serial.hpp - README

C++ Windows Serial Port Header-Only Library

Overview

The C++ Windows Serial Port Header-Only Library provides a convenient and encapsulated solution for working with serial ports in Windows environments. It abstracts the complexities of the WinApi, offering a clean interface for reading and writing operations. The library is designed to operate seamlessly with C++17 and has been tested on Windows 10.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Usage
• Examples
• Lisence
• Contribution

Features

Opening and Closing the SerialPort

bool SerialPort::open()
void SerialPort::close()

Checking if SerialPort is open

bool SerialPort::isOpen()

Getting the size of the input read buffer

similar to Arduino's Serial.available()

std::size_t SerialPort::available()

Reading and Writing from and to SerialPort using

• read and write Functions
• stream operators (<< | >>)

---

Write Functions:

void SerialPort::writeString(const std::string& str)
SerialPort& operator<<(SerialPort& port, const std::string& str)

---

Read Functions:

Reading Char

char SerialPort::readChar()
char& operator>>(SerialPort& port, char& c)

Reading String

std::string SerialPort::readString()
std::string SerialPort::readString(int length)
std::string& operator>>(SerialPort& port, std::string& str)

when defining the length of a string to read in, the current thread waits until the required length is met, then the string is returned.

Usage

1. Include Header File: Add the "serial.hpp" header file to your C++ project.

   #include "serial.hpp"

2. Instantiate SerialPort Object: Create a SerialPort object by specifying the port name and baud rate.

   SerialPort mySerialPort("COM1", 9600);

3. Open and Close Port: Utilize the open() and close() methods to establish and terminate the serial port connection.

   mySerialPort.open();
   // Perform operations...
   mySerialPort.close();

4. Read and Write Data: Use the readChar() / readString() and writeString() methods to perform data communication.

   std::string str = "Hello, Serial!";
   mySerialPort.writeString(str);
   
   // all commands are for example 3 chars long
   std::string command = mySerialPort.readString(3);

Examples

#include "serial.hpp"

int main() {
    SerialPort mySerialPort("COM3", 9600);

    if (mySerialPort.open()) {
        // Perform operations...

        mySerialPort.close();
    }

    return 0;
}

---

from tests:

SerialPort port(PORT, BAUD_RATE);

std::cout << "Opening port (" << PORT << ")...\n";
if (!port.open()) {
    // print error message:
    std::cerr << "Couldn't connect to port " << PORT << "\n";
    return -1;
}

std::cout << "Is port Open? " << port.isOpen() << "\n";

std::cout << "Writing \"Hello\" to port\n";
port.writeString("Hello");

std::cout << "Waiting for full answer to return...\n";
std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(500));

std::cout << "Reading in Answer...\n";
std::string answer;
port >> answer;

std::cout << "Printing Answer...\n";
std::cout << answer << "\n";

std::cout << "Closing Port...\n";
port.close();

std::cout << "Done with Test1.\n";
return 0;

---

Testing Environment:

Program running on:

• Windows 10
• Compiled with Mingw64 g++

  g++ .\test.cpp -o test.exe -std=c++17 -l pthread

Connected with Arduino Uno on Port COM3

Arduino program:

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
  if (Serial.available()) {
    Serial.write(Serial.read());
  }
}

License

This library is provided under the MIT License, allowing for flexibility in usage and modification.

Contribution

Contributions are welcome! If you encounter issues or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue or submit a pull request.