Panacea library component

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viki2000
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Panacea library component

Post by viki2000 »

Hi,

There are several topics where people already asked/discussed the possibility to add/integrate other existing C libraries to Flowcode.

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=13069
http://ww.matrixmultimedia.com/mmforums ... 06&p=73763

As it is now, I understand there is no such solution and the only existing solution is to create a component specific for each device or existing library.
For such approach I find the blog quite helpful:
http://www.matrixtsl.com/blog/146/
http://www.matrixtsl.com/blog/?s=component
I see also different other examples on internet, video or pdf with step by step guide how to make a specific component based on its datasheet and starting either from scratch or from other component in Flowcode environment.
With all these help, I still find not easy, rather many times difficult, to spent time and create a component each time when something new appears on the market. And there is a boom of new small components that may work with microcontrollers.
I noticed that most of the time when such component/device is sold cheap, then comes with examples and libraries in C written for PIC microcontrollers and lately most of the time for the popular Arduino.
And Flowcode is behind all the time.
And that is not nice.
It does not matter that is a new version of Flowcode once in a while with additional functions, the component library is restricted and behind the other IDE with C code.
Of course we can write/integrate C code and add additional code in C, but we cannot integrate existing C libraries, the component is not there. And why Flowcode is nice? Because of its graphical programming method, which requires a component/block.

What would a customer/programmer expect from Flowcode to make it more popular and extend its possibilities?
The integration of the existing C libraries written for PIC and Arduino at least and maybe for other devices later. That would imply a special component, an interface component, a universal library component as a panacea library component.
Seen from outside/distance without thinking at all at the code involved and the present limitations of Flowcode environment, a simple new beginner programmer would like to integrate such library in next simple steps:
- To have a special component in Flowcode, name it as you want panacea library, universal library, interface library, whatever significant, for which we give a name and define the number and name of the pins.
- Then we provide a path for the existing C library or we just place it in the same folder with the existing Flowcode file/project.
- The name and number of pins of the panacea library component must match 1:1 the number and names from existing C library.
- Then the macros, initialization, methods and functions from C library should be imported, either automatically or at least manual declared in simple manner inside the Flowcode project for that panacea library component.
- Then the component is saved and used for that specific project or may be exported for other projects.
I am aware that part of the steps above are already used in the present method of creating a new component, but seems still too difficult for most of the Flowcode users. The creation of a new component must be more simple than now for a simple user, because now is reachable only by the advanced users.
I am also aware that what I propose and discuss here seems futuristic and hard too achieve, but I do not think is impossible.
Just think that you will unleash the power of graphical programming by making it more popular and more accessible to everyone if you will offer a simple way to bring existing written C libraries inside Flowcode.

Do you see any hope for the above proposal/request?
If yes, then how long do you think would take? 2-3 years?

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Steve
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Re: Panacea library component

Post by Steve »

Hi,

Thanks for posting - this is an interesting topic and we have discussed it internally before. It would be a real benefit for our users to be able to use existing C libraries and we are working towards making this easier, although this might need to wait for v8 of Flowcode.

I'm also aware that component creation is still not as easy as it could be. We have been working on this aspect of Flowcode over the last few months and in January we plan to release a free update to Flowcode which makes it a lot easier to create new components.

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by viki2000 »

Thank you Steve for this encouraging news!
I think many users are waiting for an easier approach to make their own component and integration of the existing already written C libraries.
Speaking about components attached to microcontrollers, there are so many lately, that if we take for example only displays, we have very common LCD, TFT, OLED with so many different controllers in the display, without a common library, even if the communication protocol is standardized for many of them as serial, SPI, I2C or parallel.
For example, a simple ebay or aliexpress search reveals a list with next controllers for TFT displays and they are only a small part of what can be found relatively cheap on the market.
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viki2000
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Re: Panacea library component

Post by viki2000 »

Now we are in the middle of Feb 2017.
Was it by any chance released that promised " free update to Flowcode which makes it a lot easier to create new components." ?
If not, when do you estimate a real date?

