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Software / API Bindings / Mathematica / API Reference and Examples / Bricklets / Line Bricklet

Mathematica - Line Bricklet

This is the description of the Mathematica API bindings for the Line Bricklet. General information and technical specifications for the Line Bricklet are summarized in its hardware description.

An installation guide for the Mathematica API bindings is part of their general description.

Examples

The example code below is Public Domain (CC0 1.0).

Simple

Download (ExampleSimple.nb)

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Needs["NETLink`"]
LoadNETAssembly["Tinkerforge",NotebookDirectory[]<>"../../.."]

host="localhost"
port=4223
uid="XYZ"(*Change XYZ to the UID of your Line Bricklet*)

(*Create IPConnection and device object*)
ipcon=NETNew["Tinkerforge.IPConnection"]
l=NETNew["Tinkerforge.BrickletLine",uid,ipcon]
ipcon@Connect[host,port]

(*Get current reflectivity*)
Print["Reflectivity: "<>ToString[l@GetReflectivity[]]]

(*Clean up*)
ipcon@Disconnect[]
ReleaseNETObject[l]
ReleaseNETObject[ipcon]

Callback

Download (ExampleCallback.nb)

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Needs["NETLink`"]
LoadNETAssembly["Tinkerforge",NotebookDirectory[]<>"../../.."]

host="localhost"
port=4223
uid="XYZ"(*Change XYZ to the UID of your Line Bricklet*)

(*Create IPConnection and device object*)
ipcon=NETNew["Tinkerforge.IPConnection"]
l=NETNew["Tinkerforge.BrickletLine",uid,ipcon]
ipcon@Connect[host,port]

(*Callback function for reflectivity callback*)
ReflectivityCB[sender_,reflectivity_]:=
 Print["Reflectivity: "<>ToString[reflectivity]]
AddEventHandler[l@ReflectivityCallback,ReflectivityCB]

(*Set period for reflectivity callback to 1s (1000ms)*)
(*Note: The reflectivity callback is only called every second*)
(*if the reflectivity has changed since the last call!*)
l@SetReflectivityCallbackPeriod[1000]

Input["Click OK to exit"]

(*Clean up*)
ipcon@Disconnect[]
ReleaseNETObject[l]
ReleaseNETObject[ipcon]

Threshold

Download (ExampleThreshold.nb)

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Needs["NETLink`"]
LoadNETAssembly["Tinkerforge",NotebookDirectory[]<>"../../.."]

host="localhost"
port=4223
uid="XYZ"(*Change XYZ to the UID of your Line Bricklet*)

(*Create IPConnection and device object*)
ipcon=NETNew["Tinkerforge.IPConnection"]
l=NETNew["Tinkerforge.BrickletLine",uid,ipcon]
ipcon@Connect[host,port]

(*Get threshold callbacks with a debounce time of 1 second (1000ms)*)
l@SetDebouncePeriod[1000]

(*Callback function for reflectivity reached callback*)
ReflectivityReachedCB[sender_,reflectivity_]:=
 Print["Reflectivity: "<>ToString[reflectivity]]
AddEventHandler[l@ReflectivityReachedCallback,ReflectivityReachedCB]

(*Configure threshold for reflectivity "greater than 2000"*)
option=Tinkerforge`BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUGREATER
l@SetReflectivityCallbackThreshold[option,2000,0]

Input["Click OK to exit"]

(*Clean up*)
ipcon@Disconnect[]
ReleaseNETObject[l]
ReleaseNETObject[ipcon]

API

Generally, every function of the Mathematica bindings that returns a value can throw a Tinkerforge.TimeoutException. This exception gets thrown if the device did not respond. If a cable based connection is used, it is unlikely that this exception gets thrown (assuming nobody plugs the device out). However, if a wireless connection is used, timeouts will occur if the distance to the device gets too big.

Since .NET/Link does not support multiple return values directly, we use the out keyword to return multiple values from a function. For further information about the out keyword in .NET/Link see the corresponding Mathematica .NET/Link documentation.

The namespace for all Brick/Bricklet bindings and the IPConnection is Tinkerforge.*.

Basic Functions

BrickletLine[uid, ipcon] → line
Parameters:
  • uid – Type: String
  • ipcon – Type: NETObject[IPConnection]
Returns:
  • line – Type: NETObject[BrickletLine]

Creates an object with the unique device ID uid:

line=NETNew["Tinkerforge.BrickletLine","YOUR_DEVICE_UID",ipcon]

This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected.

