tcMenu

In the 4.x releases the amount of configuration we were storing made us move from using config files to a database. We made the move first in the flutter-based embed control application and used SQLite. However, in Java the third party packaged SQLite library implementation does not work at all with Apple App Store or Apple Notarization. The amount of work to make it viable was significant. Given that we are only using this database for very lightweight storage requirements, we have made a one-off switch to a pure Java database HQLDB, and I am glad to say we can now move on from this.

However, and very importantly, all settings that were in the SQLite database will be lost after this release, (as above we can no longer ship the SQLite driver). If you have designed any forms, EXPORT THEM BEFORE PROCEEDING. If you have already upgraded and not done this step, the database will still be there untouched in ~/.tcmenu/tcDataStore.db, you can use most SQL tools to access the TC_FORM table and manually export the forms.

The other change in this release is to avoid the database being so critical in future, by saving editable forms within the active project. On first editing a mobile form a your_project/form directory will be created, and the forms you create stored there. On a best-efforts basis, the designer will keep these forms coordinated.

Available as a signed installer for Windows, Notarized disk image for macOS, and as a Linux package.

This release has now been in testing for several months and is now ready for release. Ideally, this should be used with the same tcMenuLib version, although it should work for most situations with 4.1.x. Some of the most notable improvements in 4.2 are as follows:

• The UI now has a configurable font size setting available from general settings.
• The I18N support has been simplified so that you directly add the resource bundle value by prepending with "%". This works for the app name, item names, analog units, enum values, and list values. Documentation will be updated shortly for this.
• File watching is now implemented for both the project file and also resource bundles.
• Along with the release of the mobile and user-centric remote control UI (Embed Control) this release has basic form editing support to allow for simple creation of grid-based layouts for the UI.
• This is the first release to directly support CMake without the Arduino/pio toolchain. It is now possible to directly use PicoSDK with CMake (we can support ESP-IDF and STM32Cube if it is funded). There is even an example menu. See https://github.com/davetcc/tccLibs for more details.
• Fixes and improvements to the custom/no display plugins to ensure they work in all scenarios
• What was the standalone Java Embed Control version is now combined into tcMenu Designer. This is because it is now more of a developer tool given that we'd expect most to use the store-packaged version.
• Major fixes for the i18n support
• File -> New now opens a completely new window, allowing for more than one project to be loaded at once.
• The bitmap editor has been completely reworked and now supports generating XBMP, Mono, 2BBP Palette, and 4BPP Palette images, with the import of images from the clipboard being far easier.

Available as a signed installer for Windows and as a Debian Linux package.

However, the macOS notarized version has run into some issues at the Apple end, see https://github.com/davetcc/tcMenu/discussions/445

NOTE: This is the second BETA release and should only be used for testing and evaluation.

Note that ideally this should be used with the latest tcMenuLib from master, although it should work for most situations with 4.1.x. Some of the most notable improvements in 4.2 are as follows:

• The UI now has configurable font size setting available from general settings, nearly all dialogs honour that setting.
• More automated UI testing and unit testing has been added
• The I18N support has been simplified so that you directly add the resource bundle value by prepending with "%". This works for the app name, item names, analog units, enum values and list values.
• File watching is now implemented for both the project file and also resource bundles.
• Notes From BETA 1
• Along with the release of the mobile and user-centric remote control UI (Embed Control) this release has basic form editing support to allow for simple creation of grid-based layouts for the UI.
• This is the first release to directly support PicoSDK without Arduino. It is now possible to directly use PicoSDK with CMake. There is even an example menu. See https://github.com/davetcc/tccLibs for more details.
• Fixes and improvements to the custom/no display plugins to ensure they work in all scenarios
• What was the standalone Java Embed Control version is now combined into tcMenu Designer. This is because it is now more of a developer tool given that we'd expect most to use the store packaged version.
• Major fixes for the i18n support
• File -> New now opens a completely new window, allowing for more than one project to be loaded at once.

As this is a beta release, the Linux version will be built only if needed, there is a discussion for this beta, please use that to discuss any issues.

