GUIBuilder unreliable

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    • GUIBuilder unreliable

      Hello,

      I have GUIBuilder 5.44 with STemWin. It frequently gets into a state where it fails to save after making a minor change to a screen (adding an image for instance). If I've made a (compilable) change to a generated C file, then it often locks up, requiring killing from the task manager. Has any one else had issues with it? Is there a more recent version available? I've tried version 5.48 from Cypress, but it behaves the same. It's in a Windows 10 dev environment.

    • Hi,

      I'll have a look at this and try to reproduce this behavior.

      But please note that since the release of AppWizard, the GUIBuilder is an obsolete tool. The AppWizard offers many more features and allows the user not only to create the GUI of an application, but also its behavior. You can read more about AppWizard on our website.

      Best regards,

      Florian
      Please read the forum rules before posting.

      Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
      Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
      Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
      Or you can contact us via e-mail.

    • Thanks. I have tried running in Windows compatibility mode, just in case. What is the most recent version of GUIBuilder available and is it no longer in development?

      A repeatable example I have is a FrameWin I previously created with GUIBuilder. I can open it again, add/remove text widgets and save fine. I can add an unnamed image and save fine. If I specify the BMP path to a valid file, it no longer saves. I had to use the Bin2C tool to paste the output into the generated C file manually, for it to build and display on my target screen correctly. Then next time I opened it in GUIBuilder it failed to open. I presume it has a C parser, but it seems very sensitive, even to white space (a few blank lines added to the generated C file also stops it opening).

      I would love it if there's an easier way to design screens containing multiple windows. Am I licenced to be able to use AppWizard with STemWin, rather than EmWin?

    • Hi,

      currently AppWizard is shipped with every emWin PRO license. You would have to ask ST if they supply the AppWizard or get the emWin source code upgrade (50% discount for STemWin users).

      With the next release (V6.14) a demo version of AppWizard will also be available for free. There is no set release date for V6.14 yet, but it will be released next month.

      Best regards,

      Florian
      Please read the forum rules before posting.

      Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
      Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
      Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
      Or you can contact us via e-mail.

    • Will the demo be fully functional or will saving / C code generation be disabled? The comparison with GUIBuilder would be interesting to try out.

      In the meantime I'm trying to get a reliable workflow with GUIBuilder. What is the most recent version available and is it no longer in development?

    • Hi,

      the demo version will have full functionality except for BSPs. This means exporting the application will result in a simulation project that can be run, but no project for running the application on a target.

      The most recent version is V6.12, but as said, it is not developed anymore. The last change made to the tool was with V5.42.

      Best regards,

      Florian
      Please read the forum rules before posting.

      Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
      Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
      Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
      Or you can contact us via e-mail.

    • I've just tried investigating the scenario where GUIBuilder fails to save. It is fine after specifying a BMP file , if the C file is in the same directory as GUIBuilder and ProjectPath in GUIBuilder.ini is left at default (pointing to this directory). It fails to save properly after specifying a BMP file, if the generated C file is in a different directory and ProjectPath in GUIBuilder.ini has been changed to point to it.

      If I add some (valid) blank lines to the generated file and reopen the C file, it displays error "Error reading user code: 'Additional static data'".

    • SEGGER - Florian wrote:

      But please note that since the release of AppWizard, the GUIBuilder is an obsolete tool.
      Hello Florian.

      I have tested AppWizard and did not find any possibility to work with standard "old"-fashioned widgets like MULTIPAGE, DROPDOWN, LISTVIEW etc.

      Also I tried to use new widget SWITCH. I've put an element with SWITCH_CreateIndirect to the "dialog create"-array , but it is invisible after creating dialog window.

