Basic
Definitions
Soft
Automation/Creative Lifestyle
programs have a unique setup,
quite distinct from the typical Windows format that most programs
adhere to. This section will help you understand the way
these
programs work so that the program and this help file will make more
sense.
The
Workspace
The workspace is the sum total of everything you have setup
and
configured in the program. That means that when you save a
workspace and reload it, everything will be exactly the same as when
you left it. This includes all of the programs and sequences,
the
arrangement of windows and layout changes, etc. The workspace
is saved as a .wks
file. This means that if you ever use the save
button
within the program and save it as a ".wks" it will save the entire
workspace.
The
Sequence/Playlist
A sequence is a set of tools and or slides that you have put
together
to run a task. The tems "sequence" and "playlist" are used
interchangably in AM. A
sequence is saved as a .seq file. If you save a
sequence
in AM it will save whatever sequence is currently running or shown on
the screen.
The
Program
The Program is the entire set of
playlists or sequences
in a given workspace. Programs
are saved as .prg files. This means that if you
would
like to save all of the playlists that you have arranged, instead of
just the one showing, you will need to save it as a program file. When
you load a program
file it will load the entire set of sequences that have been saved in
that program.
Tools
In Automation Manager we call each individual function you
can add to a
playlist a tool. Automation Manager comes with several sets
of
tools. As shown in this image we have two vision tool sets, a
callibration set, a color set, etc. Each tool set has several tools
that you can drag and drop onto the playlist. All of the
different tool sets can be found in the pallet.
The Pallet
The
pallet is the menu where you can get access to all of the different
tools sets that are available in Automation Manager. The
pallet is to the tool set what the program is to a playlist. By right
clicking on the pallet (as shown) you will be shown a list of all of
the different tool sets that are available. The
Pallet will only be displayed in configuration
mode.
The
Running Object Table (ROT)
The
Running Object Table shows all the components in the current Workspace.
Every component in the Workspace can be configured from here.
Right-clicking on a component displays its properties. In addition,
tools can be dragged onto the Running Object Table directly from the
pallet. These tools then become global to the Workspace. The
Running Object Table will only be displayed in configuration mode.