Software Overview: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:40, 10 August 2012

Phidgets’ philosophy is that you do not have to be an electrical engineer in order to do projects that use devices like sensors, motors, motor controllers, and interface boards. All you need to know is how to program.

We have developed a complete set of Application Programming Interfaces (API) that are supported for many different operating systems, and which can be used through many different programming languages.

We suggest starting with the Getting Started guide for your device, which can be found in its user guide. This will help you run a basic example to check your hardware and drivers.

Have you been there but want more introduction? We have overview pages - with lots of explanatory images - for some of our high-level topics:

What is a Phidget?

After that, you'll need to dive right in and write code.

From the Getting Started Guide, you'll have already chosen your operating system below, and from the operating system page you'll be directed to choose a language.

So if you're here, you probably want:

An overview of our language and operating system support (in which case, just scroll down)
A quick link to our programming overview with lots of code snippets, called the General Phidget Programming Guide
The API with syntax and function calls for your device - which you can find on the page for your language
Or, information about your product, which can be found on its product page on our main website or in its user guide.

We try to make our documentation as complete as possible - which means there is a lot of it! Browse around, try the search bar, and if you can't find what you need, please Contact Us.

Operating System Support

These operating system pages provide drivers for using Phidgets. They help you set up your system after following the Getting Started guide for your device. The operating systems links below are also on every Getting Started guide, so if you have not yet read the one for your device, head straight to the user guide for your device where you can find it and follow it. If you are just looking to get your drivers right away you can go to the quick downloads section for the appropriate OS below. If you need to access non-current versions of our drivers you can find them here. You can view the changelog for the drivers here: Driver Changelog.

Phidgets can be run either directly through USB or remotely over a network via the Phidget WebService. Most operating systems below can run Phidgets directly, but a few can only control them over a network. Phidgets can also probably be run on other operating systems that have support for compiling C code, and either a standard network connection for running a Phidget over a network, or a USB host controller for direct control. We don't offer support directly for these additional operating systems, but you may find the installation and setup instructions for Linux useful because compiling and custom toolchains are discussed.

Licensing information for all of Phidgets' software can be found here. The actual licenses are available at the bottom of Phidgets Inc.

Phidgets can run either directly or over a network on these operating systems:

Operating System	Drivers and Libraries	Direct Control	Supported Version
Desktop OSes
Windows	Quick Downloads		XP SP3 or Newer
OS X	Quick Downloads		OS X 10.5 or newer
Linux	Quick Downloads		Kernel 2.6 or newer
Mobile/Wireless OSes
Phidget SBC	Quick Downloads		All versions
Android	Quick Downloads		3.1 and newer, with USB port
Android	Quick Downloads	X	1.5 to 3.0
iOS	Quick Downloads	X	5.1.1 or newer
Windows CE	Quick Downloads		5.0 or newer

Language Support

We provide a variety of supported languages for using Phidgets. Each language has its own libraries, which may be found on the language pages below, along with code examples and an in-depth API.

Many languages also depend on the core drivers being installed as well. These drivers can be found on the operating system pages above.

Phidgets supports the following languages. If the language you have chosen is not fully supported with examples for all products then there are some resources available for you to fill in the gaps. First we recommend you look at the API which will show you all of the functions you can use. Next, you should look at the code samples that are available in that language. Finally you should look at code samples for your device in other languages. Between those three things you should be able to piece together what you need to be doing, as always, if you run into trouble Contact Us. If you have some flexibility in what language to use, we recommend using a Core Language:

