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1. Uploading Bar Code Data Try testing out the newly loaded program by scanning the bar codes that follow Remove the cable first if you wish First press the F2 Collect button to prepare the portable to accept data After each code you scan enter a quantity value by pressing a number key and then press enter 1 3 2 4 3 5 9 8 7 8 5 6 2 1 9 8 7 6 4 5 6 7 8 9 5 6 4 7 3 8 3 4 5 6 7 8 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7 6 5 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Now upload the collected data to your computer by completing the following steps 16 Percon Program Generator User Manual paz PTFER 11 Uploading Bar Code Data Click on the Minimize button in the PPG window to put it out of sight temporarily Back in the Windows Program Manager double click on the PTFER icon in the Percon PPG31 program group A blank PTFER window opens with three menu options File Options and Help If your serial port is not COM2 select Options Settings from the menu select the correct COM port and select Ok The setting is automatically stored with the PTFER program and is used the next time you transfer a file Select Options gt Connect to connect the program with the selected COM port A message appears in the window saying the connection was successful If you don t see this message check the COM port setting Make sure no other device is using the COM port you specify a
2. Creating subroutines is the same as creating frames Complete the following steps SIB 1 Select the Create gt Subroutine command from the menu The pointer changes into a SUB rounded box labeled SUB 2 Position the box where you want to create the subroutine and then click the left mouse button A frame box named Subroutine 1 appears and the arrow pointer reappears Subroutines are automatically numbered in the same sequence as frames if you create three frames and then a subroutine for example the subroutine will be numbered 4 Si brouti linked to other objects their locati i tant N lly UA ince subroutines aren t linked to other objects their locations are unimportant Normally they are placed off to the side somewhere To reposition a subroutine drag it with the mouse Percon Program Generator User Manual 55 Chapter 3 User s Guide T l P 3 To rename the subroutine click on it with the right mouse button or select Edit gt Rename from the menu to display the Frame Name dialog box Enter the text you want displayed in the subroutine box and select Ok If you re creating several subroutines you can lock PPG into Create mode so that you don t have to choose Create gt Subroutine each time Just select Create gt Lock before selecting Create gt Subroutine After you create a subroutine the SUB pointer will remain visible so that you can click again to create another subroutine When yo
3. Insert Replace Append Field Register Default Register Scanner allows data input from the bar code scanner The program proceeds without waiting for the user to press the ENTER key Data Key allows data input from the portable s data keys all the keys except the four func tion keys F1 through F4 The program waits for the user to press the ENTER key Fn Key allows data input from any of the function keys There are four actual function keys F1 through F4 but you can also input F5 through F8 by pressing the SHIFT key once For example press sHIFT and then F3 to enter F7 The program proceeds without waiting for the user to press the ENTER key Serial allows data such as a downloaded pick list or portable program to be input from the serial interface TimeOut specifies the number of seconds the portable will wait for data to be input If no response is encountered within that time the program moves on to the node specified by the Link To setting Link To specifies the frame or node to branch to The drop down list for this option names each node or frame the Input node links to Each selected input type has its own Link To setting To change a Link To setting for an input type select the radio button to its right Then select the frame or node from the Link To drop down list Echo to Display displays the received data on the portable s screen When this option is selected a right arrow button appears to
4. Copy INDEX 1 stores the constant 1 in a register named INDEX Copy RECORD copies the record at index position 1 into the default register As each record is copied Verify END looks for the constant end in the register When end is found the program has searched through to the end of the file the search is dis continued and NO MATCH is displayed on the portable s screen When the user presses a function key the program deletes the end record and returns to the Main frame If end is not found in the default register the program assumes it is looking at a valid record and with Copy PART uses a template to copy the part of the record being checked into another register named CHECK Verify MATCH then checks to see if the contents of the CHECK register match the contents of the INDEX register If the register contents match Modify DEL END deletes the end record and the pro gram returns to the main frame If there is no match Math INDEX 1 increases the index position number by 1 so that the program will look at the next register in the file This loop is continued until the program finds a match or reaches the end flag MINI MI To speed up the search you could split the records into two files and search for a com EEE plete match instead of a partial match see the next section Splitting Records into Two Files When verifying only a part of a record you can accelerate the process b
5. Creating and Setting Up the Upload Data Nodes The last frame Upload Data allows the user to copy collected data from the portable s file to a file on the PC You will set up nodes that do the following Display a menu asking if the user wants to upload data If the response is Yes F3 send data over the serial connector to the PC If the response is No F4 exit to the Main Menu If the output is successful display a message saying so for 45 seconds or until the user presses a key and then clear the portable s file and return to the Main Menu If the out put is unsuccessful beep and display an error message and then redisplay the prompt Create nodes for the Upload Data frame by completing the following steps 1 Select the Upload Data frame to move into its Nodes level 2 Reposition the Entry and Exit nodes as shown in the completed flow chart in figure 2 25 3 Create and name the new nodes shown in figure 2 25 and add the links as shown Figure 2 25 The Upload Data nodes PPG TUTORIAL SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Upload Data V Exit To Main Menu A A Menu ei Display Error Text Successful A V Ettot Beep 32 Percon Program Generator User Manual The Menu Confirmation Node AULEM UU When creating the links from the Output to PC node create the link to the Output i Error Beep node first Two links are automatically created one on top of the other Place the mouse
6. Figure 3 37 The PTFER window G File Options Help 3 By default PTFER uses the COM2 port for data transfer with the communications set tings listed in the following section If you need to switch to a different COM port or change baud rate parity stop bits or data bits select Options Settings from the menu and make whatever adjustments you need in the Communications Settings dia log box see Setting Options on page 96 4 Select Options gt Connect or click on the Connect button in the Communications Settings dialog box to connect PPG with the correct COM port The message Com munications port opened appears in the window 94 Percon Program Generator User Manual NO T E Using PTFER This connection is between the application and the COM port notthe portable If you don t see the success message make sure that no other devices are using the port You may need to try a different COM port Select Options Settings again and select another port 5 To upload a file from the portable to the PC select File gt Receive and use the Receive File dialog box see figure 3 38 to specify the name and location of the file you want to store the data in If the file is not in the PPG31 directory select the drive and direc tory from the lists or type the path in the input box Choose the file from the file list or type its name in the input box Then select OK Figure 3 38 The Receive File dialo
7. Program Mode Set Date 96 A Percon Program Generator User Manual 129 Appendix E Useful Bar Codes Set Time o lt CR gt Only Protocol C A 8 8 E E ACK NAK Protocol C A 8 1 E E Xmodem Protocol C A 8 2 E E 130 Percon Program Generator User Manual Glossary breakpoint Call node columns Copy node data collection This section contains definitions for important terms used in this manual You should be fa miliar with these terms before attempting to use Percon Program Generator PPG to cre ate your own programs Italicized words in definitions are defined in this glossary If there are certain areas of your program that you want to focus in on when using the em ulator you can set a breakpoint at one or more nodes When you execute the program with the Run commana the emulator will stop execution wherever there is a breakpoint You can then use Run or Step to resume execution A Call node executes a branch to a subroutine The display screen of your Percon portable is divided vertically into sixteen columns num bered 0 through 15 A Copy node is used to transfer information from one file or register to another file or register Data collection is the process of gathering information by scanning bar codes or using data keys to enter values into a portable 131 Glossary Display node DOS emulator field file
8. To use the PT 2000 as a wedge between a computer and its keyboard connect the PT 2000 to the cable part number 00 884 20 Then connect the other end of the cable to the wedge cable part number 00 001 00 or 00 061 00 set up between the keyboard and the computer Use a program frame similar to that shown in figure 4 17 to display scanned data both on the PT 2000 and on the computer screen Figure 4 17 A frame that outputs data to a PC screen PPG SAMPLE2 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Display SCAN V Input Input5 A Y Output Output TO PC SCAN POS V Menu FAILED The nodes in this example work as follows Output TO OFF sets the automatic timeout setting to 99 minutes This keeps the PT 2000 from turning off after 10 minutes Percon Program Generator User Manual 117 Chapter 4 Example Frames Display SCAN prompts the user to scan a bar code or press F4 to exit Input DATA accepts scanned data and stores it in the default register Verify EXIT checks to see whether the user pressed F4 If so Output TO ON resets the automatic timeout setting before the program returns to the Frames level Output TO PC displays the scanned data stored in the default register on the con nected PC screen If output fails Menu FAILED announces this and the program exits to the Frames level Output SCAN POS positions the cursor on the PT 2000 screen and Output SCAN displays the scanned data
9. frames Frames level index input Input node A Display node is used to define messages to appear on a portable s screen DOS is the Disk Operating System used by the PC It is the foundation on which Windows and other programs are run The emulator is a utility that models a portable for the testing of program flow charts A field is a place in a register for the entry of or access to a specified type of data Fields and their locations in a register are defined by templates A file is a storage location for data Flow charts you create in PPG are stored in files on your PC Portables use a different type of file for storing collected or downloaded data see portable file Frames are the objects you use to create the general flow chart of your data collection tasks Each frame in a program flow chart represents a major function or option Typically a program s frames include a Main Menu frame and a frame for each option on the menu Links connect the frame in a way that indicates program flow The Frames level of a program flow chart shows the main functions of the program Details of each function are given in a Nodes level for each frame An index is a number used to access a single record in a file Input is the information gathered during data collection or the action of gathering the information An Input node designates what type of portable input is acceptable and where the input will be stored 132 Percon Pr
10. Figure 3 33 The PT 2000 Emulation window Frame Frame Node Entry Framel Run Step Reset Break Options Emulation Menu Options Both Emulation windows include a menu bar at the top that contains the following commands Run begins execution of the program The program will continues until it comes to a point that requires input or it encounters a breakpoint see Break Step executes the next step of the program and then stops This allows you to walk through the program one node at a time The node about to be executed is shown in the title bar Reset takes the emulator back to the first node of the program s start frame Break lets you specify certain nodes in your program as breakpoints at which the emu lator will stop until you select the Run or Step command see Setting Breakpoints on page 89 Options lets you switch between the PocketReader and PT 2000 display styles It also gives you the following options Watch lets you view the contents of specified registers in a separate window as the program is executed see Watching Register Contents on page 90 Trace displays a list of each step executed by the emulator in a separate window see Tracing Program Execution on page 91 88 Percon Program Generator User Manual NO T E N O T E BREAK Setting Breakpoints To protect existing data files during testing the program emulator won t store data in fi
11. nipulation A word of up to nine characters is entered by a user A second user then guesses the word Each correct guess is filled into the appropriate blank and each incor rect guess is displayed on the screen as Hangman is spelled out HOSPITAL SCR A program designed to help nurses track patient medications and used items It also has a reminder feature and a way to review each patient s file INSPECT SCR A program that prompts the user with questions about a scanned item and records a pass or fail condition with comments ITQU SCR The other portion of the standard sample program that comes with each portable Item and quantity collection are featured LIBRARY SCR An application to track checked in checked out and late books in a school library 126 Percon Program Generator User Manual The PPG Library MATH SCR An example of the math node The register is multiplied by 3 METO5000 SCR An example of running a serial printer with the portable MODEM SCR A complete example of a modem communications program designed to transmit and re ceive files MODIFY SCR An example of the Modify node that options for all modify functions MONEY SCR A program that keeps a running total on an item A pick list file is downloaded into the por table and as the items are matched the user has the option to add or subtract a quantity from the total MULTIPLE SCR A multiple option program that includes a Collect node with a compile opt
12. 0 0 0 cece eee eee 109 Searching for a Partial Match 000 cece eee 110 Splitting Records into Two Files 0000 c cece eee 111 Percon Program Generator User Manual v Contents vi APPENDIX A APPENDIX B APPENDIX C APPENDIX D APPENDIX E Referencing Two Different Files llle 113 Reviewing a Fle occitano nie ebeqpetentieiceni t 115 Sounding a Beep 0 6 ern 117 Converting the PT 2000 into a Wedge 0 0c cece eee ee eee 117 Padding a Number with Leading Zeros leeren 118 Error Messages x lix c dewlikV Aves ERR TX UE see 121 Warranty Information lesse III III 123 ASCII T ble re rne eee Vac ee e Chr Ra Era nale Gu aa 124 The PPG Library ull Rl Er RR ER IRR Ru e RR eT EX 125 Useful Bar Codes ier rli as vede 129 Glossary 24 ince ee kre Bee oN ae acer atta aie ate ne Sued eter ated Ss 131 jl d rr 135 Percon Program Generator User Manual Introduction PD LLL DULL DLL Percon Program Generator PPG is a Windows application that you can use to create individualized programs for the Percon family of portables Rather than requiring use of a complicated programming language PPG provides an easy to follow user interface that creates the program for you You use menu commands and dialog boxes to build a flow chart of the steps you want to include PPG translates the flow chart into a program that can be loaded into the portable
13. ScR automatically You have now completed the nodes of the Main Menu frame These nodes display two op tions on the portable s screen and allow the user to indicate a choice by pressing F3 or F4 The program then checks to see which function key was pressed and passes control to ei ther the Collect Data or Upload Data frame accordingly Percon Program Generator User Manual 23 Chapter 2 Tutorial Wanta Break if you re ready for a break you can easily stop here Since you just saved your program in a file you won t lose any work if you exit PPG or turn off your computer Creating and Setting Up the Collect Data Nodes The Collect Data frame allows the user to scan bar codes and enter data through the keys of the portable That data is temporarily stored in a register and then copied into a file which can be uploaded later to a PC You ll set up data collection nodes to do the following Display a message on the portable s screen telling the user that the portable is ready to accept data Allow data input from the wand scanner or the portable s keys specify how to handle each type of input and name a register in which to store the data temporarily Verify that the user input is valid and if it is not display an error message and sound a beep Copy the data from the temporary register to a data file and redisplay the initial message asking for input In addition you ll create an option that will allow
14. The Emulation window lets you test your program before you load it into the portable It runs through your program step by step displaying exactly what would appear on your portable screen and responding to your input just as the portable would You can see if the program will work as you expected Use the Emulation window now to test your program Complete the following steps 1 If you re returning from a break and had exited PPG double click on the PPG icon in the Windows Percon PPG31 program group 2 Select File Open choose tutorial scr from the file list and select OK to load the file into the PPG window 3 Select View Emulation to open up the Emulation window By default the window is modeled after the face of a Percon PocketReader portable with the display screen on the right and keys below and to the left see figure 2 31 If you choose PT 2000 from the Options menu however the window changes to look like a PT 20007 portable In either case the name of the emulated program s current frame and node are dis played in the title bar Commands in the menu bar let you run the program and set emulation options An input box displays data you enter and a check box lets you enable or disable the timeout setting if any When timeout is enabled the timeout value is counted down in the adjacent input box Percon Program Generator User Manual 37 Chapter 2 Tutorial Figure 2 31 The Emulation window Run St
15. You can offer the option through another menu later You may want to have the F8 key in the Main Menu bring up a sign on display showing the name of your program and its version number or creation date In your mind move through the individual steps involved in each major action For exam ple will the user be collecting different types of data at different times If your inventory is divided into categories you might want the user to identify the category before collect ing the data This could be done with a collection submenu For each action you would take as a portable user imagine the options you would expect to have and the mes sages you would expect to appear on the screen In what order will the actions be taken Is there an obvious direction to the program For example a user would normally collect data and then upload it This order should be reflected in the Main Menu and in the program flow Are there steps that you might want to access from different areas of the program such as writing data to a file or displaying the date If so you can save time and program size by putting these steps into a subroutine that can be called from different areas of the program You may want to sketch out the program flow chart first with pencil and paper When you re ready go into PPG and choose File gt New if necessary to clear the window Then use the Create menu commands see pages 53 78 to build your program s flow chart Flow Ch
16. a Percon portable turns off automatically after ten minutes of inactivity To change this setting use an Output node within your PPG program Set the Output To op tion to System and select the Constant radio button for the Source option In the Con stant input box enter the following B2nnEE where nn is the number of minutes you want to set the Auto Off option to To disable Auto Off enter 00 for nn Displaying the Contents of a Register To display the contents of a register on the portable it s best to use two Output nodes as shown in figure 4 2 The first Output node positions the cursor within the existing display Screen and the second writes the register contents starting at the cursor position Without the first Output node the register contents would be written on the last line of the display which is not always desirable Figure 4 2 A frame that displays register contents PPG TIP04 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help V Copy TO FILE The nodes in this example work as follows Display SCAN requests the user to input an item or press F4 to exit Percon Program Generator User Manual 103 Chapter 4 Example Frames Input DATA displays user input on the second line of the portable screen and stores it in the default register Output POSITION positions the cursor at the beginning of the third line Its dialog box contains the following settings Figure 4 3 The Output POSITION dialog bo
17. in MACTFER window 99 in PTFER 95 records 43 71 134 dividing into two files 111 erasing 66 number of in a file 109 searching for a partial match 110 reducing the PPG window to an icon 7 registers 28 71 72 134 breaking into fields 78 creating 28 deleting 28 displaying contents of 103 erasing 66 erasing contents of 66 math operations on 64 number of characters in 62 setting destination for input 63 storing datain 63 watching during emulation 90 registration card 2 Rename command 54 56 58 79 80 renaming frames 19 54 80 nodes 80 subroutines 56 replacing data 66 partial matches 110 repositioning see moving required equipment 2 Reset command Emulation window 88 resetting default communications settings 42 96 bar code for 129 reversing order of data 66 Run command Emulation window 88 89 S SAMPLE SCR 8 SAMPLE2 SCR 8 SAMPLES SCR 8 sample program source files 8 10 ordering 8 Save As command 86 Save command 86 saving program source files 86 scanned data translating 8 scanner allowing input from 61 Screen clearing 62 68 displaying menus on 64 displaying text on 60 echoing input to 61 62 outputting commands to 68 outputting datato 67 position of cursoron 62 68 size of 64 searching for data 66 partial matches 110 selecting objects 79 Send command in MACTFER window 99 in PTFER 95 Serial command Emulation window 89 serial interface allowing input from 61 serial port changing 17 connecting
18. 104 Percon Program Generator User Manual Figure 4 4 A frame that verifies input size PPG TIPO5 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry COLLECT V Display SCAN Display WRONG The nodes in the example work as follows Display SCAN instructs the user to scan a bar code Verifying Input Size Input STORE stores the input code in the default register and with the Size to Regis ter option stores the character length of the code in a register named Input Size see figure 4 5 Percon Program Generator User Manual 105 Chapter 4 Example Frames Figure 4 5 The Input STORE dialog box Input From Link To D Data Key X Fn Key O amp Serial O O TimeOut DJ Echo to Display 5 El Size to Register Input size JE Destination Register File Insert 9 Replace Append Field Register Default Register Verify EXIT checks to see if the user pressed FA If so it exits the frame Verify SIZE checks the value stored in the Input Size register The options in its dialog box are set as shown in figure 4 6 Figure 4 6 The Verify SIZE dialog box B Ve szE Type Match None Numeric Constant Alpha Range O Ignore Case Register O Store index in Register Link On Pass Copy TO FILE gt Fail Display WRONG lt Verify Source amp Register File Sorted Reser mess JE O Field 106 Percon Program Generator Use
