Software Overview

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 on its product page on our main website. 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?

Phidget WebService Phidget Manager Phidget Dictionary

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.

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 product page for your device on our main website where you can find it and follow it.

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.

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

Operating System	Supported Version	Direct Control	Remote Network Control
Desktop OSes
Windows	Windows 2000 or Newer
OS X	OS X 10.4 or newer
Linux	Kernel 2.6 or newer
Mobile/Wireless OSes
Phidget SBC (Debian)	All versions
Android	3.1 and newer, with USB port
Android	1.5 to 3.0	X
iOS	3.0 or newer	X
Windows CE	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 you have some flexibility in what language to use, we recommend using a Core Language:

Language	API	Code Samples†	Events	Logic Code	Use via Direct USB*	Phidget WebService	Native Library**	Phidget User Base
Core Languages
C#	All Devices	All Devices
C/C++	All Devices	All Devices
Java	All Devices	All Devices
Python	All Devices	All Devices
Cocoa	All Devices	All Devices
Visual Basic 6.0	All Devices	All Devices
Visual Basic .NET	All Devices	All Devices
Mobile Languages
iOS	All Devices	InterfaceKit Only			X
Android Java	All Devices	InterfaceKit Only		X	Some Devices
Scripting
Applescript	All Devices	All Devices
AutoIt	All Devices	None
Ruby	All Devices	All Devices
Science and Math
LabVIEW	All Devices	All Devices
MATLAB	All Devices	Some Devices	X				X
Simulink	All Devices	InterfaceKit Only	X				X
Multimedia
Adobe Director	All Devices	InterfaceKit Only
Flash AS3	All Devices	All Devices
Flex AS3	All Devices	All Devices
LiveCode	InterfaceKit Only	InterfaceKit Only				X
Max/MSP	All Devices	All Devices
Other Languages
C# (.NET Compact)	All Devices	Some Devices
Visual Basic (.NET Compact Framework)	All Devices	Some Devices
REALBasic	All Devices	None
Visual Basic for Apps	All Devices	Some Devices
Visual Basic Script	All Devices	Some Devices
Delphi	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 with 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	Product Information
24U	24U Phidgets Plug-in 1.0	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.