PCB Automation MARLUG October 2004

1
PCB AutomationMARLUGOctober 2004

• Terry Lovell

2
Todays Agenda

• Automation overview presentation (40 min)
• Demo of some internal/external scripts - (10 min)
• Question Answer session (10 min)

3
What is Automation?

• PCB Automation is actually COM Automation
  (Component Object Model).
• COM Automation is a Microsoft technology which
  allows server applications to expose data and
  functionality to be used by automation clients.
• COM Automation is also supported on Unix/Linux
  platforms through the use of MainWin (Windows
  emulator).
• Functionality exposed through COM Automation is
  language independent.
• In addition to exposing data, PCB applications
  also have an internal scripting environment to
  run automation clients.

4
What is Automation NOT?

• Automation is NOT Ample!!! It is not a
  transcripting language.
• Automation does not define or restrict itself to
  a scripting or programming language.

5
What can I do with Automation?

• Add needed tool functionality
• Extend capabilities of existing tools
• Customize work environments
• Filter or sort a variety of design elements
• Add new commands reacting to mouse events
• Integrate with other applications

6
Who needs Automation Scripting Capabilities?

• Medium to large organizations that need to
  streamline their design environment.
• Customers that need specialized functionality
  that the standard tools do not offer.
• Customers that have many downstream applications
  that need better integration with the layout
  tools.

7
Supported Platforms

• Any platform supported by the PCB products also
  support automation.
• Windows
• Linux
• Sun SPARC
• HP

8
What products support Automation?

• Board Station RE
• Expedition PCB
• Fablink XE/XE Pro
• PCB Viewer
• PCB Planner
• SFXRE

9
Supported Languages

• COM Automation exposes a language independent
  library of functions (some examples).
• Perl
• Tcl
• C
• PCB Automation uses the scripting languages
  VBScript and JScript.
• Both VBScript and JScript can run on all
  supported platforms.

10
Automation Terminology

• Server Application exposing functionality
• (e.g. ExpeditionPCB, BoardStationRE)
• Client Application/script making requests of
  the server
• Type Library (Interface) Set of objects,
  properties, and methods exposed by a server
• (e.g. MGCPCB type library)

11
Automation Clients

• PCB Automation clients can be run as internal or
  external clients.
• Internal clients run in the same process space as
  the server and therefore have better performance.

Internal Client
PCB Application
External Client
12
Running Internal Automation Clients

• Internal clients can be run through the keyin
  edit box on the tool bar.
• Users can also drag and drop scripts onto the
  application to run them internally.

13
Automation Client Locations

• The server will look for scripts in the following
  locations and in the following order.
• Application bin directory (\vbexppcb\bin)
• Job directory ( in the .pcb file container)
• Users home directory

14
Running External Automation Clients

• External clients are run by invoking the client
  application or by running the script in a
  scripting engine.
• The Windows OS has scripting engines available,
  however, the mgcscript scripting engine is the
  only scripting engine that will work on all
  platforms.
• To run a script using the mgcscript command
  line
• mgcscript MyClient.vbs parameters

15
Scripting Terminology

• Object A reference to data or possibly a GUI
  element in the server
• (e.g. Component, Trace, Dialog, etc.)
• Collection A set of objects
• (e.g. Traces, Vias, etc.)
• Property An attribute of an object
• (e.g. width geomObj.Width)
• Method Functional operation on an object
• (e.g. docObj.PutTrace())

16
Acquiring the Server in VBScript

• Make a call to acquire the server.
• Clients use program IDs to find a specific
  server.
• Program IDs are formatted MGCPCB.ltapp_namegtApplic
  ation
• MGCPCB.ExpeditionPCBApplication
• Clients can create an instance of the server with
  CreateObject.
• Set pcbApp CreateObject(MGCPCB.ExpeditionPCBA
  pplication)
• Clients can attach to a running instance of the
  server by calling GetObject.
• Set pcbApp GetObject(,MGCPCB.ExpeditionPCBApp
  lication)
• Or
• Set pcbApp GetObject(,MGCPCB.Application)

17
Acquiring the Server in a VBScript

• Internal scripts have an understood Application
  object and are not required to call GetObject.
• External
• Set pcbApp GetObject(,MGCPCB.ExpeditionPCBAppli
  cation)
• Set pcbDoc pcbApp.ActiveDocument
• Internal
• Set pcbDoc ActiveDocument

18
VBScripting (basic statements)

• Dim Use Dim to define a variable of any type
• Dim netObj
• Dim pi
• The equal sign is used to assign a value
  to a variable or to check equivalence when used
  in an IfThen statement.
• pi 3.14
• str A string
• Set Use Set with the equal sign to assign an
  object or a collection to a variable
• Set netObj docObj.FindNet(GND)
• Call Use Call before a function where the
  parameter list is defined in parentheses
• Call MyFunc(0)

19
VBScripting (continued)

• If Then Else Used to execute one or more
  statements.
• If condition Thenstatements
• Elseelse statements
• End If
• Function Defines a function and its associated
  arguments.
• Private Function name (arglist)
•    statements   
•    name expression
• End Function

20
VBScripting (and more)

• ForNext Used to repeat a collection of one or
  more statements a specified number of times.
• For counter start To end Step step
•     statements
• Next
• For EachNext Processes all the elements stored
  in an array or collection.
• For Each object In collection    
• statements   
• Next

21
VBScript I/O

• The MsgBox function is used to display
  information in VBScript.
• MsgBox(Hello World)
• Use the InputBox function to retrieve information
  from the user.
• name InputBox(What is your name?)
• Use the FileSystemObject server to read and write
  to a file. The program ID for this server is
  Scripting.FileSystemObject.

