SecsPort - A .NET Component for Deploying Equipment SECS Interfaces

Hume Integration has created a .NET component for rapidly deploying SEMI standard GEM compliant SECS equipment interfaces.   The .NET component features a fully CLS (Common Language Specification) compliant API and can be used from any of the Microsoft .NET programming languages, including C#, C++, Visual Basic, and Java.  Without any customization, the component 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 callback and event handlers 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 constructing dynamic Event Reports.

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.
• Useable from Visual Basic (VB), C#, Extended C++, Java, or other languages sharing the .NET Common Language Runtime.
• Leverages the Hume SECS/GEM application software which has been in 7x24 use by major equipment providers for several years.
• The robust and proven SECS interface server executes as a child process with minimal impact on your application execution.
• Both HSMS and SECS-I are supported.
• Transparent conversion of .NET Unicode string data to 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.
• Fully integrated into the .NET design environment with IntelliSense coding of event handlers, visible method descriptions, and parameter prompting
• Fully integrated into the .NET runtime environment with high-performance use of threading, event dispatching, controllable trace output, and error handling

The SecsPort component is 100% newly written Managed Code for safe execution by the Common Language Runtime with automatic provision for memory management, runtime safety, and version control.

GEM Compliance Statement

The Equipment OEM developer will need to be mindful of the standard when using the Hume SecsPort Component in order to insure that compliance is fully met.
 
 

Fundamental GEM Requirement	Implemented	Gem Compliant	Implementation Notes
State Models	Yes	Yes	The Communication State model is implemented by the SecsPort 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 SecsPort 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 ControlIntentOnline and ControlModeRemote properties.  The standards require the persistent configuration of the communication connection properties, communication enablement, and the control state start properties.  The example application uses the methods StartupSave, StartupLoad and StartupRestore, and the StartupDialog class for this purpose.  You may substitute your own configuration and persistence mechanisms or use the provided ones. 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 SecsPort component.
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 SecsPort 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 display by executing the DebugTableWindow method.
Control (Operator Initiated)	Yes	Yes	Use the GemGui 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 ControlIntentOnline.  The desired substate of ON-LINE control, LOCAL or REMOTE, is settable as the property ControlModeRemote.  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 SecsPort StateChange event.
ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES
Establish Communications	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsPort component.
Dynamic Event Report Configuration	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsPort component. 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.
Variable Data Collection	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsPort component.
Trace Data Collection	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsPort component.
Status Data Collection	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsPort component.
Alarm Management	Yes	Yes	This behavior is fully provided by the SecsPort component.  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 SecsPort when you use the AlarmAdd method.
Remote Control	Yes	Yes	The SecsPort defines a callback, RemoteCommandHandler which you set to receive Remote Commands (S2F21, S2F41, or S2F49) in your application code.  You can use the MessageTypeRemove method to selectively not handle any of the Remote Command message types. 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 SecsPort component.  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 GEM variable, 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 SecsPort component 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 SecsPort 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 SecsPort demonstrates displaying data received from the host, sending acknowledgment events, and sending display data to the host.  For your own implementation, use the delegate variable TerminalDisplayHandler to reference your own display method, use the method TerminalDisplayAck to send acknowledgment events, and follow the example of the GemGui.BTerminalSend_Click method for sending input data to the host using SendSecsMsg.
Clock	Yes	Yes	The SecsPort 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 SecsPort 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 SecsPort component fully implements this behavior.

User Guide

The SecsPort .NET component is provided as the following files:

• SecsPort.dll - the SECS/GEM component file for development and runtime use.  With .NET, there are no header files.  The development tools are able to determine API information from the DLL.
• HumeDMH.dll    - a component file to use the Hume DMH message system.  This component is used by the SecsPort component to control a SECS interface server process.
• GemGui.cs, *.cs   - C# source code for an example GEM Equipment application.  Most of the logic is in the file GemGui.cs  There are other files for child windows including ConnectionDialog.cs which provides an example of configuring connection properties.
• SecsPort.cs, Tracewin.cs, *.cs - You are provided with the source code to the SecsPort Component.  We think you will not need to modify it for normal usage.  By having the source code, you can be more effective with understanding and debugging the interaction between the SecsPort component and your application.
• GemEqApp.exe    - the compiled example application.
• GemEqApp.sln, GemEqApp.csproj, AssemblyInfo.cs, App.ico    - project files needed to recompile the example application.

