SecsEquipCpp - A C++ Class for Deploying Equipment SECS Interfaces

The SecsEquipCpp class library is a high-level C++ class for rapidly deploying SEMI standard GEM compliant SECS equipment interfaces.   Without any customization, the class implements almost all of the Fundamental GEM Requirements and the Additional GEM Capabilities.  Method calls are provided for the developer to add his own Status Variables, Equipment Constants, Alarm Definitions, and Event Definitions to complement the existing items specified in the GEM standard.  The developer registers callbacks to receive asynchronous inputs such as Remote Command invocations, Terminal Display invocations, or the reception of any SECS message type of his choosing.  Other callback mechanisms are used to provide Status Variable or Equipment Constant values needed for satisfying Host requests and for sending dynamic Event Reports.   The SecsEquipCpp is a new revision of the Hume SecsEquip library which uses std::string and STL classes to provide a high-level API with automatic memory management.

Feature Summary

• A high-level, working SECS/GEM interface ready for adding equipment specific customization.
• Built-in handling of more than 100 standard SECS message types, all required GEM variables, and event types.
• Built-in event CEID values and variable ID values can be customized to meet your exacting requirements.
• Available for Windows (32 bit and 64 bit), Linux (32 bit and 64 bit) as well as other POSIX platforms.
  
• The Windows version is designed for efficient and productive use of  the Microsoft Visual C++ programming environment running on Windows Professional platforms.  32bit binaries are compatible with VS2005 and newer.  64bit binaries are provided for VS2010 and newer.   An older, less featured product is offered for Microsoft Visual Studio 6.
  
• Leverages the Hume SECS/GEM application software which has been in 7x24 use by major equipment providers for over 16 years.
  
• The robust and proven SECS interface server executes as a child process with minimal impact on your application execution.
• SECS-I and HSMS passive and active roles are supported.
• Convenient use of string data to represent all SECS data types including SECS Variant data, also known as Localized Character Strings.
• Supports remote debugging using the Hume Datahub SDK applications Inspect and hubclient.
• The Windows version fully integrates into the VC++ design environment with IntelliSense coding of class methods and parameter prompting.  At runtime there is full integration into the VC++ runtime environment with high-performance use of threading, callback dispatching, controllable trace output, and error handling
• The SecsEquipCpp class has the desirable feature set of our .NET SecsPort Component, while providing better performance with less resource usage and portability to non-Windows platforms.

GEM Compliance Statement

The Equipment OEM developer will need to be mindful of the standards when designing his application in order to insure that compliance is fully met.   Hume Integration Software provides a template SECS/GEM reference document to Datahub SDK customers that provides additional guidance on topics such as front panel design and persistence of connection properties.
 
 

Fundamental GEM Requirement	Implemented	Gem Compliant	Implementation Notes
State Models	Yes	Yes	The Communication State model is implemented by the SecsEquipCpp and controlled by calling the commEnable and commDisable methods.  The current Communication State value is readable as the property, CommState. Your application receives notification of CommState and similar state changes by handling the SecsEquipCpp StateChange event.  This event notifies you of important changes such as communication with the Host starting or ending. Your logic and your Operator GUI affect the Control State by setting the ControlIntent and ControlMode properties.  Comments on the Process State model follows in the next row.  Other equipment models such as Spooling are described below in this table.
Equipment Processing States	Yes	Yes	The example application fully implements a Process State model that you can copy and modify.  Follow the example as far as posting standard GEM events for Process State changes and related events such as selecting a different Process Program.  You also need to update Status Variables to keep track of the previous and current process states, just as the example application demonstrates.
Host Initiated S1F13/F14 Scenario	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class.
Event Notification	Yes	Yes	Your logic needs to call the eventPost() method at the occurrence of standard collection events.  You may choose to define and report additional event types for the activities of your equipment.
On-Line Identification	Yes	Yes	You are obligated to set the property values MDLN and SOFTREV to reflect the hardware and software configuration of the equipment.  Any change in the equipment software should result in a new unique value of SOFTREV.
Error Messages	Yes	Yes	The standard requires use of Stream 9 Error reporting.  The SecsEquipCpp sends specific Stream 9 messages for communication faults, conversation timeouts, incorrect device ID, unhandled message stream or function types, and non-standard data.  In the custom message handling logic that you write, use the method sendS9 to send error messages when the received message data is not in the expected format or has improper values.
Documentation	Yes	Yes	Hume Integration has example documentation which meets requirements of the GEM and SECS standards.  This documentation is provided to Equipment providers with permission to create derivative works.  The SECS Server has the ability to export HTML documents of the configured event, alarm, and variable table data.  You may want to use this feature of the table window that is displayed by executing the debugTableWindow method.
Control (Operator Initiated)	Yes	Yes	Use the demonstration application as a worked example.  The startup control state is settable using the property ControlStateStartup.  The operator choice of ON-LINE or OFF-LINE control is settable as the property value ControlIntent.  The desired substate of ON-LINE control, LOCAL or REMOTE, is settable as the property ControlMode.  The actual control state value reflects interaction with the Host and is readable as the property ControlState.  Your application receives notification of ControlState and similar state changes by handling the SecsEquipCpp StateChange event.
ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES
Establish Communications	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class.
Dynamic Event Report Configuration	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class. With the capabilities that involve Status Variable values (SV) or Data Variable values (DVVAL), your job is to add equipment specific variables using the variableAdd method.  You either provide their values through a callback using variableMethodSet or by calling variableSet when their values are changed.  You use the eventAdd method to define additional data collection events supported by your equipment.
Variable Data Collection	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class.
Trace Data Collection	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class.
Status Data Collection	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class.
Alarm Management	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class.  Your job is to add equipment specific alarm types using the alarmAdd method.  You use the method alarmSet to indicate when an alarm condition is set or cleared.  You can optionally use the method alarmEnable to enable or disable reporting of an alarm type as a Stream 5 message.  Gem also requires event reports for the Alarm Set and Alarm Clear events.  These event definitions are automatically created and managed for you by the SecsEquipCpp when you use the alarmAdd method.
Remote Control	Yes	Yes	The example application shows how to use messageTypeAdd to receive and process Remote Commands (S2F21, S2F41, or S2F49) in your application code.   You need to implement control logic that is mindful of the Process State model and the Control State model.  For example, you need to disallow Remote Commands that affect processing when you are in the Online Local Control State.
Equipment Constants	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsEquipCpp class.  Your job is to add equipment specific constants using the parameterAdd method.  You call parameterSet if your GUI logic or controller logic changes the value so that the SECS Server can update the ECIDChangeName and ECIDChangeValue GEM variables, and issue the GEM "Operator Equipment Constant Change" event.  If the host changes an Equipment Constant, you are notified via a ParameterChange event.
Process Program Management	Yes	Yes	The SecsEquipCpp class fully implements process program management features with upload and download capabilities.  You can set the directory used for process programs as the property RecipeDirectory.  You can set whether process program data is transferred as binary or text using the RecipesAreBinary property.  Your application is notified of process program change events by handling the SecsEquipCpp StateChange event.   You will receive notice when recipes are downloaded from the host, uploaded to the host, or deleted by the host.  You can use these notifications to trigger validation of downloaded recipes, or you can defer validation until the time the process program is loaded for use.
Material Movement	Yes	Yes	The GEM standard only requires that the equipment provide Data Collection events when material is sent from any port on the equipment, or received by any port, whether the transfers are automated or manual. Automated Material Movement is implemented by calling the method messageTypeAdd and registering a callback for each of the primary message types that the host sends.  In your callback, you parse the received SECS message data using the listSplit and listElement methods.  You send reply messages using the sendReply method.  You initiate your own primary messages and optionally wait for the SECS replies using the sendSecsMsg method.
Equipment Terminal Services	Yes	Yes	The example application for the SecsEquipCpp demonstrates displaying data received from the host, sending acknowledgment events, and sending display data to the host.  For your own implementation,  use the method terminalDisplayAck to send acknowledgment events, and follow the example code for sending input data to the host using sendSecsMsg.
Clock	Yes	Yes	The SecsEquipCpp component fully implements a host-settable Clock variable value with standard data format choices.  The implementation does not affect the system clock, the host's setting is saved as an offset.
Limits Monitoring	No		See the notes for Material Movement, above, to understand the general approach that is taken to implement this capability.
Spooling	Yes	Yes	The SecsEquipCpp component fully implements Spooling.  We recommend that the equipment supplier only allow spooling of Alarm messages, and Event report messages or similar messages where there is no control logic tied to the receiving of the reply messages.  These are exactly the message types that most factory CIM workers want to collect with spooling.  If restricting the spooled message types is not done, there are complex issues with implementation and timing that cannot be adequately tested and verified correct.  The standard describes allowing the spooling of nearly any primary message type, out of consideration that any message may occur when the spool is being unloaded, and it should take its proper sequence at the end of the spool.  In practice this is a rare circumstance because an HSMS implementation can unload thousands of messages in a few seconds.  The downside of allowing messages that have control implications to be spooled is that they are queued for a variable and potentially lengthy delay before delivery.  The equipment provider's job is to provide a robust control system, and we think that knowing immediately that a near real-time message conversation cannot be initiated is the right choice.  The Equipment provider can add to the message types allowed for spooling using the SpoolingAllow method.  The default behavior is to allow only Stream 5 (Alarms) and Stream 6 (Event reports) to be spooled.
Control (Host-Initiated)	Yes	Yes	The SecsEquipCpp class fully implements this behavior.

User Guide

The files seen in the top level folder, SecsEquipCpp, depend on which download archive is installed. 

A Windows 32 bit developer sees:

• the Visual Studio 2005 solution file SecsEquipCpp.sln with subdirectories debug and release which contain compiled 32 bit binaries.  The release directory has 32 bit .exe files to run.
  

A Windows 64 bit developer sees:

• the Visual Studio solution file SecsEquipCpp64.sln with subdirectories debug64 and release64 which contain compiled 64 bit binaries, and in addition, subdirectories debug and release which contain compiled 32 bit libraries.  The release64 directory has 64 bit .exe files to run.

• a Makefile, and the compiled program, ConsoleApp, in the top level folder.

The distributions contain the following subdirectory folders:

The SecsEquipCpp subdirectory folder contains resuable SECS interface logic that the developer will not usually modify:

• SecsEquipCpp.h, SecsEquipCpp.cpp - files that define and implement the SecsEquipCpp class which is the reusable core logic of the library without application specific customizations.   These files are compiled as part of your application to avoid issues with passing STL data and C++ objects across shared library boundaries.
  
• DmhCppClient.h, DmhCppClient.cpp - files that define and implements a high-level C++ interface to the DMH message system.  This DmhCppClient API is described in a separate reference document.  These files are compiled as part of your application to avoid issues with passing STL data and C++ objects across shared library boundaries.
• stdafx.cpp, stdafx.h - For a non-windows developer, these files contain the usual header include statements that are usually edited into the .cpp files, and the stdafx.h file is used during compilation.  The file names and code organization are accommodating the Windows scheme for pre-compiled headers.   A windows developer,  typically has his own stdafx.h file with each application project.  He will typically edit his stdafx.h file to include the headers that are included in the Hume provided stdafx.h in order to compile the SecsEquipCpp.cpp and DmhCppClient.cpp files.
  

