vasquo:
Well, I tried using the 0.7beta. ... But I can't get it to work properly. ... I'm going back to 0.5.
I do have a few questions on the sample MyEncoder in 0.7beta
On Line# 15, we have this code
AdaEncoder encoderA = AdaEncoder('a', ENCA_a, ENCA_b);but nowhere else in the program is "encoderA" used. What's the purpose of line#15?
Then on line#30, I see this
AdaEncoder *thisEncoder=NULL;*thisEncoder is used in the loop() program. But how does Arduino know how *thisEncoder is setup? We defined encoder pins 2 and 3 for "encoderA", not "thisEncoder".
I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. It is a little more Object-Oriented like, so it's not everyone's cup of tea.
Also I'm sorry I am late in replying. This thread is not intended for support; there is a support link on the code.google.com page for that. Anyway, I will answer your questions for posterity:
The code is an example that shows you how to set up 2 encoders, A and B. encoderA and encoderB are designed to encapsulate all the important data within, so you can think about "encoders" rather than the pins of your Arduino. It's a conceptual change over version 0.5 of the library, really.
In the old days, then, of version 0.5, the genie() method would fill in the values for "clicks" and "id" for you, so you could then query the variables and ask, "Who turned? How far?".
Now in version 0.7, the genie() method returns a pointer to an AdaEncoder object. The "thisEncoder" variable is set to NULL on every iteration of loop. Then, if genie() finds a changed encoder, it will send back the pointer to the AdaEncoder object, and now you can do whatever you want with this encoder that you've found. It sends back either encoderA or encoderB- whichever one was turned. "thisEncoder", then, changes its identity to that of either A or B. I have done the simplest thing, which is to have it query itself and return the number of times it was clicked.
By using Object Oriented techniques, you are not bound to if/then statements based on values (like id numbers) of the encoders. Each encoder object intrinsically knows who it is; you can even subclass the encoder and have your subclass do special things simply based on its identity.
On this small of a scale it may be difficult to see any kind of win at all, that I'll grant. But I think it's interesting, and I like the way Object Oriented programming makes me adjust my way of thinking, so I have decided to go that route. Thankfully the AdaEncoder library is simple enough that, in the last year, I haven't moved from the functionality I created in version 0.5. The old one should continue to be useful to people. Although I do recommend an upgrade of the underlying PinChangeInt library.