iOS with Xcode
Welcome to using Phidgets with Objective C! By using Objective C, you will have access to the complete Phidget22 API, including events.
Xcode is an IDE provided by Apple that can be used to develop code in a wide variety of programming languages, including Objective C.
Requirements
First, make sure you have the following installed:
● Phidgets Drivers for MacOS on your development machine (see Part 1 of this user guide)
● Xcode from the Mac App Store
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Next, download and unpack the Phidget libraries for iOS development
● Phidget iOS Libraries
You will later need to reference these files from your Xcode project in order to use Phidgets.
Next, download the Objective-C example:
● Objective-C Example
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Unpack the Objective-C example and navigate to Phidget.xcodeproj. Open the file in Xcode:
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With Phidgets as your target, navigate to Build Settings and find the Header Search Paths setting:
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The header file phidget22.h was included in the Phidget iOS libraries download. Add a reference to the folder that contains phidget22.h under the
Header Search Paths setting:
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Next, find the Other Linker Flags setting:
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Add a reference to the Phidget libraries that were included in the Phidget iOS libraries download:
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Now that the library files are linked, simply select the type of device you would like the application to run on and press play:
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The application will detect any servers that are currently online and have Phidgets connected. Here is an example output:
First, confirm that the Phidgets Example is working. Then, run the example for your specific device by selecting your server and then continue to navigate
through the hierarchy until you reach your device. After tapping your device, the example will show automatically. Currently, we have example programs for the
following classes:
- DigitalInput
- DigitalOutput
- VoltageInput
- VoltageRatioInput
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Here is an example of what the VoltageInput example looks like:
You should now have the example up and running for your device. Play around with the device and experiment with some of the functionality. When you are ready,
the next step is configuring your project and writing your own code!
Configure Your Project
When you are building a project from scratch, or adding Phidgets to an existing project, you'll need to configure your development environment to properly link
the Phidget iOS library. To begin, create a new Xcode project:
Configure Your Project
Select an iOS application. For this tutorial's purposes, we will use a Single View Application:
Configure Your Project
Name the project, select Objective-C as the language, and choose which devices will be supported:
Configure Your Project
Now that your project is created, you need to add references to the Phidget iOS libraries in the same way you added them to run our example code earlier in this
guide.
After you have linked the Phidget iOS libraries, simply add a reference to phidget22.h in your header file:
#import <Phidget22/phidget22.h>
Success! The project now has access to Phidgets and we are ready to begin coding.
Remember: your main reference for writing Objective C code will be:
● The Phidget22 API Manual (select 'C' as the language)
● Objective C example code
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Step One: Initialize and Open
You will need to declare your Phidget object in your code. For example, we can declare a digital input object like this:
PhidgetDigitalInput ch;
Next, the Phidget object needs to be initialized and opened.
PhidgetDigitalInput_create(&ch);
Phidget_open((PhidgetHandle)ch);
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Step One: Initialize and Open
We won't go into detail on it in this guide, but this is the previous code with error handling:
PhidgetReturnCode res;
const char* errorString;
res = PhidgetDigitalInput_create(&ch);
if(res != EPHIDGET_OK){
Phidget_getErrorDescription ( returnValue, &errorString );
NSLog(@"Handle error here");
}
res = Phidget_open((PhidgetHandle)ch);
if(res != EPHIDGET_OK){
Phidget_getErrorDescription ( returnValue, &errorString );
NSLog(@"Handle error here");
}
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Step Two: Wait for Attachment of the Phidget
Simply calling open does not guarantee you can use the Phidget immediately. To use a Phidget, it must be plugged in (attached). We can handle this by using
event driven programming and tracking the attach events. Alternatively, we can modify our code so we wait for an attachment:
PhidgetDigitalInput_create(&ch);
Phidget_openWaitForAttachment(ch, 5000);
Waiting for attachment will block indefinitely until a connection is made, or until the timeout value is exceeded.
To use events to handle attachments, we have to modify our code slightly:
PhidgetDigitalInput_create(&ch);
Phidget_setOnAttachHandler((PhidgetHandle)ch,gotAttach,(__bridge void*)self);
Phidget_open((PhidgetHandle)ch);
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Step Two: Wait for Attachment of the Phidget
Next, we have to declare the function that will be called when an attach event is fired - in this case the function gotAttach will be called:
static void gotAttach(PhidgetHandle phid, void *context){
[(__bridge id)context performSelectorOnMainThread:@selector(deviceAttached)
withObject:nil
waitUntilDone:NO];
}
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Step Three: Do Things with the Phidget
We recommend the use of event driven programming when working with Phidgets. In a similar way to handling an attach event as described above, we can also add an
event handler for a state change event:
PhidgetDigitalInput_create(&ch);
Phidget_setOnAttachHandler((PhidgetHandle)ch,gotAttach,(__bridge void*)self);
PhidgetDigitalInput_setOnStateChangeHandler(ch, gotStateChange, (__bridge void*)self);
Phidget_open((PhidgetHandle)ch);
This code will connect a function and an event. In this case, the gotStateChange function will be called when there has been a change to the devices
input. Next, we need to create the gotStateChange function.
void gotStateChange(PhidgetDigitalInputHandle phid, void *context, int state){
[(__bridge id)context performSelectorOnMainThread:@selector(onStateChangeHandler:)
withObject:[NSNumber numberWithInt:state]
waitUntilDone:NO];
}
Above, the onStateChangeHandler method is invoked on the main thread. Event data is stored as an NSNumber.
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Step Three: Do Things with the Phidget
The method onStateChangeHandler is defined as follows:
- (void)onStateChangeHandler:(NSNumber *)state{
if(state.intValue)
stateTextField.stringValue = @"True";
else
stateTextField.stringValue = @"False";
}
If events do not suit your needs, you can also poll the device directly for data using code like this:
int state;
PhidgetDigitalInput_getState(ch, &state);
stateTextField.stringValue = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@", state ? @"True" : @"False"];
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Step Four: Close and Delete
At the end of your program, be sure to close and delete your device:
Phidget_close((PhidgetHandle)ch);
PhidgetDigitalInput_delete(&ch);
What's Next?
Now that you've set up Phidgets in your programming environment, you should read our guide on Phidget Programming Basics to learn the fundamentals of programming with Phidgets.
Continue reading below for advanced information and troubleshooting for your device.
