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Migrate from release 8 to release 9

This technical note lists how to migrate from from release 8 to release 9.

The user guide has been adapted to new release 9. Special boxes provide the reference for legacy release 8.

Legacy version 8

Special boxes provide the reference for Legacy release 8.

New features

Up to release 8, PDLS generated the images and managed the panel. Release 9 allocates different libraries for each step.

  • The screen library generates the images on the frame-buffer and is used by all the application libraries. The screen library then calls the driver to display the content of the frame-buffer.

  • The driver library manages the panel and the board. It sends the content of the frame-buffer to the screen and refreshes the panel. It is based on the film and the size of the screen, and is developed and maintained by Pervasive Displays.

Release 9 focuses on the black-white-red-yellow colour screens (film Q), the monochrome screens with wide temperature and embedded fast update (film K) and the screens with touch.

The libraries of release 8 fall into two categories:

  • Legacy libraries remain available with limited maintenance.

  • Libraries deprecated are archived and no longer maintained. They are replaced by the libraries and drivers of new release 9, with active development.

Legacy libraries

The library PDLS_EXT3_Advanced_Global for the monochrome (film C) and black-white-red colour (film J) screens with normal update turns legacy. It is not ported to release 9. Keep using release 8.

The library PDLS_EXT3_Advanced_Fast for the monochrome screens with embedded fast update (film P) turns legacy. It is not ported to release 9. Keep using release 8.

For the Basic edition, the library PDLS_EXT4_Basic_Matter for the E-Paper Development Kit for Matter (EPDK-Matter), which includes the EXT4 extension board and a monochrome screens with wide temperature and embedded fast update, turns legacy. It is not ported to release 9. Keep using release 8.

As an option, use the new release with library PDLS_Basic and driver Pervasive_Wide_Small, as already done with the Commercial edition. The technical note Use PDLS with the EXT4 extension board provides more details for the E-Paper Development Kit for Matter (EPDK-Matter) and the EXT4 extension board.

Deprecated and replaced libraries

The library PDLS_EXT3_Advanced_BWRY for the black-white-red-yellow colour screens (film Q) is deprecated and replaced by library PDLS_Advanced and driver Pervasive_BWRY_Small. Use new release 9.

The library PDLS_EXT3_Advanced_Wide for the monochrome screens with wide temperature and embedded fast update (film K) is deprecated and replaced by library PDLS_Advanced and drivers Pervasive_Wide_Medium or Pervasive_Wide_Small. Use new release 9.

The library PDLS_EXT3_Advanced_Touch for the monochrome screens with touch is deprecated and replaced by library PDLS_Advanced and driver Pervasive_Touch_Small. Use new release 9.

For the Viewer edition, the library PDLS_EXT3_Viewer_Touch deprecated and replaced by library PDLS_Viewer_Touch and driver Driver_EPD_Viewer_Touch. Use new release 9.

Deprecated features

Release 9 no longer supports the screens which corresponding libraries turn legacy.

Those are: monochrome (film C) and black-white-red colour (film J) screens with normal update; and monochrome screens with embedded fast update (film P).

Modified features

New driver library

Release 9 separates the screen from the driver. The screen library provides all the text and graphic primitives to generate the image, while the driver library manages the panel and the board to display the image.

There one single variant of the screen library for each edition:

  • PDLS_Basic for the Basic edition,
  • PDLS_Advanced for the Evaluation and Commercial editions, and
  • PDLS_Viewer_Touch for the Viewer edition.

There is one driver for each family of screens, shared among all the editions:

  • Pervasive_BWRY_Small for small screens featuring the colour balck-white-red-yellow film,
  • Pervasive_Wide_Small for small screens featuring wide temperature and embedded fast update,
  • Pervasive_Wide_Medium for medium screens featuring wide temperature and embedded fast update,
  • Pervasive_Wide_Large for large screens featuring wide temperature and embedded fast update,
  • Pervasive_Touch_Small for small screens featuring touch, wide temperature and embedded fast update.

The drivers are developed and maintained by Pervasive Displays.

Screen declaration is now done in two steps.

  • First step declares the driver.
// Driver
#include "Pervasive_BWRY_Small.h"
Pervasive_BWRY_Small myDriver(eScreen_EPD_266_QS_0F, boardRaspberryPiPico_RP2040);
  • Second step declares the screen.
// Screen
#include "PDLS_Advanced.h"
Screen_EPD myScreen(&myDriver);

New name for GUI library

The name of the folder of the GUI library was hV_GUI_Fast, it is now hV_GUI.

New name for global update

Release 9 changes the name of global update for normal update. The constant UPDATE_NORMAL should be used instead of UPDATE_GLOBAL.

New name for the common library

Release 9 changes the name of the common library. It was hV_Common.h, it is now PDLS_Common.h.

The common library acts as an entry point to the SDK and configurations.

Editions and variants names

Evaluation and Commercial editions

PDLS_Advanced is the single variant for the Evaluation and Commercial editions.

Viewer edition

PDLS_Viewer_Touch is the single variant for the Viewer edition.

Basic edition

PDLS_Basic is the single variant for the Basic edition.