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by Benj »

Hello,

We have already released a Beta of 7.2 for our VC members, unfortunately we have discovered problems that we are currently working hard to resolve before doing the public release.

So the answer is that the release should be available soon and we are working hard getting it ready.

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by viki2000 »

I have only one question for the moment and hopefully you can help me.
I am not a daily programmer, but once in a while I write some code, mostly in C, but I like FlowCode.
We have a license for FlowCode 6 and we plan to buy one for FlowCode 7.
When we buy that new Flowcode 7 license, I would like to have the above discussed feature included.
I do not want/like to buy it separately. I rather wait up to FlowCode 8 if it will be included. I am not in rush and I do not program daily.
My question, very important, is: do I get the above feature for free if we buy the FlowCode 7 license, let’s say Pro with all the features? Or you don’t know, you are not sure? Shall I wait for FlowCode 8 release just to be sure?
The idea is, I want that feature at which you work hardly now, but I do not want to pay for it after we buy FlowCode 7 license and few months later FlowCode 8 is released with the feature included or something similar.
Can you provide a sure answer?

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by Steve »

Hi,

The upcoming release of Flowcode v7.2 will include the improved component creation features as standard - this will not be a paid-for extra.

One important note regarding component creation though is that if you are using an existing component as a sub-component of your new component, you will need the appropriate component pack licence (and so will anyone who is using your component).

This is still not exactly the original "panacea library component" idea. We will investigate this idea more with a view to putting it in V8.

Regards,
Steve.

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by viki2000 »

Now FlowCode version is 7.2.1.
Does this version include the improved component creation features or not yet ?
If yes, are any tutorials or examples, guides how to use those features?
I know it seems I am impatient and that “improved component creation” seems “far away” as donkey from Sherk2 asks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=basofea2UEs
but I think it is a similar situation, so are we there yet :) ?

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by Benj »

Hello,

The answer is Yes and Yes.

Here are the description and overview for the new features.
https://www.matrixtsl.com/wikiv7/index. ... t_Features

For the complete overview see the Component Creation section of this page.
https://www.matrixtsl.com/wikiv7/index. ... p_Overview

And there is a worked tutorial here on how to create a robot component (using the old features).
https://www.matrixtsl.com/wikiv7/index. ... eled_robot

Is there anything specific you would want us to show you in a tutorial? I am due to make some more videos so here is your opportunity to ask for exactly what you would like to know.

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by viki2000 »

These are good news.
Few things noticed:
- The page https://www.matrixtsl.com/wikiv7/index. ... eled_robot contains videos and I am not able to see them in Firefox or Chrome, but OK with Internet Explorer, but maybe is only my PC with Win7.
- I do not have any specific component creation request for the moment, I plan to ask my boss to buy the full pro license of FC7, but if you offered now the chance to make some video tutorials, then maybe I could think at couple of things for the moment.
For example, it would be interesting for me to know how to have access to the pins of the Rotary Encoder component and to be able to add a small code as digital filter between pins as input and the counting register in order to have a cleaner signal without bouncing, as we discussed in the past here: viewtopic.php?f=54&t=15516
Another interesting example would be to see how to make a LCD/OLED I2C component as you have done for SH1106 lately viewtopic.php?f=63&t=18240
And sometimes these displays have 3 pins, also reset besides I2C data and clock.

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Re: Panacea library component

Post by viki2000 »

Another idea of a simple tutorial that just crossed to my mind would be some DAC or Digital Potentiometers from Microchip that use I2C or SPI.
For example DAC I2C MCP4725 from Microchip I have tested it and works fine with FlowCode 6 using the code from the end of next topic:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=18468
It would be interesting to have a single component, with that code included, named MCP4725, for which we set the I2C speed (100KHz, 400KHz, 1MHz, 3.4Mhz and Custom), then to have possibility to set the address, then the pins for I2C with hardware or software control.
Later I plan to test also MCP4921 SPI DAC with Flowcode. For the moment I’ve got it running with CCS C compiler. Then it will be nice to have such Flowcode component MCP4921.
I think these would be easy to follow and helpful tutorials for beginners.

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