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Notice: This page contains information for the legacy Phidget21 Library.

Phidget21 is out of support. Bugfixes may be considered on a case by case basis.

Phidget21 does not support VINT Phidgets, or new USB Phidgets released after 2020. We maintain a selection of legacy devices for sale that are supported in Phidget21.

We recommend that new projects be developed against the Phidget22 Library.


Click on the 2phidget22.jpg button in the menu bar to go to the Phidget22 version of this page.

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OS - OS X: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:OS]]
[[Category:OS]]
[[File:Icon-Mac-OS.png‎|64x64px|link=]] On Mac OS, Phidgets can be either plugged directly into a USB Port or run over a network using the [[#Webservice|Webservice]].
{{OSLang|[[File:Icon-Mac-OS.png‎|64x64px|link=]]|On OS X, Phidgets can be either plugged directly into a USB Port or run over a network using the [[#WebService|WebService]].}}
 
__TOC__
__TOC__
Phidgets are designed to run on '''OS X 10.5 Leopard or newer''', and can run on PPC, 32-bit, and 64-bit systems.


Phidgets are designed to run on '''Mac OS 10.4 or newer''', and can run on PPC, 32-bit, and 64-bit systems.
==Quick Downloads==


==Getting Started (Libraries and Drivers)==
If this is your first Phidget, we highly recommend working through the Getting Started guide for your specific Phidget device, which may be found in its [[:Category:UserGuide|user guide]].  If you already have the Preference Pane Installed and know how to use it, then you've already followed the guide and are ready to learn more about the workings behind the Preference Pane, the Phidget WebService, and more - all specific to OS X.


If this is your first Phidget, we highly recommend working through the Getting Started guide [[Device List|for your specific Phidget device]]. If you already have the Preference Pane Installed and know how to use it, then you've already followed the guide and are ready to learn more about the workings behind the Preference Pane, the Phidget Webservice, and more - all specific to Mac OS.
If you are already a pro, and just want the drivers:
*OS X 10.11+: [{{SERVER}}/downloads/phidget21/libraries/macos/Phidget.dmg Installer Download]
*Mac OS X 10.7 - OS X 10.10: [{{SERVER}}/downloads/phidget21/libraries/macos/Phidget_OS_X_10_7.dmg Installer Download]
*Mac OS X 10.5 - OS X 10.6: [{{SERVER}}/downloads/phidget21/libraries/macos/Phidget_OS_X_10_5.dmg Installer Download]
*[[Software License]]


If you are already a pro, and just want the drivers:
If you need old versions of the libraries, [{{SERVER}}/downloads/phidget21/libraries/macos/Phidget/ click here].


*[http://www.phidgets.com/downloads/libraries/Phidget_2.1.8.20120216.dmg Mac OS Installer]
==Getting Started with OS X==


For special cases where you cannot install the Phidget installer please see the [[#Advanced Uses]] section.
{{#ev:youtube|o2P580PvjCg}}
* [http://www.phidgets.com/Drivers_Info.html#osx Software License]


===Installing===
===Installing===


An in-depth description of what the installer does, what the files do, and where they go by default.
The Phidget installer will install the core Phidget files onto your system.


This is NOT the place for Manual Installation Instructions, those instructions go in the [[#Advanced Uses]] section below.
To install the libraries, follow these steps:
 
1. Download the Phidget installer for your system:
*[{{SERVER}}/downloads/phidget21/libraries/macos/Phidget.dmg OS X Installer]
 
2. Open up the installer, and double click on {{Code|Phidgets.mpkg}} to install the libraries.
 
[[File:OSX Install 1.png|link=|alt=OS X Install]]
 
3. Proceed through the wizard.
 
[[File:OSX Install 2.png|link=|alt=OS X Install]]
 
4. Once the installation is complete, you are ready to program with Phidgets. To find out what files got installed, please see [[#Description of Installer files | Description of Installer files]] in the Appendix section.
 
Proceed onto to the [[#Phidget Preference Pane | next]] section where the Phidget Preference Pane will be discussed.


====Phidget Preference Pane====
====Phidget Preference Pane====


Explain the preference pane, on a concept level.
The Phidget Preference Pane is a tool to quickly determine whether your system is able to communicate with Phidgets, and also act as a debugging tool.
 
