Revision 1.15, 19^th Feb 2008

UPDD Console

UPDD Version 4 ships with a UPDD Console Program which runs on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux desktop systems. The main use of the console is to configure some of the driver’s more common features and settings and is primarily aimed at end users. A more advanced console aimed at technicians, developers and support staff is under development.

The Console is used for the following purposes:

define the pointer device controllers
configure controller firmware settings
reinitialise the controller
automatically detect supported controllers – Windows only
define and configure the serial port if using serial devices
define mouse click emulation
define pointer device properties
define calibration settings and invoke and test calibration
define toolbars
reload the driver
record all UPDD settings to a file
view the driver’s release history
configure the driver’s utility programs
invoke the UPDD Console on-line help system
Invoke the driver’s extensions

This document covers all possible Console dialogs and settings although some settings may not be available or disabled depending on the environment, configured pointer device hardware or operating system as some settings are operating system specific and will only be seen within a given OS.

For most systems it is unlikely that any changes will need to be made to the driver configuration as the default settings are optimized for best performance. Great care should be made in changing some of these settings as they may have an adverse effect on the performance of the pointer device.

Invoking the UPDD Console

GUI method

Windows

Mac OS X and Linux

Can be invoked via the UPDD program group, settings entry, or the system tray menu.

Locate the UPDD Console program or double click the Console icon on the desktop.

Note: – Depending on the Linux Desktop Manager in use this is not always setup automatically by the install procedure. Should be seen if using KDE.

Command Line method

OS	Command line via a terminal window or shortcut
Windows	C:\Program Files\UPDD\dcu.exe
Linux	/tbupddlx/upddconsole (linux script to invoke the dcu application)
Mac OS X	Open /tbupddmx/dcu.app

Program Manager

Windows	Start, Programs, UPDD, Settings
Linux	Create a link to it using the Window Manager
Mac OS X	Finder, Go, Utilities, Settings

When the console is loading API calls are made to the driver to read and write the settings and in some UPDD Console dialogs there are many settings to be accessed before the dialog is displayed. In some cases, especially slow systems, there is a noticeable delay whilst waiting for the dialog to be shown.

Language support

The Console is language aware and will be shown in the language appropriate to the system’s language setting as long as an appropriate UPDD language file is found. If the language file is not found then English text will be used. Language issues and the guide to creating UPDD Language files are covered in the Language documentation.

Console as seen in various languages:


French	Chinese

Arabic	Japanese

This document reflects the English console with all functions enabled.

Dialog

The console has been developed in a cross-platform graphical interface and should have a very similar appearance across all platforms. Please note that the Toolbars and Extensions function are not enabled in all builds of the driver software.

For UPDD 4.1.x the settings are held in a file named TBUPDD.INI. For earlier versions the settings are stored in a ‘registry tree’ structure. In Windows this is stored in the registry. On other operating systems this is stored in a file called TBUPDD.reg. The active settings are found in the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TBUPDD\Parameters\{…}\1

The more common settings can be adjusted via the UPDD User Console. Other settings can be changed via the Advanced Console or manually adjusted in the TBUPDD.ini file. All settings and their meanings/functions are described in the Advanced Console.

API calls are made to the driver to read and write the settings and in some UPDD Console dialogs there are many settings to be accessed before the dialog is displayed. In some cases, especially on slow systems, there is a noticeable delay whilst waiting for the dialog to be shown.

The console supports keyboard hotkeys (accelerator keys) via the Alt key. When selected on the keyboard the hotkeys are underlined on the given dialog, such as the example below; Alt H – Hardware, Alt C – Click Mode, Alt P – Properties.

Device Selector

The Device Selector is used to show and select the current device. Where more than one device is configured, such as in a multi-touch monitor environment, the device selector dropdown is highlighted to allow a different device to be selected from the device list.

Under Windows, if a USB device is unplugged the name is shown in red in the display area and dropdown. If a serial device is listed in red it indicates either the com port is unavailable to the driver or that the initialisation macro (if one exists for the device) has failed. Depending on the type of macro failure the device could still be operational. The Calibration option is disabled on devices deemed unavailable.

The console operates in two display modes, Device and Extension.

Device Mode

The device mode shows the device functions and the settings associated with the currently selected device as shown below:

The Function area is used to select the console functions and show the associated properties:

Function	Property Display Area
	Hardware port definition, desktop association, add, remove and search for devices. The desktop association indicates the area of the desktop that is associated to the touch screen. In a single monitor environment, the touch screen is normally associated with the complete or ‘Whole desktop’. In multi-monitor environments, or in situations where the association is customised, other setting are available. See the multi-monitor/device document for more information. With UPDD 4.1.x, add and remove device functions are only enabled for non USB devices. USB devices are handled by the new 4.1.x PnP manager and are added and removed automatically as devices are connected and unplugged on the system. For compatibility with earlier versions the add / remove facility for USB devices can be enabled by invoking the console program with the parameter /usbadd (dcu /usbadd). If running in the old mode and a USB device is removed but still connected to the system the PnP Manager will automatically re-add the device. Full details of the Hardware settings are found in the UPDD Console on-line help system and can also be viewed here.
	Mouse click emulation selection and test. Full details of the Click Mode settings are found in the UPDD Console on-line help system and can also be viewed here.
	Define device name, configuration, priority (when multiple devices defined) and specific settings. Advanced The Advanced page contains less general setting that will only be utilised in specific environments. The Advanced page also contains OEM/controller specific controls that will only be shown in specific OEM versions and are therefore not documented here as in most cases the controls will not be seen. Full details of the Properties settings are found in the UPDD Console on-line help system and can also be viewed here.
	Calibration style and general settings. Full details of the Calibration settings are found in the UPDD Console on-line help system and can also be viewed here.
	Toolbar definition and toolbar cell function association. If disabled this function can be enabled with the /tbr parameter when invoking the console (i.e. dcu.exe /tbr) - UPDD 4.0.4 and above Full details of the Toolbar settings are found in the UPDD Console on-line help system and can also be viewed here. See UPDD Toolbar documentation for a full explanation of the UPDD toolbar concept.
	Device status and reinitialisation, test functions, driver reload and settings backup. Full details of the Status settings are found in the UPDD Console on-line help system and can also be viewed here.

The General area is used to invoke calibration and switch between the two console modes:

Function

Description

Switch to Extensions Mode.

Switch to Device Mode.

Calibrate the current device based on the calibration settings for the device. Calibration is discussed in full in the Calibration documentation. This option will be disabled if the current device is deemed unavailable, such as a USB device is unplugged or in the case of a serial device there has been a failure to connect.

Close the UPDD Console.

Invoke the UPDD Console on-line help system.

Invoke the About dialog.

This dialog shows the UPDD version number and build information and the distributor of the software. Additional information is held as follows:

Support Information	Who to contact for driver support.
Enter a license key	Enabled if using a trial version. Entering a correct license key will enable unrestricted version.
View license	License information.
View change history	Show the changes between releases.
Hardware	Lists the pointer device hardware supported in this build.

Extension Mode

The Extension mode, if enabled, shows the driver’s extended Windows functionality as shown below:

If the Extensions function is disabled it can be enabled with the /ext parameter when invoking the console (i.e. dcu.exe /ext) - UPDD 4.0.4 and above.

Extension	Description
Draw and annotate	Annotate program to annotate the live Windows desktop. A UPDD Toolbar can be used to start, stop, pause and erase drawings and a shortcut is offered to create an Annotare toolbar. A useful Draw program is also available and can be launched via the Launch whiteboard option.
Net-touch	Share data between UPDD drivers via the IP protocol. The UPDD API allows applications to interact with the driver. Under UPDD V4 the API has been extended to be IP enabled such that UPDD functions and data can be shared via IP. This allows for applications to be developed to interact with UPDD and UPDD handled devices across the net. The UPDD Draw program is one such program such that UPDD Draw, running on a system defined in this dialog, would receive all data from all the other Draw programs running on other systems in the list. All drawing from all defined systems would be seen on all the draw programs. If a draw program takes a screen shot this would appear within all the Draw programs. This IP interface has unlimited application. For example, a application could be written to receive hardware status from the driver such that when a controller stops responding a central application could receive notification.
Periodic checks	Settings for the periodic check program used for certain touch devices, such as Infrared devices, to check for failed beams.
Sound	Associate sounds with left and right mouse pen down and up functions.
Cursor	Select a cursor scheme from a defined set of four schemes.
Track video resolution	Shows video resolution associated styles. On most monitors the desktop display is shown in exactly the same place irrespective of video resolution and therefore in most cases a single calibration is all that is required to cater for calibration in all video resolutions. However, in some circumstances, an unusual video mode may result in the display shifting to a new position and therefore, on a touch monitor, the calibration will be inaccurate whilst in this resolution. This dialog is used to list calibration styles that have been created for a specific resolution such that they will be selected when the resolution is active. The name of the style indicates the associated resolution, i.e. R1024x768. Styles not in this format are not associated with a specific resolution. The active flag is used to show the current active style for the current resolution of the system. Once the driver has automatically selected a resolution specific style it will only ever switch to a new style in a different resolution if an associated style is found.
Video rotation	Shows the availability of UPDD aware rotation software and hardware within the system. UPDD caters for rotated touch displays such that calibration is adjusted at the time rotation is performed. A rotate system tray utility or UPDD toolbar can be enabled to invoke rotation and a shortcut is offered to create a Rotate toolbar. For more details refer to the UPDD Rotate document.
Event Selector	Event Selector options A UPDD toolbar can also be defined to invoke rotation and a shortcut is offered to create an Event Selector toolbar. Full details of the Event Selector are found in the UPDD Console on-line help system and can also be viewed here.

Contact

For further information or technical assistance please email the technical support team at technical@touch-base.com