469D Software Checkout For Dummies:


Instructions for making a new 469D.exe:

1) Drag the "Alltalk.sav" file on top of the "Alltalk.exe" icon
   and let go.

2) In the window in the lower left hand corner titled "Alltalk
   2.956", type in the following commands:  (IMPORTANT:  Commands
   are case-sensitive, and remember to type the semicolons!)

   INCLUDE 'c:\epdcproj\gui\aadefine.alt'; <ENTER>

   <system goes away for a second, then panels appear>

   stdin.erase; system.saveIn['469D.exe']; <ENTER>

   <wait 1-2 seconds>

3) Quit the application by going to the File menu and select Quit.

4) Start up the application by double-clicking on the 469D.exe
   icon or its shortcut.


Some very important files to know about:

To change units, change the text file Table.dat and restart the
application.  To find out what the parameters in Table.dat signify,
call up the Browser in the Service menu and click on "Table" in
the class list.  At the top of the file are explanations for all
the parameters.

To change digital i/o polarities, call up the Browser in the
service menu, do File, Open..., navigate into the GUI folder and
select "custom.alt".  At the bottom of the file are the polarity
definitions.  To change HPS low level digital input from active
high to active low, change

	hpsOvertempDI		.define[dio,  3, high]

to

	hpsOvertempDI		.define[dio,  3, low]

Make sure to save the changed custom.alt.  You will then need to
make a new 469D.exe as described above.

MainPanel.alt:  This file is the center of system operation.  All
system logic, turnon and turnoff, and status polling occurs in
this file.  file.  Use the browser to look at various important
methods:
	Method "update":
	This method poll for system status all the time.  Among 
	other things, it does post-mortem cleanup after an estop. 

	Methods of the form with "...Okay":
	These prevent you from doing harmful stuff, but sometimes
	they get in the way of checkout.  You can remove a check
	temporarily to get by editing and recompiling these methods.
	Make sure you don't save any changes to the source text or
	next time there won't be any protection.

	Equipment turnon/turnoff methods:  These are in their own
	sections, like "hps methods" or "hsm methods".  There are
	lots of things that happen when hydraulics is turned on
	or off.  Look here to see or change what happens.


Getting rid of safety checks entirely:  Call up the Listener
window from the Service menu, then type:

	hotwire := TRUE;

To reenable safety checks, type:

	hotwire := NIL;


Because Alltalk is an interactive programming language, the program
can be altered on the fly.  To do this, call up the Browser from
the Service menu, highlight the method you want to change, then
go into the Browser's Compile menu and select "Method".  The change
is then in effect.  But remember, changes are not permanent--- once
you quit the software, your change is gone.  Changes can only be
permanent if you change and save the source code, then remake a
new 469D.exe as described above.

