Modern embedded user interfaces are becoming increasingly rich and interactive. From automotive instrument clusters and industrial HMIs to smart home displays and medical devices, today’s screens often combine static backgrounds, animated widgets, real-time data indicators, and overlay elements. While these visuals enhance user experience, they also place higher demands on the underlying hardware.
To address performance and rendering efficiency challenges, Sparklet UI Designer introduces the Layer File (EFL)—a structured way to manage hardware layers, memory mapping, and widget distribution. By leveraging EFL, designers and developers can significantly improve rendering speed, optimize memory usage, and build scalable embedded UIs that align with hardware capabilities.
Understanding Hardware Layers in Embedded Systems
Before diving into EFL, it’s important to understand what hardware layers are.
A hardware layer is a display layer supported directly by the display controller of an MCU or SoC. Each layer can hold its own content—such as images or widgets—and the hardware combines these layers to produce the final output shown on the screen.
A helpful analogy is to think of hardware layers as transparent sheets stacked on top of each other. Each sheet contains different visual elements, and the display controller blends them together efficiently in hardware.
The number of hardware layers is:
- Fixed by the target hardware
- Different for each MCU or SoC
- Not configurable or expandable through software
Some devices support only one layer, while others—commonly used in automotive and advanced HMIs—support multiple layers.
What Is a Layer File (EFL)?
A Layer File (EFL) is a configuration file in Sparklet UI Designer that allows developers to define, manage, and utilize the available hardware layers of the target platform.
The EFL does not create new layers. Instead, it provides a structured way to:
- Define multiple target layers supported by the hardware
- Map each target layer to a specific target memory
- Assign widgets to appropriate layers through the Placeholder’s Layers section
This separation of responsibilities allows better control over rendering behavior and resource usage.
Why Layer Files Are Important
In many embedded UI projects, all widgets are rendered into a single layer by default. While this approach works for simple screens, it can become inefficient as UI complexity grows.
Layer files help overcome this limitation by enabling:
- Reduced redraw operations
- Better utilization of hardware acceleration
- Clear separation of static and dynamic content
- Improved frame rates and responsiveness
By strategically distributing widgets across layers, developers can ensure that only the necessary parts of the screen are updated.
Defining Target Layers and Memory Mapping
One of the core functions of an EFL is the ability to define multiple target layers and map them to specific memory regions.
Each target layer corresponds to a hardware-supported layer. For every layer, a memory region can be assigned, ensuring that layer content is stored and accessed efficiently.
This mapping provides:
- Predictable memory usage
- Better control over bandwidth-intensive operations
- Improved stability on memory-constrained systems
- Static backgrounds can be placed on one layer
- Frequently updated indicators on another
- Overlay messages or alerts on a top layer
- Automotive Instrument Clusters : Instrument clusters often contain a static background, dynamic gauges, and alert overlays. Using EFL, each of these elements can be assigned to different hardware layers, ensuring smooth updates and minimal redraw operations.
- Industrial HMIs : Industrial displays typically show dashboards with both static layouts and rapidly changing sensor values. Layer files help isolate dynamic data from static UI components, improving responsiveness and reliability.
- Smart Home Displays : Smart thermostats and home control panels often display real-time data over a consistent background. Assigning these elements to separate layers ensures efficient updates without flicker.
- Medical and Healthcare Devices : In medical UIs, reliability and clarity are critical. Layer separation allows alarms and critical indicators to remain responsive while maintaining a stable base UI.
- Improved Rendering Performance : By distributing widgets across hardware layers, the display controller can compose visuals more efficiently, resulting in smoother animations and faster updates.
- Optimized Memory Usage : Explicit memory mapping ensures that each layer uses appropriate memory regions, helping avoid memory bottlenecks and improving overall system stability.
- Scalable UI Architecture : As UI complexity increases, EFL allows projects to scale without sacrificing performance, making it suitable for both simple and advanced HMIs.
- Better Hardware Utilization : EFL ensures that available hardware layers are used effectively rather than relying on a single-layer rendering approach.
- The number of layers you can define is limited by the target hardware
- Layer planning should be aligned with widget update frequency
- Static and dynamic elements should be clearly separated
- Memory constraints must be considered during layer assignment
The EFL acts as a centralized reference that links layers, memory, and widget assignments in a single configuration.
Assigning Widgets Using the Placeholder’s Layers Section
Once layers are defined, widgets can be assigned to them via the Placeholder’s Layers section in Sparklet UI Designer.
This enables developers to decide exactly where each widget should be rendered. For example:
This targeted placement ensures that static elements remain untouched while dynamic content updates smoothly, reducing unnecessary rendering overhead.
Common Use Cases for Layer Files (EFL)
Benefits of Using Layer Files (EFL)
Key Considerations When Using EFL
Conclusion
The Layer File (EFL) feature in Flint UI Designer provides a powerful and practical approach to managing hardware layers in embedded UI applications. By defining target layers, mapping memory, and assigning widgets strategically, developers can achieve significant improvements in rendering performance and resource efficiency.
Whether you are building an automotive cluster, an industrial dashboard, or a smart home interface, EFL enables you to fully leverage your hardware’s capabilities while maintaining a clean and scalable UI architecture.
.As embedded displays continue to evolve, structured layer management through EFL becomes an essential tool for delivering smooth, responsive, and high-quality user experiences.
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