The distribution is designed and tested for Windows XP Professional, and similar up-to-date Windows Professional versions such as Windows Vista or Windows 2000 Pro.

The Hume developed SecsPort component is a "component" as defined by the Microsoft .NET Framework.  As such, it implements the System.ComponentModel.IComponent interface.  Hume Integration is also using the word "component" to describe high level customizable applications such as their Data Collection Component.

Installation

The SecsPort .NET component 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 SecsPort component 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 simpler 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.

In order to run the example application, you need to have either the .NET development software installed, or the .NET runtime installed.  The .NET runtime can be downloaded from  Microsoft as the file, dotnetfx.exe.  Note that the .NET runtime is not presently distributed with or built into the Windows operating systems.
 

Environment Variable DMH_DOTNET_TCLDIR

DMH_DOTNET_TCLDIR=C:/usr/local/gem/server

Development

The SecsPort software uses the namespace Hume.SECS.  Coding is easier if you add the statement using Hume.SECS; to the using statements of your application source code.  By doing this, the namespace name, Hume.SECS, can be omitted from name references.  A Visual Basic developer uses the Imports statement for the same purpose.

The SecsPort software uses the HumeDMH.dll component internally to control the SECS interface server using the Hume DMH message system.  You may want to explore using the DMH message for your own application requirements such as integrating your User Interface with Controller systems, intelligent devices, and instruments.  The Hume SECS software is able to play the equipment role and the host role in multiple instances in the same SECS server process.  You may want to consider using the Hume SECS software to control SECS sub equipment.  In this situation, you would play the role of the host to the sub equipment, and the role of the equipment to the factory host.

Your primary focus as a developer is using the class SecsPort.  This class implements public methods to send and receive SECS messages, and manage an equipment SECS interface.  You will find the example application code in the GemGui.cs file to be very informative.

Here is the general flow of using and configuring the SecsPort:
 

1. If you have a GUI application, construct and start using the SecsPort from the Load event for your main window.  This way your window entities all exist when the SecsPort events and callbacks start executing your application code.  You double-click on your main window to have the IDE generate an event handling method for the Load event.
2. Construct a SecsPort instance.   At runtime, constructing the instance causes the child SECS server process to be started.
3. Setup your event handlers and delegate values for callbacks.  In general the callbacks and events come into your application from different threads than the starting thread that created your window controls.  Its not documented very clearly by .NET, but for some method invocations, the 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 ThreadSafeGuiUpdate method.  You can test whether the current thread is not allowed to make a Control method call using the InvokeRequired property.  When the InvokeRequired property value is true, you should use a delegate and the BeginInvoke method to effect a GUI update.  This may seem overly complex, but it is in fact a simplification and improvement from the Win32 techniques of defining custom WM_ messages and calling WinPostMessage.  With .NET version 1.1 you can update the .Text properties of TextBox widgets from other threads, but this is not recommended and it is not allowed with .NET 2.0.
4. Call StartupLoad and StartupRestore to initialize the communication and control state properties to their persisted values.  Alternatively you may use your own persistence mechanisms and call ConnectTypeSet or one of the ConnectType<Type> methods.  Do this early in the initialization so that the SECS Server creates a data array and table records for the SECS interface.   These items are needed for further configuration.  It ok to change the connection type later in the initialization.  When you call the ConnectTypeSet method, StateChange events occur to provide your application with the initial values of the state data.  That is why we recommend you have the callback and event handlers in place before setting the connection type.
5. Now you can perform the bulk of your SECS interface configuration.  Do the following, in any order:
• Change other properties such as DEVID, timers, MDLN, SOFTREV, ...
• Add equipment specific alarm types using AlarmAdd
• Add event types using EventAdd
• Add parameters using ParameterAdd.  Parameters are values that the host is allowed to change within your specified limits.  Host initiated parameter changes are delivered to your application as ParameterChange events.  Parameters are also referred to as Equipment Constant Variables or ECVs; but this is a misnomer in the SECS standards, they are the only variable type that the host is allowed to change.
• Add Status and Data Value Variables using VariableAdd.  Variables are read-only values for the host such as  process measurements.  The host can query current values, and include variables in event report definitions in order to perform data collection.
• Setup up callbacks to supply the value of selected Variables using the VariableMethodSet call.
• Register callbacks for additional SECS message types using MessageTypeAdd
6. Finally you can call CommEnable to enable host communications.  Do this after your configuration is set.
7. You can call CommDisable to disable host communications.  It is called automatically in the SecsPort Dispose method.

