Software
Several customers have asked why we developed our own object oriented programming language rather than provide a product with Linux or an operating system supporting compiled 'C'. If we look back at the original requirements we can see some of the reasons.




Prime: A combined operating and communication software offering unique capabilities for slave / host applications.
1/ The customer's end user or distributor could write code and insert images to add in their own functionality with a text editor.
2/ The program code could be updated or expanded by the host system using ASCII text over a serial link.
3/ The product should be license free and use simple development tools.
4/ The customer can create his own large images and control them like fonts.
5/ The SD card should be able to stream video and audio with the minimum of user programming.
6/ An existing host software requires only limited changes to upgrade a display from 4X20 LCD to a full colour TFT.
7/ The module has the intelligence to operate as a host and the compact command language to act as a high speed slave.
8/ The number of commands should be minimized by using 'overloading' and provide a higher level of functionality than C functions.
9/ The parameters for interfaces and screen entities should be held in styles similar to HTML.
10/ The application development time should take days or weeks rather than months.
11/ If the software engineer leaves the company, it is relatively easy for the engineering manager to amend the program.

These reasons may not be key to your application, but we believe it does offer new product opportunities.


High Level Object Oriented Commands
The module has an integrated compiler and debugger so that users can write the high level object oriented language commands in a text file or send via an interface to develop their application. Although pictures and fonts can be loaded via an interface, it is best to store these on an SD card or transfer via USB from on a PC. The multi faceted commands are divided into 4 groups as shown below.
You may be thinking how can 25 commands operate a host system, so lets take a look at the LOAD command. It can perform the equivalent language functions of strcpy, strcat, format, inp, outp and a page collation function. Please study our application example code for an understanding of this compact language.
 

Styles make your Application Consistent
All entities and buffers use parameters stored in a Style similar to HTML web pages. These are extensive and define colours, entity types, buffer size and interface parameters like baud rate, clock edges and data format. Styles can be embedded in parent styles to reduce repetition and simplify changes.

Screen Page Creation and Control
Pages can be smaller than the screen for pop up help menus, status information and lists. Buttons can be varying size, with radio, rectangle or check box style with special types for navigation actions. The cursor position command allows relative or absolute positioning for reduced instructions during page layout. Entities can be updated by incoming host commands and their associated functions can run all the time or only when the entity or it's page is visible. When a text is numeric, it can be compared, incremented or decremented or form part of an equation using the CALC command. Buffers or variables can be created for interfaces, on-board memory, the SD Card, timers, counters and text. Hex code can be included in text variables when prefixed by \\.
When creating your page structures and functions in a file, // prefixes user comments.

Uploading your Menu Structure, Functions and Images
Data received from interfaces or flash memory is processed and stored in RAM libraries for high speed access to create or refresh pages and entities. Every entity has a text name for easy reference by future update commands.
In a similar way to a PC, your software could be permanently retained on an SD card and auto loaded at Power On or saved in internal flash by transferring it from an SD card or uploading it via an interface port. SD cards of 1G size and SDHC cards of 4G, 8G, 16G and 32G size are supported. 2G SD cards are not supported.

If an SD Card is used, the module will look for a file called ‘TU480A.MNU' which will reference all other menu or image files. This may be your only menu file with all functions included. It would have a header similar to the example below to copy other files on the SD card to the internal flash memory. See the 'example projects' section

RESET(LIBRARY); FPROG;
LIB(BACKIMAGE,"SDHC/backmain.bmp"); //load background picture into the onboard flash library
LIB(STARTIMAGE,"SDHC/startbut.bmp"); //load start button into the onboard flash library
…….. FEND;

Entities can be changed via the user interfaces by direct reference to there name or style with version v44 firmware.
Examples:
LOAD(homestyle.back,BLUE"); change the background colour of the page called homepage to blue
LOAD(rs2.set,"96e"); change the rs232 baud rate to 9600 baud with even parity
LOAD(GenText.font,"40X56Kata"); change font size of all text using style GenText