10 Packaging RAB applications
10.1.1. Overview
10 Packaging RAB applications
10.1 Deployment of a PC SDK application
10.1.1. Overview
Introduction
When your application is ready it has to be deployed to the customer’s PC. This chapter gives information about the facilities for deployment included in the RAB installation.
NOTE!
Neither RAB nor a RAB licence need to be installed on the PC that will host your application.
Furthermore, from RAB 5.10 you do NOT need to add the licence key to your project as described in
Licenses.licx on page 40
, as deployed PC applications no longer perform license verification when executing.
Facilities for deployment
In the redistributable folder at C:\Program Files\ABB Industrial IT\Robotics IT\Robot
Application Builder\ there are some files to be used for deployment of a PC SDK application:
• ABBControllerAPI.msm
•
ABB Industrial Robot Communication Runtime.msi
These two packages include all dependencies a PC SDK application has apart from .NET 2.0.
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ABBControllerAPI.msm
A PC SDK application cannot execute without the PC SDK assemblies it references. For your convenience, the ABBControllerAPI merge module contains the PC SDK assemblies. Add it to your install program to have them installed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC).
The GAC is automatically installed with the .NET runtime. It enables a PC to share assemblies across numerous applications. If the customer’s PC has Robot Studio Online of the same release as the PS SDK used to create the application the PC SDK dlls your application needs should be in the GAC already.
NOTE!
If you want to create an msi file (or a setup.exe) of the msm file, you can include the
ABBControllerAPI.msm file in a Visual Studio SetUp Project.
NOTE!
Before, ABBControllerAPI.msm worked only with InstallShield. This problem has now been resolved.
ABB Industrial Robot Communication Runtime.msi
For a PC SDK application to be able to connect to a controller either RobotStudio or Robot
Communications Runtime is required. If RobotStudio is not installed on the PC that will host your application, Robot Communications Runtime needs to be included in your installation.
ABB Industrial Robot Communication Runtime.msi can be used for redistribution as a separate installation.
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10 Packaging RAB applications
10.2.1. Overview
10.2 Deployment of a FlexPendant SDK application
10.2.1. Overview
Introduction
For the end customer to be able to use your application, it has to be deployed to the customer’s robot controller. This is done when the customer robot system is created, by using the System
Builder in RobotStudio. The custom application can then either be added as an additional option by using a license key, or added to the Home directory of the controller file system by using one of the dialogs of the System Builder wizard.
For an application with multi-language support there are a few more things to deal with.
NOTE!
Using an FTP client to upload the application from a PC to a robot controller can be done for testing purposes. It can also be done if the custom application needs to be added to an existing system, which is already running in production. See
Deployment using FTP on page 318
for information about how this is done.
Making a product
These are the steps to make a product of a custom FlexPendant application:
1. Approval of the FP SDK product requirement specification.
2. Design and development of a FP SDK GUI prototype.
3. Approval of the FP SDK GUI prototype.
4. Design and development of a FP SDK functional prototype.
5. Approval of the FP SDK functional prototype.
6. Design and development of a FP SDK product.
7. Approval of the FP SDK product.
8. Design and development of a deployable FP SDK product.
Deployment of a FlexPendant SDK product
Before deploying a custom application you need to consider these issues:
• Should the product be licensed, i.e. be sold as an option?
•
Is there a need to localize the product, i.e. create support for native languages?
Depending on how the above questions are answered there are four alternatives (detailed separately in the following sections of this manual):
1. License and localization
2. License but no localization
3. No license but localization
4. No license and no localization
NOTE!
If the product is to be licensed it should be deployed as an additional option. If not,
RobotStudio should be used to deploy the application to the Home directory of the system.
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10.2.2. Deployment of an application without a license
10.2.2. Deployment of an application without a license
Overview
If you do not make an additional option of your application, the end user does not need a license to use it.
When the customer system is created, by using the System Builder of RobotStudio, your application should be added to the Home directory of the system.
This section gives information about how this is done. The easiest alternative, which offers no support for additional languages, is explained first.
No license and no localization
This is how you deploy an application without license nor multi-language support.
Step Action
1. Use System Builder in RobotStudio.
2. Add the application assemblies(.dll) and other resources (‘.jpg, *.gif,*.bmp) to the
Home directory:
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10.1_2
3. Download the system to the robot controller.
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NOTE!
Having the application deployed to the Home directory means it will be included in a system backup.