NOTE: This is a BETA release and should only be used for testing and evaluation.

Note that ideally this should be used with the latest tcMenuLib from master, although it should work for most situations with 4.1.x. Some of the most notable improvements in 4.2 are as follows:

• Along with the release of the mobile and user-centric remote control UI (Embed Control) this release has basic form editing support to allow for simple creation of grid-based layouts for the UI.
• This is the first release to directly support PicoSDK without Arduino. It is now possible to directly use PicoSDK with CMake. There is even an example menu. See https://github.com/davetcc/tccLibs for more details.
• Fixes and improvements to the custom/no display plugins to ensure they work in all scenarios
• What was the standalone Java Embed Control version is now combined into tcMenu Designer. This is because it is now more of a developer tool given that we'd expect most to use the store packaged version.
• Major fixes for the i18n support
• File -> New now opens a completely new window, allowing for more than one project to be loaded at once.

As this is a beta release, the Linux version will be built if needed, let me know in the attached discussion.

TcMenu 4.1.2 patch relese.

This release fixes three minor but annoying issues that could not wait until 4.2.0. Please read the 4.1.1 release documentation for a full list of changes.

• The CLI command "version" failed with an exception due to the changes in the way that configuration was loaded.
• It was not possible to move items before a submenu when dragging and dropping in the tree.
• The new project wizard malfunctioned when used in create project mode

Built for Windows as signed installer, macOS as a Notarized disk image, and Linux as a Debian package.

For EmbedControl please use the previous 4.1.1 version, there are no changes in this release.

TcMenu 4.1.1 Upgrade Release

This UI and library version is mainly compatible with the previous release, and for most will work immediately without a round trip through the designer.

However, as usual, take a backup of your projects before upgrading so you can easily revert to the prior version if needed. If you encounter any issues please revert to the previous version and start a discussion or raise an issue.

Fixes to the library

We have doubled down on rendering and library-level bugs in this release, some of the most important are:

• We have added a root item that works pretty much like it does in the Java API (and designer). We'll slowly transition everything to use it.
• Two buttons menu control can now be supported
• All layout modes should now work properly with rendering, a large-scale refactor of rendering code should make it more reliable.
• Card layout is now fully supported.
• Cleaned up many examples, including fixing the row ordering in ones with custom layouts.

Fixes and improvements to TcMenu Designer and EmbedControl UI

• Designer now loads the last project on startup (unless started from the CLI with a specific project)
• Designer and embedControl now use SQLite to store configuration and forms.
• EmbedControl is now better aligned with the upcoming mobile version and supports forms (see below)
• Two-button operation plugin added
• Moved the global project source default option back to be compatible with Arduino by default
• Major improvements to the way locales are configured
• ST7920 (LCD12864) supported in U8G2 quick start along with a few graphical plugin fixes
• Interrupt pins now support variable names (for mbed and STM32)
• Text fields no longer have the X icon obscuring the text value

Preview screen and Initial support for forms (BETA)

This release provides a new preview window where you can see a preview of how your app will look, it updates live as the menu tree changes. You access this from "Menu Item -> Preview" menu. Initial support for forms has also been added (click the grid button top right). Expect a few usability / unforeseen issues in the preview as it is new. Form documentation will be available soon.

Builds

Windows 10/11 - Two setup programs signed with extended validation, designer and embed control.
macOS - Two Notarized disk images. designer, and embed control.
Linux/Ubuntu - Two installers, designer, and embed control.

TcMenu 4.0 is a large release, it will likely take you a little time to work through the changes, although it is mainly backward compatible, we recommend you take this release when you have a little time. Make sure you upgrade all dependent libraries (TaskManagerIO, IoAbstraction, SimpleCollections and TcUnicodeHelper) as tcMenu 4.0 assumes the latest available.

