Visual Basic .NET - GPS Bricklet – Tinkerforge

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# Visual Basic .NET - GPS Bricklet

This is the description of the Visual Basic .NET API bindings for the GPS Bricklet. General information and technical specifications for the GPS Bricklet are summarized in its hardware description.

An installation guide for the Visual Basic .NET API bindings is part of their general description.

## Examples

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

### Simple

Download (ExampleSimple.vb)

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    Imports Tinkerforge

    Module ExampleSimple
        Const HOST As String = "localhost"
        Const PORT As Integer = 4223
        Const UID As String = "cYj" ' Change to your UID

        Sub Main()
            Dim ipcon As New IPConnection() ' Create IP connection
            Dim gps As New BrickletGPS(UID, ipcon) ' Create device object

            ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT) ' Connect to brickd
            ' Don't use device before ipcon is connected

            Dim latitude, longitude As Long
            Dim ns, ew As Char
            Dim pdop, hdop, vdop, epe As Integer

            ' Get current coordinates
            gps.GetCoordinates(latitude, ns, longitude, ew, pdop, hdop, vdop, epe)

            System.Console.WriteLine("Latitude: " + (latitude/1000000.0).ToString() + "° " + ns)
            System.Console.WriteLine("Longitude: " + (longitude/1000000.0).ToString() + "° " + ew)

            System.Console.WriteLine("Press key to exit")
            System.Console.ReadLine()
            ipcon.Disconnect()
        End Sub
    End Module

### Callback

Download (ExampleCallback.vb)

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    Imports Tinkerforge

    Module ExampleCallback
        Const HOST As String = "localhost"
        Const PORT As Integer = 4223
        Const UID As String = "cYj" ' Change to your UID

        ' Callback function for coordinates callback
        Sub CoordinatesCB(ByVal sender As BrickletGPS, _
                          ByVal latitude As Long, ByVal ns As Char, _
                          ByVal longitude As Long, ByVal ew As Char, _
                          ByVal pdop As Integer, ByVal hdop As Integer, ByVal vdop As Integer, _
                          ByVal epe As Integer)
            System.Console.WriteLine("Latitude: " + (latitude/1000000.0).ToString() + "° " + ns)
            System.Console.WriteLine("Longitude: " + (longitude/1000000.0).ToString() + "° " + ew)
        End Sub

        Sub Main()
            Dim ipcon As New IPConnection() ' Create IP connection
            Dim gps As New BrickletGPS(UID, ipcon) ' Create device object

            ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT) ' Connect to brickd
            ' Don't use device before ipcon is connected

            ' Set Period for coordinates callback to 1s (1000ms)
            ' Note: The current callback is only called every second if the
            '       coordinates have changed since the last call!
            gps.SetCoordinatesCallbackPeriod(1000)

            ' Register coordinates callback to function CoordinatesCB
            AddHandler gps.Coordinates, AddressOf CoordinatesCB

            System.Console.WriteLine("Press key to exit")
            System.Console.ReadLine()
            ipcon.Disconnect()
        End Sub
    End Module

## API

Since Visual Basic .NET does not support multiple return values directly, we use the `ByRef` keyword to return multiple values from a function.

All functions and procedures listed below are thread-safe.

### Basic Functions

Class `BrickletGPS`(ByVal uid As String, ByVal ipcon As IPConnection)

  Creates an object with the unique device ID `uid`:

      Dim gps As New BrickletGPS("YOUR_DEVICE_UID", ipcon)

  This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected (see examples above).

Sub `BrickletGPS.``GetCoordinates`(ByRef latitude As Long, ByRef ns As Char, ByRef longitude As Long, ByRef ew As Char, ByRef pdop As Integer, ByRef hdop As Integer, ByRef vdop As Integer, ByRef epe As Integer)

  Returns the GPS coordinates. Latitude and longitude are given in the `DD.dddddd°` format, the value 57123468 means 57.123468°. The parameter `ns` and `ew` are the cardinal directions for latitude and longitude. Possible values for `ns` and `ew` are 'N', 'S', 'E' and 'W' (north, south, east and west).

  PDOP, HDOP and VDOP are the dilution of precision (DOP) values. They specify the additional multiplicative effect of GPS satellite geometry on GPS precision. See here for more information. The values are give in hundredths.

