Add global tide prediction support via tidepredict library

[Copilot]

The current tide command uses NOAA API, limiting functionality to US locations. This adds optional global tide prediction using the tidepredict library, which provides offline predictions from University of Hawaii's Research Quality Dataset (600+ worldwide stations).

Implementation

New module modules/xtide.py

• Finds nearest station by GPS coordinates
• Parses UHSLC station format (e.g., "43-36S", "172-43E")
• Returns formatted predictions compatible with existing output

Integration in modules/locationdata.py

def get_NOAAtide(lat=0, lon=0):
    # Check if tidepredict enabled
    if my_settings.useTidePredict:
        try:
            from modules import xtide
            if xtide.is_enabled():
                return xtide.get_tide_predictions(lat, lon)
        except Exception as e:
            logger.warning(f"Failed to use tidepredict, falling back to NOAA: {e}")
    
    # Original NOAA implementation unchanged
    ...

Configuration

• Added useTidePredict boolean to [location] section in config.ini
• Defaults to False (NOAA behavior unchanged)

Notes

• First use requires internet to download station database (~1-2MB) via FTP to ~/.tidepredict/
• Subsequent predictions work offline
• Falls back to NOAA on errors or when disabled
• Station accuracy depends on proximity to monitoring locations

Documentation

• modules/xtide.md: Setup, troubleshooting, data sources
• Updated README.md and modules/README.md
• Added test suite test_xtide.py

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov
  • Triggering command: python3 test_xtide.py (dns block)
• ftp.soest.hawaii.edu
  • Triggering command: python3 (dns block)
  • Triggering command: python3 -c from tidepredict import process_station_list import traceback try: print('Attempting to download station list...') stations = process_station_list.create_station_dataframe() print(f'Downloaded {len(stations)} stations') print(stations.head()) except Exception as e: print(f'Error: {e}') traceback.print_exc() (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Original prompt

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This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Enhancement xtide</issue_title>
<issue_description>Can this project refactor the current 'tide' command in modules/locationdata.py

And optimally use Linux local program xtide for data calculations offline

https://flaterco.com/xtide/

Ideally this would be a new module xtide.py and the current method can determine if enabled and use it versus the API

Config.ini have a section to enable

Here is an example of it being used in a similar project https://github.com/chaunceygardiner/weewx-xtide/blob/main/bin/user/xtide.py</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@SpudGunMan I would like to have tide data for as global as possible see

https://github.com/windcrusader/tidepredict

Perhaps an option for xtide or this </comment_new>
<comment_new>@SpudGunMan
I'm not sure if https://github.com/sam-cox/pytides

Will globally work well or not

I do know this may have more requirements and so a new xtide module is for sure good to minimally impact the project overall

Consideration for which modules to include should be no regex and well maintained secure imports </comment_new>
<comment_new>@SpudGunMan
Another one to consider

https://github.com/pyTMD/pyTMD</comment_new>
<comment_new>@SpudGunMan

xtide probably isn't the answer as it doesn't work outside the US and the others are a bit of a mixed bag. Tidepredict looks pretty simple though. Simple is good

Thanks

So https://github.com/windcrusader/tidepredict

Might be the best for global use</comment_new>

• Fixes Enhancement xtide #245

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To fix the problem, we must prevent clear-text logging of potentially sensitive location data in the test script. Specifically, in modules/test_xtide.py, line 68, instead of printing the first 100 characters of the tide table returned by NOAA—which may contain location-specific tide info—we should log a generic message confirming data was received, without exposing the returned payload.

Best approach: Replace print(f" First 100 chars: {result[:100]}") in test_noaa_fallback() with a generic log such as print(" (tide data received, not displayed for privacy)"). Similarly, in the branch at line 71 (potential error or abnormal result), avoid printing raw result, and print only "⚠ NOAA API returned: <hidden>" or similar.

No additional imports, methods, or definitions are needed, just a direct edit to the messages printed in this function.

To fix the problem, we need to prevent the cleartext logging of sensitive data, specifically any content derived directly from user location or related API responses. In this script, the offending line is:

print(f"⚠ NOAA API returned: {result[:100]}")

The best way to mitigate the risk is to avoid logging any part of result directly if it could contain sensitive data. Instead, we can log a generic message indicating the failure or error, possibly along with a code or indicator, without including the result content itself. This preserves the functionality (letting users know that something unexpected happened) without risking the exposure of sensitive data.

Steps:

• In test_noaa_fallback(), replace the print statement that outputs a portion of result with a generic message, such as:

  print("⚠ NOAA API returned an unexpected response or error (details omitted for privacy)")

• No imports or method definitions are necessary beyond this direct code edit.

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