22
VBScript Error Checking

• Errors that occur during execution of a VBScript
  by default cause the script to abort, therefore
  it is wise to output errors to a message box or
  to the command prompt.
• The On Error Resume Next statement allows the
  script to continue running when errors occur and
  no error message will be displayed.
• The Err object contains information about a
  previous occurring error.
• Scripts can use the Err object to handle these
  errors internally or reformat an error for
  display.

23
Automation Licensing Requirements

• All PCB Automation clients require licensing code
  in order to execute.
• The license code must be called each time a new
  Document object is retrieved from the interface.
  The Document object is retrieved when an
  ActiveDocument or OpenDocument call is made.
• Independent of the client embedded licensing code
  Automation also requires a FlexLM license.

24
Automation Server Validation

• The licensing code is also referred to as a
  validation of the server. Each Document object
  must be validated before a client request is
  processed.
• Validation code sequence
• Get a key from the Document object.
• The key is used to get a license token from the
  MGCPCB Automation licensing server.
• The license token used to validate the server.
• The Document object is then acquired.

25
PCB Automation Data Model

• The MGCPCB data model consists of multiple
  objects. Each object has a set of methods and
  properties.
• Most objects are associated with a data element.
  (e.g. Trace, Via, Component, Padstack, etc.)
• Some objects are associated with GUI elements.
• (e.g. GUI, Dialog, Button, View, etc.)

26
Assigning Objects to a Variable

• Objects are set in variables, after which, the
  methods and properties of that object can be
  used.
• Set an object to a variable first instantiate the
  variable and then use Set to assign the object to
  that variable. In this example, pcbDoc.FindNet
  returns a Net object GND.
• Dim gndNetObj
• Set gndNetObj pcbDoc.FindNet(GND)

27
Calling Objects

• After an object has been assigned to a variable
  the methods and properties associated with that
  object can be called using the variable.
• Net objects have a Selected property, therefore
  to select a net set the property to True.
• gndNetObj.Selected True
• The Net object also supports the Name property.
  The following example displays the name of the
  net in a message box.
• MsgBox gndNetObj.Name

28
Collection Objects

• Collections are special objects that acts as a
  container for objects. Most objects in the
  hierarchy have corresponding collections.
• Object collection names will end in a s
• (e.g. Traces, Vias, Components, etc.)
• All collections have different types of methods
• (e.g. Add, Remove, Item, Count, and Sort)
• Where appropriate, collections also have the
  Selected and Highlighted properties and include
  the Delete method.

29
Defining Collections

• A collection is generally returned by a property
  of the same name.
• The Nets property on a Document object will
  return a Nets collection.
• Dim netsColl
• Set netsColl pcbDoc.Nets

30
Using Collection Filters

• Collection filters allow parameters set on
  properties to filter the list of objects that is
  returned.
• These parameters allow clients to filter lists on
  an array of varying characteristics.
• Layer
• Selection/Highlight status
• Fix/Lock status
• And many others

31
Using the Status Bar

• Clients can display information, prompt the user
  for input, or display errors.
• PCB Automation allows clients to display text in
  the status bar.

32
Modifying/Adding Data

• The Put functions, found on the Document object,
  can be used to add data to the design.
• PutTrace()
• PutComponent()
• PutVia()
• When modifying existing data in the interface you
  must first collect the attributes of the element,
  delete it, and then recreate a new element with
  the appropriate modifications.

33
Geometry Object

• All objects that reference data having
  geometrical attributes will have a Geometry
  object.
• The Geometry object contains methods and
  properties describing the geometric properties of
  that element (e.g. IsCircle, IsPath, etc.).
• The Geometry also has a PointsArray property,
  which returns an X,Y R (radius) array of
  doubles defining the vertexes of the geometry.

34
Defining Events

• Methods and properties are useful for retrieving
  information from the server however it is also
  useful to get notification of occurrences in the
  server.
• Events are calls for the server to notify the
  client of actions taking place within the server.
• Why are events needed?
• Events allow clients to react to changes in the
  server.
• They also allow clients to modify behavior of
  actions in the server.

35
Application/Document Events

• Application object
• OpenDocument
• Quit
• Document object
• OnClosed
• OnSave
• OnSelectionChange

36
Command Object

• The majority of a Command object is comprised of
  events.
• The Command object allows clients to create their
  own command, giving them the ability to listen
  and react to mouse and keyboard events.
• Call the RegisterCommand method on the GUI object
  to create your own command.

37
Motion Graphics

• Using a Command object with the motion graphics
  functions allows users to create interactive draw
  functionality.
• The View object contains a set of methods for
  adding motion graphics to the application.

38
Using the LockServer Call

• NOT using the LockServer statement could cause
  valuable server performance.
• LockServer would typically be used as
• pcbApp.LockServer
• ...
• ltperform your server actions heregt
• pcbApp.UnlockServer
• Use LockServer when making many calls into the
  server. This is especially useful when
  traversing a large collection of objects.

39
Object Browsers

• Object Browsers provide a GUI for viewing
  objects, methods, properties, and events defined
  in a type library.
• Object Browsers can be found in many Microsoft
  applications such as Word, Excel and
  PowerPoint.

40
(No Transcript)