PPRINT - Postprocessor printing
Command caption
How the command appears in the CLData command list:
PPRINT "..."
PPRINT command passes text information from CAM system to postprocessor. The text of technology command is put into the CLDATA$ predefined variable, after that the text can be printed out into the operator window as a comment explaining postprocessor operation.
Toolpath tags
Besides free-form text, PPRINT is also used to tag key points of the toolpath. Such a tag is a PPRINT whose text starts with #, followed by the tag type and, optionally, a value:
PPRINT "#KeyPoint: StartCutting"
PPRINT "#Approach:[Rule 1]=C; Z10; X; Z"
PPRINT "#Return:[Rule 1]=Z10; X; Z; C"
The CAM system inserts these tags to annotate the toolpath - for example the start of cutting, and the rule that produced the approach or return move. A postprocessor can recognize a tag by the leading #, react to it if needed, or simply skip it so the marker does not reach the NC program. See The structure of a CLData listing for where these tags appear inside a real operation.
Access from sppx
Handler: program PPrint
Example (from the Fanuc (30i)_Mill postprocessor):
program PPrint
print cldata$
end
Access from .NET
Handler:
public override void OnPrint(ICLDPrintCommand cmd, CLDArray cld)
Inheritance: ICLDPrintCommand : ICLDCommand.
Read the parameters from the strongly-typed cmd object (recommended); the raw cld[i] array (same indices as in sppx) and the named cmd["..."] helpers are available too. The table lists the command's members, including those inherited from its base interfaces; the common ICLDCommand members (navigation, CLD, CLDFile, TechOperation, ...) are described in the CLData access model.
| Member | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
cmd.Text |
string |
Arbitrary text information transmitted from CAM. |
Example:
public override void OnPrint(ICLDPrintCommand cmd, CLDArray cld)
{
nc.OutWithN("(" + cmd.Text + ")"); // pass the CAM text into the NC program (here - as a comment)
}