2D panel

[darrynenig22]

Hi,
Can you advise what you would use the 2D panel for.

I have used it to create a flat v5 style fixed basic not resizable project. added a 2D component say LCD generic. Then saved the project and closed. then opened the same project again and all the items that was added to the 2D panel are missing, I have a blank 2D panel and the 2D legacy dashboard panel now has the components and missing the background.

What's up with the 2D Panel.


Thanks Daz

[Steve-Matrix]

That seems strange. Please post your project and the steps you took to create it and we will investigate.

In terms of your general question about what 2D panels are for, this may help:

Flowcode's panels have a number of purposes, but their main function is to house the component libraries that you want to utilise within your project. They can also be used to create a visual representation of your finished product, or be used to create a visual interface where you can control external hardware, etc.

Often these can be used (during simulation) to mimic the interaction of your project with the outside world. E.g. LED indicators and switches can show and control the behaviour of your executing project during a simulation run so you can test your project before deploying it to the actual device.

The panels take a more significant role when creating App Developer apps. Here they become the actual UI of your deployed running app.

In Flowcode v10 projects, 2 types of panel can be used - a single 3D panel and multiple 2D panels. These use different technologies when rendering the panels on the PC screen (OpenGL and GDI respectively) and so some components can only be used on one type of panel.

There is also a "legacy 2D panel". This is only used to support older (i.e. v9) projects because in Flowcode v9 there was just a single "2D" panel which was based on a mixture of OpenGL and GDI technology. We have renamed this the "legacy 2D panel" and it remains available only when loading in older projects.

From v6 to v8, Flowcode's 2 panels (2D and 3D) were wholly based on OpenGL 3D technology. In v3 to v5 there was a single 2D panel (based on GDI). In the first 3 versions of Flowcode, components each had their own window and there was no dedicated panel.

[darrynenig22]

Hi
Simple test project attached and the before and after grab shots.

Created a simple tic test project on the 2D panel with creation-image as background locked aspect and position. Component IntOscHelper1 and 2D generic LCD dropped into and arranged on the 2D panel.
3D system panel disabled in global and the legacy 2D panel not used.
saved project and when re opened the 2D panel is blank and all moved over to the 2D legacy dashboard panel.

The v10 version has finally adopted the V5 older 2D panel flatland layout that I can create unique visual graphics and simplified 2D components and therefore focus on the code rather than moving grainy 3D elements. Very pleased this is back in flowcode.

Just need to save and open without losing the work.
Thanks Daz

[Steve-Matrix]

Thanks, Daz.

I've opened your project in v10 and it loads correctly for me, although I do not have the image file so it shows a placeholder instead. Here's what I see, with the list of components:

2D panel test.png (50.01 KiB) Viewed 1632 times

I suggest you ensure you are using the latest v10 version (v10.0.4.33) and are fully up-to-date with library file updates. Then close all instances of Flowcode down and reload a single instance and try opening your file.

Also, does the attached file open correctly for you? If so, and the files you create are still misbehaving, then maybe start a project with just a single component and see if that works ok.

And if you are still experiencing the issue, is there anything unusual about your Windows setup? I have never seen the behaviour you describe. And we have a lot of users of v10 and I would expect this to have been reported previously.

[darrynenig22]

Hi Steve

So reinstalled v10 and loaded the simple panel test and the 2D panel shows all components and the image correctly. so went to global settings to refine the GUI and setup my scheme and ticked the disable the 3D system panel. Its this that causes the 2d panel to be blank when re loading the project.
I can leave this unchecked unless you consider it to be a bug.

Thanks Daz

[Steve-Matrix]

Thanks, Daz.

That's definitely a bug and I will fix it at some point, but please leave that unchecked as a workaround until a fix is available.