Tcl Secs Notation, TSN

SECS messages are passed into and out of the application as formatted strings.  The format is similar to the notation in the SEMI documents except that the list formatting conventions of the Tcl programming language are followed.  The SecsPort API provides methods to split, join, append, and extract list elements.  In general, curly braces, { }, are used to surround list elements which contain white space.  By using the API calls to append list elements or join strings as list elements, you can be sure that your strings are properly formatted, and you do not need to manually balance opening and closing curly braces.  Developers who have worked with both XML and TSN list notation have found that the TSN notation is more compact, closer to the SEMI documentation, and easier for a human to scan and validate when reviewing diagnostic output.

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.  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.  Your .NET unicode 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, use hex notation for the value, "I8 0x123456789abcdf01"
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, use hex notation for the value, "U8 0x7fffffffffffffff"
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 by your logic, 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 such as a process temperature reading, or are easier to manage as .NET application data items.

The SecsPort 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 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.

For SECS-I serial communication, timing is somewhat different.  In this day and age an equipment provider should not deploy a SECS-I interface unless there are compelling reasons for doing so.  Serial ports are no longer commonly provided on new computers. With SECS-I there is no underlying TCP/IP connection that can signal the application when it is broken.  So there is a higher risk of your sending thread being in an unresponsive wait to determine if a send is successful, and then in a longer wait to obtain the reply.  So you probably want to use a separate thread than your GUI thread to send SECS messages or conduct send-and-reply conversations.