19. 93 transferring data from 99 Unlock command 21 54 56 58 UPC EAN 83 updtfer 93 99 upgrades program 2 uploading data 16 42 uppercase changing to lowercase 66 using Microsoft Windows 3 V verifying data 69 70 inputsize 105 Verify nodes 29 69 134 linking to other nodes or frames 71 Verify Input 29 version DOS 2 4 Microsoft Windows 2 4 PPG 4 vertical axis setting snap grid for 82 View menu Emulation 53 87 Frames 52 Nodes 52 57 Zoom In 81 Zoom Out 81 144 Percon Program Generator User Manual W wand allowing input from 61 Wand command Emulation window 89 warranty information 123 Watch command 88 89 90 91 watching registers during emulation 90 Watch window 38 wedge keyboard 67 using PT 2000 as 117 windows compiler 15 92 Emulation see Emulation window enlarging 7 MACTFER 99 maximizing 7 minimizing 7 Percon Portable Compiler 15 92 Percon Portable Programmer 15 85 92 PPG Trace 91 PPG Watch 38 reducing 7 Windows see Microsoft Windows Z zeros padding values with 118 Zoom In command 81 Zoom Out command 81
20. Display Node 00 0 cee ee 36 The Modify Erase File Node 0 00 eee ees 36 Emulating the Program 1 6 cette 37 Loading and Using the Program 0 eee eee 40 Box lf You Have Problems estiers irria EEE a eee 41 Uploading Data from the Portable 0 0 0 0 cee ee 42 Creating and Using Templates 00000 cee eee eee eee 43 Creating the New Nodes 0 00 c cece eee rn 44 Creating the FieldS 0 000 c cette 46 User s Guide lt 2 2 teh A ge an ee il 49 Using Online Help 0 0 ccc ete 50 Using the Mouse 42 oe ee ots Sa A A EAS N 51 Generating a Portable Program oooccooccocooc eee 52 Flow Chart Levels oxicorte alk eae eat aa 52 Testing Your Program aaia eaa aaa rn 53 Greating Frames ta Lo rendre Wk UE ae es 53 Creating Subroutines 0 0 teens 54 Creating and Using Links o ooococcoococcco tees 56 Creating Links Lem Rte e Rer EE e 56 Adj stng Einks y 1n eee A a A aa 57 Deleting Links 222 eese etos e ep ue Re teas eder 57 Creating and Using Nodes ooooccccccc ee 57 Gall Nodes ALD eU PER eerte RU ee 58 Copy Nodes rx e ote go a A RR US 59 Display Nodes oooococoococo el ren 60 Input NOd 8s i eter ee eee Sale IN EUR REN SE US ee cos 60 Box Echoing Input aa oiek eet ne 62 Math Nodes 2 jo cL eiifennrq deb Eka ek al ad RS 63 Menu Nodes 000 cee hh 64 Modify NOES esc te vedi pau Gains RE hah AE Bas
21. File The example in figure 4 15 lets the user review the contents of a file one record at a time Figure 4 15 A frame that reviews a file PPG TIP11 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Modify DEL END The nodes in this example work as follows Copy END copies the constant end to the end of the default file to mark the last record Copy INDEX 1 copies the number 1 into a register named INDEX This register will determine which record is displayed Verify END looks at the record at the position specified in the INDEX register If the record contains end this is the last record in the file and the program deletes the end record and exits to the main frame If it does not find end the program continues to the Output node Percon Program Generator User Manual 115 Chapter 4 Example Frames Output INDEXED displays the contents of the record at the position specified in the INDEX register on the portable s screen Figure 4 16 shows the settings in the dialog box for the node Figure 4 16 The Output INDEXED dialog box Output INDEXED Output To O Wedge Display Serial System Link On Success Math INDEX 1 Failure Math INDEX 1 e Source Constant Register 9 File File Default File Dd Record O First Last Index Number Register B Math INDEX 1 increments the value in the INDEX register by 1 so that the next record in the fil
22. Percon Program Generator PPG31 directory 6 PPG Trace window 91 PPG Watch window 38 SetUp option 90 Percon Program Generator User Manual 141 Index PPG window 6 enlarging 7 maximizing 7 minimizing 7 reducing to anicon 7 zooming 81 Print command 87 printing program source files 87 PROG 93 icon for 6 program emulation 7 program group Percon PPG31 6 program icons 6 PPG 6 PROG 6 PTFER 6 Program Item Properties window Microsoft Windows 97 program level 52 Program Manager Microsoft Windows programmer window 15 92 programming Percon portables 7 15 programs downloading 7 15 40 53 92 editing 79 emulating 7 37 40 87 91 generating 7 52 icons for 6 MACTFER 93 modifying 79 PDTFER 8 93 PTFER 8 17 42 93 command line settings for 97 communications settings for 96 window for 94 starting frame in 84 testing 7 37 53 see also emulating programs updtfer 93 zooming inon 81 program source files 84 134 backingup 2 creating new 86 directory for 86 downloading 7 15 40 53 92 opening 85 printing 87 142 Percon Program Generator User Manual samples 8 10 saving 86 starting PPG with 7 testing 7 37 40 87 91 program upgrades 2 protocols bar codes for 130 PT 2000 emulating 37 88 using as keyboard wedge 67 117 see also portables PT 2000 command 88 PTFER 8 17 42 93 94 command line settings for 97 communications settings for 96 icon for 6 window for 94 R radio buttons 27 Receive command
23. Program Now that your program is tested and complete it s time to load it into the portable and try it out 1 Complete the following steps If the cable is not already connected to your portable and the PC connect it now as described on page 15 2 Turn the portable on 3 In the PPG window select File gt Download Program If you are prompted to save your changes answer Yes 40 Percon Program Generator User Manual Loading and Using the Program The Percon Portable Compiler window appears while PPG compiles the program When compiling is complete the Percon Portable Programmer window displays the message Initiating Download If connection is successful the program is loaded into the portable When downloading is complete the message Portable successfully pro grammed appears in the Percon Portable Programmer window and the program s Main Menu is displayed on the portable s screen If You Have If a few seconds pass with no messages PPG was unable to make Problems the connection with the portable Select the Comm2 command on the Percon Portable Programmer menu bar to select a different serial port and then select the Download Program command to try again Also make sure that the cable is firmly connected at both ends You might try resetting the portable by holding down Shift Enter while you reload the battery If you loaded a different program into your portable since downloading the sample
24. Register Eile Equals Insert Replace Append Field Constant Register File Register Default Register s PLUS Gc LE JC CL Default Register s O Constant Register O Field Default Register s Register Percon Program Generator User Manual 63 Chapter 3 User s Guide Link On specifies the node to branch to if the math operation passes and where to branch lt gt to if it fails A math operation will fail only if you attempt to divide a value by zero or operate on a nonnumeric value The Pass Fail settings are assigned automatically according to links you ve created You can t type in a different link You can however click on the switch button to reverse the Pass Fail settings The Fail link is created automatically Register File specifies where the results of the math operation will be stored in either a field register or file An appropriate subdialog box appears for the option you select Constant Register File specifies the value or location of the value on which you want to operate If you choose Constant you can use the displayed input box to enter a value If you choose Register or File use the displayed subdialog box to specify the exact location lets you select the math function you want by clicking on one of the four operator but tons Your selection will be described to the left of the buttons Constant Register specifies t
25. Source Files 00 0c c eee eee ees 84 Opening a Files ua E ro o bee dels Chie baal 85 SAVING AEC S me ea putas tes eate donde beue ee falas eee 86 Starting a New Files oisi fea ges eae Se E pep 86 Printing a Elle niin hiuc in eeu nem I tem Te Leen 87 Using the Program Emulator 0 0 0 0 eae E II 87 The Emulation Window serae atas areae ea N eE ne 87 Emulation Menu Options 0 00 c cee eee 88 Setting Breakpoints llle rh 89 Watching Register Contents l liiis 90 Tracing Program Execution essens trta toan EEEN A e ANEA eee 91 Downloading a Program ras sas ia uar ARAN eee 92 Box lf You Have Problems 93 Transferring Data to and from the Portable 20000 0c eee eee 93 Using PDE ER e oi dut cd tro pum SEEDS RU PRAE uU 94 Setting ODtlons 2x is Rer mus REPRE RA ME ein 96 Setting Command Line Options 2 00 eee eee 97 sing PDTEER coautor rere teretes age ivl MERE ean ba 98 USING MAGTIPER x riu apra pad ra VER wA ERE REA 98 Using updtfer ies cel E fea ER EX HERREN eee ea SY REPE 99 Example Frames 5 ceci lle Rn mdi ae eels 101 Setting the Date and Time 0 00000 cect 102 Changing the Auto Off Setting 2 2 103 Displaying the Contents of a Register 000 e eee eee 103 Verifying Input Size 6 tte eee 105 Downloading a File to a Percon Portable 2000 0 cence 107 Finding the Number of Records ina File
26. You can use PPG to specify The text that appears in the portable s display area The options that can be selected with the portable s function keys The types of bar codes the portable can read How the portable will accept input via the scanner wand the input keys the serial port or a combination of input sources Where the portable stores data that is input What to do if the wrong data or type of data is entered How to format collected data for transfer to a PC file PPG makes it possible to customize your portable so that it suits your purposes exactly You can use any of the sample program files that are available see appendix D modify an existing program or create a program of your own from scratch Introduction Equipment Requirements The following equipment is required to run PPG An IBM PC or compatible computer with a 286 or better processor Atleast 1 megabyte of RAM random access memory Atleast 2 megabytes of hard disk space available A high density floppy disk drive either 514 or 32 A mouse DOS version 3 1 or later Microsoft Windows version 3 0 or later A serial port for loading your program into a portable You must have Microsoft Windows installed on your system If it is not install it following the directions in your Microsoft Windows user s guide PPG runs only in Windows en hanced or standard mode not in real mode Before You Start Review the license a
27. a register where it can be referenced or displayed You can also use a Copy node to copy a constant value to a register or file or to copy data between files and between registers Figure 3 7 shows the dialog box associated with a Copy node Figure 3 7 The dialog box for a Copy node Copy Data Source Constant Register File Destination Register Default Register is O Field Insert Replace Append Sorted File INVENTORY Percon Program Generator User Manual 59 Chapter 3 User s Guide N O T E Source specifies the data to be copied either a given constant or the contents of a given register or file If you choose Constant a subdialog box appears with a plain input box in which you can enter a number or text string If you choose Register or File a subdialog box appears in which you can specify a location see Registers on page 71 and Files on page 73 Destination specifies where the data will be copied to a given register or file Four radio buttons appear in the Register or File subdialog box Select one to specify placement of data in the register see Using a Register as a Destination on page 72 and Using a File as a Destination on page 74 Display Nodes Display nodes display text on the portable s screen The dialogue box for Display nodes see figure 3 8 contains a text entry area the exact size of the portable s screen 16 char acters by 4 lines Use it to
28. and Time All Percon portables include a clock that keeps track of the current date and time To allow users to adjust the date and time settings incorporate the frame shown in figure 4 1 into your PPG program Figure 4 1 A frame that lets users set the time and date PPG SAMPLE2 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry SET DATE AN Output DATE Output TIME Y Output SET DEFS Y Exit To MAIN The nodes in this example work as follows Output DATE displays the current date as set in the portable The Output To option for this node is set to System and the Source option is set to Constant In the Constant input box the code 96 tells the program to display the date It also activates the system date function which allows the user to enter a new date for the system Output TIME displays the currently set time Again Output To is set to System and Source is set to Constant The Constant input box contains the code to display the time It also activates the system time function which allows the user to enter a new time for the system Output SET DEFS automatically sets bar code and serial defaults to the factory set tings Output To is set to System and Source is set to Constant The Constant input box contains the following code D2C8EE 102 Percon Program Generator User Manual Changing the Auto Off Setting Changing the Auto Off Setting By default
29. at a given record number The Echo to Display option is enabled so that the user can see the file going into the portable unit Finding the Number of Records in a File The easiest way to determine the number of records in a file is to use a Verify node with Match set to a value you know is not in the file and the Store Index in Register check box selected with a register specified for storing the index value Since it won t find a match the program will return the file size storing it in the index register Another method copies a known value to the end of the file uses a Verify node to locate it and then subtracts 1 from the location index This method is demonstrated in the example in figure 4 9 Figure 4 9 A frame that determines the number of records in a file PPG TIPO7 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Display LOCATE RECORDS Y Percon Program Generator User Manual 109 Chapter 4 Example Frames The nodes in this example work as follows Display RECORDS writes RECORDS on the portable s screen Copy END copies the constant value end to the end of the file being checked Verify END looks for the constant end in the file and stores the index value of the matching record in a register named INDEX Math INDEX 1 subtracts 1 from the index value Modify DEL END deletes the end record so that the constant doesn t corrupt the file Output POSITION positions the
30. displays an input box in which you can enter the number of characters to clear The echoed input is left on the screen until you display something else You can also use two Output nodes to redisplay data on the screen The first Output node should move the cursor to a blank line of the screen for displaying the input data The second Output node can then redisplay the contents of the register used to store the input For an example of this see steps 9 and 10 on page 47 Size to Register saves the number of characters input in the specified register Selecting this option opens a list box that you can use to define a register see Registers on page 71 Be sure to use a different register from the one used to store the data An Input Size register is predefined for your convenience For serial input with a file as the destination the number of records in the file is returned as the size in the specified register 62 Percon Program Generator User Manual Math Nodes Destination specifies the destination in which to store the input data The default setting Default Register stores the data in a temporary register that is overwritten with each new input A Copy node is then required to copy data from that register to a file after each new input To specify a different register choose one from the drop down list or type in the name of a new register you want to create Use the radio buttons to specify placement of the
31. enter the display text The specified text is placed beginning one line row below the current cursor position in the portable s virtual screen See the technical manual for your portable for information about the virtual screen Figure 3 8 The dialog box for a Display node Display Display2 Display Screen To use the portable s screen to present options that can be selected with the portable s function keys use a Menu node see Menu Nodes on page 64 Input Nodes Input nodes specify how the portable will receive data You can use the dialog box for an Input node to indicate which sources of input wand data keys etc you want to be ac cepted You can specify a different program link for each type of source For example you could link any scanned wand input to a Verify node that makes sure it s a valid number and at the same time set up any function key input to return to the Main Menu You can also specify a file or register to store the input data in create a link for a timeout condition no input received within a given number of seconds and arrange for input data to be dis played in a specific position on the screen 60 Percon Program Generator User Manual Ra Input Nodes Figure 3 9 The dialog box for an Input node Input Item Input From Link To 1O Frame Manne E O Data Ke O Fn Key O Serial O TimeOut O Echo to Display O Size to Register Destination Register File
32. filename Pn Bn action where filename the name of the file you want to download or store uploaded data into n the number of the COM port to be used 1 2 3 or 4 the default setting is P2 or the baud rate to use the default setting is B9600 action A to receive data and append it to the existing file C to connect transmit or receive auto connects E to echo the display to the screen H to display onscreen help M to maximize the PTFER window N to minimize the PTFER window On nn n position and size of the PTFER window R to receive data from the portable and replace the existing file contents S to display the line count in the title bar T to transfer data to the portable the default X to exit automatically after data is transmitted or received The port baud rate and action parameters are optional If you use one or more parame ters you must precede them with a hyphen or a slash You can enter parameters either before or after the file name For example the command ptfer link txt 1 would send the file named LINK TXT over COMI to the portable the default action T is assumed The command ptfer 3r data txt would upload data from the portable over COMG into a file named DATA TXT To specify a file that is not in the current directory include the path name in the command for example ptfer c ppg31 data link txt 2 The port baud rate and position and size settings are saved to and restored from the
33. files in the emulator The Emulation Window To load the current program into the Emulation window select View Emulation The Em ulation window appears see figure 3 32 The name of the emulated program s current frame and node are displayed in the title bar Commands on the menu bar of the window let you run the program and set emulation options Figure 3 32 The Emulation window Frame Main Menu Node Entry Main Menu y Run Step Reset Break Options ET ercon Portable r2 Version 3 0 128k ey Code 39 120f5 eg Codabar Code128 LShift_ Chi sc DEF GHI JKL MNO 9 a 93 25 Cs al al dl 93 3 Percon Program Generator User Manual 87 Chapter 3 User s Guide By default the Emulation window is modeled after the face of a Percon PocketReader The right side of the window simulates the PocketReader s screen and displays its contents at each point in the program Below and to the left of the screen are data and function keys You can click on any of these keys with a mouse to simulate pressing them An input box at the bottom of the screen displays data you enter and a check box lets you enable or disable the input timeout option if allowed When timeout is enabled the timeout count down is displayed in the box at the bottom right of the window If you select Options gt PT 2000 from the menu the Emulation window changes to repre sent the face of a PT 2000 portable see figure 3 33
34. gt Open and select sample scr from the displayed list of files in the C PPG31 directory Select OK to load the file into the PPG window see figure 2 1 Figure 2 1 A sample program file File Edit View Create Options Help CIEN gt Upload Ree The program is initially shown at what is called the Frames level This level contains a flow chart of the program s main functions Each rectangle in the chart is called a frame Most of the frames are linked together with arrows indicating the flow of the program This sample program includes a Main Menu that branches off into three tasks collecting data uploading data and erasing data Each of the tasks also allows you to return to the Main Menu 10 Percon Program Generator User Manual Studying a Sample Program The rectangle labeled Pad Zeros in the bottom left corner is a subroutine It doesn t link directly to the other frames but it is jumped to from other parts of the program by Call nodes 4 Move the mouse pointer to the Upload frame and click the right mouse button or select the frame and choose Edit gt Rename from the menu The Frame Name dialog box will appear see figure 2 2 This is where you define the text displayed in the frame Figure 2 2 The Frame Name dialog box Frame Name Upload cated by a thick border To select a frame double click on it with the left mouse button or move to it and then press the SPACEBAR IN MM You
35. identified by a different color and an underline When you point to a jump the pointer changes to a hand shape as shown in figure 3 1 Click the left mouse button while pointing to a jump to display complete informa tion on the topic Figure 3 1 The help pointer over a jump Nodes Da es When you click on a jump that has a dashed underline a pop up window opens To close a pop up window click a mouse button or press a key The PPG help window contains its own menu bar of commands You can use them to load another help file print help screens copy a help screen to the Clipboard insert a graphic set bookmarks for saving your place display help on using help and keep the help window from being covered by other windows The help window also includes a set of command buttons across the top You can select these buttons to jump to the help contents screen search for help on a given topic jump to the previously displayed screen and display a history of displayed screens that you can jump back to For detailed instructions on using all of the online help commands and features press F1 from within the help window or select Help gt How to Use Help from the help menu bar When you re done using help select File gt Exit or if you think you will want to use help again press ALT TAB The help window does not close then but instead it moves behind the PPG window When you select help or press ALT TAB again the help window moves
36. in PTFER 94 97 Connect command in PTFER 94 96 97 constants in math operations 64 Control menu box location of 6 conventions typographic 3 Copy command 79 in MACTFER window 99 copying data to a portable file 31 input to a file 59 objects 79 Copy nodes 59 131 Copy To File 31 Create menu Frame 54 Link 56 Lock 54 56 58 for Nodes level 57 Subroutine 55 Unlock 54 56 58 creating frames 18 53 jointed links 19 56 links 19 56 from Output nodes 33 nodes 24 58 program source files 86 registers 28 subroutines 55 cursor position on display screen 62 68 Cutcommand 79 compared with Delete 80 cutting objects 79 136 Percon Program Generator User Manual D data breaking into fields in a register 78 controlling flow of 71 copying to a file 59 destination for 63 flow controlling 71 input allowing from portable 61 in Emulation window 89 modifying 65 moving between registers and files 59 reversing order of 66 searching for and replacing 66 specifying input method for 60 storing in fields 63 in files 63 in registers 63 transferring 8 93 from DOS 98 from Microsoft Windows 94 translating 8 75 uploading 16 42 verifying 70 data bits 96 data collection defined 131 data flow controlling 71 data type verifying 70 date 68 102 bar code for 129 default communications settings 96 98 100 resetting 42 96 bar code for 129 defining fields 76 Delete command 80 compared with Cut command 80 del
37. in their place EERIE ment If a jointed link appears jagged drag its joint until its lines are perpendicular 4 Use the same method to create a jointed link from the Upload Data frame to the Main Menu frame Your screen should now look like the one shown in figure 2 9 IN MM ll To redraw the screen and erase any extraneous lines click in any blank area of the flow AEE chart Percon Program Generator User Manual 19 Chapter 2 Tutorial Creating the Main Menu Nodes Once you ve defined the frames of a program you use the Nodes level to specify the de tailed parts of each frame Each frame has its own set of nodes III WM To go into the Nodes level of a frame just double click on it You can also move to the ERI frame with the TAB key and then either select View Nodes from the menu or press the SPACEBAR Because nodes involve much more detailed information than frames they are divided into nine types with a different dialog box associated with each type For example a Display node specifies text to display on the portable s screen that text is entered into a dialog box attached to the node In this section you ll set up the nodes for the Main Menu frame This is a very uncompli cated frame simply creating a path to either of the other two frames You will create a Menu node that advances to the Collect Data frame if the user presses F3 and to the Up load Data frame if the user presses F4 Set up the nodes for t
