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ticalc-usb

★ 33 Open GitHub ↗

A library to communicate with TI graphing calculators through WebUSB

// repository documentation

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# ticalc-usb

`ticalc-usb` is a Javascript library to communicate with Texas Instruments
graphing calculators over WebUSB. It also has a module that can parse TI files
(`*.8?p` / `*.8?g` files). As I only own a TI-84 Plus, development is highly
skewed towards that device, but other devices should be fairly simple to add.

Check out [ticalc.link](http://ticalc.link) to see the library in action.

## Status of this library

This library is currently very experimental. I have successfully communicated
with my TI-84 Plus with it, and sent files to it. However, it comes with
absolutely no guarantees that it can handle other models or even other versions
of the TI-84 Plus, nor that it can properly parse and send any file you throw at
it. So be warned.

If you run into issues, please
[report them](https://github.com/Timendus/ticalc-usb/issues/new) or submit a PR.

## Usage

`ticalc-usb` is [available through NPM](https://www.npmjs.com/package/ticalc-usb)
and can be installed as a dependency using NPM or Yarn:

```bash
npm install --save ticalc-usb
```

You can then import both modules of the library in your project like this:

```javascript
const { ticalc, tifiles } = require('ticalc-usb');
```

### `ticalc`

The `ticalc` module exposes these regular functions:

* `browserSupported()` - returns true if `ticalc-usb` can work in the current
    browser
  * `models()` - returns an array of objects that represent available calculator models,
    so we can show that to the user.
  * `addEventListener(event, handler)` - allows you to subscribe to `connect`
    and `disconnect` events. Your event handler will be called with a calculator
    object as a parameter.

And these async functions:

* `init()` - initialise the library. This binds event handlers to
    `navigator.usb` and connects to previously connected devices. Not calling
    this results in crappy connect/disconnect events.
  * `choose()` - triggers a WebUSB dialog in which the user can choose a
    supported calculator. A successful choice will lead to a `connect` event.

Please note that the Promises that both `init` and `choose` return can be
rejected if the user selects a device that is not supported. Unfortunately Texas
Instruments reused their USB product IDs, so we can't be more specific up front.
You'll probably want to catch this error and show the user an appropriate
message. Also, `choose` will reject if the user selects no device at all.

A somewhat complete example:

```javascript
ticalc.addEventListener('connect', async calculator => {
  if ( await calculator.isReady() ) {
    // Type "HELLO", key values for TI-83/84 Plus taken from
    // https://github.com/debrouxl/tilibs/blob/master/libticalcs/trunk/src/keys83p.h
    await calculator.pressKey(0xA1);
    await calculator.pressKey(0x9E);
    await calculator.pressKey(0xA5);
    await calculator.pressKey(0xA5);
    await calculator.pressKey(0xA8);

// Get available memory
    console.log(await calculator.getFreeMem());
  }
});

try {
  // Initialise the library
  await ticalc.init();

// Ask user to pick a device. Don't do this on page load, browsers don't like
  // that, plus `init` may already have fired a `connect` event. Call this
  // function when the user clicks on a button.
  await ticalc.choose();
} catch(e) {
  // Handle unsupported or no device selected
  console.error(e);
}
```

On calculator objects you can call five async methods, three of which are shown
in the example above:

* `isReady()` - return true if calculator is connected and listening
  * `pressKey(key)` - remotely press a key on the calculator
  * `getFreeMem()` - get free RAM and Flash memory
  * `sendFile(file)` - send a given file object to the calculator (silent transfer)
  * `getStorageDetails(file)` - check if a given file object fits in the available storage

And one regular method:

* `canReceive(file)` - tells you if a file is valid for this calculator

### `tifiles`

The `tifiles` module exposes these functions:

* `parseFile(bindata)` - expects a Uint8Array and returns a file object
  * `isValid(file)` - tells you if the file you have parsed is a valid calculator file

Combined with `ticalc`, we can use these functions to send a TI file to a
connected calculator:

```javascript
// Load file (make sure readFile returns a Uint8Array)
const file = tifiles.parseFile(readFile(filename));

if ( !tifiles.isValid(file) )
  return console.error('The file you have selected does not seem to be a valid calculator file');

// Assuming we received a calculator object from the `connect` event
if ( !calculator.canReceive(file) )
  return console.error(`The file you have selected does not appear to be a valid file for your ${calculator.name}`);

await calculator.sendFile(file);
```

### Special features

The `init` and `choose` functions can take an options object. This exposes some
special features that most people will not need, but do come in handy sometimes.

#### Choosing the right support level

By default, `ticalc-usb` will only successfully resolve the `choose` promise if
the connected calculator has the status `supported`. You can be more adventurous
and also allow calculators that have `partial-support`, `beta` support or that
are `experimental`.

If you want your user to be able to select any possible Texas Instruments
device, not just the ones that have any support at all, use `none`.

You have to pass this alternative `supportLevel` as an option to the `init`
function:

```javascript
await ticalc.init({ supportLevel: 'beta' });
```

I use this feature in [ticalc.link](http://ticalc.link) to allow users to
experiment with newly added devices, and to submit support requests for
unsupported devices.

#### Injecting a different WebUSB object

By default, `ticalc-usb` will check to see if your web browser supports WebUSB
and then take `navigator.usb` and wrap it in an object that adds logging and
recording for debugging purposes. You can override this behaviour by supplying
another object that implements the WebUSB API.

For example, you can use
[thegecko's Node.js WebUSB implementation](https://github.com/thegecko/webusb)
by handing it to `init` and `choose`:

```javascript
const usb = require('webusb').usb;
await ticalc.init({ usb });
await ticalc.choose({ usb });
```

#### Getting the debug recording

The default WebUSB wrapper records all interactions with the WebUSB API. You can
get the recording by asking `ticalc` for it. `ticalc.getRecording()` returns an
instance of [Recorder](src/webusb/recorder.js).

```javascript
const recording = ticalc.getRecording().getSteps();
```

## Developing

The easiest way to work on this library is to work on a project that makes use
of it. I use [ticalc.link](http://ticalc.link) for this, and if you don't have a
project of your own in mind, you can use it too.

First, check out both repositories:

```bash
git clone git@github.com:Timendus/ticalc.link.git
git clone git@github.com:Timendus/ticalc-usb.git
```

Then, make sure your changes to `ticalc-usb` are watched and get transpiled when
you make a change:

```bash
cd ticalc-usb
npm install
npm start
```

In another terminal, make sure you also have the tests running, so you don't
break things by accident:

```bash
cd ticalc-usb
npm run watch-tests
```

And finally, in yet another terminal, use your local `ticalc-usb` as a
dependency for `ticalc.link` and serve the website:

```bash
cd ticalc.link
sed -i.bak 's/"ticalc-usb": ".*"/"ticalc-usb": "file:\/\/..\/ticalc-usb"/g' package.json && rm package.json.bak
npm install
npm start
```

_(Note: If you don't have sed on your machine, manually replace the version
matcher for `ticalc-usb` in `ticalc.link`'s `package.json` file with
`file://../ticalc-usb`.)_

`ticalc.link` should now be running on [localhost:8080](http://localhost:8080)
with the local version of `ticalc-usb`. Any changes to `ticalc-usb` should
trigger a reload of the website automatically.

ticalc-usb

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