FlexSEA Wiki

1. Introduction
2. Documentation
3. Pre-compiled Binaries
4. Building it yourself

The fx_plan_stack is a library written in C / C++ that simplifies communication and control between a computer and a FlexSEA device. This page will guide you through installing and working with the fx_plan_stack.

There are several advantages to using the fx_plan_stack compared to the old stack:

• User can now connect with multiple devices simultaneously.
• Streaming has become considerably more efficient
• User can easily configure message contents
• Larger messages can be transmitted without cycling through “data offsets”
• User can configure streams using their own custom tx_ functions.

Currently the fx_plan_stack allows your program code to be written in:

• C/C++
• Python
• MATLAB

The fx_plan_stack API is provided by a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) in the Windows environment. There are currently two DLLs, a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. Each DLL provides the same functionality and can be used with multiple languages - both compiled and interpreted.

Find detailed information about the fx_plan_stack API Interface functions.

A description of all of the field IDs can be found here.

A description of all of the modes can be found here.

Pre-compiled libraries are included in the Actuator Package repository. We are looking at a better way to distribute this, but for now clone the Actuator Package repository.

1. Open a terminal, and navigate to where you would like to place the library source.
2. Execute the following commands

git clone https://github.com/DephyInc/Actuator-Package.git [name_of_directory_to_clone_into]

On other platforms you will need to build the library from scratch, including its dependencies.

Windows requirements:

• MinGW_w64 installation, either 32 bit or 64 bit, (download installer here)
• CMake for Windows
• git

Unix requirements:

• gcc / g++ / make
• CMake for your distrubition
• git

Build steps:

1. Open a terminal, and navigate to where you would like to place the library source.
2. Execute the following commands

   git clone -b dev https://github.com/DephyInc/serial.git [name_of_directory_to_clone_into]
   cd [name_of_directory_to_clone_into]
   git checkout dev
   mkdir build
   cd build

3. Run CMake to generate a makefile

   [On Windows]
   cmake .. -G "MinGW Makefiles"
   [on Unix]
   cmake ..

4. Run make

   [On Windows]
   mingw32-make
   [on Unix]
   make

Requirements:

• Eclipse + working C compiler
• git

Build Steps:

1. Navigate to the directory where you'd like to store the source code
2. Clone the git repository and switch to the appropriate branch

   git clone --recursive https://github.com/DephyInc/FlexSEA-Stack-SharedLib.git [name_of_directory]
   

3. Open the project in eclipse
   1. Open eclipse
   2. Select File > Import…
   3. Select “Existing Projects into Workspace”
   4. Select the folder that you've just cloned
4. Select the build configuration according to your platform
   1. Select Project > Build Configurations > Set Active…
5. Ensure you have the proper build settings
   1. Right click on the Project under project explorer and select Properties from the context menu
   2. Navigate to C/C++ Build > Settings
   3. Under Tool Settings > GCC C Compiler > Preprocesser, ensure the following are defined
      • BUILD_SHARED_LIB_DLL
      • TEST_PC
      • INCLUDE_UPROJ_ACTPACK
      • BOARD_TYPE_FLEXSEA_PLAN
   4. Under Tool Settings > GCC C Compiler > Miscellaneous, ensure Position Independent Code is checked
   5. Under Build Artifact ensure Artifact Type: Static Library is selected
6. Build the project (click the hammer button)

Requirements:

• git
• Qt / cmake

Building with cmake:

1. Clone the git repository

   git clone https://github.com/DephyInc/fx_plan_stack.git
   git checkout dev

2. Copy the libraries you've compiled into the lib or lib64 folder (replace whatever is there)
3. Open a terminal and run cmake & make in a build directory

   mkdir build && cd build
   [for Windows...]
   cmake .. -G "MinGW Makefiles"
   mingw32-make
   [for Unix..]
   cmake ..
   make