Language	Libraries	API	Code Samples^†	Events	Logic Code	Use via Direct USB*	Phidget WebService	Native Library**
Core Languages
C#	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
C/C++	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Python	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Java	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Visual Basic .NET	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Visual Basic 6.0	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Cocoa	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Mobile Languages
Android Java	Quick Downloads	All Devices	InterfaceKit Only		X	Some Devices
iOS	Quick Downloads	All Devices	InterfaceKit Only			X
Scripting
Applescript	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
AutoIt	Quick Downloads	All Devices	None
Ruby	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Science and Math
LabVIEW	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
MATLAB	Quick Downloads	All Devices	Some Devices	X				X
Multimedia
Flash AS3	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Max/MSP	Quick Downloads	All Devices	All Devices
Adobe Director	Quick Downloads	All Devices	InterfaceKit Only
LiveCode	Quick Downloads	InterfaceKit Only	InterfaceKit Only				X
Other Languages
C# (.NET Compact)	Quick Downloads	All Devices	Some Devices
Visual Basic (.NET Compact Framework)	Quick Downloads	All Devices	None
Visual Basic for Apps	Quick Downloads	All Devices	Some Devices
Visual Basic Script	Quick Downloads	All Devices	Some Devices

* A direct USB connection would be plugging the Phidget into a USB port and using it locally. This is the typical way to use a Phidget. However, some platforms (such as the iPhone platform) do not have USB ports and hence can only use a Phidget over a network, via the Phidget WebService.

** Native library support means that the calls you make to a Phidget in this language are in the language as well. If the calls are non-native, the use of Phidgets is through an external library linker, such as callib() in MATLAB, for example. The core Phidget library is written in C, and most other languages use this library as their core, but a 'Native' interface cleanly hides this detail.

^† Most languages have code samples for all Phidgets, but some have only some devices (visit the language page to learn which ones), and some only have an Interface Kit example. The Phidget Interface Kit is a common Phidget which provides an interface with analog sensors, digital input, and digital output. So, when we choose which examples to write, the Interface Kit is often at the top of our customer's lists.

Android Honeycomb Version 3.1 or Higher Only

Third Party Support

These products must be purchased directly from these companies and all support calls must be directed to them

Some third party companies also offer and support software programs that work with Phidgets boards. Phidgets does not have a certification program and does not make any warranty about these products.

In alphabetical order:

Company	Product	Runs On	Website	Synopsis
24U	24U Phidgets Plug-in 2.0	Mac, Windows	Website	24U Phidgets Plug-In lets you connect different kind of phidgets (www.phidgets.com) to your computer's USB port and interact with them directly from FileMaker Pro.
DSPRobotics	Flowstone	Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/Embedded	Website	Graphical Programming Language aimed at real-time Digital Signal Processing.(DSP), Robotics and Embedded applications. FlowStone is a drag and drop environment where you combine high-level and low-level modules to build real time applications.
MANIPIL	Visual Domotique	Windows XP/Vista/7	Website	Visual Domotique is a Graphical I/O programming for Windows XP/Vista/7. Various components allow you to draw electrical schema and control panel. No need to know how to program to use this software. Varied uses are possible: Home automation, security, hobby, Control process education... Available in French.
PCRBOX	PCR Automation	Windows XP/Vista/7 (32 & 64bit)	Website	PCR Automation is an easy to use software that works immediately without the need for any programming. It interfaces with the 1018, 1070 and 1072. Several interfaces can be opened simultaneously, each in a different window. Each input / output can be customized (label, sensor, offset, units, sensitivity, recording ...). The log files can be automatically sent by E-mail. Users can add their own sensors to the library of thirty Phidgets sensors.
PiXCL Automation Technologies	PiXCL Advanced Imaging 10.2	Windows XP/Vista/7	Website	PiXCL is a powerful and easy-to-learn event driven interpreted language for the fast creation of image acquisition, processing and advanced analysis applications. The suite includes a compiler and development studio with context sensitive help and plenty of sample code. V10.1 provides you with the tools to create applications that combine Phidget devices with digital cameras and scanners.
SoapBox Automation	SoapBox Snap	Windows XP/Vista/7	Website	SoapBox Snap is a free and open source PC-based automation platform. It includes a ladder logic editor and a “soft” runtime right out of the box.
UACh - Universida Austral de Chile	monoBOTICS-icarus	Linux	Website	The monoBOTICS project aims to become an OpenSource Framework, to facilitate the tasks of design, simulation and implementation of solutions for areas of Robotics and Automation, both for people with basic knowledge of programming, as for more advanced developers.
Omnipotence Software	ECS (Event Control System)	Windows, Linux	Website	Powerful and flexible, general purpose automation software for commercial and residential applications. Supports simple schedules and English-like scripts for more elaborate logic.

