Language - Java

Java is a modern, object-oriented programming language developed by Oracle.

Quick Downloads

Just need the Java drivers, libraries, and examples? Here they are:

Java API Documentation:

• C# API Manual Download or (HTML online version)
• General API (more help on functions common to all Phidgets)
• Device Specific APIs (more help on functions specific to your Phidget)

Java Example Code:

• Java Example Code

Libraries and Drivers:

• phidget21.jar
• 32 bit Windows (drivers, with libraries)
• 64 bit Windows (drivers, with libraries)
• General Linux Libraries ( Linux Library Setup Instructions)
• General Mac OSX Libraries ( Mac OS X Library Setup Instructions)

Getting started with Java

If you are new to writing code for Phidgets, we recommend starting by running, then modifying existing examples. This will allow you to:

• Make sure your libraries are properly linked
• Go from source code to a test application as quickly as possible
• Ensure your Phidget is hooked up properly

Instructions are divided up by operating system. Choose:

• Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7
• Mac OS X
• Linux (including PhidgetSBC)

Windows(2000/XP/Vista/7)

Libraries

• phidget21.jar

Description

Java programs on Windows depend on the following files, which the installers above put onto your system:

• phidget21.dll contains the actual Phidgets library, which is used at run-time. If you used our installer, it's already correctly placed in C:\Windows\System32. It can be manually installed - check our Manual Installation instructions.

You will also need one of the following two files, depending on the .NET framework version you are targeting:

• phidget21.jar is the Phidgets library for JDK 1.4.2 or higher. Your compiler has to know where this file is. By default, our installer puts this file into C:\Program Files\Phidgets. So, you can either point your compiler to that location, or copy and link to it in a directory for your project workspace. For more information, please see the section for your specific compiler/environment. If you do not want to use our installer, you can get the file here.

Running the examples and writing your own code can be fairly compiler-specific, so we include instructions for each compiler below.

Java

This section will provide instructions on how to compile using the javac compiler. Start by downloading the Java Examples.

• Java Examples

Use Our Examples

Download the examples from above and unpack them into a folder. Here, you can find example programs for all the devices. If you aren't sure what the software example for your device is called, check the software object listed in the Getting Started guide for your device. Please only use the simple examples.
Ensure that the phidget21.jar is in the same directory as the source code.

To compile:
File:Java Compile.PNG

This will create Java bytecode in the form of .class files. Type the following to run the program:
File:Java Run.PNG

If you wish, you can compile the project as a .jar so there are fewer files to maintain. The [Java SDK] provides the jar utility which packages all the .class files into a single .jar file. To begin, you will have to provide a Manifest file to indicate the program entry point. With your favourite text editor, create a new file with the following content:

Manifest-Version: 1.0
Class-Path: phidget21.jar
Main-Class: example
 

Ensure that the file ends in a new line or a carriage return. Save the file as example.mf and place it in the same directory as the other .class files. Next, create the .jar with:

File:Java Create Jar.PNG

Afterwards, you can run the .jar with:

File:Java Create Run Jar.PNG

Once you have the Java examples running, we have a teaching section below to help you follow them.

Write Your Own Code

When you are building a project from scratch, or adding Phidget function calls to an existing project, you'll need to configure your compiler / development environment to properly link the Phidget Java libraries. Please see the previous section for instructions.

In your code, you will need to include the Phidget library:

  import com.phidgets.*;
  import com.phidgets.event.*;

The project now has access to the Phidget21 function calls and you are ready to begin coding.

The same teaching section which describes the examples also has further resources for programming your Phidget.

NetBeans

Please start by downloading the Java Examples. The full examples were written in NetBeans, so the rest of this section will use these examples. To use the simple examples, you will have to import the source code into a new NetBeans project.

• Java Examples

Use Our Examples

To run the examples, you first download them from above, unpack them into a folder, and then find the source code for your device. The source file will be named the same as the software object for your device. If you aren't sure what the software example for your device is called, check the software object listed in the Getting Started guide for your device.