• SecsEquipConsoleApp.cpp   - source code for the application
• stdafx.c, stdafx.h - header include statements that are organized to accomodate the Windows scheme for pre-compiled headers.
• *.vcproj, *.vcxproj* -  windows project files
  

• SecsEquipWinAppDlg.cpp, .h   - C++ source code for the main GUI dialog window.  Most of the example usage logic is in the .cpp file.
• SecsTracewin.cpp, .h - This window class demonstrates how to display dynamically adjustable trace information of the data being sent and received by the SECS interface.  It is an excellent tool for troubleshooting and should be part of the administrator menu features of your equipment.
• LoggingConfig.cpp, LoggingConfig.h - This window is a child dialog of the SecsTracewin window and it is used to dynamically configure saving of the traced data.
• AlarmTableDlg.cpp, AlarmTableDlg.h - a simple example of querying and displaying the status of alarms.
• ConnectionDialog.cpp, ConnectionDialog.h - a dialog for configuring the HSMS or SECS-I connection properties and the Device ID property and changing the values while running.
  
• StartupEditorDlg.cpp, .h - a dialog for configuring the startup properties of the SECS interface that are saved and restored on the file system.  Your application should feature this dialog or an equivalent in order to be standards compliant.
• StartupLoggingConfig.cpp, .h - a child dialog of the StartupEditorDlg which is used to configure the persisted startup values of tracing and logging properties.
  
• ServerDebugDlg.cpp, .h - a dialog window used to invoke the debug*() methods for diagnostic interaction with the SECS server during debugging.
  
• TestDlg.cpp, .h - a dialog with an array of button actions to demonstrate and exercise various methods of the SecsEquipCpp. 
  
• StdAfx.h, .cpp - pre-compiled header support
• *.rc, res/*.rc, res/*.ico - application resource files
• *.vcproj, *.vcxproj* - project files that vary by which Visual Studio version is used
  

• SecsEquipToolUIDlg.cpp, .h   - C++ source code for the main GUI dialog window.  Most of the example usage logic is in the .cpp file.
• SecsTracewin.cpp, .h - This window class is used to display dynamically adjustable trace information of the data being sent and received by the SECS interface.  It is an excellent tool for troubleshooting and should be part of the administrator menu features of your equipment.
• LoggingConfig.cpp, LoggingConfig.h - This window is a child dialog of the SecsTracewin window and it is used to dynamically configure saving of the traced data.
• StartupEditorDlg.cpp, .h - a dialog for configuring the startup and current properties of the SECS interface.  Your application should feature this dialog or an equivalent in order to be standards compliant.  The dialog does not provide for SECS-I.  It only features LAN-based HSMS configuration which is exactly what is wanted for a modern tool.
  
• StartupLoggingConfig.cpp, .h - a child dialog of the StartupEditorDlg which is used to configure the persisted startup values of tracing and logging properties.
  
• StdAfx.h, .cpp - pre-compiled header support
• *.rc, res/*.rc, res/*.ico - application resource files
• *.vcproj, *.vcxproj* - project files that vary by which Visual Studio version is used
  

• dmh.h  - the header file that defines the multi-threaded C DMH message system client API
• libdmh.a - for POSIX systems
• win32_release/dmh.lib or win64_release/dmh64.lib for Windows
  

Installation

The stored paths in the Windows .zip archive and the existing project settings and makefiles assume several peer level directories and their subdirectories.  For example, if you unzip the archive in the directory C:\Users\hume, you will recreate our development directory structure as follows

    c:\Users\hume\SecsEquipCpp
               |- release (and/or release64)
               |- debug (and/or debug64)
               |- SecsEquipCpp
               |- SecsEquipConsoleApp
               |- SecsEquipToolUI
               |- SecsEquipWinApp
               |- dmh
                   |- win32_release (and/or win64_release)

The SecsEquipCpp software uses the SECS/GEM application files provided in the Hume Datahub SDK product.  A developer needs to install the Hume Datahub SDK, and specify on the SETUP screen that the GEM/SECS applications should be installed.  The SecsEquipCpp startup code is able to find the Datahub SDK files using the environment variable DMH_BIN which is set when the Datahub SDK is installed.

The situation is simplified for a runtime deployment of your equipment SECS interface.  Instead of installing the Datahub SDK, you can simply deploy a single file executeable, SecsServer.exe.  This file is provided by Hume Integration for the usual case of using the as-provided SDK files.  If you have customized the SDK files, you are able to create a custom version of SecsServer.exe using a build script.  We encourage you to use the full SDK during development so that you have the toolset documentation, the debugging tools, and you are able to view the SDK GEM application source code.  When you are ready for deployment, you can download the SecsServer.zip archive from the Hume customer support website to obtain the SecServer.exe program and its build script.  There are different SecsServer download archives for Windows, Linux, or other platforms.  There are not separate 32bit and 64bit SecsServer versions.

Installing the POSIX version is similar to the Windows version.  You can unzip the archive in a convenient directory of your choice.  You face the same choice of using the files with either the Datahub SDK installed, or with the SecsServer executable for your platform.  You need to make sure the environment variable DMH_BIN is set and exported if the Datahub SDK is being used.  The environment variable described below should be set for all platforms.

Environment Variable SECS_EQUIP_TCLDIR

SECS_EQUIP_TCLDIR=C:/usr/local/gem2/server

On POSIX systems, the SecsServer executable does not use X-Windows if the DISPLAY environment variable is either not defined, or defined to be an empty string.   This gives you the capability of executing without being tied to any display.

Development

1. Add the SecsEquipCpp.h, DmhCppClient.h header files to the project
   
2. Add the SecsEquipCpp.cpp, DmhCppClient.cpp source files to the project
   
3. Tell the C Preprocessor where to find the dmh.h and library header files.  Edit the Project Properties, All Configurations, C/C++, General, Additional Include Directories - edit the field to be similar to "../SecsEquipCpp;../dmh" if you preserve the distribution directory structure. 
   
4. Add the dmh.lib or dmh64.lib to the project link dependencies.
5. Copy the dmh and pthread DLLs from the release or release64 directory to your project release and debug directories.  Release versions of the DMH and Pthreads library are used for both debug and release application builds.

Your primary focus as a developer is using the class SecsEquipCpp.  This class implements public methods to send and receive SECS messages, and manage an equipment SECS interface.  You will look closely at the sample applications, and particularly the SecsInit() method and basically copy and edit the SECS interface initialization code.

Here is the general flow of using and configuring a SecsEquipCpp instance to deploy an equipment SECS interface:

1. Setup your error handler callback first by setting the SecsEquipCpp::secsServerErrorCallback static pointer item.  Your application may receive error notifications if the license or software installation are not proper when you try to instantiate a SecsEquipCpp instance.  Therefore, have the error handling in place first so you can provide the user notification of any errors.
   
2. Construct a SecsEquipCpp instance.  When the SecsEquipCpp instance is constructed, it spawns a SECS Server process.  On Windows, the SECS Server uses DDE to determine what other Tcl/Tk applications are running.  You need to construct a SecsEquipCpp instance under conditions where your application will respond to DDE unless you disable the DDE usage by setting the environment variable NO_DDE_QUERY to the value of 1.  We have found that MFC applications do not respond to DDE while executing the OnInitDialog virtual function.  The example application demonstrates a small workaround - a timer event is initiated from the OnInitDialog method, and then the SecsEquipCpp construction and initialization are done in the timer handler after the OnInitDialog method returns.
3. Set the stateChangeCallback pointer to receive StateChange events.  Once the next step is taken, your callback is executed to provide you with initial values of state data.  In general the callbacks are executed from different threads than the starting thread that created your window controls.  Its not documented very clearly, but for most of the method invocations, window controls are not designed to be used by different threads than the main event-dispatching thread of your application.  The safest course is to copy the techniques in the example application in the use of PostMessage to notify the main thread.
4. Use saved user configuration data to know the desired startup connection properties such as the HSMS socket port and whether the active or passive role is desired.  Our example application uses the startupLoad() and startupRestore() methods to load and apply saved startup configuration data.  If you choose not to use the startupRestore() method, then you must call connectTypeHsmsPassive(), connectTypeHsmsActive(), or connectTypeSerial() to set the connection type.  When the connection type is set, the SECS server creates a data array and table records for the SECS interface.  Some of the other configuration method calls require the table records or array being present.  So a connectType call should be made early in the initialization.  Its ok to call a connectType method with default argument values, and later in the initialization, make another connectType call with other argument values.  The important point is to make the connectType call early.
5. Now you can perform the bulk of your SECS interface configuration.  Do the following, in any order:
• change other properties such as timers, MDLN, SOFTREV, ...
• set the callback pointers for other events such as the host changing parameter (ECV) values
• add equipment specific alarm types using alarmAdd
• add event types using eventAdd
• add Equipment Configuration Variables (Parameters) using parameterAdd
• add Status and Data Value Variables using variableAdd
• setup up callbacks to supply the value of selected Variables using the variableMethodSet call.
• register callbacks for additional SECS message types using messageTypeAdd
6. Programmatically you can set the desired Control State properties and then possibly call commEnable to enable host communications.  Per the standards, you probably want to offer configuration dialogs and make the desired startup configuration of the Contol State and whether communication is enabled or disabled be user specified and persistent.  You may use the dialogs and logic of our example application to implement these features.
7. The Trace window display class, SecsTracewin, is a practical necessity.  Plan on including this window in your application or a similar feature so that your users in the field can diagnose communication problems and capture message conversations in log files. 
   
8. Your application can call commDisable to disable host communications when shutting down or when SECS communication is no longer desired.  It is called automatically in the SecsEquipCpp destructor method.

Tcl Secs Notation, TSN

As general guidance, when you expect a string value, you will get a two element list, of the form "A:n {this is n chars of text}".  If a string value does not have imbedded white space, it may be formatted without braces, such as "A:8 OneToken".  When you use the listElement or listSplit methods to parse the text, they take care of parsing and removing surrounding braces for you.  If an empty string is sent, you will see a one element list, A:0.  With ASCII string data that contains null characters, a two byte seqence, 0xc0 0x80, is used to represent each null character in C++ string data and in the Tcl SECS Server environment.  This modified UTF-8 representation allows using C runtime library routines that are designed for null-terminated strings with TSN message data.

SECS has the notion of array data - 0 or more values of a given type.  When you expect to receive a single numeric value, you receive a two element list, with the type code as the first element, such as "U4:1 290".  You can also receive an empty array "U4:0" or an array with more than one value as in "U4:3 0 1 2".  Binary data values are formatted using C-language hexadecimal integer notation, for example, "B:3 0x00 0x01 0x02".  You can use the binToInt method to convert these values to integer values.  With received data, the type code has a length value appended to it after a colon.  With data that you format for sending, the length information is optional, the data is parsed to determine the length.  See the TSN.html document for more details.
 