Legacy Languages

Legacy languages are languages which we supported in the past; however, we no longer actively develop or support them. We provide this software page information for the limited existing users:

Language
REALBasic
Flex AS3
Microsoft Robotics Studio
Simulink
Delphi

If you have an existing code base in these languages and the legacy status of these languages is a serious inconvenience, please Contact Us.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Operating System Support ==
+[[Category:Overview]]
+__NOTOC__
+Phidgets’ philosophy is that you do not have to be an electrical engineer in order to do projects that use devices like sensors, motors, motor controllers, and interface boards. All you need to know is how to program.
-Phidgets can '''run directly''' on these operating systems:
+We have developed a complete set of Application Programming Interfaces (API) that are supported for many different [[#Operating System Support|operating systems]], and which can be used through many different [[#Language Support | programming languages]].
-* [[OS - Windows]]
+{| style="border:1px solid darkgray;" cellpadding="5px;"
-* [[OS - Mac OSX]]
+|-
-* [[OS - Linux]]
+| We suggest starting with the '''Getting Started''' guide for your device, which can be found in its [[:Category:UserGuide|user guide]].  This will help you run a basic example to check your hardware and drivers.
-* [[OS - Windows CE]] ??
+|-
-* [[OS - Android]] (3.1 and above)
+|Have you been there but want more introduction? We have overview pages - with lots of explanatory images - for some of our high-level topics:
+|-
+|
+* [[What is a Phidget?]]
+|-
+|
+* [[Phidget WebService]]
+* [[Phidget Manager]]
+* [[Phidget Dictionary]]
+|}
-Phidgets can be '''driven remotely''' by these operating systems:
+After that, you'll need to dive right in and write code.
-* [[OS - Windows]]
+From the Getting Started Guide, you'll have already chosen your [[#Operating System Support|operating system below]], and from the operating system page you'll be directed to [[#Language Support|choose a language]].
-* [[OS - Mac OSX]]
-* [[OS - Linux]]
-* [[OS - Windows CE]]
-* [[OS - iOS]]
-* [[OS - Android]]
-== Language Support ==
+So if you're here, you probably want:
+* An overview of our language and operating system support (in which case, just scroll down)
+* A quick link to our programming overview with lots of code snippets, called the '''[[General Phidget Programming|General Phidget Programming Guide]]'''
+* The API with syntax and function calls for your device - which you can find on the [[#Language Support | page for your language]]
+* Or, information about your product, which can be found on its product page on [{{SERVER}} our main website] or in its [[:Category:UserGuide|user guide]].
-Phidgets can be programmed either by an '''event-driven''' model, or by traditional '''linear code'''.  All languages below support linear code.  Some languages support our complete API, which includes support for event-driven design.
+We try to make our documentation as complete as possible - which means there is a lot of it!  Browse around, try the search bar, and if you can't find what you need, please [[Contact Us]].
-If you are flexible on what language you can use, we suggest choosing a language which supports event-driven code.
+== Operating System Support ==
+{{:Operating System Support}}
-Phidgets have libraries to support [[#Event Driven Code|Event Driven Code]] in the following languages:
-* [[Language - C/C++]]
-* ...
-Phidgets have libraries to support only [[#Linear Code|Linear Code]] in the following languages:
-* [[Language - MATLAB]]
-* ...
-== Different Code Styles ==
-User and device actions can be handled by either:
-*Letting the program tell you when they happen and then doing something (event driven code)
-*Polling for things to happen then doing something (linear code)
-These styles can mix.  For example, you can take a defined set of steps at first such as turning on an LED or antenna (linear code) and then doing nothing until an output change event is fired (event code).
-With languages that support both styles, you can mix and match.  For languages that support only linear code (see the [[#Language Support|Language Support Categories]] above) you can only use the linear style.
-Examples in pseudo-code are given below for each style type so you can see how your language choice can affect your code design.
-=== Event Driven Code ===
-Event driven code allows for ''smooth handling of complex programs''.  Event driven code '''is''' useful for:
-*Handling multiple Phidgets
-*Handling active plugging or unplugging of the Phidget (multiple attach and detach events)
-*Working behind a GUI, as many GUIs are already event driven