38. ini tialization file For more information about the Program Item Properties window refer to your Microsoft Windows documentation Percon Program Generator User Manual 97 Chapter 3 User s Guide Using PDTFER Instead of using the PTFER application in Windows you can transfer files to and from the portable using commands on the DOS command line If you re not already in Windows this is faster and more convenient than loading Windows to access the transfer application The command line syntax for transferring files with PDTFER is as follows pdtfer filename port Bn action where filename the name of the file you want to download or store uploaded data into port the number of the COM port to use 1 2 3 or 4 the default setting is 2 n the baud rate to use the default setting is B9600 action A to receive data and append it to the existing file E to echo the display to the screen H to display onscreen help R to receive data from the portable and replace the existing file contents T to transfer data to the portable the default The port and action parameters are optional If you use one or more parameters you must precede them with a hyphen or a slash They can be entered either before or after the file name For example the command pdtfer link txt 1 would send the file named LINK TXT over COM1 to the portable the default action T is assumed The command pdtfer 3r data txt would upload data from
39. is identical to changing a frame s name See step 4 on page 11 T P s 7 Now you need to link the nodes together to indicate program flow Select Create Link and then select Create Lock This locks PPG into Create Link mode so that you don t have to keep choosing Create Link over and over 8 Use the mouse to draw the links shown in figure 2 12 When you re done choose Create Unlock or press Esc to exit Create Link mode Percon Program Generator User Manual 21 Chapter 2 Tutorial Figure 2 12 The completed Main Menu nodes File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Main Menu 9 Select the Menu_ Options node to bring up the dialog box for it The dialog box includes a text entry area that is 16 characters wide and 4 lines deep exactly the size of the portable s screen see figure 2 13 Figure 2 13 The Menu Options dialog box Menu Options Menu Display Screen Fl Main Menu OF3 Collect Data L r4 Upload Data O Shift Frame Collect Data E 10 On the first line type Main Menu 11 Press ENTER twice to jump to the third line and type Collect Data 12 Press ENTER again and type Upload Data on the last line as shown in figure 2 13 To the left of the text entry area are check boxes for function keys used to select options presented on the portable s screen The menu options you ve created are lined up with function keys F3 and F4 on the PocketReader To initiate pro
40. manual typographic conventions in 3 Math nodes 63 133 linking to other nodes or frames 64 math operations 64 storing results of 64 Maximize button location of 6 maximizing the PPG window 7 memory requirements 2 Menu nodes 64 133 linking to other nodes or frames 65 Menu Confirmation 33 Menu Error Text 35 menus assigning function keys to 65 Create for Nodes level 57 Edit 79 File 84 Help 50 see also Create menu Options menu and View menu messages error 121 122 displaying on portable screen 30 Microsoft Windows Control menu box 6 drag and drop 7 Maximize button 6 Minimize button 6 mode 2 PPG window 6 Program Item Properties window 97 Program Manager 6 starting PPG from File Manager 7 transferring data from 94 using 3 version 2 4 Minimize button location of 6 minimizing the PPG window 7 modifying input 65 modifying programs 79 Modify nodes 65 133 Modify Erase File 36 Percon Program Generator User Manual 139 Index mouse selecting two or more objects with 79 mouse using 51 moving frames 18 54 links 19 57 nodes 58 objects 79 subroutines 55 N naming files 31 frames 19 54 80 nodes 80 subroutines 56 New command 86 New command in File menu 52 nodes 57 71 133 Call 56 58 131 changing fonts in 82 Copy 59 131 Copy To File 31 copying 79 creating 24 58 for templates 44 cutting 79 deleting 80 Display 60 132 Display Enter Item 26 Display Error Text 30 Display Successful 35 dou
41. pointer over the arrow of the top link press and hold down the left mouse but ton and drag the link to the Display Successful node The underlying link stays in place THE MENU CONFIRMATION NODE Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Menu Confirmation node to open its dialog box and enter the text shown in figure 2 26 Be sure to leave the second line blank Figure 2 26 The Menu Confirmation dialog box Menu Confirmation Menu Display Screen 2 Select the F3 check box Then click on the down arrow button next to the input box is and select Output to PC from the drop down list This will make the portable begin outputting data when the user presses F3 3 Select the F4 check box and select Frame Main Menu from the drop down list This will redisplay the Main Menu when the user presses F4 4 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box Percon Program Generator User Manual 33 Chapter 2 Tutorial THE OUTPUT TO PC NODE Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Output to PC node to open its dialog box see figure 2 27 Figure 2 27 The Output to PC dialog box Output to PC Output To O Wedge Display Serial System Link On Success Display Successful Failure Output Error Beep 2 Register O Field 2 Select the Serial setting for Output To This will send the output to the serial port of the portable w
42. ranae H A out suz cmd Percon Program Generator User Manual 81 Chapter 3 User s Guide N O T E Changing Fonts You can change the font font style and point size of text displayed in your flow chart Se lect Options Font to display the Font dialog box see figure 3 27 Figure 3 27 The Font dialog box Font Font Style _ MS Serif T Playbill Roman Script Small Fonts AaBbYyZz From the Font list box select the font typeface you want to use Styles for that font are listed in the Font Style list box To use Bold Italic or Bold Italic style select it from the list Use the Size list box or type an unlisted size to specify the size of the text as dis played on your screen in regular display mode not zoomed out Text in the sample box changes to reflect your selections When you ve made the selections you want click OK The new font affects all text in the flow chart not just the selected node or frame Adjusting the Grid and Box Size You might have noticed that when you move a node or frame it sometimes shifts a bit to fall into place Underlying the flow chart is an invisible grid that determines where nodes frames and links can be placed When you create or move an object it automatically snaps to the closest grid intersection With the Options gt Grid command you can adjust the distance between lines in this grid to increase or decrease the precision with which you can place objects on
43. s program to copy the ad justed data file back to your PC You could use registers files and templates to accomplish this by completing the following steps 1 Use an Input node to download the pick list from the PC to a portable file 2 Use another Input node to store a scanned part number in a register named Part Number Percon Program Generator User Manual 77 Chapter 3 User s Guide 3 Since templates cannot be used directly on files you can create a second file that contains only part numbers To do this mark the end of the file by appending it with a text flag such as END Then copy the first record in the file into a register Use a tem plate in a Copy node to copy the part number portion of the register into its own file and the rest of the data into another file Continue until the last record named END is reached III MI Another way to achieve this is by downloading two files separately T I P 4 Use a Verify node to search through the new part number file for the number stored in the Part Number register Store the index of the matched record in a register named Index Use the number stored in the Index register along with another Modify node to pin point the corresponding record in the original pick list Use a Copy node to access the quantity field for that record and store it in a register named Quantity Use a Math node to subtract 1 from the value in the Quantity register
44. so the data has to be copied and appended to a data file Complete the following steps 1 Select the Copy To File node to display the dialog box see figure 2 24 Figure 2 24 The Copy To File dialog box Copy To File Destination Register File Register B O Field Insert Replace Append Sorted File Monthly Inventory 2 The copy Source is already set to Register Click on the down arrow button next to the Register input box and select the Inventory register 3 For the Destination setting select File and then enter Monthly Inventory in the File input box Because this is a portable file and not a DOS file the file name can include spaces and more than eight characters 4 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box Select either the Entry or Exit node to return to the Frames level of the program Then se lect File gt Save to save your changes to the file This time because you ve already named the file PPG saves your changes without prompting you for a file name The Collect Data nodes you created prompt the user to enter data and they accept that data either through scanning or data keys If the data is verified as numeric it is appended to a data file named Monthly Inventory If it s not numeric the portable beeps and displays an error message Pressing a function key brings back the Main Menu Percon Program Generator User Manual 31 Chapter 2 Tutorial
45. sound a beep and display an error message Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Verify Input node to display its dialog box see figure 2 21 Figure 2 21 The Verify Input dialog box Verify Input Type Match None Numeric Q Constant Alpha Range Register O Store index la Register Link On Pass Copy To File c Fail Output Error Beep E Verify Source amp Register File Sorted Register Default Register B O Field 2 Select the Numeric radio button under the Type option Because you don t want to verify any specific number leave the Match option set to None 3 The Link On option is automatically set according to the links you create The top link always defines the Pass setting It should be set to go to the Copy To File node if the data is numeric Pass and the Output Error Beep node if it S not Fail If these settings are reversed click on the switch button next to the option to switch them 4 You also need to tell the program what register to verify Click on the down arrow but ton next to the Register input box and choose Inventory from the list You may need to scroll down through the list to find it 5 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box Percon Program Generator User Manual 29 Chapter 2 Tutorial THE OUTPUT ERROR BEEP NODE Now you need to set the Output Error Beep node to sound a beep Complete the following s
46. table to place it in a mode for accepting downloaded data if N Transferring Data to and from the Portable PPG comes with two programs that you can use to transfer data between your computer and a portable PTFER is a Windows application with its own icon in the Percon PPG31 group window PDTFER is a DOS program that you run by issuing commands on the DOS command line Also available from Percon are two utilities for transferring data to and from a Macintosh or UNIX computer MACTFER is a Macintosh program you can use to communicate with a Macintosh updtfer is a UNIX program you can use to communicate with a UNIX workstation Percon Program Generator User Manual 93 Chapter 3 User s Guide Once you ve collected data with your portable you can use any of these programs to copy the data into a file that can be read by another application You can also copy a file for ex ample a list of valid ID numbers to be checked against from the PC or Macintosh to a por table Using PTFER To transfer data between the PC and the portable using the Windows PTFER application complete the following steps 1 Select File Exit to exit PPG or click on the Minimize button on the title bar to shrink PPG into an icon at the bottom of the Windows desktop 2 Double click on the PTFER icon in the Percon PPG31 program group in the Windows Program Manager A blank PTFER window opens as shown in figure 3 37
47. that is underneath it If the node is in another frame you ll need to display that frame s nodes before selecting Break Nodes that you specify as breakpoints are indicated by red lettering on the screen To re move a breakpoint from a node choose the Break command and click on the node again Watching Register Contents To make sure that data is being stored correctly in registers you can use the Watch com mand to view register contents while the emulator runs the program When you select Op tions gt Watch from the Emulation window menu the PPG Watch window appears see figure 3 34 You can reposition or resize the window Figure 3 34 The PPG Watch window The PPG Watch window is initially set up to show the contents of the default register To view the contents of other registers choose SetUp from the PPG Watch menu bar to dis play the Setup Watch dialog box see figure 3 35 If you i you ll have to stop it bef lecting SetUp I o running a program yout have to stop it before selecting Figure 3 35 The Setup Watch dialog box Registers Input Size Register Inventory Monthly Inventory System Date Watch Default Register 90 Percon Program Generator User Manual Tracing Program Execution The top part of the dialog box lists all registers available for use in the program including standard PPG registers The bottom part lists registers that will be tracked in the PPG Watch window To a
48. the portable over COM3 into a file named DATA TXT To specify a file that is not in the current directory include the path name in the command for example pdtfer c ppg31 data link txt 2 USING MACTFER Upon request Percon will supply a program for transferring data between a portable and a Macintosh computer To install the program just copy the MACTFER EXE file from the sup plied floppy disk to your Macintosh hard drive To transfer data using the MACTFER pro gram complete the following steps 1 Make sure the portable s communication parameters are set as follows Baud rate 9600 Stop bits 1 Data bits 8 Parity None Protocol ACK NAK 2 Connect the 25 pin connector of the cable labeled COM to the 25 pin connector on the Macintosh cable Use a modem type cable 3 Connect the other end of the cable to the serial port on the portable 98 Percon Program Generator User Manual Using updtfer 4 Plug the mini DIN end of the Macintosh cable into the Macintosh modem port A 5 Start the MACTFER program on the Macintosh An untitled window appears for dis playing received or transferred data 6 To upload a file from the portable to the Macintosh select File gt Receive and use the Receive File dialog box to specify the name and location of the file you want to store the data in You can then select options on the portable to upload the data into the specified Macintosh file MINI AMI I You can copy rec
49. the screen You can also change the size of node and frame boxes with this command Figure 3 28 shows the Snap Grid dialog box which appears when you select Op tions Grid There are two settings for each option X and Y The X column sets options for the horizontal axis This axis determines the width of boxes and placement of objects horizontally The Y setting determines box height and placement of objects vertically The grid is measured in units called pixels the exact size of which varies from screen to screen The average is 96 pixels per inch for a 14 inch screen in VGA mode 82 Percon Program Generator User Manual NO T E Specifying Bar Code Type Figure 3 28 The Snap Grid dialog box Snap Grid X Y Frame Node Frame Size 25 Node Size To be able to place objects very precisely on the screen decrease the space between grid lines by lowering the Frame Node values To make it easier to line objects up on the Screen increase these values expanding the space between grid lines If you re finding that some of the text in your nodes or frames is getting cut off you may want to increase the box size or decrease the font size When you re done select Ok to exit the dialog box All objects in the current flow chart are affected immediately The grid map for links is automatically set to half of whatever the Frame Node grid is set to For example with the default Frame Node setting of 10 10 the link grid i
50. the user to return to the Main Menu by pressing a function key Create nodes for the Collect Data frame by completing the following steps 1 If you re returning from a break after exiting PPG double click on the PPG icon in the E Percon PPG31 program group Then choose File Open and select tuto PPG rial scr from the file list Select OK to load the file into the PPG window 2 At the Frames level select the Collect Data frame to access its Nodes level Because this frame has two links one to it and one from it there are two nodes initially cre ated Entry Collect Data and Exit To Main Menu Reposition these nodes so that the Entry node is in the upper left corner and the Exit node is at the bottom right MI lil Ii Il ll If you click twice on either of these nodes you ll end up back in the Frames level 24 Percon Program Generator User Manual T l P Creating and Setting Up the Collect Data Nodes 3 Create all the nodes shown in figure 2 15 using commands on the Create menu Each node s type is indicated by the first line of text in the node Rename each node according to the second line of text Link the nodes together as shown When linking the Verify Input node create the link to the Output Error Beep node first This actually creates two links a requirement for verify nodes one on top of the other If you try to create another link the program won t let you Instead place the mouse pointer over the arrow
51. to the PTFER program 17 outputting data to 67 Set Bar Codes command 53 83 Set Start command 54 84 Index settings communications 42 Settings option PTFER 94 95 96 SetUp option 90 SHIFT F1 getting online help with 50 Shift button in Emulation window 89 SHIFT key on portables 61 65 snap grid 82 source files see program source files starting frame 84 starting PPG 6 from File Manager 7 Step command Emulation window stop bits 96 Stop command Emulation window 89 Subroutine command 55 subroutines 54 134 calling 56 58 changing fonts in 82 creating 55 moving 55 renaming 56 support technical 4 symbologies specifying 83 system operating outputting commands to 68 outputting datato 67 88 89 T technical support 4 templates 43 47 71 73 74 77 78 134 about 43 creating fields for 46 creating nodes for 44 testing programs 7 37 53 tracing activity 91 see also emulating programs text selecting style and size of 82 time 68 102 bar code for 130 timeout setting 61 Timeout command Emulation window 89 Trace command 88 89 91 Trace window 91 tracing activity during emulation 91 Percon Program Generator User Manual 143 Index transferring data 8 93 from a Macintosh 98 from a UNIX workstation 99 from Microsoft Windows 94 from the DOS command line 98 translating data 8 75 troubleshooting 16 41 93 typeface selecting 82 type of data verifying 70 typographic conventions 3 U UNIX workstations 8
52. to use from the Template drop down list and then select the field You can use the right arrow button at the right of the Template list box to alter or cre ate templates see Creating a Template on page 74 Files Portable files are used to store data that has been either input via the portable s wand or data keys or downloaded from a PC file through the serial port Each entry in a file is called a record and the records in each file are numbered with 1 as the first record There are two types of file settings in portable dialog boxes Source file settings specify a file or record in a file to be read from Destination file settings determine a file or record to be written to USING A FILE AS A SOURCE When you select File as the setting for a source option the subdialog box shown in figure 3 19 appears Figure 3 19 The Source File subdialog box File Default File is C Record Select the name of the file you want from the drop down list or type in a name to create a new file To specify only a certain record of the file select the Record check box The sub dialog box then expands as shown in figure 3 20 Figure 3 20 The Record Selection options File Default File is 4 Record amp First Last Index Number Percon Program Generator User Manual 73 Chapter 3 User s Guide Select the First or Last radio button to specify the first or last record in the file To specify a record number select N
53. window to fill the screen 2 Select File gt New to clear the workspace area so that you can create a new flow chart If prompted answer No to saving changes 3 Select Create gt Frame to draw the first frame The cursor turns into a rounded box FRAME labeled FRAME Move it to the top middle area of the workspace and click the left mouse button A rectangle labeled Frame1 appears at the cursor IM MM To adjust the position of a frame just drag it with the mouse To delete an unwanted frame iM TERRI or node select it and then press DELETE 18 Percon Program Generator User Manual Creating Frames and Links 4 Click the right mouse button or select the frame and choose Edit gt Rename from the menu to display the Frame Name dialog box Type Main Menu in the input box and press ENTER or select Ok The frame now appears with the name Main Menu 5 Now create the Collect Data frame Select Create gt Frame move the FRAME box to the bottom left area of the workspace and click the left mouse button Open the Frame Name dialog box type Collect Data and select Ok 6 Select Create gt Frame move the FRAME box to the bottom right area of the work space and click the left mouse button Open the Frame Name dialog box type Upload Data and select Ok You now have the three frames of your program Next you need to create the arrows or links showing the flow of the program between the f
54. 01 moving 18 54 79 naming 19 54 80 pasting 79 renaming 19 54 80 size 82 starting 84 Frames command 52 Frames level 52 132 function keys allowing input from 61 65 assigning to menu items 65 G generating programs 7 52 glossary 131 134 Grid command 82 H help online 50 exiting from 50 hot keys for 50 Help menu 50 How to Use Help 50 horizontal axis setting snap grid for 82 hot keys for online help 50 How to Use Help option 50 l 12 5 83 icons 6 PPG 6 PROG 6 93 PTFER 6 index 132 input 132 controlling flow of 71 copying to a file 59 destination for 63 echoing 61 62 modifying 65 size verifying 105 storing in fields 63 in files 63 in registers 63 verifying 69 see also data Input nodes 60 132 Input Item 26 Input Timeout Display 36 linking to other nodes or frames 61 inputting data in Emulation window 89 installing PPG 5 J jointed links 133 adjusting 19 creating 19 56 K keyboard shortcuts for Edit menu commands 79 keyboard wedge 67 L leaving PPG 7 levels of programs 52 license agreement 2 Link command 56 links 56 133 adjusting 19 45 57 creating 19 56 from Output nodes 33 deleting 19 44 57 grid settings for 83 jointed 133 adjusting 19 creating 19 56 overlapping 57 loading PPG 6 from File Manager 7 Lock command 21 45 54 56 58 lowercase changing to uppercase 66 Index Macintosh computers 8 93 transferring data from 98 MACTFER 93 98 window for 99
55. Frames level of a program 1 1 1111 pPPs saM ESR LI File Edit View Create Options Help M COLLECT UPLOAD gt ITEM QUAN To create the frames of a program flow chart complete the following steps Percon Program Generator User Manual 53 Chapter 3 User s Guide 1 Select the Create gt Frame command from the menu The pointer changes into a FRAME rounded box labeled FRAME 2 Position the box where you want to create the frame and then click the left mouse but ton A frame box named Frame1 appears and the arrow pointer reappears Frames are automatically numbered in the sequence in which they are created The next frame you create will be named Frame2 IN MI To reposition the frame move the pointer to it hold down the left mouse button and drag M WEWITM the frame with the mouse When the frame is positioned where you want it release the mouse button 3 To give the frame a more useful name click on it with the right mouse button or select Edit gt Rename from the menu to display the Frame Name dialog box see fig ure 3 2 Enter the text you want displayed in the frame box and select Ok Figure 3 3 The Frame Name dialog box Frame Name COLLECT IN MAI If you re creating several frames you can lock PPG into Create mode so that you don t WWW have to choose Create Frame each time Just select Create Lock before selecting Create Frame After you create a fr