The only thing left to do is to run the examples! Click on Run | Run Project. Please note that the project, by default tries to find the phidget21.jar in C:\Program Files\Phidgets. If you have it installed in another location, please change the path accordingly. Please see the next section for more details.



Once you have the Java examples running, we have a teaching section below to help you follow them.

Write Your Own Code

When you are building a project from scratch, or adding Phidget function calls to an existing project, you'll need to configure your compiler / development environment to properly link the Phidget Java libraries. To begin:

• Create a new Java application project with a descriptive name such as PhidgetTest.

• Add a reference to the Java Phidgets library. In the projects pane, right click Libraries and add the jar.

• Find and select phidget21.jar If you used our installer, it is in C:\Program Files\Phidgets.

Then, in your code, you will need to include the Phidget library:

  import com.phidgets.*;
  import com.phidgets.event.*;

The project now has access to the Phidget21 function calls and you are ready to begin coding.

The same teaching section which describes the examples also has further resources for programming your Phidget.

Eclipse

Start by downloading the C# Examples. These examples were written in Visual Studio 2005 and 2008, but are also compatible with MonoDevelop.

• C# Eamples

Use Our Examples

Download the examples from above and unpack them into a folder. Here, you can find example programs for all the devices. If you aren't sure what the software example for your device is called, check the software object listed in the Getting Started guide for your device. If you are running under the .NET framework, you can use either the full or simple examples. Otherwise, if you are running under the Mono framework, please only use the simple examples. The full examples uses Windows Forms, which is not completely compatible with Mono's Gtk#.

To run the examples, you first download them from above and unpack them into a folder. To load all projects in MonoDevelop, go to File | Open, and open AllExamples/AllExamples.sln

This will load all of the examples available for C#, and then you can set your main project to be the one that matches your device. If you aren't sure what the software example for your device is called, check the software object listed in the Getting Started guide for your device.

The only thing left to do is to run the examples! Right click the project, and click on Run With and select the target framework. Please note that the projects, by default try to find the Phidget21.NET.dll in the C\Program Files\Phidgets. If you have it installed in another location, please change the path accordingly. If you are receiving an error message regarding that the namespace Phidgets cannot be found, please re-add the reference to Phidget21.NET.dll. Please see the next section for details.

Once you have the C# examples running, we have a teaching section below to help you follow them.

Write Your Own Code

When you are building a project from scratch, or adding Phidget function calls to an existing project, you'll need to configure your compiler / development environment to properly link the Phidget C# libraries. To begin:

• Create a new C# empty project with a descriptive name such as PhidgetTest.

• Add a reference to the .NET library.

• Select Phidget21.NET.dll. If you used our installer, by default, this file is placed in C:\Program Files\Phidgets. If it is in another location, please change the path accordingly.

Then, in your code, you will need to include the Phidget library:

  using Phidgets;
  using Phidgets.Events;

The project now has access to the Phidget21 function calls and you are ready to begin coding.

The same teaching section which describes the examples also has further resources for programming your Phidget.

Mac OS X

C# has excellent support on Mac OS X through the Mono framework.

The first step in using C# on Mac is to install the Phidget libraries. Compile and install them as explained on the getting started guide for your device. Then, the OS - Mac OS X page also describes the different Phidget files, their installed locations, and their roles....

Linux

C# has support on Linux through the Mono framework.

The first step in using C# on Linux is to install the Phidget libraries. Compile and install them as explained on the main Linux page. That Linux page also describes the different Phidget files, their installed locations, and their roles.

Follow The Examples

By following the instructions for your operating system and compiler above, you probably now have a working example and want to understand it better so you can change it to do what you want. This teaching section has resources for you to learn from the examples and write your own.

Next, comes our API information. These resources outline the C# Phidget functions:

Common Problems and Solutions/Workarounds

Here you can put various frequent problems and our recommended solutions.