Miscellaneous Notes

SecsPort API Reference

 SecsPort Properties

Property Access	Description
int BAUD	If you are using the SECS-I, RS-232 connection type, this property sets the baudrate of the serial port.  The default value is 9600.
static DmhClient dmh	SecsPort instances use a shared connection to the DMH message system in order to communicate with the SECS server process.  The connection instance, dmh, is public in case you want to access it in your application.  Since it is shared (static) the access is SecsPort.dmh.
string CommState	Read-only value of your 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.
bool ControlIntentOnline	Whether your intended GEM Control State is an ON-LINE substate.  The default setting is false indicating the OFF-LINE intention.
bool ControlModeRemote	When in ON-LINE control, whether your intended substate is REMOTE, meaning contolled by the host..  The default setting is false meaning LOCAL control.
string ControlState	Read-only, your actual GEM Control State which reflects your ControlModeRemote, ControlIntentOnline and host dynamics.  Possible values are ON-LINE LOCAL, ON-LINE REMOTE, OFF-LINE Equipment, OFF-LINE Host, and OFF-LINE SeekOnline.  These string values are enumerated in the ControlStateText string array, in the same order as ControlStateEnum values.  The StateChange event is used to obtain asynchronous notification of this property value change.
enum ControlStateEnum ControlStateStartup	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 ControlIntentOnline and ControlModeRemote values.  If your ControlIntentOnline is false, and your startup is an Online state, the startup state is changed to OfflineEquipment.  If your ControlIntentOnline is true and your startup state is OfflineEquipment, your startup state is changed to OfflineAttemptOnline.  Similarly the setting of ControlModeRemote 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 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 SecsPort rejects messages from the host that are not for the equipment's Device ID.  Settable range is 0..32767.
static SecsPort.DMHGroupName	The DMH message system groupname used by the SECS server.  The same groupname should be specified to the constructor of every SecsPort or SecsHost instance in the application in order to share the same SECS server process.
bool Hsms	Whether the Connection type is HSMS (LAN based).  False implies SEC-I, serial RS-232 communication.  Defaults to true.
string HsmsHost	For an active HSMS connection, specifies the TCP/IP hostname or IP address of the Host computer.
bool HsmsPassive	For an HSMS connection, whether the SecsPort plays the passive, TCP/IP server role.  The default value is true which is the usual role of equipment.
int HsmsPort	For an HSMS connection, the TCP/IP socket port number.  Defaults to 5555.
bool IdRangeChecked	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.
string MDLN	The SECS Equipment Model Type - limited to no more than 6 characters by the E5 standard.
string Name	The SecsPort 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 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 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.
string 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.
bool ReportsAreSaved	This property controls whether the state of event reporting is saved at the program exit and restored during the next program run.  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 load 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".
string SerialPort	For a SECS-I connection, the serial port device such as "COM1".
string SOFTREV	The SECS Software revision - limited to no more than 6 characters.  Default value is "1.0.0".  You may wish to consider a pattern of major.minor.patchlevel.
string 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.
string State	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, or in the case of SECS-I implicitly broken by a conversation timeout.  The StateChange event is used to obtain asynchronous notification of this property value change.
int RTY	SECS-I maximum send retry, range 0..31, default 3
int T1	SECS-I Inter-Character Timeout in milliseconds, range 100..10000, default 500
int T2	SECS-I Protocol Timeout in milliseconds, range 200..25000, default 10000
int T3	SECS Reply Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..120000, default 45000
int T4	SECS-I Inter-Block Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..120000, default 45000
int T5	HSMS Connect Separation Timeout - the delay between re-connection attempts in milliseconds, range 1000..240000, default 10000
int T6	HSMS Control Transaction Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..240000, default 5000
int T7	HSMS Not Selected Timeout in milliseconds, range 1000..240000, default 10000
int T8	HSMS Network Intercharacter Timeout, default value 5000.  This value is not used.
int TRACE	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
RcResult SetTraceSaving(bool save, bool compress, int maxDayFiles, string saveDir, string zipCmd) public class RcResult {    int rc;   // return code    string result;    } bool TraceDataSaved bool TraceDataIsCompressed string TraceSaveDir int TraceSaveMaxDayFiles string TraceSaveZipCmd	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 RcResult return value is used as follows.  If the rc value is less than 0 the SetTraceSaving() arguments were not acceptable and an error message is provided as the resultstring.  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. 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 -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.
int TracewinMaxWidth	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.
bool useS13	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.

 

