embedXcode: Teensy 3.0 on Xcode

Status
Not open for further replies.
Thank you for the feed-back. As a matter of fact, I'm using iBooks Author for the User Manual, as you have noticed already.

Avenue33, regarding your user manual, I have tried the iBooks app and it has to be the absolutely least feature rich app on the face of the planet. The best that I can say for it is that it is completely useless.

About the iBook format:
  • iBooks Author does a nice job to manage table of content, links, glossary, ...
  • The iBook format is the recommended format as it brings all the features.
  • The iBook format runs on both Mac and iPad, which is handy to free the screen of the Mac.
  • Could you please elaborate why iBooks "has to be the absolutely least feature rich app on the face of the planet"?

There are three things that would make the pdf version of your manual MUCH more usable - higher resolution graphics, working links (the ones that are already in the manual) and links to jump over all the platforms that one may not be using.

About the PDF format:
  • Improving the resolution is possible, but be ready for a 75 MB download.
  • When exporting to PDF, iBooks Author only keeps the external links and kills the internal links.
  • When using iBook, the page shown below allows you to jump directly to the platform you're working with.

Capture 2015-07-28 à 20.59.35.png
 
Last edited:
My main problem with iBooks is navigating the document. And with a big book like your user manual, that is a big thing.

I find the Pages view in Adobe Reader very helpful in navigating through a large document. There is no equivalent in iBooks. iBooks has the Table of Contents, which shows no graphics and is only displayed temporarily, and the Thumbnail view, which is also displayed temporarily and not nearly as useful to me as Reader's Pages view. If iBooks had the equivalent of Readers' Pages view (perpetually displayed and showing page thumbnails), it would be a lot more useful to me.
 
New release 3.0 of embedXcode supports and runs on Xcode 7 with Mac OS X 10.10.

Release 3.0.1 improves the stability of the installation process. Release 3.0.2 fixes two bugs for Arduino Due and LaunchPad CC3200. Release 3.0.3 fixes a bug for mbed.

Please note embedXcode supports Arduino.CC 1.6.1 for Java 7 and Arduino_ORG 1.7.7.

Download
 
Add own libraries

I've read the Manual Section 2 "Add Libraries to the Project" but still having problem. Much appreciate if someone can provide some advice :(

This is what I've done:
- copy the library folder into /Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/libraries
- edit Makefile to include the library name
- include the library header in ino file

You can refer to the below screenshot.
2015-11-10_00-42-33.png

and this is the compilation error
2015-11-10_00-48-40.png
 
Last edited:
Don't confuse the links to the libraries on the project and the actual location of the libraries on the disk.

You need to copy the libraries under the Libraries sub-folder of your sketchbook folder.

See chapter 3 section 2 on the User Manual.
 
thank you, that works!

Don't confuse the links to the libraries on the project and the actual location of the libraries on the disk.

You need to copy the libraries under the Libraries sub-folder of your sketchbook folder.

See chapter 3 section 2 on the User Manual.
 
Hi Rob,
I have used your add-on for some time and recently upgraded to the xCode 7 environment, along with version 403 of embedxcode. FWIW, the transition went terribly, with the compiler quitting with type 2 faults despite me having applied the transition program to all my xcode projects.

I have no doubt that your solution works and I would prefer the use of EmbedXCode with xCode over the windows-based solutions. However, I strongly suggest you take a good look at how VisualMicro has structured its online "Installation", "Startup", etc. guide. It is a much more detailed step-by-step guide that clearly has been influenced by feedback from users, ie. it covers all the usual suspects re: where an installation can go astray, for example. Also, the VisualMicro instructions can be printed out in case the user doesn't have the screen real estate to have both the guide and the programs open.

Thereafter, VisualMicro has a series of examples online that help the user along. Additionally, I would argue that the VisualStudio Toolbar integration is pretty amazing. All the commands one is likely to use frequently are there, including board choices, library additions, etc. I don't seem to recall that kind of toolbar in EmbedxCode. In VisualMicro, adding new boards is as easy as either downloading them from the Arduino site or installing them from a ZIP. Libraries are similar, i.e. point and click download from the official Arduino site or install from ZIP file. Once the new stuff is installed, a rescan of the libraries and board files is all that's needed to make the files accessible.

Unlike EmbedxCode, with VisualStudio I don't have to manually type out what libraries to include. I can pull them down from a menu based on what I have had installed. As Arduino updates it's libraries, similar updates pop up in VisualMicro and allow me to upgrade my libraries if I want to.

None of the above is likely a game changer for a professional programmer with a lot of experience setting up toolchains, IDE's and so on. My viewpoint is that strictly of a aspiring programmer who would like to graduate from the Arduino IDE to something that does better regarding library management, that can handle more complex projects, etc. I would prefer to use your solution, but I currently find VisualStudio 2015 with VisualMicro to be more intuitive and easier to use than xCode with EmbedxCode.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the detailed feed-back. I'm afraid you don't realise how much work Visual Micro and embedXcode represent.

The triple transition to Mac OS X 10.11, Xcode 7 and Arduino 1.6.5 has been terrible for everyone, especially for embedXcode. Major changes were just not documented.

While Visual Micro prefers online help on its website, I've focused on the User Manual you can read in either a Mac or an iPad. The e-book format allows TOC, glossary and index, search and annotations.

pasted-image.jpg

You'll find a very similar organisation. As you rightly point out, it is also based on users' feedback.