-*Capturing all sensor data - or input and output - device changes
-Without event driven code, you will need to constantly poll the device to see if any state has changed.  If you poll at a slower rate than your input or output changes, you will not capture all data.
-Event driven code is usually '''not''' as useful or efficient for:
-*Only one open and close event
-*Using only one device
-*Having the user (or program) '''put''' changes onto the device (in contrast to reading data '''from''' the device)
-In addition, event driven code is relatively hard to design well.  It may help to draw out a '''flowchart''', '''state machine''', or at least a '''pseudo-code outline''' of your system design and all events you wish to handle before writing code.
-All [[#Language Support|Supported Languages]] that handle event driven code have examples of how to write such code on the specific language pages.  Event driven examples follow this structure, and places to start changing this structure are noted:
-<div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; border-color: #1c9edb; border-width:1px; border-style: dashed;">
-<font size="3">
-<source lang=text>
-  // --- Event Functions ---
-  Create any Language-Specific Functions (error handling, etc)
-  Create General Attach, Detach, and Error Handling Functions
-    On attach: Initialize hardware (antennas, etc)
-    On detach: Reset any state variables (attached boolean, etc)
-  Create Hardware-Specific Functions
-    // ****** Add your own handling code for these data change events ******
-    On data input change: Notify using basic output (screen message, turn on LED, etc)
-  // --- Main Code ---
-  Create Device Software Object
-  Attach Event Functions created above to Device
-  Open Device
-  // ****** Change the look and structure of this loop for your GUI ******
-  Loop waiting for events and user input:
-    If device attached:
-        Get and Print various device statuses on request via user input
-    Exit upon specific user input
-  Close Device
-  Delete Device
-</source>
-</font>
-</div>
-=== Linear Code ===
-Linear code is often more compact and straightforward compared to event driven code.  But, linear code cannot easily handle the same level of complexity that event-driven code can.  Linear code is useful for:
-* Simple, single-device applications
-* Non-GUI applications (GUIs usually are event driven)
-* The user driving the device rather than listening to it
-Linear code is relatively easy to design well.  When the code example in the [[#Event Driven Code|Event Driven Code]] section above is translated into linear code, we lose the ability to handle multiple attach and detach events (plugging and unplugging of the Phidget).  We also lose the ability to have all of the sensor data or event changes come to us, instead we have to ask for them.  However, the code structure is much simpler:
-<div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; border-color: #1c9edb; border-width:1px; border-style: dashed;">
-<font size="3">
-<source lang=text>
-  Create Device Software Object
-  Open Device
-  Wait for Device Attachment
-  Initialize any hardware (antennas, etc)
-  Loop waiting for requests from user input:
-    Get and Print various device statuses on request by input
-    Exit upon specific user input
-  Close Device
-  Delete Device
-</source>
-</font>
-</div>
-<br>
-If you find that in linear code you have a highly complex <code>if</code> loop driving your program, you should consider switching to event driven code.  This type of awkward if-loop might look like this:
-<div style="background-color: #f3f3f3; border-color: #1c9edb; border-width:1px; border-style: dashed;">
-<font size="3">
-<source lang=c>
-  Create Device Software Object
-  Open Device
-  Loop Until Exit Requested {
-     if No Device Attached {
-         Wait For Attachment until Timeout
-         if Wait Timeout Reached {
-             break
-         } else {
-             Initialize Device
-         }
-     } else {  // Device Is Attached
-         if Device Data Type 1 Changed {
-             Do Something
-         }
-         if Device Data Type 2 Changed {
-             Do Something Else
-         }
-         // ... More data change functions here
-     }
-     Collect User Input
-  }
-  Close Device
-  Delete Device
-</source>
-</font>
-</div>
-On the other hand, you can probably see that if your language does not give the option for events, you can use this structure to mimic what events would enable you to do.
-=== Choosing A Code Style ===
-You can probably see that the style of programming you choose (and hence the language you might prefer) would depend on what you want to do with the Phidget.
+{{:Programming Resources}}

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