Important

If you are using Arduino IDE/CLI (platformIO/cmake/mbed not affected), please note that when creating a new project the default build option will not work, this will be corrected in the next release. See https://github.com/davetcc/tcMenu/issues/377

We recommend you take a backup of your projects before attempting to upgrade, especially if you intend to convert to a multi-language project as this will not be fully backward compatible given it is a new feature. As usual, any problems with this release, just go back to the previous version and raise an issue here.

Backups are now stored in the .backup directory of your project.

Major new features:

• The designer UI itself is now capable of being translated, and instructions for this are within the package. Translations to French (partial), Slovak and Czech.
• The menu application can be translated into multiple languages using resource bundles (properties files within the project). These are managed by designer and follow a simple fairly intuitive pattern. You can add your own text translations into these files.
• runtime menu items can now have info blocks, which makes the creation of them within your own code much easier, list and scroll choice callback are now drastically simplified, to take advantage of this just regenerate the callback. Runtime lists can even be an array in RAM or even a predefined list in FLASH.
• Card mode where a single item is presented at once is partly available in this release, it will not be fully implemented until a further 4.0 patch.
• Java project code tidy-up, it is now much easier to check out and work with the Java code
• Another performance boost to Adafruit GFX thanks to @NachtRaveVL who suggested improvements to the baseline calculation.
• Move items in the Designer tree using drag and drop instead of the up and down buttons.
• Source can be generated into a separate "generated" folder to separate generated source from your own.
• Many small bug fixes - see the milestone.

Major thanks go out to all our sponsors and also special thanks to @vzahradnik for helping test and translate the designer to additional languages.

This is a BETA release and should only be used for testing and verification of features. It will be released fully once we've got confirmation from enough users that it is of sufficient quality. In the meantime new users should not use this version.

IMPORTANT NOTE - Unlike normal releases, you must use this release with the master versions of both IoAbstraction and tcMenu libraries. Unless you wish to do this, please wait for the proper release.

Please raise anything to do with the release in this discussion https://github.com/davetcc/tcMenu/discussions/317. For any issues, please clearly mark them as from this BETA unless it also affects the last known release.

• menus can be fully internationalized.
• generated source location now more configurable
• backups are now into a .backup directory by default with a configurable number of backups, default 20.
• Improved copy/paste and drag and drop support with the menu tree.
• Most UI text is now in resource bundles and can be translated.

Windows/Linux/macOS releases available.

TcMenu 3.1 is a major release including some important features and bug fixes. It includes major changes to the touch support, and will require you to reconfigure any touch plugins. We've tried to default everything as sensibly as possible, but if in doubt check the examples. Note that this requires the designer, tcMenu library, and IoAbstraction be at V3.1.x.

As usual, any issues with this release just rollback to 3.0.x and let us know.

• The rendering of items has been improved in the library
• Support for booleans that display as a checkbox
• Lists now have an activated callback as selections change when active
• Helper methods to get/set navigation history
• The severe bug with AdafruitGFX not rendering is fixed
• Major improvements to touch screen support
• It is now possible to use a sized storage for EEPROM
• Ability to provide custom text fields with filtering
• Ability to store any items static data in RAM instead of FLASH

The designer is released as a signed installer on Windows, a notarized disk image for macOS, and as an Ubuntu package.

Summary

TcMenu 3.0.0 puts in place a few long-needed features in both designer and library, significantly improving the performance of menus based on Adafruit GFX, providing a consistent Unicode API that works even standalone outside of tcMenu, fixing more bugs in the designer, and adds the ability to create fonts and bitmaps directly within designer.

Important notice: Projects WILL need to be run once through the designer/code generator to update the plugins. Make sure you upgrade both TcMenu and IoAbstraction libs to the latest 3.0.x release and also ensure that you get tcUnicodeHelper library from the library manager.

If you're new to TcMenu, please take a look at the getting started guide here: https://www.thecoderscorner.com/products/arduino-libraries/tc-menu/tcmenu-overview-quick-start/

Library release notes

• TcMenu 3.0.0 has dependencies on tcUnicodeHelper and IoAbstraction V3.0.0.
• Initial support for tcUnicode, this is very new and not set as the default in this release. Allows for UTF8 stream-based decoding on all graphical plugins.
• Initialising a renderer is now safer and does not lose previous settings
• Saving single items to EEPROM
• More menu mgr notifications - now can be notified of active item changes.
• Fixed most edit cursor problems
• Far more control over compile time settings for advanced users.
• First step toward formalizing the dashboard support that was in the Simhub example.
• First pass at formalizing the dashboard support for custom layout read-only presentation screens.