  • Install the Template
  • Create a New Project
  • Use the Project
  • Build and Upload the Project
  • Debug the Project
  • Self-Document the Project
  • Find Solutions to Issues

Have you been using it?


The Visual Studio IDE is far more flexible and better documented for plug-in than Xcode. Remember that Apple is known for its secrecy.

However, the choice of the board, the selection of the target and many other features are closely integrated within Xcode.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the detailed feed-back. I'm afraid you don't realise how much work Visual Micro and embedXcode represent.

The triple transition to Mac OS X 10.11, Xcode 7 and Arduino 1.6.5 has been terrible for everyone, especially for embedXcode. Major changes were just not documented.

Rob, the reason I am giving you this feedback is because I care about your product. My feedback is not meant to be patronizing, negative, etc. - I want your project to succeed. Professional programmers like you will forget more about coding in a day than I will ever learn, and I have no doubt that integrating embedxcode into xCode must be a monumental task. But that wasn't the point of my feedback.

All I am reflecting on is the user experience from the point of view of a relative newcomer to the field. It should not take hours of hair pulling to set up a new IDE. Referring to your manual did not help and I find it counter-intuitive compared to the web-based help that VisualMicro offers. A likely part of the problem is relative experience we bring to our respective tasks - you as a writer with a lot of coding experience vs. me as a newbie. Things that may be intuitive to you because you have been dealing with them as long as you have may not be intuitive to a new user at all. Let me give you an example.

A long time ago, I maintained a web site with instructions to revive the first generation airport base stations that suffered power supply failures due to Apples terrible enclosure design (increasing the internal heat) combined with Lucents cheap hardware design that relied on Lelon capacitors (made famous in MOBO failures that year). Every question that was sent to me for clarification resulted in an upgrade to the web site. The instructions eventually became good enough that I no longer heard from people except for thank you's. The site then expanded to cover things like how to set up a the base stations with the somewhat less-than-ideally documented base station tool. Etc. All a long time ago. Site has not been updated since 2007... kids...

So, in my typical long-winded manner, I am merely suggesting you reconsider the current documentation platform and to seek feedback from users re: their installation, setup, and work experience. Perhaps make a you-tube video that shows a clean install? Setup? Library integration? Compile? Favorite tricks? Xcode 6 to Xcode 7 transition? Hence let people follow in your footsteps rather than assuming that they can understand what is in the manual?

I don't know what method would be most effective but I don't think iBooks is a great platform. And I say this despite being a continuous Apple user since 1988 when I got my first Mac, a SE. Additionally, if Apple decides to abandon iBooks as it has Aperature, FinalCut Pro, etc. you are left with having to transition your content to a new platform... IMO, even a PDF would do better.

I want to close this with a note of admiration re: your work. It is the reason I purchased a license and will likely return to it at some point in the future when I have more time. Likely, I will nuke everything here and start over. Hence, the issues with Xcode 6 vs. Xcode 7 would likely not show up, etc. Perhaps when I buy my next laptop (Skylake!) this will be the perfect opportunity to transition my pathetic attempts at code to the shiniest, newest iteration of embedxcode
 
I'm having a problem getting embedxcode to install on my machine.

After running (successfully) the installation I don't see embedxcode as a option on xcode project types.

Screen Shot 2015-12-18 at 3.50.03 PM.jpg
 
Very very strange, the installation does not fail, already tried the manual installation and still no luck.

My security level is set to install applications downloaded from "anywhere".
 
Check the templates are installed under ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Templates/Project Templates/embedXcode

Please open a ticket at the Help Desk.
 
very very strange, I don't even have a ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Templates/Project Templates/ folder.

I do have the following:
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/AppleTVOS.platform/Developer/Library/Xcode/Templates/Project Templates
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/Library/Xcode/Templates/Project Templates
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/WatchOS.platform/Developer/Library/Xcode/Templates/Project Templates

Created the ticket, thank you for the help!
 
Please find a new release of embedXcode.

  • embedXcode • Jan 30, 2016 release 4.2.1 • Updated support for Teensyduino 1.27 and mbed 112
  • embedXcode+ • Jan 30, 2016 release 4.2.1 • Updated support for Teensyduino 1.27 and mbed 112

Download
 
Please find a new release of embedXcode.

  • embedXcode • Sep 04, 2016 release 5.2.3 • Added support for Teensy 3.5 and 3.6
  • embedXcode+ • Sep 04, 2016 release 5.2.3 • Added support for Teensy 3.5 and 3.6

Release 5.2.4 updates support for Xcode 8.

Download
 
Is there a trick/setting/makefile edit to speed up compile times?

embedXCode is working perfectly with the Teensy 3.6 from my Macbook Pro 2.7GHz on XCode 8.2, but compiling even the most basic hello world code takes > 1 minute, which seems excessive.
 
That's what I'd expect, but there is no difference between the first, second or 10th build. They all take ages. Hence I think I need to add/change a setting somewhere...

Which edition of embedXcode are you using?

Please refer to section Build and Upload the Project • Select a Target of the User Manual.
 
Hi all,

I'm having a problem using the TeensyThreads library in Xcode. I'm trying to port the blink example from the library that works fine in the arduino IDE but on Xcode I got the following errors on compiling:

Screen Shot 2017-11-07 at 10.25.54.png


Any ideas?

Thanks in advance
João
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top