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USER INTERFACE SOFTWARE IN VISUAL BASIC v 6.1.

This is the software at the PC side of the project. Its main task is to provide a
graphic user interface, enabling interaction with the user, receive the text the user enters
in a text box (with the necessary font adjustments), convert the text to bitmap format of
device matched resolution, perform all the necessary binary to decimal and numeric to
ASCII conversion of the bitmapped text initialize the serial communications port of the
host computer and send the bitmapped and properly converted display data along with
other variables such as scroll speed value through the port.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
TEXT TO PIXEL CONVERSION FUNCTION
This specialized subroutine is responsible for converting the windows based
true type font graphic figures to a custom resolution bitmap matrix. The subroutine
scans the text box (a container control) at a predefined interval downwards each row. The
scan function detects a black pixel color to register it in a bitmap holding double array as
ON, else it would be registered OFF. In this way all elements of the text box matrix
are scanned (in a way bitmapped). The resolution of the scan is readily adjustable but is
hardware dependent, as the bitmapped fonts are directly transferred to the display
hardware and mapped to the LED board of the same matrix size.
BINARY TO DECIMAL CONVERTER.
As discussed earlier the hardware I/O ports are so mapped that each column in the
display matrix is considered one port. Hence the data characters from the interface should
come as data for a port. Also the interface port transfers files through the serial port in
forms for characters (numeric). This necessitates the use of a binary to decimal converter
routine in order to convert the data of each column to decimal. The matrix type
arrangement helps in this part since the bitmap conversion of each column puts it readily
in binary format.
NUMERIC TO ASCII CONVERSION
The popular IBM compatible PC communicates to the outside world in the
language of ASCII. These are a set of predefined numeric values for the common
alphanumeric and editing characters (both upper and lower cases). The extended ASCII
set supports 256 characters by 8 bit binary values. Thus in order to transfer any numeric
value through the port it first has to be converted to the corresponding ASCII character.
Visual Basic has a ready made function to produce theses characters from a
given integer value given it lies between 0 & 255 (inclusive). The syntax is: [ASCII character] = chr( [integer value] )
SERIAL PORT ACCESS & CHARACTER TRANSFER.
For such a purpose, just like any of the others, VB supports a serial
communication control named MSComm (Microsoft communication control). This
control is easily dragged and added to the active form previous to using it. It represents
directly the serial port and so by setting or monitoring its properties one can do the same
to the actual port.

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FLOWCHARTS OF KEY SUBROUTINES
TEXT TO BITMAP CONVERSION
START
Point to column 1
Point to row 1
NO
YES

Is pixel
color
=black?

Set element flag = 1

Set preview simulator element ON
Move to next row
NO
End of
rows?
YES
Move to next column

NO
End of
columns?

END

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YES

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BINARY COLUMN DATA TO DECIMAL CONVERSION
START
Point to column 1
Set column value = 0
NO
End of
columns?YES
Point to column 1

Point to row 1
NO
Is element flag
ON?
YES

add 2^[row #] to column value

Move to next row
NO
End of
rows?
YES

Move to next column

NO
End of
columns?
YES

END

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THE USER INTERFACE

The diagram below shows what the user interface looks like on the host
computer screen. The various buttons and input / output objects on the graphic user
interface are explained with sufficient depth in the user manual of the device. Even
though most of the features shown on the diagram are not visible on the GUI of the final
software, for the purpose of more illustrative approach they are included here. For
instance the port access and monitor buttons and the bitmap binary to decimal conversion
button are not required since the functions they initiate are a necessity by default and
should be taken care of automatically. Note that once the control is passed through
operating variables to the computer via the interface, the whole control becomes easily
upgradeable. Hence apart from the features found sufficient for the completion of this
project many additional features including image mapping and other types of animations
like blink (only scroll was implemented for the project) could be added.

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