No license but localization
This is how you deploy an application with no license but with multi-language support.
Step Action
1. Implement multi-language support. See
Localizing a FlexPendant application on page 299
for information on how to do it.
2. Use System Builder in RobotStudio.
3. Add the application assemblies(.dlls) and other resources (‘.jpg, *.gif,*.bmp) to the
Home directory:
10.1_2
Note! TpsViewIRC5AppTexts.dll is missing in the figure.
4. Generate the robot system.
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Step Action
5. In the generated RobotWare system, add a language directory with all supported languages in the Home directory. Then for each supported language, add a culture specific and a tps directory.
10.1_3
NOTE!
Standard names (de, zh etc.) must be used for the different languages. See
1 Create project for text resources on page 300
for the complete list.
6. Transfer each resource binary to the tps sub-directory of the respective culture directory, e.g.:
TpsViewIRC5App.strings.de.resources.dll to language/de/tps directory etc.
7. Download the system to the robot controller.
See
Localizing a FlexPendant application on page 299
for information on how to add
support for native languages to your custom application.
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10.2.3. Deployment of a licensed application
10.2.3. Deployment of a licensed application
Overview
When the customer system is created by System Builder of RobotStudio, a FlexPendant application can be added to the system as an additional option.
This section describes how to make the additional option, which is necessary for deployment of a licensed custom application. It also describes how the customer installs the option.
CAUTION!
An additional option must be distributed in accordance with RobotWare version and revision.
Pay attention if you are using functionality, which has been included in a revision!
NOTE!
An additional option must be deployed with the structure of RobotStudio.
Procedure for making an additional option
This is how you make an additional option of a FlexPendant SDK application.
Step Action
1. Implement multi-language support if considered necessary. See
Localizing a
FlexPendant application on page 299
for information on how to do it.
2. Order a license and a CD Key Maker from your local ABB office, who will in turn contact ABB SEROP product support in Sweden.
3. Create the following structure:
10.1_12
The language folder is needed if there is to be support for other languages.
NOTE!
Always use capital letters for the option name.
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Step Action
4. Create the version.xml file. It may look like this:
10.1_13
5. Create the install.cmd file. It may look like this:
10.1_14
6. Create relkey.txt file. It may look like this:
10.1_15
7. With the license, which is entered in the CD key Maker, generate a key file including the serial number of the Robot controller, e.g. MYOPTION508.kxt
(This is the file the user will enter in System Builder when the robot system is created.)
8. Package the product on CD the way your organization recommends.
NOTE!
If the option is only a FlexPendant SDK application the described procedure is enough. But if the option should also include RAPID and configuration, you need to read about how to make an additional option in another manual, which is for ABB internal use. See Related
information at the end of this section.
Installing the option at the customer
This is the how the customer installs a licensed application:
1. Install the additional option from a CD.
2. Create the robot system by using System Builder.
3. In the Add Parameters/Add Additional Options dialog browse to the key file, e.g.
MYOPTION508.kxt which came with the installation of the additional option.
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10.1_16
Related information
Application manual - Additional Options, 3HAC023668-001
The manual is intended for ABB use only. Contact After Sales in Västerås, Sweden.
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10.2.4. Deployment using FTP
10.2.4. Deployment using FTP
Overview
The general rule is that deployment using an FTP client should only be done during the development phase.
If deployment to a customer is done this way each controller has to be individually updated with assembly files as well as graphical and language resources. The organization of files in the robot controller file system is the responsibility of the application developer or the system integrator.
Procedure
Follow these steps to deploy your application using for example the File Manager of
RobotStudio or an FTP client such as Ftp Voyager:
4
5
6
Step Action
1
2
3
On the controller navigate to the system you want to update with the FlexPendant application.
Transfer the assembly, the proxy assembly and graphical resources used by the application to the system directory Home.
For multi-language support, in the Language directory create sub-directories for each language using the short name of the culture.
Create a “tps” sub-directory in each of these directories.
Copy each language resource to the tps folder of the corresponding culture.
Restart the FlexPendant. The custom application should now be accessible from the
ABB menu.
See
Restart the FlexPendant on page 49
for information about how to restart the
FlexPendant but not the controller.
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ABB AB
Robotics Products
S-721 68 VÄSTERÅS
SWEDEN
Telephone: +46 (0) 21 344000
Telefax: +46 (0) 21 132592
