Picking a BIT from a BYTE

[Melanie]

In manual pbpm502a.pdf or pbpm304.pdf see...

2.6.2 Pin and Variable Names
4.4 Aliases
4.11 Pins

see also in the FAQ of this forum...

http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=544

OK, Dave beat me to it!

[AndrewC]

Thanks for your suggestions. A naive user might just go to the FAQ board, presented with three threads think "hmm, nothing here".

[Melanie]

A naive user might... but our forum members aren't naive... they just might occasionally 'forget' to scroll to the bottom of the page and instead of simply Displaying Results FROM THE "Last Month", they would chose to display them FROM THE "Beginning".

[AndrewC]

A naive user might... but our forum members aren't naive... they just might occasionally 'forget' to scroll to the bottom of the page and instead of simply Displaying Results FROM THE "Last Month", they would chose to display them FROM THE "Beginning".

.. ahem

[AndrewC]

But seriously - have any of you "experts" who are patient enough to answer the same q's time and time again ever thought of grouping your answers into a Wiki type dynamic on line manual ?

[AndrewC]

... and to wrap this up this is the bit of code I was (re)inventing to look for any button press and then transfer out which button.

Button_read:
BUTTON_PRESSED = 0 ' set no button pressed to start
WHILE BUTTON_PRESSED = 0
BUTTONS = PORTB & BUTTON_MASK 'READ PORTB and pick out the bits I want
IF BUTTONS <> BUTTON_MASK then BUTTON_PRESSED = 1 'if any selected pin has been pulled to 0 then button pressed
PAUSE 10
WEND
Menu_1 = BUTTONS.3
Menu_2 = BUTTONS.4
RETURN

It works just fine now, thanks for the pointers. I've no idea why the bit extraction did not work the first time, sods law.

[Darrel Taylor]

But seriously - have any of you "experts" who are patient enough to answer the same q's time and time again ever thought of grouping your answers into a Wiki type dynamic on line manual ?

What's the fun in that?
Everyone gets all their answers from a wiki, and we've got nobody to talk to.

We are your "Living Wiki". And can answer questions that haven't even been asked yet. Then once answered, it becomes part of our own little PICWIKI (otherwise known as the FORUM). &nbsp; It may not be organized as well ... but it is DYNAMIC.
<br>

[manwolf]

Now if someone could just fix that darn search .....

[AndrewC]

In manual pbpm502a.pdf or pbpm304.pdf see...

2.6.2 Pin and Variable Names
4.4 Aliases
4.11 Pins

see also in the FAQ of this forum...

http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=544

OK, Dave beat me to it!

So the thread Dave pointed me to is a goldmine. The manual sections are virtually useless. I'm not wanting to have a go at the author (who is anonymous) but I think the quantity and type of questions that experts on this forum are good enough to answer points at the manual as being somewhat deficient.

[Melanie]

I've heard this argument before.

I usually answer a question with a question (girls do those things)... "At what User Level do you pitch your manual at?".

If you write a piece of Accounting Software for example, does your User Manual have to be a complete idiots course in Accounting?

At some point your Manual stops becomming a 'Product Manual' and starts becoming a full-blown educational course in Accounting (or in this case programming).

I'm no different to you Andrew (other than in the obvious places!), I started with the same Compiler, same Manual, same PICs, same Datasheet, same Internet Connection, same PDF Reader, and same PC running probably the same OS. I DIDN'T study PICs or PROGRAMMING at University. I DID look at some example programs. I DID make a Blinky LED. I DID Connect an LCD so that I could figure for myself what results I got when I converted variables, or did math, or any of the other things that mysteriously happen inside the PIC. Now there's NOTHING stopping anyone else on this forum doing the same.

If you don't know something, then FIND OUT why, what or wherefore. And there's no better way of learning than by doing.

[mackrackit]

If you don't know something, then FIND OUT why, what or wherefore. And there's no better way of learning than by doing.

I will add to what Melanie said.

Make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy and safety glasses on while programming.

I DO

[AndrewC]

I will add to what Melanie said.

Make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy and safety glasses on while programming.

I DO

Wow ! All of a sudden my humble attempts at programming seem so inadequate

[Archangel]

I will add to what Melanie said.

Make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy and safety glasses on while programming.

I DO

That's because you get up too early on Sunday, Fire extinguisher indeed, where is your spirit of adventure? YA need marshmellows and a stick !

If you write a piece of Accounting Software for example, does your User Manual have to be a complete idiots course in Accounting?

At some point your Manual stops becoming a 'Product Manual' and starts becoming a full-blown educational course in Accounting (or in this case programming).

Hi Melanie,
Does such a thing exist? I entered the "Computer Age" with "DOS For DUMMIES" and I really would not be offended by a course for "complete idiots", as long as it worked.