What would you think about a tool that would enable you to create a customized FlexPendant screen in less than an hour? Sounds quite handy, doesn't it? Have you noticed that there is a new "developer tool" available for download called ScreenMaker 5.11 CTP? It is a RobotStudio add-in, and the intended user is a robot integrator or RAPID programmer. The overall purpose of ScreenMaker is to offer a very easy way to create FlexPendant screens, and in turn allow more robot operators to use FlexPendant screens that are adapted to suit their exact needs.
ScreenMaker offers a subset of the functionality of the FlexPendant SDK. It can read controller status, read and write I/O signals and RAPID data for example. Whereas the FlexPendant SDK requires knowledge about .Net, object orientation, a Visual Studio programming language etc ScreenMaker does not require any of these skills. Using ScreenMaker you do not write any C# or VB code. However, a .Net programmer may take the C# code that ScreenMaker produces and copy it to a new FP SDK project in Visual Studio and continue programming some more advanced features using the FP SDK.
CTP stands for "Community Technical Pre-view". We do not promise that the pre-view is 100% functional. Nor do we promise that we will release it as a product. How we will proceed depends on the feed-back we get. There is some documentation in the download package to help you get started. The User Forum also has a dedicated section for ScreenMaker users. So if you think this might be something for you, please try it out! We look forward to listening to your experience and having your opinion about ScreenMaker on the User Forum.
