ESPNow.init() documentation

[mmliam]

I've searched the various Micropython ESPNow references and have not seen a specific descriptive reference for ESPNow.init(). From some experimentation it appears to include ESPNow.active(true); what other functions does it perform? Can someone provide a documentation link.

Thanks, MM

[jimmo]

@mmliam There is no ESPNow.init(). Not quite sure what you're asking sorry?

[mmliam]

All the text below SAMPLE are from a discussion between dave & Glenn.

The .init() method does seem to be an outlier that's why I've been trying to get more information. Apparently it still functional as I've been using it. It must call the .active() method because I haven't used that but my ESPnow code works. I don't like using functions I don't understand. As you say it may be functional, but obsolete. Wish I knew what it does, or was supposed to do - lol.

[jimmo]

Apparently it still functional as I've been using it.

If you're using official firmware from micropython.org (i.e. any nightly build since early May) then I don't know how this is possible. There is no init method on the ESPNow class, or the ESPNowBase it inherits from.

[glenn20]

ESPNow.init()/ESPNow.deinit() was deprecated some time ago in favour of ESPNow.active(True)/ESPNow.active(False). I believe I made a post about that some time ago in the forum (but I undertstand that could have been easily missed). This change makes it behave more like other drivers in micropython (eg. WLAN()) and has the advantage of smaller code size (One C method instead of two).

There have been some other changes to the API as part of the merge process into micropython. The history of this can be seen in the (long) discussion on PR #6515 (eg. changes to ESPNow.on_recv() -> ESPNow.irq() and some structural changes to simplify and reduce the code size of the C module. ie. the C module has been pared back and renamed _espnow. The ESPNow user API is now presented through the ESPNow class in ports/esp32/modules/espnow.py which inherits from the ESPNowBaseClass in the _espnow C module. I hope that those changes have happened mostly transparently to the users of the API.

I regret any disruption from API changes, but some changes were inevitable as part of the merge process (and have improved the code, and consistency with other micropython APIs).

[glenn20]

Oh - and the upshot is - if you are using an older image, the current docs for ESPNow.active(True) will apply to ESPNow.init().

[mmliam]

Thanks Glenn & jimmo, the code I was using ESPNow.init() is several years old; I was just making some changes. After reviewing the software I ran across the instruction but could find any documentation. I suspected it may have been replaced by ESPNow.active(True), and was equivalent. I'll update the software to the current format.