UI release notes

• TcUnicode support - new UI for generating tcUnicode and Adafruit fonts from a desktop font, themes now allow tcUnicode for all rendering.
• Fix for embedCONTROL to ensure removed item does not cause loading of layout to fail
• Support for AW9523 IoExpanders in the UI
• UI small fixes - copy and paste fix, item is visible checkbox fix, a number of other small fixes and improvements.
• Memory buffer support for Adafruit_GFX library. When using TFT displays, a memory buffer can be created large enough to present one menu item, it both reduces flicker and improves performance.
• First pass at new UI for creating bitmaps and title widgets from most regular image formats as C++ code.
• Improvements to Java API

Installers and Builds

As usual, there is an extended validation installer for Windows, notarized disk image for macOS, and a Linux debian package. Further, should you have the requirement to, building from source is not too difficult (especially if using Liberica Full JDK which includes OpenJFX).

• Install the application using the right installer for your platform.
• Within your IDE library manager, ensure that tcMenu 3.0.x and IoAbstraction 3.0.x are installed.

Rolling back in the case of issues

There is full access to old versions of the UI and library. Basically, just go back to the old version as shown below.

• From TcMenu releases page choose release 2.5.0 and install - https://github.com/davetcc/tcMenu/releases/tag/2.5.0
• Using your IDE library manager choose tcMenu version 2.5.0 and IoAbstraction 2.4.3 and apply these changes

This release is mainly incremental but has one new feature that requires tcMenu library version 2.5.0, be sure to upgrade the library at the same time. This feature is to be able to set the default value on all menu types from within the designer / JSON project file. Our new plan is to try and release more frequently with smaller releases.

If you're new to TcMenu, please take a look at the getting started guide here: https://www.thecoderscorner.com/products/arduino-libraries/tc-menu/tcmenu-overview-quick-start/

Any issues, just downgrade back to 2.4 and report them here or in the forum.

Release notes

• Better analog joystick plugin that optionally handles both axis now.
• Improvements to the UI, dialogs tidied, Ctrl/Cmd-A no longer save as
• Can set an initial value on all appropriate types now.
• Mbed support has been improved with better display options: STM32 LTDC, OLED and I2C/regular LCD options.
• A few minor fixes to the CLI.
• More boards supported.

Pre-built packages of both the Menu Designer and embedCONTROL

• Packaged for Windows 64-bit with an extended validation certificate.
• Packaged for MacOS 64-bit as a notarized package.
• Packaged for Debian Linux 64-bit.

Important note:

Release 2.4.0 of TcMenu Designeer UI requires tcMenu library version 2.4 along with the most recent versions of dependant libraries (IoAbstraction, SimpleCollections, TaskManagerIO). Please make sure before proceeding that you have installed these first. This is to simplify the library going forward.

Release notes - tcMenu Designer:

• Ability to provide a step value on analog items, for example, to go up in steps of two
• Improved multi-item editing - where the cursor is managed by the library
• Major improvements to the CLI generator to make it fully workable on all platforms
• Fixes and improvements to various code generators
• Auto generate the scroll choice RAM variable if needed
• Direct support for PCF8575 devices within the IDE
• Remove the webserver support for ESP32 until it is stable enough for people to use

Embed CONTROL:

Built on the new JavaAPI version, mainly an incremental update with no new features.

For changes in the library, see the library release page

Builds of the designer UI and embedCONTROL below for Windows, macOS, and Debian Linux.

All our images are now built using jpackage from BellSoft Liberica OpenJDK, in this case, OpenJDK and LibericaFX 18. We also try to keep any third-party libraries that we use as up-to-date as possible.