56. Il I You can also use View gt Frames and View gt Nodes in the menu to jump between levels T l P gt 10 Select the Collect frame to view its Nodes level see figure 2 5 Figure 2 5 The Nodes level of the Collect frame PPG SAMPLE SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Copy Collect to File A Call Pad Zeros A 12 Percon Program Generator User Manual Studying a Sample Program Two Display nodes prompt the user to scan or enter first an item code Display Enter Item and then a quantity value Display Quantity Both entered values are displayed together on the screen via the Output nodes and are then copied to a file for storage via the Copy node The Input nodes send control back to the Main Menu if a function key is pressed The Call node jumps to the Pad Zeros subroutine back in the Frames level padding the input value with zeros if necessary to meet a required number of digits 11 Select either the Entry Collect or Exit To Main Menu node to go back to the Frames level 12 Select the Upload frame to view the nodes involved in uploading collected data see figure 2 6 Figure 2 6 The Nodes level of the Upload frame PPG SAMPLE SCR File Edit View Create Options Help 13 Select either the Entry Upload or Exit To Main Menu node to go back to the Frames level 14 Select the Erase frame to view the nodes involved in it See figure 2 7 Percon Progra
57. Modify Erase File node to open its dialog box 2 Select the Delete radio button 3 Select File as the Data setting and choose Monthly Inventory from the drop down file list see figure 2 30 Figure 2 30 The Modify Erase File dialog box Modify Erase File O To Upper case Reverse To Lower case Delete O SearchiReplace O Clear 8th Bit Data Q Register File Monthly Inventory Default File Monthly Inventory File C Record 4 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box The nodes for uploading data are now complete Select either the Entry or Exit node to re turn to the Frames level Then select File gt Save to save your changes to the file 36 Percon Program Generator User Manual Emulating the Program The nodes that you created for the Upload Data frame ask the user for confirmation of the upload task If the user answers Yes it outputs the data file over the serial port If the up load is successful a message is displayed the portable s file is cleared and the Main Menu returns If the upload is unsuccessful the program beeps displays an error mes sage and gives the user the option of trying again Your portable program should now be complete Wanta Break if you re ready for a break you can easily stop here Since you saved your file so you won t lose any work if you exit PPG or turn off your computer Emulating the Program PPG
58. NODE Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Display Successful node to open its dialog box 2 Enter the text shown in figure 2 29 Figure 2 29 Display text for successful upload Display Successful Display Screen Al Ill Ill Il ll A Menu node is not necessary here because only one option is given and it is executed if vo T E any function key is pressed not just F4 The Input node that follows this one will see to that 3 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box Percon Program Generator User Manual 35 Chapter 2 Tutorial THE INPUT TIMEOUT DISPLAY NODE Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Input Timeout Display node to open its dialog box 2 Select the Scanner check box to turn it off There should be no X in the box 3 Select the En Key and TimeOut check boxes 4 Enter 45 in the Seconds input box that appears next to TimeOut This instructs the program to return to the Main Menu if the user presses a function key or if 45 seconds pass with no input 5 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box THE MODIFY ERASE FILE NODE Once you ve uploaded data from your portable file you ll probably want to erase its contents Otherwise further data you collect will be ap pended to the data you just uploaded and your data file will quickly grow out of control Complete the following steps 1 Select the
59. O TimeOut O Echo to Display O Size to Register Destination Register File Insert 9 Replace Append Field Register Default Register 3 26 Percon Program Generator User Manual KA NO T E The Input Item Node 2 The Input From check boxes let you indicate which sources of input you want the por table to accept Select the Scanner Data Key and Fn Key check boxes This will allow the user to input data by scanning or pressing keys A radio button appears next to each selected check box These buttons let you specify a different Link To setting for each type of input allowed In this case you want wand scanner and data key input to link to the Verify Input node and function key input to return the user to the Main Menu 3 Select the radio button next to the Fn Key option and then click on the down arrow button to the right of the Link To input box A list of the nodes or frames that the Input node is linked to is displayed 4 Select Frame Main Menu This tells the program to return to the Main Menu when ever the user presses a function key 5 If you created the link to the Verify node first all input types will link to that node by default and you won t need to adjust the settings Otherwise set the other selected input types to Verify Input 6 You want the user to see the data as it is being entered so select the Echo to Display check box This displays the characters being
60. Output node Output Register select Inventory from the Register drop down list and select Accept This displays the contents of the Inventory register at the cursor position on the portable s screen Select File gt Save to store the changes you ve made Connect the portable to your PC as described earlier and select File gt Download The new program is compiled and loaded into the portable When it s done you can experiment with collecting data using the new program Notice that after you enter the item and quantity values both entries are displayed together on the third line sepa rated by a comma Percon Program Generator User Manual 47 Chapter 2 Tutorial This is the end of the tutorial What you ve learned here should give you the understanding and background you need to develop your own portable programs The next chapter will give you all the specific information required It covers every detail of each available option 48 Percon Program Generator User Manual Chapter 3 User s Guide JUILLET AA A This chapter gives you details on every command and option available within Percon Program Generator PPG The following subjects are covered Using online help and working with a mouse Creating frames subroutines nodes and links to build a program Making adjustments to a program flow chart Setting program options such as the types of bar codes to be read Saving opening closing and printing
61. Percon Program Generator Version 3 5 User Manual P RCON 1720 Willow Creek Circle Suite 530 Eugene OR 97402 9171 541 344 1189 FAX 541 344 1399 00 655 01 1 96 1994 Percon Inc 1720 Willow Creek Circle Suite 530 Eugene OR 97402 9171 503 344 1189 503 344 1399 FAX All rights reserved No part of this work may be reproduced transmitted or stored in any form or by any means without prior written consent except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or as provided for in the Copyright Act of 1976 Percon is a registered trademark of Percon Acquisition Inc Percon Program Generator PPG PocketReader and PT 2000 are trademarks of Percon Acquisition Inc Microsoft and MS DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation IBM IBM PC and PC DOS are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their manufacturers Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks Where these designations appear here and the authors were aware of a trademark claim the designations have been printed with a trademark symbol SOFTWARE LICENSE Percon grants the purchaser the right to use one copy of the Percon Program Generator PPG software on one computer The pu
62. Percon Program Generator User Manual 133 Glossary portable file Data that has been either input via a portable s wand or data keys or downloaded from a PC file through the serial port is saved in a portable file Each entry in the portable file is called a record and the records in each portable file are numbered starting with 1 for the first record program source file record register rows subroutine template Verify node Program flow charts created with PPG are stored in DOS data files called program source files A program source file must be compiled using PPG before it can be loaded into a portable A record is a set of related data fields stored as a single line in a file A register is a temporary holding place for up to 128 characters of data When you scan a bar code with a portable the code is stored in a register until it is verified and copied into a file for safekeeping The contents of the register are overwritten each time you scan a code The display screen of your Percon portable is divided horizontally into four rows num bered 0 through 3 A subroutine contains nodes that execute program steps very much like a frame The dif ference is that a subroutine sits off to the side of a flow chart instead of being connected to other objects It contains functions that can be referenced within any of the program s frames with a Call node A template is a structure that you can define and impose o
63. Use a Copy node to copy the modified value back into the pick list in its original position Breaking Down Data in a Register Now suppose that you own a catalog business As you ship packages out you scan a la bel that includes information about the destination The first character of each label identi fies the destination region North West South or East You want to alter your portable program so that the data is stored in four different files one for each region You need to create a template that breaks down the scanned code into two fields one for the region character and one for the rest The template should then examine the region field to determine which file the scanned data should be copied to North West South or East To create this template complete the following steps 1 Create a Verify node that uses a template to check whether the character in the Region field is N and if it is proceeds to a Copy node that copies the contents of the input register to a file called North 2 Create a Verify node that checks whether the character is W and if it is copies the input code to a file called West 3 Create two more Verify and Copy node pairs to copy data labeled South and East to the appropriate files 78 Percon Program Generator User Manual Editing a Flow Chart Editing a Flow Chart After you ve created a program flow chart you can modify it at any time You can move and add frames and nodes ad
64. a and clear the eighth bit of data Figure 3 12 shows the dialog box for a Modify node Figure 3 12 The dialog box for a Modify node Modify Modify5 To Upper case Reverse To Lower case Delete O Search Replace Clear 8th Bit Data Register File Default Register Register Field Percon Program Generator User Manual 65 Chapter 3 User s Guide Ra To Upper case changes all lowercase characters in the source string to uppercase To Lower case changes all uppercase characters in the source string to lowercase Search Replace replaces all instances of a given string with a second given string When this option is selected a right arrow button appears next to the option Click on it to display the Modify Search and Replace dialog box see figure 3 13 Enter the string you want to search for in the Search for input box and the string you want to replace it with in the Replace with input box Then select Accept Figure 3 13 The Modify Search and Replace dialog box Modify Search and Replace Modify5 Search for Text Replace with fo Reverse reverses the order of data in the specified register For example if the register value were 123456 this option would reverse the order of characters in the string to 654321 Delete erases the contents of the specified register or register field or file or record of a file Clear 8th Bit ensures that the specifie
65. ame the FRAME pointer will remain visible so that you can click again to create another frame When you re done choose Create gt Unlock Or press ESC to exit Create mode and redisplay the arrow pointer or click the right mouse button twice to begin creating links MAE RAI Use the Options Set Start command to specify which frame to start the program with NO T E see Setting a Starting Place on page 84 Creating Subroutines A subroutine contains nodes that execute program steps very much like a frame The dif ference is that a subroutine sits off to the side of a frame flow chart instead of being linked in with other objects It contains functions that can be referenced within any of the pro gram s frames 54 Percon Program Generator User Manual Creating Subroutines Subroutines are handy for when your program uses the same sequence of nodes in sev eral frames Rather than repeating the nodes for each frame you can put them in a sub routine on the Frames level and then use a Call node to reference the subroutine see Call Nodes on page 58 Figure 3 4 shows the Frames level of a program that contains two subroutines one for storing data collected in a file and one for displaying the date Call nodes within the two program frames jump to the subroutines as needed Figure 3 4 Subroutines in a PPG program PPG SAMPLESCR File Edit View Create Options Help A UPLOAD Display Date
66. appends the given file with data received from the portable d displays debugging information on the screen during transfer s performs the transfer silently without displaying received data on the screen h displays help on program usage and options For example updtfer dev tty2a readin dat r would receive data from the portable con nected to a serial port named dev tty2a and place data in a file named readin dat The updtfer program has the following fixed line settings The portable s communications settings must match Percon Program Generator User Manual 99 Chapter 3 User s Guide Baud rate 9600 Stop bits 1 Data bits 8 Parity None Flow control ACK NAK no XON XOFF The updtfer program returns an exit status of 0 if the transfer is successful If the transfer is unsuccessful it returns a nonzero status such as 1 100 Percon Program Generator User Manual Chapter 4 Example Frames NN This chapter gives several examples of frames you might want to incorporate into your Percon Program Generator PPG programs If a frame executes actions that you might use in more than one place in a program you can build it as a subroutine Then use a Call node to execute the subroutine whenever you need it The program source files for these frames are included on your PPG disk they are placed in the C PPG31 LIB TIPS subdirec tory during normal installation 101 Chapter 4 Example Frames Setting the Date
67. art Levels There are two levels to every program flow chart the Frames level and the Nodes level You start in the Frames level creating a frame for every major function of the program and you use links to hook the frames together in the way that the program flows For each frame in the chart you also build a set of nodes that break down the frame s function into detailed steps To access the Nodes level of a frame double click on the frame with the left mouse button or select it and choose View Nodes To return to the Frames level select one of the Exit or Entry nodes or choose View Frames 52 Percon Program Generator User Manual NO T E Testing Your Program Testing Your Program Once you ve completed the flow chart use the View gt Emulation command to load it into an Emulation window for testing To compile the program and load it into the portable use the File gt Download Program command Before you download a program into the portable make sure the Options Set Bar Codes command is set to decode the correct bar code symbologies see Specifying Bar Code Type on page 83 Creating Frames Each frame in a program flow chart represents a major function or option Typically a pro gram s frames include a Main Menu frame and a frame for each option on the menu Ar rows or links connect the frames in a way that indicates program flow Figure 3 2 shows the frames of a sample program Figure 3 2 The
68. at the cursor MINI MI The PT 2000 can be powered and charged from the keyboard T l P gt Padding a Number with Leading Zeros Many database programs use fixed length fields which means that values stored in them must be a given number of characters long Values with fewer than the required characters can be padded with zeros at the beginning the value 12 for example would appear as 0012 The program frame shown in figure 4 18 uses a combination of Modify nodes Copy nodes and two templates to pad a number with leading zeros Figure 4 18 A frame that pads a number with leading zeros PPG SUB SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry 5 Copy PAD ZERO QTY The nodes in this example work as follows e Copy QTY copies the quantity value in the default register into the INPUT SIZE register 118 Percon Program Generator User Manual Padding a Number with Leading Zeros Modify REVERSE1 reverses the order of digits in the INPUT SIZE register Copy ZEROS copies six zeros to the end of the value in the INPUT SIZE register Copy 1ST SIX copies the first six digits in the INPUT SIZE register back into the Quan tity field of the default register Any zeros beyond the sixth digit are dropped Modify REVERSE2 reverses the six characters in the default register returning the original input to the correct order with leading zeros This technique can be used with any fixed length
69. atabase information downloaded from a computer This informa tion can then be used to verify scanned data or for other purposes Templates let you combine data stored in different registers or break down data in a single register into fields You can use them to set up records in a file so that the data can easily be transferred to a database or spreadsheet file You can also use them to access portions of data in a register The following sections describe how to specify a register in which to store data or copy data from how to specify a source or destination file for data and how to create a tem plate for breaking down or combining data The last two sections give examples of using registers templates and files to control data flow Registers A register is a temporary holding place for data Whenever a data source or destination is requested in a node dialog box Register is given as an option When you select it the Register subdialog box appears so that you can specify an existing register or create a new one USING A REGISTER AS A SOURCE When you choose Register as the setting for a source option the subdialog box shown in figure 3 16 appears Percon Program Generator User Manual 71 Chapter 3 User s Guide Figure 3 16 The Source Register subdialog box ter Default Register eee centered Click on the down arrow button next to the Register list box to display a list of existing is registers To specify one o
70. ble line borders on 12 Entry 12 57 Exit 12 57 Input 60 132 Input Item 26 Input Timeout Display 36 linking to other nodes or frames 61 Math 63 133 linking to other nodes or frames 64 Menu 64 133 linking to other nodes or frames 65 Menu Confirmation 33 Menu Error Text 35 140 Percon Program Generator User Manual Modify 65 133 Modify Erase File 36 moving 58 79 naming 80 Output 67 133 linking to other nodes or frames 69 Output Error Beep 30 34 Output to PC 34 pasting 79 renaming 80 setting options for 58 size 82 Verify 69 134 linking to other nodes or frames 71 Verify Input 29 Nodes command 52 57 Nodes level 52 133 Create menu for 57 O objects 133 copying 79 cutting 79 deleting 80 pasting 79 selecting two or more 79 online help 50 exiting from 50 hot keys for 50 Open command 85 93 in Percon Portable Programmer window 85 opening program source files 85 operating system outputting commands to 68 outputting data to 67 operations math 64 storing results of 64 Options menu in Emulation window PocketReader 88 PT 2000 88 Trace 88 89 91 Watch 88 90 91 Font 82 Grid 82 in PTFER Connect 94 96 97 Settings 94 95 96 Set Bar Codes 53 83 Set Start 54 84 output commands 68 Output nodes 67 133 creating links from 33 linking to other nodes or frames 69 Output Error Beep 30 34 Output to PC 34 outputting data 67 overlapping links deleting 57 selecting 57 P padding values with
71. by simply changing the fixed length of the second template and providing enough zeros in the Copy node Percon Program Generator User Manual 119 Appendix A Error Messages This appendix lists error messages that you might come across in the Percon Program Generator Following each error message is a possible solution and where applicable a reference to the section of this manual in which you can find more information about solv ing the problem If you continue to have trouble with your program you can call Percon for technical assistance see Technical Support on page 4 Column must be between 0 15 You entered an invalid column number in the Input Echo subdialog box of the Input node dialog box You must specify a column position from 0 to 15 See Echoing Input on page 62 Double quote You specified a register file or field name that contains one or more double quotation marks which are not acceptable Enter the name again without the quotation marks Empty string You selected Accept in a dialog box without specifying a required register file or field name Return to the dialog box and fill in any empty input boxes No more than 8 sections in link You created a link that had more than the limit of eight sections or seven joints You need to modify the link See Creating and Using Links beginning on page 56 Row must be between 0 3 You entered in invalid row number in the Input Echo s
72. can also move to a frame by pressing the TAB key The current frame is always indi T l P 5 Select Cancel or press ESC to close the dialog box 6 Each program frame has its own sublevel flow chart stored at the Nodes level This enables you to break down a program into workable pieces rather than dealing with one giant flow chart Select the Main Menu frame to view its flow chart in the Nodes level see figure 2 3 Figure 2 3 The Nodes level of the Main Menu frame PPG SAMPLE SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Main Menu Percon Program Generator User Manual 11 Chapter 2 Tutorial MI AMI At the Nodes level each rectangle in a flow chart is called a node Nodes give the pro WAR RN gram detailed instructions such as where to store scanned data A Menu node pre sents a menu of options on the portable s screen and specifies what actions will occur when the user presses function keys associated with those options You specify these instructions by setting options in dialog boxes attached to the nodes 7 Select the Display Options node to view its dialog box see figure 2 4 Figure 2 4 The Display Options dialog box Display Options Display Screen 8 Select Cancel or press ESC to exit the dialog box 9 Select the Entry Main Menu node or any of the Exit To nodes to return to the Frames level of the program Entry and Exit nodes have double line borders IN
73. ch file A data collection program that allows a remote system to call up the portable via modem and receive the data AUTO BAT A batch file that uses the SAMPLE2 SCR program and automatically pulls files from the collect mode BASIC SCR A program with options for Menu Upload and Erase nodes completed The Collect node is left empty for the user to set up CASHREG SCR A program that does all the basic things a cash register would do including figure totals with taxes figure change and print a receipt CLOCK SCR A program that displays time and date Formats are selectable and an alarm capability is available COLLECT SCR The collect portion of the sample program that comes with each portable Percon Program Generator User Manual 125 Appendix D The PPG Library COLLTIME SCR A program that stamps all item entries with the date and time Output format is date time item COMPILE SCR A collect only program that counts the number of duplicate entries in a file Output format is item repeats CONFIG SCR A program that allows the user to scroll through and change system parameters from a list that is loaded into the portable FIELDS SCR A short program that demonstrates template use by combining two inputs with a comma delimiter FIELDS1 SCR A template example where the first two characters are stripped out of the register HANGMAN SCR A program that uses the classic word game as an excellent example of complex file ma