SecsPort Events

Event Handler and Argument Data	Description
All event handlers - NOTES	We are documenting both events and most of the delegate callback functions in this section.  Events are somewhat easier to develop with because of better handling by the .NET IDE tools.  However, they cannot return values to the event initiator.  In some cases we have elected to use delegate callbacks in order to receive and use application return values. The IntelliSense code generation of the .NET IDE turns around the usual sequence of writing an event handling method and then registering it.  Instead, try registering an event handler using the += operator.  Press the Tab key when prompted to create event handling methods with the correct arguments. The .NET framework hides the difference between executing a static method or an object method as an event handler.  You are able to use either kind of method. When the event happens, your handler method is called.  You can cast the event sender object to (SecsPort) to have a reference to the component instance.
void ParameterChange(object sender, ValueChangeEventArgs e) class ValueChangeEventArgs : EventArgs { string varname; string newvalue; }	This event notifies you of host initiated Equipment Constant Variable (ECV) changes.  The new value is within the limits you have configured.
string RemoteCommandHandler(SecsPort sender, int function, string rcmd, string dataid, string objspec, string TSN_CmdArgs)	As the example application demonstrates, this callback is used to invoke Remote Commands in your application.  Set the RemoteCommandHandler delegate variable to a SecsPort.EqRemoteCommandDelegate instance constructed from your callback.  You should provide a return value that is the TSN formatted reply data of the received S2F21, S2F41, or S2F49 message.  If you do not provide your own handler for Remote Commands, the SecsPort software replies to the host that the received command does not exist.
SecsMessageReceiveDelegate	See the MessageTypeAdd method described in the next section to see how to receive SECS messages in your application.
void SecsTrace(object sender, SecsTraceEventArgs e) class SecsTraceEventArgs : EventArgs { string traceType; string text; }	This event provides you with the detailed information of SECS message traffic that is viewed in the SECS Trace window.  The information is controlled by setting the TRACE property.
void ServerError(object sender, ServerErrorEventArgs e) class ServerErrorEventArgs : EventArgs { string message; }	The SecsPort class reports Tcl programming errors that are trapped in the SECS Server process as ServerError events.  An example would be trying to send an improperly formatted SECS message.  These error events will happen during development but should be rare once the code is debugged.
void SpoolingAlert(object sender, EqSpoolingAlertEventArgs s) class EqSpoolingAlertEventArgs : EventArgs { string msgid; }	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 method GuiSpoolingAlert.  The latter two values are not seen in normal circumstances.
void StateChange(object sender, ValueChangeEventArgs e) class ValueChangeEventArgs : EventArgs { string varname; string newvalue; }	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. recipe_upload - the name of a recipe that has just been uploaded to the host using Stream 7 messages. spooling_state - the SecsPort 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 SecsPort connection type is initialized.
int TerminalDisplayHandler(SecsPort sender, int tid, string [] text) }	This callback is used to dispatch Host sent Terminal Data into your application.  The string array text holds the communicated data - one string element for the case of S10F3, or multiple elements in the case of S10F5.  Your application should reply with the integer values of the ACKC10 SECS reply item - 0 for success, 1 for not displayed, and 2 for terminal not available.  If you do not assign a callback value to the TerminalDisplayHandler delegate, the SecsPort replies with the value 1 to the host.

