Flowcode Help Overview

Version 8

• New in Flowcode 8 - Introduction to new features in Flowcode 8 and other useful information
• Chips - List of supported microcontroller devices in Flowcode
• Migrating to Flowcode 8 - Help and advise moving to v8 from an older version

Getting Started

• Activating Flowcode - Activating your Flowcode license
• Opening Flowcode - Launching the Flowcode application
• Finding Your Way Around Flowcode - Finding your way around
• Creating Flowcharts - Creating your first Flowcode flowchart and see the options available
• Selecting a Target Chip - Selecting the target microcontroller device
• Configuring the Chip - Configuring your device
• Opening an Existing Flowchart - Opening an existing .FCFX Flowcode project file
• Selecting a Template - Opening a template project file
• Saving a Flowchart - Saving your program
• Creating Templates - Creating your own templates
• Closing Flowcode - Closing Flowcode
• Disabling the 3D Panel - Disabling the 3D interface

Using the Flowchart

• Icon Properties - Flowchart icons and their functionality
• 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
• 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
• Disabling Icons - Disabling flowchart icons to comment out sections of code
• 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
• Variable Manager - The Flowcode variable manager interface
• 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

• Panels Where And Why - What the panels do and how they help you design your system
• Choosing your Simulation Panel - Information about choosing the correct panel
• Dashboard Panel - More in depth information on the dashboard panel
• System Panel - More in depth information on the system panel
• Zooming the View - Zooming in and out on panels
• Camera Control - Controlling the camera looking at the panel
• Object Position - Object positioning on the panels
• Local and World Space - Local vs World space regarding coordinates
• 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

• Tools and Views - Various tools and views available inside Flowcode
• Oscilloscope - How to use the oscilloscope window to monitor repeating waveforms and pin activity
• Console - How to use the data console window in your programs
• Data Recorder - How to use the data recorder window in your programs
• Icon Lists Pane - The icon lists pane
• Project Options - Detailed help on the Project Options window
• Global Options - Detailed help on the Global Options window
• Chip View - The chip view window
• Analog Window - The analogue inputs window
• Properties Panel - The properties panel
• Simulation Debugger - The simulation debugger window
• Component Debugger - The component debugger window
• Supplementary Code - Supplementary code and its usage
• 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
• Printing Flowcharts - Printing out a flowchart
• E-blocks2 Auto ID - E-blocks 2 Auto ID

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
• What Is a Switch - Detailed information regarding the switch components
• What Is an LED - Detailed information regarding the LED components
• What Is an LCD - Detailed information regarding the LCD components
• What Is a 7-Segment Display - Detailed information regarding the 7Seg components
• What Is a Keypad - Detailed information regarding the keypad 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
• Using the Data Injector - Data injectors and communications components
• 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.

Component Creation

• New Component Features - Additional component creation features added in Flowcode 8
• Creating a Property - How to create a property
• IO Properties - How to create and use IO properties
• Component Configuration - Overview of the component creation panel managers
• Customising A Component - Creating a new customised version of a component
• Assigning Code to an Existing Component - Complementing or overriding an existing components functionality
• Base Components - The base components and their function
• Using CAL Components - Creating a component using CAL functionality (I2C / SPI / UART etc)
• Using A Base Component - Creating a new component using a base component
• Exercises - Worked exercises including creating components
• Example - Number Conversions - Creating a helper component to help convert between number systems Decimal, Hexadecimal and Binary
• Example - Creating a two-wheeled robot - Creating a 2 wheeled robot from scratch (simulation & downloadable)

Simulation

• Starting Flowchart Simulation - Information on how to use the flowchart simulation
• Simulating Icons Step-by-Step - Stepping through icons
• Breakpoints - Using breakpoints
• Bookmarks - Using bookmarks
• Changing the Speed of a Simulation - Changing the run speed of the simulator
• Simulation-Only Code - Code designed to work only via the simulator
• Different Code For Sim and Download - Detecting if code is for download or simulation
• Simulation Events - Event macros used to provide more functionality to both simulation and compiled code
• DLL Support - Changing the nature of a macro to instead call a external DLL function (simulation only)
• Data Scope Test - Information on how to use the Flowcode data scope window.
• Code Profiling - Introduction to Code Profiling, and how to use it

Chip Specifics

• Compiling a Flowchart to a Chip - Information on how to compile a flowchart into machine code
• 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
• Debugging Hardware and Software - Tips on how to debug hardware and software
• Ghost Technology - Information on Ghost, (usage of ICD and ICT, and general settings)
• 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

SCADA

• Matrix SCADA - What is SCADA and how is it used
• SCADA Examples - A number of prebuilt example projects demonstrating how the Matrix SCADA mode can be used
• Matrix SCADA Deployment - How to deploy a SCADA project ready for sharing

Support

• Dynamic Updates - Getting updates and using older versions
• Frequently Asked Questions - Frequently asked questions
• 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