  EPE is the "Estimated Position Error". The EPE is given in cm. This is not the absolute maximum error, it is the error with a specific confidence. See here for more information.

  This data is only valid if there is currently a fix as indicated by `GetStatus()`.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``GetStatus`(ByRef fix As Byte, ByRef satellitesView As Byte, ByRef satellitesUsed As Byte)

  Returns the current fix status, the number of satellites that are in view and the number of satellites that are currently used.

  Possible fix status values can be:

  Value | Description
  --- | ---
  1 | No Fix, `GetCoordinates()` and `GetAltitude()` return invalid data
  2 | 2D Fix, only `GetCoordinates()` returns valid data
  3 | 3D Fix, `GetCoordinates()` and `GetAltitude()` return valid data

  There is also a blue LED on the Bricklet that indicates the fix status.

  The following constants are available for this function:

  - BrickletGPS.FIX_NO_FIX = 1
  - BrickletGPS.FIX_2D_FIX = 2
  - BrickletGPS.FIX_3D_FIX = 3

Sub `BrickletGPS.``GetAltitude`(ByRef altitude As Long, ByRef geoidalSeparation As Long)

  Returns the current altitude and corresponding geoidal separation.

  Both values are given in cm.

  This data is only valid if there is currently a fix as indicated by `GetStatus()`.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``GetMotion`(ByRef course As Long, ByRef speed As Long)

  Returns the current course and speed. Course is given in hundredths degree and speed is given in hundredths km/h. A course of 0° means the Bricklet is traveling north bound and 90° means it is traveling east bound.

  Please note that this only returns useful values if an actual movement is present.

  This data is only valid if there is currently a fix as indicated by `GetStatus()`.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``GetDateTime`(ByRef date As Long, ByRef time As Long)

  Returns the current date and time. The date is given in the format `ddmmyy` and the time is given in the format `hhmmss.sss`. For example, 140713 means 14.05.13 as date and 195923568 means 19:59:23.568 as time.

### Advanced Functions

Sub `BrickletGPS.``Restart`(ByVal restartType As Byte)

  Restarts the GPS Bricklet, the following restart types are available:

  Value | Description
  --- | ---
  0 | Hot start (use all available data in the NV store)
  1 | Warm start (don't use ephemeris at restart)
  2 | Cold start (don't use time, position, almanacs and ephemeris at restart)
  3 | Factory reset (clear all system/user configurations at restart)

  The following constants are available for this function:

  - BrickletGPS.RESTART_TYPE_HOT_START = 0
  - BrickletGPS.RESTART_TYPE_WARM_START = 1
  - BrickletGPS.RESTART_TYPE_COLD_START = 2
  - BrickletGPS.RESTART_TYPE_FACTORY_RESET = 3

Function `BrickletGPS.``GetAPIVersion`() As Byte()

  Returns the version of the API definition (major, minor, revision) 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.

Function `BrickletGPS.``GetResponseExpected`(ByVal functionId As Byte) As Boolean

  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 send and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

  See `SetResponseExpected()` for the list of function ID constants available for this function.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``SetResponseExpected`(ByVal functionId As Byte, ByVal responseExpected As Boolean)

  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 and callbacks it is always disabled.

  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 send and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

  The following function ID constants are available for this function:

  - BrickletGPS.FUNCTION_RESTART = 6
  - BrickletGPS.FUNCTION_SET_COORDINATES_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 7
  - BrickletGPS.FUNCTION_SET_STATUS_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 9
  - BrickletGPS.FUNCTION_SET_ALTITUDE_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 11
  - BrickletGPS.FUNCTION_SET_MOTION_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 13
  - BrickletGPS.FUNCTION_SET_DATE_TIME_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 15

Sub `BrickletGPS.``SetResponseExpectedAll`(ByVal responseExpected As Boolean)

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

Sub `BrickletGPS.``GetIdentity`(ByRef uid As String, ByRef connectedUid As String, ByRef position As Char, ByRef hardwareVersion() As Byte, ByRef firmwareVersion() As Byte, ByRef deviceIdentifier As Integer)

  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' or 'd'.

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

### Callback Configuration Functions

Sub `BrickletGPS.``SetCoordinatesCallbackPeriod`(ByVal period As Long)

  Sets the period in ms with which the `Coordinates` callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

  `Coordinates` is only triggered if the coordinates changed since the last triggering.

  The default value is 0.