Once the Phidget libraries are installed using the installer, open up the {{Code|System Preferences}} window.


Advanced uses (modifying, manual installation, etc) go in the advanced section below.
[[File:OSX System Preferences.png|link=|alt=OS X System Preferences]]


Not the go to option for controlling your device, refer users to the Getting Started guide for their Phidget...again.
Click on the {{Code|Phidgets}} icon in the {{Code|Other}} section to bring up the Phidgets Preference Pane.


It is important to keep in mind that when an example Phidget application is opened from the control panel, it holds a lock on the Phidget. Is this also true on Mac?  If so, explain that this prevents any other program from accessing the Phidget. Please ensure that this example application is closed when you are running your own applications. 
[[File:OSX PreferencePane General.png|link=|alt=OS X PreferencePane General]]
 
The Phidget Preference Pane can:
* Access and test Phidgets connected to your computer
* Update device firmware
* Access other Phidgets over the webservice, and make your local Phidgets accessible over the webservice
* Make use of the [[Phidget Dictionary]]
* Manage the labels of connected Phidgets
* View all [[OS_-_Phidget_SBC|SBCs]] on the network and view their webpages
 
 
'''For more information, visit the [[Phidget Control Panel#OS X|Phidget Preference Pane]] page.'''


===Checking===
===Checking===


Summarize that we will be using code and the device manager to confirm and troubleshoot the installation, if needed.
To confirm the libraries were installed and work correctly, you can check both the hardware and software components of the interface. It is worth checking the software side first, because if it works then you know the hardware side is also okay.


====Software====
====Software====


This should walk you through compiling and running basic code against the libraries as simply as possible.  Find an instance that requires no additional programs to run, and that will work with any Phidget, if possible.  Recommended HelloWorld and gcc.
If you have the Phidgets library installed on your system, you can verify that the software component is working by seeing if the Phidget device is listed in the General tab of the Phidget Preference Pane.


The point of this is to give the user tools to identify problems with the library setup that are not due to low level driver conflicts.  The process should be described here (with the conclusion being the success of the check), followed by a referral to the Troubleshooting section (and content there) if failure results. See the [[OS - Linux#Software]] section for an example.
[[File:OSX PreferencePane General.png ‎|link=|alt=OS X Preference Pane General]]
 
The above screenshot shows that a PhidgetRFID and a PhidgetInterfaceKit are attached to the computer. If you see your Phidget in the list, you can continue to the [[#Programming Languages | programming languages]] section to learn more. If you are not able to see that the Phidget is in the list, there may be a hardware issue. Please see the [[#Hardware| hardware]] section for more details.


====Hardware====
====Hardware====


This should show you how to use the "About This Mac" program to make sure the Phidget is attached in hardware, and what to do if not.
You can verify that your computer detects that the Phidget is plugged in through a USB connection by going to the OS X System Profiler. You can access the System Profiler by selecting {{Code|About This Mac}} under the Apple icon.
 
[[File:OSX About This Mac.png‎|link=|alt=OS X About This Mac]]
 
The new window will open up.
 
[[File:OSX More Info.png|link=|alt=OS X More Info]]
 
Select {{Code|More Info}}. The System Profiler will show up. In the USB section, you will be able to find all connected USB devices.
 
[[File:OSX USB Devices.png ‎|link=|alt=OS X Attached USB Devices]]
 
In the above screenshot, The PhidgetInterfaceKit and PhidgetRFID are connected to the USB ports.
 
If you don't see the Phidget in the list, then take a look at the [[#Troubleshooting|troubleshooting]] section below, as well as the '''Communications''' section of our [[General Troubleshooting#Communications Troubleshooting|general troubleshooting page]].


