Working with Embedded Wizard: Managing resources and assets

In practice, every GUI application requires image and font data to be displayed at the runtime on the screen. This chapter introduces the corresponding concepts of resources and constants.

Bitmap resources

Images (or image assets) are represented in Embedded Wizard by bitmap resource project members. In practice, for every image you intend to use within your GUI application you have to add and configure one bitmap resource member. In a more sophisticated case you can manage with a single bitmap resource several image frames which at runtime can be selected conveniently by using an index or, similarly to a short video sequence, can be played back. Moreover, bitmap resource members can be localized for usage in a multi-lingual application.

How bitmap resources are added, configured and localized is described in the chapter Bitmap resource. Generally, with the bitmap resource member you simply refer to an original PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, ... file. At the code generation time, the affected file is evaluated and converted for your particular target system in the best possible manner. This includes color reduction, dithering and compression. Embedded Wizard also supports motion JPEG (MJPEG) files as source format what is ideal to add animations or short instruction videos to your application.

To display the bitmap on the screen the Mosaic framework provides various views.

Default bitmap resources

Embedded Wizard Studio provides a set of predefined bitmap resources containing icons for typical application cases. They are intended to help you when you start to create a prototype of your new product. In order to be flexibel, these default bitmap resources are available in 4 different sizes. If you like them, just select the desired bitmap resource name in the image view.

Please note, the default bitmap resources are multi-frame and they are stored in the ALPHA8 format. Thus when using them in an image view always specify the number of the desired frame as well as the color to colorize the bitmap. The following table shows the available bitmap resources. The numbers below the icons indicate the corresponding frame numbers:

Bitmap resource name

Size

Preview

Resources::KeyIconsSmall

Resources::KeyIconsMedium

Resources::KeyIconsLarge

Resources::KeyIconsExtraLarge

24x24

36x36

54x54

84x84

Resources::NavigationIconsSmall

Resources::NavigationIconsMedium

Resources::NavigationIconsLarge

Resources::NavigationIconsExtraLarge

24x24

36x36

54x54

84x84

Resources::PlayerIconsSmall

Resources::PlayerIconsMedium

Resources::PlayerIconsLarge

Resources::PlayerIconsExtraLarge

24x24

36x36

54x54

84x84

Resources::SymbolIconsSmall

Resources::SymbolIconsMedium

Resources::SymbolIconsLarge

Resources::SymbolIconsExtraLarge

24x24

36x36

54x54

84x84

If you are looking for other images not included in the above table, then you have to create the image file by yourself and add it as a new bitmap resource member to your project.

Extern Bitmap contents

With the above mentioned bitmap resources you define a static set of graphics to use in your application. In order to load image contents dynamically at the runtime (e.g. files found on a SD card) the Mosaic framework provides a simple interface you can implement to integrate your application with an external image decoder..

Once the interface is implemented, you use Extern Bitmap objects similarly as you do with ordinary bitmap resources. In particular you can assign an Extern Bitmap object to a view and thus display the image.

Font resources

Fonts are represented in Embedded Wizard by font resource project members. In practice, for every font you intend to use within your GUI application you have to add and configure a font resource member. In a more sophisticated case, you can combine with a single font resource member several real fonts to one big virtual font. The font resource member determines all attributes of the used font like its height, style, weight and specifies which font glyphs (signs) are important for your application. Knowing this, Embedded Wizard can optimize and compress the font information in the best possible manner for your target system.

How font resources are added and configured is described in the chapter Font resource. Generally, with the font resource member you simply refer to a TrueType font installed on your desktop PC. At the code generation time, the affected TrueType font is evaluated and all glyphs specified in the font resource member are rasterized in small bitmaps ready to use in your target system. In this case no TrueType font engine is required in the target device. However, if your target device contains already a TrueType font engine, we can provide you a Platform Package optimized to rasterize the glyphs directly at the runtime by using the available font engine.

To display the text on the screen the Mosaic framework provides various views.

Default font resources

Embedded Wizard Studio provides a set of predefined font resources with 4 typical sizes. They are intended to help you when you start to create a prototype of your new product. If you like them, just select the desired font resource name in the text view. The following table shows all available font resources:

Font resource name

Used TrueType font

Font height

Included font glyphs

Resources::FontSmall

Roboto

18

0x0020..0x00FF

Resources::FontMedium

Roboto

24

0x0020..0x00FF

Resources::FontLarge

Roboto

36

0x0020..0x00FF

Resources::FontExtraLarge

Roboto

84

0x0020..0x00FF

If you are looking for other fonts not included in the above table, then you have to add a new font resource member to your project and configure it accordingly.

String constants

Strings (text) can be managed conveniently by using the constant project members. In practice, you can define for every text phrase an individual constant member, which then can be referred within your application wherever this text is needed. The constant members can be easily localized for usage in a multi-lingual application.

How constants are added, configured and localized is described in the chapter Constant. To display the text on the screen the Mosaic framework provides various views.

TIP

Embedded Wizard supports character codes (code points) from UNICODE plane 0. This includes Arabic and Hebrew scripts. Also bidirectional text (BIDI) output with left-to-right (LTR) and right-to-left (RTL) text writing direction, as well as combinations of them according to the Unicode Standard Annex #9 Unicode version 10.0.0 are supported.

Default string constants

Embedded Wizard Studio provides a set of predefined string constants containing text fragments necessary when formatting date and time outputs. These constants are used mainly by the Mosaic class Core::Time. Of course, if necessary the constants can also be used directly within your project in expressions wherever a string operand is expected. The following table shows all available constants:

Constant name

Content

Resources::January

Resources::February

Resources::March

Resources::April

Resources::May

Resources::June

Resources::July

Resources::August

Resources::September

Resources::October

Resources::November

Resources::December

"January"

"February"

"March"

"April"

"May"

"June"

"July"

"August"

"September"

"October"

"November"

"December"

Resources::JanuaryAbbr

Resources::FebruaryAbbr

Resources::MarchAbbr

Resources::AprilAbbr

Resources::MayAbbr

Resources::JuneAbbr

Resources::JulyAbbr

Resources::AugustAbbr

Resources::SeptemberAbbr

Resources::OctoberAbbr

Resources::NovemberAbbr

Resources::DecemberAbbr

"Jan"

"Feb"

"Mar"

"Apr"

"May"

"Jun"

"Jul"

"Aug"

"Sep"

"Oct"

"Nov"

"Dec"

Resources::Monday

Resources::Tuesday

Resources::Wednesday

Resources::Thursday

Resources::Friday

Resources::Saturday

Resources::Sunday

"Monday"

"Tuesday"

"Wednesday"

"Thursday"

"Friday"

"Saturday"

"Sunday"

Resources::MondayAbbr

Resources::TuesdayAbbr

Resources::WednesdayAbbr

Resources::ThursdayAbbr

Resources::FridayAbbr

Resources::SaturdayAbbr

Resources::SundayAbbr

"Mon"

"Tue"

"Wed"

"Thu"

"Fri"

"Sat"

"Sun"

Resources::AM

Resources::PM

"AM"

"PM"

All constants are per default not localized. They contain only the English version of the corresponding expression. To localize the constants for other languages, create a new static variant of every affected constant and initialize it with contents localized for individual languages. In this manner the Mosaic class Core::Time will automatically use the notation valid for the actually selected language.

Other constant data

Similarly to the above described strings, you can use the constant project members to manage within your application any further information. This can for example be color, position or size settings. Even using the constant members permits you to localize this information for multi-lingual applications.