FingerVU for hardware developers

[KoichiSenada]

Hello, SoundGraph!
I represent a company that aims to build a hardware which requires a small touchscreen.
The purpose is to display command buttons on the touchscreen and handle the received commands.
FingerVU matches our idea basically, so we have some questions.

What does it take to create a FingerUI icon manually or programmatically so that it's able to make calls to a WPF application running on the primary screen?

How does FingerVU appear for Windows 7 x64 system?

Is it possible to use FingerVU without FingerUI using our own display rendering and touch tracking application?

What would you recommend to us for our aims?

Thank you!

[slash.kim]

Dear KoichiSenada,

The touch device of FingerVU and the IR receiver module is controlled by one USB controller and these devices are shown as USB HID devices (keyboard, mouse and compliant devices of one USB composite device). In order to use touch data of FingerVU, we need to support API for it.

Even though it is not yet fixed, we are now making new plan to open API. There are two different types of APIs are being discussed; one is for just using touch data only and the other is for making FingerUI modules. It is just a rough plan and the details are not yet fixed. The plan can be changed in detail. Within next week, we may update our To Do List and you might know when and which kind of API will be released at our To Do List.

Thanks a lot,
slash.kim

[KoichiSenada]

Hello and thank you for the reply, Kim.

What's the purpose of the HID device while it requires it's own API?
Are you planning to support standard Windows API for stylus or touchscreen?
Windows Touch API is supported by Windows 7 (x32 & x64) natively.

Also, does the device appear as an additional monitor display which can be used for rendering customs applications?

Does FingerVU work without FingerUI natively?

[slash.kim]

Dear KoichiSenada,

The touch screen of FingerVU is not an Windows7 touch device.

As we know, the touch screen for 'extended monitor' is not well supported on Windows7 touch device. Windows7 touch device is proper to be used for tablet or all in one PC. It means touch action generates signal to primary monitor even though FingerVU is connected as extended mode.

And because DisplayLink driver can make it mirror mode or extended mode, you can use it as 2ndary monitor and you could launch custom application on it.

In order to make touch action, FingerUI should run, currently.

Thanks a lot,
slash.kim

[KoichiSenada]

Kim, thank you.

It appears to be the misperfection of Microsoft Touch technology that any system associates touch event with the primary display only.
I really believe they should have thought about multiple monitor display cases when more than just one display is equipped with a touchscreen over its surface.
How would you think whether is there a chance to request an improvement from Microsoft for such cases?

Meanwhile, do you provide any touch API for custom applications that run in the extended mode display?
Let us say we need to run a fullscreen application in that secondary display being able both to render and track touch input through some API.

If that's not possible, a workaround for us would be to create our custom FingerUI icon buttons to receive custom signals.
For example, we need buttons to adjust system audio volume, to toggle connected devices, etc.

We can write that code in our custom application that runs in fullscreen mode using the primary display, but we need a way to track related signals from the FingerVU device, whether be it our own application or FingerUI that sends the signals.

Which approach is possible with FingerVU to meet our needs?

[slash.kim]

Dear KoichiSenada,

It appears to be the misperfection of Microsoft Touch technology that any system associates touch event with the primary display only.
I really believe they should have thought about multiple monitor display cases when more than just one display is equipped with a touchscreen over its surface.
How would you think whether is there a chance to request an improvement from Microsoft for such cases?I do not have any idea that Microsoft will do it or not. And there're more issues with native touch device (pointing device). Typical touch device driver makes mouse actions like click and cursor movement. Because Windows OS permits only one mouse cursor, main monitor loses the mouse cursor and the foreground application loses input focus, if mouse action occurs due to the touch action on extended monitor. If there're a few aux monitors with this kind of native touch device, the war may occur to occupy the mouse cursor.

FingerVU's primary merit is to support independent touch input. It means that there's no cursor movement or input focus hijacking due to touch action. This feature makes FingerVU more useful, because main user can use PC with keyboard and mouse without any focus confusion during the other user uses FingerVU. Because of this and several related reason, we do not have any plan to make our FingerVU's touch device as a native Win7 touch device.

Meanwhile, do you provide any touch API for custom applications that run in the extended mode display?
Let us say we need to run a fullscreen application in that secondary display being able both to render and track touch input through some API.

If that's not possible, a workaround for us would be to create our custom FingerUI icon buttons to receive custom signals.
For example, we need buttons to adjust system audio volume, to toggle connected devices, etc.

We can write that code in our custom application that runs in fullscreen mode using the primary display, but we need a way to track related signals from the FingerVU device, whether be it our own application or FingerUI that sends the signals.

Which approach is possible with FingerVU to meet our needs?For the API, I already give information in previous post.
Even though it is not yet fixed, we are now making new plan to open API. There are two different types of APIs are being discussed; one is for just using touch data only and the other is for making FingerUI modules. It is just a rough plan and the details are not yet fixed. The plan can be changed in detail. Within next week, we may update our To Do List and you might know when and which kind of API will be released at our To Do List.

Thanks a lot,
slash.kim

[KoichiSenada]

Kim, thank you for your answer!

While your API is not open yet, whether are we able to create our custom buttons to call our custom commans without it?
What it takes to create such a custom button and what types of associated commands are possible?

I assume FingerUI is an application that is able to run other applications and start other processes.
Whether is that possible to associate and specify a custom process that should run when a custom button of FingerUI is being clicked?
Whether is that possible to communicate with a custom process that already runs when a custom button of FingerUI is being clicked?

[slash.kim]

Dear KoichiSenada,

Here (http://www.soundgraph.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5910), you could find the FingerVU API open schedule. Initially, we'll open the FingerVU Touch API first within this month. With this API, you could make your own application which can receive and handle the touch data generated from FingerVU touch device. You could create your own application which shows custom button on the FingerVU screen and handles the touch action on the custom button to do something you'd like to get.

Thanks a lot,
slash.kim