Generic Data Plugin

Fetch data from any URL (JSON or XML) and map fields to template variables — no custom plugin needed. Supports multiple feeds so you can pull data from several APIs at once.

→ Setup Guide - Configuration and setup instructions

Overview

The Generic Data plugin lets you pull data from any HTTP endpoint and map response fields to template variables using simple dot-notation paths. This is useful for integrating data sources that don't have a dedicated FiestaBoard plugin, such as:

• Public REST APIs (weather stations, transit feeds, IoT sensors)
• Self-hosted services (Home Assistant REST sensors, Node-RED endpoints)
• Static JSON files hosted on a web server
• RSS/Atom feeds served as XML

Multiple Feeds

Need data from more than one API? Use the feeds array to configure multiple data sources in a single plugin. Each feed has its own URL, format, headers, and mappings. All variables end up in the same generic_data.* namespace — just make sure variable names are unique across feeds.

Template Variables

Variables are dynamic — you define them in the settings using the "Variable Mappings" section. Each mapping creates a template variable.

For example, if you configure a mapping with variable name temperature and path current.temp_f, you can use it in templates as:

{{generic_data.temperature}}

Built-in Variables

{{generic_data.feed_count}}   # Number of configured feeds

Quick Start — Single Feed

1. Enable the plugin in the FiestaBoard settings
2. Enter the URL of your data source
3. Add variable mappings:
   • Variable Name: The name you'll use in templates (e.g., temperature)
   • Data Path: Dot-notation path to the value in the response (e.g., current.temp_f)
   • Default: Fallback value if the path isn't found (optional)
4. Create a page template using your mapped variables

Quick Start — Multiple Feeds

1. Enable the plugin
2. In the Data Feeds section, add a feed for each API:
   • Set the URL, format, and any authentication headers
   • Add mappings with unique variable names
3. Reference variables from all feeds in your templates

Example with two feeds:

{center}DASHBOARD
TEMP: {{generic_data.temperature}}°F
COMMUTE: {{generic_data.commute_time}}
BIKES: {{generic_data.bikes_available}}

Path Syntax

The data path uses dot-notation to navigate the response:

Path	Matches
name	Top-level field
current.temp	Nested field
items[0].name	First item in an array
data.results[2].value	Third result's value
[0]	First element of a root array

JSON Example

Given this response:

{
  "current": {
    "temp_f": 72,
    "condition": { "text": "Sunny" }
  },
  "forecast": [
    { "day": "Monday", "high": 75 },
    { "day": "Tuesday", "high": 68 }
  ]
}

Variable	Path	Result
temperature	current.temp_f	72
condition	current.condition.text	Sunny
tomorrow_high	forecast[1].high	68

XML Example

Given this response:

<weather>
  <current>
    <temp>72</temp>
    <condition>Sunny</condition>
  </current>
  <location>
    <name>San Francisco</name>
  </location>
</weather>

The XML is converted to a nested dict structure, so paths work the same way:

Variable	Path	Result
temp	current.temp	72
city	location.name	San Francisco

Example Templates

Weather Station (single feed)

{center}WEATHER STATION
{{generic_data.location}}
TEMP: {{generic_data.temperature}}F
HUMIDITY: {{generic_data.humidity}}%
WIND: {{generic_data.wind_speed}} MPH

Multi-Source Dashboard (multiple feeds)

{center}HOME DASHBOARD
TEMP: {{generic_data.temperature}}F
COMMUTE: {{generic_data.commute_time}}
BIKES: {{generic_data.bikes_available}}
AIR: AQI {{generic_data.aqi}}

Configuration

Single-Feed Mode

Setting	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	false	Enable/disable the plugin
url	string	(required)	URL to fetch data from
format	string	"json"	Response format: json or xml
method	string	"GET"	HTTP method: GET or POST
headers	array	[]	Custom HTTP headers (e.g., for authentication)
body	string		Request body for POST requests
mappings	array	(required)	Variable mappings (see above)
refresh_seconds	integer	300	How often to fetch new data (minimum 30s)

Multi-Feed Mode

Setting	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	false	Enable/disable the plugin
feeds	array		Array of feed objects (up to 10)
refresh_seconds	integer	300	Shared refresh interval (minimum 30s)

Each feed object:

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	string	No	Label for this feed
url	string	Yes	URL to fetch data from
format	string	No	json (default) or xml
method	string	No	GET (default) or POST
headers	array	No	Custom HTTP headers
body	string	No	Request body for POST
mappings	array	Yes	Variable mappings

When feeds is set, the top-level url/mappings fields are ignored.

Authentication

To use APIs that require authentication, add a custom header:

Header Name	Header Value
Authorization	Bearer your-token-here

Or for API key authentication:

Header Name	Header Value
X-API-Key	your-api-key

Features

• Any URL: Fetch data from any HTTP/HTTPS endpoint
• Multiple Feeds: Pull from up to 10 different APIs at once
• JSON & XML: Parse both JSON and XML responses
• Dot-notation Paths: Simple path syntax to extract values
• Array Support: Access items by index (e.g., items[0].name)
• Default Values: Fallback values when paths don't match
• Custom Headers: Add authentication and custom headers per feed
• POST Support: Send request bodies for POST endpoints
• Partial Failure: If one feed fails, data from the others is still available
• Size Limit: Responses limited to 1 MB each for safety
• No Dependencies: Uses only the requests library (already included)

Author

FiestaBoard Team