====Troubleshooting====
====Troubleshooting====


Make an in-depth point by point section with some of this content plus more:
If the example programs '''do not''' work but USB '''does''' work (i.e. your computer can consistently see the device in the [[#Hardware|hardware]]), take a moment to check the basics:
* You are using OS X 10.5 or newer.
* No other programs, drivers, or processes are using that USB port in software
* The Phidget libraries are the latest version (visit the [[#Quick Downloads| quick downloads section]] to download them)


*Confirm prerequisites
* Check the [[#Common Problems and Solutions|common problems]] section below, some specific combinations can cause problems
*Walk through ALL known conflicting drivers
*Suggest attributes of unknown conflicting drivers
*Get people to the troubleshooting page if a non-OS problem is suspected


See the [[OS - Linux#Troubleshooting|Linux Troubleshooting]] page for a briefer example.  It is expected that with driver conflicts, this section will be much larger, with screenshots, etc.  If you need to cover troubleshooting a problem with the webservice, you should put the content in the Webservice section below, and link to it.
If your problem doesn't seem to be fixed by these steps, make sure that the Phidget is seen '''consistently''' by USB (if it is erratic, try our [[General Troubleshooting|general troubleshooting guide]]).  If you are still having problems after using the troubleshooting guide, please [[Contact Us|ask us]]!


==Programming Languages==
==Programming Languages==
Phidgets’ philosophy is that you do not have to be an electrical engineer in order to do projects that use devices like sensors, motors, motor controllers, and interface boards. All you need to know is how to program.
After you have installed the drivers above, you should pick a programming language, install libraries, and run the examples for that specific language. You can learn more about what is needed to program in a particular language by choosing the language of your preference below. If you need help choosing a language, please look at the [[Software Overview#Language Support |language comparison table]].
We recommend the following languages for OS X:
We recommend the following languages for OS X:
* [[Language - Applescript|AppleScript]]
* [[Language - Applescript|AppleScript]]
* [[Language - C/C++|C/C++]]
* [[Language - C/C++|C/C++]]
* [[Language - C Sharp|C# (Using Mono)]]
* [[Language - Cocoa | Cocoa]]
* [[Language - Cocoa | Cocoa]]
* [[Language - Flash AS3]]
* [[Language - Flash AS3 | Flash AS3]]
* [[Language - Flex AS3]]
* [[Language - Flex AS3 | Flex AS3]]
* [[Language - LiveCode | LiveCode]]
* [[Language - Java | Java]]
* [[Language - Java | Java]]
* [[Language - Max/MSP|Max/MSP]]
* [[Language - Max/MSP|Max/MSP]]
Line 75: Line 128:
*[[Language - Simulink|Simulink]]
*[[Language - Simulink|Simulink]]


==Webservice==
==WebService==
 
The Phidget WebService allows you to remotely control a Phidget over a network.
 
Drivers for the Phidget WebService on OS X are already included in the [[#Quick Downloads | Drivers]] above. If you see the Phidget Preference Pane in System Preferences, then you already have the WebService drivers installed.
 
There are two ways that you can connect to a Phidget hosted on another computer. The first method is by using the IP address/host name and port of the host computer. The second method makes the use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multicast_DNS mDNS], which allows Phidgets to be found and opened on the network by a server id instead of an IP address/host name. When using a server id, both the client and server will need to be running an implementation of zero configuration networking. The Phidget WebService takes advantage of [http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/bonjourforwindows.html Bonjour] software, which is built-in to OS X. It is a tool developed by Apple to locate devices, such as Phidgets,  on a network.
 
This section helps you install, check, and use the WebService on Windows, but we also have an overview of the [[Phidget WebService]] in general.


Short description of the webservice on Mac OS (i.e. which files are the drivers, note that it is automatically on, etc)
===Turning the WebService On and Off===


Drivers for the Phidget Webservice on Mac are already included in the [[#Getting Started (Libraries and Drivers) | Drivers]] above.
There are two methods that can be used to turn the WebService on and off. The first method is through the Phidget Preference Pane. In the {{Code|WebService}} tab, you can start or stop the WebService. You can also choose to have the WebService start up automatically upon system boot up by selecting the {{Code|Start Automatically}} checkbox.  


If you have the Preference Pane installed, you already have the Webservice drivers installed.
[[File:OSX PreferencePane Webservice Stopped.png|link=|alt=OS X PreferencePane WebService]]


===Turning the Webservice On and Off===
The second method of turning the WebService on and off is through command line. After using our installer, the WebService utility is automatically installed in {{Code|/usr/bin/phidget21webservice}}.