Semi Octal type code	TSN type code	Meaning & Examples
00	L	List,  L, L:0,   "L {A {atc 100}} {A 1.0.0}", "L:2 {L:2 {U4 200} {U4 210}} {B 0}"
10	B	binary - unsigned 8 bit data, "B 0", "B 1 2 3"
11	TF	boolean data, TSN type codes BL or BOOLEAN are also accepted as input, "TF 1"
20	A	Character string data.  Traditionally this has meant printable ASCII characters but some implementations are sending any 8 bit characters including nulls using this type. "A {hello world}", "A hello"
21	J	Japan International Standard (JIS-8) encoded text.  This format is not commonly used or supported because in the past the SEMI standards have failed to identify specific reference documents.
22	V1..VE	Variant data, also known as Localized Character Strings.  The application text is automatically converted into the chosen encoding.  V1 is for Unicode 2.0, V2 is for UTF-8 encoding.  See the TSN.html document for more details. "V1 {sent as Unicode}"
30	I8	8-byte signed integer, "I8 -1"
31	I1	1-byte signed integer, "I1 -3"
32	I2	2-byte signed integer, "I2 99",  "I2 15 -7 99"
34	I4	4-byte integer signed, "I4 -5"
40	F8	8-byte floating point, "F8 6.02e23", "F8 0.1"
44	F4	4-byte floating point, "F4 1.0"
50	U8	8-byte unsigned integer, "U8 0"
51	U1	1-byte unsigned integer, "U1 0"
52	U2	2-byte unsigned integer, "U2 512"
54	U4	4-byte unsigned integer, "U2 979"

 

Built-in SECS Data, Message Handling, Events

Similarly, the variables required for GEM compliance are already defined, and are listed in the built-in variables table. In some cases, such as the PPExecName variable, your custom application logic has to provide current data values.  The example application demonstrates using the variableSet method or the variableMethodSet method as techniques to supply variable values.  If a data item's value is changed infrequently, its more efficient to use variableSet which provides the current value to the SECS server process.  The variableMethodSet method is the right choice for data items whose value changes more often, or are easier to manage as VC++ application data items.

The SecsEquipCpp software uses type U4 numeric identifiers for the numeric IDs called out by GEM such as ALID, CEID, ECID, and SVID.  These identifiers are passed as unsigned, 4 byte integers - SEMI Octal code 54.

 There are also some standard event report types specified by GEM and pre-defined for you as listed in the built-in events table. Your application logic needs to call eventPost as these events and your own defined events occur during processing.
 

Custom SECS Message Handling

Logic in your application can send SECS messages or initiate conversations using the sendSecsMsg method.  For HSMS communication,  if you are sending a message and not waiting for the reply, sendSecsMsg can be used from your GUI code without fear of making your GUI unresponsive.  In some cases you need to wait for a SECS reply message.  If you are using HSMS, under most circumstances, the host's reply or failure to reply will be resolved within a few seconds.   The unusual circumstance is that you still have a TCP/IP connection to the host so your send is successful, but then the host does not reply, and you wait the full T3 period.  You can code your logic so that if the host does not respond to any message, you transition to offline control so subsequent message sends fail right away because they are not appropriate in an offline control state.  So with this change, you risk making the GUI unresponsive for a single T3 period in some unusual circumstances.  If this risk is not acceptable, you can create a new thread, and use the new thread to perform the SECS conversation where you need to wait for the reply message.

Miscellaneous Notes

SecsEquipCpp Class Reference

 

SecsEquipCpp Properties

Property Access	Description
bool getAlarmsShareEvents(void) void setAlarmsShareEvents(bool)	Set this property value true to have the same AlarmDetected and AlarmCleared data collection events reported for any alarm type.  The preferred value of this property should be set before calling the alarmAdd() methods.  The behavior preferred by the Photovoltaic Industry Draft Standard #4557 is to have the value set true and to share generic events.  The default value of the property is false to preserve compatibilty with existing applications.
int getBAUD(void) void setBAUD(int BAUD)	This property sets the baudrate of the serial port for the SECS-I, RS-232 connection type.  The default value is 9600.
static const char *getBindir()	This static method returns the file system directory where the SECS Server executable is found.
const char *getCommState(void) CommStateEnum getCommStateEnum(void); enum CommStateEnum { CommUnknown=-1, CommDisabled=0, CommEnabledNotCommunicating=1, CommCommunicating=2};	The getCommState() method returns a read-only value of the current GEM Communication State.  Possible values are DISABLED, ENABLED {NOT COMMUNICATING}, and COMMUNICATING.   The StateChange event is used to obtain asynchronous notification of this property value change. The getCommStateEnum() method returns the same state information as an enum value.
const char *getControlIntent(void) void setControlIntentOnline(void) void setControlIntentOffline(void)	Your intended GEM Control State behavior, whether your equipment is in the OFF-LINE or ON-LINE control state.  The default setting is OFF-LINE.
const char *getControlMode(void) void setControlModeRemote(void) void setControlModeLocal(void)	When in ON-LINE control, your intended substate of LOCAL or REMOTE control.  Defaults to LOCAL.
const char *getControlState(void)  ControlStateEnum getControlStateEnum(void); // control state descriptions   static const char *controlStateText( ControlStateEnum controlState); enum ControlStateEnum {   ControlStateUnknown=-1,   OfflineEquipment=0,   OfflineAttemptOnline=1,   OfflineHost=2,   OnlineLocal=3,   OnlineRemote=4};	The getControlStateMethod() returns the currentl GEM Control State which reflects your ControlMode, ControlIntent and host dynamics.  Possible values are ON-LINE LOCAL, ON-LINE REMOTE, OFF-LINE Equipment, OFF-LINE Host, and OFF-LINE SeekOnline.  The getControlStateEnum() method returns the state value as an enum.   Mapping of enum to text is possible using the SecsEquipCpp::controlStateText() static method. The StateChange event is used to obtain asynchronous notification of this property value change.
ControlStateEnum getControlStateStartup(void) void setControlStateStartup(ControlStateEnum e)	Your software is able to specify the initial state for the GEM Control State model.  The choices are:  OfflineEquipment, OfflineAttemptOnline, OfflineHost, OnlineLocal, or OnlineRemote.  This setting defaults to OfflineEquipment, but is overruled to be consistent with your ControlIntent and ControlMode values.  If your ControlIntent is OFF-LINE, and your startup is an Online state, the startup state is changed to OfflineEquipment.  If your ControlIntent is ON-LINE and your startup state is OfflineEquipment, your startup state is changed to OfflineAttemptOnline.  Similarly the setting of ControlMode can overrule an online startup state corresponding to the opposite LOCAL or REMOTE online substate choice.  This logic is applied when commEnable is called.
int getDEVID(void)  void setDEVID(int DEVID);	The SECS Device ID.  An identifier imbedded in SECS header data usually left at the default of 0.  You can change it anytime but you are better off setting it before enabling communication.  Per the standard, the SecsEquipCpp rejects messages from the host that are not for the equipment's Device ID.  Settable range is 0..32767.
static DmhCppClient & getDmh()	SecsEquipCpp instances use a shared connection to the DMH message system in order to communicate with the SECS server process.  A reference to the connection instance is available in case you want to access it in your application.  Since it is shared (static) the access is SecsEquipCpp::getDmh().
static const char * getGroupName()	The DMH message system groupname used by the SECS server.  The same groupname should be specified to the constructor of every SecsEquipCpp instance in the application in order to share the same SECS server process.
bool getHSMS(void) void setHSMS(bool HSMS)	Whether the Connection type is HSMS (LAN based).  False implies SEC-I, serial RS-232 communication.  Defaults to true.
const char *getHSMS_Host(void)  void setHSMS_Host(const char *h);	For an active HSMS connection, specifies the TCP/IP hostname or IP address of the Host computer.
bool getHSMS_Passive()  void setHSMSPassive(bool p)	For an HSMS connection, whether the SecsEquipCpp plays the passive, TCP/IP server role.  The default value is true which is the usual role of equipment.
int getHSMS_Port()  void setHSMS_Port(int p)	For an HSMS connection, the TCP/IP socket port number.  Defaults to 5555.
bool getIdRangeChecked() void setIdRangeChecked(bool b)	By default, the methods to add Alarm, Event, Variable, and Parameter definitions, restrict the numeric ID values allowed to ranges which prevent you from colliding with built-in values, or colliding with each other's values.  However, the range checking can be disabled by setting this property value false.  Also, you can renumber the built-in events and variables, and customize the events that are assigned for alarm set and clear events.  Thus, you are able to completely customize the identifiers used by the SECS interface.  If you choose to renumber and customize the identifiers, do it in your initialization logic before enabling communication, but after restoring or configuring the connection type.  This insures that connection instance data exists in the SECS server to hold your customization.
const char *getMDLN()   void setMDLN(const char *mdln)	The SECS Equipment Model Type - limited to no more than 20 characters by the E5 standard.
bool getMULT(void) void setMULT(bool MULT)	For SECS-I serial connections - when this property is true, multiple open transactions are allowed.  When true, a new message may be sent requesting a reply before the host has replied to a previous message.   The flag is only for SECS-I, and the default value is true.    HSMS host implementations should not have a problem with multiple open transactions.   However, there are factories with deficient software who would rather compromise the standards than fix their bugs.  If you get into a customer support situation with HSMS and multiple open transactions, please contact us - we have a lightweight go-between application that queues and serializes the open transactions.
const char *getName()	The SecsEquipCpp name passed to the constructor and used in the SECS server process as a Tcl command name, a global array name, and an identifier in SQL table records.
bool getParametersAreSaved() void setParametersAreSaved(bool ParametersAreSaved)	This property controls whether the values of parameters (Equipment Constant Variables) are saved at the program exit and restored during the next session.  Saving the values is standard GEM behavior so the default value is true.  If the value is true, the saved values are restored the first time that commEnable is called, unless it has been already restored by calling the method parametersRestore.  In other words, you can use the method parametersRestore to force loading of the saved values before commEnable is called.   The value data is saved as a file of SQL statements in the subdirectory spooldata.  The filename used is "EcvParms_" + Name + ".sql".
bool getPPbodyFileMode() void setPPBodyFileMode(bool isFileMode)	This boolean property controls whether S7F3 and S7F6 process program transfer messages are handled by direct data transfers to and from files bypassing handling the messages in memory.  This avoids possibly large memory allocations and enables transferring process programs that are as large as the 16 meg limit of Stream 7.   Setting the option also reduces the data that is seen by tracing and logging - only summary information can be seen in the diagnostics.  The default value is false.  It is recommended to set the option true if process programs sizes are as large as 1 meg.  The mode is transparent to the application; the processProgramDownload and Upload methods work the same and the built-in SECS Server Stream 7 receiving with StateChange notifications work the same irrespective of the PPbodyFileMode setting.
bool getPPFilesByRequest() void setPPFilesByRequest(bool isByRequest)	This boolean property is set true if the app must prepare process program files for upload transfer to support SECS message types S7F5R or S7F41R which are handled by the built-in SECS Server logic.  The value is left at the default value of false if process programs already exist as files in the recipe directory or if the equipment does not feature process program transfers.  When the value is set true, the app must handle PPFileRequest events as the trigger to write process program files.  See the description of the PPFileRequest event for more details.
bool getRecipesAreBinary() void setRecipesAreBinary(bool RecipesAreBinary)	A boolean flag to indicate whether Process Program files should be transferred as type B (binary) data, or type A (ASCII) data.  The default is true, meaning binary transfer.  If Process Program files are printable text, the type A transfer is easier for the factory personnel to work with.  The software is able to transfer binary data as type A but not all host software can accommodate this.
const char *getRecipeDirectory()  void setRecipeDirectory(const char *RecipeDirectory)	A pathname to the file system directory where Process Program files are located.  The default is "./recipes" - a subdirectory of the current working directory.
int getReplyWaitingCount(void);	Returns a count of the number of SECS replies the connection is waiting for.  Returns -1 on error.   Not commonly used - supports a custom requirement.
bool getReportsAreSaved() void setReportsAreSaved(bool ReportsAreSaved)	This property controls whether the state of event reporting is saved at the program exit and restored during the next session.  Saving the state of dynamic reporting is standard GEM behavior so the default value is true.  If the value is true, the saved event reporting configuration is restored the first time that commEnable is called, unless it has been already restored by calling the method ReportsRestore.  In other words, you can use the method ReportsRestore to force loading of the saved reporting configuration before commEnable is called.   The report configuration data is saved as a file of SQL statements in the subdirectory spooldata.  The filename used is "reportdata_" + Name + ".sql".
int getRTY(void) void setRTY(int RTY)	SECS-I retry count.  This value specifies the maximum number of send retry attempts for block transmission.  The default value is 3 with an allowed range of 0..31.
bool isS13InUse() void setS13InUse(bool b)	This boolean property chooses whether to enable using Stream 13 large process program transfer message types when an online control state exists.  In addition to the Stream 13 messages, this property also enables or disables using S7F29, S7F37, S7F38, S7F41, and S7F42 which are used with Stream 13 for transferring large unformatted, process programs.  The default value is false. Stream 13 message types are preferred for transferring large data sets because the data is split into multiple smaller messages which require less memory use.  If Stream 13 message types are enabled, per GEM your application should implement sending S7F27 process program verification messages for  received process programs.
const char *getSerialPort(void) void setSerialPort(const char *SerialPort)	For a SECS-I connection, the serial port device such as "COM1".
static const char * getServerDir();	This static method returns the SECS server's working directory.
const char *getSOFTREV()  void setSOFTREV(const char *softrev)	The SECS Software revision - limited to no more than 20 characters.  Default value is "1.0.0".  You may wish to consider a pattern of major.minor.patchlevel.
std::string getSpoolDirectory(void) void setSpoolDirectory(const char *spoolDirectory)	The file system directory for spooling, report configuration, alarm enablement, and parameter (ECV) persistence files.  The default TraceSaving logging directory is also underneath the spooling directory. The get method returns a fully qualified path that uses slash path separators on all platforms.  The default spooling directory is the sub-directory spooling under the working directory of the SECS server.  For a default Datahub SDK installation and startup, the directory is /usr/local/gem2/server/spooling.  The directory value may be set early in the initialization before startupRestore() or connectTypeSet is called.  An exception is thrown by the set method if the specified directory is not valid or if the method call is not made before the connection type is set.
const char *getSpoolingAllow()  void setSpoolingAllow(const char *SpoolingAllow)	This property is set to specify the streams which the host is allowed to specify for spooling in message type S2F43.  It is formatted as a space separated list of "S<s>" tokens where the <s> value is stream number.  The standard does not allow Stream 1 to be spooled.  The default value is "S5 S6" which allows for spooling alarm messages and event reports.  An empty string value disallows any spooling.  The value only affects the handling of S2F43 messages from the host.  Your software is able to change at any time which message types are being spooled using the method, SpoolStreamFns.
const char *getState()	A read-only value of the low-level connection state.  Possible values include OFFLINE, LISTENING, and COMMUNICATING.  You will see the OFFLINE state if the connection to the host is broken.  The StateChange event is used to obtain asynchronous notification of this property value change.
int getT1(void) void setT1(int millisecs)	SECS-I Inter-Character Timeout in milliseconds, range 100..10000, default 500
int getT2(void) void setT2(int millisecs)	SECS-I Protocol Timeout in milliseconds, range 200..25000, default 10000
int getT3(void) void setT3(int millisecs)	SECS Reply Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..120000, default 45000
int getT4(void) void setT4(int millisecs)	SECS-I Inter-Block Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..120000, default 45000
int getT5(void) void setT5(int millisecs)	HSMS Connect Separation Timeout - the delay between re-connection attempts in milliseconds, range 1000..240000, default 10000
int getT6(void) void setT6(int millisecs)	HSMS Control Transaction Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..240000, default 5000
int getT7(void) void setT7(int millisecs)	HSMS Not Selected Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..240000, default 10000
// int getT8(void) // void setT8(int millisecs)	HSMS Network Intercharacter Timeout, default value 5000.  This value is not used.
int getTRACE(void)  void setTRACE(int trace)     static const int values: TRACE_READ_WRITE_IO=1; TRACE_STATE_LOGIC=2; TRACE_RECV_HDR_HEX=0x0100; TRACE_RECV_HDR_INTERP=0x0200; TRACE_RECV_SF_DESC=0x0400; TRACE_RECV_MSG_HEXDUMP=0x0800; TRACE_RECV_MSG_TSN=0x0004; TRACE_SENT_HDR_HEX=0x1000; TRACE_SENT_HDR_INTERP=0x2000; TRACE_SENT_SF_DESC=0x4000; TRACE_SENT_MSG_HEXDUMP=0x8000; TRACE_SENT_MSG_TSN=0x0008;     // default trace window initialization trace bits  TRACE_DEFAULT_BITS=0x440E;	Used as a bitfield to control diagnostic trace information for SECS port activity which is passed to the application in the SecsTrace event.  By setting specific bits, the corresponding output is turned on.  General Tracing: (TraceType = trace)  Bit        Output Description  0x0001     Read and write calls 0x0002     state changes including connection attempts  Receive Tracing: (TraceType = rtrace)  Bit        Description for Received Messages  0x0100     Header binary dump  0x0200     Header interpretation  0x0400     Stream and Function description 0x0800     Message data binary dump  0x0004     The Message as TSN  Send Tracing: (TraceType = strace)  Bit        Description for Sent Messages  0x1000     Header binary dump 0x2000     Header interpretation 0x4000     Stream and Function description 0x8000     Message data binary dump 0x0008     The Message as TSN
int getTraceLogMaxWidth() void setTraceLogMaxWidth(int ctChars);	This property allows setting an approximate maximum number of characters in text lines when saving Trace data to log files.  Lines that are longer than the maximum are trimmed and a short explanation message is appended.  The property helps you reduce the size of the log files when large Process Programs are transfered or other long data messages are logged.  The value may be configured as 0 for no limit, or a value greater than or equal to 1000; the default is 4000.
RcResult setTraceSaving(bool save, bool compress, int maxDayFiles, const char *saveDir = NULL, const char *zipCmd = NULL) struct RcResult {   int rc;  // return code   std::string result; }; bool isTraceDataSaved() bool isTraceDataCompressed() const char * getTraceSaveDir() int getTraceSaveMaxDayFiles() const char *getTraceSaveZipCmd()	The toolset software has the configurable feature of continuously saving the SECS communication trace data to files - one file per day, up to a maximum number per year, and optionally compressing the closed file from the previous day shortly after midnight.  The setTraceSaving method is used to reconfigure the logging feature with the various properties being set atomically in one call. The saving logic writes each day's output to a distinct file, in the directory named by the saveDir argument.  The maxDayFiles argument controls how many day files are saved per year.  It can be configured between 1 and 366.  When file saving is initiated, the output filename is set to traceNNN.txt where the NNN value is the current day of the year, 0 to 365, modulo the maxDayFiles value.  If this file already exists and has been written to earlier in the same day, then the output is appended to it, otherwise the file is created as a new file. Note that if the maxDayFiles value is set to 1, each day's output is saved to the same filename, trace000.txt.  The default values provide for saving the data from each connection in a separate directory.  Separate directories are required for each connection.  When trace data is being written, the compress argument controls whether the logic attempts to compress the output file when it is closed at the end of the day (midnight).  For compression to occur, the maxDayFiles value must be greater than 1 and a non-blank compression command must exist as the zipCmd argument.  The default assignment of zipCmd is similar to zip.exe -m tracetxt.zip. This command causes the data file from the previous day to be moved into the tracetxt.zip archive, creating the archive if it does not exist.   The compression logic appends the day file name to the configured command before execution.  Only trusted persons should be allowed to configure the compression command because of the security considerations.  The RcResult return value of setTraceSaving() is used as follows.  If the rc value is less than 0 the arguments were not acceptable and an error message is provided as the result String.  If the rc value is 0, the call succeeded.  If the rc value is greater than 0, the call succeeded with an advisory message as the result String.  For example, a message occurs if compression is set true but there is a maximum of only 1 file, so there is no distinct file for the previous day to compress.
int getTracewinMaxWidth(void) void setTracewinMaxWidth(int ctChars)	The approximate maximum number of characters to display in a single line of the trace window.  This value guards against excessive data use when long messages such as recipe transfer occur and the trace window is displaying connection activity.  Range 1000..120000, default 4000.

