node-red-bit-encode

A set of Node-RED nodes for encoding multiple positive integer or boolean values into a single positive integer, then unpacking it to retrieve the original object.

Use Case

The need for a node like this came up when attempting to conserve PLC memory by storing multiple related integer/boolean values in a single 16-bit word.

How to use

The encode and decode nodes both use a shared configuration node so all configuration is done in a single place.

The provided example flow uses the following configuration:

With this configuration, an input message to the encode node should look something like this:

msg.payload = {
  int: 12,             // 4 bit integer, 0-15
  bool: true,          // boolean value because `length` == 1
  bools: [true, false] // boolean array because `length` > 1
}

After passing the above msg through the encode node, it should output a msg with a single integer payload of 92.

After passing the encoded value of 92 through the decode node (with the same configuration as the encode node!), it should output the original msg.payload object:

msg.payload = {
  int: 12,
  bool: true,
  bools: [true, false]
}