Detailed instructions, both at runtime, and disabling from boot entirely.
You can get command line help with {{Code|phidgetwebservice21}} using the -h option:


===Setting Up the Webservice===
<div class="source">
<syntaxhighlight lang=bash>
phidgetwebservice21 -h
</syntaxhighlight>


How to find the port, computer IP, computer bonjour name, etc
<syntaxhighlight lang=text>
'phidgetwebservice21' is a Phidget and Dictionary server from Phidgets Inc. See www.phidgets.com for more information.
Usage: phidgetwebservice21 [OPTION]
All parameters are optional. The default parameters are: port=5001, ServerName=(Computer Name) and no password


====Using the Webservice Without Bonjour====
Options:
  -p      Port
  -n      Server Name
  -P      Password
  -v      Debug mode
  -h      Display this help
</syntaxhighlight>
</div>


Detailed instructions on how to change your code to work with IP addresses
Mapping out which command line options to which Phidget Preference Pane option is as follows:


===Using the Webservice===
-p: {{Code|Port}} field


A walkthrough in C (using gcc) of how to write (i.e. modify) a remote program and screenshots of it running on localhost (127.0.0.1)
-n: {{Code|ServerID}} field


===Debugging the Webservice===
-P: {{Code|Password}} field


Examples of common errors in webservice-using code
-v: Not supported under the Phidget Preference Pane


Is there a way to enable debugging like there is on Linux?
To find the defaults used by {{Code|phidget21webservice}}, the command line is the fastest way to learn the default server name and IP address of your computer:
*For the default server name, use {{Code|hostname}} on the command line.
*For your IP address, use {{Code|ifconfig -a}} on the command line.
**A line in the return text, under your main internet connection (usually {{Code|eth0}}) will say something like {{Code|inet addr:192.168.3.178}}, which is your IP.


==Advanced Uses==
Here are some usage examples:
 
To start the WebService with default parameters:
<div class="source">
<syntaxhighlight lang=bash>
phidgetwebservice21
</syntaxhighlight>
</div>
 
To start the WebService with a server name of {{Code|myServer}}:
<div class="source">
<syntaxhighlight lang=bash>
phidgetwebservice21-n myServer
</syntaxhighlight>
</div>
 
To stop the WebService, simply close the command line window or press {{Code|Control}} and {{Code|c}} at the same time in the command line window.
 
===Using the WebService===
 
To use a Phidget over the WebService, you'll want to:
* Have two different computers connected to the same network. We will call the computer that has the Phidget directly connected to the USB port the host. The client will be the computer that runs a Phidget application to connect to the Phidget attached to the host. Please note that if you only have a single computer, you can also connect to the Phidget over the WebService. The computer will simply act as both a host and client. This will allow you to bypass the [[General Phidget Programming # Details for Open() | one application per Phidget limitation]].
 
* Start the WebService on the computer that directly connects to the Phidget
* Run your program on the remote computer that will control the Phidget over the network
 
The easiest way to test these steps on OS X is to set up the WebService and run the Phidget program on the client. Please follow these steps:
 
1. On the host, open up the Phidget Preference Pane and traverse to the {{Code|Web Service}} tab.
 
[[File:OSX PreferencePane Webservice Stopped.png |link=|alt=OS X Preference Pane WebService]]
 
2. Leave all fields the way they are, and click on {{Code|Start WebService}} to run the WebService.
 
3. You can determine that the WebService is running by looking at the status on the right side.
 
[[File:OSX PreferencePane Webservice Running.png|link=|alt=OS X PreferencePane WebService Running]]
 
4. Ensure that the Phidget is plugged in to the host.
 
5. On the client's Phidget Preference Pane, open up the {{Code|Bonjour}} tab. You will see the Phidget that is plugged into the host as one of the entries listed. Double click it to open the example application.
 
[[File:OSX PreferencePane Bonjour.png ‎‎ |link=|alt=OS X PreferencePane Bonjour.png ‎]]
 
6. The example application will open up, and you will be able to communicate with the Phidget over the WebService.
 
[[File:OSX PreferencePane Example.png ‎ |link=|alt=OS X PreferencePane Example]]
 
7. You can confirm that the WebService was indeed behind this exchange by terminating the WebService process while still allowing the remote program to run. On the host's Phidget Preference Pane, traverse to the {{Code|WebService}} tab. Hit {{Code|Stop WebService}} to terminate the WebService.
 
