Flowcode Help Overview

This page provides a detailed guide to using Flowcode, covering various aspects of the software.

Here’s a brief summary of the sections:

1. Getting Started: Instructions on activating Flowcode, navigating the interface, creating projects, configuring devices, and saving/loading projects. It also offers specific guides for embedded, PC, web, and Raspberry Pi development.
2. Program Editing: Explains flowchart icons, adding/editing icons, code folding, grouping icons, simulating C code, converting C code to flowcharts, and multi-monitor support.
3. Macros: Covers creating, editing, and deleting macros, along with exporting/importing macros and using the project explorer.
4. Functions: Describes built-in mathematical and string manipulation functions, undo/redo operations, annotations, and find/replace functionality.
5. Variables: Guides on creating, editing, and using different variable types, handles, typecasting, and state machines.
6. Panels: Explains how to choose, manipulate, and control 2D and 3D simulation panels, including object positioning, scaling, and rotation.
7. Tools and Views: Provides details on compiler toolchains, toolbars, project options, global settings, simulation debugging, and window layouts.
8. Components: Information on components, including common ones, macros, properties, help files, CAL/DSP components, and remappable peripheral pins.
9. Chip Specifics: Explains how to compile a flowchart into machine code, use oscillators, PLLs, interrupts, third-party programming tools, and manage compiler options.
10. Support: Offers guidance on getting updates, reporting bugs, using licensed compilers, accessing technical support, and migrating from older Flowcode versions.

This overview serves as a comprehensive reference for users at any level, providing essential resources to navigate and maximize the use of Flowcode.

Getting Started

• Activating Flowcode - Activating your Flowcode license
• Opening Flowcode - Launching the Flowcode application
• Finding Your Way Around Flowcode - Finding your way around
• Creating a Project - Creating your first Flowcode project and see the options available
• Configuring the Chip - Configuring your device
• Save and Open Projects - Saving and Opening Flowcode project files
• Selecting a Template - Opening a template project file
• Creating Templates - Creating your own templates
• Closing Flowcode - Closing Flowcode
• Embedded Getting Started Guide - Overview of Flowcode IDE for the embedded side, with project examples
• PC Developer Getting Started Guide - Overview of Flowcode IDE for PC Developer, with project examples
• Web Developer Getting Started Guide - Overview of Flowcode IDE for Web Developer, with program examples
• Raspberry Pi Getting Started Guide - Overview on setting up and programming the Raspberry Pi

Program Editing

• Icon Properties - Flowchart icons and their functionality
• Remappable Pin Table - Provides pin mappings and functionality for various microcontrollers and development boards.
• Adding an Icon to a Flowchart - Adding flowchart icons to your program
• Editing Icon Properties - Editing the properties of a flowchart icon
• Adding Comments to a Flowchart - Commenting your flowchart
• Selecting Icons - Selecting icons on the flowchart
• Flowchart Editing Functions - Functions to make editing your flowchart easier
• Code Folding - Compressing known working code to increase screen real estate
• Icon Grouping - Combining multiple icons together into a single group icon
• C Code Simulation - Simulating C code in your program
• C Code to Flowchart Conversion - Converting a section of C code into Flowchart icons
• Code Paradigms - Coding Paradigms - Flowchart, Blocks, Pseudocode, C Code
• State Diagrams - State Diagrams - Support for using the State Diagram coding paradigm
• Tab Tear Off - Multi Monitor Support - How to manage tabs on multi-monitor systems

Macros

• Creating a New Macro - Creating a new flowchart macro or subroutine
• Editing and Deleting Macros - Editing a macro and removing a macro from your program
• Using the Project Explorer - Features of the project explorer designed to help simplify programming
• Exporting a Macro - Exporting a macro from within Flowcode
• Importing a Macro - Importing a macro into Flowcode

Functions

• Mathematical Functions - Built in routines designed to help with mathematical operations such as Sin() and Float
• String Manipulation Functions - Built in routines designed to help with string manipulation
• Undo and Redo - Undo and Redo operations and shortcuts
• Icon Annotations - Icon annotations
• Find and Replace - Ability to search within your Flowcode project to replace specific text with alternate text

Variables

• Creating Variables - How to create a variable
• Variable Types - Variable types and their meanings
• Editing Variables - How to edit a variable
• Handles - Handle variables and their function within the system
• Typecasting - Variable type casting, applications and usage
• Finite State Machines - Programming tutorial on using state machines

Panels

• Choosing your Simulation Panel - Information about choosing the correct panel
• 2D Panels - More in-depth information on the 2D panels
• 3D System Panel - More in-depth information on the 3D system panel
• Zooming the View - Zooming in and out on the 3D system panel
• Camera Control - Controlling the camera looking at the panel
• Object Position - Object positioning on the panels
• Object Scale - Objects and their scale
• Object Rotation - Rotating objects
• Working With Primitives - Using primitive objects inside Flowcode
• Working With Meshes - Using meshes inside Flowcode

Tools and Views

• Compiler Toolchains - Toolchains used to compile to the various platforms Flowcode supports.
• Ribbon Toolbar - Detailed description of the Flowcode ribbon toolbars.
• Project Options - Detailed help on the Project Options window
• Global Settings - Detailed help on the Global Settings window
• Chip View - The chip view window
• Properties Panel - The properties panel
• Supplementary Code - Supplementary code and its usage
• Simulation Debugger - Control over the simulation speed and view simulated variable values, also known previously as the watch window
• Saving Images in Flowcode - Creating images of your flowchart source
• Auto Documentation - Auto documentation features to speed up development
• Window Layouts - The window layouts manager

Components

• Components - Information about what a component is and how they work inside the Flowcode environment.
• Common Components - Information on some of the more commonly used components
• Selecting Component Macros - Information on how to use component macros
• Component Help Files - How to get access to component help via Flowcode
• Components - Component help overview
• Component Properties - Information on how to use component properties
• Component Tree - Information regarding the component tree hierarchy
• Replacing a Component - Replacing one component with another
• CAL Components - Overview of code abstraction layer components
• DSP Components - Overview of digital signal processing components
• Graphical Display Components - Overview of graphical display components and associated libraries
• Component Directories - Information on creating your own components directories
• Editing Key Mappings - Assigning keyboard presses to functionality during simulation
• Remappable Peripheral Pins - Assigning pins to peripherals on devices with re-mappable functionality.

Chip Specifics

• Compiling a Flowchart to a Chip - Information on how to compile a flowchart into machine code
• Remappable Pin Table - Provides pin mappings and functionality for various microcontrollers and development boards.
• Internal Oscillator - Specifics on using an internal oscillator
• Phase Locked Loop (PLL) - Specifics on using a PLL frequency multiplier
• Interrupts - Built in interrupts for your hardware
• Custom Interrupts - Custom interrupts for your hardware
• Supporting Third Party Programming Tools - Using 3rd party programmers such as PICkit and Arduino
• Viewing Code Output - Viewing the code generated by Flowcode
• Managing Compiler Options - Overview of the compiler options settings
• FCD Data Collection - Chip definition files and how to collect data from them

Support

• Dynamic Updates - Getting updates and using older versions
• Reporting a Bug - How to report a bug in Flowcode
• Licensed Compiler - Compiler specifics and license agreement
• Technical Support - Information on how to get further support
• Migrating from Older Versions - Help on updating your projects from previous Flowcode versions
• Version Updates - See what features have been added to Flowcode for each version.