Comtrol API (6508) for the MS-DOS - Manual (Page 9)

9 Developing Applications
This section describes the following topics:
•
API features and functions
• Writing the configuration file
• Using the API (flowchart and example)
• Include files
• Configuring the controllers
• Using API calls to write the application
- Understanding device numbers
- Configuration parameters for serial devices
• Writing serial data
• Exiting the application
• Reading serial data
• Installing and detecting events
• Building applications
2.1. API Features
The API contains the following features:
• Supports up to 4 RocketPort controllers in a PC.
• Supports up to 32 serial devices per controller.
• Provides baud rates from 50 to 230.4 K baud.
• Supports all modem control lines available on the controller.
• Provides detection of modem control line changes.
• Provides direct control of modem control outputs.
• Provides direct read of modem control inputs.
• Provides detection of receive errors:
-
Parity
- Receiver overrun
- Framing
- Buffer overflow
• Supports 1K bytes of receive data buffering and 256 bytes of transmit data
buffering.
• Supports hardware ( RTS/CTS ) flow control.
• Supports software ( XON/XOFF ) flow control.
• Provides read counts of buffered transmit and receive data.
• Provides send break and receive break detection.
• Provides installable event functions for the following:
-
Receive data available
- Modem control changes
- Periodic event
For information about event functions see Subsection 2.12.
2.2. API Functions
Table 2-1 lists API functions that are available to a system application. For
detailed information about the functions, see Appendix A.
Table 2-1. API Functions
Function Name Description
aaChangeModemState Changes the state of modem
output lines.
aaClose Closes a device.
aaEnPeriodicEvent Enables/disables dispatching of
periodic event function.
aaExit Performs cleanup when exiting
application.
aaFlush Flushes transmit or receive
buffer, or both.
aaGetCtlStatus Gets controller status.
aaGetModemStatus Gets modem status.
aaGetRxCount Gets count of data bytes available
in receive buffer.
aaGetRxStatus Gets status of receive buffer.
aaGetTxCount Gets count of data bytes in
transmit buffer.
aaInit Executes controller and API
initialization.
aaInstallCtrlCHandler Installs a handler for the CTRL+C
key interrupt.
Section 2. Developing Applications