SecsPort Methods

METHOD	DESCRIPTION
General Comments	The List manipulation methods are actually implemented by the HumeDMH.dll component, and exposed for your convenience by the SecsPort component.
void AlarmAdd(int ALID, string ALTX) void AlarmAdd(int ALID, string ALTX, int alarmSetCEID, int alarmClearCEID)	The first form is the commonly used choice for new SECS interfaces where the CEID's for the GEM Alarm events are configured automatically.  With this form, choose even numbers for the ALID between 1000 and 3998.  Newly created alarms are enabled.  Per GEM, two enabled events 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 40 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 either form, you are able to bypass the usual range restriction of the ALID value by setting the property IdRangeChecked false
void AlarmEnable(int ALID, bool is_enabled)	Enable or disable reporting of an Alarm type (S5F1).
bool AlarmIsEnabled(int ALID)	Test if the reporting of an alarm type is enabled
bool AlarmIsSet(int ALID)	Test if the alarmed state is currently set
void AlarmSet(int ALID, bool is_set)	Set or Clear the alarmed state of an alarm.
int BinToInt(string binValue)	Converts a SECS B (Binary  - Semi "10") data value usually formatted as a hexadecimal string to an integer value.
void CommDisable()	Disable SECS communication.  The SecsPort is initialized without communication enabled so using this method only makes sense after CommEnable has been called.
void CommEnable()	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(string 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().
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().
int ConnectTypeSerial(string comDevice, 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()	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 DebugTclConsole(bool show)	This method causes a console window for the SECS Server to be shown or dismissed.
void DebugTableWindow(bool show)	This method causes the Datahub table management GUI 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 SecsPort.   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 version of the Trace window which is created by the SECS Server process.  See the Tracewin method in order to instantiate a native .NET window with similar function.  Including the .NET window in the administration area of your equipment GUI may be desirable to help field personnel diagnose communication problems.
void Delete()	The Delete method is called when an instance is no longer wanted, and there is no intention of future use.  The method disables communication as well as deleting data structures and resources used by the instance.  It also deletes the interface's persisted data including the TraceSaveDir directory.  The Dispose method should be used instead of Delete for a shutdown that does not delete persisted data.
void Dispose()	As a .NET component, the SecsPort inherits a public Dispose method that can be called to shutdown.   The Delete method can be called if there is no intention of future use.
void EventAdd(int CEID, bool is_reported, string description) void EventAdd(string eventName, int CEID, bool is_reported, string description)	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 32 characters and consist of alphanumeric characters and/or the hyphen or underscore.  The first form of eventAdd() defaults the event name to the CEID value expressed as a String.  The second form of the eventAdd() method allows you to specify your own event name value which should be unique among all of the event names for the SecsEquip instance.
void EventEnable(int CEID, bool is_enabled)	Event reports are enabled for an event type when first created.  You can use this method to control whether an event report is enabled.
bool EventIsEnabled(int CEID)	Test if reporting of an event type is currently enabled.
void EventPost(int CEID) void EventPostByName(string 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(string eventName, 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. Negative values indicate error condtions.   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 newCEID 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. -1 The eventName does not identify an existing variable. -2 The method did not succeed from an unexpected error such as a timeout. -3 The connection type has not been set and table records do not exist for renumbering.
System.Collections.ArrayList EventReportLinks()	This method call returns a list of integer pairs for the current associations of event types and event report definitions.  Each int [2] pair has the CEID value at subscript 0, and then the RPTID value at subscript 1.  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.
void EventUnlink(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.
int HexValue(char b)	This method can be used to convert a single hexadecimal character to an integer value.  The BinToInt method will convert a hexadecimal string.
bool IsHexDigit(char b)	This method can be used to determine if a single character can be parsed as a hexadecimal digit.
StringBuilder ListAppend(string list, string element); StringBuilder ListAppend(StringBuilder list, string element1); StringBuilder ListAppend(StringBuilder list, string element1, string element2); StringBuilder ListAppend(StringBuilder list, string element1, string element2, element3); StringBuilder ListAppend(StringBuilder list, string element1, string element2, element3, element4);	These methods are used to add one to four 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.  A null value may be passed as any of the string argument values, in order to represent an empty list or empty element.  However, a null value should not be passed as a System.Text.StringBuilder argument.  The System.Text.StringBuilder class is designed to support more efficient string modification than using instances of the string class.  The input StringBuilder objects are modified by reference and returned as the return value of the methods.  You can construct a StringBuilder instance that does not contain any characters to represent an empty list.   The overloaded method calls make it convenient to add up to four list elements in one call.  If you need to add more elements, call the methods repeatedly.