74. ctions To close the Trace window select Stop in the Emulation window if necessary to halt pro gram execution and then select Options Trace again Percon Program Generator User Manual 91 Chapter 3 User s Guide Downloading a Program To load a program into your Percon portable complete the following steps 1 Connect the 25 pin connector of the cable to a serial port on your computer If you don t have a 25 pin serial port use the 25 to 9 pin adapter supplied with your portable 2 Connect the other end of the cable to the portable 3 Turn the portable on 4 In the PPG window select File gt Download Program from the menu If a dialog box appears asking if you want to save changes to the file answer Yes or No The Percon Portable Compiler window appears momentarily as PPG compiles the program translating it into a language understood by the portable The original SCR file remains intact and the compiled file is given the same name but with a HEX extension It is this HEX file that is downloaded into the portable AMA I il While a program is downloading you can work in another application window AN When compiling is complete the Percon Portable Programmer window appears dis playing the message Initiating Download If connection is successful the window shows further messages as the compiled HEX file is loaded into the portable The per centage of completion is displayed as the programmi
75. cursor at column 8 in the first line directly after RECORDS Output TOTAL displays the index value at the cursor position on the portable screen Input TO EXIT waits for a function or data key to be pressed before returning to the Main frame Searching for a Partial Match A Verify node will search a file for a record that matches a given value or text string for ex ample the value 100 The program searches for full matches however records containing 1000 or 1001 for example would not be considered a match You can search for partial matches using a frame such as the one in figure 4 10 This example pulls one record at a time from the file and uses templates to check the section of the record that you are trying to match Figure 4 10 A frame that searches for a partial match PPG TIPO8 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Display CHK FILE CHECKING Copy RECORD Y Verify Display END NO MATCH V V Copy Input PART EXIT Math Verify Modify Exit To INDEX 1 MATCH DEL END MAIN 110 Percon Program Generator User Manual Splitting Records into Two Files The nodes in this example perform the following actions Display CHECKING prompts the user to wait while the check is going on This is espe cially important when working with large files that take a long time to check Copy END places the constant end at the end of the file being checked
76. d data is in seven bit ASCII format If the data is stored in eight bits this option clears the eighth bit The only case in which this might be necessary is with a file that has been downloaded from a PC Data specifies the location of the data to modify If you choose Register select a register from the displayed Register list box To modify only one field of the register select the Field check box and select the template and field name from the displayed list boxes See Registers on page 71 If you choose File select the file name from the displayed list Select the Record check box to modify a specific record or field of the file See Files on page 73 Output Nodes Output nodes send data to the portable s display to the serial port or to the portable s sys tem software You can send a defined constant or the contents of a register or file When sending data to the system you can use special commands that sound a beep set the system date or time or reconfigure the portable You can also send commands to the dis play to reposition the cursor or erase the display Figure 3 14 shows the dialog box for an Output node 66 Percon Program Generator User Manual Verify Nodes Figure 3 14 The dialog box for an Output node Output Output9 Output To O Wedge Display Serial System Link On Success None Failure None e Register Default Register O Field Output To specifies the c
77. data in the register see Using a Regis ter as a Destination on page 72 To store the data in one field of the register select the Field radio button specify or define a template and select the field see Creating a Tem plate on page 74 To store the data in a file select the File radio button and then choose a file name from the drop down file list or type in the name of a file you want to create By default the data is appended to the specified file However you can choose to insert the data before a given record in the file replace a given record or insert the data in alphabetic or numeric order see Files on page 73 Math Nodes Math nodes perform basic mathematical operations on the contents of a given register For example you could multiply the contents of the default register by 3 and store the re sults in a register called Triple Rather than supplying a constant such as 3 you could specify another register that contains the number you want to multiply add subtract or di vide by The format of the math function is as follows Register File Constant Register File Constant Register The results of the math operation must be within the range of 999 999 999 through 999 999 999 and are always rounded to the nearest integer Figure 3 10 shows the dialog box for a Math node Figure 3 10 Dialog box for a Math node Math Math10 Accept Cancel Help Link On Pass Entry
78. dd a register to the Watch list select the register in the Registers list and then select Add To remove a register from the Watch list select it and then select Remove When the Watch list includes all the registers whose contents you want to view during emulation select Ok When you run the program in the Emulation window the PPG Watch window shows the name of each register in the Watch list along with its current contents You can see what data is entered into each register when it is entered To close the PPG Watch window select Options gt Watch from the Emulation window menu again If you re running a program stop it first Tracing Program Execution For a detailed log of every step taken by the emulated program select Options Trace from the Emulation window menu This opens the PPG Trace window see figure 3 36 which lists all emulator activity including the following The name of each frame and node executed by the emulator The value of any register entered through an Input node The value of any register that changes because of a step in any node Figure 3 36 The PPG Trace window Frame Collect Entry Collect Frame Collect Display Enter Item Frame Collect Output Position 1905 Collect Output Register You can drag the sides of the PPG Trace window to resize it and you can drag its title bar to reposition it on the screen Use the scroll bars when they appear to scroll through the list of a
79. e e die 24S 5 Loading and Exiting PPG ooococcccccccoo ees 6 An OVerview att usu d A sat LL de tes 7 Sample Program Files 0 00 cece eee eh 8 T torlal oc oso uten RS ener ea TE ar eee uud mes n heh 9 Studying a Sample Program oooocccccooc lees 10 Programming Your Portable liliis 15 Box f You Have Problems liiis 16 Uploading Bar Code Data 0 cece eee 16 Building Your Own Portable Program sss 18 Creating Frames and Links 000 00 e eects 18 Creating the Main Menu Nodes 20000 cee eee sees 20 Saving Your Program 00 ren 23 Creating and Setting Up the Collect Data Nodes o ooooooo 24 The Display Enter Item Node ococcccccccc ene 26 The Input Item Node 2 20 cece Ie 26 The Verify Input Node oooccooccccoccc I 29 The Output Error Beep Node 0 0000 e eee else 30 The Display Error Text Node 0 00 cee ees 30 The Copy To File Node 0 00000 cece eh 31 iji Contents CHAPTER 3 Creating and Setting Up the Upload Data Nodes o ooooooo 32 The Menu Confirmation Node 0000 ccc eee eens 33 The Output to PC Node 0 20 eee 34 The Output Error Beep Node 00 000 e eee eee eee 34 The Menu Error Text Node 0 cee ees 35 The Display Successful Node ooooococooooo nee 35 The Input Timeout
80. e it to download PTFER fee information stored in a PC file into the portable Loading and Exiting PPG To work with PPG select the PPG icon in the Percon PPG31 program group in Windows The PPG window appears as shown in figure 1 1 Figure 1 1 The PPG window f File Edit View Create Options Help Control menu fox Minimize button Maximize button 6 Percon Program Generator User Manual T l P N O T E An Overview You can use the Windows drag and drop technique to load PPG and a program source file at the same time Just use the mouse to drag the icon for the file from the Windows File Manager onto the PPG icon To expand the window to fill the screen select the Maximize button see figure 1 1 To temporarily remove the PPG window from your screen without exiting the application select the Minimize button see figure 1 1 The window becomes an application icon at the bottom of the Windows desktop Double click on the icon to bring the window back ex actly as you left it To exit PPG select File gt Exit from the menu or double click on the Control menu box see figure 1 1 A dialog box appears asking if you want to save any changes to the cur rent file Select Yes to save changes or No to discard them For further information on working in application windows including using scroll bars and selecting menu commands refer to your Windows documentation An Overview PPG helps you p
81. e program begins By default the por table s program starts with the first frame that was created To start the program with a dif ferent frame use the Options gt Set Start command to set a starting place When you choose Options Set Start the mouse pointer changes to a rounded box la beled START Move it to the frame you want the program to start with and click the left mouse button The specified frame appears with a double line border The Set Start command is used only for frames It is dimmed in the Nodes view and can not be selected Working with Program Source Files NO T E Like most software programs PPG stores data in files To save a program flow chart you must copy it into a file You can then call it up and modify it at any time Commands on the PPG File menu let you open an existing file save a file close a file start a new file and print a file Don t confuse PPG program source files with those used to store data in the Percon por table The portable has its own type of files used for storage see Controlling Data Flow on page 71 although they can be transferred to a DOS file on your PC they are not di rectly compatible 84 Percon Program Generator User Manual Opening a File Opening a File To open an existing program source file select File gt Open from the menu If the PPG win dow currently contains a flow chart a dialog box appears asking if you want to save changes to the flo
82. e right arrow button B next to the Define Fields input box to display the Define Field dialog box see figure 2 38 You will define two fields for this template Item and Quantity Type Item in the Field input box Because you don t want to limit this field to any specific length select the Variable radio button and enter a comma in the Delimiter input box This will separate the two values with a comma Then select Done Figure 2 38 The Define Field dialog box Define Field Feld p E Length Fixed 2 Variable 46 Percon Program Generator User Manual 4 s 5 Creating the Fields Click on the right arrow button next to the Define Fields input box again This time type Quantity in the Field input box select Variable and enter a space in the Delimiter box Select Done Next you will define the order of the fields in the template Click on the down arrow button next to the Define Fields input box to see your new fields included in the list of possible fields Select Item from the list and select the Add button to add it to the list in the Fields input box Click on the down arrow button again and select Quantity Then select Add Y dt ll th h the list to find the fields you want MNAI Yos may need to 509 through the ist to go In the subdialog box below the Input Quantity dialog box click on the down arrow Click on the down arrow button next to the Fields input box to see bo
83. e so that you don t have to choose Creates Link each time Just select Create Lock before selecting Create gt Link After you create a link the LINK pointer will remain visible so that you can click again to begin creating another link When you re done select Create Unlock or press ESC to exit Create mode and redisplay the arrow pointer 56 Percon Program Generator User Manual Adjusting Links Adjusting Links To adjust an existing link move the arrow pointer to the link s arrowhead or joint and hold down the left mouse button Drag the joint or arrowhead to a new position and then re lease the mouse button If two or more links overlap you can select them separately by moving the arrow pointer to a joint or arrowhead and holding down the left mouse button The selected link appears dashed To select the next link in the stack press and hold down the left button again Deleting Links To delete an existing link drag its arrowhead to an area away from any frames or nodes and then double click the left mouse button To delete a single link in an overlapping stack click the left mouse button on the stack until the link you want to delete is selected shown as a dashed line Then drag its arrowhead to an empty area and double click the left mouse button Creating and Using Nodes Each frame of a program flow chart contains its own set of nodes which create in effect a sublevel flow chart Every frame is assign
84. e will be displayed Input NEXT keeps the record contents displayed until the user presses a key The pro gram then loops back to Verify END so that the next record can be displayed The loop continues until the end record is reached at which point the program deletes the end record and exits the frame The file is displayed one record at a time on the screen Each time the user presses a key the next record is displayed on the last line and the previous line moves up The user can scroll the screen up to see previous entries in the file A variation of this example gives the user the ability to search through records in both di rections First find the end of the file see Finding the Number of Records in a File on page 109 Next output the first record and give the option to see the next or the previous record Then increment or decrement the counter and verify that the range is between 1 and the end of the file value 116 Percon Program Generator User Manual Sounding a Beep Sounding a Beep To sound a beep on a portable use an Output node with the Source option set to Con stant and Destination set to System In the input box for the constant enter one of the following codes sounds a high beep sounds a low beep You can enter more than one code for multiple tones For example sounds a high beep followed by a low beep followed by another high beep Converting the PT 2000 into a Wedge
85. e you want to give the first field for the template If you want the fields to be arranged in columns select the Fixed Length radio button and enter the desired column width in number of characters This number should be at least the maximum number of characters to be entered in the field more if you want to create space between the columns To allow for variable length entries with fields separated by a delimiter such as a comma select the Variable Length radio button and enter the character you want to use as a delimiter 76 Percon Program Generator User Manual Modifying a Pick List 9 Repeat the last step for each field you want to define When you re done click on the Done button to return to the Define Template dialog box 10 Select the down arrow button next to the Define Fields list box and you ll see your new fields added to the list Select the first field you want in your template With that field displayed in the input box select the Add button to copy it to the Fields list above 11 Repeat step 10 for each field you want included in the template Add the fields in the order in which you want them to be arranged in the data records although you can input data in the fields in any order When you ve added all the fields you want select the down arrow button next to the Fields list box to display the list and then select Done 12 Back in the Register subdialog box for the Input node select your newly d
86. ed at least one node automatically an Entry node which shows the name of the frame If the frame contains links to other frames an Exit node for each link is also created automatically You add and link your own nodes to define details for the frame To go into the Nodes level of a frame just double click on it You can also move to it with the mouse or the TAB key and then either select View Nodes from the menu or press the SPACEBAR When you re in the Nodes level the Create menu lists each type of node avail able see figure 3 5 Figure 3 5 The Create menu in the Nodes level Create Lock Display Menu Input Verify Copy Modify Math Output Call Link Percon Program Generator User Manual 57 Chapter 3 User s Guide To create a node complete the following steps 1 Select the type of node you want to create from the Create menu The pointer COPY changes into a rounded rectangle labeled with the name of that node For example if you select Create gt Copy the pointer will look like the one shown at the left Copy 2 Position the rectangle pointer where you want to create the node and then click the Copy2 left mouse button The node box appears with two lines of text The first line indicates the type of node it is Display Input etc The second line repeats this text followed by the node s number which is assigned automatically according to the number of such nodes in the frame For example if you ve al
87. efined tem plate from the Template drop down list 13 From the Field drop down list select the field that data for that particular node should be stored in or retrieved from 14 For each Input node handling data for one of the template s fields display the Input node dialog box set the Destination option to Register and select the Field check box Then select the template from the drop down list and select the field you want that data to be stored in If you specified a particular register for storing the template data in step 2 use that same register setting here Once you ve created a template it is added to the template drop down list and you can use it with any register Modifying a Pick List Suppose you run a small TV repair shop and you keep track of your parts inventory on a PC in your shop office Instead of running to your office computer each time you use a part you want to be able to use the portable to adjust your inventory during the day and then update your PC inventory file each night You need to create a portable program that will download the latest inventory file from your PC as a pick list and modify it as necessary to keep the inventory current Each time you take a part off the shelf you would scan its part number label The portable s program would then subtract 1 from the quantity of items for that part number in the pick list At the end of the day you could use an upload function in the portable
88. eived data to other applications using the Edit gt Copy command T l P 7 To send a file to the portable select File gt Send and specify the name and location of the file in the Send File dialog box To accept the transferred file the portable must be programmed to accept serial input and store it in a file or register Depending on the program you may need to select some options on the portable first Using updtfer Upon request Percon will supply a program for transferring data between the portable and a UNIX computer To install the program use the tar command to copy the upditfer file from the supplied floppy disk to your UNIX hard drive The updtfer program transmits and receives data to or from a portable using Percon s proprietary ACK NAK protocol The command syntax for transferring files with updtfer is as follows updtfer device filename options where device the serial port device name such as dev ttyla filename the name of the file you want to download or store uploaded data in options one or more transfer options preceded by a hyphen You can use any of the following options t transmits data in the given file to the portable The portable should be properly connected to the specified serial port and ready to receive data r receives data from the portable and stores it in the given file When receiving data from the portable you should start updtfer before invoking the transfer on the portable a
89. entered with the data keys on the por table s screen To specify the exact position of the display on the screen click on the right arrow button to the right of the check box The Input Echo Item dialog box appears see figure 2 18 Figure 2 18 The Input Echo Item dialog box Input Echo Item O Clear The Echo to Display option displays keyed in characters only until the user presses the ENTER key Once the data is entered or scanned the program moves on through the next nodes and redisplays the menu text overwriting the echoed characters To avoid this you would need to add Output nodes to reposition the cursor and display the echoed charac ters on a different line This is demonstrated later in the tutorial 7 Select the Specify Position check box Input boxes appear allowing you to indicate the exact row and column you want the echoed data to begin on Position it on the second row and first column Columns and rows are numbered starting with 0 instead of 1 so enter 1 in the Row box to indicate the second row and 0 in the Col box to indi cate the first column see figure 2 19 Percon Program Generator User Manual 27 Chapter 2 Tutorial Figure 2 19 The Input Echo dialog box Input Echo Item DJ Specify Position Row h Coi 0 O Clear 8 Select Accept Now you need to create a special register for the input data to keep it separate from other data AMAA MAI A register is a temporary holdi
90. ep Reset Break Options CS Ez DEF GHI JKL POR STU ET E Ee perpe 4 Select Options gt Watch from the menu to open the PPG Watch window This window displays the contents of given registers while the program is running You ll use it to view the contents of the Inventory register as you input data 5 Select SetUp from the PPG Watch menu bar The Setup Watch dialog box appears listing all named registers for the program see figure 2 32 Figure 2 32 The Setup Watch dialog box Setup Watch Registers Input Size Register Inventory System Date System Time Watch 6 Select Inventory from the Registers list and click on the Add button to move it to the Watch list below it Then select Default Register from the Watch list and select Remove to delete it from the list Select Ok 7 Select Run from the Emulation window s menu bar to start the program The por table s screen area displays the Main Menu you set up and the menu bar changes to a single command see figure 2 33 In addition the function keys F1 F4 are no longer dimmed meaning that they are now available for use 38 Percon Program Generator User Manual 11 Emulating the Program Figure 2 33 The Main Menu displayed in the Emulation window Frame Main Menu Node Menu Options Main Menu Collect Data NFEE Upload Data Shift ABC DEF GHI JKL STU VHX parandada O Enable TimeOut NN Click
91. es 65 Output NOd6S 3 2 be te eR Reise eee ARE 67 Box Outputting Commands to the System 00 cece eee 68 Veny Nodes etw e ER etes eer e aede e uer qn 69 Box Specifying a Range to Match 0200 cee eee eee 70 Controlling Data Flow 0 000 teens 71 Hegisters z e tr seed LU PEL a O BE 72 Using a Register as a Source 0 0 0 cece 72 Using a Register as a Destination 0200000 cee eee eee 72 Specifying a Register Field 0 0 00 cece eee 73 iv Percon Program Generator User Manual CHAPTER 4 Contents Fll8Sz ctetur arte etie MAU ite baden ees a tac T bcc 73 Using a File as a Source 0 00 0 cece eee 73 Using a File as a Destination llle 74 Creating a Template 20 0 0 cect eee 74 Moditying a Pick Bist reium E id as 77 Breaking Down Data in a Register 2 00 e eee ees 78 Editing a Flow Chart o ooooccoococcco eee nee 79 Cutting Copying and Pasting 0 000 e eee eee eee 79 Deleting Nodes and Fames rdest ara E tenes 80 Renaming Nodes and Frames 00 0 eee 80 General Options s s eskis a Peed beh PAs eats he hee bach were AER WS 81 Switching Display Size 1 2 2 ee tee 81 Ghanging EOnts rei imeem beens BINA NT REN SEE RD RR AE 82 Adjusting the Grid and Box Size 1 2 0 0 eee 82 Specifying Bar Code Type ooococcccccc 83 Setting a Starting Place 0 0 cee eee 84 Working with Program
