GCBASIC documentation
PIC users and Beginners: Start Here

Welcome to GCBASIC.  This document is especially important for experienced PIC users moving from MPASM or C so please spend a few seconds here before you start.   It could save you hours of frustration.

As a PIC user most of us are conditioned, regardless of the Assembler or Compiler, to reach for the devices data sheet first and try to work out how to setup the Oscillator, interrupt vectors and Configuration bits.

Do not DO IT.   read this document first as it will give you some great insights.    For the basic operation the only setup and configuration required for a GCBASIC program is the name of the target Device i.e. #Chip 16f1619.    That is it, honestly, GCBASIC will do the rest and will determine the optimal Oscillator settings, interrupt vectors, Configuration bits etc

Next we would start deciding on and including the Device files and libraries that we intend to use.  STOP.   Let GCBASIC decide.    GCBASIC is creating Portable Code, it doesn’t care if you use a PIC12, PIC18 or an ATmega328.   You write in BASIC and at compile time GCBASIC will decide which core libraries to include based on the instructions you have used and the target device you specified in the #chip statement.

Finally we would decide on the pins to use, their port names, which register bits are needed to make them inputs or outputs and override any Analog function if a digital function is desired.

Again, I say let GCBASIC DO IT…​…​…​ Dir PortC.0 In - Will set Pin RC0 to a Digital Input.    There is no need to manually set the TRIS register or see if there is an associated ADCON bit to set or clear.

Putting it all together: An example GCBASIC program.

    #Chip 16f1619

    #Define LED PortC.0

    Dir LED Out

    Do
      LED = !LED
      Wait 500 ms
    Loop

That is it. If you have an LED attached to PortC.0 (LED DS1 on the Low Pin Count Board that shipped with the PICKit 2 or PICKit 3 programmer).   It will start to Blink confirming that you have a working microcontroller and hardware.

To change target device or family just change the #Chip Entry along with the Pin you have the LED on and recompile.   it Really IS as Simple as that to get started in GCBASIC.

You can manually override GCBASIC and set every register, every flag, every BIT, every Configuration ‘Fuse’ and every vector if you wish, but why bother doing it upfront?   Rather get your code working with the default settings and then adjust from there, if needed, as your confidence grows.

One final bit of advice, the IDE tool bar has a “View Demos” button, use it, there are examples of all of the most common programming challenges and many different devices which, along with the Help files, will answer most of your questions. The Forum is a friendly place too, so do not be shy to introduce yourself and ask for help.