# PyPortal NASA Image of the Day Viewer ## Overview ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/074/018/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_pyp_apod.jpg?1554326104) SPAAAAAACE! Who doesn't want to look endlessly fascinating photos of space? ! NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) website provides just what the title says, a new, incredible space photo each day. Now, you can set up your PyPortal to be a dedicated viewer for these glorious images! You'll use CircuitPython to code it, and the PyPortal library will make it simple to query the NASA Open API for the image. ## Parts ### Adafruit PyPortal - CircuitPython Powered Internet Display [Adafruit PyPortal - CircuitPython Powered Internet Display](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4116) **PyPortal** , our easy-to-use IoT device that allows you to create all the things for the “Internet of Things” in minutes. Make custom touch screen interface GUIs, all open-source, and Python-powered using tinyJSON / APIs to get news, stock, weather, cat photos,... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4116) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4116/guides) ![Front view of a Adafruit PyPortal - CircuitPython Powered Internet Display with a pyportal logo image on the display. ](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4116-00.jpeg) ### Adafruit PyPortal Desktop Stand Enclosure Kit [Adafruit PyPortal Desktop Stand Enclosure Kit](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4146) PyPortal is our easy-to-use IoT device that allows you to create all the things for the “Internet of Things” in minutes. Create little pocket universes of joy that connect to something good. And now that you've made a cool internet-connected project... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4146) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4146/guides) ![Demo Shot of the Assembled Adafruit PyPortal Desktop Stand Enclosure Kit.](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4146-03.jpg) ### Fully Reversible Pink/Purple USB A to micro B Cable - 1m long [Fully Reversible Pink/Purple USB A to micro B Cable - 1m long](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4111) This cable is not only super-fashionable, with a woven pink and purple Blinka-like pattern, it's also fully reversible! That's right, you will save _seconds_ a day by not having to flip the cable around. First let's talk about the cover and over-molding. We got these... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4111) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4111/guides) ![Fully Reversible Pink/Purple USB A to micro B Cable](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4111-02.jpg) # PyPortal NASA Image of the Day Viewer ## Install CircuitPython [CircuitPython](https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython) is a derivative of [MicroPython](https://micropython.org) designed to simplify experimentation and education on low-cost microcontrollers. It makes it easier than ever to get prototyping by requiring no upfront desktop software downloads. Simply copy and edit files on the **CIRCUITPY**  "flash" drive to iterate. The following instructions will show you how to install CircuitPython. If you've already installed CircuitPython but are looking to update it or reinstall it, the same steps work for that as well! ## Set up CircuitPython Quick Start! Follow this quick step-by-step for super-fast Python power :) [Download the latest version of CircuitPython for the PyPortal via CircuitPython.org](https://circuitpython.org/board/pyportal/) [Download the latest version of CircuitPython for the PyPortal Pynt via CircuitPython.org](https://circuitpython.org/board/pyportal_pynt/) **Click the link above to download the latest version of CircuitPython for the PyPortal.** Download and save it to your desktop (or wherever is handy). ![circuitpython_pyportal-uf2.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/073/615/medium640/circuitpython_pyportal-uf2.png?1553610968) Plug your PyPortal into your computer using a known-good USB cable. **A lot of people end up using charge-only USB cables and it is very frustrating! So make sure you have a USB cable you know is good for data sync.** Double-click the **Reset** button on the top in the middle (magenta arrow) on your board, and you will see the NeoPixel RGB LED (green arrow) turn green. If it turns red, check the USB cable, try another USB port, etc.  **Note:** The little red LED next to the USB connector will pulse red. That's ok! If double-clicking doesn't work the first time, try again. Sometimes it can take a few tries to get the rhythm right! ![circuitpython_PyPortalResetNeoPIxel.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/071/993/medium640/circuitpython_PyPortalResetNeoPIxel.jpg?1551213425) You will see a new disk drive appear called **PORTALBOOT**. Drag the **adafruit-circuitpython-pyportal-\.uf2** file to **PORTALBOOT.** ![circuitpython_PyPortal_PORTALBOOT.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/072/029/medium640/circuitpython_PyPortal_PORTALBOOT.png?1551287972) ![circuitpython_PyPortal_Drag_UF2.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/072/030/medium640/circuitpython_PyPortal_Drag_UF2.png?1551287983) The LED will flash. Then, the **PORTALBOOT** drive will disappear and a new disk drive called **CIRCUITPY** will appear. If you haven't added any code to your board, the only file that will be present is **boot\_out.txt**. This is absolutely normal! It's time for you to add your **code.py** and get started! That's it, you're done! :) ![circuitpython_PyPortalCIRCUITPY.png](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/071/995/medium640/circuitpython_PyPortalCIRCUITPY.png?1551213875) ## PyPortal Default Files Click below to download a zip of the files that shipped on the PyPortal or PyPortal Pynt. [PyPortal Default Files](https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython-default-files/tree/main/boards/pyportal/4.x) [PyPortal Pynt Default Files](https://github.com/adafruit/circuitpython-default-files/tree/main/boards/pyportal_pynt/5.x) # PyPortal NASA Image of the Day Viewer ## PyPortal CircuitPython Setup To use all the amazing features of your PyPortal with CircuitPython, you must first install a number of libraries. This page covers that process. # Adafruit CircuitPython Bundle Download the Adafruit CircuitPython Library Bundle. You can find the latest release here: [Latest Adafruit CircuitPython Library Bundle](https://circuitpython.org/libraries) Download the **adafruit-circuitpython-bundle-\*.x-mpy-\*.zip** bundle zip file where **\*.x MATCHES THE VERSION OF CIRCUITPYTHON YOU INSTALLED** , and unzip a folder of the same name. Inside you'll find a **lib** folder. You have two options: - You can add the **lib** folder to your **CIRCUITPY** drive. This will ensure you have _all the drivers_. But it will take a bunch of space on the 8 MB disk - Add each library as you need it, this will reduce the space usage but you'll need to put in a little more effort. At a minimum we recommend the following libraries, in fact we more than recommend. They're basically required. So grab them and install them into **CIRCUITPY/lib** now! - **adafruit\_esp32spi** - This is the library that gives you internet access via the ESP32 using (you guessed it!) SPI transport. You need this for anything Internet - **adafruit\_requests** - This library allows us to perform HTTP requests and get responses back from servers. GET/POST/PUT/PATCH - they're all in here! - adafruit\_connection\_manager - used by adafruit\_requests. - **adafruit\_pyportal** - This is our friendly wrapper library that does a lot of our projects, displays graphics and text, fetches data from the internet. Nearly all of our projects depend on it! - **adafruit\_portalbase**  - This library is the base library that adafruit\_pyportal library is built on top of. - **adafruit\_touchscreen** - a library for reading touches from the resistive touchscreen. Handles all the analog noodling, rotation and calibration for you. - **adafruit\_io** - this library helps connect the PyPortal to our free datalogging and viewing service - **adafruit\_imageload** - an image display helper, required for any graphics! - **adafruit\_display\_text** - not surprisingly, it displays text on the screen - **adafruit\_bitmap\_font** - we have fancy font support, and its easy to make new fonts. This library reads and parses font files. - **adafruit\_slideshow** - for making image slideshows - handy for quick display of graphics and sound - **neopixel** - for controlling the onboard neopixel - **adafruit\_adt7410** - library to read the temperature from the on-board Analog Devices ADT7410 precision temperature sensor (not necessary for Titano or Pynt) - **adafruit\_bus\_device** - low level support for I2C/SPI - **adafruit\_fakerequests**  - This library allows you to create fake HTTP requests by using local files. # PyPortal NASA Image of the Day Viewer ## Create Your settings.toml File CircuitPython works with WiFi-capable boards to enable you to make projects that have network connectivity. This means working