LOT VSCode Notebooks Extension (v0.2.1)

LOT Notebooks is a Visual Studio Code extension that provides:

A notebook interface for the LOT (Language of Things) DSL
Integration with MQTT for live data and real-time updates
A built-in chatbot command so you can easily open your external or custom chatbot (under dev)

Features

LOT Language Notebook
- Create or open .lotnb notebooks recognized by this extension
- Edit LOT code (DEFINE MODEL, DEFINE ACTION, etc.) in notebook cells
- Execute your cells to run remove→add→subscribe logic with MQTT
MQTT Integration
- Connect to an MQTT broker (credentials can be configured)
- Subscribe/publish to topics
- Listen for real-time messages from the broker, displayed in your LOT cells
Live Data Views
- Renders numeric payloads in real-time with a custom JSON-based approach
- Possibly provides charting if the JSON output references numeric data
“Open Chatbot” Button (per-cell toolbar)
- For any cell using the lot language, you will see an Open Chatbot button in the toolbar
- Clicking it triggers the command lot.openChatbot, which can open your chatbot in a webview panel or external browser

From VSIX
- Download the .vsix file for LOT Notebooks vx.x.x.
- In VS Code, press Ctrl+Shift+X (Extensions panel) → click the ... menu → Install from VSIX... → select the .vsix.
Reload VS Code.
Verify installation by searching "LOT" in the Extensions panel or checking the extension in the list.

Create a new .lotnb Notebook
- Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) → LOT Notebook: Create New Notebook
- A new untitled .lotnb file opens with the LOT notebook UI.
Add Cells
- Each cell can contain LOT code, e.g.
```
DEFINE MODEL MyModel WITH TOPIC "XPTO" ...
```
- The extension recognizes the lot language within .lnt notebooks.
Run Cells
- Press the run icon on a cell or the top Notebook Run button
- The extension executes remove→add→subscribe logic for the code
Configure MQTT
- Use the command LOT Notebook: Change Credentials to set broker URL, username, password
- The extension automatically connects when running a cell if not already connected
Open Chatbot
- In the cell toolbar (the inline buttons), click Open Chatbot (it appears if the cell’s language is lot)
- The extension runs lot.openChatbot, which can open your external chatbot in a webview or external browser
- Adjust this logic in your extension code if you want a different chatbot approach

Command	Description
LOT Notebook: Create	Creates an untitled `.lotnb` notebook.
LOT Notebook: Change Credentials	Prompts for broker URL, username, password for MQTT connectivity.
lot.openTopicPayload	Opens a prompt to view/edit payload for an MQTT topic in the TreeView.

Cannot find module 'mqtt': Ensure mqtt is listed under "dependencies" in package.json and no .vscodeignore is excluding node_modules.
No cell output: Double-check you used DEFINE MODEL|ACTION|RULE, so the extension’s logic can parse your code.
Chatbot not opening? By default, the command just shows an info message. Modify lot.openChatbot in extension.ts to open your actual webview or external URL.

Coreflux.org: Coreflux is more than just a self-hosted MQTT broker; it also offers a cloud MQTT broker solution. The company’s focus is on describing data-driven systems and connecting OT devices or events with IT systems via LOT Routes.
Docs: Language of Things (LOT): Overview of what LOT is.
Docs: LOT Actions: Explains how to define and use LOT actions.
Docs: LOT Models: Explains how models are set up and used in LOT.
Docs: LOT Rules: Explains how to write and apply rules in LOT.