The .NET runtime has built-in garbage collection that frees objects that are no longer in use by a program. But because Mathematica can not automatically tell when a Mathematica "program" doesn't use a .NET object anymore, this has to be done by the program. For this the ReleaseNETObject[] function is used in the examples.

For further information about object management in .NET/Link see the corresponding Mathematica .NET/Link documentation.

BrickletLine@GetReflectivity[] → reflectivity
Returns:
  • reflectivity – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

Returns the currently measured reflectivity. The reflectivity is a value between 0 (not reflective) and 4095 (very reflective).

Usually black has a low reflectivity while white has a high reflectivity.

If you want to get the reflectivity periodically, it is recommended to use the ReflectivityCallback callback and set the period with SetReflectivityCallbackPeriod[].

Advanced Functions

BrickletLine@GetIdentity[out uid, out connectedUid, out position, out {hardwareVersion1, hardwareVersion2, hardwareVersion3}, out {firmwareVersion1, firmwareVersion2, firmwareVersion3}, out deviceIdentifier] → Null
Output Parameters:
  • uid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
  • connectedUid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
  • position – Type: Integer, Range: [ToCharacterCode["a"][[0]] to ToCharacterCode["h"][[0]], ToCharacterCode["z"][[0]]]
  • hardwareVersioni – Type: Integer
    • 1: major – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: minor – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 3: revision – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
  • firmwareVersioni – Type: Integer
    • 1: major – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: minor – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 3: revision – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
  • deviceIdentifier – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 216 - 1]

Returns the UID, the UID where the Bricklet is connected to, the position, the hardware and firmware version as well as the device identifier.

The position can be 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g' or 'h' (Bricklet Port). A Bricklet connected to an Isolator Bricklet is always at position 'z'.

The device identifier numbers can be found here. There is also a constant for the device identifier of this Bricklet.

Callback Configuration Functions

BrickletLine@SetReflectivityCallbackPeriod[period] → Null
Parameters:
  • period – Type: Integer, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 0

Sets the period with which the ReflectivityCallback callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

The ReflectivityCallback callback is only triggered if the reflectivity has changed since the last triggering.

BrickletLine@GetReflectivityCallbackPeriod[] → period
Returns:
  • period – Type: Integer, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 0

Returns the period as set by SetReflectivityCallbackPeriod[].

BrickletLine@SetReflectivityCallbackThreshold[option, min, max] → Null
Parameters:
  • option – Type: Integer, Range: See constants, Default: ToCharacterCode["x"][[0]]
  • min – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 216 - 1], Default: 0
  • max – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 216 - 1], Default: 0

Sets the thresholds for the ReflectivityReachedCallback callback.

The following options are possible:

Option Description
'x' Callback is turned off
'o' Callback is triggered when the reflectivity is outside the min and max values
'i' Callback is triggered when the reflectivity is inside the min and max values
'<' Callback is triggered when the reflectivity is smaller than the min value (max is ignored)
'>' Callback is triggered when the reflectivity is greater than the min value (max is ignored)

The following constants are available for this function:

For option:

  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUOFF = ToCharacterCode["x"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUOUTSIDE = ToCharacterCode["o"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUINSIDE = ToCharacterCode["i"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUSMALLER = ToCharacterCode["<"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUGREATER = ToCharacterCode[">"][[0]]
BrickletLine@GetReflectivityCallbackThreshold[out option, out min, out max] → Null
Output Parameters:
  • option – Type: Integer, Range: See constants, Default: ToCharacterCode["x"][[0]]
  • min – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 216 - 1], Default: 0
  • max – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 216 - 1], Default: 0

Returns the threshold as set by SetReflectivityCallbackThreshold[].

The following constants are available for this function:

For option:

  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUOFF = ToCharacterCode["x"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUOUTSIDE = ToCharacterCode["o"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUINSIDE = ToCharacterCode["i"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUSMALLER = ToCharacterCode["<"][[0]]
  • BrickletLine`THRESHOLDUOPTIONUGREATER = ToCharacterCode[">"][[0]]
BrickletLine@SetDebouncePeriod[debounce] → Null
Parameters:
  • debounce – Type: Integer, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 100

Sets the period with which the threshold callback

is triggered, if the threshold

keeps being reached.

