Set-up a project

Get the library

LVGL Graphics Library is available on GitHub: https://github.com/lvgl/lvgl.

You can clone it or download the latest version of the library from GitHub.

The graphics library is the lvgl directory which should be copied into your project.

Configuration file

There is a configuration header file for LVGL called lv_conf.h. It sets the library's basic behaviour, disables unused modules and features, adjusts the size of memory buffers in compile-time, etc.

Copy lvgl/lv_conf_template.h next to the lvgl directory and rename it to lv_conf.h. Open the file and change the #if 0 at the beginning to #if 1 to enable its content.

lv_conf.h can be copied other places as well but then you should add LV_CONF_INCLUDE_SIMPLE define to your compiler options (e.g. -DLV_CONF_INCLUDE_SIMPLE for gcc compiler) and set the include path manually.

In the config file comments explain the meaning of the options. Check at least these three configuration options and modify them according to your hardware:

  1. LV_HOR_RES_MAX Your display's horizontal resolution.

  2. LV_VER_RES_MAX Your display's vertical resolution.

  3. LV_COLOR_DEPTH 8 for (RG332), 16 for (RGB565) or 32 for (RGB888 and ARGB8888).

Initialization

To use the graphics library you have to initialize it and the other components too. The order of the initialization is:

  1. Call lv_init().

  2. Initialize your drivers.

  3. Register the display and input devices drivers in LVGL. More about Display and Input device registration.

  4. Call lv_tick_inc(x) in every x milliseconds in an interrupt to tell the elapsed time. Learn more.

  5. Call lv_task_handler() periodically in every few milliseconds to handle LVGL related tasks. Learn more.