# Serial read problem on mac only **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [March 5, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785 "2014-03-05T21:26:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/1 "2014-03-05T21:26:51Z")
I have the following code in the “data available” event in a serial control: ```auto EditField2.TEXT=Serial1.ReadAll IF EditField2.TEXT="A" then thread1.run thread3.kill END IF IF EditField2.TEXT="B" THEN 'end lane 1 thread1.kill thread3.run END IF ``` This code works fine on my pc but not on my mac. I can see the data, which is the letter “A” flicker in editfield2 on my mac, but it wont trigger my thread that I have in my “if statement”. Every once in a while it will “see” the “A” and trigger but mostly it doesn’t. It is as if it is happening too fast. Any ideas??? I am testing on a dell pc laptop (works fine) and a macbook pro (does not work). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_hare/32/176_2.png) [@Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Hare)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/2 "2014-03-05T21:31:58Z")
Just for debugging, change your first line to EditField2.TEXT=EncodeHex(Serial1.ReadAll) You may be getting extra, nonprintable characters. Also, try Trim’ing the result. EditField2.TEXT=Trim(Serial1.ReadAll) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_hare/32/176_2.png) [@Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Hare)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/3 "2014-03-05T21:33:37Z")
Another thought: an editfield is a terrible place for string storage. It can modify the string. Use a local variable for your actual tests, and shove it into the editfield just for display. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/4 "2014-03-05T22:02:23Z")
Ok, thanks for the tips, but it still isn’t working… The trim made it better, it works sometimes, but not all the time. I have this connected to an arduino board connected to an IR timing gate. On my pc I can drop a pen across the beam and it trigger every time. On my mac I can see that data comming in the serial port everytime, but it is like it is ignoring it half the time. Sometimes it trigger just fine, other times I can hold my hand in from of the beam, I can see the data is there, but it just doens’t do anything. I changed my code so I am now using a variable to read the serial data instead of the editfield. I was just using the editfield for debugging. any other ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/5 "2014-03-05T22:05:14Z")
I am also using realbasic 2007 release 3 standard edition. ---
**Author:** ![Norman\_P](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/858c86/32.png) [@Norman\_P](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Norman_P)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/6 "2014-03-05T22:13:08Z")
2007 ??? There’s 7 years of bug fixes & OS changes/patches that could easily be causing you issues ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/7 "2014-03-05T23:41:23Z")
maybe, but my 2006 version on my pc is working fine…I just can’t justify the $300 upgrade at this point in time. But when I can I will. ---
**Author:** ![Norman\_P](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/858c86/32.png) [@Norman\_P](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Norman_P)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/8 "2014-03-06T00:17:47Z")
Just a heads up Windows has been much more stagnant in terms of not making huge changes like OS X has over that period Basically MS has put new API’s in place & new lipstick on it but the old APIs still got bug fixes & updates OS X less so may break your apps built with 2007 in weird & wonderful ways as Apple fixed bugs & we found we had done things in ways that were not optimal for the Carbon API’s from that vintage ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_hare/32/176_2.png) [@Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Hare)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/9 "2014-03-06T03:34:40Z")
You can try your app in the latest Xojo release for free. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Carter](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/chris_carter/32/476_2.png) [@Chris\_Carter](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Chris_Carter)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 10:58am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/10 "2014-03-06T10:58:18Z")
> [@69585:@Michael Walach](#): > > any other ideas? It looks to me as though if you hit more than one key, or have an encoding issue, then you may be getting mor than one character at a time whe doing the readall. Perhaps it’s worth looping on the received string to check each character individually, - or at least check it is only 1 byte long and pop up a debug message if so, ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/11 "2014-03-07T00:47:16Z")
ok, thanks guys. I am downloading xojo and will try it out. It would be great if that was the only issue. If not I will try your other suggestions. I love this forum, you guys have helped me out so many times in the past, it is why I keep coming back! thanks ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/12 "2014-03-07T00:58:59Z")
running in XOJO with the same issue. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m pretty sure I am only getting one charecter. My firmware on the arduino I wrote, and it only sends a single letter “A” when the beam of my photogate is broken. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_hare/32/176_2.png) [@Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Hare)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/13 "2014-03-07T01:02:31Z")
> [@69713:@Chris Carter](#): > > at least check it is only 1 byte long and pop up a debug message if so, Have you tried this yet? Depending on handshaking and speed of transmission, it is possible to get more than one “send” in a single DataAvailable event. Possible you’re getting “AA” or “AB”? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/14 "2014-03-07T01:02:56Z")
here is all of the code in my serial event: ```auto EditField2.TEXT=trim(Serial1.ReadAll) IF EditField2.TEXT="A" and lane1running=false then lane1running=true thread1.run thread3.kill END IF IF EditField2.TEXT="1" and lane1running=true THEN 'end lane 1 lane1running=false thread1.kill thread3.run END IF IF EditField2.TEXT="B" and lane2running=false then lane2running=true thread2.run thread4.kill END IF IF EditField2.TEXT="2" and lane2running=true THEN 'end lane 2 lane2running=false thread2.kill thread4.run END IF ``` ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/15 "2014-03-07T01:08:50Z")
ok, how do I check if it one byte long? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/16 "2014-03-07T01:21:36Z")
Ok, I tried this… ```auto dim s as string dim i as integer EditField2.TEXT=Serial1.ReadAll s=Serial1.ReadAll i=len(s) if EditField2.text<> "A" then MsgBox str(i) end if ``` I can break my timing gate beam with a pencil as fast as I possibly can and it catches it everytime, meaning the msgbox pops up everytime showing that “i” has a value of “0”. however, my threads do not fire off. I really can’t wrap my head around what is going on here… ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_hare/32/176_2.png) [@Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Hare)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/17 "2014-03-07T05:22:10Z")
If I has a value of zero, that means you’re getting an empty string. Which means that trim is removing whatever was there. Try EncodeHex. s = me.readall s = EncodeHex (s) msgbox (s) What do you get? ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Carter](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/chris_carter/32/476_2.png) [@Chris\_Carter](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Chris_Carter)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 9:06am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/18 "2014-03-07T09:06:00Z")
I think I spot a bug in this code… [quote]EditField2.TEXT=Serial1.ReadAll s=Serial1.ReadAll i=len(s)[/quote] You are doing the ReadAll twice … The first line is emptying the buffer into the text field, the 2nd line is reading what is now an empty buffer. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_hare/32/176_2.png) [@Tim\_Hare](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Hare)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 9:31am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/19 "2014-03-07T09:31:03Z")
Good catch! I=0 is just a red herring. But do the EncodeHex anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Michael\_Walach](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Michael_Walach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 11:21am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785/20 "2014-03-07T11:21:25Z")
Thanks for the help guys. You were right, I was getting more than one “A” at a time. Here is the finished working code. ```auto dim s as string s=Serial1.ReadAll s=Left(s, 1) EditField2.text=s IF s="A" and lane1running=false then lane1running=true thread1.run thread3.kill END IF IF s="1" and lane1running=true THEN 'end lane 1 lane1running=false thread1.kill thread3.run END IF IF s="B" and lane2running=false then lane2running=true thread2.run thread4.kill END IF IF s="2" and lane2running=true THEN 'end lane 2 lane2running=false thread2.kill thread4.run END IF ``` [Next page](https://forum.xojo.com/t/serial-read-problem-on-mac-only/14785.md?page=2)