Create a New AL

Author: Yu Hang He
Email: hey6@unlv.nevada.edu
Date: Last modified on <10/25/18>
Keywords: Hubo 2, PODO 3, Ubuntu, AL, QT GUI

The tutorial serves as a guide for creating a new AL in PODO system. The tutorial will cover how to create a new GUI in QT program, creating a new AL in PODO, and modifying AL DB file. Contact the author for necessary files. The steps for creating a new AL is as follows:

• Creating a main GUI
• Creating AL program
• Create basic program structure
• Add communication functions
• Implement GUI communication function
• Adding AL program to Daemon
• DB file modification

Author of this tutorial assumes the reader has the following background and interests:

* Familiar with programming process
* Interested in creating GUI with QT IDE
* Interested in working with Jaemi-Hubo and other Hubo robots

The rest of this tutorial is presented as follows:

• Create GUI in QT
• Create New AL
• Edit GUI Code
• Modify DB File

This section will demonstrate how to create a GUI file for PODOGUI in QT Creator.

• Open the PODOGUI and ALPrograms project in QT Creator. Both are located under src/ folder of repository.
• Right click on PODOGUI project → Add new → QT → Click Qt Designer Form Class.

• Choose a Form Template → Dialog without Buttons. Set the class name to be related to the AL to be created.

• Create one test button by dragging the Push Button on the left panel onto GUI.

• Change text on the button by double clicking.
• Right click on button → go to slot → clicked().

• This will create a function that is called every time the button is pressed.
• Add header files at the top of GUI dialog.cpp file
  • #include “CommonHeader.h”
  • #include “BasicFiles/PODOALDialog.h”

• Editing the GUI dialog.h file. Found under project PODOGUI/Headers.
  • #include “CommonHeader.h”

• Declaring private objects in the GUI dialog.h file, basic variables for communicating with Al
  • private:
  • LANDialog * lanData; Communication with Daemon
    
  • int AlnumXXXX; Choose the name of AL you want to use or create
    
  • int AlnumOmniWheel; For example *int AlnumWalkReady; or this

This section will demonstrate how to create a new AL for PODO.

• Within QT Creator, right click on ALPrograms → project → New Subproject.
• In New Project window → Application → Select Qt Console Application.

• Name the project similar to the GUI project name you created earlier.
• Using Files Navigator, go to the file PODO/DRC_HUBO/PODO_DRC/src/ALPrograms/ALTutorial and Copy the BasicFiles folder into the folder of new AL that was created.
• Open the ALTutorial/main.cpp and copy the content of Line 1::80 into main.cpp of the new AL. Overwrite the Existing content.
• Right click on the new AL project created in QT → Add Existing Directory. In the new window click → Browse → Click on BasicFIles folder that was copied into the new AL project folder.

• Trying building the project. Ignore the error for now.
• Next, modify the project management file. QT's project management is implemented with an extension file called [project name].pro.
• Copy the content of the ALTutorial.pro file in ALTutorial project folder and overwrite the contents of [new AL name].pro.
• Modify the .pro file by insert the following codes between CONFIG setting and QMAKE setting.
  • CONFIG (debug, debug | release) {
  • DESTDIR = ../PODO_PROC_Build
  • } else {
  • DESTDIR = ../PODO_PROC_Build
  • }

• Return to new AL/main.cpp and delete or comment out the FingerControl function on line 25.
• Important!Modify line 38 with name of new AL. The name must be unique and matches the name that will be add to the DB file later.
  • sprintf(__AL_NAME, “ALTutorial”);
• From line 64::70 delete or comment out the switch case TUTORIAL_FINGER_CONTROL.
• Finally, imported the RBTaskThread and RBFlagThread functions from ALTutorial/main.cpp by copy and paste.
• Before Rebuilding, open Projects tab and configure the build directory.
• Right click on project → Run qmake.
• Right click on project again → Rebuild.
• Change enum TUTORIAL_COMMAND at the top of Main.cpp
• Note: Always set NO_ACT at the beginning and set the initial value to 100.
• The naming convention is to use AL name_COMMAND for command and AL name_function for function.

• Change the enum name used in the switch-case statement in the main statement, just as you did in Enum.
• It is more convenient and clear to use an enum than to declare a number like 999.

• Copy the [AL]_COMMAND enum created in AL to the top of [GUI]dialog.cpp.
• Assigning the value of AlnumXXXX (AL used or new AL created):
  • Inside the [AL]dialog.cpp UI constructor, after ui→setupUi(this);
  • AlnumXXXX = PODOALDialog :: GetALNumFromFileName (“ALFILENAME”);Write the correct AL file name
  • For the new AL created, input the AL name you picked.

• Use Qtimer if you want to display variables in the GUI.
• Declare a Qtimer variable in [new AL]dialog.h:
  • under private:
  • QTimer *displayTimer;

• Inside the UI constructor:
  • displayTimer = new QTimer(this);
  • connect(displayTimer, SIGNAL(timeout()), this, SLOT(DisplayUpdate())); function inside SLOT() will be updated according to the interval set
  • displayTimer→start(50); set the time interval (50 ms) for the function inside SLOT() to be updated Create a DisplayUpdate() function to update the variables on GUI.

• Add the following code inside the event function that occurs when the button is clicked:
  • USER_COMMAND cmd;
  • cmd.COMMAND_DATA.USER_COMMAND = (Enter one of the variables declared in the enum);
  • cmd.COMMAND_TARGET = (variable with name of AL to use ex) AlnumManualMove);
  • pLAN→ SendCommand (cmd);
• Edit GUIMainWindow.h
  • #include “your own gui header file”
  • Declare a Gui object
  • ex) TestDialog *dialogTest;

• Modify GUIMainWindow.cpp
  • Declare [new AL]dialog object = new Classname(this);
  • ui→ MAIN_TAB→ addTab ((Qwidget *) declared dialog, “TABNAME”);

• Rebuild.

• Download SQLiteStudio from its official download site.
• Extract the compressed file and open sqlitestudio executable inside the folder.
• The Core_config.db file we will modify is in the /exe folder within the PODO path
• In SQLiteStudio, click on Database in upper left corner → Add a Database.
• Navigate to Core_config.db file and open the database.

• Under Core_Config → Tables → double click AL.

• Go to Data tab, click green plus button to create a new entry and enter new ALName, FileName, and PathName.
• click green check button to commit the new changes.

• Double click on General table → Data tab → change the No. of PODO AL'.

• Open PODO_DRC/share/Headers/RBSharedMemory.h and fix MAX_AL if necessary.

For questions and comments, email hey6@unlv.nevada.edu