• Installer for Windows with EV certificate for designer and embedCONTROL.
• MacOS notarized binaries - amd64 for designer and embedCONTROL.
• Linux amd64 binaries for designer and embedCONTROL.

Summary

This release brings fixes on the top of 2.3.0, it can be considered the second part of that release as it has a few major fixes in it. There were a few fixes in the 2.3.1 library of note as well, below we list out everything. Any problems, just go back to 2.3.0 and let us know.

Library and API

• You can now change the frequency of the renderer at any time
• Major improvements in the keyboard support
• Message transmission is now configurable in C++, Java and TS/JS versions, meaning you can add your own custom messages

Designer

• Proper productionization of the Raspberry PI Java support. Now fully tested on a PI 4
• Support for Jetty webserver on Raspberry PI, you can now host embedCONTROL.JS direct from a PI and it runs really well
• Menu in Menu now tested in far more conditions and includes some critical fixes
• New version of the WebApp with fixes and improvements.
• It is now possible in every API (library, Java, Javascript) to add your own custom messages.

2.3.0 - Major release of both Designer and embedCONTROL.

All our images are now built using jpackage from BellSoft Liberica OpenJDK, in this case, OpenJDK and LibericaFX 18.

• Installer for Windows with EV certificate for designer and embedCONTROL.
• MacOS notarized binaries - amd64 for designer and embedCONTROL.
• Linux amd64 binaries for designer and embedCONTROL.

Designer

Existing Users Note: on the first round trip, code generator interrupt / polling state for switches will be reset, as the options have changed.

• Support for encoders that are polled without interrupt requirement.
• Java Library upgrades to bring up to date.
• App information panel (root menu item) improvements.
• Plugin properties in Code generator sometimes showed the wrong value.
• Other small fixes and usability improvements
• Stm32Duino platform added, and support for Stm32Ethernet library and the BSP HAL Backup RAM on STM32F4 boards that support it.

EmbedCONTROL App

• Completely refactored and cleaned up view - same code as used in Java embedded UI
• Ability to override the view of components and layout of controls.

Raspberry PI / embedded Java generator

NOTE that this is considered preview quality in this release. It will be cleaned up over the next few releases.

• It is now possible to build an app that outputs Java code suitable for Raspberry PI. It can generate a simple UI based on JavaFX which is supported by Liberica and OpenJFX on at least Raspberry PI and other embedded Linux distros.
• With the Java API it now supports Menu In Menu to allow the embedded Java app to manage several other devices within one menu; where the items from one menu are re-mapped into another.
• EmbedCONTROL can now handle invoke operations on List items.

• New simplified plugin facilities, the core plugins are now built automatically and not upgradable outside of the release process. You can still build your own plugins and manage them.
• Documentation improvements
• Ensure that when a theme is required that it is provided in the code generator.
• The initial work to allow tcMenu to create a Raspberry PI Java interface are now in place, this will continue over the next few releases.
• Improvements in test coverage
• The startings of a web-based version of embedCONTROL written in React.JS (see other embedcontrolJS repo for source)
• Copyright change to show this is now a hobby and no longer sponsored by a company.

For embedCONTROL continue to use the previous build.

• This release fixes an issue where the clipboard support caused the application to freeze sometimes. This is the most important fix in this release. It also automates incorporating the initial plugins making problems there far less likely.
• It also includes a new splash screen that allows you to choose between dark and light mode.
• Lastly, a new feature where you can now choose for tcMenu to only declare but not implement a callback function. To do this, add an "@" symbol before the variable and then you need to implement the method yourself somewhere. This does not affect existing behaviour, and is intended for advanced users who want to implement callbacks in multiple files.

To install the designer UI use the appropriate download for your platform below.

Designer and library version 2.2.4 have just been released.

For all users we strongly recommend you use 2.2.5 as it fixes a critical issue found in this release.

