RoboEmu & RoboGUI

[Raven_Writer]

Would anyone like to see these two programs re-wrote to work with the new PIC-C language?

If so, I'd be glad to re-write them.

Please post your thoughts, opinions, etc....

[djcapelis]

If you could please try and keep the cross platform (or at least dual-platform) nature of these applications it'd be much appreciated, I'll run code on linux for you if you don't have an installation free to test upon. Might end up helping fix a few things too, assuming it's open-source? (if you're using rob's code as a base open-source is not optional.)

[Raven_Writer]

Originally posted by djcapelis
If you could please try and keep the cross platform (or at least dual-platform) nature of these applications it'd be much appreciated, I'll run code on linux for you if you don't have an installation free to test upon. Might end up helping fix a few things too, assuming it's open-source? (if you're using rob's code as a base open-source is not optional.)

Keeping it cross platform is something I doubt I can do....I've looked through the code, and if both (or even if one) runs on linux right now, I highly doubt it'll matter when/if I re-write the code.

Both will be off of Rob's code, I'm just going to make the necessary changes for the language. This way, people that are used to how it was will still be able to use it....unless I end up having to re-do everything (dreads that).

Thanks for help, I'll keep in touch with you as soon as I get more info on the language.

[miketwalker]

I'd be more than glad to try to help as well if you need it.

[Rickertsen2]

YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! YES!! ...............

I was going to post this myself, but you beat me 2 it. I wish there were some way i could help.

[Raven_Writer]

Mike & Rick: You both can help with cross-platform stuff, and I'm sure I'll IM you both about the code

Thanks for all the help, and I'm glad many people really do like these programs.

[Sorry if I sound like Rob, I'm just really suprised honestly that these tools have helped out a lot of people]

/ponders what Rob would post if he read this thread

[rbayer]

Originally posted by Raven_Writer

/ponders what Rob would post if he read this thread [/b]

Don't worry, I'm here.

As of right now, I am planning on updating at least RoboEmu (RoboGUI is a mess right now, and I don't think it's anywhere near as popular). As for cross-platform compatibility, that's definately in the plans.

A few problems:
a) RoboEmu will basically need to be gutted and re-written from the ground up.
b) I'm not on a team and have no controller to test things with.
c) I haven't seen a formal spec for the language yet. (Please don't say implement all of C. That's about the same as writing a C compiler, which is a HUGE project and one that I doubt anyone here has the time to take on).


So, that said, here's what I need from you guys:
1. can somebody find me the language spec?
2. are you all willing to test code for me?
3. please be patient. I love working on RoboEmu, but this a gigantic change. Luckily, version 2.0, which I almost finished this summer, should be easier to adapt to the new controller and will be much easier to keep cross-platform compatible.
4. even though RoboEmu is GPL, so you are technically free to do whatever you want with it, I think it would be benneficial to coordinate everything through me so that somebody doesn't end up duplicating work I've already done.

Remember, competition doesn't start until January. I will definately try to have something done significantly before that.

-Rob

[Raven_Writer]

Originally posted by rbayer
...So, that said, here's what I need from you guys:
1. can somebody find me the language spec?
2. are you all willing to test code for me?
3. please be patient. I love working on RoboEmu, but this a gigantic change. Luckily, version 2.0, which I almost finished this summer, should be easier to adapt to the new controller and will be much easier to keep cross-platform compatible.
4. even though RoboEmu is GPL, so you are technically free to do whatever you want with it, I think it would be benneficial to coordinate everything through me so that somebody doesn't end up duplicating work I've already done. ...

1. I've been looking through the website for a while, w/ no luck, but I'll still try
2. I would be more than willing to test it

Thanks Rob for the great work.

[miketwalker]

Yea, I haven't found out about the code either, I hope that something comes with the new edubot controller that will give us just the basics if anything.

I'll definitly help beta test as well

[FotoPlasma]

Originally posted by rbayer
1. can somebody find me the language spec?

-Rob

If we're to be using MPLAB to program a PIC18F8520 in C, I'm almost 100% sure we'll be using C18. The User's Guide document on that page contains a lot of the spec of the language (I'm not sure if it's 100% complete, but it seems to be very comprehensive), and the Libraries document explains Microchip's libraries for common processor functions (ADC, Timers, PWM, USART, etc.).

Hope this helps, some. I'm not sure what, if anything, I'll be able to do concerning the actual development of the software, though. Sorry.

[Dave Flowerday]

Originally posted by rbayer
c) I haven't seen a formal spec for the language yet. (Please don't say implement all of C. That's about the same as writing a C compiler, which is a HUGE project and one that I doubt anyone here has the time to take on).

Rob,
Why try to interpret the C code as it runs? As you say, implementing all of the language constructs would be a lot of work. It would be much more efficient to just compile the user's RC code into a native library on the host's workstation and then link it in at runtime... I would think that would simplify the porting of your application quite a bit. Most likely IFI will provide some sort of library for the RC that will have some standard functions for reading inputs, writing outputs, setting PWMs, etc., so all you'd have to do is provide the same interface for the user's code to work with.

Besides, it'll be much harder to interpret programs written for the new processor and maintain real-time speed than it was with the pokey BASIC Stamp.

[Rickertsen2]

Originally posted by Dave Flowerday
Rob,
Why try to interpret the C code as it runs? As you say, implementing all of the language constructs would be a lot of work. It would be much more efficient to just compile the user's RC code into a native library on the host's workstation and then link it in at runtime... I would think that would simplify the porting of your application quite a bit. Most likely IFI will provide some sort of library for the RC that will have some standard functions for reading inputs, writing outputs, setting PWMs, etc., so all you'd have to do is provide the same interface for the user's code to work with.

Besides, it'll be much harder to interpret programs written for the new processor and maintain real-time speed than it was with the pokey BASIC Stamp.

Hmm if that can be done, then all you would need to write would be an assembly interpreter. The PIC instruction set is very small.

And rob, don't worry about testing. I think people are quite eager to test. The full details im guessing will be out around the 10th.

[Dave Flowerday]

Originally posted by Rickertsen2
Hmm if that can be done, then all you would need to write would be an assembly interpreter. The PIC instruction set is very small.

No, you wouldn't. The point is that you compile and run it natively on the [Windows|Linux|MacOS] platform. No interpretation of C, assembly, or anything else.

[djcapelis]

Sweet... if IFI releases said library... we'll have to see a bit before anything can really happen.

I need to learn to be more patient.

[Raven_Writer]

Originally posted by djcapelis
Sweet... if IFI releases said library... we'll have to see a bit before anything can really happen.

I need to learn to be more patient.

lol.

If I get enough info., I might be able to re-write my FIRST Editor to use the PIC-C language.