• Test your embedded LCD application on the PC using standard PC tools from Microsoft and Borland.
• All the LCD driver libraries from RAMTEX include a PC-simulator.
• The LCD pixel and color resolution with the simulator is exactly the same as the real LCD display.
• Start programming and testing embedded C and C++ programs before your hardware is ready.
• Test and simulate your application with different display sizes before any final decision is taken about which LCD display to use.
• Get a separate output channel for debug messages.
• Simulate touch screen events via mouse.
• Simulate embedded keyboard events via PC keyboard.
• Simplify generation of screen snap-shots for documentation.

Concept
The Win32 LCD simulation server runs in parallel with the application being debugged. There are several advantages in this. The embedded application can be tested under Windows as a simple console program, that is as a normal C or C++ program starting from main(), while the LCD screen is simulated using the graphic interface in Windows. Because a separate output channel is used for LCD simulation, the normal console window can be freely used by the application, for instance to display simple text messages using puts(..) and printf(..) during debugging and testing.

LCD screen documentation
The LCD simulator allows "snap shots" of the LCD screen to be taken while the embedded application is running on the PC. This is the most efficient method of creating LCD screen pictures for documentation. It allows you both to document errors in the LCD picture during application testing and to create LCD picture documentation for your manual.

Keyboard simulation
The Win32 LCD simulator also provides an interface to the PC keyboard when the LCD simulator has focus. This keyboard interface has a _kbhit() and _kbget() like functionality. The LCD simulator keyboard interface is extended with key-code support for the F1-F12, Shift, Ctrl, Alt and arrow keys on the PC keyboard. This makes it easy and fast to simulate any embedded keyboard during the initial application development.

Touch screen simulation
The Win32 LCD simulator can simulate a touch screen by pressing the mouse right key when the PC cursor is inside the simulated LCD screen area. The "embedded" application can recrive information about: (x,y) touch position, touch up / touch down events, current touch up down state, and drag events (moving a pressed finger).