92. es the structure used to access data Most often a template is used to combine values in two different registers as fields in a single register The fields are either set to a fixed length so that they appear in columns in the data file or they are allowed a variable length with a separator such as a comma separating them However you can also use a template to break apart data stored in a register into separate fields You will incorporate a template into the TUTORIAL program to collect and store quantity values along with each item number To do this you ll add the following new nodes to the existing TUTORIAL program Anew Display node that will prompt the user to enter a quantity value after an item num ber is entered Anew Input node that will use a template to store the quantity value in a register field Two Output nodes that will display the last entered item and quantity values as a pair You ll also alter the existing Input node to use a template Percon Program Generator User Manual 43 Chapter 2 Tutorial Creating the New Nodes Create the new nodes by completing the following steps E 1 Double click on the PPG icon at the bottom of the Windows desktop to reopen PPG 2 The TUTORIAL program file TUTORIAL SCR should still be loaded but if it isn t use PPG File gt Open to load it Your screen will have links not shown in the figure 3 At the Frames level select the Collect Data frame and reposition the node
93. eting contents of registers fields or files 66 data 66 frames 18 80 links 19 44 57 nodes 80 objects 80 registers 28 directory PPG31 6 display portable screen clearing 62 68 echoing to 61 62 outputting commands to 68 outputting datato 67 position of cursor on 62 68 showing menus on 64 showing texton 60 size of 64 65 displaying error messages 30 Display nodes 60 132 Display Enter Item 26 Display Error Text 30 Display Successful 35 DOS 132 transferring data from 98 version 2 4 downloading programs 7 15 40 53 92 Download Program command 7 15 40 53 85 92 drag and drop 7 E echoing data input 61 62 editing programs 79 Edit menu 79 80 Copy 79 in MACTFER window 99 Cut 79 Delete 80 keyboard shortcuts for 79 Paste 79 Rename 54 56 58 79 80 eighth bit clearing from data 66 emulating programs 7 37 40 87 91 setting breakpoints 89 watching registers 90 Emulation command 53 87 Emulation window 87 Break command 88 89 90 ENTER button in 89 inputting data in 89 menu bar commands 88 89 Index Options menu 88 PocketReader 88 PT 2000 88 Trace 88 91 Watch 88 90 91 Reset command 88 Run command 88 89 Serial command 89 Shift button in 89 Step command 88 89 Stop command 89 Timeout command 89 Wand command 89 enlarging the PPG window 7 ENTER button in Emulation window 89 Entry nodes 12 57 equipment requirements 2 erasing contents of registers fields or files 66 error message
94. f these registers just select it from the list To create and specify a new register type a name in the list box To specify only a given field of the register select the Field check box The Template and Field list boxes appear see Specifying a Register Field on page 73 USING A REGISTER AS A DESTINATION When you choose Register as the setting for a destination option the Register subdialog box includes options for data placement see figure 3 17 Figure 3 17 The Destination Register subdialog box Insert Replace Append Field Register B Specify the register name by selecting it from the drop down list or typing it in Then select one of the following radio buttons Insert places the data at the beginning of the register before any existing data Replace replaces any data previously stored in the register Append adds the data to the end of the register after any existing data Field stores the data in a specified field of the register see the following section 72 Percon Program Generator User Manual lw Specifying a Register Field SPECIFYING A REGISTER FIELD f you select the Field option in either Register subdia log box the box changes to include Template and Field list boxes see figure 3 18 Figure 3 18 Template and Field list boxes Insert Replace Append Field Register inventory Template System Date Template BB Field Separator Select the template you want
95. f you re making a simple selection or dialog box entry the pointer is the standard arrowhead If you re creating an object the pointer appears as a rounded box with a label that identifies the type of object you re creating When you re moving a frame node or link the pointer changes to an open hand When you press SHIFT F1 a question mark is added to the standard pointer which you can position on a part of the screen you want help on When you click the left mouse button online help for that area appears S A Percon Program Generator User Manual 51 Chapter 3 User s Guide Generating a Portable Program The first step in generating a portable program is figuring out what you want the program to do Put yourself in the end user s shoes and walk through the steps of the imagined pro gram Consider each action involved How will the user start Do you want to identify the user first by asking for a password or ID number What about a log on message To offer a choice of actions such as collecting and uploading data you should probably set up a Main Menu that can be accessed from different areas of the program List in this menu each general action the user might want to take For example in addition to col lecting and uploading data the user might want to erase a portable file or download a file from the PC If an action will be taken only in a specific area of the program however you may not want it on the Main Menu
96. falls within a given numeric or alphabetic range Usually a Verify node links to one node if the data passes the test and to another node if it doesn t For example a Verify node might check to see if the value scanned is numeric If it is the Verify node might branch to an Output node that sends the value to a file otherwise it might display an error message Percon Program Generator User Manual 67 Chapter 3 User s Guide Outputting You can use an Output node to send special commands to the por Commands table s display or operating system These commands defined in the to the table below set the system s internal time and date sound a beep reposition the cursor on the portable s screen and clear data from a System line of the screen Command Effect System Commands Displays a prompt on the portable s screen asking the user to enter a new time in the format hh mm ss military time or hh mm ss am pm depending on the portable s configuration The portable s internal clock is then set to that time 26 Displays a prompt on the portable s screen asking the user to enter a new date in the format mm da yy or dd mm yy depending on the portable s configuration The portable s internal calendar is then set to that date Sounds a low beep er Sounds a high beep Display Commands WII AMI ll The x1B sequence represents the ESC character Type it exactly as ee a
97. first time or to save an existing file with a different name choose File gt Save As The Save As dialog box appears see figure 3 31 Figure 3 31 The Save As dialog box Save As File Name Directories sample scr sample2 scr Save File as Type PPG Source Files SCF Enter a name for the new file in the File Name input box The file list below it shows the names of all existing source program files in the PPG31 directory Unless you want to over write the contents of an existing file use a unique name PPG automatically gives the pro gram file an SCR extension By default the file is saved in the directory in which you installed PPG and this is where PPG will look when you go to open a file If you want to store the file elsewhere select the drive and directory from those lists or type them before the file name in the input box Select OK to save the program flow chart in the specified file If a file of that name already exists in the specified directory a dialog box appears asking if you want to replace the ex isting file Select Yes to replace the file or No to return to the Save As dialog box where you can give the file another name or place it in another location Once you ve saved your flow chart in a file you can use File gt Save to save changes to it without being prompted for a file name again To save the file under a different name or in a different location use File gt Save As Starting a Ne
98. ft button in the window until the letter you want appears on ELE its designated key and then click on that key For example to enter Q click on the Shift button twice and then click on the PQR key in which the letter Q should be visible 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 You Reenter the number this time without the letter 1234 and select Wand Click on the F4 button in the window to return to the Main Menu Click on the F4 button again this time to choose the Upload Data option The screen area displays Ready to Upload and offers Yes and No options Click on the F3 button for Yes The emulator pretends to write the data to a file it never actually alters any files and displays the Upload complete message Click on the F4 button to return to the program s Main Menu Select Stop and then select Options gt Watch again to close the PPG Watch window Double click on the Emulation window s Control menu box to close it and return to PPG can use other Emulation commands to run only the next step of a program set break points at which you want to pause the program and display a Trace window that docu ments every action taken See chapter 3 for details UA If you encountered any problems or unexpected results as you ran the program in the No E Emulation window you should recheck your program against the steps in the Building Your Own Portable Program section Loading and Using the
99. g box Receive File File Name Directories Sch E gt ppg31 C3 lib Save File as Type Drives Text Fes CTT E The name of the file you specify is displayed in the title bar You can then select options on the portable to upload the data into the specified PC file 6 To send a file to the portable select File Send from the menu and specify the name and location of the file in the Send File dialog box The Send File dialog box is identi cal to the Receive File dialog box except for the title bar To accept the transferred file the portable must be programmed to accept serial input and store it in a file or register Depending on the program you may need to select some options on the portable first When the file has been successfully transferred a Transfer completed message appears in the PTFER window Percon Program Generator User Manual 95 Chapter 3 User s Guide N O T E N O T E SETTING OPTIONS By default the PTFER application uses your computer s COM2 port for communicating with the portable and it reinitializes the port with the following settings Baud rate 9600 Stop bits 1 Data bits 8 Parity None Protocol ACK NAK If your COM2 port is already in use by a modem mouse or other device you ll need to specify a different COM port You can also alter the communications settings for the port if you wish To use a different COM port or to alter port settings select Optio
100. greement printed on the inside front cover of this manual and on the envelope containing the program disk It gives you permission to copy the program files for backup purposes only You may not make a copy for another person to use Also fill out and mail the enclosed registration card As a registered owner of the PPG pro gram you ll be eligible for technical support and will be notified of program upgrades How to Use This Manual This manual is divided into four chapters Chapter 1 Getting Started tells you how to install PPG on your hard disk and load it into Windows It gives you an overview of PPG concepts and usage and describes the sample programs that come with PPG Chapter 2 Tutorial takes you step by step through the process of building a portable program By following the detailed instructions you will create a simple program use the program emulator to debug the program and load the program into a portable After scanning sample bar codes you will then transfer the collected data back to your PC Chapter 3 User s Guide gives you detailed information about using PPG After read ing through it you can use it as a reference whenever you use PPG Chapter 4 Example Frames offers several ideas for PPG programs you can create 2 Percon Program Generator User Manual N O T E Typographic Conventions Appendixes at the end of the manual explain error messages you might encounter give you warranty
101. gresses When downloading is complete the portable will beep You ll see the message Por table successfully programmed in the Percon Portable Programmer window and the program s Main Menu will appear in the portable s display Percon Program Generator User Manual 15 Chapter 2 Tutorial 6 Double click on the Percon Portable Programmer window s Control menu box or select File gt Exit from the menu to close the window If downloading was unsuccess ful select Abort from the menu bar first 7 Double click on the Percon Portable Compiler window s Control menu box to close it If You Have If the message Timeout Exceeded appears or nothing happens at Problems all PPG was unable to make the connection with the portable It may be that your serial port is not COM2 Click on the Comm command in the Percon Portable Programmer menu bar until it reflects the number of your COM communication port Then select the Download Pro gram command again The COM setting is automatically stored with PPG and used the next time you download a program Also make sure that the cable is firmly connected at both ends You might try resetting the portable by pressing SHIFT ENTER ALPHA ENTER on the PT 2000 while you reinsert the battery Depending on the program currently loaded into the portable you may need to scan the following bar code or select options in the por table to place it in a mode for accepting downloaded data
102. h wipes shown here x1B r cf Moves the cursor r number of rows down and c number of columns to the right within the currently displayed window x1B K Erases all text from the cursor position to the end of the current line x1B r cH Positions the cursor at the row given as rand the column given as c within the 25 line by 80 character virtual screen x1B 2J Erases all text on the portable s screen and returns the cursor to the home position the upper left corner x1B nA Moves the cursor up one row x1B nB Moves the cursor down one row x1B nC Moves the cursor one column to the right x1B nD Moves the cursor one column to the left There are many other special commands you can output to the system to set baud rate for example or to change the maximum length of bar codes to be read These commands are covered in the portable s technical manual as parameters you can set by scanning bar codes but you can also issue the commands to the system by entering the code value in an Output node o T N II Il For important information about linking Verify nodes see the tip on page 25 68 Percon Program Generator User Manual Verify Nodes Figure 3 15 shows the dialog box for a Verify node Figure 3 15 The dialog box for a Verify node Type Match ASCII None O Numeric O Constant O Alpha O Range O ignore Case O Register O Store index la Register Link O
103. hannel over which data will be sent The Display setting writes the data on the portable s screen starting at the current cursor position Serial sends the data over the portable s serial port to a connected PC to upload a file for example Sys tem sends the data to the portable s operating system This option is used with special commands entered as constants that sound a beep set the system date or time or posi tion the cursor on the screen see Outputting Commands to the System on page 68 The Wedge option is for a PT 2000 portable only It turns the portable into a keyboard wedge sending data from the PT 2000 to a connected PC as if it were being typed on a keyboard Link On specifies the node to branch to if the output function is successful and where to branch to if it fails The Success Failure settings are assigned automatically according to links you ve created You can t type in a different link You can however click on the switch button to reverse the Success Failure settings The Failure link is created automatically Source specifies the data or command to be transmitted Constant or the register or file containing the data See Registers on page 71 and Files on page 73 Verify Nodes Verify nodes test data in a register or file to see if it s a certain type ASCII numeric or al phabetic They can also verify that the data matches a given constant matches the con tents of a register or
104. he Main Menu frame by completing the following steps 1 Select the Main Menu frame The workspace changes to show three double lined boxes Entry Main Menu Exit To Collect Data and Exit To Upload Data These nodes are created automatically by the links you set up at the Frames level They offer entry to and exit from the Main Menu nodes 2 Reposition the existing nodes as shown in figure 2 10 Figure 2 10 Repositioned nodes File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Main Menu Exit To Exit To Collect Data Upload Data 20 Percon Program Generator User Manual Creating the Main Menu Nodes MI AMI To move a node just move the mouse pointer to the node hold down the left mouse but IER ton and drag the node with the mouse 3 Select Create from the menu bar Notice that the Create menu has changed In place of Frame and Subroutine the nine types of nodes are listed see figure 2 11 Figure 2 11 The Create menu at the Nodes level Create Lock Display Menu Input Verify Copy Modify Math Output Call Link MENU 4 Select Menu The pointer changes to a rounded box labeled Menu 5 Click below the Entry Main Menu node to create a Menu node there 6 Change the node s name to Options if you don t remember how to change a frame s name Notice that only the second line of text on the node is changed The first line always identifies the node s type IN AN Changing a node s name
105. he value or register containing the value to be added to subtracted from divided into or multiplied by the original value Use the displayed subdia log box to specify the value or register location For details on specifying register and file options see Registers on page 71 and Files on page 73 Menu Nodes A Menu node presents a group of options on the portable s screen and allows the user to choose one of those options by pressing a function key The function keys can be used with or without the SHIFT key allowing for a total of eight selectable menu options Figure 3 11 shows the dialog box for a Menu node Figure 3 11 Dialog box for a Menu node Menu Menu2 Menu Display Screen Or O F2 O Fa Om S Menu Display Screen represents the portable s screen which is 16 characters wide and 4 rows deep Enter the menu text here including any title or prompt you want to display Each line of the screen is associated with a portable function key although you need to ac tivate only the keys you want to use 64 Percon Program Generator User Manual N O T E N O T E Modify Nodes The F1 F4 check boxes activate or deactivate the function keys associated with each line of the screen If you want a function key to execute an option on the menu select it here A radio button appears next to each selected check box letting you use the drop down list to set a node link for each option The Sh
106. hich should be connected to the serial port of the PC 3 Make sure the Link On Success option is set to Display Successful and Failure is set to Output Error Beep 4 For the Source option select File Then click on the down arrow button next to the File input box and select Monthly Inventory from the drop down list 5 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box THE OUTPUT ERROR BEEP NODE Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Output Error Beep node to open its dialog box 2 Select System as the Output To setting and Constant as the Source setting 3 Enter in the Source input box 4 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box 34 Percon Program Generator User Manual The Menu Error Text Node THE MENU ERROR TEXT NODE Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Menu Error Text node and enter the text shown in figure 2 28 Figure 2 28 New text for the Menu Error Text node Menu Error Text Menu Display Screen lFi output failed LlF2 Try again amp Dj Fa No C shit Frame Main Menu 8 2 Select the F3 check box and choose Output to PC from the drop down list Select F4 and choose Frame Main Menu This will try outputting again if the user presses F3 and return to the Main Menu if the user presses F4 3 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box THE DISPLAY SUCCESSFUL
107. ift check box activates the Shift mode for each of the four function keys When it is selected options you set affect the function keys used with the portable s SHIFT key F5 F8 When you deselect this check box the settings for the standard F1 F4 keys reappear Any function keys not activated in the Menu node dialog box will have no effect when pressed The Link To drop down list is not labeled in the dialog box It includes the name of each node that the Menu node is linked to Use it to connect a node link with a specific function key Select the check box next to the function key select the function key s radio button and then select the node you want linked to the function key from this list Repeat for every function key you want to activate If the Menu node is not yet linked to other nodes this list will be empty Exit the dialog box create the links and then return to the dialog box If you simply want to display information on the portable s screen use a Display node in stead of a Menu node see Display Nodes on page 60 To execute only one action re gardless of which function key is displayed use a Display node in conjunction with an Input node see Input Nodes on page 60 Modify Nodes Modify nodes let you change the contents of a given register or file You can switch text to all uppercase or all lowercase reverse the order of data or delete data You can also per form a search and replace operation on dat
108. information provide an ASCII table for reference describe files that come with PPG and provide several useful bar codes you can scan whenever necessary A glossary contains definitions of technical terms used in this manual Ideally you should read this manual from front to back The tutorial will give you a good sense of what you need to do to create and use a portable program The user s guide pro vides the details you need to do it The example frames give additional helpful information Once you ve read through the manual you may want to return to the user s guide chapter periodically to refresh your memory This manual assumes that you are familiar with Microsoft Windows If you do not know how to launch applications select menu options or use dialog boxes refer to your Microsoft Windows documentation Typographic Conventions This manual presents special items in the text in the following ways Words in italics are important terms you should know Many of these terms are defined in the glossary at the back of the manual Words in bold are selections that appear in the PPG program such as frame names node names menu options and fields and buttons in dialog boxes Words in underlined bold are selections that you should make These appear through out the tutorial and in other places where you are instructed to take action Words in underlined bold separated by an arrow gt are selections that you should make in the
109. ing on page 63 Output Nodes beginning on page 66 and the tip on page 25 122 Percon Program Generator User Manual Appendix B Warranty Information For a period of up to 90 days from the date of shipment from Percon Percon warrants the magnetic disk on which the Percon Program Generator is stored to be free from defects in materials and faulty workmanship If you encounter a defect on the disk within this period call the Percon Technical Support group at 503 344 1189 for instructions and a Return Au thorization number for returning the disk to Percon Percon will replace the faulty disk at no extra charge After the 90 day warranty period there is a nominal charge for disk replacement No other express warranty is given The replacement of a product is your exclusive rem edy Any other implied warranty of merchantability or fitness is limited to the duration of this written warranty Some states provinces or countries don t allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts so the above limitation may not apply to you In no event shall Percon be liable for consequential damages Some states provinces or countries do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state province to province or country to country Products are so
