[OCCRA]: EasyC Text Editor?
 

Does anyone know how to either

1) Use EasyC to manually edit code files or
2) Access code files for editing in an external application?

We've been trying for quite a while now, and we've managed to open a code editing window (Project > New File > XXX.c) but we cannot find a way to use handwritten code within code generated by EasyC.

Thanks,
- Everyone who is trying to program the Cortex on Team 245

Re: [OCCRA]: EasyC Text Editor?
 

What I've found:

-The base functions (Main, Init, OpControl, Auto) must be coded graphically
-Any other functions ("user functions" in easyc language) can be coded graphically or textually, but must be created graphically (but can later be converted to text)
-Any function that does not need to be called in one of the graphical functions can be added to a source file already in the project and called from C code (the only reason you need to create the user function graphically is so the graphical editor knows that the function exists and can call it)...


To me, it seems like easyC is not a good choice for experienced programmers. It is designed from the core to be easy to use, and many functions are simply too abstracted and oversimplified for experienced programmers to work with. RobotC on the other hand...

Re: [OCCRA]: EasyC Text Editor?
 

Andrew is correct in addressing the "how to program in C text" inside EasyC issue. However, I think you may find that the selection of EasyC programming environment tends to lead you along the path of using the graphical programming language environment that is native to EasyC. I would question, sometimes, why you need to go down this path, other than the desire to just program free form in C. I trust that you are not newbie programmers and have some experience in programming in C with embedded micro controllers. Otherwise the exercise in programming in C text may outweight the benefits. I wish you good success!

Re: [OCCRA]: EasyC Text Editor?
 

My biggest issue with the easyC graphical environment is that it isn't a good graphical environment.

Having worked with embedded C (for PIC, HCS12 and MCP55xx 16 and 32 bit controllers with various degrees of RTOS included), embedded Simulink (run through Embedded Coder and compiled as C), and RT LabVIEW (for FRC), I personally prefer the Simulink/LV graphical implementation as it represents what it happening much better than easyC does.

With easyC, I can SEE the C code right there, and know exactly what I want to type (full of tricks with typedef enums, defines, bitwise logic and such) and type it really fast, with a bunch of logic and math operations on one line. With easyC, I can SEE the code, but I can't type it, and have to search through the library to find the block I want.

The best embedded environment I ever worked with was the HCS12 embedded ECU. The development library had been extended (internally) to include a basic RTOS, with interrupt-based CAN message handling and pre-emptive scheduling. The best part was, that since it was developed internally, I could pull down the source of the RTOS from SVN and see exactly how the library did something if I questioned how it did something, or if I had a big issue, I could just change it in the library (and if it was REALLY big, I could email the guy who wrote it and ask him about it). The easyC library is very black-box to me, and I don't like the inability to change things. There are many things to me which would be much easier for me to implement in the hardware interrupts (such as encoder speed handling), but I can't because I can't modify the library code.

That said, RobotC isn't a lot better on the black-box issue. I like the environment more, though.