string ListElement(string list, int index1); string ListElement(string list, int index1, int index2); string ListElement(string list, int index1, int index2, int index3);	This function is similar to the lindex function of Tcl.  It will parse text formatted as a Tcl list and return the specified element.  Indexing starts from 0.  Arguments index2 and index3 may be used to indicate that parsing of the TclList 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 Tcl lists.  If an invalid list is parsed, the method call throws the FormatException.
string ListJoin(string [] argv);	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.
string [] ListSplit(string list)	ListSplit( ) parses a string formatted as a Tcl list into an array of string elements.  The function understands the Tcl usage of quotes, braces and backslash sequences.  Not all strings are valid Tcl lists.  If an invalid list is parsed, the method call throws the FormatException.  Failure occurs when there are unmatched braces, unmatched quotes, or non-whitespace following braces or quotes.
void MessageTypeAdd(int stream, int function, SecsMessageReceiveDelegate callback) delegate void SecsMessageReceiveDelegate(object sender, int stream, int function, bool send_reply, int transactionID, string TSN_data, string header)	Call this method to have SECS messages processed by your custom handler methods when the SecsPort 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 SecsPort handling of particular messages.  Use the SendReply, SendS9, and SendAbort methods to send reply messages.
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 SecsPort 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, string varname, string description, string value_TSN, string initialValue, string minValue, string maxValue, string defaultValue, string units)	This method is used to add Equipment Constant 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. 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.
string ParameterGet(int varID)	This method is used to get the current value of an ECV.  It uses the same access logic that host requests use so it can test your custom value logic.  The return value is null if there is an error.
VariableInfo ParameterGetInfo(int varID)	This method returns the configuration data of an ECV.  The return value is a VariableInfo data structure - see VariableGetInfo.
int ParameterSet(int varID, string newvalue)	This method is used to update the value of an ECV whose current value is represented in the ei_variable table.
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(string ppid) struct RcResult {    int rc;  // return code    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.  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(string ppid) struct RcResult {    int rc;  // return code    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(String filename) struct RcResult {    int rc;  // return code    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.  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.  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(string ppid) struct RcResult {    int rc;  // return code    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 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.
int ReportDefine(int rptID, 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 unsigned number can be used for a report ID (rptID) value.  (Unsigned integer types are not supported by the Microsoft Common Language Specification.) 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.
void ReportDelete(int rptID)	Delete an event report definition.  ReportsClear can be used to delete all of the event reports.
int [] ReportGetDef(int rptID)	Returns an array of the variable IDs in an event report definition.  An empty array is returned if the report does not exist.
System.Collections.ArrayList ReportGetInfo(int rptID)	Returns a list of VariableInfo structures for the variables in an event report definition.  An empty list is returned if the report does not exist.
int ReportLink(int rptID, 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, int CEID) void ReportUnlink(int rptID)	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.
int [] ReportsList()	The method returns an array of the report ID values for the current report definitions.
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.  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 event report configuration before communication is enabled.  A connection type should be set and the variables and event types should be defined before calling this method.
void SecsPort()  void SecsPort(string spname, string dmhGroup) void SecsPort(System.ComponentModel.Icontainer c)	The 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 SecsPort instance, and not coincide with a keyword in the Tcl programming language.  The default value of spname is similar to equip0.  The example application uses the spname value, eqsim.  The name should be a single alphanumeric token.  The dmhGroup argument becomes the DMH message system group name used by the SecsPort and SECS Server process.  If you are instantiating more than one SecsPort 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 SecsPort 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 SecsPort SECS Server 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) void SendReply(int stream, int function, int transactionID, string 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, string 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 SecsPort 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.
string SendSecsMsg(int stream, int function, bool reply_wanted, string TSN_data, bool wait4reply) RcResult SendSecsMsgRcResult(int stream, int function, bool reply_wanted, string TSN_data, bool wait4reply) struct RcResult {    int rc;  // return code    string result;    }	These methods are 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 methods differ in how the return value data is presented.  The SendSecsMsg() return value is a string which is structured as a two element list consisting of an integer return code and a string result.  The string result is typically parsed with the ListElement(), ListSplit(), or string.startsWith() methods.  The SendSecsMsgRcResult() returns the same data already parsed into a 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. -8  REJECTED  - sent ok, Stream 9 error message "reply".
