Question for glowforge company --> an API to query my glowforge login

[terry]

Have you considered publishing an API for working with your glowforge login?

I just thought of a device I would like to make, and may do so without an API, but it would be much easier if one existed.

My thought for a device is a GLOWFORGE timer, to sit above my glowforge.
I often just set at timer on Amazon dot, with “Alexa set a glowforge timer for 60 minutes”
I walk away from the computer, and it is inconvenient to log back in to check how much longer it’s has till the job finishes.

I could write this without an API, my thought is to run it on a RasperyPi device, with an LED or LCD display clock on the wall above my glowforge.
My guess other customers would find something like that useful. Especially if they could make it themselves for less than $50.

I could implement the other feature I requested too, “How much time has my glowforge lasered so far?” (But, unfortunately for me, I could only do so going forward, not the old jobs that already ran, but something is better than nothing)

My ideas for API routines/calls, based on what I see in the web interface:
glow_object=glowforge_login (Account, Password) ;
print glow_object-> printer1->CurrentJobTime();
glow_object->printer1->NumberOfPrints();
job_object=getGlowForgeJob(printer,number); ###returns an object with Job name, objects and locations of things that make up the job, image of the screen

I presume you already have a similar API internally, this would be an external one customers could use.

-Terry

[geek2nurse]

It’s been a while, but this was the response one of the previous times this has been asked:

Open API?

Thanks for the question, Patrick. I hate saying “no” to customers but not as much as I hate dancing around things. It’s possible we may do that at some point, but I don’t see it making our roadmap in the near future. We want to spend our time on engineering that will help as many people as possible, and we’ve decided that building our services on the cloud architecture is the best way to do that. We may be wrong, and we may change. We may have overestimated the demand for that , or underesti…

[ovm.steve]

@terry

I often just set at timer on Amazon dot, with “Alexa set a glowforge timer for 60 minutes”
I walk away from the computer, and it is inconvenient to log back in to check how much longer it’s has till the job finishes.

I mean no disrespect, but that is really unwise. It takes mere moments for the laser to go from doing its job to starting a fire and in an hour your whole home could be lost. The forum is full of posts concerning people who “just left for a moment” and had their GF damage or destroyed, some with damaged to their home.

[eflyguy]

After uploading and getting a job ready, start the print from your phone. Problem solved.

As hinted at above, GF is unlikely to invest time in an API which less than a handful of over 30,000 owners would use.

[jbmanning5]

It doesn’t necessarily mean he would be away from his machine. He could have the computer in a different room like a lot of people do, or a lot of scenarios (well, at least a few). Ultimately, wouldn’t it be safer for him to be standing at the machine, rather than sitting at the computer where he can’t see into the machine?

The Trotec has a LED progression bar built into the lid, so not as precise as a timer but a good indicator of job progression. And then a loud beep when it’s done.

[ovm.steve]

@jbmanning5

He could have the computer in a different room like a lot of people do

I did not consider that possibility. @Terry, I owe you an apology. Forgive me for my assumptions.

[andy_y]

@terry
That’s a great idea for a feature - thanks for the suggestion! We haven’t announced anything like that yet, but I’m going to send it to our product team with a note that it came from a customer request.