Browsing CLData commands

Besides the current command, a postprocessor can look at other commands of the file - read the code of the current or the following command, look ahead for a command of a given type, or walk the whole file. sppx offers a set of dedicated functions for this; .NET does the same through the navigation members of ICLDCommand and the CLDFile object. Command codes/types are the common thread: sppx identifies a command type by a numeric code (obtained from a name with CodeOfCmd), .NET by the CLDCmdType enumeration.

Access from sppx

CurCode function

CurCode function returns the code of the current CLData command. Each CLData command has a unique numerical identifier - code. CLData command codes are listed in the technology commands description. Example of a function inside the command handler CIRCLE below.

program Circle
  Print CurCode
end

As a result of the program in debug window output the number 15000.

The code of a following CLData command can be obtained with NextCode function. For the code of arbitrary commands on its textual name should use the CodeOfCmd function.

NextCode function

The NextCode function returns the code of technological command, which is located immediately after the current command. Each CLData command has a unique numerical identifier - code. CLData command codes are listed in the technology commands description. The code of a current CLData command can be obtained with CurCode function. For the code of arbitrary commands on its textual name should use the CodeOfCmd function.

if NextCode=CodeOfCmd("Fini") then
Output "M02"

CodeOfCmd function

CodeOfCmd(CommandName: String) returns the code of CLData command, which name is passed as a parameter. Each CLData command has a unique numerical identifier - code. CLData command codes are listed in the technology commands description. The function has the following format.

CodeOfCmd(CommandName: String): Integer

CommandName - text name of the command. It must be one of the command names that can be seen in the CLData list on the left side of the main window. The returned value can be used with operators like CurCode, NextCode, GetCLD, CLDFile[i].Cmd[j].Code (see the CLDFile operator).

if NextCode=CodeOfCmd("Fini") then
Output "M02"

CLDCounter function

CLDCounter function returns the number of the current technology command in the technology command list file. For flexible access to arbitrary CLData command on its index in the file you can use the CLDFile operator.

GetCLD function

Use the GetCLD operator to browse CLData commands in the order they appear in the file. Browsing is possible only in forward direction. Syntax:

{CldCode =} GetCLD(i: Integer; a: Array of Real)

Here:

  • CldCode - GetCLD optionally returns the code of retrieved CLData command.

  • i - relative index of the queried CLData command:

    • 0 - current command,
    • 1 - next command,
    • 2 - second command from the current and so on.

  • a - a dynamic array of real, that will receive the data of the retrieved CLData command. It must be defined before the operator call.

For example, suppose the CLDATA commands list is as the following and suppose the current command is number 9:

5: CUTCOM ON(71),LENGTH(9) 2,X 0,Y 0,Z 0,N 0,K 0,M 0,LEFT(8)
6: RAPID N 10000
7: GOTO.abs X 134.533,Y 99.684,Z 80
8: RAPID N 10000
9: GOTO.abs X 134.533,Y 99.684,Z 74.400
10: FEDRAT N 50,K 4,MMPM(315)
11: GOTO.abs X 134.533,Y 99.684,Z 73.400
12: FEDRAT N 200,K 0,MMPM(315)
13: PLANE XY(33)

The technology command GOTO.abs program is the following:

program AbsMov
  a: Array of Real ! The array must be defined beforehand
  c: Integer ! This variable will receive the operation code
  c = GetCld(1, a) ! Retrieving the next command data
  if c = CodeOfCmd("FEDRAT") then
    ! Output the value of the first item of CLD array of
  Print "FEDRAT.CLD[1]=", Str(a[1]) ! the next command
end

The result of the program execution will be:

FEDRAT.CLD[1]=50.

To get access to the parameters of arbitrary technological command can also use the CLDFile operator.

GetCLDStr function

GetCLDStr returns a string representation of current CLData command with it's parameters similar to that displayed in the textual representation CLData window.

For example, inside the command handler AbsMov function can return a string like the following.

