µC/GUI Simulation

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µC/GUI : Simulator

The µC/GUI PC simulation allows you to compile the same "C" source on your Windows PC using a native (typically Microsoft) compiler and create an executable for your own application. Doing so allows the following:

• Design of the user interface on your PC (no need for hardware!)
• Debugging of your user interface program.
• Creation of demos of your application, which can be used to discuss the user interface.

The resulting executable can be easily sent via email.

Understanding the simulator

The µC/GUI simulator uses Microsoft Visual C++ (version 6.00 or higher) and the integrated development environment which comes with it. You will see a simulation of your LCD on your PC screen, which will have the same resolution in X and Y and can display the exact same colors as your LCD once it has been properly configured.

The entire graphic library API and window manager API of the simulation are identical to those on your target system; all functions will behave in the very same way as on the target hardware since the simulation uses the same "C" source code as the target system.

The difference lies only in the lower level of the software: the LCD driver. Instead of using the actual LCD driver, the PC simulation uses a simulation driver which writes into a bitmap. The bitmap is then displayed on your screen using a second thread of the simulation. This second thread is invisible to the application; it behaves just as if the LCD routines were writing directly to the display.

Using the simulator

The simulation contains one or more application "C" files, which can be modified. Typically you would want to at least change the bitmap to your own company logo or image of choice. You should then rebuild the program within the Visual C++ work-space in order to test/debug it. Once you have reached a point where you are satisfied with the result and want to use the program in your application, you should be able to compile these same files on your target system and get the same result on the target display. The general procedure for using the simulator would be as follows:

• Step 1: Open the Visual C++ workspace by double-clicking on Simulation.dsw.
• Step 2: Compile and run the application program (located in the Application directory).
• Step 3: Replace the bitmap with your own logo or image.
• Step 4: Make further modifications to the application program as necessary.
• Step 5: Compile and run the application program within Visual C++ to test the results. Continue to modify and debug as needed.
• Step 6: Compile and run the application program on your target system.

The viewer

If you use the simulator to debug your application, you cannot see the LCD output when stepping through the source code. The viewer solves this problem by showing the LCD window and the color window of your simulation.

• Step 1: Start the viewer. No LCD- or color window is shown until the simulation has been started.
• Step 2: Open the Visual C++ workspace.
• Step 3: Compile and run the application program.
• Step 4: Debug the application as described previously.

The advantage is that you can now follow all drawing operations step by step in the LCD window. Per default the viewer window is always on top. You can change this behavior by selecting View\Always on top from the menu.

Device simulation and other advanced features

The simulator can show the simulated LCD in a bitmap of your choice, typically your target device. The bitmap can be dragged over the screen and may, in certain applications, be used to simulate the behavior of the entire target device.

Hardkey simulation

Hardkeys may also be simulated as part of the device, and may be selected with the mouse pointer. The idea is to be able to distinguish whether a key or button on the simulated device is pressed or unpressed. A hardkey is considered "pressed" as long as the mouse button is held down; releasing the mouse button or moving the pointer off of the hardkey "unpresses" the key. A toggle behavior between pressed and unpressed may also be specified with the routine SIM_HARDKEY_SetMode.

Simulator API

All of the simulator API functions must be called in the setup phase. The calls should ideally be done from within the routine SIM_X_Init(), which is located in the file SIM_X.c. The example below calls SIM_SetLCDPos() in the setup:

#include
#include
#include "SIM.h"
void SIM_X_Init() {
    SIM_SetLCDPos(0,0); // Define the position of the LCD in the bitmap
}

The table below lists the available simulation-related routines in alphabetical order within their respective categories. Detailed descriptions of the routines follow: