously than any of the rising men, and that subtle, courageous, eloquent, and painstaking youth, Mr. Golightly, who now, with no more than ten or fifteen years' practice, was already known to be earning his bread and supporting a wife and family. But the glory of this trial would not depend chiefly on the array of counsel, nor on the fact that the Lord Chief Justice himself would be the judge, so much as on the social position of the murdered man and of the murderer. Noble lords and great statesmen would throng the bench of the court to see Phineas Finn tried, and all the world who could find an entrance would do the same to see the great statesmen and the noble lords. The importance of such an affair increases like a snowball as it is rolled on. Many people talk much, and then very many people talk very much more. The under-sheriffs of the City, praiseworthy gentlemen not hitherto widely known to fame, became suddenly conspicuous and popular, as being the dispensers of admissions to seats in the court. It had been already admitted by judges and counsel that sundry other cases must be postponed, because it was known that the Bonteen murder would occupy at least a week. It was supposed that Mr. Chaffanbrass would consume a whole day at the beginning of the trial in getting a jury to his mind,—a matter on which he was known to be very particular,—and another whole day at the end of the trial in submitting to the jury the particulars of all the great cases on record in which circumstantial evidence was known to have led to improper verdicts. It was therefore understood that the last week in June would be devoted to the trial, to the exclusion of all other matters of interest. When Mr. Gresham, hard pressed by Mr. Turnbull for a convenient day, offered that gentleman Thursday, the 24th of June, for suggesting to the House a little proposition of his own with reference to the English Church establishment, Mr. Turnbull openly repudiated the offer, because on that day the trial of Phineas Finn would be commenced. "I hope," said Mr. Gresham, "that the work of the country will not be impeded by that unfortunate affair." "I am afraid," said Mr. Turnbull, "that the right honourable gentleman will find that the member for Tankerville will on that day monopolise the attention of this House." The remark was thought to have been made in very bad taste, but nobody doubted its truth. Perhaps the interest was enhanced among politicians by the existence very generally of an opinion that though Phineas Finn had murdered Mr. Bonteen, he would certainly be acquitted. Nothing could then prevent the acquitted murderer from resuming his seat in the House, and gentlemen were already beginning to ask themselves after what fashion it would become them to treat him. Would the Speaker catch his eye when he rose to speak? Would he still be "Phineas" to the very large number of men with whom his general popularity had made him intimate? Would he be cold-shouldered at the clubs, and treated as one whose hands were red with blood? or would he become more popular than ever, and receive an ovation after his acquittal? In the meantime Madame Goesler started on her journey for Prague. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Anthony Trollope (2006). Phineas Redux. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18640/pg18640-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

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