 

SecsEquipCpp Events

Event Handler and Argument Data	Description
All event handlers - NOTES	Callback pointers are used to pass event invocations into your application.  The callback functions you write need to be static functions, and you need to use ClientData arguments or pointers to class instances if you want to execute method calls of objects.  Assign the address of your callback function to the class pointer data item specified in this table in order to receive the specified event types.  The example application demonstrates these techniques.  As noted earlier, the thread that executes the callback is not your main GUI thread, and you need to use threadsafe programming techniques.
typedef const char * (SecsFileRequestProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, const char *ppid, const char *recipeDir, int& ackc7); SecsFileRequestProc *fileRequestCallback;	An application which manages Process Programs in a database or in non-file representations should set the property PPFilesByRequest true and code a handler for this event type.  When the host sends S7F5R or S7F41R to initiate an upload, a PPFileRequest event is raised to trigger the application to write the process program file in the recipe directory.  The app should use the event argument data, ppid for the name of the desired process program, and recipeDir for the file system directory where the file is written.  The filename assigned by the app may differ from the ppid value.  The app writes the file or fails, and sets the return value of the callback to the filename written or to an error description.  Set the string result value to the filename only, and do not include the directory path. The app also sets the ackc7 return code value to 0 for success, or to an error value.  The pathname for the output file is computed by concatenating the recipeDir with a slash and then the filename.  Do not use a backslashes, even on windows.  See the Console application source code for example usage of this feature.  The return value of the callback and the ackc7 data item callback argument are used to communicate success or failure to the SECS Server and subsequently to the host.  Error values from the SEMI E5 data item ACKC7 are applicable.  Approximately 20 seconds are provided to write the file.  If this timeout period is not adequate, the app should instead offer a remote command that initiates a file export and then performs an equipment initiated upload. This event is only part of what the application must do to properly manage process programs that are not managed as files in the recipe directory.  The app should call MessageTypeAdd(7, 17) and (7,19) to handle delete and directory requests.  The app should also use the StateChange events, recipe_download, and dataset_download to trigger file import logic.  The app can use recipe_upload and dataset_upload to trigger deletion of the export files if desired, or they can left alone to be overwritten by future uploads and downloads.
typedef void (SecsParameterChangeProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, const char *varname, const char *newvalue);  SecsParameterChangeProc *parameterChangeCallback;	This event happens with host initiated Equipment Configuration Variable (ECV) changes.  The new value is within the limits you have configured.
typedef void (SecsMessageReceiveProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, int stream, int function, bool send_reply,    int transactionID, const char *TSN_data, const char *header, void *clientData);	See the messageTypeAdd method described in the next section to see how to receive SECS messages in your application.  This mechanism is demonstrated for Remote Commands and for Terminal Services in the example application.
typedef bool (SecsServerErrorProc)( const char *title, const char *message, bool isRetryable, bool isFatal); static SecsServerErrorProc *secsServerErrorCallback;	The SecsEquipCpp class reports errors that are trapped in the SECS Server process as SecsServerError events.  Notable examples include startup problems because of an improper installation, or trying to send an improperly formatted SECS message.  Once the application has started, error events will happen during development but should be rare for debugged code. In addition, there are optional debugging messages available to troubleshoot the initial connection to the SECS Server background process at startup.  When the first SecsEquipCpp instance is instantiated, a SECS Server background process is started, and the application is usually able to setup DMH communication with the SECS Server within a few seconds. In an uncommon situation such as computer system that is running low on resources, the connection setup may require more time.  The timing and retry logic is optionally affected by defining and setting the following environment variables: DMH_CONNECT_DEBUG=1    Define and set this environment variable to 1 to obtain connection debug events.   Debug events provide diagnostic messages for each connection attempt.  They show the timing and the error messages of failed attempts.  The isRetryable and isFatal argument values are set false for debug events. DMH_CONNECT_WAIT=milliseconds    This variable can be defined and set to the desired number of milliseconds of waiting per connection attempt.  The default is 500.  The value may be set from 1 to 60000. DMH_CONNECT_RETRY=maxAttempts    This environment variable can be defined and set to the desired maximum number of communication attempts.  The default is 20.  The value may be set from 1 to 100. See the dmhConnect method coded in the SecsEquipCpp.cpp file for more details.  Note that the DMH_CONNECT_* environment variables can be defined and set on a deployed system to affect the startup timing  without making code changes, and without having coded an error event handler.  This is a new feature of the software as of January 2016. The context information passed to the application is usually presented in a MessageBox for the retryable or fatal errors.  Your handler function returns true to specify that retryable errors should be retried.   See the example GUI application for recommended MessageBox usage, and see the console application for  std::cerr stream output. See the errorManager and errorDefaultHandler static methods which allow your application to use this callback error handler for your application errors.
typedef void (SecsTraceProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, const char *traceType, const char *text); // just set your own function address to receive the events  SecsTraceProc *secsTraceCallback;	This event provides the detailed information of SECS message traffic that is viewed in the SECS Trace window.  The information is controlled by setting the TRACE property..
typedef void (SecsSpoolingAlertProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, const char *msgid); SecsSpoolingAlertProc *spoolingAlertCallback;	The GEM standard describes Spooling events that are to be brought to the attention of the equipment operator.  The msgid values include SPOOLING_ACTIVATED, SPOOLING_FULL, SPOOLING_TERMINATED, SPOOLING_NOT_PERSISTENT, and SPOOLING_DATA_DISCARDED.  See example explanation messages in the application.  The latter two values are not seen in normal circumstances.
typedef void (SecsStateChangeProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, const char *varname, const char *newvalue); SecsStateChangeProc *stateChangeCallback;	This event notifies your application of state value changes. Possible varname values include  state - the State property value changed clock_offset - this value is the number of seconds added to the system clock to provide CLOCK variable values for the host.  If the value differs from 0, the host has used S2F31 to set the clock.  Your logic can work with host specified time values by adjusting the system time using this offset value, or by reading the CLOCK variable using variableGet().  We recommend that you avoid this complexity by instructing your customers to use NTP time synchronization and that you disable S2F31 using messageTypeRemove(). comm_state - the CommState property value changed control_state - the ControlState property value changed dataset_download - a process program has been downloaded from the host using Stream 13 transfer messages.  The newvalue argument is a two item list, the ppid, and the pathname to the newly received file.  Use the listSplit or listElement method to parse the list.  See the discussion of downloaded files in the description of method processProgramLargeRequest. dataset_upload - a process program was successfully transmitted to the host using Stream 13 transfer messages.  The newValue argument is the ppid. event - this value changes when a data collection event is posted either by your logic calling the eventPost method, or by the built-in SECS server logic.  The newvalue argument is a two item list, the CEID of the event, and a 1 or 0 indicating whether an event report message was sent or not.  A report is not sent or spooled if communication is disabled, or if the event type is disabled, or if the control state is offline.  Also, when spooling is active, the event report may not be spooled. recipe_delete - the name of a recipe that is being deleted by the host, or being replaced with a downloaded version using Stream 7 messages. recipe_download - the name of a recipe that has just been received from the host using Stream 7 messages.  However, if the PPFilesByRequest feature is being used, the newValue argument is a two item list, the ppid, and the pathname to the newly received file. recipe_upload - the name of a recipe that has just been uploaded to the host using Stream 7 messages.  spooling_state - the SecsEquipCpp spooling state, ACTIVE or INACTIVE SpoolCountActual - the number of SECS messages currently spooled SpoolCountTotal - the total number of messages spooled and/or discarded SpoolMax - the configured maximum number of spooled messages SpoolStreamFns - the list of S<s>, S<s>F<f> message types that configured for spooling Your application gets notified of the initial values of these items when the SecsEquipCpp connection type is initialized.

