196/296 Toolchain v6.2r1

RELEASE NOTE

SUMMARY

This release note describes the changes and new features of all TASKING 196/296 products with respect to v6.1r1. The main reasons for this release are:


EDE

The 196/296 Embedded Development Environment (EDE) has been significantly renewed and extended with the following new features:

Projects & Project Spaces

All your projects can now be grouped together in Project Spaces. The `196/296 Examples' project space is the default Project Space containing all 196/296 examples of the product you have installed. If you want to open an other than the default example (project) within this Project Space, just select one, click on the right mouse button and select the `Set as Current Project' menu entry. The EDE make and rebuild commands which you use to build or rebuild your project only work on the current project. Adding files to and removing files from a project has become easier than ever. Just click with your right mouse button on a source file and the pop-up dialog contains an entry to add this file to the current project. Click with your right mouse button on a file in the project window and the pop-dialog contains an entry to remove this file from the project. You can create your own project spaces from the `Project' menu. From this menu you can also add new or existing projects to your own Project Space.

For more information, please refer to the 196/296 EDE on-line help system.

CodeSense

CodeSense virtually looks over your shoulder and gives you useful information in the form of hints as you type your source code. For example if you are programming a printf statement, it will show you the next expected parameter and the prototype of this function in a small yellow balloon-help box. If you have already defined a structure with numerous members and from a certain location within your code and you want to access a member, just type in the structure name and a dot, and CodeSense will show you a list with all possible members. You can select a member from this list or search for where this member is defined. This also works for C++ language elements. If you hover the mouse pointer over a function name, CodeSense will show the prototype of this function. This also applies to variables, structures, etc. Just hover the mouse pointer over a C or C++ language element and CodeSense will show you whatever information is relevant.

In order to have all this information ready at hand, CodeSense automatically builds a database using all the files in the "include", "include.cpp" and "examples" directories when you first start the 196/296 EDE. This is shown by the CodeSense green light which is displayed near the right bottom corner of the EDE window which will become gray when this database is completed. That is the signal that CodeSense is operational.

You can also add your own databases by clicking with the left mouse button on the CodeSense light and select the libraries option. Please follow the instructions to add your own CodeSense information from your own application to the CodeSense database.

Browsing Tags

Tags reflect the cross references in your application. By building a Tags file and graphically browsing your source code using this Tags file, you can get a good overview on cross references in your application such as, which global variables are defined and where they are used, which enumeration types are defined, which global functions are defined and where are they used. Browsing of Tags can help you in getting to know someone else's source code easily and quickly without the need to dive into every detail. From the `Projects' menu select the `Build Tags' option to build a Tags file which reflects your current project. Next, open this Tags file from the browse window which you find in the output window in the bottom of the EDE window. Please select the `Browse' TAB in this window and open the Tags file which has the same name as your current project using the "*.ptg" file extension. Start browsing your application.

Snippets

The 196/296 EDE comes with some pre-build Snippets which can aid you in improving your coding speed and efficiency. Basically, Snippets are cut-copy-paste pieces of text which you can select from the Snippets library and drop into your source code. The pre-built Snippets are available from the Snippets library, and can be accessed by selecting the right most icon (the CodeFolio button) which is located under the left pane project window.
You can even create your own Snippets by simply copying a piece of text or source code to the clipboard, click with the right mouse button on the Snippets library and select to add your Snippet to it.
Snippets can also contain some interactive elements which will be activated when you drop a Snippet into your source code. For example, if you select a function header Snippet, it will ask for the name of the function which will automatically be filled in when the Snippet is dropped into the source code. Please see the 196/296 EDE online help system for more information.

Application extensions

There are a number of 196/296 EDE application extensions such as, an HTML browser and an FTP client which are not available by default. These applications must be loaded in the EDE before they can be used. Please select the 'Tools' menu, select the 'Customize' menu entry and finally select the 'Libraries' sub-menu entry. This will open a list of application extensions which can be loaded by selecting the extensions you want to use.


Solved problems

A number of problems has been solved in this release.
 


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