[[File:OSX PreferencePane Webservice Running.png|link=|alt=OS X PreferencePane WebService Running]]


===Manual File Installation===
8. Take a look at the example application on the client. Since the application can no longer connect to the WebService, there is nothing attached.


A reminder of the installer and what it does, and how to do it manually when wanting to distribute our libraries with your code.
[[File:OSX PreferencePane Example Stopped.png |link=|alt=OS X PreferencePane Example Stopped]]


====Description of Files====
===Debugging the WebService===


All files with the Preference Pane and their default installation locations.
You can get debugging information from the WebService itself. This debugging can only be enabled from the command line approach to start the WebService. Debug information is enabled by specifying the {{Code|-v}} option:


====Special Cases of Library Install====
<div class="source">
<syntaxhighlight lang=bash>
phidgetwebservice21 -v -n "myServer"
</syntaxhighlight>
</div>


Cover how customers can distribute Phidget libraries with their code, refer them mostly to their appropriate language page.
The debugging information will be shown as output in the command line console.


Content copied from the old page:
==Advanced Uses==


If you wish to only install the things you need, please refer to your language page for instructions on how to manually install the libraries for your language.
<br/> also explain even more special cases on 64bit systems, if applicable(ie, c.


===Other Advanced Uses===
==Appendix==


Additions to this list should be things we find people request over tech support.  Ask Brian for more!
===Description of Installer files===


==Phidgets Preference Pane==
Here is the list of files and their description for each file the installer puts onto your system.
Explain the control panel
===Description of Library files===
The examples in the preference pane are as is, and are intended for demonstration purposes. They are not suitable for user applications.


It is important to keep in mind that when an example Phidget application is opened from the preference pane, it holds a lock on the Phidget. This prevents any other program from accessing the Phidget. Please ensure that this example application is closed(the Phidgets Preference Pane can still be running) when you are running your own applications.  
This section will explain the files that were placed onto your system as part of the installation process.
* <b>{{Code|Phidget21.framework}}</b> contains the actual Phidget library, which is used at run-time.  It is placed into {{Code|/Library/Frameworks}}.
* <b>{{Code|Phidget.kext}}</b> is the kernel extension.  It is placed into {{Code|/System/Library/Extensions}}.
* <b>{{Code|libphidget21.jnilib}}</b> is the JNI library for Java.  It is placed into {{Code|/Library/Java/Extensions}}.
* <b>{{Code|Phidgets.prefpane}}</b> is the Phidgets Preference Pane.  It is placed into {{Code|/Library/PreferencePanes}}.
* <b>{{Code|phidgetwebservice21}}</b> is the Phidget WebService. It is placed into {{Code|/usr/bin}}.
* <b>{{Code|PhidgetsOSA.app}}</b> is the the Phidgets agent for AppleScript.  It is placed into {{Code|/Library/ScriptingAdditions}}.


==Common Problems and Solutions==
==Common Problems and Solutions==


*List relevant problems from "Common Problems and workarounds" doc
None, yet.
*List common problems for this OS from support forums
 
==Limitations==
List any limitations associated with running Phidgets with this OS.

Latest revision as of 18:10, 1 October 2019

Icon-Mac-OS.png On OS X, Phidgets can be either plugged directly into a USB Port or run over a network using the WebService.

Phidgets are designed to run on OS X 10.5 Leopard or newer, and can run on PPC, 32-bit, and 64-bit systems.

Quick Downloads

If this is your first Phidget, we highly recommend working through the Getting Started guide for your specific Phidget device, which may be found in its user guide. If you already have the Preference Pane Installed and know how to use it, then you've already followed the guide and are ready to learn more about the workings behind the Preference Pane, the Phidget WebService, and more - all specific to OS X.

If you are already a pro, and just want the drivers:

If you need old versions of the libraries, click here.

Getting Started with OS X

Installing

The Phidget installer will install the core Phidget files onto your system.

To install the libraries, follow these steps:

1. Download the Phidget installer for your system:

2. Open up the installer, and double click on Phidgets.mpkg to install the libraries.

OS X Install

3. Proceed through the wizard.

OS X Install

4. Once the installation is complete, you are ready to program with Phidgets. To find out what files got installed, please see Description of Installer files in the Appendix section.

