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Easter Special

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:58 am
by Xbeejunior
Hello I am from Germany and use Flowcode 6, because Flowcode 8 is currently being offered for an Easter special, I would like to upgrade or purchase a new license, I will only be redirected to a page where I can not make a selection, where exactly I can choose and buy?
I actually thought when I logged into my Matrix account that I could purchase a new license there, but I would only ever be forwarded to the same page......
Thank you in advance

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 1:07 pm
by chipfryer27
Hi

I don't think I've ever successfully ordered anything "online" without issue. I usually have to email "sales" or call. As an example if I login I can see all my licences but if I want to add anything, say a feature pack, it forces me to add in a copy of Flowcode too.....

However in fairness to Matrix they have always honoured special offers if I can't process "online" in time :)

Regards

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 2:32 pm
by Xbeejunior
Hi chipfryer27,
thanks for your comment, I thought it was just me, most of the time with both programs F6 / F8 I had previously spent buying and adjusting the compiler options .... not programming :mrgreen: So far I haven't made F8 "run" ... :?
Have a good time.

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 4:35 pm
by Xbeejunior
ok i managed to program my Attiny84A with Flowcode 8, now I would like to know why I need ca.8000 bytes flash for F6 and less than half with F8 with the same program :shock:
Thanks

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 6:08 pm
by chipfryer27
Hi

I'm sure someone with far greater knowledge will answer with the correct reason, but I "suspect" it is to do with the compiler. FC6 uses "BoostC" whereas FC8 uses "xc8".

Regards

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 6:41 pm
by kersing
For Atmel controllers FC6 didn’t use BoostC as that is for 8 bit pic controllers only. FC8 does not use xc8 either.

Given the lack of information regarding the flowchart used I don’t think anyone can provide any useful feedback.

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 6:48 pm
by chipfryer27
Hi Kersing

I bow as always to your superior knowledge :)

I did state I "suspect" that was the reason. However I use PIC and according to FC8 I am indeed using "xc8" but concede that other targets don't.

Regards

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2020 6:58 am
by Xbeejunior
I am happy to give more information!
I have built an extension for an awning remote control because I want it to retract when the wind gets too strong.
So there is an Attiny84A installed which can output the time / date via I2C with an RTC3232 and an accelerometer which monitors the movement of the awning via ADC.
If I have the program converted from F6 to C and then load it back into Attiny84A with Atmel Studio, then I also get about half the bytes that are also read in at F8! :?:
Would be happy to hear from someone again :)
greetings

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2020 7:02 am
by kersing
Posting a flowchart would help. That allows us to see what is being used and build it ourselves to check where usage may be.

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2020 7:59 am
by Xbeejunior
For that there has to be a basic answer, something like chipfryer27 had suspected, I can't imagine that it has anything to do with the flowchart, as I said, without modification with F8, only half the bytes are compiled!
I think that too many or larger libraries are involved in F6.
Thanks anyway

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 8:21 pm
by Xbeejunior
Hi, I think I have now roughly figured out why there was a big difference in bytes when compiling.
I had components in Project Explorer that were not included in the program, F6 converted the associated libraries / components into code anyway, which F8 did not do, after I deleted the unused components, the compiled bytes were roughly the same for both programs !
I would now like to be interested in the background why this is handled so differently, I would like to pass this question on to Benj, Benj, if you read that, I would be happy to hear from you!
Happy Easter

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 9:36 pm
by kersing
If I understand correctly you want to know why FC8 creates more efficient code? Normally people want to know the why when code becomes less efficient, not when it becomes more efficient...

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 6:26 am
by Xbeejunior
Hi Kersing, yes, that's exactly the way it is, because it would make the decision for me whether I buy F8 or not! If I knew exactly that you can't do better in F6, I would definitely buy F8, right now because of the 50%!
Sure, you just delete things you don't need, but still have to test the difference if I only ever use part of a component .....
In addition, you are always interested in the things you are dealing with and the more background knowledge you have the better .... for me.

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:17 pm
by Benj
Hello,

For AVR devices we found that the GCC compiler did not by default remove unused functions and code from your compiled hex file. Lots of arguments around this on the AVR geeks website which I won't go into. On discovering this we changed our compilation and linking scripts to force the compilers hand and removed any unused code and variables. I beleive this was either late on in v6 development or for v7.

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 9:57 am
by Xbeejunior
..... when using components in F8, only the part of the component that you have included in your program is really used, that's great! The one component listed in the Project Explorer that is not being used is not compiled, I now knew, I just wanted to know whether the entire component was compiled when integrating small parts.
Still decided to stay with F6, wait for an upgrade offer :D
Nice week to everyone

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 10:53 am
by Steve
Xbeejunior wrote:Still decided to stay with F6, wait for an upgrade offer :D
There is already an offer for upgrading v6 to v8 - you get 30% off. This current Easter offer improves this by providing an extra 50% off.

As a quick example, if the v8 licence you want is £500, as a v6 user you would get it for £350 normally (30% discount). At the moment, you get 50% off that – so the final purchase price would be just £175.

Although the offer does end soon...

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 11:23 am
by Xbeejunior
Hi Steve, I tried that, but the code "FC50OFF" was not accepted !?

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 12:06 pm
by DavidA
Hello,

You can only have Flowcode related products in your basket for it to process, if you still cannot use the code, please let me know what the error message you are getting is and a screenshot of the issue occuring if possible, we have had a lot of people use the code over this last week so hopefully its something simple to fix.

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 12:44 pm
by Xbeejunior
Hi DavidA, the code would have been accepted without logging in, but then I would have had to take a new license, but I didn't want to, so I thought the code could not be used for an upgrade!
But when I read the message from Steve I think it should have gone with registration?

Now the time has run out, but on the picture you can see how it was this morning ...

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:40 pm
by Steve
Our special offer has been extended, so there's still time to upgrade.

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:56 am
by Xbeejunior
Good morning, ok that's great, also that so many answered me, only now I still don't know if the 50% would go for my upgrade from F6 to F8 as Steve answered me, which will be in the shopping basket the code FC50OFF not accepted after I logged in with my account! I'd call Sales, but it will be difficult with my English :)

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 10:21 am
by DavidA
Hello,

Sorry for the issues you are having, can i ask which country you are trying to buy from?

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 10:30 am
by Xbeejunior
Hello, ....Germany

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 3:53 pm
by Xbeejunior
if I went through the ElektorUK website then I came to the shopping cart, but the code is not accepted because I have to order via matrixtsl.com, via Matrixtsl.com I only ever got to, see attached picture, and never to the shopping cart !?
In any case, I have now clarified this by email, thank you Liam for the quick processing!

Re: Easter Special

Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 10:41 am
by DeeJayOne
Steve wrote:Our special offer has been extended, so there's still time to upgrade.
I would like to know if the special offer is always extended ?

Regards