GOTO.abs X 134.533, Y 99.684, Z 80

FindCld function

Use the FindCld function to locate command named CmdName in the current CLData file. StartIndex parameter defines the first scanned command. StartIndex is relative to the first command in the current CLData file. If StartIndex parameter is omitted, then operator will scan commands starting with the command immediately following the current. The returned value is the index of the found command. When no command was found operator returns -1. The Data parameter must be a declared array of real. Data will receive the values from the found command's CLData array. Syntax:

N = FindCld({<StartIndex>, }<CmdName>, <Data>)

For example, suppose the following CLDATA and suppose the current command number is 0.

0: PARTNO "Bottle"
1: PPFUN …..
2: COMMENT "Roughing Waterline"
3: LOADTL N 2,X 0,Y 0,Z 0,D 8….
4: SPINDL ON(71),NO 397.887,K 0,MODE RPM(0)
5: CUTCOM ON(71),LENGTH(9) 2,X 0,Y 0,Z 0,N 0,K 0,M 0,LEFT(8)
6: RAPID N 10000
7: GOTO.abs X 134.533,Y 99.684,Z 80
8: RAPID N 10000

PartNo program is the following:

program PartNo
  V: Array of Real
  NCircle: Integer
  NGoto: Integer
  NCircle = FindCld("CIRCLE", V)
  NGoto = FindCld("GOTO.abs", V)
  if NGoto > NCircle then
    Print "The first movement is an arc"
  else
    Print "The first movement a cut"
End

In result of program execution the message "The first movement a cut" will be print out.

To get access to the parameters of arbitrary technological command can also use the CLDFile operator.

GFindCld function

The GFindCld function is similar to the FindCLD function, but it is looking for a command named CmdName in all of CLData files. StartIndex parameter defines the first scanned command. StartIndex is relative to the first command in the first CLData file. If StartIndex parameter is omitted, then operator will scan commands starting with the command immediately following the current. The returned value is the index of the found command. When no command is found operator returns -1. The Data parameter must be a declared array of real. Data will receive the values from the found command's CLData array. Syntax:

N = GFindCld({<StartIndex>, }<CmdName>, <Data>)

To get access to the parameters of arbitrary technological command can also use the CLDFile operator.

Access from .NET

.NET does not have the sppx browsing functions; instead each command (ICLDCommand) knows its neighbours and can search from itself, and the CLDFile object searches within a file. Command types are given by the CLDCmdType enumeration rather than by a numeric code obtained from a name.

sppx .NET Description
CurCode cmd.CmdTypeCode / cmd.CmdType type code / type of the current command
CLDCounter cmd.Index index of the current command in its file
CodeOfCmd("NAME") CLDCmdType.Name a command type - a named enum value instead of a looked-up code
GetCLD(0, a) / GetCLD(1, a) cmd / cmd.Next the current / the next command (cmd.Prev for the previous)
- cmd.NextMotion / cmd.PrevMotion the next / previous motion command
NextCode cmd.Next?.CmdType type of the following command
FindCld(name, data) cmd.FindNextCommand(type[, offset[, count]]) find the next command of a type in the same file
GFindCld(name, data) cmd.FindNextCommandOfProject(type[, ...]) find the next command of a type across all files
GetCLDStr cmd.CLDataS the textual representation of the command

cmd.Next / Prev return null past the ends of the file; the FindNext... methods return null when nothing is found. The CLData array of a found command is read through its CLD member (see CLD array), so no separate output array argument is needed.

// sppx: if NextCode = CodeOfCmd("Fini") then Output "M02"
if (cmd.Next != null && cmd.Next.CmdType == CLDCmdType.Fini)
    nc.OutWithN("M02");

// sppx: NGoto = FindCld("GOTO.abs", V)
ICLDCommand goto = cmd.FindNextCommand(CLDCmdType.Goto);
if (goto != null) {
    double firstParam = goto.CLD[1];
    // ...
}

To reach an arbitrary command by index, or to scan a whole file or project, use the CLDFile / project objects (FindCommand, IndexOfCmd).

See also