static void ServerSQLCmd(string sql)	Send an SQL command to the SECS Server process without waiting for a reply.  This method is used by the SecsPort software and made public in case of custom requirements.
static string ServerSQLReply(string sql)	Send an SQL command to the SECS Server process and wait for the reply.  This method is used by the SecsPort software and made public in case of custom requirements.  The return values vary by SQL statement type and they are described in the Datahub documentation.
static void ServerTclCmd(string tclCommand);	Send a Tcl command to the SECS Server process without waiting for a reply.  This method is used by the SecsPort software and made public in case of custom requirements.  After a SecsPort 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 string ServerTclReply(string tclCommand);	Send a Tcl command to the SECS Server process and wait for the reply message.  This call is used by the SecsPort software and made public in case of custom requirements.  After a SecsPort 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.
void SpoolPurge()	This method discards any spooled messages that are queued for the host.
void SpoolStop()	This method sets the messages types that are enabled for spooling to an empty string, thus, further spooling is stopped.
void SpoolStreamFns() void SpoolStreamFns(string StreamFns)	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.
static EquipStartupData SecsPort.StartupLoad(String name)	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 null 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.
void StartupRestore(EquipStartupData 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 SecsPort.StartupSave(EquipStartupData 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.  An exception is thrown 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 StartupDialog class in the example application.
void TclCmd(string tcl)	This method is used to send Tcl code to the SECS server command mailbox for the connection.  It is used by the SecsPort software and made public to support custom requirements.
string TclReply(string tcl) RcResult TclReplyRcResult(string tcl) struct RcResult {    int rc;  // return code    string result;    }	These methods are used to send Tcl code to the SECS server command mailbox for the connection and wait for the evaluation result.  The methods are used by the SecsPort software and made public to support custom requirements.  With TclReply() the string return value is structured as a list and may be parsed using ListSplit or ListElement.  The first element is a return code for the evaluation with 0 meaning success.  The second element is the return value from the executed Tcl code, or an error message if the return code is not 0.  With TclReplyRcResult( ) the same data has been parsed and is returned as separate fields in the RcResult data structure.
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.
void Tracewin(bool show); void Tracewin(bool show, bool allowLogging)	The SecsPort is able to instantiate and manage a Form window class, Tracewin, which provides a controllable display of the data being exchanged across the SECS interface.  The show argument is set to true to display the window, or false to close the window.  The allowLogging argument is set true to selectively display menu items that configuring logging - the feature of continuously saving trace data to the file system.  There are menu options to provide hex dump formatting of the data, or higher level descriptive formatting.  There are also menu actions to save the currently displayed data to the file system.
string TsnI8Value(long int64bit)	Format a Tcl SECS Notation (TSN) I8 (signed 8 byte) integer value using hexadecimal notation.  The C# body of this method is just: return "0x" + int64bit.ToString("x16"); A similar method would be defined for unsigned 8 byte integer values except that the ulong data type is not supported by the .NET Common Language Specification.   The C# code for formatting a TSN U8 value is: return "0x" + uint64bit.ToString("x16");
bool TsnTypeIsOk(string value_TSN)	This method is used to check value_TSN argument values that you pass to the various Add methods.
void VariableAdd(int varID, string varname, string description, string varClass, string value_TSN, string varmethod, string initialValue, string units)	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.
string VariableGet(int varID)	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 null if there is an error.
VariableInfo VariableGetInfo(int varID) struct VariableInfo {   int varID;   string varname;   string description;   string varClass;   string value_TSN;   string varmethod;   string units;   string minValue;   string maxValue;   string defaultValue;   }	This method returns the configuration information of a variable or Equipment Constant Variable (ECV).
int VariableRenumber(string 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. Negative values indicate error condtions.   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. -1 The varname does not identify an existing variable. -2 The method did not succeed from an unexpected error such as a timeout. -3 The connection type has not been set and table records do not exist for renumbering.
void VariableSet(int varID, string newValue)	This method is used to update the value of a Status or Data Value variable whose current value is represented in the SECS Server's ei_variable table.
void VariableMethodSet(int varID, VarValueDelegate callback) delegate string EqVarValueDelegate(int varID);	You use this method to register a callback that is executed by the SecsPort software when the value of a Status Value 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 lock( ) statements, or 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 SECS Server's ei_variable table using the VariableSet method.

Built-in Features

License Terms

The Hume .NET SecsPort 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 SecsPort software on systems that are not licensed as development systems.  Contact Hume Integration for information on the Resale Licensing program.

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