110. ion an item quantity option a pick list a calculator and a clock option MULTPLE2 SCR A large program 342 nodes with 8 separate programs that has the same options as MULTIPLE SCR plus a modem communications program the hangman game and a time tracker PICKLIST SCR A program in which as items are matched they are erased from a downloaded pick list and moved to another file for uploading RANGE SCR A sample of a range test in which high and low numbers are entered and followed by a test number In or out of range is then displayed TRACKER SCR A sample of a minutes counter A pick list is downloaded and when a function is chosen time in minutes is counted until the function key is selected Total time is accumulated for each function Percon Program Generator User Manual 127 Appendix D The PPG Library TRACKER2 SCR A sample of a different approach to tracking time As each function is scanned or typed in the time is reset to zero The clock updates every second and the total time is then copied to the file in regular clock format UPLOAD SCR A sample data collection program that transmits data via a modem using Procomm Plus in host mode UPPRPLUS SCR A sample data collection program that transmits data to a host via a modem using Procomm Plus in host mode 128 Percon Program Generator User Manual Appendix E Useful Bar Codes Reset Factory Defaults S D 2 C 8 E E X File Dump
111. its right Click on the button to display the Input Echo dialog box which you can use to set the position of the displayed data and specify clearing the line first see Echoing Input on page 62 Percon Program Generator User Manual 61 Chapter 3 User s Guide Echoing Input The Echo to Display option in an Input node dialog box instructs the program to display the input data on the portable s screen When this option is selected you can click on the right arrow button to the right of the check box to display the Input Echo dialog box see the figure below This dialog box lets you set clearing and position options Input Echo Inputl O Clear Specify Position lets you specify an exact starting position for input data on the portable s screen When you select this check box two input boxes appear Row and Col The default settings for both 0 start the display in the top left corner of the screen The rows and col umns are numbered starting with 0 the first row is 0 the second is 1 and so on You can specify rows 0 through 3 and columns 0 through 15 Clear removes existing data from the line on which the input data will be displayed When this option is selected two radio buttons appear To EOL and Count Select To EOL to clear from the cursor position as specified above to the end of the current line Select Count to clear only from the cursor position to a given number of characters forward Selecting Count
112. just links and change options in node dialog boxes You can use the following commands in the Edit menu to make changes to a flow chart MI Ill Ill Il The keystrokes given in parentheses allow you to use the menu commands without going NO T E through the Edit menu For complete information about keyboard shortcuts see your Microsoft Windows user s guide Cut SHIFT DELETE removes the selected node or frame from the flow chart and stores itin the Windows Clipboard Any links to the frame or node are removed as well Copy CTRL INSERT copies the selected node or frame to the Clipboard without remov ing it from the flow chart Paste SHIFT INSERT inserts the node or frame stored in the Clipboard in the upper left corner of the screen Delete DELETE removes the selected node or frame and its links without storing it in the Clipboard Rename displays the Name dialog box for the selected node or frame so that you can rename it Cutting Copying and Pasting You can use the Cut Copy and Paste commands to move and copy parts of a flow chart from one frame to another or from one program to another These commands operate on frames and nodes just like they do on text or graphics in other Windows applications To move an object from one frame or program to another select it and choose Edit gt Cut To copy an object select Edit Copy Then go to where you want the cut or copies object inserted and choose Edit Paste The
113. ld on the basis of specifications applicable at the time of manufacture Percon shall have no obligation to modify or update products once sold Percon Program Generator User Manual 123 Appendix C ASCII Table Hex ASCII Hex ASCII Hex ASCII Hex ASCII 00 NUL 20 SP 40 60 01 SOH 21 41 A 61 a 02 STX 22 42 B 62 b 03 ETX 23 43 C 63 c 04 EOT 24 44 D 64 d 05 ENQ 25 45 E 65 e 06 ACK 26 amp 46 F 66 f 07 Bell 27 47 G 67 g 08 BS 28 48 H 68 h 09 TAB 29 49 69 i 0A LF 2A 4A J 6A j 0B VT 2B 4B K 6B k 0C FF 2C 4C L 6C l 0D CR 2D 4D M 6D m 0E SO 2E 4E N 6E n OF SI 2F 4F O 6F o 10 DLE 30 0 50 P 70 p 11 DC1 81 1 51 Q 71 q 12 DC2 32 2 52 R 72 r 13 DC3 33 3 53 S 78 s 14 DC4 34 4 54 T 74 t 15 NAK 35 5 55 U 75 u 16 SYN 36 6 56 V 76 v 17 ETB 37 7 57 W 77 w 18 CAN 38 8 58 X 78 x 19 EM 39 9 59 Y 79 y 1A SUB 3A 5A Z 7A z 1B ESC 3B 5B 7B 16 FS 3C lt 5C 7C 1D GS 3D 5D 7D 1E RS 3E gt 5E 7E 1F US 3F 2 5F 7 7F DEL 124 Percon Program Generator User Manual ASHOST SCR Appendix D The PPG Library Percon offers a library of several sample PPG program source files This library which is available from your PPG dealer ask for part number 00 734 20 provides samples of file manipulation templates and nodes Several working programs are included although many of them are only examples and do not provide any functional value This appendix briefly describes ea
114. least one link to another node some require two Use the Create gt Link command to draw links from one node to another see Creating and Using Links on page 56 The following sections describe the types of nodes in alphabetical order Call Nodes Call nodes execute a branch to a subroutine defined in the Frames level of the program A subroutine contains nodes that perform a routine function such as copying data to a file or verifying data It can be called on from multiple locations in the program with Call nodes eliminating the need for duplication By creating subroutines and referencing them with Call nodes you can streamline your PPG program saving both time and program size Figure 3 6 shows the dialog box associated with a Call node 58 Percon Program Generator User Manual Copy Nodes Figure 3 6 The dialog box for a Call node Call Call3 Call ss Hi Click on the down arrow button to the right of the input box to display a list of all subrou tines within the program Select the subroutine you want to call and then select Accept A call to a subroutine executes the specified subroutine and then returns to the node fol lowing the Call node Copy Nodes Copy nodes are used to move data between registers and files Collected data is often stored temporarily in a register until it is validated Then a Copy node transfers the data into a file A Copy node can also copy data from a portable file to
115. les Use the Break Watch and Trace commands to set up options for the emulator Then se lect Run or Step to execute the program During execution when an Input node is reached the menu bar changes to contain the following commands Wand passes the data in the input box to the portable s emulator as if it were scanned with the wand If wand input is not allowed at the current point in the program this com mand is dimmed and can t be selected Serial passes the data in the input box to the portable s emulator as if it were transmitted over the serial port If serial input is not allowed this command is dimmed and can t be selected Timeout simulates the passage of a given amount of time with no input The timeout length is set in an Input node and is counted down in the box in the bottom right corner of the Emulation window This command is available only if the current Input node has a timeout setting and the Enable Timeout check box is selected in the Emulation window Stop halts execution of the program and restores the original commands on the menu bar When the program is at a point where it requires input from the user you can click on data or function keys or type alphanumeric keys on the keyboard to enter data in the Emula tion window s input box Then click on the ENTER button to simulate key entry or select Wand or Serial to simulate scanning or serial input The program processes the input and continues with the
116. llation program automatically creates a subdirectory on your hard disk copies your PPG files to it and creates a program group for the application in Windows To run the installation program complete the following steps 1 Start Windows in either enhanced or standard mode 2 Insert the PPG program disk in drive A OI Ill Ill Il ll If you use a floppy drive other than A substitute its letter for A N O T E 3 From the Windows Program Manager select File Run 4 In the Run dialog box type a install and press ENTER or select OK Chapter 1 Getting Started The installation program copies the PPG files to a subdirectory named PPG31 off the root directory of your hard disk You can specify another directory during the installation but it must be immediately off the root directory for example MYPPG also creates a new pro gram group in your Windows Program Manager The Percon PPG31 program group con tains the following items PPG is the Percon Program Generator application This is the application you ll use to create programs for your Percon portable PPG PROG is used to transfer the program you created in PPG to the portable This utility is called automatically by PPG when you download PROG a program to the portable PTFER is used to transfer data between a PC and the portable After you ve scanned bar codes with the portable you can use this utility to upload the data into a file on your PC You can also us
117. m Generator User Manual 13 Chapter 2 Tutorial Figure 2 7 The Nodes level of the Erase frame PPG SAMPLE SCR File Edit View Create Options Help 15 Select the Exit To Main Menu node to return to the Frames level of the program 16 The Pad Zeros subroutine back in the Frames level is called from within the Collect frame It adds zeros to the front of a value to make it contain a given number of digits Select the subroutine box to display its nodes see figure 2 8 Figure 2 8 The Nodes level of the Pad Zeros subroutine PPG SUB SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry PAD ZERO Return PAD ZERO 14 Percon Program Generator User Manual 17 Programming Your Portable Select Return Pad Zeros to return to the Frames level By looking at all the pieces of this program file you can get a general idea of how the pro gram is put together The Frames flow chart defines the major tasks of the program Main Menu Collect Upload Erase and Pad Zeros Each frame and the subroutine is associ ated with a more detailed flow chart at the Nodes level Together the frames subroutine and nodes work to outline every detail of the data collection process Wanta Break if you re ready for a break you can easily stop here You haven t made any changes that need saving so you won t lose any work if you exit PPG or turn off your computer Programming Your Portable PPG To use the program
118. n Pass None m Fail None Verify Source amp Register File Sorted Register Default Register O Field Type verifies that the tested data is ASCII hex values 00 to 7F numeric hex values 30 to 39 or alphabetic hex values 40 to 5A and 60 to 7A Numeric values include the charac ters plus minus and period ASCII values include both numeric and alphabetic characters if it doesn t matter to you whether the data is numbers or letters use the ASCII setting Match specifies the data to be tested against The None setting requires no match it tests only on the basis of type If you select any of the other three radio buttons a right arrow button appears next to the option Click on it to display a dialog box for entering a con stant range or register name See Specifying a Range to Match below for information on setting up a range See Registers on page 71 for details on specifying a register location Percon Program Generator User Manual 69 Chapter 3 User s Guide Specifying When verifying data you can use the Match Range setting to verify a Range to that a number falls within a given range or that a text string falls within Match a given alphabetic range When you select the Range radio button for the Match option a right arrow button appears next to the option Click on it to display the Verify Range dialog box see the figure below Use this box to define both the lo
119. n Key setting to Frame Main Menu and the Data Key setting to Copy to File 9 Select the Echo to Display check box and click on the right arrow button next to it Select the Specify Position option and enter 1 in the Row input box and 0 in the Col box Then select Accept Percon Program Generator User Manual 45 Chapter 2 Tutorial Creating the Fields Create the template fields by completing the following steps 1 In the subdialog box at the bottom of the Input Quantity dialog box click on the is down arrow button next to the Register input box and choose Inventory from the drop down list Do not select Accept yet N Il WARUM Inventory is the same register used to store the item number To keep one value from o T t being overwritten by the other you will create a template that divides the register into two fields one for the quantity and one for the item number 2 To create the template name select the Field radio button in the subdialog box Two new input boxes appear Template and Field Click on the right arrow button next to the Template input box to display the Define Template dialog box see figure 2 37 Type Combine in the Template input box for the new template s name Figure 2 37 The Define Template dialog box Define Template Template System Date Template Fields Month Ela Fields gt 3 Now create the field names and define their lengths Click on th
120. n data It lets you alter the way in which collected data is stored The most common use of a template is to take data from two or more registers and tie them together in a single register A Verify node checks data against specified requirements 134 Percon Program Generator User Manual Index 8th bit clearing from data 66 A activity tracing during emulation 91 adjusting frames 18 54 jointed links 19 links 19 45 57 applications MACTFER 98 PDPROG 85 PDTFER 98 PROG 93 PTFER 17 42 94 updtfer 99 arrows see links ASCll characters 124 Auto Off setting 103 axes grid settings for 82 B backing up program source files 2 barcodes 129 bar code types specifying 83 baud rate 96 beeps 30 setting tone of 68 117 bits data 96 eighth clearing from data 66 stop 96 box size for frames and nodes 82 Break command Emulation window 88 89 90 breakpoints 89 131 buttons Connect in PTFER 94 97 radio 27 C calendar 68 Call nodes 56 58 131 characters ASCII 124 number of in registers 62 clearing display screen 62 eighth bit from data 66 clock 68 102 bar code for 129 closing PPG 7 Codabar 83 Code 128 83 Code 39 83 commands output 68 135 Index communications settings defaults resetting 42 96 bar code for 129 for MACTFER 98 for PTFER 96 for updtfer 100 Port options for 96 compiler window 15 92 computer requirements for PPG 2 computer systems Macintosh 8 93 UNIX 8 93 Connect button
121. ncluding running it with command line options see Using PTFER beginning on page 94 42 Percon Program Generator User Manual Creating and Using Templates Creating and Using Templates The programs you ve worked with so far handle singular information You scan or enter one code at a time and the data is stored one entry per line But suppose you wanted to collect sets of different types of data If you were taking inventory for example rather than scanning each item in a group of identical products you might want to scan only one of them and then use the data keys to record the number of items in the group You could add another Input node to the Collect Data frame of your program to store the types of data in different registers but the data file you would end up with would have code numbers and quantity numbers on alternate lines as in the following 3849293 5 9385834 12 9848495 8 This arrangement of data would be difficult for an inventory or database program to inter pret Most programs expect to see related values on the same line as in the following 3849293 5 9385834 12 9848495 8 In this arrangement each line is referred to as a record and each item on the line is called a field The database program can be set up to treat the first field as an inventory code and the second as a quantity value The way you tell a portable program to arrange data as fields in records is with a template A template defin
122. nd try again Select File gt Receive In the Receive File dialog box type data This specifies a new file named DATA with the default extension of TXT as the destination for the uploaded data By default the file is stored in the C PERCON LIB directory but you can always specify a different directory Select OK to return to the PTFER window The name of the Receive file DATA TXT should appear in the title bar If you disconnected the portable from the cable reconnect it now Press FA on the portable to return to the Main Menu and then press F3 for Upload to prepare the portable for uploading data At the portable s prompt for uploading data press F3 for Yes to begin uploading 10 The alphanumeric translations of the bar codes you scanned are stored in the file named DATA TXT and the message File Received appears in the PTFER window Select File Exit to close the PTFER utility Once you ve uploaded a file from the portable you can put it to use with whatever applica tion you use to work with scanned data For example you might have an application that translates the numbers and letters in the bar codes into meaningful text Wanta Break if you re ready for a break you can easily stop here You haven t made any changes that need saving so you won t lose any work if you exit PPG or turn off your computer Percon Program Generator User Manual 17 Chapter 2 Tutorial Building You
123. nded or expanded memory installed If you have DOS ver sion 4 0 or later type mem at the DOS prompt for this The amount of free space on your hard disk If you have DOS version 4 0 or later type dir at the DOS prompt for this A list of all peripherals installed such as a serial mouse printer or modem The contents of your CONFIG SYS and AUTOEXEC BAT files Use a Windows utility to view these or enter type filename ext at the DOS prompt in the root directory Replace filename ext with the name and extension of the file you want to read Your computer make and model A concise clear description of the problem including any error messages that were displayed To contact Percon Technical Support call 503 344 1189 between 8 a m and 5 p m Pacific time Monday through Friday If you prefer to correspond by letter fax the Technical Support Department at 503 344 1399 or write to Percon Incorporated Technical Support Dept 1720 Willow Creek Circle Suite 530 Eugene OR 97402 9171 4 Percon Program Generator User Manual Chapter 1 Getting Started 2000000082000 N This chapter helps you prepare to use Percon Program Generator PPG It tells you how to install the application on your hard disk and load and exit the program It gives you an overview of the application and how it integrates with your Percon portable Finally it de scribes three sample program files that come with PPG Installing PPG The PPG insta
124. next step To enter a letter with the keys in the Emulation window first click on the Shift button until the letter you want is displayed on one of the keys Then select that key Although there are only four function keys F1 through F4 you can also access F5 through F8 by pressing the Shift button until those key identifications appear When you re done working with the program select Stop in the menu bar to halt execution When you re done with the program emulator double click on the Emulation window s Control menu box or select Close from the Control menu The Emulation win dow closes and the program returns to the PPG window Setting Breakpoints If there are certain areas of your program that you want to focus in on you can set a breakpoint at one or more nodes When you execute the program with the Run com mand the emulator will pause execution wherever there is a breakpoint You can then use Run or Step to resume execution To set a breakpoint select Break from the menu bar If you re running a program you ll have to stop it first Then move the mouse pointer to the flow chart where it becomes a rounded box labeled BREAK Position the BREAK pointer on the node where you want to pause execution and click the left mouse button Percon Program Generator User Manual 89 Chapter 3 User s Guide MI AMI You can move the Emulation window to another part of the screen if you need to click on a AA N AAR node
125. ng place for data Unless you specify otherwise the pro No T E Gram stores input data in a register named Default Register You can use numerous regis ters in a program storing different types of information in different registers 9 Click on the down arrow button to the right of the Register input box in the subdialog box below the main one A list of the program s existing registers appears as shown in figure 2 20 Figure 2 20 The list of the program s registers Input Item Input From Link To D Scanner Verify Input d Data Key O 2 Fa Key O O Serial L1 TimeOut d Echo to Display O Size to Register Destination Register File Insert Replace Append Field Default Register A Default Register Input Size Register System Date System Time Register CN MI To delete an unwanted register select it in the list and then press DELETE T l P 28 Percon Program Generator User Manual The Verify Input Node 10 Type Inventory in the input box to create a new register named Inventory The Replace option selected by default clears existing data from the register before stor ing newly input data 11 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box THE VERIFY INPUT NODE The Verify Input node ensures that the data entered is nu meric If the data isn t numeric the node passes control to the Output and Display nodes which
126. ng progresses When downloading is complete you ll see the message Portable successfully pro grammed in the Percon Portable Programmer window and the program s Main Menu will appear in the portable s display 5 Double click on the Percon Portable Programmer window s Control menu box or select File gt Exit to close the window Most of the time downloading is very quick Downloading the compiled program file takes approximately 15 seconds If the bar code settings for the program see Specifying Bar Code Type on page 83 are different from those currently set in the portable they will be downloaded as well taking an additional 15 seconds or so The downloader also checks the version number of the portable s operating system If it is different from PPG s version it downloads the operating system along with the program this can take two or three minutes When the system software is being upgraded with a new release progress is shown as a percentage in the Percon Portable Programmer window MAT D MMM Ill If you remove all power sources while downloading only the com piled program or bar code settings you will have to program the portable again However if you are downloading the operating system to the portable the portable could be left without an operating system you would have to return it to Percon for servicing 92 Percon Program Generator User Manual Transferring Data to and from the Portable If you re downl
127. ns Settings from the PTFER menu The Communications Settings dialog box appears see figure 3 39 Figure 3 39 The Communications Settings dialog box Communications Settings Baud rate 300 600 1200 2400 4800 9600 19200 When a connection has been made to the serial port the Settings option is dimmed on the menu and cannot be selected Select Options Connect again to disconnect the applica tion and then select Options Settings again To use a different COM port select it in the Port option group You can also switch baud rate the number of stop bits and the type of parity The settings you use should match the settings used on the portable If you re unsure of the meaning of these settings it s best to leave them alone If you changed them in the portable and want to restore the factory default settings scan the fol lowing bar code symbol C 8 E E 96 Percon Program Generator User Manual N O T E Setting Command Line Options When you re done you can click on the Connect button to connect to the port directly or select Ok and then use the Connect command in the menu to make the connection SETTING COMMAND LINE OPTIONS You can also change settings for PTFER by enter ing options in the application s Program Item Properties window in the Windows Program Manager Type the options in the Command Line input box using the following syntax ptfer
