Effective ways for storing multiple string variables within PBP code?

[CuriousOne]

Hello.
I'm advancing my nixie clock project, and now it has LCD screen, which is used for setup config.
I want to add multi-language setup choices, and I have texts ready, but I come up with the following problem:

The setup routine has 14 steps total, and each step has own 16 character text displayed on LCD screen.

Each step has it's own part, which looks like this:

if menuitem=2 then
arraywrite topline, ["Set the year:   "]
dlim=22:ulim=99
gosub gettime 
gosub yeardecode
cvladi=T3*10+T4
gosub yrshow 'update screen
endif

For single language this is OK, but if I want to add more languages, say 8 different languages
this means, I'll have to make it look like this:

if menuitem=2 then


if language=1 then 
arraywrite topline, ["Set the year:   "]
endif

if language=2 then
arraywrite topline, ["Derniers baisers:  "]
endif

if language=3 then
arraywrite topline, ["Sauerkraut:          "]


dlim=22:ulim=99
gosub gettime 
gosub yeardecode
cvladi=T3*10+T4
gosub yrshow 'update screen
endif

And so on. This is doable, but does not looks practical.
So I need a way to somehow reference to internal memory
So when I need to read say text for french language, I just point to address,
from where data for French can be read.

This is quite simple with EEPROM - just set offsets and you're done, but
the chips I'm using have only 256 bytes of eeprom, and setup text will require
14x16 bytes for each language, which means, I can only have one language available
I want to avoid usage of external EEPROM chips, since I have about 3K of data code
space free, so I think, these strings in different languages can be somehow
packed there?

[richard]

you failed to mention chip type, for a 16f1825 i would employ this method

;16f1825
#CONFIG
             __config        _CONFIG1,    _FOSC_INTOSC & _CP_OFF & _WDTE_OFF &  _PWRTE_ON  &  _MCLRE_ON  & _CLKOUTEN_OFF
              __config      _CONFIG2, _PLLEN_ON & _LVP_OFF
#ENDCONFIG


DEFINE OSC 32
    OSCCON=$70
    ANSELA=0
    ANSELC=0
    TRISA = %001110
    trisc = %11100010     ' set PORTC I/O
    Strings CON EXT
    i VAR BYTE
    Char VAR BYTE
    ctemp  VAR WORD
    rand   VAR WORD
    StringNumber VAR BYTE
    StartAddress VAR WORD
    isa   VAR WORD
    lata.0=1 
    DEFINE DEBUG_REG PORTA
    DEFINE DEBUG_BIT 0      ; 
    DEFINE DEBUG_BAUD 9600
    DEFINE DEBUG_MODE 0     
    pause 2000
    Debug "Start",13 ,10  
Goto OverStrings
ASM
Strings;  even length string terminates with a NULL, string cannot embed a null nor the eof chr chosen
    da "Set Year", 0     ; 0
    da "Set Month"     ; 1
    da "Set Date", 0    ; 2
    da "Set day of week"    ; 3
    da "Set Hour", 0     ; 4
    da "Set Minute", 0     ; 5 
    
;lang 2
    da "Jahr einstellen", 0     ;6+ 0
    da "Set Month"     ;6+  1
    da "Set Date", 0    ; 2
    da "Set day of week"    ; 3
    da "Set Hour", 0     ; 4
    da "Set Minute", 0     ; 5 
lang 3
    da "Definir l'annee",      ; 12+ 0
    da "Set Month"     ; 12+ 1
    da "Set Date", 0    ; 2
    da "Set day of week"    ; 3
    da "Set Hour", 0     ; 4
    da "Set Minute", 0     ; 5 
    
    dw 3            ;eof must not be in any string
ENDASM
OverStrings:


Start:
    Debug "Program start",13,10 
    Debug "Address of first string: $", HEX4 Strings, 13 ,10


Action: 
    for rand=0 to 5
    StringNumber = rand + 0 ;0=en ,6 ge ,12 fr                          ' Select which language and string to print
    GOSUB findIndex  
    GOSUB PrintString                               ' And, you guessed it, go print it.
    next
    PAUSE 1000
    goto  Action
END


findIndex:
    isa    = Strings
    while StringNumber
        ReadCode isa, CTEMP
        isa=isa+1
        if  CTEMP ==3 then 
            isa=0
            return
        endif
        CTEMP=CTEMP&$7f
        if (CTEMP==0) then  
            StringNumber=StringNumber-1
            if    StringNumber == 0 then  return
        endif
    wend
return 


PrintString: 
    if  isa then
        Debug 13,10,dec rand," " 
        For i = 0 to 19                                 ' Maximum string length is 20 characters
            ReadCode (isa + i), CTEMP           ' Get a char from string in question.
            Char = (CTEMP>>7) 
            IF (Char = 0) THEN EXIT                     ' Break out if char is NULL
            Debug Char                                   ' Otherwise print it
            Char = CTEMP&$7f        
            IF (Char = 0) THEN EXIT                     ' Break out if char is NULL
            Debug Char                                ' Otherwise print it
        NEXT
    endif
RETURN

[CuriousOne]

PIC16F887, 16F917, 16F1939, basically any with built in oscillator, 44 pin tqfp case and at least 8k memory.

Why does this matters? above code uses some chip specific magic?

[richard]

chip has to able to read its code space, pic18 needs different treatment


there is a couple of typo's
;lang 2
da "Jahr einstellen", 0 ;6+ 0
da "Set Month" ;6+ 1
da "Set Date", 0 ; 2
da "Set day of week" ; 3
da "Set Hour", 0 ; 4
da "Set Minute", 0 ; 5
;lang 3 ;semi colon missing
da "Definir l'annee" ; 12+ 0 ;extra comma
da "Set Month" ; 12+ 1
da "Set Date", 0 ; 2
da "Set day of week" ; 3
da "Set Hour", 0 ; 4
da "Set Minute", 0 ; 5

[CuriousOne]

No I'm not using 18F series.
Regarding that "own code reading"
how it is named in datasheet, so I can have a look for appropriate models?

[mpgmike]

You said that if the EEPROM were larger, you could easily store the strings there, then find them with a look-up index. Newer PICs have the ability to write directly to Flash (HEF is one example, but not the limit). The mechanics of it are essentially the same as writing to EEPROM. PBP has no convenient command code for it (that I'm aware of), as it didn't exist when PBP was created. However, look at some of the PIC16F1xxxx chips (or PIC18FxxK40/42). You can treat Flash memory like EEPROM memory. Be aware that with Flash you must first erase an entire page before writing to it. If you intend to change the content periodically, you'll need temporary variables to store the entire page, alter what you wish to change, erase the page, then re-write back to the same addresses with the revised data.

[CuriousOne]

So I'm not asking for any direct-hardware-access methods. I just asked, whenever it is possible, using built-in abilities of PBP, structure all this in more simple to use way? Basically, I can hook a external EEPROM chip to my device, but I was not able to make to work any EEPROM with PBP, I2C or SPI.

[richard]

Regarding that "own code reading"
how it is named in datasheet

look for "read flash" or "read program flash", there is no consistency i have ever found in how microchip assemble datasheet info

So I'm not asking for any direct-hardware-access methods. I just asked, whenever it is possible, using built-in abilities of PBP

and it is , i "fancied up" my code a bit and can change language with one var



mikes suggestion would be useful to allow a common set of string messages to read into hef in chosen language from a
pg-flash coded larger multi-lingual data set.

its all doable