Lightweight Arduino library to control HD44780-compatible LCDs through a 74HC595 shift register.

LCDShiftView reduces wiring to 3 Arduino pins (data, clock, latch) while keeping common LiquidCrystal-style controls.

It also includes helper APIs to make screen updates easier without extra code in user sketches.

• Works with standard HD44780 LCDs (16x2, 20x4, etc.)
• 3-wire control through one 74HC595
• Flexible mapping for LCD pins (RS, E, D4..D7)
• Backlight control
• Custom characters
• Fast internal write path and reduced overhead for small boards
• Extra helper methods: printAt, writeAt, clearRow, clearArea, printPadded, printCentered, printfAt, setRowOffsets
• Runtime tuning: setBacklightBit, setTimings, and begin(..., backlightOn)

Typical mapping:

74HC595 to Arduino:

#include <LCDShiftView.h>

const uint8_t dataPin  = 10;
const uint8_t clockPin = 11;
const uint8_t latchPin = 12;

LCDShiftView lcd(dataPin, clockPin, latchPin);

void setup() {
  lcd.begin(16, 2);
  lcd.print("Hello");
}

void loop() {
}

Print text directly at a specific location.

lcd.printAt(0, 0, "Temp:");

Write one byte/character at a location.

lcd.writeAt(15, 1, '*');

Fill one row with a character (default is space).

lcd.clearRow(1);          // clear row 1
lcd.clearRow(0, '-');     // fill row with '-'

Fill a rectangular area.

lcd.clearArea(5, 0, 6);          // clear 6 chars in row 0
lcd.clearArea(0, 0, 16, 2, '.'); // fill full 16x2 with dots

Print text in fixed width and fill remaining space.

lcd.printPadded(6, 0, "27.3C", 10);  // overwrites old longer values cleanly
lcd.printPadded(0, 1, F("READY"), 16, ' ');

Center text in a row.

lcd.printCentered(0, "READY");
lcd.printCentered(1, F("WAIT"));

Print formatted values at a fixed location.

lcd.printfAt(0, 1, "V=%d I=%d", volts, amps);

Set custom DDRAM row offsets for non-standard displays.

lcd.setRowOffsets(0x00, 0x40, 0x14, 0x54);

Use a different 74HC595 output bit for backlight control.

lcd.setBacklightBit(7); // default

Tune instruction delays for specific LCD modules.

lcd.setTimings(37, 1520);

• begin(cols, rows, charsize = 0x00)
• begin(cols, rows, charsize, backlightOn)
• clear(), home()
• clearRow(...), clearArea(...)
• setCursor(col, row), printAt(...), writeAt(...), printfAt(...)
• print(...), println(...), write(...)
• display(), noDisplay()
• cursor(), noCursor()
• blink(), noBlink()
• scrollDisplayLeft(), scrollDisplayRight()
• leftToRight(), rightToLeft()
• autoscroll(), noAutoscroll()
• createChar(location, charmap)
• backlight(state)
• setBacklightBit(bit)
• setPins(rs, e, d4, d5, d6, d7)
• setRowOffsets(r0, r1, r2, r3)
• setTimings(execUs, clearHomeUs)
• getRowOffset(row) (deprecated)

• For very small MCUs, prefer const char* / F("...") for constant text.
• Repeatedly printing dynamic values is easier with printPadded to avoid leftover characters.
• If your LCD has unusual row layout, use setRowOffsets.
• printfAt uses a configurable buffer size via LCDSHIFTVIEW_PRINTF_BUFFER (default 64).

• examples/HelpersQuick/HelpersQuick.ino: printAt, writeAt, printCentered
• examples/RowHelpers/RowHelpers.ino: clearRow, printPadded
• examples/CustomRowOffsets/CustomRowOffsets.ino: setRowOffsets, getRowOffset
• examples/AdvancedInit/AdvancedInit.ino: begin(..., backlightOn), setBacklightBit, setTimings
• examples/ClearArea/ClearArea.ino: clearArea
• examples/PrintfAt/PrintfAt.ino: printfAt
• examples/FlashHelpers/FlashHelpers.ino: helper methods with F("...")

See LICENSE.