with various passwords and API keys. As of [CircuitPython 8](https://circuitpython.org/downloads), there is support for a **settings.toml** file. This is a file that is stored on your **CIRCUITPY** drive, that contains all of your secret network information, such as your SSID, SSID password and any API keys for IoT services. It is designed to separate your sensitive information from your **code.py** file so you are able to share your code without sharing your credentials. CircuitPython previously used a **secrets.py** file for this purpose. The **settings.toml** file is quite similar. Warning: Your **settings.toml** file should be stored in the main directory of your **CIRCUITPY** drive. It should not be in a folder. ## CircuitPython **settings.toml** File This section will provide a couple of examples of what your **settings.toml** file should look like, specifically for CircuitPython WiFi projects in general. The most minimal **settings.toml** file must contain your WiFi SSID and password, as that is the minimum required to connect to WiFi. Copy this example, paste it into your **settings.toml** , and update: - `your_wifi_ssid` - `your_wifi_password` ```auto CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID = "your_wifi_ssid" CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD = "your_wifi_password" ``` Many CircuitPython network-connected projects on the Adafruit Learn System involve using Adafruit IO. For these projects, you must _also_ include your Adafruit IO username and key. Copy the following example, paste it into your settings.toml file, and update: - `your_wifi_ssid` - `your_wifi_password` - `your_aio_username` - `your_aio_key` ```auto CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID = "your_wifi_ssid" CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD = "your_wifi_password" ADAFRUIT_AIO_USERNAME = "your_aio_username" ADAFRUIT_AIO_KEY = "your_aio_key" ``` Some projects use different variable names for the entries in the **settings.toml** file. For example, a project might use `ADAFRUIT_AIO_ID` in the place of `ADAFRUIT_AIO_USERNAME`. **If you run into connectivity issues, one of the first things to check is that the names in the settings.toml file match the names in the code.** Warning: Not every project uses the same variable name for each entry in the **settings.toml** file! Always verify it matches the code. ## **settings.toml** File Tips Here is an example **settings.toml** file. ```auto # Comments are supported CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID = "guest wifi" CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD = "guessable" CIRCUITPY_WEB_API_PORT = 80 CIRCUITPY_WEB_API_PASSWORD = "passw0rd" test_variable = "this is a test" thumbs_up = "\U0001f44d" ``` In a **settings.toml** file, it's important to keep these factors in mind: - Strings are wrapped in double quotes; ex: `"your-string-here"` - Integers are _ **not** _ quoted and may be written in decimal with optional sign (`+1`, `-1`, `1000`) or hexadecimal (`0xabcd`). - Floats (decimal numbers), octal (`0o567`) and binary (`0b11011`) are not supported. - Use `\u` escapes for weird characters, `\x` and `\ooo` escapes are not available in **.toml** files - Example: `\U0001f44d` for 👍 (thumbs up emoji) and `\u20ac` for € (EUR sign) - Unicode emoji, and non-ASCII characters, stand for themselves as long as you're careful to save in "UTF-8 without BOM" format     When your  **settings.toml ** file is ready, you can save it in your text editor with the **.toml**  extension. ![adafruit_products_dotToml.jpg](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/117/071/medium640/adafruit_products_dotToml.jpg?1671034293) ## Accessing Your **settings.toml** Information in **code.py** In your **code.py** file, you'll need to `import` the `os` library to access the **settings.toml** file. Your settings are accessed with the `os.getenv()` function. You'll pass your settings entry to the function to import it into the **code.py** file. ```python import os print(os.getenv("test_variable")) ``` ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/117/072/medium800/adafruit_products_tomlOutput.jpg?1671034496) In the upcoming CircuitPython WiFi examples, you'll see how the **settings.toml ** file is used for connecting to your SSID and accessing your API keys. # PyPortal NASA Image of the Day Viewer ## Internet Connect! # Connect to WiFi OK, now that you have your  **settings.toml** file set up - you can connect to the Internet. To do this, you need to first install a few libraries, into the lib folder on your **CIRCUITPY** drive. Then you need