Library:

• Allow the title text to be overridden correctly by changing the title item's override text.
• Better handling of Analog items with larger ranges for positive only values.
• Touch calibrator now directly built into library "extras" folder

Designer:

• Minor fixes to TFT_eSPI plugin to allow the variable name to be other than 'tft'
• Improvements to the way that U8G2 plugin works to make it easier to understand.
• Ability to set the tab type for ST7735 display on Adafruit Quickstart.
• Upgrade to OpenJDK Corretto 17 and openjfx 17.
• Fix an issue with up and down being inverted in the up / down encoder plugin.
• Touch screen support for XPT2046 and FT6206

embedCONTROL

Continue to use V2.2.3 of embedCONTROL further down the releases page, there were no embedCONTROL changes in this release.

Summary

tcMenu 2.2 builds on the work in 2.1 to make the library sustainable going forwards. Most remote plugins now build from a common base. In this case, we've refactored the remote plugins so that they share much more code than before. We've also made it far easier to get started with a new sketch by allowing you to set up EEPROM, Authentication, and IO expanders directly from the designer. In addition for the first time, you can remotely control your application using embedCONTROL for desktop.

Should you run into issues with this release, go back to 2.1 and let us know what went wrong. Please use the new Help/Diagnostics function to get the version and app information.

Release notes

• New look for designer including a dark mode for those that prefer it. Many thanks to JMetro @JFXtras for this.
• Ability to edit EEPROM, Authentication, and IO expanders direct from the designer.
• Ability to provide diagnostic data directly from the application.
• Improved the situation when starting from scratch with no theme.
• Additional CLI commands for setting and querying configuration.
• Now able to update plugins to any version that's available on the server using a new UI.
• Ability to work with more than one remote capability in an application.
• embedCONTROL desktop version is now packaged for all platforms but is still considered in pre-release.
• Even more automated testing added to try and keep things working long term.
• Many bugs fixed in the library code and new examples added (see tcMenuLib for more details).

embedCONTROL & TcMenu Designer are both in this release for all platforms.

This is a major release of TcMenu, we recommend that you move to this release when you're ready to upgrade both designer and library to 2.2. It is presently a BETA release so library V2.2 is not yet in Library manager. To use you'll need to manually update the Arduino/mbed library - tcMenuLib-master.zip is attached, and then download the app below.

Major IoT improvements

• Ability to have more than one remote control operational at a time.
• Refactored most code onto a common base reducing code duplication

UI Improvements

• EEPROM and Authentication can now be configured directly in the designer UI
• IoT monitor menu item and authentication management item can now be added from designer UI
• Designer UI has a new look and feel based on JMetro
• embedCONTROL is now open source, built, and deployed from here.
• Plugin manager now allows any version to be installed from a drop down.

CLI and generator

• You can now access the most important configuration options directly from the CLI
• Fixes for generate option
• Fix a few glitches with themes around starting from scratch

For all platforms:

Apps

• TcMenu Designer - Used to design menu structures and generate the code.
• embedCONTROL - Can connect to a deployed application and control it remotely (currently in BETA)

Platform Information

• For Windows there is an installer with an extended validation certificate.
• For macOS there is a notarized disk image.
• For Linux, there is a pre-built debian package.

This release has a few small UX improvements, and the 2.x libraries and plugins become the stable branch.

• Menu and title layout improved
• Recent files now don't show full path
• Some fixes to plugin URL paths
• fullLCD driver fixes
• 2.1 plugins now packaged with the designer.

Install the designer by choosing the right package below. There is:

• A setup file signed with extended validation for Windows
• A notarized disk image for macOS
• Debian / Ubuntu package for Linux

The packages below are completely compatible with any designs from the store version. You can upgrade in your own time, and there are no restrictions around where you can save files. We expect there were a few that preferred AppStore deployment, we ask that you try to move this designer and report back any usability issues, we'll iterate a few times if need be to get any usability issues solved.

Given we've made a few changes in 2.0 and then 2.1, we discuss the changes here: https://youtu.be/hxFJxUFlWWM

I've also started a new forum thread to discuss this release for any UX issues encountered or missing features transitioning from Store versions. https://www.thecoderscorner.com/jforum/posts/list/124.page