pfodWeb.html is a pfod protocol designer, code generator and client for controlling and monitoring Arduino and other embedded devices from a browser — no app install, no internet, server access required. pfodWeb.html renders device-defined drawings, menus, and charts, and talks to devices via Serial, BLE and TCP/IP and HTTP, using the pfodProxy as a bridge if the browser does not support the connection natively.
The designer / code generator includes pinouts for over 600 boards for connecting the controls directly to the board's I/O.
The Arduino pfodParser library provides the device side support to display GUI's on pfodWeb.
pfodWeb is distributed, with the Arduino pfodParser library, as a single, self-contained HTML file (all JS/CSS/fonts inlined) so it can be opened directly in an off-line browser. It can also be served from the microprocessor itself for complete off-line stand alone deployment.
There is also an Android client, pfodApp
Breaking Change: When updating from pfodWeb V4.1.5 or below to V4.1.6 or above, save/export all dwgs first then update and reload from their files.
The pfodWeb/docs sub-directory contains pfodAI-guide.md and two .md specifications for the menu and dwg json files, pfodMenu_json-format.md and pfodDwg_json-format.md. Point your AI at these three files and the pfodParser src to give it the context it needs to create pfod menus and dwgs and to add the logic to complete the program.
pfodWeb includes a built-in Designer that lets you create menus and sub-meus of buttons, sliders, charts and interactive dwgs. pfodWeb charts include data logging and formatting options.
- Designing menus / sub-menus and charts – uses Arduino UNO
- Charting Streaming Raw CSV data – no menu or pfodParser needed, uses Pi-Pico in examples, but also works with Arduino UNO or higher via Serial
- pfodWeb Dwg Designer GUI Tutorials – designs interactive GUI's, uses Arduino Mega or higher. The simple examples also work with Arduino UNO
pfodWeb user documentation is in docs/:
- pfodWeb User Guide — connecting, interface layout, toolbar, plotting CSV data.
- pfodWeb Chart Mode Guide — chart display, raw message viewer, field customization.
- pfodWeb extraFonts Guide — adding font subsets without rebuilding.
- Comparison — pfodWeb vs. other Arduino remote-control approaches.
- Arduino Example Sketches — the eight example sketches, which micros each compiles for, and how to connect to them.
- License / Rust Third-Party Licenses
| Path | Description |
|---|---|
pfodWeb_src/ |
JavaScript/HTML/CSS source for pfodWeb. Edit here — never edit the built HTML files directly. |
pfodProxy_rs/ |
Rust source for pfodProxy, the HTTP-to-device proxy (serial / TCP / BLE) that pfodWeb talks to for those connections. |
data/ |
Compressed (.gz) files to be served from the microprocessor's file system for stand alone deployment. |
extraFonts/ |
Optional supplementary font subsets (Cyrillic, Greek, etc.) loadable without rebuilding pfodWeb. |
variants/ |
Board definitions (arduino/, esp32/, etc) for designer, bundled in pfodWeb.html by the build. |
docs/ |
User guides and licensing documentation — see docs/index.html. |
examples/ |
Arduino example sketches (Serial / BLE / TCP/IP / HTTP) that pfodWeb connects to — see examples/README.md. |
pfodWeb/ |
The built pfodWeb.html and extraFonts. This is the same for all browsers and operating systems |
windows/, linux/, macOS/ |
Platform-specific pfodProxy, produced by the build scripts below. |
There one build for pfodWeb.html that is common to all platforms:
Each platform also has a top-level build script that compiles pfodProxy (Rust).
| Platform | Script | Output |
|---|---|---|
| all | build-pfodWeb.bat / .sh |
pfodWeb/ |
| Windows | windows-build.bat |
windows/ |
| Linux | build-linux.bat |
linux/ |
| macOS | build-macOSApp.sh |
macOS/ |
Building pfodProxy requires the Rust toolchain (cargo).
The macOS build is packaged as an installable app. See the detailed macOS install instructions.
To build the device-served data/ bundle (served from microprocessor itself for stand alone deployment).
use build_data.bat / .sh
(c) Forward Computing and Control Pty. Ltd. See docs/pfodWeb_pfodProxy_License.html for full terms; pfodProxy's third-party Rust crate licenses are listed in docs/RustThirdPartyLicenses.html.