ABB ScreenMaker graphics software Application manual
Below you will find brief information for graphics software ScreenMaker. ScreenMaker is a tool in RobotStudio for developing custom screens. It is used to create customized FlexPendant GUIs without the need to learn Visual Studio development environment and .NET programming.
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Application manual
ScreenMaker
5.12
Document ID: 3HAC035956-001
Revision: -
The information in this manual is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by ABB. ABB assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this manual.
Except as may be expressly stated anywhere in this manual, nothing herein shall be construed as any kind of guarantee or warranty by ABB for losses, damages to persons or property, fitness for a specific purpose or the like.
In no event shall ABB be liable for incidental or consequential damages arising from use of this manual and products described herein.
This manual and parts thereof must not be reproduced or copied without ABB's written permission, and contents thereof must not be imparted to a third party nor be used for any unauthorized purpose. Contravention will be prosecuted.
Additional copies of this manual may be obtained from ABB at its then current charge.
Copyright 2009 ABB All rights reserved.
ABB AB
Robotics Products
721 68 Västerås
Sweden
Table of Contents
2 Managing ScreenMaker projects 25
4 Frequently asked questions 55
Index 63
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Table of Contents
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Manual overview
Manual overview
About this manual
This manual describes how to create FlexPendant Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) using
ScreenMaker.
Usage
Who should read this manual?
This manual is intended for ScreenMaker users, for example:
•
Robot programmers
• PLC programmers
•
Robot System integrators
Prerequisites
ScreenMaker is designed for simplicity of use, and its functionality is basic and intuitive. This manual describes the background of GUI development, followed by descriptions of the menus and commands, and followed by a tutorial.
The reader should have a basic knowledge of:
• RobotStudio
• RAPID
•
Working on Windows platform
•
GUI development
Organization of chapters
The manual is organized in the following chapters:
Chapter
1.
2.
3.
4.
Contents
Describes the ScreenMaker development tool, as well as GUI and
FlexPendant concepts.
Describes how to manage projects in ScreenMaker and the various menus and commands used in the application.
Serves as an example and takes you through the steps involved in designing the GUI screens.
Contains a list of frequently asked questions.
References
Reference Document ID
Operating manual - RobotStudio 3HAC032104-001
Operating manual - IRC5 with FlexPendant 3HAC16590-1
Revisions
-
Revision Description
First edition. Released with RobotWare 5.12.02.
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Manual overview
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1 Introduction
1.1. Introduction to ScreenMaker
1 Introduction
1.1. Introduction to ScreenMaker
What is ScreenMaker?
ScreenMaker is a tool in RobotStudio for developing custom screens. It is used to create customized FlexPendant GUIs without the need to learn Visual Studio development environment and .NET programming.
Why ScreenMaker?
A customized operator interface on the factory floor is the key to a simple robotic system. A well-designed custom operator interface presents the right amount of information at the right time and in the right format to the user, as such the training time and downtime (due to operating errors) are minimal. However, customized user interfaces are expensive and very time-consuming to develop. Currently, an understanding of some object-oriented programming languages (such as C, C++; VB and C#) and development framework (.NET,
Visual Studio) are required to develop screens. Since, this is a requirement for IT professionals and not for the robotics industry whose workforce is generally accustomed to simple programming languages such as BASIC and RAPID; ScreenMaker is used.
GUI concepts
xx080000226
A GUI makes it easier for people to work with industrial robots by presenting a visual front to the internal workings of a robotic system. For FlexPendant GUI applications, the graphical interface consists of a number of screens, each occupying the user window area (the blue box
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1 Introduction
1.1. Introduction to ScreenMaker
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in the figure above) of the FlexPendant touch screen. A FlexPendant screen is then composed of a number of smaller graphical components in a design layout. Typical controls (sometimes referred as widgets or graphic components) include buttons, menus, images, and text fields.
A user interacts with a GUI application by:
•
Clicking a button
• Selecting from a menu
•
Typing a text in a text box
• Scrolling
An action such as clicking a button is called an event. Whenever an action is performed, an event is sent to the GUI application. The exact content of an event is solely dependent on the graphic component itself. Different components trigger different types of events. The GUI application responds to the events in the order generated by the user. This is called eventdriven programming, since the main flow of a GUI application is dictated by events rather than being sequential from start to finish. Due to the unpredictability of the user’s actions, one major task in developing a robust GUI application is to ensure that it works correctly no matter what the user does. Of course, a GUI application can, and actually does, ignore events that are irrelevant.
The event handler holds sets of actions to be executed after an event occurs. Similar to trap routines in the RAPID program, the event handler allows the implementation of applicationspecific logic, such as running a RAPID program, opening a gripper, processing logic or calculating.
In summary, from a developer’s point of view, A GUI consists of at least two parts:
• the view part: layout and configuration of controls
•
the process part: event handlers that respond to events
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Modern GUI development environments often provide a form designer, a WYSIWYG tool to allow the user to select, position and configure the widgets. As for event handlers, typically the developer must use a special programming language recommended by the development environment.
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FlexPendant concepts
1 Introduction
1.1. Introduction to ScreenMaker
Continued
xx0800000228
Running Windows CE, the ABB FlexPendant has limited CPU power and memory compared to a PC. A custom GUI application must therefore be placed in the designated folders on the controller hard drive before being loaded. Once loaded, it can be found in the ABB menu as seen in the figure above. Clicking the menu item will launch the GUI application.
As the robot controller is the one actually controlling the robot and its peripheral equipment by executing a RAPID program, a GUI application needs to communicate with the RAPID program server in order to read and write RAPID variables and set or reset I/O signals.
It is essential for RAPID programmers to understand that there are two different softwares controlling a work cell: an event-driven GUI application running on the FlexPendant, and a sequential RAPID program running in the controller. These reside on different CPUs and use different operating systems, so communication and coordination are important and must be carefully designed.
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1 Introduction
1.2. Installing ScreenMaker
1.2. Installing ScreenMaker
Overview
This section describes installing ScreenMaker application on your computer. It is an add-in in RobotStudio and is launched from the RobotStudio application.
System requirements
The following are the system requirements to be met:
Software requirements
Hardware requirements
Operating system
• RobotStudio 5.12 or later with Premium license activated
• Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0
• Robot Application Builder (RAB) 5.12 or later
For more information on the recommended hardware, see
RobotStudio Release Notes.
For more information on the supported Operating Systems, see
RobotStudio Release Notes.
Prerequisites
To install and use ScreenMaker, the following requirements have to be met.
Before ...
installing ScreenMaker testing on VC/RC
you must ...
ensure that the following applications are installed:
• RobotStudio with Premium license
Testing on Virtual controller/Real controller on page 11
Installing ScreenMaker
Use this procedure to install ScreenMaker:
NOTE!
You should have administrator privileges on the PC before installing ScreenMaker.
1. Double-click SetupScreenMaker.exe.
The InstallShield Wizard window appears.
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2. Click Next and follow the instructions to complete the installation.
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1.2. Installing ScreenMaker
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Testing on Virtual controller/Real controller
RobotWare FlexPendant Interface option is required for ScreenMaker applications.
NOTE: RobotWare PC Interface option is required only when using ScreenMaker for Robots on a LAN (to get the data from the controller, bind, and deploy). If there is no PC Interface option, service port can be used to design and deploy screens.
PC Interface option is needed
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PC Interface option is not needed
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1 Introduction
1.3. Terminology
1.3. Terminology
About terms and acronyms
Some terms used in this manual are product specific and crucial for understanding. Moreover, acronyms, words formed from initial letters, are sometimes used instead of long terms. To avoid confusion, important terminology are clarified below.
Definitions
Term Description
IRC5 ABB’s robot controller.
FlexPendant ABB’s hand held device, used with the IRC5 robot controller. It is developed with Microsoft’s technology for embedded systems, Windows CE and .NET Compact Framework.
Robot Application Builder ABB software tool, which enables the development of custom operator interfaces for IRC5. Often referred to as RAB.
Microsoft .NET Compact
Framework
Version of Microsoft's .NET framework providing the run-time environment for applications running on embedded devices, such as the FlexPendant. It includes a class library, which is almost a subset of the rich .NET framework for the desktop.
C++,VisualBasic and C# Programming languages
Acronym
GUI
OS
RAB
I/Os
WYSIWYG
Description
Graphical User Interface
Operating System
Robot Application Builder
Input /Output signals
What You See Is What You Get
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1.4. Development environment
1.4. Development environment
Overview
This section presents an overview of the ScreenMaker development environment.
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1
2
Parts
Ribbon
Project explorer
5
6
3
4
Design surface
Output window
ToolBox
Properties window
7 Arrange
Description
Displays group of icons organized in a logical sequence of
Shows the active screen project and lists the screens that are defined in the project. For more information, see
Managing ScreenMaker projects on page 26 .
Layout to design the screen with the available controls. For
.
Displays information about the events that occur during
ScreenMaker development.
Displays a list of available controls. For more information. see
Contains the available properties and events of the selected control(s). The value of the properties can either be a fixed value or a link to an IRC5 data or an Application
Variable. For more information, see
Displays icons for resizing and positioning controls on the
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Ribbon
The ScreenMaker ribbon tab contains a group of icons organized in a logical sequence of functions that facilitates the user in managing SscreenMaker projects.
Arrange
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The Ribbon is categorized into the following groups:
Group Description
Project
Add
Build
Controller
Arrange
Close
Help
Facilitates the user to manage ScreenMaker project. See
Managing ScreenMaker projects on page 26
.
Facilitates the user to add screen and application variables. See
Managing application variables on page 34
.
Facilitates the user to build a project. See
Facilitates the user to connect and deploy to the controller. See
Connecting to controller on page 32
Deploying to controller on page 33
Facilitates the user to resize and position the controls on the
.
Facilitates the user to close a project.
Facilitates the user to open the ScreenMaker help.
This toolbar displays icons for resizing and positioning controls on the design surface.
NOTE: The icons are enabled once you select a control or group of controls on the design surface.
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ToolBox
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1.4. Development environment
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ToolBox acts a container for holding all the available controls that can be placed on a screen. en0900000407
The following table displays the GUI controls that can be dragged on to the design surface.
Control
ActionTrigger
BarGraph
Button
CheckBox
ComboBox
CommandBar
ControllerModeStatus
DataEditor
Graph
GroupBox
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Description
Allows to run a list of actions when either a signal or rapid data changes
Represents an analog value in a bar
Represents a control that can be clicked.
Provides a simple way to trigger an event, and is commonly used to execute commands. It is labeled either with text or an image.
Allows multiple selections from a number of options. They are displayed as a square box with white space (for unselected) or as a tick mark (for selected).
Represents a control that enables to select items from a list
Combination of a drop-down list and a textbox. It allows you to either type a value directly into the control or choose from the list of existing options.
Provides a menu system for a ScreenForm
Displays the mode of the Controller (Auto - Manual)
Represents a text box control that can be used to edit the data.
Represents a control that plots data with lines or bars.
Represents a Windows control that displays a frame around a group of controls with an optional caption.
Is a container used to group a set of graphic components. It usually has a title at the top.
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Control
LED
ListBox
NumEditor
NumericUpDown
Panel
PictureBox
RadioButton
RapidExecutionStatus
RunRoutineButton
Switch
TabControl
TpsLabel
Description
Displays a two states value, like a Digital Signal.
Represents a control to display a list of items.
Allows the user to select one or more items from a list contained within a static, multiple line text box.
Represents a text box control that can be used to edit a number.
When the user clicks it, a Numpad is opened.
Represents a spin box that displays numeric values.
Used to group collection of controls.
Represents a picture box control that displays images.
Allows to select only one of a predefined set of options.
Displays the execution status of the Controller Rapid Domain
(Running - Auto)
Represents a Windows button control that calls a RapidRoutine when clicked
Displays and lets change a two states value, like a Digital
Output Signal.
Manages a set of tab pages.
Very commonly used widget that displays text, a label is usually static, that is, it has nointeractivity. A label generally identifies a nearby text box or other graphic component.
NOTE!
For more information on using these controls and their properties, see the section
Building the user interface on page 18
and the chapter Using the FlexPendant SDK of the Application
manual - Robot Application Builder.
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Properties window
A control is characterized by its properties and events. Properties describe the appearance and behavior of the component, while events describe the ways in which a control notifies its internal state change to others. By changing the value of a property, the controls have a different look and feel, or exhibit different behavior.
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1
2
Element Description
Graphical component name panel Displays the selected component, and lists the available components of the on the active design screen.
Properties window toolbar
3 Table panel
4 Information panel
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1. Organizes table panel in categories
2. Organizes table panel alphabetically
3. Displays Properties in table panel
4. Displays Events in table panel
Displays all the properties or events in twocolumns. The first column shows the property or event name, the second shows the value of the property or name of the event handler.
Display information about a property or event.
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Editing the property value
You can edit the property value of a control from the Properties window in three ways:
1 By typing the numerics, strings and text.
For example, Location, Size, Name etc.
2 By selecting the predefined values from the list. For example, BackColor, Font etc.
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3 By entering the values in the dialog box.
For example, Enabled, States, BaseValue etc.
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Building the user interface
This section describes building the GUIs using the following controls from the ToolBox.
ActionTrigger
An action trigger initiates an event, such as making a hidden object visible when an action is performed using a control. It allows to run a list of actions when the property value changes.
The property value can be bound to a signal, rapid data, or application variable.
ActionTrigger control can also be used to invoke the application from RAPID.
Use this procedure to add an ActionTrigger control::
Action
1 Drag an ActionTrigger control from the ToolBox on to the design surface.
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Action
You can modify the name, set the default value and configure data binding value for a ActionTrigger control.
• To set the values of a property, see
• You can set the trigger event for an ActionTrigger to any of the event handler created either from a control or from an Events Manager option. To set up the events, see
• To configure the data binding values, see
Configuring data binding on page
.
• To set the application variables, see
Managing application variables on page
.
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NOTE: An action is not triggered when the screen is launched for the first time, but is triggered when there is a difference in the binded value at any point of time. This functionality is supported only in RobotWare 5.12.02.
Example: Consider a signal being binded to the value property. The value of the signal changes at runtime on performing a specific action. The event handler configured for
ActionTrigger control gets triggered based on this value change.
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TpsLabel
TpsLabel is a standard Windows label that displays a descriptive text.
Use this procedure to add a TpsLabel control:
Step Action
1
2
3
Drag a TpsLabel control from the ToolBox on to the design surface.
You can set the values, setup events, configure data binding values and set the application values for a TpsLabel control.
•
To set the values of a property, see
•
.
•
To configure the data binding values, see
Configuring data binding on page
• To set the application variables, see
Managing application variables on page
You can set the option Allow Multiple States to true and change the property.
1. Click AllowMultipleStates. The Status Editor dialog box appears.
2. Click the check-box Allow Multi-States, select the properties to change from
Properties For States and click OK.
Panel
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NOTE: Button, PictureBox, and TpsLabel controls also support AllowMultipleStates option.
Panel is used to group a collection of controls.
Use this procedure to add a Panel control:
Step Action
1
2
Drag a Panel control from the ToolBox on to the design surface.
You can add a group of controls to a panel.
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Step Action
3 You can modify the name, set the default value and binding value for a Panel control.
• To set the values of a property, see
• To set up the events, see
• To configure the data binding values, see
Configuring data binding on page
.
• To set the application variables, see
Managing application variables on page
.
NOTE: Currently only EventHandler, CancelEventHandlers, and MouseEventArgs are supported.
ControllerModeStatus
ControllerModeStatus displays the mode of the controller (Auto - Manual).
Use this procedure to add a ControllerModeStatus control:
Step Action
1
2
3
Drag a ControllerModeStatus control from the ToolBox on to the design surface.
You can set the values, setup events, configure data binding values, and set the application variables for a ControllerModeStatus control.
• To set the values of a property, see
• To set up the events, see
• To configure the data binding values, see
Configuring data binding on page
.
• To set the application variables, see
Managing application variables on page
.
You can select the image to be displayed when the controller is in Auto mode and in
Manual mode.
• Click AutoImage in the Properties window and browse to select the image to be displayed in Auto mode.
• Click ManualImage in the Properties window and browse to select the image to be displayed in Manual mode.
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RapidExecutionStatus
RapidExecutionStatus displays the execution status of the Controller Rapid Domain
(Running - Auto). This control is used
Use this procedure to add a RapidExecutionStatus control:
Step Action
1
2
3
Drag a RapidExecutionStatus control from the ToolBox on to the design surface.
You can set the values, setup events, configure data binding values, and set the application values for a RapidExecutionStatus control.
•
To set the values of a property, see
•
.
•
To configure the data binding values, see
Configuring data binding on page
• To set the application variables, see
Managing application variables on page
You can select the image to be displayed when the Program is running and is stopped.
• Click RunningImage in the Properties window and browse to select the image to be displayed when the Program is running.
• Click StoppedImage in the Properties window and browse to select the image to be displayed when the Program is stopped.
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RunRoutineButton
RunRoutineButton represents a Windows button that calls a RapidRoutine when clicked.
Use this procedure to add a RunRoutineButton control:
Step Action
1 Drag a RunRoutineButton control from the ToolBox on to the design surface.
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Step Action
2
3
You can set the values, setup events, configure data binding values, and set the application values for a RapidExecutionStatus control.
• To set the values of a property, see
• To set up the events, see
• To configure the data binding values, see
Configuring data binding on page
.
• To set the application variables, see
Managing application variables on page
.
You can perform the following RunRoutineButton tasks from the SmartTag:
• Define Actions before calling Routine
• Select Routine to call
• Define Actions after calling Routine
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You can perform the following RunRoutineButton tasks from the Properties window.
• RoutineToCall - RAPID Routine will be called
• AllowInAuto - Indicates if the routine could be called in the Auto mode
• TextAlign - Indicates the alignment of text
NOTE:
• You cannot bind RunRoutineButton to built-in Service routines as only the user defined procedures without arguments are bindable.
• Set the PP to task before performing action through RunRoutineButton.
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2 Managing ScreenMaker projects
2.1. Overview
2 Managing ScreenMaker projects
2.1. Overview
Overview
This chapter describes how to manage projects in ScreenMaker. A complete cycle includes creating, saving, building, connecting, and deploying a ScreenMaker project.
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2 Managing ScreenMaker projects
2.2. Managing ScreenMaker projects
2.2. Managing ScreenMaker projects
Overview
You can manage a project (create, delete, load, or save) either from ScreenMaker ribbon or
Context menu.
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ScreenMaker Ribbon en0900000395
Context menu
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Creating a new project
Use this procedure to create a new project:
1. Click New from the ScreenMaker ribbon or right-click Project context menu and select
New Project.
The New ScreenMaker Project dialog box appears.
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2. Enter a new project name and specify a location for the new project.
A default screen MainScreen (main) is added in the tree view.
By default, the new project is saved on C:\My Documents\My ScreenMaker Projects.
3. Click OK.
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Loading a project
Use this procedure to load an existing project:
1. Click Open from the ScreenMaker ribbon or right-click Project context menu and select
Open Project.
The Open Screen Project file dialog box appears.
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2. Browse to the location of the project file to be loaded and click Open.
NOTE!
You can also load an existing project using a quick access method.
1. Click Recent from the ScreenMaker ribbon or right-click Project context menu and select Recent Projects.
2. Select the project file from the list of most recently opened projects.
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Saving a project
To save a project, follow this step:
• Click Save from the ScreenMaker ribbon or right-click Project context menu and select Save.
To save the existing project with a new name, follow this step:
• Click SaveAs from the ScreenMaker ribbon or right-click Project context menu and select Save As.
NOTE!
Project files are saved with the extension .smk.
Closing a project
To close a project, follow this step:
• Click Close Project from the ScreenMaker ribbon or right-click Project context menu and select Close.
Managing screens
This section describes adding, renaming, deleting, and editing a screen.
Creating a screen
1. Click Screen from the ScreenMaker ribbon or right-click Project context menu and select Add Screen.The New Screen dialog box appears.
2. Enter the name of the new screen in Name text box.
3. Click OK.
Deleting a screen en0900000563
1. From the Project tree view, select the screen to be deleted.
2. Right-click and select Delete.
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Renaming a screen
1. From the Project tree view, select the screen to be renamed.
2. Right-click and select Rename. The Rename of Screen dialog box appears.
3. Enter the new name in the text box and click OK.
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Editing a screen
For information on editing a screen, see
.
Changing the Main screen
You have the option to change the main screen in the project to active.
1. From the Project tree view, select the screen to be changed.
2. Right-click and select Set as Main Screen.
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Modifying Project properties
Project properties define the properties of the ScreenMaker project, including how the GUI is loaded and displayed in the FlexPendant.
Use this procedure to modify the project properties:
1. Right-click Project context menu and select Properties.
The Project Properties dialog box appears.
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2. In the Display tab under Texts, enter the text in Caption of the Application to edit the caption.
The updated caption appears in the ABB menu on the right side.
3. In the Display tab under Images, browse and select the images of ABB Menu and Taskbar in the respective boxes.
NOTE!
By default, User default image and User Menu image checkboxes are enabled and the default image tpu-Operator32.gif is selected.
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Connecting to controller
Use this procedure to establish the connection with a controller:
1. From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click Connect.
The Select a Robot Controller dialog box appears.
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2. Click Refresh to find a list of all the available controllers.
NOTE!
• By default, the currently connected controller is highlighted and has a small icon before the row as an indicator.
3. Select the controller to be connected from the list and click Connect.
The connection status is displayed in the Project tree view.
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Building a project
The result from building the ScreenMaker project is a set of files including DLL file and images. The ScreenMaker project can be compiled into binary format (.dll) that can be deployed on a FlexPendant.
Use this procedure to build a project:
1. From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click Build and select Build.
The result is displayed in the output window.
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Deploying to controller
Use this procedure to deploy a ScreenMaker project on a real controller or virtual controller:
1. Connect to the controller you want to deploy. See
Connecting to controller on page 32
2. From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click Deploy.
The Download dialog box appears displaying the progress of download. It disappears once the download is successful.
The TpsViewxxxxxx.dll file is downloaded.
3. Restart the controller.
NOTE!
•
If a real controller is used, you can reboot the FlexPendant by moving its joystick three times to the right, once to the left, and once towards you.
• If a virtual controller is used, you can reboot the FlexPendant by closing the virtual
FlexPendant window.
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2 Managing ScreenMaker projects
2.3. Application variables
2.3. Application variables
Overview
Application variables, also called temporary variables are created for a ScreenMaker project.
During runtime, they reside in the FlexPendant memory. It is used for data sharing and performance improvement. It is similar to a RAPID variable and has a RAPID data type.
Managing application variables
To create, delete, and rename an application variable, follow these steps:
1. In the Project context menu, right-click and select Application Variables. The
Project Application Variables dialog box appears.
2. Click Add and define the name, type and value of the new variable.
3. Select the variable, click Delete to delete a variable.
4. Select the variable, click Rename, enter the new name and click OK to rename a variable.
5. Click Close.
en0900000402
NOTE!
For information on application variable data binding, see
Application variable data binding on page 42
.
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2.4. Form designer
2.4. Form designer
Overview
The Form designer is a tool to edit or design a screen. It allows you to design the screen with the required controls and the design surface resembles a FlexPendant screen.
Editing a screen
To edit a screen, follow these steps:
1. Drag a control from the toolbox and drop it on the design surface.
The Properties window displays all the properties of the control.
2. Select the control and resize or reposition for configuration.
NOTE!
You can either select a single control or multiple controls:
• Single control : Left-click the control on the design surface or select the control from the list in the Properties window.
•
Multiple controls: Left-click on the design surface, drag the mouse and create a window selecting all the controls.
3. Click the smart tag on the upper right corner of the control to perform the basic tasks of
Configuring data binding on page 38
Setup Events
NOTE!
You can perform additional configuration by editing the attributes in the of the Properties window. See
.
Event handler is a set of actions to be executed after an event occurs. To set up an event, follow these steps:
1. Select the control for which the event handler is to be defined.
2. Open the Events Panel dialog box in any one of the following ways:
•
Double-click the control.
• Right-click the control, select Events Manager, click Add, enter the name, and click
OK and close.
•
Click smart tag and select the task from the list.
• In the Properties window, click Events icon and select the desired event from the list.
3. Click Add Action to add an action from a predefined list of actions.
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2.4. Form designer
Continued
The following table lists the set of predefined actions:
Screen • Open Screen
• Close Screen
Signals en0900000554
• Set a Digital Signal
• Invert a Digital Signal
• Pulse a Digital Signal
• Read a Signal
• Write a Signal
• Reset a Digital Signal
36
RapidData en0900000555
• Read a Rapid Data
• Write a Rapid Data en0900000553
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2 Managing ScreenMaker projects
2.4. Form designer
Continued
• Call another Action list
• Call .NET method
• Call Cuctom Action en0900000552
4. Select the action from the left window and perform the following:
•
Click Delete to delete the action.
• Click Move Up or Move Down to change the order of execution of actions.
5. Click OK.
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2.5. Data binding
2.5. Data binding
Overview
Data binding is the mechanism that links a GUI property with an external data source such that whenever the data source is updated the GUI property will be updated automatically and vice verse. Databinding has the following three aspects:
• A unidirectional connection means that an update of the data source is reflected by the
GUI, or vice versa; a bidirectional connection means that updates to either are reflected by the other.
•
A temporal connection can be suspended and resumed at any time.
• A convertable connection negotiates between the different data types or formats between the data source and the GUI property.
A screen has to be linked with data to be useful. There are two ways of linking the data with the GUI properties:
• Controller object data binding
•
Application variable data binding
Configuring data binding
Data binding can be configured in the following two ways:
Using smart tag
Smart tags perform basic configuration tasks like binding default GUI property with controller data. Controls either display or edit information have a value to represent the information. Smart tag binds the value to the controller object.
• On the design surface, select the control and click the smart tag. The tasks menu appears.
Using Binding menu en0900000398
1. On the design surface, select the control.
2. In the Properties window, locate the row from the table for binding the value.
3. Select the attribute and click the list to display the Binding menu.
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2.5. Data binding
Continued
en0900000399
Menu Description
Remove actual binding Removes the existing data binding
Bind to a Controller object Select available data in the controller for binding.
Bind to an Application variable Select available data in project temporary data store for binding.
Configuring data binding for different controls
Almost all the controls defined in the toolbox (except ComboBox and ListBox) have the following two options for binding values:
•
Bind to a Controller Object
• Bind to an Application Variable
Binding to an array can be done to the following controls:
• DataEditor
•
ComboBox
•
ListBox
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2.5. Data binding
Continued
Control
DataEditor
Description
The default index value is 1. DataEditor is designed in such a way that the default value of the Rapid array starts with 1 and not 0. en0900000641
ComboBox and ListBox The default index value is -1. You can enter the appropriate index value but cannot bind to a controller object or an application variable.
en0900000642
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2.5. Data binding
Continued
Controller object data binding
Controller object data binding lets you to select the data in the controller for binding.
Use this procedure to set up a binding with controller object:
1. Select Bind to a Controller Object either using smart tag or binding menu.
The Controller Object Binding dialog box appears.
en0900000400
2. In the Type of object group, select either Rapid data or Signal data.
3. If you select Rapid data, from the Scope group, select a task and module from the list.
4. If you select Signal data, the Scope group is disabled.
5. In the See list, select the desired data.
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2.5. Data binding
Continued
Application variable data binding
Application variables are used for data binding in the same way as controller data. See
Controller object data binding on page 41
.
Use this procedure to set up a binding with application variables:
1. Select Bind to an Application Variable either using smart tag or binding menu.
The Application Variables Bind Form dialog box appears.
en0900000403
2. Select an application variable and the field to connect.
3. Click Setup Variables to manage the variables.
The Project Application Variables dialog box appears. See
Managing application variables on page 34
.
4. Click OK.
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2.6. Screen navigation
2.6. Screen navigation
Overview
Screen navigation in ScreenMaker follows a tree structure.
Consider the following example,
•
To open screen A1, you first have to open Screen A
• To navigate from screen A1 to screen B1, you first have to close screen A1 and then
Screen A and navigate from Main Screen through Screen B to screen B1.
•
Similarly, to navigate from screen B1 to screen C1, you first have to close screen B1 and Screen B and then navigate from Main Screen through Screen C to screen C1.
en0900000645
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2.6. Screen navigation
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3 Tutorial
3.1. Overview
3 Tutorial
3.1. Overview
About this chapter
This chapter is designed as a tutorial to take you through the steps involved in designing a
FlexArc Operator Panel, a simple arc-welding cell, whose robots perform three different jobs.
The operator panel will display the following graphic elements:
•
Controller Status, including the controller mode and the RAPID execution status
• Part Status, including the number of produced parts, the average cycle time per part, and a reset button
•
Robot jobs and locations, including Produce (for welding parts), Bull’s Eye (for calibration) and Service (for servicing the welding gun)
• Start and Stop buttons
Workflow
1. Create a station with a system, define the project and create application variables. For
Prerequistes for designing FlexArc Operator Panel on page 46
.
2. Define the controls/graphic elements on the screen. For more information, see
Designing the screen on page 48
.
3. Build and Deploy the project. For more information, see
Building and deploying the project on page 54 .
The following table shows the workflow involved in designing a FlexArc Operator panel:
FlexArc Operator Panel on page 46
For creating a station with a system, defining your project, and creating your application variables.
Designing the screen on page 48
For defining the graphics of your screen.
Building and deploying the project on page 54
For building and deploying the GUI.
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3 Tutorial
3.2. Prerequistes for designing FlexArc Operator Panel
3.2. Prerequistes for designing FlexArc Operator Panel
Procedure
46
Use this procedure to create a station with a system, define the project, and create the application variables involved in designing a FlexArc Operator Panel:
1. Create a system for the FlexArc Operator Panel.
For more information about creating a system, see Creating a system from layout, in
Operating manual - RobotStudio.
2. Create a station in RobotStudio with the system created in the previous step.
For more information about creating a station, see New Station, in Operating manual -
RobotStudio.
3. In RobotStudio, click ScreenMaker to launch the ScreenMaker application.
For information about ScreenMaker GUI, see
Development environment on page 13
4. From the ScreenMaker ribbon, create a new project and name it as FlexArcGUI, and save it in the default location.
The new tab MainScreen is added to the Design Surface.
For more information about creating and managing projects, see
Managing ScreenMaker projects on page 26
.
5. In the context menu, build and deploy the project by connecting to the controller.
The result is displayed in the output window.
For more information about building and deploying projects, see
6. In the context menu, create application variables and configure them with the data in the following table:
Name
MyResetValue
JobProduce
JobIdle
JobBulls
JobService
Type
num num num num num
Value
0
1
0
2
3
For more information about application variables, see
Managing application variables on page 34
7. Create MainModule.mod for the task T_ROB1.
8. Create RAPID variables with the following data:
Name
partsReady cycleTime
JobIdle
JobProduce
JobBulls
Type
num num num num num
PERS
PERS
CONST
CONST
CONST
Value
1
2
16
5.01645
0
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Name
JobService
Type
num
3 Tutorial
3.2. Prerequistes for designing FlexArc Operator Panel
Continued
CONST
Value
3
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3 Tutorial
3.3. Designing the screen
3.3. Designing the screen
Overview
A major effort in the GUI project development is designing screens. The Form designer in the
ScreenMaker allows you to drag controls from the toolbox to the design surface. Using the
Properties window, you can resize, position, label, color, and configure the controls.
For information on the form designer, see
.
For information on the toolbox, see
For information on the property window, see
.
Designing FlexArc Operator Panel screen
The FlexArc Operator Panel screen is designed using the following controls in the ToolBox:
•
GroupBox. For more information, see
•
Status Icons. For more information, see
.
• Label and Number editor. For more information, see
Label and Number Editor on page 49
.
•
Picture box. For more information, see
•
Button. For more information, see
GroupBox
1. Drag a GroupBox control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window.
Property
Location
Size
Title
BackColor
Value
14,45
150,100
Controller Status
LightGray
2. Drag another GroupBox control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window.
Property
Location
Size
Title
Value
14,170
150,204
Part Status
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3.3. Designing the screen
Continued
Status icon
1. Drag a ControllerModeStatus control from the Controller Data category on to the
Controller Status groupbox and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Value
19,40
44,44
2. Drag a RapidExecutionStatus control from the ControllerData category on to the
Controller Status groupbox and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Value
80,40
44,44
Label and Number Editor
1. Drag a Label control from the General category on to the Part Status groupbox and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Title
BackColor
Font
Value
16,30
131,20
Parts Produced
LightGray
TpsFont10
2. Drag a NumEditor from the ControllerData category on to the Parts Status: groupbox and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Value
Value
16,56
116,23
Bind to a Controller object
For example, RAPID num datatype.
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3.3. Designing the screen
Continued
3. Drag another Label control from the General category on to the Part Status groupbox and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Text
BackColor
Font
Value
16,89
131,20
Cycle time/part
LightGray
TpsFont10
4. Drag another NumEditor control from the General category on to the Part Status groupbox and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Value
Value
16,115
116,23
Bind to a Controller object
For example, RAPID num datatype.
PictureBox
NOTE!
It is not mandatory to use only the images (.gif ) mentioned in the tabel below (for example,
RobotAtBullseye.GIF, FlexArcCell.GIF...). You can use any image (.gif ) of your choice. The images (.gif) mentioned below are only examples.
1. Drag a PictureBox control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
SizeMode
Image
Value
177,28
284,359
StretchImage
FlexArcCell.GIF
2. Drag a second PictureBox control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window.
Property
Location
Size
SizeMode
Image
Visible
Value
369,31
48,48
StretchImage
RobotAtBullseye.GIF
Link to DI_RobotAtBullseye
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3.3. Designing the screen
Continued
3. Drag a third PictureBox control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
SizeMode
Image
Visible
Value
237,31
48,48
StretchImage
RobotAtHome.GIF
Link to DI_RobotAtHome
4. Drag a fourth PictureBox control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
SizeMode
Image
Visible
Value
369,31
48,48
StretchImage
RobotAtService.GIF
Link to DI_RobotAtService
Button
1. Drag a Button control from the General category on to the Part Status group box. In the properties window, set the following values:
Property
Location
Size
Text
Value
33,154
85,34
Reset
Define the following for the Reset button in the Part Status group:
1. Double-click the button or click the Smart tag and select Define Actions when
clicked to open the Events Panel dialog box.
2. Click Add Action and point to Rapid Data, and then select Write Rapid Data. The
Action Parameters dialog box appears.
3. In the Action Parameters dialog box, define the following values and click OK.
Rapid Data to Write
T_ROB1.MainModule.partsReady
T_ROB1.MainModule.cycleTime
Value to Write
MyResetValue.Value
MyResetValue.Value
2. Drag a second Button control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Value
486,66
116,105
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Continued
52
Property
Text
Font
BackColor
Enabled
Value
Start
TpsFont20b
LimeGreen
Link to DI_RobotAtHome
Perform the following actions on the Start button:
1. Double-click the button or click the Smart tag and select Define Actions when
clicked to open the Events Panel dialog box.
2. Click Add Action and point to Rapid Data, and then select Write Rapid Data. The
Action Parameters dialog box appears.
3. In the Action Parameters dialog box, define the following values and click OK.
Rapid Data to Write
T_ROB1.MainModule.JobProduce
Value to Write
JobProduce
3. Drag a third Button control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Text
Font
BackColor
Enabled
Value
486,226
116,105
Stop
TpsFont20b
LimeGreen
Link to DI_PRODUCE
Perform the following actions on the Stop button:
1. Double-click the button or click the Smart tag and select Define Actions when
clicked to open the Events Panel dialog box.
2. Click Add Action and point to Rapid Data, and then select Write Rapid Data. The
Action Parameters dialog box appears.
3. In the Action Parameters dialog box, define the following values and click OK.
Rapid Data to Write
T_ROB1.MainModule.JobIdle
Value to Write
JobIdle
4. Drag a a fourth Button control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Text
Font
BackColor
Value
274,246
111,47
BullsEye
TpsFont14b
LimeGreen
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3.3. Designing the screen
Continued
Property
Enabled
Value
Link to DI_RobotAtHome
Perform the following actions on the BullsEye button:
1. Double-click the button or click the Smart tag and select Define Actions when
clicked to open the Events Panel dialog box.
2. Click Add Action and point to Rapid Data, and then select Write Rapid Data. The
Action Parameters dialog box appears.
3. In the Action Parameters dialog box, define the following values and click OK.
Rapid Data to Write
T_ROB1.MainModule.JobBulls
Value to Write
JobBulls
5. Drag a fifth Button control from the General category on to the design surface and set the following values in the Properties window:
Property
Location
Size
Text
Font
BackColor
Enabled
Value
274,324
111,47
Service
TpsFont14b
LimeGreen
Link to DI_RobotAtHome
Perform the following actions on the Service button:
1. Double-click the button or click the Smart tag and select Define Actions when
clicked to open the Events Panel dialog box.
2. Click Add Action and point to Rapid Data, and then select Write Rapid Data. The
Action Parameters dialog box appears.
3. In the Action Parameters dialog box, define the following values and click OK.
Rapid Data to Write
T_ROB1.MainModule.JobService
Value to Write
JobService
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3 Tutorial
3.4. Building and deploying the project
3.4. Building and deploying the project
Procedure
1. From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click Build.
For more information on building the project, see
.
2. From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click Deploy.
For more information on deploying the project, see
Deploying to controller on page 33
3. In RobotStudio, press Ctrl+F5 to launch the Virtual Flexpendant and click FlexArc
Operator Panel to open the GUI.
NOTE!
Ensure that you start the RAPID execution and switch the controller into Auto mode.
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4 Frequently asked questions
4.1. Frequently asked questions
4 Frequently asked questions
4.1. Frequently asked questions
How to deploy manually to a Virtual Controller
If for any reason you wish to manually by-pass the Deploy button in RobotStudio and the virtual controller, the following information describes what files are to be moved.
Actions
Location of output files
The files that contain the FlexPendant application from ScreenMaker are found (for example) in the bin directory under the My ScreenMaker Projects located in the My documents directory of the user.
For example, My Documents\My ScreenMaker Projects\SCM_Example\bin where
SCM_Example is the example ScreenMaker project.
The files in the bin directory are to be copied to a location where the Virtual FlexPendant can read them during the start of the FlexPendant.
Location where the Virtual FlexPendant reads the files
The recommended location for manually copying the ScreenMaker output files is the location of the virtual controller system.
If the system is created manually from System Builder, it is located in the My Documents directory.
For example, My Documents\IRB4400_60_SCM_Example\HOME where
IRB4400_60_SCM_Example is the example controller system.
If the system is created by a Pack-and-Go and then restored, it is located in the
RobotStudio\Systems folder.
For example,
MyDocuments\RobotStudio\Systems\IRB4400_60_SCM_Example\HOME where
IRB4400_60_SCM_Example is the example controller system.
Copy files
Copy the files from the ScreenMaker output to the Home directory of the virtual controller system.
Restart the Virtual FlexPendant and the new application will be loaded.
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4 Frequently asked questions
4.1. Frequently asked questions
Continued
How to change the application name and image on the FlexPendant
When a ScreenMaker project is created the first time, the caption on the FlexPendant and image is set by default. You will want to change this.
Actions
Right-click Project and select Properties.
en0900000666
The Project Properties dialog box appears showing how the project appears on the
FlexPendant.
56 en0900000667
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4.1. Frequently asked questions
Continued
Picture object and changing images due to I/O
The typical user objective is to have an image that changes when an I/O signal changes, this is common for a digital input to affect the state on the FlexPendant.
Actions
This is accomplished by adding an image and allowing the image to have multiple states.
Set AllowMultipleState to TRUE and set the Image state.
en0900000668
Create two states and add images for each state: en0900000669
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4 Frequently asked questions
4.1. Frequently asked questions
Continued
The Value property is extremely important. If binding to a digital input then there are two states for the input, 0 and 1. Set the Value property to the value of the bound variable. 0 and
1 for digital input. It is also possible to bind to RAPID variables and have multiple states and values for the values in the RAPID variable.
Set the SelectedStateValue property to bind to a controller object: en0900000670
Using CommandBar and the menu items
Using CommandBars allow buttons to appear at the bottom of the screen in a controlled and organized order.
en0900000671
In the preceding graphic, the CommandBar has three menu items Gate, Conveyor, and
Motor. The objective is to have events trigger when these are clicked.
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Actions
4 Frequently asked questions
4.1. Frequently asked questions
Continued
First create the CommandBar and add the menu items (either by editing the menu items property or by clicking the small arrow on the upper right of the active CommandBar) and add the menu items.
en0900000672
To add events to the menu items, go to the Properties dialog and select the menu item from the drop down list.
en0900000673
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4 Frequently asked questions
4.1. Frequently asked questions
Continued
Select Gate menu item. The following dialog appears.
60 en0900000674 en0900000409
1. In the preceding graphic, select 4 to add an event when the menu item is clicked.
2. Click the drop-down list to select the event. The events are added automatically
For more information on various ways of opening the Events Panel dialog box, see
.
en0900000675
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4.1. Frequently asked questions
Continued
en0900000676
CommandBar menu items do not appear
When adding CommandBar menu items, ensure that the Text property is filled, if not nothing will appear on the CommandBar.
en0900000677
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4 Frequently asked questions
4.1. Frequently asked questions
Continued
How to get radio buttons to show state when entering
The objective is to have two radio buttons that controls one digital output. When the screen is loaded, the buttons should show the current state of the output.
Actions
Create a group or a panel and place the two radio buttons on the group or panel.
For button1, set the property default value to True and bind the property to the value of the controller digital output signal.
For button1, do not do any changes.
When the screen is loaded, the state of the two radio buttons is established correctly.
Binding to arrays and using the index correctly
While a RAPID index starts with 1 (1 selects the first element), the ComboBox index starts with 0 (0 selects the first index). You should be aware of this when using ComboBoxes.
How to reboot the FlexPendant after re-deploying
If a real controller is used, you can reboot your FlexPendant by holding the FlexPendant joystick and performing the following sequence:
Move the joystick three times to the right, once to the left and once down.
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Index
A
Application Variables
create,delete, rename application variables
FlexPendant memory
RAPID variable
C
Configure data binding
Using Binding menu
Using Smart tag
Connecting a controller
D
Data Binding
Application variable data binding
Controller object data binding
Design surface
Development Environment
L
LED
M
Manage ScreenMaker Project
Close project
Create project
Load project
Save project
Manage Screens
Create screen
Delete screen
Edit screen
Rename screen
Managing ScreenMaker Projects
Build project
Modify project properties
P
Properties Window
Event Help panel
Graphical Component Name panel
Properties window toolbar
Table panel
S
Screen navigation
switch
T
ToolBox
ActionTrigger
BarGraph
CheckBox
ComboBox
CommandBar
ControllerModeStatus
DataEditor
Graph
GroupBox
ListBox
NumEditor
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NumericUpDown
Panel
PictureBox
RapidExecutionStatus
RunRoutineButton
TabControl
TpsLabel
63
Index
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Key features
Develop custom screens for the FlexPendant
Create GUIs without Visual Studio and .NET
Manage ScreenMaker projects
Add, rename, delete and edit screens
Bind data to GUI elements
Build and deploy projects to controller
Frequently asked questions
ScreenMaker is a tool in RobotStudio for developing custom screens. It is used to create customized FlexPendant GUIs without the need to learn Visual Studio development environment and .NET programming.
Customized user interfaces are expensive and very time-consuming to develop. Currently, an understanding of some object-oriented programming languages (such as C, C++; VB and C#) and development framework (.NET, Visual Studio) are required to develop screens. Since, this is a requirement for IT professionals and not for the robotics industry whose workforce is generally accustomed to simple programming languages such as BASIC and RAPID; ScreenMaker is used.
RobotStudio 5.12 or later with Premium license activated, Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0, Robot Application Builder (RAB) 5.12 or later.
From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click New. In the New ScreenMaker Project dialog box, enter a project name and specify a location for the new project. Click OK.
From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click Connect. In the Select a Robot Controller dialog box, click Refresh to find a list of all the available controllers. Select the controller you want to connect to and click Connect.
Connect to the controller you want to deploy. From the ScreenMaker ribbon, click Deploy. The Download dialog box appears displaying the progress of download. It disappears once the download is successful. Restart the controller.