SecsEquipCpp Methods

METHOD	DESCRIPTION
General Comments	The List manipulation methods, which are static, are implemented by the DmhCppClient class and also exposed for your convenience by the SecsEquipCpp class.
void alarmAdd(unsigned int ALID, const char *ALTX) void alarmAdd(unsigned int ALID, const char *ALTX, unsigned int alarmSetCEID, unsigned int alarmClearCEID)	Add an alarm type definition. Newly created alarms are enabled.  The first form is the commonly used choice for new SECS interfaces where the CEID's for the GEM Alarm events are configured automatically.   Depending on the setting of the AlarmsShareEvents property, the GEM alarm set and clear data collection events will either be the same events shared by all alarm types, or two new events will be created for each alarm type.  Set your preferred value of AlarmsShareEvents before using the alarmAdd methods. If the AlarmsShareEvents property is true, use only the first form of alarmAdd where the set and clear event IDs are not specified.  Use any ALID value from 1000 to 3999.  If the AlarmsShareEvents property is false, choose only even numbers for the ALID from 1000 to 3998  to allow for two enabled events which are created for each alarm, an alarm set event with CEID == ALID, and an alarm clear event with  CEID == ALID+1. The ALTX argument is a description of the alarm and it has a length limit of 120 ASCII characters.  The ALTX should not contain single quote characters. The second form of alarmAdd() lets you specify the CEID values used for the Alarm Set and Clear event reports.  Use this form if you need to customize which data collection events are posted for the alarm's Set and Clear events.  If the event types do not already exist, they are created.  There is no validation performed on the specified CEID values, they only need to be representable as 4 byte unsigned integers.   With this form of alarmAdd you are able to specify any ALID value from 1000 to 3999 with the default range restriction in place. With either form, you are able to bypass the usual range restriction of the ALID value by setting the property IdRangeChecked false.
void alarmEnable(unsigned int ALID, bool is_enabled)	Enable or disable reporting of an Alarm type (S5F1).  This method is not commonly used, it is usually the host's role to decide which alarms are enabled. By default per the GEM standard E30, there is built-in logic to save and restore the enabled/disabled settings of the alarms.  The file "alarmdata_" + Name + ".sql" is written to the SpoolDirectory.  When communication is first enabled, this file is read to restore the enabled/disabled settings from the prior session.  An app can disable the built-in logic using the PropertySet method.
bool alarmIsEnabled(unsigned int ALID)	Test if the reporting of an alarm type is enabled
bool alarmIsSet(unsigned int ALID)	Test if the alarmed state is currently set
void alarmSet(unsigned int ALID, bool is_set)	Set or Clear the alarmed state of an alarm.  The built-in logic takes care of sending alarm report and event report messages.
std::string alarmText(unsigned int ALID)	Lookup the description, ALTX, of an alarm type.  An empty string is returned for a non-existent alarm type.
int binToInt(const char *binValue)	Converts a SECS B (Binary  - Semi "10") data value formatted as a hexadecimal or decimal string to an integer value.
void commDisable(void)	Disable SECS communication.  The SecsEquipCpp is initialized without communication enabled so using this method only makes sense after commEnable has been called.
void commEnable(void)	Enables SECS communication.  The CommState property value will change and StateChange events will be received.  These changes are the asynchronous indications for success or failure to establish communication.  When your equipment is configured for the Active HSMS role, field personnel will want to display the trace window with the 0x0002 TRACE property bit set in order to see detailed information on the status of communication attempts.
int connectTypeHsmsActive(const char *host_or_ip, int port)	This method is an alternative to setting the underlying property values to specify an active HSMS connection type, and calling connectTypeSet().  Communication should be disabled when the connection type is set.
int connectTypeHsmsPassive(int port)	This method is an alternative to setting the underlying property values to specify a passive HSMS connection type, and calling connectTypeSet().  Communication should be disabled when the connection type is set.
int connectTypeSerial(const char *serialPort, int baudrate)	This method is an alternative to setting the underlying property values to specify a SECS-I connection type, and calling connectTypeSet().
int connectTypeSet(void)	This method is called to use the current property values and initialize a SECS interface for the indicated connection type.  It is called by the connectType<Type> methods.  If you are setting connection property data directly, call this method after your property values are set.  The method returns the value 0 to indicate success.
void debugDMHStatus(bool show)	This method causes the DMH message system status window to either be shown or dismissed.
void debugInspect()	This method can be used to exec the Inspect introspection debugger.
void debugTableWindow(bool show)	This method causes the Datahub table management GUI to be shown or dismissed.
void debugTclConsole(bool show)	This method causes a console window for the SECS Server to be shown or dismissed.
void debugTraceWindow(bool show)	This method is used to display a window which updates to show SECS message traffic and state information for the SecsEquip.   There are menu options to control the data displayed, and menu actions to save the displayed data to the file system.  This method invokes the Tcl/Tk version of the Trace window which is created by the SECS Server process.  The example GUI application features the SecsTracewin class and instantiates a native MFC window with similar function.  Including the trace window in the administration area of your equipment GUI is a practical necessity to help field personnel diagnose communication problems.
static bool errorDefaultHandler(const char *title, const char *msg, bool isRetryable, bool isFatal)	Your application can call this method to handle errors in the same way that the SecsEquipCpp uses as the built-in default.  If you compile SecsEquipCpp with WINAPP_ONLY_COMPILE defined, then the SecsEquipCpp will show GUI MessageBox invocations for the retryable or fatal errors.  Other errors are handled by writing to std::cerr, the standard error output stream.
static bool errorManager(const char *title, const char *msg, bool isRetryable, bool isFatal);	Your application can call this method to have errors managed by the same error handling callback that you write for the SecsEquipCpp callback, secsServerErrorCallback.
void eventAdd(unsigned int CEID, bool is_reported, const char * description, optional const char *eventName = NULL)	This method is used to create an Event type.  With the default range checking of ID values, you are restricted to use CEID values between 5000 and 9999 so you do not collide with Alarm Set and Clear events, or the built-in events.  You can set the IdRangeChecked property false if you need to customize the assigned IDs.  Events can be given meaningful names, and the names can be used when posting event occurrences.  Choose names that are less than 256 characters and consist of alphanumeric characters and/or the hyphen or underscore.  If the eventName argument is not provided, the name defaults to the CEID value formatted as a string.  A specified  event name value should be unique among all of the event names for the SecsEquipCpp instance.
void eventDvvals(const char *eventName, std::vector<std::string> &dvvalNames) void eventDvvals(const char *eventName, const char *dvvalList);	This method is used by the application to provide descriptive information used in the S1F24 reply which is a newly proposed standard message as of October 2011.  To support this message type, the application provides eventName values when creating events using eventAdd().  Then, for event types which have associated Data Value variables (class DVVAL), the application uses this method to inform the SECS Server of the association using the variable varname values.   This method is used late in the initialization after the event type and the associated DVVAL variables have been added.  The developer can choose to pass varname values in a vector, or as a whitespace separated list which obeys the formatting conventions of a Tcl list.
void eventEnable(unsigned int CEID, bool is_enabled)	Event reports are enabled for an event type when first created.  This method is not commonly used, it is usually the host's role to decide which events are enabled.
bool eventIsEnabled(unsigned int CEID)	Query the SECS Server to see if reporting of an event type is currently enabled.
void eventPost(unsigned int CEID) void eventPostByName(const char *eventName)	These methods are used to announce when an event has occurred.   In general, make sure that the data items that the host might want in an event report are set to their proper values before eventPost is called.  You should make this call without testing to see if reporting of the event is enabled and without other testing of the communication or control states. The two method forms allow for posting the event by its CEID or its name.
int eventRenumber (const char *eventName, unsigned int newCEID)	This method is provided so that the CEID values of the built-in events can be customized.  Use the method after restoring or configuring the connection type, and before enabling communication.  If the newCEID value is in use by a different event, that event is given a "temporary" ID value of the current value plus 1 million under the assumption that it will be renumbered as well.  After initialization, if events are found with ID values greater than 1 million, they indicate that more than one event has been assigned to the same ID value.  A positive return value is a warning, and the value 0 indicates success.  In more detail, the return values and their meanings are: 0 The event already has the desired ID, or the event was renumbered successfully. 1 The new ID was in in-use so the existing event was renumbered to a "temporary" ID. 2 or more The return value is the number of events of this name that were found.  The extra table records were deleted and the surviving table record has the desired ID or was renumbered successfully.  This condition is not ordinarily expected. Exception If the eventName does not identify an existing event an exception is thrown.  Also, if the method does not succeed from an unexpected error such as a timeout, an exception is thrown.  The data passed when the exception is thrown is a char * string describing the problem.
bool eventReportLinks(std::vector<unsigned int> &links);	This method call returns a vector of alternating integer values for the current associations of event types and event report definitions.  The paired integer values have the CEID value first and then the RPTID value.  These association links are setup by the host using S2F35.  They can also be setup using the reportLink method.  This method supports helping you display or provide for editing of the event report configuration which is not commonly done by equipment.  The boolean result is false if there is error.
void eventUnlink(unsigned int CEID);	This method can be used to unlink (disassociate) any reports that are associated with an event type.  The call can be used if your tool supports manual editing of event reports.
bool linktest(void)	Synchronously test a COMMUNICATING HSMS connection to verify that the link is responsive.  May take up to timeout period T6 to return. On failure, the HSMS socket connection is closed and the CommState will no longer be COMMUNICATING.  Useful for equipment to force a broken connection to be discovered just before important event reports so that the report messages are spooled or so that the app is in sync with the actual communication state. Returns true if the link is up, false if the link is down.
void linktestAsync(void)	Cause a linktest HSMS control message to be sent to test if a healthy connection still exists.  Forces discovery of a bad connection after a T6 timeout. If the link test fails, the HSMS socket connection is closed and the CommState is no longer COMMUNICATING.  The method is useful for periodic polling if there is an issue with broken connections not being discovered soon enough.
static void listAppend(std::string &list, const char *e1, const char *e2 = NULL,  const char *e3 = NULL, const char *e4=NULL, const char *e5=NULL, const char *e6=NULL);	This method is used to add one to six list elements to text that is formatted as a Tcl list.  It is a good programming practice to use listAppend or listJoin to build a Tcl list, in order to make sure that imbedded white space or other special characters are properly delimited with curly braces or escaped with backslashes.  An empty string may be passed as any of the element argument values, in order to represent an empty list or empty element.  The first NULL argument indicates the previous argument is the end of the list.
static std::string listElement(const char *list, int index1, int index2=-1, int index3=-1); static std::string listElement(const string &list, int index1, int index2=-1, int index3=-1);	This function is similar to the lindex function of Tcl.  It will parse text formatted as a list and return the specified element.  Indexing starts from 0.  Arguments index2 and index3 may be used to indicate that parsing of the list should continue up to two additional levels as a nested list structure. If a specified index is out of bounds, an empty string is returned.  Not all strings are valid lists.  If an invalid list is parsed, an empty string is returned.
static std::string listJoin(int argc, const char * [] argv); static std::string listJoin(std::vector<std::string> &sv);	Joins together strings as Tcl list elements forming a result string that is a Tcl list.  Braces are added as needed to delimit empty elements, or to delimit special Tcl character sequences involving backslashes , square brackets, etc.
static int listSplit(const char *list,   std::vector<std::string> &elements) static int listSplit(const string &list,   std::vector<std::string> &elements)	listSplit( ) parses a string formatted as a list into a vector of string elements.  The function understands the list format usage of quotes, braces and backslash sequences.  Not all strings are valid lists. The return value is 0 on success. Failure occurs when there are unmatched braces, unmatched quotes, or non-whitespace following braces or quotes.
void messageTypeAdd(int stream, int function, SecsMessageReceiveProc *callback,   void *clientData = NULL);) typedef void (SecsMessageReceiveProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, int stream, int function, bool send_reply,    int transactionID, const char *TSN_data, const char *header, void *clientData);	Call this method to have SECS messages processed by your custom handler methods when the SecsEquipCpp is in online control, and the message is received from the host.  You can provide for new SECS message types, or you can replace the existing SecsEquipCpp handling of particular messages.  Use the sendReply, sendS9, and sendAbort methods to send reply messages. You can use the clientData argument to pass a pointer to an application object or data structure into the receiving handler.
void messageTypeRemove(int stream, int function)	This method is used to cancel SECS message handlers that you have setup using messageTypeAdd or to cancel the handling of particular messages during the online control state by the built-in SecsEquipCpp logic.  For example, you may wish to turn of Process Program management message types for a tool that does not use Process Programs.  If you have called messageTypeAdd for the specified message type, the Add is cancelled.  If you have not called messageTypeAdd, the SECS server is told not to handle the message. Unhandled messages are replied to with an abort reply.  If the unhandled message does not ask for a reply, an S9F5 message is sent to indicate an unknown function.