to update **code.py** with the example script. Thankfully, we can do this in one go. In the example below, click the **Download Project Bundle** button below to download the necessary libraries and the **code.py** file in a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip file, open the directory **examples/** and then click on the directory that matches the version of CircuitPython you're using and copy the contents of that directory to your **CIRCUITPY** drive. Your **CIRCUITPY** drive should now look similar to the following image: ![CIRCUITPY](https://adafruit.github.io/Adafruit_CircuitPython_Bundle/esp32spi_esp32spi_simpletest.py.png ) Info: Update to CircuitPython 9.2.x or later to use this example. https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_CircuitPython_ESP32SPI/blob/main/examples/esp32spi_simpletest.py And save it to your board, with the name **code.py**. Don't forget you'll also need to create the **settings.toml** file as seen above, with your WiFi ssid and password. In a serial console, you should see something like the following. For more information about connecting with a serial console, view the guide [Connecting to the Serial Console](https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-circuitpython/kattni-connecting-to-the-serial-console). ```terminal >>> import wifitest ESP32 SPI webclient test ESP32 found and in idle mode Firmware vers. 1.7.5 MAC addr: 24:C9:DC:BD:0F:3F HomeNetwork RSSI: -46 HomeNetwork RSSI: -76 Fios-12345 RSSI: -92 FiOS-AB123 RSSI: -92 NETGEAR53 RSSI: -93 Connecting to AP... Connected to HomeNetwork RSSI: -45 My IP address is 192.168.1.245 IP lookup adafruit.com: 104.20.39.240 Ping google.com: 30 ms Fetching text from http://wifitest.adafruit.com/testwifi/index.html ---------------------------------------- This is a test of Adafruit WiFi! If you can read this, its working :) ---------------------------------------- Fetching json from http://wifitest.adafruit.com/testwifi/sample.json ---------------------------------------- {'fun': True, 'company': 'Adafruit', 'founded': 2005, 'primes': [2, 3, 5], 'pi': 3.14, 'mixed': [False, None, 3, True, 2.7, 'cheese']} ---------------------------------------- Done! ``` Going over the example above, here's a breakdown of what the program is doing: - Initialize the ESP32 over SPI using the SPI port and 3 control pins: ```python esp32_cs = DigitalInOut(board.ESP_CS) esp32_ready = DigitalInOut(board.ESP_BUSY) esp32_reset = DigitalInOut(board.ESP_RESET) #... else: spi = busio.SPI(board.SCK, board.MOSI, board.MISO) esp = adafruit_esp32spi.ESP_SPIcontrol(spi, esp32_cs, esp32_ready, esp32_reset) ``` - Get the socket pool and the SSL context, and then tell the `adafruit_requests` library about them. ```python pool = adafruit_connection_manager.get_radio_socketpool(esp) ssl_context = adafruit_connection_manager.get_radio_ssl_context(esp) requests = adafruit_requests.Session(pool, ssl_context) ``` - Verify an ESP32 is found, checks the firmware and MAC address ```auto if esp.status == adafruit_esp32spi.WL_IDLE_STATUS: print("ESP32 found and in idle mode") print("Firmware vers.", esp.firmware_version) print("MAC addr:", ":".join("%02X" % byte for byte in esp.MAC_address)) ``` - Perform a scan of all access points it can see and print out the name and signal strength. ```python for ap in esp.scan_networks(): print("\t%-23s RSSI: %d" % (ap.ssid, ap.rssi)) ``` - Connect to the AP we've defined here, then print out the local IP address. Then attempt to do a domain name lookup and ping google.com to check network connectivity. (Note sometimes the ping fails or takes a while; this isn't a big deal.) ```python print("Connecting to AP...") while not esp.is_connected: try: esp.connect_AP(ssid, password) except OSError as e: print("could not connect to AP, retrying: ", e) continue print("Connected to", esp.ap_info.ssid, "\tRSSI:", esp.ap_info.rssi) print("My IP address is", esp.ipv4_address) print( "IP lookup adafruit.com: %s" % esp.pretty_ip(esp.get_host_by_name("adafruit.com")) ) ``` Now we're getting to the really interesting part of the example program. We've written a library for web fetching web data, named [adafruit\_requests](https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_CircuitPython_Requests). It is a lot like the regular Python library named [requests](https://requests.readthedocs.io/en/latest/). This library allows you to send HTTP and HTTPS requests easily and provides helpful methods for parsing the response from the server. - Here is the part of the example program is fetching text data from a URL. ```python TEXT_URL = "http://wifitest.adafruit.com/testwifi/index.html" # Further up in the program # ... print("Fetching text from", TEXT_URL) r = requests.get(TEXT_URL) print('-' * 40) print(r.text) print('-' * 40) r.close() ``` - Finally, here the program is fetching some JSON data. The `adafruit_requests` library will parse the JSON into a Python dictionary whose structure is the same as the structure of the JSON. ```auto JSON_URL = "http://wifitest.adafruit.com/testwifi/sample.json" # Further up in the program # ... print("Fetching json from", JSON_URL) r = requests.get(JSON_URL) print('-' * 40) print(r.json()) print('-' * 40) r.close() ``` # Advanced Requests Usage Want to send custom HTTP headers, parse the response as raw bytes, or handle a response's http status code in your CircuitPython code? We've written an example to show advanced usage of the requests module below. To use with CircuitPython, you need to first install a few libraries, into the lib folder on your **CIRCUITPY** drive. Then you need to update **code.py** with the example script. Thankfully, we can do this in one go. In the example below, click the **Download Project Bundle** button below to download the necessary libraries and the **code.py** file in a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip file, open the directory **examples/** and then click on the directory that matches the version of CircuitPython you're using and copy the contents of that directory to your **CIRCUITPY** drive. https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_CircuitPython_Requests/blob/main/examples/esp32spi/requests_esp32spi_advanced.py Your **CIRCUITPY** drive should now look similar to the following image: ![CIRCUITPY](https://adafruit.github.io/Adafruit_CircuitPython_Bundle/requests_esp32spi_requests_esp32spi_advanced.py.png ) # WiFi Manager The way the examples above connect to WiFi works but it's a little finicky. Since WiFi is not necessarily so reliable, you may have disconnects and need to reconnect. For more advanced uses, we recommend using the `WiFiManager` class. It will wrap the connection/status/requests loop for you - reconnecting if WiFi drops, resetting the ESP32 if it gets into a bad state, etc. Here's a more advanced example that shows using the `WiFiManager` and also how to fetch the current time from a web source. https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_CircuitPython_ESP32SPI/blob/main/examples/esp32spi_localtime.py # Further Information For more information on the basics of doing networking in CircuitPython, see this guide: ### Networking in CircuitPython [Networking in CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/networking-in-circuitpython) # PyPortal NASA Image of the Day Viewer ## Code PyPortal NASA Image Viewer ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/074/022/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_pyp_nasa_03.jpg?1554326798) ## NASA Open API Key We'll use the NASA API to make our queries and retrieve our image of the day. In order to do so, you'll need to register for a free account with **api.nasa.gov** and get your API key. It's easy to do, just head to this [link](https://api.nasa.gov/index.html#apply-for-an-api-key) and enter your name and email address. That's all there is to it! Your API key will be generated and sent to you via email, as well as showing up immediately in the browser. Keep that key (or the email containing it) handy, we'll need to copy and paste it into our code in a moment. ## Adafruit IO Time Server In order to get use the Adafruit image converter, this project will require you to have an Adafruit IO username and key. Adafruit IO is absolutely free to use, but you'll need to log in with your Adafruit account to use it. If you don't already have an Adafruit login, create [one here](https://accounts.adafruit.com/users/sign_up). If you haven't used Adafruit IO before, [check out this guide for more info](https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-adafruit-io/getting-started-with-adafruit-io). Once you have logged into your account, there are two pieces of information you'll need to place in your **settings.toml** file: **Adafruit IO username** , and **Adafruit IO key**. Head to [io.adafruit.com](https://io.adafruit.com/) and simply click the **View AIO Key** link on the left hand side of the Adafruit IO page to get this information. Then, add them to the **settings.toml**  file like this: ```auto CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID = "your_wifi_ssid" CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD = "your_wifi_password" AIO_USERNAME = "your_aio_username" AIO_KEY = "your_aio_key" ``` Danger: The `CIRCUITPY_PYSTACK_SIZE` addition to `settings.toml` below is **required** to avoid an error. ## Increase CIRCUITPY\_PYSTACK\_SIZE in settings.toml This program requires an increase in the stack size to run. Otherwise you will get a "Pystack exhausted" error message. Add this line to **settings.toml** : ```auto CIRCUITPY_PYSTACK_SIZE = 2048 ``` ## Add CircuitPython Code and Assets In the [Project Code](https://learn.adafruit.com/pyportal-nasa-image-of-the-day-viewer/code-pyportal-nasa-image-viewer#project-code-5-13) section further down this page, click on the **Download Project Bundle** button, and save the .zip archive file to your computer. Then, uncompress the .zip file, it will unpack to a folder named **PyPortal\_NASA**. Copy the contents of the  **PyPortal\_NASA** directory to your PyPortal **CIRCUITPY** drive. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/073/964/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_py_nasa_drag.jpg?1554167806) ## Editing the Code You can edit the **code.py** file with any text editor you like. Adafruit suggests installing the free Mu Python editor as it's super handy, recognizes Adafruit boards, and has a built in serial monitor/REPL to interact with the board. [Find out more about Mu here](https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-circuitpython/installing-mu-editor). ## Add NASA API Key Open up **code.py** in Mu and then copy and paste your API key from NASA that we got earlier in to the `DATA_SOURCE` url, getting rid of the words `DEMO_KEY` and replacing it with your actual API key. That line will look something like this: `DATA_SOURCE = "https://api.nasa.gov/planetary/apod?api_key=your_actual_really_long_key_here"` When you're done, save the **code.py** file again to your PyPortal's **CIRCUITPY** drive. ## boot.py We're using a special file to ensure the .bmp cache writes to the flash properly. This is the **unsafe\_boot.py** file you copied to the drive. Rename it to **boot.py** now. Note that you'll see this scary looking text appear during restart, don't worry, it's supposed to say that! **\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* WARNING \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*** **Using the filesystem as a write-able cache!** **This is risky behavior, backup your files!** **\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* WARNING \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*** This is what the final contents of the **CIRCUITPY** drive will look like: ![CIRCUITPY](https://adafruit.github.io/Adafruit_Learning_System_Guides/PyPortal_PyPortal_NASA.png ) ## Project Code https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_Learning_System_Guides/blob/main/PyPortal/PyPortal_NASA/code.py Warning: ## How It Works The NASA Image Viewer is doing a few cool things using CircuitPython and the PyPortal: ### Background Splash Screen First, we'll display a splash screen with the NASA logo. This is a  320x240 pixel RGB 16-bit raster graphic in **.bmp** format. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/074/010/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_nasa_background.bmp?1554311279) ### Font We'll be displaying the image title and today's date as text created with a bitmapped font to overlay on top of the background image once that's loaded. The font used here is a bitmap font made from an oblique Arial typeface. You can learn more about [converting type in this guide](https://learn.adafruit.com/custom-fonts-for-pyportal-circuitpython-display). ### JSON In order to retrieve the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), we'll be making a query to the NASA API. When you make a request of the APOD server with your API key added, you'll get a JSON file returned as the response. In fact, you can run the same query as the PyPortal does to see the result. Copy and paste this link `https://api.nasa.gov/planetary/apod?api_key=DEMO_KEY` into your browser, except replace DEMO\_KEY with your own API key that NASA sent in the registration email. When you enter this in your web browser, you'll see a result returned like this: ``` { "copyright": "Mario Zauner", "date": "2019-04-03", "explanation": "The famous Horsehead Nebula in Orion is not alone. A deep exposure shows that the dark familiar shaped indentation, visible just below center, is part of a vast complex of absorbing dust and glowing gas. To bring out details of the Horsehead's pasture, an amateur astronomer used a backyard telescope in Austria to accumulate and artistically combine 7.5 hours of images in the