Function `BrickletGPS.``GetCoordinatesCallbackPeriod`() As Long

  Returns the period as set by `SetCoordinatesCallbackPeriod()`.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``SetStatusCallbackPeriod`(ByVal period As Long)

  Sets the period in ms with which the `Status` callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

  `Status` is only triggered if the status changed since the last triggering.

  The default value is 0.

Function `BrickletGPS.``GetStatusCallbackPeriod`() As Long

  Returns the period as set by `SetStatusCallbackPeriod()`.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``SetAltitudeCallbackPeriod`(ByVal period As Long)

  Sets the period in ms with which the `Altitude` callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

  `Altitude` is only triggered if the altitude changed since the last triggering.

  The default value is 0.

Function `BrickletGPS.``GetAltitudeCallbackPeriod`() As Long

  Returns the period as set by `SetAltitudeCallbackPeriod()`.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``SetMotionCallbackPeriod`(ByVal period As Long)

  Sets the period in ms with which the `Motion` callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

  `Motion` is only triggered if the motion changed since the last triggering.

  The default value is 0.

Function `BrickletGPS.``GetMotionCallbackPeriod`() As Long

  Returns the period as set by `SetMotionCallbackPeriod()`.

Sub `BrickletGPS.``SetDateTimeCallbackPeriod`(ByVal period As Long)

  Sets the period in ms with which the `DateTime` callback is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the callback off.

  `DateTime` is only triggered if the date or time changed since the last triggering.

  The default value is 0.

Function `BrickletGPS.``GetDateTimeCallbackPeriod`() As Long

  Returns the period as set by `SetDateTimeCallbackPeriod()`.

### Callbacks

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

>     Sub Callback(ByVal sender As BrickletGPS, ByVal value As Short)
>         Console.WriteLine("Value: {0}", value)
>     End Sub

>     AddHandler gps.Example, AddressOf Callback

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 `BrickletGPS.``Coordinates`(ByVal sender As BrickletGPS, ByVal latitude As Long, ByVal ns As Char, ByVal longitude As Long, ByVal ew As Char, ByVal pdop As Integer, ByVal hdop As Integer, ByVal vdop As Integer, ByVal epe As Integer)

  This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by `SetCoordinatesCallbackPeriod()`. The parameters are the same as for `GetCoordinates()`.

  `Coordinates` is only triggered if the coordinates changed since the last triggering and if there is currently a fix as indicated by `GetStatus()`.

Event `BrickletGPS.``Status`(ByVal sender As BrickletGPS, ByVal fix As Byte, ByVal satellitesView As Byte, ByVal satellitesUsed As Byte)

  This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by `SetStatusCallbackPeriod()`. The parameters are the same as for `GetStatus()`.

  `Status` is only triggered if the status changed since the last triggering.

  The following constants are available for this function:

  - BrickletGPS.FIX_NO_FIX = 1
  - BrickletGPS.FIX_2D_FIX = 2
  - BrickletGPS.FIX_3D_FIX = 3

Event `BrickletGPS.``Altitude`(ByVal sender As BrickletGPS, ByVal altitude As Long, ByVal geoidalSeparation As Long)

  This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by `SetAltitudeCallbackPeriod()`. The parameters are the same as for `GetAltitude()`.

  `Altitude` is only triggered if the altitude changed since the last triggering and if there is currently a fix as indicated by `GetStatus()`.

Event `BrickletGPS.``Motion`(ByVal sender As BrickletGPS, ByVal course As Long, ByVal speed As Long)

  This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by `SetMotionCallbackPeriod()`. The parameters are the same as for `GetMotion()`.

  `Motion` is only triggered if the motion changed since the last triggering and if there is currently a fix as indicated by `GetStatus()`.

Event `BrickletGPS.``DateTime`(ByVal sender As BrickletGPS, ByVal date As Long, ByVal time As Long)

  This callback is triggered periodically with the period that is set by `SetDateTimeCallbackPeriod()`. The parameters are the same as for `GetDateTime()`.

  `DateTime` is only triggered if the date or time changed since the last triggering.

### Constants

Const `BrickletGPS.``DEVICE_IDENTIFIER`

  This constant is used to identify a GPS Bricklet.

  The `GetIdentity()` function and the `EnumerateCallback` callback of the IP Connection have a `deviceIdentifier` parameter to specify the Brick's or Bricklet's type.

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