void parameterAdd(int varID, const char *varname, const char *description, const char *value_TSN, const char *initialValue, const char *minValue, const char *maxValue, const char *defaultValue, const char *units, bool affectsProcessing)	This method is used to add Equipment Configuration Variable definitions (ECVs).  With the default range checking active, use varID values that are between 1000 to 2999.  Use a unique value for each parameter.  The value_TSN argument is the Tcl SECS notation type code for the ECV value such as F4 for floating point, or A:80 for an ASCII string up to 80 characters long.  Call parameterSet when the ECV value is changed by your GUI or controller logic so that the SECS Server can manage the appropriate GEM event.  With ASCII types, indicate the maximum number of characters, n, that you wish to allow the host to set, by using a type code of the form A:n.  The value of n can be as large as 60000.  The boolean affectsProcessing argument specifies whether the parameter affects processing.  If it does, the host is not allowed to change the value unless the control state is online with remote control. If you have custom ID requirements, you can set the IdRangeChecked property false to disable varID range checking, and you can renumber existing Parameters and Variables using the variableRenumber method.
std::string parameterGet(int varID) std::string parameterGet(const char *varname)	This method is used to get the current value of an ECV.  The return value is an empty string if there is unexpected error.
bool parameterGetInfo(int varID, VariableInfo &info) bool parameterGetInfo(const char *varname, VariableInfo &info) {	These methods return the configuration data of an ECV.  The return value is a VariableInfo data structure - see variableGetInfo.  The boolean value is false if there is error.
int parameterSet(int varID, const char *newvalue) void parameterSet(const char *varname, const char *newValue)	This method is used to update the value of an ECV parameter.   The built-in logic takes care of event reports notifying the host of  any changes.
void parametersRestore()	Restores the saved values of the parameters (Equipment Constant Variables).  The parametersRestore() method gets called automatically when you first enable communication if property ParametersAreSaved is true, and parametersRestore() has not already been called.  The call restores the values of parameters from the last session, and it initializes saving for the current session. There is logic so that restoring only occurs once.  It is useful to make this call if you want to force the restore action to occur before communication is enabled.  For example, this could support viewing the current values of the parameters before communication is enabled.  The connection type should be set and all of the parameters should be defined before calling this method.
RcResult processProgramDownload(const char *ppid)  struct RcResult {   int rc;  // return code   std::string result; };	Used by the equipment to initiate the download of a process program from the host using S7F5.  The ppid argument value is both the process program identifier and the file name that is used by the equipment for the process program file.  There is no standard SECS command for the equipment to know what process programs are available from the host for downloading.  The return value is a structure containing an integer return code and a result string.  If the return code value is 0 which indicates success, the result string is the full pathname to the process program file.  Negative return code values indicate error.  Possible errors include those described with sendSecsMsg().  In addition the following error codes are also possible:  -10 file system error, -11 improper data received, -12 request denied by the host. In the case of error, the result string is a diagnostic message.
RcResult processProgramLargeRequest(const char *ppid)  struct RcResult {   int rc;  // return code   std::string result; };	This method initiates the download of a process program from the host using the message types of Stream 13 which are designed for large data set transfers.  Using these messages is more complex than the usual Stream 7 transfer messages so they are less commonly supported.  The ppid argument value is both the process program identifier and the file name that is used by the equipment for the process program file. There is no standard SECS message for the equipment to know what process programs are available for download.  The return value is a two element structure, a return code and text.  The return code is 0 if the transfer is initiated successfully as determined by the host's reply to S7F41.  The transfer is not complete when the method returns.   The large data set transfer logic receives the downloaded file in the subdirectory, dataset_transfer, of the directory set by the RecipeDirectory property.  When the transfer is complete, there is a StateChange event with the name dataset_download and the newvalue being a two element list consisting of the ppid value and the full pathname to the newly received file.  To fully comply with the large process program transfer scenarios specified by GEM E30, your application should react to the StateChange event by verifying the newly received process program and sending the S7F27 Process Program Verification message to the host using sendSecsMsg.  The S7F27 message is sent with replyIsWanted true, but there is no reason to wait for the host's reply.  After verification, your application can move the file into the RecipeDirectory for use, possibly overwriting an earlier version. If the transfer does not complete successfully, there is additional status information is the SECS server table ei_dataset_xfer.   It is possible to query this table or subscribe to data changes of this table to better integrate transfer status information. Possible error results include values of the ACKC7 reply to S7F41 and the following: 1 permission not granted 4 PPID not found 6 other error -6  error when sending S7F41 or receiving the S7F42 reply -13 PP transfers are disabled when spooling is active -14 A large PP receive is already in progress for ppid -15 Stream 13 transfers are disabled either from configuration or initialization failure -16 PPID is not usable as a restricted filename -17 error when parsing the S7F42 reply
RcResult processProgramLargeSend(const char *filename)  struct RcResult {   int rc;  // return code   std::string result; };	This method initiates the upload of a process program to the host using the message types of Stream 13 which are designed for large data set transfers.  Using these messages is more complex than the usual Stream 7 transfer messages so they are less commonly supported.  In most cases, the filename argument value is both the process program identifier and the file name that is used by the equipment for the process program file.  However, when using the PPFilesByRequest feature, the argument value should be the process program identifier, ppid, instead of the filename.   The return value is a two element structure, a return code and text.  The return code is 0 if the transfer is initiated successfully as determined by the host's reply to S7F37.  The transfer is not complete when the method returns.   The large data set transfer logic makes a temporary copy of the file for transfer in the subdirectory, dataset_transfer, of the directory set by the RecipeDirectory property.  This allows your application to change or access the process program while the copy is being transferred.  When the transfer is complete, there is a StateChange event with the name dataset_upload and the newvalue being the filename value.   If the transfer does not complete successfully, there is additional status information is the SECS server table ei_dataset_xfer.   The SECS Server also posts UploadSuccess, UploadTimeout, and UploadFailure data collection events that can be monitored as StateChange events with the name event. Possible error results include values of the ACKC7 reply to S7F37 and the following: 1 permission not granted 6 other error -4  PPID filename not found -6  error when sending S7F37 or receiving the S7F37 reply -13 PP transfers are disabled when spooling is active -14 A large PP receive is already in progress for ppid -15 Stream 13 transfers are disabled either from configuration or initialization failure -16 error copying the PPID for large send -17 error when parsing the S7F38 reply
RcResult processProgramUpload(const char *ppid)  struct RcResult {   int rc;  // return code   std::string result; };	Used by the equipment to initiate transferring a process program to the host using S7F3.  The ppid argument value is identically the file name of the process program and the identifier for the process program.  The return value is a pointer to an allocated structure containing an integer return code and a result string. The return code value is 0 for complete success.  Negative return code values indicate an error.  Possible error values include those possible with processProgramDownload().  In addition, the return code value of -13 is used to indicate "upload disabled during spooling".  A positive return code value is the SECS standard ACKC7 code value sent by the host.  Diagnostic text is provided in the result string for all return code values.  Important:  Do not assume that the host saves process program files with the same file names or in the same format that the equipment does.  The only proper way to use an uploaded process program file is to download it using the same host software that uploaded it.
void processStateNames(std::vector<int> & stateValue, std::vector<std::string> &stateName); void processStateNames(const int stateValue[], const char *stateName[], unsigned nStates);	Calling this method during initialization adds a Status Variable named ProcessStateNames whose value is a list of Process State values and their names.  The variable is not required by the standards but including it is strongly recommended.  It helps the host provide better displays of processing status.  The stateValue argument is an array or vector of process state integer values.  The stateName argument is a corresponding array or vector of state names.  The nStates argument is the number of state elements in the arrays.
void propertySet(const char *name, const char *value);	There are some less commonly configured properties that can be initialized using this method, such as: AlarmsAreSaved Set to 0 to disable the built-in saving and restoring of alarm enablement. dataid set to a starting integer such as 0 to cause DATAID values to be sequential integers recv_max the maximum number of bytes for a received message (default is 2048000) spool_no_reply set to 1 to cause spooling activation when the host does not reply to a primary message stricttypes set to 1 to limit the use of S1F3 and S2F13 message types to SV and ECV variables respectively. trace additional messages can be added to the tracing and logging VarValueTimeout the timeout number of milliseconds for a variable value request (default 20000) wbit_s5f1 set to 1 to cause S5F1 alarm reports to be sent asking for a reply wbit_s6f1 set to 1 to cause S6F1 trace reports to be sent asking for a reply Current settings can be viewed using the Trace Window.  In general, refrain from changing element values of the SECS connection array except as advised.
std::string quoteDouble(const char *text);	This method returns a result string where instances of single quotes in the input string are doubled.  This is the escaping method used by SQL.
int reportDefine(int rptID, std::vector<int> & varIDs);	This method is optionally used to update, create, or delete an event report definition.  If the varIDs array argument is null or empty, the report configuration is deleted.  The return values are: 0 - a new report created, 1 - an existing report updated, 2 - report deleted, -2 unknown variable ID, -3 invalid rptID , -1 unexpected transaction error.  Any positive number can be used for a report ID (rptID) value.   Manual editing of event reports, or the creation of built-in event reports  is not required by GEM since dynamic reporting is provided.   We recommend that you do not provide predefined, built-in reports.  Let the host configure the reporting that is desired.  If you do provide built-in reports, you have a complex situation since GEM specifies that the state of event reporting setup by the host is persistent.  This means the saved and restored reports can delete your predefined ones.  If you choose to implement built-in reports, we recommend that you add an equipment parameter (ECV) and make the user choose between having the built-in reports or having the saved reports defined at startup.  Do one of the following to insure built-in reports are available:  (1) Set the property ReportsAreSaved to false to prevent your built-in reports from being replaced by the restore logic, or (2) Call reportsRestore after your events and variables are defined, and then add your built-in reports after the restore logic has run.
bool reportDefGet(int rptID, std::vector<int> & varIDs);	Returns a vector of the variable IDs in an event report definition.  An empty vector is returned if the report does not exist.   The boolean result is false if there is unexpected error.
void reportDelete(int rptID);	Delete an event report definition.  The method reportsClear() can be used to delete all of the event reports.  Only used  if your tool supports manual report editing which is not common.
int reportLink(int rptID, unsigned int CEID);	This method supports optional manual editing of the event report configuration or providing for built-in event reports linked to specified events.  The method is used to link or associate a report definition to an event type, causing the report to be sent as part of the event report message.  Both the report and the event type should exist at the time the method is called.  The return values are: 0 success, -2 invalid rptID, -3 invalid CEID, -1 unexpected internal error.
void reportUnlink(int rptID); void reportUnlink(int rptID, unsigned int CEID);	This overloaded method is used to remove the link or association of a report and an event type.  If just the rptID is specified, the report is unlinked from all event types.
void reportsClear()	This method erases any existing event report definitions, unlinks the event reports from event types, and disables the event reports that were linked to the deleted reports.  The call also deletes any saved event report data, so it can be used to prevent or nullify the restoring of event reports from the previous saved session.  The method is not usually called since saving and restoring the dynamic event report configuration is standard GEM behavior.
bool reportsList(std::vector<int> & rptIDs);	The method returns a vector of the report ID values for the current report definitions.  If there is unexpected error in obtaining the reports, the boolean return value is false.
void reportsRestore()	ReportsRestore gets called automatically when you first enable communication if property ReportsAreSaved is true, and ReportsRestore has not already been called.  The call restores the state of event reporting from the last session, and it initializes saving for the current session.  Restoring overwrites the existing event report definitions.  There is logic so that restoring only occurs once.  A connection type should be set and the variables and event types should be defined before calling this method.
SecsEquipCpp( const char *spname = "SecsEquip0", const char *dmhGroup = "GEM")	The class constructor.  The spname argument becomes the name of a global data item and a Tcl command in the SECS Server process.  It needs to be unique for each SecsEquipCpp instance, and not coincide with a keyword in the Tcl programming language.  The default value of spname is SecsEquip0.  The example application uses the spname value, gemsim.  The name should be a single alphanumeric token.  The dmhGroup argument becomes the DMH message system group name used by the SecsEquipCpp and SECS Server process.  If you are instantiating more than one SecsEquipCpp instance in your process, construct each instance using the same dmhGroup name argument so that the SECS Server process is shared.  The groupname chosen needs to be unique among other DMH server instances on the computer where the SecsEquipCpp is executing.  The default value is GEM.  This value does not conflict with the default value for Hume Datahub instances which is mbx.  The name should be a single alphanumeric token.  The SecsEquipCpp SECS Server child process can be debugged remotely by connecting to the DMH mailbox SERVER_RPC@hostname:dmhGroup using the Inspect application or using the DMH mailbox SERVER_SQL@hostname:dmhGroup by the hubclient application.