Proceed onto to the next section where the Phidget Preference Pane will be discussed.

Phidget Preference Pane

The Phidget Preference Pane is a tool to quickly determine whether your system is able to communicate with Phidgets, and also act as a debugging tool.

Once the Phidget libraries are installed using the installer, open up the System Preferences window.

OS X System Preferences

Click on the Phidgets icon in the Other section to bring up the Phidgets Preference Pane.

OS X PreferencePane General

The Phidget Preference Pane can:

  • Access and test Phidgets connected to your computer
  • Update device firmware
  • Access other Phidgets over the webservice, and make your local Phidgets accessible over the webservice
  • Make use of the Phidget Dictionary
  • Manage the labels of connected Phidgets
  • View all SBCs on the network and view their webpages


For more information, visit the Phidget Preference Pane page.

Checking

To confirm the libraries were installed and work correctly, you can check both the hardware and software components of the interface. It is worth checking the software side first, because if it works then you know the hardware side is also okay.

Software

If you have the Phidgets library installed on your system, you can verify that the software component is working by seeing if the Phidget device is listed in the General tab of the Phidget Preference Pane.

OS X Preference Pane General

The above screenshot shows that a PhidgetRFID and a PhidgetInterfaceKit are attached to the computer. If you see your Phidget in the list, you can continue to the programming languages section to learn more. If you are not able to see that the Phidget is in the list, there may be a hardware issue. Please see the hardware section for more details.

Hardware

You can verify that your computer detects that the Phidget is plugged in through a USB connection by going to the OS X System Profiler. You can access the System Profiler by selecting About This Mac under the Apple icon.

OS X About This Mac

The new window will open up.

OS X More Info

Select More Info. The System Profiler will show up. In the USB section, you will be able to find all connected USB devices.

OS X Attached USB Devices

In the above screenshot, The PhidgetInterfaceKit and PhidgetRFID are connected to the USB ports.

If you don't see the Phidget in the list, then take a look at the troubleshooting section below, as well as the Communications section of our general troubleshooting page.

Troubleshooting

If the example programs do not work but USB does work (i.e. your computer can consistently see the device in the hardware), take a moment to check the basics:

  • You are using OS X 10.5 or newer.
  • No other programs, drivers, or processes are using that USB port in software
  • The Phidget libraries are the latest version (visit the quick downloads section to download them)
  • Check the common problems section below, some specific combinations can cause problems

If your problem doesn't seem to be fixed by these steps, make sure that the Phidget is seen consistently by USB (if it is erratic, try our general troubleshooting guide). If you are still having problems after using the troubleshooting guide, please ask us!

Programming Languages

Phidgets’ philosophy is that you do not have to be an electrical engineer in order to do projects that use devices like sensors, motors, motor controllers, and interface boards. All you need to know is how to program.

After you have installed the drivers above, you should pick a programming language, install libraries, and run the examples for that specific language. You can learn more about what is needed to program in a particular language by choosing the language of your preference below. If you need help choosing a language, please look at the language comparison table.

We recommend the following languages for OS X:

You can also use these languages, but they do not support event driven code, and must use logic code only:

WebService

The Phidget WebService allows you to remotely control a Phidget over a network.

Drivers for the Phidget WebService on OS X are already included in the Drivers above. If you see the Phidget Preference Pane in System Preferences, then you already have the WebService drivers installed.

There are two ways that you can connect to a Phidget hosted on another computer. The first method is by using the IP address/host name and port of the host computer. The second method makes the use of mDNS, which allows Phidgets to be found and opened on the network by a server id instead of an IP address/host name. When using a server id, both the client and server will need to be running an implementation of zero configuration networking. The Phidget WebService takes advantage of Bonjour software, which is built-in to OS X. It is a tool developed by Apple to locate devices, such as Phidgets, on a network.

This section helps you install, check, and use the WebService on Windows, but we also have an overview of the Phidget WebService in general.

Turning the WebService On and Off

There are two methods that can be used to turn the WebService on and off. The first method is through the Phidget Preference Pane. In the WebService tab, you can start or stop the WebService. You can also choose to have the WebService start up automatically upon system boot up by selecting the Start Automatically checkbox.

