Pitfalls and tricks related to mP for PIC32, MMB MX4 and VTFT.

Author: piort, last update: 26-06-2011.

Author's comment:

During my learning curve of the P32 with the MMB MX and VTFT, i have encounter some problems. Nothing to do with bugs or harware related problems... mostly compiler and/or VTFT limitations or some hardware particularities...

On the MMX4, led0 and led1 are connected to the JTAG port... you have to diassemble this port with DDPCON.JTAGEN := 0;... that took me 2 hours to find this register in the worst datasheet never made by microchip !

Led are control by the negative side of the led so you have to configure the open drain of all 4 pin : ODCA.X := 1 ... X is the pin number of portA

When you use the MCP9700A , is connected to AN8 and you have to add PCFG8_BIT := 0 in the init code.
With VTFT, you can add it in the analog setting box for the touch function who use ADC.
Another approch was to make you own init code and add it just after the TP_start() in the main file.

When you make you own init code, create the procedure in the user code section of the event file.
If not, the next time VTFT will generate the code ( if you make some change in GUI ), he will erase all your change.Yeap, i have learn by the hard way ;-)

With VTFT version 1.3, Label_caption dont work properly... the old value isnt erase before the new one so they overlap. button_caption work fine.

NEVER, NEVER,NEVER ( do i say NEVER ? ) run VTFT AND MP32 in the same time and make change in both project... this can lead to the unpredictable result ;-) By experience i had : screen upside down, button at the right place on screen but on_click event somewhere else on the screen, VTFT crash when trying to change the propertie of some object... The most stable way to work with those nice tool is : PLANIFICATION !!! LOLOL

1- start VTFT
2- start new project and make the nicer GUI you dream about your projet (place componant,set color, text... all except event)
3- before work with event, rename button and other stuff with easy to remember name by the job they will do.
4- Double click on the event you want use. The code windows will open. between the begin and the end of the created procedure, just write a nop;
make that for all event you will use in your GUI.
5- dont forgot to click on the "save" button on the toolbar time to time ))))
6- when this is done, click on the generate button on the toolbar and no on the pop-up windows (you dont need to see the generate code now)
7- Click on the green arrow to start the compiler.
8- when the compiler is open with the code of your projet- CLOSE VTFT ! you dont need it anymore. 
9- Before start to code, build the generate code by VTFT... That will remove all the red underscore wawing line ;-)
10- Remember to put all your code in the user code section in the event unit.
11- to test your code, just use the bootload include in the MMB.
12- if after testing, you want make some modification on your nice GUI, 
     a - save your projet in the compiler
     b - close the compiler
     c - start VTFT and open your projet (file - open recent- your_project)

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