Progress Bar?

[MrComment]

Anyone know how to stick a progress bar in a PCDMIS program?

I was thinking about creating a simply ActiveX control with VB, PCDMIS would send a variable out to it every so often and update the progress bar.

However before I go to that expense of brain power, I was thinking that "hey" PCDMIS may already have this function built in somewhere?

Another idea might be to use a "comment" msg that says something like "Now measuring feature X of 100" but how do you get PCDMIS to display a message that doesnt require the operator to take any action?

Thanks again

[craiger_ny]

Comments are part of the linear read, you can't continue until it can read past that line aka operator input or some other event. As far as a progress bar that is a good question. Can you create one with VB and link it to PCDMIS's object library? I think that is direction you are thinking. I almost want to say that due to the linear nature of the part program it is the same deal. You could write an app with VB with a progress bar, add a timer to it that watches a file and write to that file with PCDMIS. When your app sees a change in the file it adds a bar (or whatever you want it to do) to the progress bar. I am not sure I'd go through the trouble but it would be neat to see if someone has a solution to this.

Craig

[cmmguy]

Do you think that the value of a variable could be checked on a regular basis?

[craiger_ny]

With a timer it could (I think) but it would have to be checked with a standalone app because if PCDMIS launches it it will wait until the app quits to continue.

[MrComment]

Ok I got a corny solution that Im going to try. Let me know what you think?

Im going to make an exe to that is simply launched by PCDMIS.

I'll put a txt file in the same directory as that exe.

Before PCDMIS launches the exe, I'll have it write the estimated number of seconds the program takes to run to the txt file.

PCDMIS will then launch the exe at the beginning of the part program, but not before writing to the text file.

The exe will read the txt file to get the estimated program run time which PCDMIS wrote to the file.

This will basically set the scale on the progress bar.

A timer will increment the progress bar ever second.

I'll add a few more bells and whistles, like a pause button, etc.

Also I can set the form with the progress bar to have an option of being always on top, or display in corner or some such thing?

Simple enough, sounds like a plan?

[cmmguy]

That is something craiger and I were working on before... different application but related. When PCDMIS launches an external program, it will pause and wait for that program to close and it also pops a dialog box waiting for a response from the operator. You will need to contend with that with your plan.

[Don Meredith]

This is the same obstacle I encountered when I wanted to display a counter of which iteration of a loop was being executed. The proposed solution was to add an 'operator/comment' showing the current loop count. It worked OK but trouble was, a response from the operator was required for the program to continue running. When the loop count displayed, it just stopped and waited - not what I was after.

[craiger_ny]

This is the same obstacle I encountered when I wanted to display a counter of which iteration of a loop was being executed. The proposed solution was to add an 'operator/comment' showing the current loop count. It worked OK but trouble was, a response from the operator was required for the program to continue running. When the loop count displayed, it just stopped and waited - not what I was after.

You can use the stats counter or you could put in a report comment with a variable assign a variable to equal one then put in your report comment. at the end of your program (inside the loop) add one to your variable. If you use V1 as the variable at the end put Assign/V1 = V1 + 1.

Craig

[MrComment]

Ok how do I get PCDMIS to create a new txt file, with a path I specify.

I have it checking to see if the file already exsists, but if it doesnt I want to make a new file.

Seems like every other command is there delete copy etc etc. No Create New though?

[craiger_ny]

You could try to see if file open creates a new one. If it does not then you could write a script to do it. I'd run the file open command (don't forget to do a file close) and then see if the file gets created first.

Craig

This will do it if you make it a bas:

Sub Main()
 
Dim strTheFile As String
strTheFile = "C:\Test.txt"
Open strTheFile For Random As #1
Close #1
 
End Sub

I'd try this with PCDMIS first:

FPTR       =FILE/OPEN,C:\TEST.TXT
            FILE/CLOSE,FPTR

[MrComment]

FPTR       =FILE/OPEN,C:\TEST.TXT,WRITE
            FILE/CLOSE,FPTR,KEEP

That took care of it actually

Thanks