OS X PreferencePane WebService

The second method of turning the WebService on and off is through command line. After using our installer, the WebService utility is automatically installed in /usr/bin/phidget21webservice.

You can get command line help with phidgetwebservice21 using the -h option:

 phidgetwebservice21 -h
'phidgetwebservice21' is a Phidget and Dictionary server from Phidgets Inc. See www.phidgets.com for more information.
Usage: phidgetwebservice21 [OPTION]
All parameters are optional. The default parameters are: port=5001, ServerName=(Computer Name) and no password

Options:
  -p      Port
  -n      Server Name
  -P      Password
  -v      Debug mode
  -h      Display this help

Mapping out which command line options to which Phidget Preference Pane option is as follows:

-p: Port field

-n: ServerID field

-P: Password field

-v: Not supported under the Phidget Preference Pane

To find the defaults used by phidget21webservice, the command line is the fastest way to learn the default server name and IP address of your computer:

  • For the default server name, use hostname on the command line.
  • For your IP address, use ifconfig -a on the command line.
    • A line in the return text, under your main internet connection (usually eth0) will say something like inet addr:192.168.3.178, which is your IP.

Here are some usage examples:

To start the WebService with default parameters:

 phidgetwebservice21

To start the WebService with a server name of myServer:

 phidgetwebservice21-n myServer

To stop the WebService, simply close the command line window or press Control and c at the same time in the command line window.

Using the WebService

To use a Phidget over the WebService, you'll want to:

  • Have two different computers connected to the same network. We will call the computer that has the Phidget directly connected to the USB port the host. The client will be the computer that runs a Phidget application to connect to the Phidget attached to the host. Please note that if you only have a single computer, you can also connect to the Phidget over the WebService. The computer will simply act as both a host and client. This will allow you to bypass the one application per Phidget limitation.
  • Start the WebService on the computer that directly connects to the Phidget
  • Run your program on the remote computer that will control the Phidget over the network

The easiest way to test these steps on OS X is to set up the WebService and run the Phidget program on the client. Please follow these steps:

1. On the host, open up the Phidget Preference Pane and traverse to the Web Service tab.

OS X Preference Pane WebService

2. Leave all fields the way they are, and click on Start WebService to run the WebService.

3. You can determine that the WebService is running by looking at the status on the right side.

OS X PreferencePane WebService Running

4. Ensure that the Phidget is plugged in to the host.

5. On the client's Phidget Preference Pane, open up the Bonjour tab. You will see the Phidget that is plugged into the host as one of the entries listed. Double click it to open the example application.

OS X PreferencePane Bonjour.png ‎

6. The example application will open up, and you will be able to communicate with the Phidget over the WebService.

OS X PreferencePane Example

7. You can confirm that the WebService was indeed behind this exchange by terminating the WebService process while still allowing the remote program to run. On the host's Phidget Preference Pane, traverse to the WebService tab. Hit Stop WebService to terminate the WebService.

OS X PreferencePane WebService Running

8. Take a look at the example application on the client. Since the application can no longer connect to the WebService, there is nothing attached.

OS X PreferencePane Example Stopped

Debugging the WebService

You can get debugging information from the WebService itself. This debugging can only be enabled from the command line approach to start the WebService. Debug information is enabled by specifying the -v option:

 phidgetwebservice21 -v -n "myServer"

The debugging information will be shown as output in the command line console.

Advanced Uses

Appendix

Description of Installer files

Here is the list of files and their description for each file the installer puts onto your system.

Description of Library files

This section will explain the files that were placed onto your system as part of the installation process.

  • Phidget21.framework contains the actual Phidget library, which is used at run-time. It is placed into /Library/Frameworks.
  • Phidget.kext is the kernel extension. It is placed into /System/Library/Extensions.
  • libphidget21.jnilib is the JNI library for Java. It is placed into /Library/Java/Extensions.
  • Phidgets.prefpane is the Phidgets Preference Pane. It is placed into /Library/PreferencePanes.
  • phidgetwebservice21 is the Phidget WebService. It is placed into /usr/bin.
  • PhidgetsOSA.app is the the Phidgets agent for AppleScript. It is placed into /Library/ScriptingAdditions.

Common Problems and Solutions

None, yet.