Flowcode Help Overview
From Flowcode Help
Contents
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