void sendAbort(int stream, int primaryFunction)	This method is used to send an F0 abort message in lieu of a proper reply.  It is used to indicate that the received message is not appropriate in the current context.   For example, when the control state is ON-LINE LOCAL, the abort reply should be sent to a host message that would affect processing.
void sendReply(int stream, int function, int transactionID, const char * TSN_data = "")	This method is used by your custom SECS message handling logic to send reply messages either with or without data.  The reply data is formatted as Tcl Secs Notation text.
void sendS9(int function, const char *header)	This method is used to indicate an error condition response to a received message - it is sent in lieu of a normal reply.  The SecsEquipCpp software takes care of many of the possible error conditions automatically, including, 1- bad Device ID, 3 - bad stream, 5 - bad function, and 9 - T3 timeout.  You will not receive a message type, unless you register for it.  Therefore, you will mostly send the function value 7 to indicate improper data.
RcResult sendSecsMsg(int stream, int function, bool reply_wanted, const char *TSN_data, bool wait4reply) struct RcResult {   int rc;  // return code   std::string result; };	This method is used to send a primary SECS message, optionally indicating a reply is wanted, and optionally indicating that the call should wait for a reply.  The sendSecsMsg() call returns a data structure that has an integer return code and a result string.  The possible return values are: -1 errorMessage  - the error message starts with "ERROR" and describes the fault -2 DISABLED   - communication is disabled so the message could not be sent -3  OFF-LINE   - the control state is OFF-LINE and per GEM only S1F1, S1F13, and S9FX are sendable. -4  DISCARDED   - spooling is active and this message type is not spooled.  Usually the connection is down.  But this result can also occur for a newly established connection before the host has purged or finished unloading the spool. -5  BUSY   - an eq_send call is currently active.  You should not see this error, since by design send commands are serialized using DMH messages to the connection's command mailbox. 1  SPOOLED    Your message has been spooled for later sending.  Even if you specify waiting for the reply result you receive this instead of the reply data if the message is spooled.  We recommend you not allowing spooling of message types where you care about the reply. 0  SENT_NO_REPLY  - sent successfully no reply requested 0  SENT_NO_REPLY_WAIT  - sent successfully, a reply was indicated, not waiting for the reply was indicated.  The reply will be ignored when it arrives. 0  ReplyTsnData   -sent ok, reply requested and received. -6  TIMEOUT  - sent ok, reply requested, no reply, T3 timeout.  -7  ABORTED  - sent ok, F0 abort reply received. -9 REJECTED  - sent ok, Stream 9 error message "reply".
void sendSecsMsgAsync(int stream, int function, bool replyWanted, const char *TSN_data = "");	Send a primary SECS message without waiting for the send success, send failure, or a reply. Wanting a reply can still be indicated, and the reply can be received asynchronously using messageTypeAdd() or ignored.  This method provides a completely asynchronous send which does not wait to determine if the SECS Server has successfully sent or spooled the SECS message.   The method can provide better performance than sendSecsMsg, and it keeps the calling thread responsive to other events as the SECS message is being sent.
static int serverLicenseCheck(void)	This function returns an integer code for the license status when using the SecsServer[.exe].  An  OEM who features SECS/GEM as an option, can test whether a valid license is installed, in which case the return value is 0.  The check does not test or validate running with a Datahub SDK installation.  Return code values are: -1 SecsServer.exe is not found. An SDK installation is not checked. 0 a valid license is installed 1 no licenses.txt found 2 the licenses.txt file contains improperly formatted data 3 no license code found for the system in the licenses.txt file 4 invalid license code found for the system in the licenses.txt file
static void serverSQLCmd(const char *sql)	Send an SQL command to the SECS Server process without waiting for a reply.  This method is used by the SecsEquipCpp software and made public in case of custom requirements.
static std::string serverSQLReply(const char *sql)	Send an SQL command to the SECS Server process and wait for the reply.  This method is used by the SecsEquipCpp software and made public in case of custom requirements.
static void serverTclCmd(const char * tclCommand);	Send a Tcl command to the SECS Server process without waiting for a reply.  This method is used by the SecsEquipCpp software and made public in case of custom requirements.  After a SecsEquipCpp instance has been constructed and the connection type set, the tclCmd( ) method should be used instead of this method for commands that are directed to a particular interface instance.  Why?  Doing so serializes the commands for a particular interface, and provides re-entrant execution protection.
static std::string serverTclReply(const char *tclCommand);	Send a Tcl command to the SECS Server process and wait for the reply message.  This call is used by the SecsEquipCpp software and made public in case of custom requirements.  After a SecsEquipCpp instance has been constructed and the connection type set, the tclReply( ) method should be used instead of this method for commands that are directed to a particular interface instance.
static SecsEquipStartupData startupLoad(const char *name) struct  SecsEquipStartupData {     std::string name;     bool autoInstantiate;       bool commEnable;     bool controlIntentOnline;     bool controlModeRemote;     SecsEquipCpp::ControlStateEnum controlStateStartup;     std::string hsmsHost;       int connectionType;     int hsmsPort;     bool hsmsPassive;     std::string serialDevice;        int baud;     int deviceID;     bool mult;     int rty;     int T1;     int T2;     int T3;     int T4;     int T5;     int T6;     int T7;     int T8;     int traceBits;     int traceMax;     std::string traceDir;     std::string traceZipCmd; };	This method retrieves the persisted startup configuration for the named interface.  If no startup data is found, the returned data structure is populated with reasonable defaults, and the name field in the data structure is set to an empty string to indicate that a saved record did not exist.  The method uses the SECS server's ei_equipment data table.  The table data is saved as the file ei_equipment.tab in the SECS server's working directory when the startupSave() method is called. The declaration of the SecsEquipStartupData struct in the header file SecsEquipCpp.h can be viewed for the comments on the field usage, in addition to reviewing the example GUI application source code.  The comments in the header are displayed by the Intellisense prompting of the Visual Studio IDE.
void startupRestore(SecsEquipStartupData &esd)	The method applies the passed startup configuration to the instance, configuring properties according to the data and calling connectTypeSet(). The method does not call commEnable() which allows you to fully configure the instance before going online.  The name field in the input structure is ignored since the instance has already been constructed and given a name.
static RcResult startupSave(SecsEquipStartupData &esd);	This method assumes that startupLoad() was called during initialization so that the SECS server creates the ei_equipment table which is used to manage equipment startup data.  The method creates or updates a row in the table using the passed configuration, and then saves all of the table data to the file system as the file ei_equipment.tab in the SECS server's working directory.  A non-zero return code is returned if the table data is not saved successfully.  There is only partial checking of the validity of the passed data.  The return value data structure is used to pass a possible warning message for the values controlling tracing and logging.  In this case, the return code value is greater than 0. This method is used by the StartupEditorDlg class in the example GUI application.
void spoolPurge(void)	This method discards any spooled messages that are queued for the host.
void spoolStop(void)	This method sets the messages types that are enabled for spooling to an empty string, thus, further spooling is stopped.
void spoolStreamFns(const char *StreamFns = NULL)	The method is used to set the spooled message types.  If called with no arguments, the streams that are allowed for the host to enable (property SpoolingAllow) are enabled.  If called with an argument, the call bypasses the SpoolingAllow property and enables spooling for the S<s> and S<s>F<f> message types that are specified in the input string.
void tclCmd(const char *tcl)	This method is used to send Tcl code to the SECS server command mailbox for the connection.  It is used by the SecsEquipCpp software and made public to support custom requirements.
RcResult tclReply(const char *tcl) struct RcResult {   int rc;  // return code   std::string result; };	This method is used to send Tcl code to the SECS server command mailbox for the connection and wait for the evaluation result.  It is used by the SecsEquipCpp software and made public to support custom requirements.  The method returns an RcResult data structure whose first element is a return code for the evaluation with 0 meaning success.  The second element is the string result value from the executed Tcl code, or an error message if the return code is not 0.
void terminalDisplayAck()	Calling this method posts the data collection event named TerminalServicesOperatorAck which is used by the equipment to indicate acknowledgment of a host Terminal Display.
bool tsnTypeIsOk(const char *value_TSN)	This method is used to check value_TSN argument values that you pass to the various Add methods.
void varGroupSet(std::vector<int> & varIDs, std::vector<std::string> & values)	This method is a more efficient alternative to calling variableSet() multiple times, the method sends the updated values to the SECS Server in one message. Tip: Define an enum or const values for your variable IDs.
void varGroupSetEventPost(std::vector<int> & varIDs, std::vector<std::string> & values, unsigned int CEID)	This method is a more efficient alternative to calling variableSet() multiple times and then posting a Data Collection event using eventPost().  The method sends the variable values and posts the event using one message to the SECS Server which provides better data integrity and better performance.  The vector of varID values should be the same length as the vector of variable values, and the elements of each vector should correspond in sequence. If the CEID value is 0, no event is posted, and the method is equivalent to varGroupSet().  The method is most efficient for applications which use the SECS Server ei_variable table to manage variable values instead of using VarValueRequest callbacks.   When callbacks are used, the event posting methods should be called directly.  They feature an optimization which queries the SECS Server for needed variable values and sends them in a single second message.
void variableAdd(int varID, const char *varname, const char *description, const char *varClass, const char *value_TSN, const char *varmethod, const char *initialValue, const char *units) static const char *VARCLASS_SV;   static const char *VARCLASS_DVVAL;	Use this method to add a Status Value variable (varClass == "SV") or a Data Value variable (varClass == "DVVAL").  Both classes of variables are available for the host to configure in event reports.  A DVVAL does not need to have a valid value, for example the alarm ID of the latest alarm when there have been no alarms.  With the default checking of Id values, use varID values between 3000 and 9999.  Leave the varmethod argument as NULL or an empty string if the variable value will be represented in the ei_variable table, or you will subsequently call variableMethodSet to specify an evaluation callback.  If you have custom ID requirements, you can set the IdRangeChecked property false to disable varID range checking, and you can renumber existing Parameters and Variables using the variableRenumber method.
std::string variableGet(int varID) std::string variableGet(const char *varname);	This method is used to get the current value of a variable.  It uses the same access logic that host requests use so it can test your custom value logic.  The return value is an empty string if there is an error.
bool variableGetInfo(int varID, VariableInfo &info);  bool variableGetInfo(const char *varname, VariableInfo &info); struct VariableInfo {     int varID;     std::string varname;     std::string description;     std::string varClass;     std::string value_TSN;     std::string varmethod;     std::string units;     std::string minValue;     std::string maxValue;     std::string defaultValue; };	These methods return the configuration information of a variable or parameter (ECV).
int variableRenumber (const char *varname, int newID)	This method is provided so that the ID values of the built-in variables and parameters (ECVs)  can be customized.  All of these data items are represented in the same table, and should be given unique numeric identifiers.  Use the method after restoring or configuring the connection type, and before enabling communication.   If the newVarId value is in use by a different variable, that variable is given a "temporary" varID value of the current value plus 1 million under the assumption that it will be renumbered as well.  After initialization, if variables are found with ID values greater than 1 million, they indicate that more than one variable has been assigned to the same ID value.  A positive return value is a warning, and the value 0 indicates success.  In more detail, the return values and their meanings are: 0 The variable already has the desired ID, or the variable was renumbered successfully. 1 The newVarId was in in-use so the existing variable was renumbered to a "temporary" ID. 2 or more The return value is the number of variables of this name that were found.  The extra table records were deleted and the surviving table record has the desired ID or was renumbered successfully.  This condition is not ordinarily expected. Exception If the varname does not identify an existing variable an exception is thrown.  Also, if the method does not succeed from an unexpected error such as a timeout, an exception is thrown.  The data passed when the exception is thrown is a char * string describing the problem.
void variableSet(int varID, const char *newValue)  void variableSet(const char *varname, const char *newValue);	This method is used to update the value of a Status Value or Data Value variable whose current value is represented in the ei_variable table.
void variableMethodSet(int varID, SecsVarValueProc *callback) typedef const char *(SecsVarValueProc)(SecsEquipCpp *, int varID);	You use this method to register a callback that is executed by the SecsEquipCpp software when the value of a Status or Data Value variable is needed.  The callback is executed by a different thread than your main GUI thread, so be sure to use threadsafe programming techniques such as mutexes.  See the application example. If the callback argument value is NULL, then any existing callback is unregistered, and the variable method is changed so that the value is managed in the ei_variable table using the variableSet() method.

