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Termie: A Simple RS232 Terminal

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4.83/5 (46 votes)
13 Oct 2008BSD2 min read 410.1K   28.8K   153   64
Termie opens a serial port and allows you to communicate with it in a chat-like interface.
Termie/termie.jpg

Introduction

Termie opens a serial port and logs data received to a window. It is useful for embedded software development. It can also send data so it is actually a RS232 terminal with a chat-like interface.

An embedded system is a special-purpose computer such as a Wii, MP3 player, or cell phone. To develop for such a system, you need a development "kit" which allows you to download software and debug. Communication between your PC and the embedded system is often a serial cable (RS-232).

In my case, I get output from the embedded system (a game console) via an RS-232 cable. So if I want to see my printfs, I need a program that will display anything that comes in the COM port on my PC.

Background

Termie is an open source clone of Termite from ITB CompuPhase.

What I liked about Termite is that it is simple and fast. Hyperterminal is clunky. I wanted something similar to Termite that was open source. Writing it in C# turned out to be easy; a weekend project. Once done, I can add new features as needed and get great suggestions here!

Settings

Settings are stored in an INI file in the application startup folder:

Termie/termie2.jpg

Features

  • Multiple select, select all, and copy to the clipboard
  • Hex Output (not in Termite)
  • Output filter (not in Termite)
  • Partial line output (so you can see "..." one dot at a time)
  • Click status to close/open with current port settings
  • Toggle Scrolling button
  • Send File button
  • Color coded lines (green=received, blue=sent)
  • Send escape sequences (\n, \x7f)
  • Send history

Using the Code

System.IO.Ports has a SerialPort class that does everything we want. I wrapped it in a singleton class with delegates for status and data events.

History

  • February-2008: Original submission
  • March-2008: Added clipboard, output filter, hex output, monospace font, and all settings
  • May-2008: Added read thread, partial output, color coding, and "send file"
  • October-2008: Fixed thread bug, added history and escape sequences to send (\n, \x7f), and upgraded project files to Visual C# 2008 Express

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The BSD License


Written By
Software Developer Buzz Monkey Software
United States United States
David McClurg is a game programmer from Oregon, USA. He is currently interested in C#, xna for zune, and steering behaviors. When not coding, David enjoys tennis, kayaking, and botany.

Comments and Discussions

 
GeneralRe: Non-standard Baud Rates Pin
milkplus23-Oct-09 12:48
milkplus23-Oct-09 12:48 
GeneralRe: Non-standard Baud Rates Pin
Ukkie913-Feb-10 4:29
Ukkie913-Feb-10 4:29 
GeneralMoving cursor to the right one position (right arrow) Pin
Fernando Vargas22-Sep-09 7:01
Fernando Vargas22-Sep-09 7:01 
Questioncool~ Pin
nube0112-Sep-09 4:44
nube0112-Sep-09 4:44 
GeneralThanks for your greate work Pin
PBalaKumar2-Aug-09 16:16
PBalaKumar2-Aug-09 16:16 
GeneralHEX output. Pin
nathanteepee24-Jul-09 19:32
nathanteepee24-Jul-09 19:32 
General\xa5 sends hex 3f Pin
codeblue55530-Jun-09 5:12
codeblue55530-Jun-09 5:12 
GeneralThanks! Pin
BillDF27-Mar-09 11:33
BillDF27-Mar-09 11:33 
Work's great! Thanks for sharing Termie with us. It saved me a lot of time getting a serial port interface up and running in an application I am working on in C#. Thanks again Big Grin | :-D
Generalbin code Pin
raq12329-Jan-09 6:09
raq12329-Jan-09 6:09 
GeneralRe: bin code Pin
milkplus29-Jan-09 6:24
milkplus29-Jan-09 6:24 
GeneralRe: bin code Pin
raq12329-Jan-09 6:57
raq12329-Jan-09 6:57 
GeneralRe: bin code Pin
mwb110017-Jun-09 6:12
mwb110017-Jun-09 6:12 
GeneralUsing Termie to send a file to a microprocessor Pin
Gary_12328-Jan-09 19:45
Gary_12328-Jan-09 19:45 
GeneralRe: Using Termie to send a file to a microprocessor Pin
milkplus29-Jan-09 6:32
milkplus29-Jan-09 6:32 
GeneralMy vote of 2 Pin
brettratner22-Dec-08 16:49
brettratner22-Dec-08 16:49 
GeneralOnly ascii characters up to 127dec are supported. All bytes above 127 are converted to the ? character. Pin
MyEvilTwin4-Nov-08 11:59
MyEvilTwin4-Nov-08 11:59 
GeneralRe: Only ascii characters up to 127dec are supported. All bytes above 127 are converted to the ? character. Pin
milkplus29-Jan-09 6:33
milkplus29-Jan-09 6:33 
GeneralRe: Only ascii characters up to 127dec are supported. All bytes above 127 are converted to the ? character. Pin
Greg Lapin28-Dec-10 12:35
Greg Lapin28-Dec-10 12:35 
GeneralRe: Only ascii characters up to 127dec are supported. All bytes above 127 are converted to the ? character. Pin
milkplus28-Dec-10 13:43
milkplus28-Dec-10 13:43 
GeneralRe: Only ascii characters up to 127dec are supported. All bytes above 127 are converted to the ? character. Pin
robert-t198316-Jan-11 10:13
robert-t198316-Jan-11 10:13 
GeneralRe: Only ascii characters up to 127dec are supported. All bytes above 127 are converted to the ? character. Pin
robert-t198317-Jan-11 3:25
robert-t198317-Jan-11 3:25 
GeneralTermie.. Good little program.. Pin
Dan Sherack12-Oct-08 11:04
Dan Sherack12-Oct-08 11:04 
GeneralRe: Termie.. Good little program.. Pin
milkplus13-Oct-08 12:56
milkplus13-Oct-08 12:56 
GeneralRe: Termie.. Good little program.. Pin
Dan Sherack28-Oct-08 17:14
Dan Sherack28-Oct-08 17:14 
GeneralHistory Pin
eb0916-Sep-08 2:37
eb0916-Sep-08 2:37 

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