Hi:
I'm developing am embedded system with Ethernet, USB and Serial ports. I want to provide a GUI interface which the user can use to configure and program the system. One approach is to use java and deliver a compiled/compressed file to a browser that provides that gui interface.
My question is are there alternatives to this approach that I can use with either the USB or Serial interfaces? What I'm trying to avoid is writing software that needs to be installed on a users system.
thanks george
Sure. Put a web server in your device. You can use either a normal HTML interface, JavaScript, or Java.
--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! If I had a Q-TIP, I
at could prevent th' collapse
visi.com of NEGOTIATIONS!!
And can I download and run that software using the USB or serial ports?
gm
Sure. Set up a PPP connection and point a web browser at the thing.
--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! UH-OH!! We're out
at of AUTOMOBILE PARTS and
visi.com RUBBER GOODS!
The phrase "download and run" leads me to believe that you aren't quite getting it. When you enter some information so as to buy something from a website on the Internet, do you "download and run" that webpage? That's not the phrase that most people would use to describe doing that.
Controlling an embedded system from your web browser is the same as ordering a book from Amazon.com. The only difference is the content of the information you enter (commands to the embedded system vs. your credit card number) and the URL you use to access the page.
The program on your embedded system that serves up the *.html webpage, reads the info the user inputs to the webforms, and provides the URL that you type into your browser is called a "web server", and is a pretty easy thing to program into an embedded system.
Accessing the web page through Ethernet, USB or Serial is done the same way you would access any web page that is at the other end of one of those connections. Again, the program on your embedded system that does that is called a "web server."
Or you can treat it like you would treat a *.HTML file on disk and put a simple network file server in your embedded system. That's harder to do, unless your system is already serving up files.
Once you get the basics of serving up a web page with a web form on it, you can get fancy with JavaScript, Java or even Flash or (spit!) VBScript -- but keep in mind the capabilities of all of the browsers that will be accessing the web page.
-- Guy Macon
To get USB to work you need device drivers that understand your device. You could use a USB-Serial chip, which looks like a serial port to a PC - though it still may need a driver (from the chip supplier) there. At that point you can use USB like a com port and run PPP/SLIP to get TCP/IP. Now you implement a web server in you machine, accessible over the COM port from a web browser.
If you have ethernet, then this is the way to go because the PC side will already have all it needs. The complication is configuring the device TCP/IP setup e.g. when the PC connects to the device via routers and firewalls.
Peter
Snip:
Why not CGIs? they are more robust and can do complex things. In this case users don't need to have anything (jre) installed on their machines.
ali
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.