BrickletLine@GetDebouncePeriod[] → debounce
Returns:
  • debounce – Type: Integer, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 232 - 1], Default: 100

Returns the debounce period as set by SetDebouncePeriod[].

Callbacks

Callbacks can be registered to receive time critical or recurring data from the device. The registration is done by assigning a function to a callback property of the device object:

MyCallback[sender_,value_]:=Print["Value: "<>ToString[value]]

AddEventHandler[line@ExampleCallback,MyCallback]

For further information about event handling using .NET/Link see the corresponding Mathematica .NET/Link documentation.

The available callback property and their type of parameters are described below.

Note

Using callbacks for recurring events is always preferred compared to using getters. It will use less USB bandwidth and the latency will be a lot better, since there is no round trip time.

event BrickletLine@ReflectivityCallback[sender, reflectivity]
Callback Parameters:
  • sender – Type: NETObject[BrickletLine]
  • reflectivity – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by SetReflectivityCallbackPeriod[]. The parameter is the reflectivity of the sensor.

The ReflectivityCallback callback is only triggered if the reflectivity has changed since the last triggering.

event BrickletLine@ReflectivityReachedCallback[sender, reflectivity]
Callback Parameters:
  • sender – Type: NETObject[BrickletLine]
  • reflectivity – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 212 - 1]

This callback is triggered when the threshold as set by SetReflectivityCallbackThreshold[] is reached. The parameter is the reflectivity of the sensor.

If the threshold keeps being reached, the callback is triggered periodically with the period as set by SetDebouncePeriod[].

Virtual Functions

Virtual functions don't communicate with the device itself, but operate only on the API bindings device object. They can be called without the corresponding IP Connection object being connected.

BrickletLine@GetAPIVersion[] → {apiVersion1, apiVersion2, apiVersion3}
Output Parameters:
  • apiVersioni – Type: Integer
    • 1: major – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: minor – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 3: revision – Type: Integer, Range: [0 to 255]

Returns the version of the API definition implemented by this API bindings. This is neither the release version of this API bindings nor does it tell you anything about the represented Brick or Bricklet.

BrickletLine@GetResponseExpected[functionId] → responseExpected
Parameters:
  • functionId – Type: Integer, Range: See constants
Returns:
  • responseExpected – Type: True/False

Returns the response expected flag for the function specified by the function ID parameter. It is true if the function is expected to send a response, false otherwise.

For getter functions this is enabled by default and cannot be disabled, because those functions will always send a response. For callback configuration functions it is enabled by default too, but can be disabled by SetResponseExpected[]. For setter functions it is disabled by default and can be enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletLine`FUNCTIONUSETUREFLECTIVITYUCALLBACKUPERIOD = 2
  • BrickletLine`FUNCTIONUSETUREFLECTIVITYUCALLBACKUTHRESHOLD = 4
  • BrickletLine`FUNCTIONUSETUDEBOUNCEUPERIOD = 6
BrickletLine@SetResponseExpected[functionId, responseExpected] → Null
Parameters:
  • functionId – Type: Integer, Range: See constants
  • responseExpected – Type: True/False

Changes the response expected flag of the function specified by the function ID parameter. This flag can only be changed for setter (default value: false) and callback configuration functions (default value: true). For getter functions it is always enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletLine`FUNCTIONUSETUREFLECTIVITYUCALLBACKUPERIOD = 2
  • BrickletLine`FUNCTIONUSETUREFLECTIVITYUCALLBACKUTHRESHOLD = 4
  • BrickletLine`FUNCTIONUSETUDEBOUNCEUPERIOD = 6
BrickletLine@SetResponseExpectedAll[responseExpected] → Null
Parameters:
  • responseExpected – Type: True/False

Changes the response expected flag for all setter and callback configuration functions of this device at once.

Constants

BrickletLine`DEVICEUIDENTIFIER

This constant is used to identify a Line Bricklet.

The GetIdentity[] function and the IPConnection@EnumerateCallback callback of the IP Connection have a deviceIdentifier parameter to specify the Brick's or Bricklet's type.

BrickletLine`DEVICEDISPLAYNAME

This constant represents the human readable name of a Line Bricklet.