Built-in Features

License Terms

The Hume C++ SecsEquipCpp software is licensed for development and runtime use at no additional charge for computers that are licensed for development use of the Hume Integration Datahub SDK.

Hume Integration is also pleased to offer separate runtime licenses for using the SecsEquipCpp software on systems that are not licensed as development systems.  Contact Hume Integration for information on the Resale Licensing program.

Document Version

1. The classname, SecsEquip, was changed to SecsEquipCpp.
2. The use of the DMH library is now through a C++ class, DmhCppClient, instead of the C API defined by dmh.h.  Practically this means most function calls of the form dmh_method(dmh, args) are revised to dmh->method(args).  The DMH C library still exists with nearly the same API.
   
3. Most method names and class data items were converted to camelCase instead of PascalCase.  PascalCase is still used for class names.  This pattern is more informative than using only PascalCase, and it helps to distinguish application methods from Windows API functions.  It is also consistent with Java conventions.
   
4. No more manual memory management.  Instead of passing char * results, std::string and std::vector types are used without the developer needing to explicitly free allocated memory.
5. The SecsEquipCpp class implementation uses STL collection types instead of Hume written collection classes.
6. The SecsEquipCpp and using applications on Windows do not need to be linked with Pthreads libraries or include Pthreads header files.  However, a Pthreads DLL still needs to be present at runtime for use by the dmh dll.
   
7. List manipulation methods are static and use std::string and STL std::vector types.
8. The SecsServerErrorProc callback type has been revised to have more detailed arguments and a boolean return value that indicates whether a retryable error should be retried.  New error handling methods are provided.
   
9. There is no longer a SendSecsMsgRcResult or a TclReplyRcResult method, instead, the sendSecsMsg and tclReply methods now return RcResult data structures.
   
10. RcResult has been redefined to be a struct and not a pointer to a struct. The RcResult result member is a std::string and not a char * pointer.  Be very careful to replace rcr->result usages with rcr.result.c_str() usages and not rcr.result usages.
    
11. parameterAdd() has a new argument, bool affectsProcessing.
    
12. New methods for parameter and variable info, for report configuration, for accessing parameters and variables by name, for startup saving and restoring, and obtaining state values as enums have been added.  Also sendSecsMsgAsync() and getReplyWaitingCount() were added.  Static const values for the Trace bitfield and DMH connection states have also been added.
13. An internal performance improvement has been made for Event reports and multiple variable value queries which involve SecsVarValueProc callbacks.  The internal logic which implements eventPost and eventPostByName performs a synchronous call to the SECS Server to determine which variable values (if any) are needed for the associated reports.  The eventPost logic executes the value callbacks and obtains all needed values and sends them in one message to the SECS Server.  There are three distinct advantages to this improvement.  (1) There is no need to dispatch variable value callbacks after the eventPost methods return so the SECS event reports are sent promptly even if your application gets busy, (2) the data integrity of the report values is enhanced since they are all read during the eventPost call, and (3) it is a performance improvement to send all needed variable values with one DMH message instead of multiple back-and-forth messages.
14. No attempt has been made to compile with any Visual Studio release older than VS2005.