How can I create a GUI that talks to my embedded system?

[alvaroevc5]

Hello MikroE pople.

"How can I create a GUI that talks to my embedded system?"

I have had this question for quite a while, but I never dug into it... until now; and surprisingly I am full of more questions, since I thought this would be a well known topic everywhere and to be honest, good answers can't be found around the internet, or maybe I didn't look for them in a proper manner.

I have done some nice projects using PIC18F series, including some USB related projects. Yes, they work whenever you use a generic driver or an HID driver, you can even see data streams and control the behavior of the microcontroller via text by using Putty or some other software that manages a serial connection. But, I want to create my own graphical interface, a custom one that talks to my embedded system and displays the data I want to display in the way I want to display it, and that also enables me to command the microcontroller they way I want it to... but how?

I have known for a while that visual basic is the way to go on Windows to create graphical applications (maybe there are better ones, who knows...). But, how do you create a graphical interface that interacts with that embedded system you took so long to program? That question is bugging me now, I have fairly good control over my PIC when programming it, now I want to control it via my computer.

So... any ideas on how this is done, what software is used, what are the names for the topics I am supposed to correctly look for? So far this seems like a territory some people go into and never come back from because they either crumble in the way, or because they achieve such higher level of enlightenment that they get lost in it and never come back.

I would appreciate if anyone sheds some light into this...please!

[jovana.medakovic]

Hello,

You can look at our Visual TFT software:
https://www.mikroe.com/visual-tft
This software can help you create a GUI.
However, if you want to use it, you need to purchase a compiler as well:
https://www.mikroe.com/compilers?archit ... 90x-32-bit

On the following link, you can read how you can start using Visual TFT software:
https://www.mikroe.com/blog/visual-tft- ... -blink-eye

Kind regards,
Jovana

[alvaroevc5]

Hello,

You can look at our Visual TFT software:
https://www.mikroe.com/visual-tft
This software can help you create a GUI.
However, if you want to use it, you need to purchase a compiler as well:
https://www.mikroe.com/compilers?archit ... 90x-32-bit

On the following link, you can read how you can start using Visual TFT software:
https://www.mikroe.com/blog/visual-tft- ... -blink-eye

Kind regards,
Jovana

Hello Jovana, thanks for the response, but I believe I did not make myself clear.

It is actually quite a broad question really. I don't mean creating a GUI on a TFT Display that I can later connect to my embedded system, I mean creating a GUI within an operating system that can talk to my embedded system through USB, which is why I ask about anyone who was done a similar project because I have no clue where to begin, and since there are many developers using PIC, maybe there is someone out there who has been able to program a GUI on Windows to control their embedded systems.

(By the way, sorry if I didn't post this in the correct place, I just didn't see any Miscellaneous forum section.)

[jovana.medakovic]

Hi,

Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of software that you can create a GUI.
I'm afraid we cannot assist you in this case.
Maybe some of our customers can help you.

Kind regards,
Jovana

[DrBob_HIDmaker]

Hello MikroE pople.

"How can I create a GUI that talks to my embedded system?"

I have had this question for quite a while, but I never dug into it... until now; and surprisingly I am full of more questions, since I thought this would be a well known topic everywhere and to be honest, good answers can't be found around the internet, or maybe I didn't look for them in a proper manner.

I have done some nice projects using PIC18F series, including some USB related projects. Yes, they work whenever you use a generic driver or an HID driver, you can even see data streams and control the behavior of the microcontroller via text by using Putty or some other software that manages a serial connection. But, I want to create my own graphical interface, a custom one that talks to my embedded system and displays the data I want to display in the way I want to display it, and that also enables me to command the microcontroller they way I want it to... but how?

I have known for a while that visual basic is the way to go on Windows to create graphical applications (maybe there are better ones, who knows...). But, how do you create a graphical interface that interacts with that embedded system you took so long to program? That question is bugging me now, I have fairly good control over my PIC when programming it, now I want to control it via my computer.

So... any ideas on how this is done, what software is used, what are the names for the topics I am supposed to correctly look for? So far this seems like a territory some people go into and never come back from because they either crumble in the way, or because they achieve such higher level of enlightenment that they get lost in it and never come back.

I would appreciate if anyone sheds some light into this...please!

I have the kind of answers you have been looking for. Please have a look at this video to see what I mean: https://www.screencast.com/t/ZceuPDbp

// <== Tried to show first frame of video. Can't get this image thing to work !

I apologize in advance for the few seconds at the end that refer to a "buy" button -- this is an old sales video, but the vast majority of this video answers your questions directly.

Your post is especially timely, because we are in the process of adding support for MikroE PIC compilers to our code generators, and I have posted some questions in these forums to try to find a way to make our products more affordable.

I would really appreciate it if, after watching the above video, you would go to my own post viewtopic.php?f=11&t=76589&p=305356#p305356 and leave a response that answers my own questions.

I'll be happy to answer your specific questions in this thread as well. Just let me know your questions, OK?

Best regards,

Dr. Bob Miller