light of Hydrogen (red), Oxygen (green), and Sulfur (blue). The resulting spectacular picture details an intricate tapestry of gaseous wisps and dust-laden filaments that were created and sculpted over eons by stellar winds and ancient supernovas. The Flame Nebula is visible just to the left of the Horsehead, while the bright star on the upper left is Alnilam, the central star in Orion's Belt. The Horsehead Nebula lies 1,500 light years distant towards the constellation of Orion. Bounce around the Universe: Random APOD Generator", "hdurl": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1904/HorseheadFlame_Zauner_4404.jpg", "media_type": "image", "service_version": "v1", "title": "Wisps Surrounding the Horsehead Nebula", "url": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1904/HorseheadFlame_Zauner_960.jpg" } ``` That result is a JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) array. It is comprised of a single element with seven **key:value** pairs. For example, there is one **key** called `date` which has a **value** of `2019-04-03`which is expressed this way: `"date": "2019-04-03"` And another we care about is the `title` **key** , which has a **value** of `Wisps Surrounding the Horsehead Nebula` So that is expressed as: `"title": "Wisps Surrounding the Horsehead Nebula"` Another **key** we really care about is the `url` which has a **value** of the image location: `"url": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1904/HorseheadFlame_Zauner_960.jpg"` Since this JSON object array has a consistent way to return the results to us, the code we're running on the PyPortal can easily parse the data and display it! Here's what the JSON file looks like in the "code beautifier" of Firefox. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/074/011/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_nasa_json.png?1554311977) You can see how it's done in this part of **code.py** : ``` DATA_SOURCE = "https://api.nasa.gov/planetary/apod?api_key=xxxxxxx" #put your api key here IMAGE_LOCATION = ["url"] TITLE_LOCATION = ["title"] DATE_LOCATION = ["date"] ``` Then, in the `pyportal` query we ask for the **date** and **title** names from that URL, and then use the `text_` arguments to set the `font`, `position`, `color`, `wrap`, and `maxlen` of the text when it is displayed. We use the **url** name to get the path to the .jpeg image file. ``` pyportal = PyPortal(url=DATA_SOURCE, json_path=(TITLE_LOCATION, DATE_LOCATION), status_neopixel=board.NEOPIXEL, default_bg=cwd+"/nasa_background.bmp", text_font=cwd+"/fonts/Arial-12.bdf", text_position=((5, 220), (5, 200)), text_color=(0xFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFF), text_maxlen=(50, 50), # cut off characters image_json_path=IMAGE_LOCATION, image_resize=(320, 240), image_position=(0, 0)) ``` With all of this prepared, during the main loop of `while True:` the code will query the NASA page for the JSON data. When it gets the path of the .jpeg file, the pyportal library passes it along to an Adafruit IO image converter server where the file is converted into the format the PyPortal can display, a 320x240 pixel RGB 16-bit .bmp. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/074/012/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_HorseheadFlame_Zauner_960.jpg?1554312428 original jpeg) ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/074/015/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_HorseheadFlame_Zauner.bmp?1554315568 converted and resized bmp) This image is then cached onto the PyPortal's storage and displayed on the PyPortal TFT screen. Finally, the text will be displayed over the image. This updates every thirty minutes. Be aware, you cannot make more than 50 queries per day to the NASA API! ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/074/020/medium800/internet_of_things___iot_pyp_apod.jpg?1554326182) Warning: ## Featured Products ### Adafruit PyPortal - CircuitPython Powered Internet Display [Adafruit PyPortal - CircuitPython Powered Internet Display](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4116) **PyPortal** , our easy-to-use IoT device that allows you to create all the things for the “Internet of Things” in minutes. Make custom touch screen interface GUIs, all open-source, and Python-powered using tinyJSON / APIs to get news, stock, weather, cat photos,... 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That's right, you will save _seconds_ a day by not having to flip the cable around. First let's talk about the cover and over-molding. We got these... 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