How to store command execution results in device messages?

This article explains how to automatically store device command execution results in device messages. This approach can be useful for:

• Maintaining a complete history of device remote management activity

• Analyzing command execution patterns and success rates

• Integrating command execution logs into your reporting system

• Accessing command execution history via standard message processing tools (plugins, calculators)

• Forwarding command execution logs via streams subscribed to the device

We will use a webhook to catch command execution logs and store them as device messages. The webhook will:

1. Listen to command execution logs

2. Format log data into a message

3. Post this message back to the device

Configuration

Create a new webhook with the following configuration:

{
    "name": "Store command execution results",
    "triggers": [
        {
            "topic": "flespi/log/gw/devices/+/commands-queue/+/+"
        }
    ],
    "configuration": {
        "type": "flespi-platform",
        "method": "POST",
        "uri": "/gw/devices/%topics[4]%/messages",
        "body": "[{\"timestamp\":%timestamp%,\"message.type\":\"command.execution\",\"command.name\":\"%topics[6]%\",\"command.status\":\"%topics[7]%\",\"command.response\":%if(isstring(json(payload, \"/response\")), '\"' + strescape(json(payload, \"/response\")) + '\"', json(payload, \"/response\"))%,\"command.executed\":%json(payload, \"/executed\")%}]"
    }
}

The configuration explained:

• Trigger topic flespi/log/gw/devices/+/commands-queue/+/+ catches all command execution logs

• URI /gw/devices/%topics[4]%/messages posts message to the device that executed the command

• Message contains:

  • message.type - identifies message as command execution log

  • command.name - name of executed command

  • command.status - execution status (processed, queued, sent, canceled, expired)

  • command.response - command execution response (if available)

  • command.executed - command execution result (if available)

Usage

1. Create webhook with the configuration above

2. Execute any command on your device

3. Command execution result will be automatically stored as a device message

The device message will look like:

{
    "timestamp": 1621234567,
    "message.type": "command.execution",
    "command.name": "custom",
    "command.status": "processed",
    "command.response": "OK",
    "command.executed": true,
    "rest.timestamp": 1621234568
}

For each queued and successfully executed command you will receive 3 messages: queued, sent, processed. You may limit this to just processed commands by using "flespi/log/gw/devices/+/commands-queue/+/processed" topic in webhook configuration.

You can access these messages via:

• REST API - to fetch command execution history

• MQTT API - to receive real-time command execution logs

• Streams - to forward command execution logs to external platforms

• Plugins - to process or analyze command execution patterns

• Calculators - to generate reports on command execution statistics

Examples

Here are some examples of how you can use command execution messages:

1. Calculate daily command execution statistics using calculator:

"counters": [
{
    "type": "expression",
    "name": "commands_total",
    "expression": "message.type == 'command.execution'",
    "method": "summary"
}
]

2. Forward only successful command executions using stream:

{
    "validate_message": "message.type == 'command.execution' && command.executed == true"
}

3. Filter command execution messages in REST API:

GET /gw/devices/{device-id}/messages?data={"filter":"message.type=='command.execution'"}

This way you can maintain a complete history of device remote management activity and integrate it into your reporting and analysis workflows.