Hint for an Outlook Block
Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 11:16 pm
Hi there!
One of the blocks that I am really missing in MT is what we could call the "outlook block".
As an outlook, it would show the weather forecast for the next hours, hour by hour.
Since MT is my main hobby
(I do mean it!), I played around for a while and after many failed attemps I finnally came out with something that already looks like an outlook block. 
It uses Darksky outlook text and icon, followed by WU hourly forecast and icons, so it is a highly "experimental nonsense"!
It has been designed to work well in Mobile (vertical) and in desktop (25% window block).
It uses information already stored in MT (darksky and wu json) and I tested both, for some time, to verify which one is more suitable for this purpose.
Both are perfect for this purpose, the main differences beeing:
1. Darksky has already all icons in MT library. Outlook text is perfect in english (may be erroneous in other languages like it is in Portuguese). It has a unique feature that shows average current values in the area (obtained from the nearest metars). It is possible to parse any of the following values (shown here in metric, but could be requested in imperial) :
Personnaly, the only thing that I feel like missing is the hourly rainfall (qpf). Except for this, Darksky is perfect.
2. WU has no outlook text, just an hourly text. Icons need to be downloaded or converted to MT icons. It is possible to parse any of the following values:
While darksky values seem to follow an average of the nearest metars, WU seems to make an average of the nearest WU stations.
Testing both, Wu hourly forecast was always closer to my station values, but the differences between both are not significant.
Overall, except for the fact of not having the QPF value, Darksky seems to be the easiest and better way to make the outlook block.
So... the last question is...
DearJachym, what do you think about this idea? Would you create an outlook block for us, the lovers of outlook forecasts
Pleaseeeee ...
Meanwhile... and once again, thanks for this masterpiece called Meteotemplate!
http://www.meteocaldas.com/mtp
One of the blocks that I am really missing in MT is what we could call the "outlook block".
As an outlook, it would show the weather forecast for the next hours, hour by hour.
Since MT is my main hobby
(I do mean it!), I played around for a while and after many failed attemps I finnally came out with something that already looks like an outlook block. It uses Darksky outlook text and icon, followed by WU hourly forecast and icons, so it is a highly "experimental nonsense"!
It has been designed to work well in Mobile (vertical) and in desktop (25% window block).
It uses information already stored in MT (darksky and wu json) and I tested both, for some time, to verify which one is more suitable for this purpose.
Both are perfect for this purpose, the main differences beeing:
1. Darksky has already all icons in MT library. Outlook text is perfect in english (may be erroneous in other languages like it is in Portuguese). It has a unique feature that shows average current values in the area (obtained from the nearest metars). It is possible to parse any of the following values (shown here in metric, but could be requested in imperial) :
Code: Select all
"hourly":{"summary":"Mostly cloudy throughout the day.","icon":"partly-cloudy-day","data":[{"time":1512684000,"summary":"Partly Cloudy","icon":"partly-cloudy-night","precipIntensity":0,"precipProbability":0,"temperature":10.89,"apparentTemperature":10.89,"dewPoint":7.94,"humidity":0.82,"pressure":1031.51,"windSpeed":1.38,"windGust":1.97,"windBearing":188,"cloudCover":0.52,"uvIndex":0,"ozone":236.76}2. WU has no outlook text, just an hourly text. Icons need to be downloaded or converted to MT icons. It is possible to parse any of the following values:
Code: Select all
"hourly_forecast": [
{
"FCTTIME": {
"hour": "23","hour_padded": "23","min": "00","min_unpadded": "0","sec": "0","year": "2017","mon": "12","mon_padded": "12","mon_abbrev": "Dec","mday": "7","mday_padded": "07","yday": "340","isdst": "0","epoch": "1512687600","pretty": "11:00 PM WET on December 07, 2017","civil": "11:00 PM","month_name": "December","month_name_abbrev": "Dec","weekday_name": "Thursday","weekday_name_night": "Thursday Night","weekday_name_abbrev": "Thu","weekday_name_unlang": "Thursday","weekday_name_night_unlang": "Thursday Night","ampm": "PM","tz": "","age": "","UTCDATE": ""
},
"temp": {"english": "52", "metric": "11"},
"dewpoint": {"english": "45", "metric": "7"},
"condition": "Mostly Cloudy",
"icon": "nt_mostlycloudy",
"icon_url":"http://icons.wxug.com/i/c/k/nt_mostlycloudy.gif",
"fctcode": "3",
"sky": "67",
"wspd": {"english": "3", "metric": "5"},
"wdir": {"dir": "SSW", "degrees": "197"},
"wx": "Mostly Cloudy",
"uvi": "0",
"humidity": "78",
"windchill": {"english": "-9999", "metric": "-9999"},
"heatindex": {"english": "-9999", "metric": "-9999"},
"feelslike": {"english": "52", "metric": "11"},
"qpf": {"english": "0.0", "metric": "0"},
"snow": {"english": "0.0", "metric": "0"},
"pop": "0",
"mslp": {"english": "30.45", "metric": "1031"}
}Testing both, Wu hourly forecast was always closer to my station values, but the differences between both are not significant.
Overall, except for the fact of not having the QPF value, Darksky seems to be the easiest and better way to make the outlook block.
So... the last question is...
DearJachym, what do you think about this idea? Would you create an outlook block for us, the lovers of outlook forecasts
Pleaseeeee ... Meanwhile... and once again, thanks for this masterpiece called Meteotemplate!
http://www.meteocaldas.com/mtp