      Source Code

      1. static const GUI_WIDGET_CREATE_INFO _aDialogCreate[] = {
      2. { FRAMEWIN_CreateIndirect, "Window", 0, 10, 10, 780, 460, FRAMEWIN_CF_MOVEABLE},
      3. { EDIT_CreateIndirect, NULL, GUI_ID_EDIT0, 10, 10, 110, 25, 0, 15 },
      4. { EDIT_CreateIndirect, NULL, GUI_ID_EDIT1, 10, 40, 110, 25, 0, 15 },
      5. { BUTTON_CreateIndirect, "Ok", GUI_ID_OK, 10, 80, 50, 20 },
      6. { BUTTON_CreateIndirect, "Cancel", GUI_ID_CANCEL, 70, 80, 50, 20 },
      7. { KEYBOARD_CreateIndirect, "Keyboard", GUI_ID_KEYBOARD0, 10, 120, 750, 300 },
      8. { SWITCH_CreateIndirect, "Switch", GUI_ID_SWITCH0, 200, 20, 100, 50 },
      9. };

      Best regards,

      Volodymyr.
      Best regards,
      Volodymyr.

    • Hi,

      not all emWin widgets have been added to AppWizard (yet). The tool is made for more modern-looking GUIs, therefore the older widgets you mentioned that have more of a 'PC-look' are not included.

      The SWITCH widget does not have a default skin. It's appearance is made of bitmaps, so when no bitmaps are added, nothing is drawn. You can find samples on the SWITCH widget in the wiki.

      Best regards,

      Florian
      Please read the forum rules before posting.

      Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
      Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
      Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
      Or you can contact us via e-mail.

    • Hi,

      you can't import emWin code into the AppWizard, you would have to develop the application from scratch with AppWizard. Though, when you already have an existing application, this part should be really easy once you know how to use the tool.

      You can also use some of your code as 'user code' in AppWizard interactions.

      The AppWizard tool is not purchasable on its own, but you may download a free trial here. The trial offers full functionality, including the simulation but except BSPs for exporting a project for embedded hardware.

      Best regards,

      Florian
      Please read the forum rules before posting.

      Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
      Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
      Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
      Or you can contact us via e-mail.

    • Could you help resolve various issues found so far with AppWizard:-

      1. Text fields displayed as white on white, despite setting colours.Not WYSIWYG.
      2. Glitchy. All work was lost after playing the simulation. AppWizard sometimes crashes.
      3. Interactions are awkward to define. Can’t edit later, have to delete and create new interaction.
      4. Couldn’t find out how to add borders around fields.
      5. Cannot export screens as PNG files.

      6. Screen transitions are tricky to implement, haven't managed to get this to work yet.

    • Hi,

      thanks for your feedback! Let me help you with your problems.

      1. In order for something to be displayed, you should make sure that the text color is different from the background color. And you also have to set a text to the TEXT object. To do that, click "Set text" in the TEXT object properties, click "Add text", then "New language" and then you can enter a text by double-clicking the "-". Finally, click "Select".

      2. Are you referring to the play mode inside AppWizard? Or do you mean exporting the AppWizard project to a simulation project? To do the latter, you have to click "File -> Export & Save". In case AppWizard crashes, it should recover the project that you worked with.

      3. You're right. We are definitely planning to improve the interface.

      4. Do you mean a frame around an EDIT object? You can do that with the "Frame color" and "Frame radius" properties.

      5. emWin is only capable of exporting the screen contents as a BMP file. Exporting images is not implemented into AppWizard, this means you would have to implement this yourself in the exported project.

      6. To start with that, you need at least two screens. The transition is done via an interaction, so it can be triggered by a button click for example. So you would add an interaction to the screen with the button: ID_BUTTON_00 -> RELEASED -> SHIFTSCREEN. Then, a dialog opens where you can specify which screen should be shown, which edge the old screen should move to, the animation style and the duration of the animation.

      Most steps and features of AppWizard are also explained in the manual and quick start guide. You can find these documents in your installation directory in the "Doc" folder.

      Best regards,

      Florian
      Please read the forum rules before posting.

      Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
      Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
      Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
      Or you can contact us via e-mail.