128. oading a program file to several portables or if you switch between two or more programs in a portable you may find it easier to download the program s compiled file rather than recompiling the source file each time Once you re in the Percon Portable Programmer window you can use the File gt Open command to download a previously compiled HEX file This command displays the standard Open dialog box see page 85 listing all HEX files in the PPG31 directory Specify a file and select OK Downloading be gins immediately To access the Percon Portable Programmer window directly from Windows double click on the PROG icon in the Percon PPG31 program group PROG If You Have If the message Timeout Exceeded appears or nothing happens at Problems all PPG was unable to make the connection with the portable It may be that your serial port is not COM2 Click on the Comm command in the Percon Portable Programmer menu bar until it reflects the number of your COM communication port Then select the Download Pro gram command again The COM setting is automatically stored with PPG and used the next time you download a program Also make sure that the cable is firmly connected at both ends You might try resetting the portable by pressing SHIFT ENTER ALPHA ENTER on the PT 2000 while you reinsert the battery Depending on the program currently loaded into the portable you may need to scan the following bar code or select options in the por
129. object is pasted in the top left corner of the window but you can drag it with the mouse to reposition it In the Nodes level you can select more than one object by drawing a box around the ob jects with the mouse You can then cut or copy all the objects in the box at one time and place them somewhere else You can also drag all the boxed objects with the mouse N o Ill Il ll Fields and templates cannot be moved or copied between programs Cee Percon Program Generator User Manual 79 Chapter 3 User s Guide Deleting Nodes and Frames To delete a node or frame simply select it and choose Edit Delete or press the DELETE key The object is removed along with any links to or from it There s no undo command to reverse a deletion you make accidentally For that reason it s a good idea to use Cut instead of Delete to remove nodes and frames That way if you delete something by accident you can use Paste to bring it back Renaming Nodes and Frames When you create a node or frame it is automatically named Node or FrameZ where Z is the number of nodes in the frame or the number of frames in the program It s helpful to give a node or frame a more descriptive name so that its purpose in the program is easily identified To rename a frame or node move the pointer to it and click the right mouse button or se lect the frame and choose Edit Rename The Frame Name or Node Name dialog box appears showing the cu
130. of the top link press and hold down the left mouse button and drag the link to the Copy To File node Then release the mouse button and click it once to set the link The underlying link from the Verify node to the Output node stays in place Figure 2 15 The Collect Data nodes PPG TUTORIAL SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Display Collect Data Enter Item M Display Input Error Text Item A V Output Verity Error Beep Input V Copy Exit To To File Main Menu Percon Program Generator User Manual 25 Chapter 2 Tutorial THE DISPLAY ENTER ITEM NODE You need to set up this node to display Enter Item on the first line of the portable s screen and have the fourth line of the screen tell the user to press F4 to return to the Main Menu Complete the following steps to set up the node 1 Select the Display Enter Item node to open the node s dialog box see figure 2 16 Figure 2 16 The Display Enter Item dialog box Display Enter Item Display Screen 2 Type Enter Item on the first line of the text entry area 3 Press ENTER three times and type Menu on the fourth line 4 Select Accept to save your settings THE INPUT ITEM NODE Complete the following steps to set up this node 1 Select the Input Item node to display its dialog box see figure 2 17 Figure 2 17 The Input Item dialog box Input Item Input From Link To Frame Main Menu 8 O Serial
131. ogram Generator User Manual jointed link link Math node Menu node Modify node node Nodes level object Output node Glossary A jointed link is a ink that has two or more segments intersecting at right angles A link connects two frames or nodes with an arrow directing the program to the next step A link pointing to a frame or node shows how it is accessed A link pointing away from a frame or node shows where the program goes next A Math node performs mathematical operations on given data A Menu node presents a menu of options on the portable s screen and specifies what ac tions will occur when the user presses function keys associated with those options A Modify node changes given data A node is a box in the Nodes level of a program flow chart that represents one step in the program There are different types of nodes for each kind of action that can be performed by the program Detailed instructions for the action are specified by settings in a dialog box associated with the node A connected set of nodes makes up one frame of a program flow chart The Nodes level gives step by step details for a particular frame of a program flow chart The details are given in various types of nodes Each frame of a flow chart has its own set of nodes at the Nodes level An object is the generic term for a frame node or link An Output node is used to transfer data to a portable s display or to the host computer
132. on the F3 button in the window to choose the Collect Data option Text from the Display Enter Item node appears in the screen area prompting you to input data and the menu bar changes to show the following commands Wand Serial Timeout and Stop see figure 2 34 Figure 2 34 The Emulation window prompting for input Frame Collect Data Node Input ltem y PERERA O O Enable TimeQut The first three commands let you simulate a specific type of input only Wand input can be selected at this point The Stop command halts program emulation Enter 123456 in the input box by clicking on the data keys on the screen Select the Wand menu option to emulate scanning The number is stored in the Inven tory register as you can see by checking the PPG Watch window and the input box is cleared for further input Enter 987 65 in the input box and click on the ENTER button in the window to emulate keying in a number This number replaces the previous one in the Inventory register and the input box is cleared Percon Program Generator User Manual 39 Chapter 2 Tutorial 12 Now enter 01234 in the input box and select the Wand option The emulator beeps the screen area shows the Invalid Entry Try Again message and the input box is cleared The invalid number is stored in the register as shown in the PPG Watch win dow but it is not copied to the file AM MI To enter a letter click on the Shi
133. on window to debug your portable program Load the new program into your portable and use it to scan bar codes Upload the collected bar code data to a file on your PC Create a template that divides a register into fields so that different types of values quantity and item can be stored together as value pairs The entire tutorial should take approximately two hours to complete Optional breaks are inserted between sections with instructions on saving and reloading your work If you can t complete the tutorial in one sitting it s best if you stop at one of these points When you re done you should have a solid understanding of the steps involved in pro gramming and uploading data from the portable You can then refer to chapter 3 for details on creating your own customized portable program Chapter 2 Tutorial Studying a Sample Program The easiest way to find out how a portable program works is to study an existing one PPG comes with three sample program files We will take a look at the simplest of the three Later you will load it into your portable and collect and upload data with it Complete the following steps to see how a sample program works E 1 If you re not already in PPG start it now by going into the Percon PPG31 program PPG group in Windows and double clicking on the PPG icon 2 Click on the Maximize button at the right end of the title bar to expand the PPG win dow to a full screen 3 Choose File
134. per actions for these keys you need to specify which node to progress to for each 22 Percon Program Generator User Manual is Saving Your Program 13 Select the F8 check box A radio button appears next to the check box to show that this is the active control Click on the down arrow button next to the input box at the bot tom of the dialog box A drop down list appears listing each node that this one is linked to see figure 2 14 Figure 2 14 The drop down list for Menu Options Menu Options Menu Display Screen amp lF1 Main Menu J F3 Collect Data Upload Data Frame Collect Data Frame Upload Data 14 Select Frame Collect Data so that when the user presses F3 the program will progress to the Collect Data frame 15 Select the F4 check box A new selected radio button appears Click on the down arrow button next to the nodes input box and select Frame Upload Data from the displayed list This moves the program to the Upload Data frame when the user presses F4 16 Select Accept to exit the dialog box and select an entry or exit node to return to the Frames level of the program Saving Your Program Even though the program s not complete it s a good idea to save it periodically as you build it for safety s sake Select File gt Save to save the program in a file Enter tutorial in the File Name input box of the displayed dialog box and select OK PPG will add the extension
135. program earlier the portable may not be set to allow serial input or the serial parameters may not be set correctly In this case scan the following bar code or select options in the portable to pre pare it for downloading t 4 Double click on the Percon Portable Programmer window s Control menu box or select File Exit to close the window If downloading was unsuccessful choose Abort from the menu bar first 5 Double click on the Control menu box in the Compiler window to close it 6 Disconnect the portable from the cable and press the F3 key to begin collecting data 7 Scan the following bar codes at least once Each time a code is scanned correctly you should hear a single beep You won t see the scanned codes on the portable s Screen because they are overwritten by the redisplayed menu once the data is input When you scan the last code which contains an alphabetic character you ll hear a double beep indicating an error 1 2 3 4 55 3 6 9 8 7 6 5 4 x 1 9 2 8 3 7 2 2 3 3 4 4 9 1 8 2 7 738 9 8 1 a 2 A Percon Program Generator User Manual 41 Chapter 2 Tutorial 8 Now enter the following codes using the portable s data keys The portable will beep each time you press a key Press ENTER after each complete number 12345 67890 98765 54321 9 Press the F4 key to return to the program s Main Menu Uploading Data from the Portable Now use the PTFER program to upload
136. program flow chart files Using the Emulation window to debug a program flow chart Downloading a program into the portable Transferring data between the portable and the PC Using templates and files to organize and format collected data Once you ve read this chapter you may want to return to it from time to time for information about procedures and options Using Online Help While you re working in PPG you can easily access online help for specific commands procedures or concepts There are four ways you can get help 49 Chapter 3 User s Guide Press F1 The help screen that appears depends on where you are in the program and what you re doing If a menu command is highlighted the help screen describes that command Select the Help button Most dialog boxes in PPG include a Help button Select this button to display help about the dialog box s options Press SHIFT F1 A question mark appears next to the mouse pointer Use this pointer to click on an area of the screen you want help on E Select a command from the Help menu Commands in this menu take you to different areas of the online help system Contents displays the main help screen which lists general help topics About PPG displays a Percon identification screen that shows the version number of your program All online help screens are linked together via jumps which are graphics or text that lead to a different help screen when selected Text jumps are
137. r Manual Downloading a File to a Percon Portable If the Input Size value is within the given range 6 to 10 see Specifying a Range to Match on page 70 Copy TO FILE copies the scanned code from the default register into a file and loops back to the Input STORE node so that further codes can be scanned If the Input Size value is outside the defined range Display WRONG displays INCOR RECT INPUT REENTER on the portable s screen and loops back to the Input node so that the code can be scanned again Downloading a File to a Percon Portable Usually users will need to upload files containing scanned or input codes to a host com puter However it is sometimes necessary to download a file from a host to a portable For example you might have an inventory file that you need to check scanned codes against The example in figure 4 7 downloads a file from the host computer to a connected portable Figure 4 7 A frame that downloads a file PPG TIP06 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help The nodes in this example work as follows Percon Program Generator User Manual 107 Chapter 4 Example Frames Display READY instructs the user to press F3 to download a file or F4 to exit Input FKEY accepts function key input Verify EXIT checks to see if F4 was pressed and if it was exits the frame Verify DNLD checks to see if F3 was pressed and if it was continues to the Display node If F3 was not p
138. r Own Portable Program At this point you should understand the general concepts behind creating and loading a portable program although many of the details have yet to be explained In this section you ll create a simple portable program from scratch It will allow you to collect data with the portable and upload it to your PC A menu that appears when you turn on the portable gives you a choice of the two possible actions Creating Frames and Links A program s frames define its general functions such as collecting and uploading data Links connecting frames indicate program flow how you move from frame to frame The details for the program are contained in the Nodes level for each frame For your program you will create three frames Main Menu Collect Data and Upload Data see figure 2 9 The program will start with the Main Menu frame which offers ac cess to the other frames You can return to the Main Menu from either action frame Figure 2 9 The Frames level of the program E ma File Edit View Create Options Help Create the frames shown in figure 2 9 by completing the following steps 1 To continue from the last section double click on the PPG icon at the bottom of the E Windows desktop If you took a break and exited PPG restart the program now by PPG double clicking on its icon in the Window s Percon PPG31 program group Click on the Maximize button if necessary to expand the
139. rames Complete the following steps Y 1 Select Create gt Link The cursor turns into a rounded box labeled LINK LINK 2 Move the LINK box to the Main Menu frame and click the left mouse button 3 Move the LINK box to the Collect Data frame and click the mouse again An arrow appears pointing from the Main Menu frame to the Collect Data frame 4 Choose Create gt Link click on the Main Menu frame and then click on the Upload Data frame A second arrow appears The links you created give the user access to either the Collect Data or Upload Data frame from within the Main Menu Mi MI I To adjust a link exit Create mode and use the mouse to drag the link s arrowhead To RAAN delete a link drag its arrowhead to a blank area and double click the left mouse button From each of the action frames you want to give the user access to the Main Menu You need to create links back to the Main Menu frame This time you ll create jointed links that bend at a 90 angle Complete the following steps 1 Select Create gt Link and click on the Collect Data frame 2 Instead of clicking directly on the other frame move the LINK box straight up until it is level with the Main Menu frame and then click the left mouse button 3 Now move the pointer to the Main Menu frame and click the left mouse button A jointed line appears MIN MI Jointed links work just like straight links but they give you more flexibility
140. rator User Manual Controlling Data Flow Verify Source specifies the location of the data to be verified either a register or a file The Sorted setting uses a binary search algorithm to speed up file searches This option works only with presorted files Use the displayed subdialog box to specify the exact regis ter or file see Using a Register as a Source on page 71 and Using a File as a Source on page 73 Controlling Data Flow So far there has been a lot of focus on program control and how the portable s program will work from the user s viewpoint Another essential piece however is how data is handled by the program Since the program s result is a file of collected data it s important to spend some time thinking about the purpose of this file and how you want it organized You may also want to work with data files that are downloaded into the portable or exam ine portions of collected data Three important tools can help you control the flow of data Registers store data temporarily When you scan or enter a string of data it is usually placed in a register before it is copied into a portable file You can also use registers to store user response to a prompt the index of a record in a file and so on Files hold data in the portable until it can be uploaded to a PC Usually after input data is verified it is inserted in a portable file The file expands as more data is added Files can also be used to hold d
141. rchaser is hereby licensed to read the program from its medium into the memory of the computer for the purpose of executing the program or to copy the program for the purpose of archival backup or convenient access provided such copies are made solely in support of the purchaser s operation of the program on a single computer COPYRIGHT Percon Program Generator PPG is owned by Percon and is protected by United States copyright laws and international treaty provisions Therefore you must treat PPG like any other copyrighted material e g a book except that you may either a make one copy of PPG solely for backup or archival purposes or b transfer PPG to a single hard disk provided you keep the original solely for backup or archival purposes Copying except as mentioned above duplicating selling or otherwise distributing this product is a violation of Federal Copyright Law The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice Contents CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 Introduction vos ee n eee ete ea EA ee eh Ru DE ee ee 1 Equipment Requirements s esrde rriren kepian ete eee 2 Before YOU Statt itd a ag eh hte Ade hada yeni breed deme dos ada 2 How to Use This Manual ssssseeee tees 2 Typographic Conventions 00 cece tte eee 3 Technical Support 24d des obui ek peii dada 4 Getting Started 5c vus A oa actuel wa 5 Installing PPG 2st emo up ais eR ke BR ARGENT OPE dat
142. ready created one Copy node the second one you create will look like the one at the left IN MI To reposition the node move the pointer to it hold down the left mouse button and drag M WEWITM the node with the mouse When the node is positioned where you want it release the mouse button 3 To change the second line of text in the node box click on the node with the right mouse button or select the node and choose Edit gt Rename from the menu to dis play the Node Name dialog box Type the text you want displayed and press ENTER or select Ok 4 To set options and specify functions for the node double click on it with the left mouse button or select it and press the SPACEBAR to display the dialog box assigned to it The dialog box that appears depends on the node s type Set options and enter information as necessary and then select Accept MINI MI When creating several nodes you can lock PPG into Create mode to save steps Just PEEL ELIE select Create gt Lock and then either choose a type of node from the Create menu or click the right mouse button to cycle through all the different Create options The pointer changes to indicate the type of node or a link that will be created Create as many nodes as you like When you re done select Create gt Unlock press ESC or click the right mouse button until the pointer shows UNLOCK and then click the left mouse button Each node you create requires at
143. ressed the program loops back to the Input node and waits for fur ther input Display WAIT displays Downloading Please Wait on the portable s screen Input TO FILE starts downloading the file Options in its dialog box are set as shown in figure 4 8 Figure 4 8 The Input TO FILE dialog box Input TO FILE Input From Link To O Scanner Display DONA O Data Key pq Serial d TimeOut E T Seconds Xl Echo to Display 5 O Size to Register Destination O Register 9 File Insert Replace Y Append Sorted File Default File Record First Last Index Number If downloading is successful Display DONE displays DOWNLOAD DONE F3 MORE F4 QUIT on the portable s screen If downloading is unsuccessful Display TIMEOUT displays TIMEOUT EXCEEDED F3 TRY AGAIN F4 QUIT on the por table s screen Both these Display nodes loop back to the Input FKEY node which accepts the user s function key input To download a file to a portable you must set options for the Input node as follows The Serial and TimeOut radio buttons are both selected for the Input From option TimeOut should link to a Display node that prompts the user to try again 108 Percon Program Generator User Manual Finding the Number of Records in a File Destination is set to the desired file You can choose to replace existing data or place new data at the beginning or end of the file or
144. rogram your Percon portable to collect and store data in exactly the way you want Creating the program is only one part of the process however There are actu ally several steps involved Generating the Program This involves using PPG to create a flow chart of the data collection process Details of each step in the program are given in dialog boxes attached to individual pieces of the flow chart Emulating the Program This is an optional step but it can be helpful in testing a new program It uses a special Emulation window that simulates the effects of a program as you run it You can see text displayed on a model portable screen simulate data input and press function keys You can also view the contents of specified registers set break points at which to pause program execution and view a Trace window that lists actions taken If there are problems with the program you can correct them before you load the program into your portable Downloading the Program Once your program is complete you can connect your Percon portable to your PC via a supplied cable and use the Download Program com mand to load the program into it PPG compiles the program first translating it into code that is understood by the portable and then sends the program over the cable to the por table When it s done you re ready to collect data using the portable Percon Program Generator User Manual 7 Chapter 1 Getting Started Transferring Data After yo
145. rrently assigned name see figure 3 25 Type the new name in the input box and select Ok or press ENTER The new name then appears in the frame or node Figure 3 25 The Node Name dialog box Node Name 80 Percon Program Generator User Manual General Options General Options You can use menu commands in PPG to Reduce the size of the flow chart so that you can see more of it on the screen at once Change the fonts used to display text in the flow chart Adjust the grid used for placing nodes and frames Change the size of node and frame boxes Specify the type of bar codes you want the program to handle Indicate the frame you want to use as the start of the program Switching Display Size If your flow chart is larger than the PPG window you can use the scroll bars and cursor keys to scroll different areas into view You can also use the View gt Zoom Out command to reduce the size of the flow chart so that more of it will fit in the window at once see fig ure 3 26 Once you ve used this command it is replaced by a Zoom In command in the View menu select this command to return the flow chart to its original size When you choose Zoom In the selected node or frame is centered on the screen This offers an easy way to move around a large program Figure 3 26 A zoomed out flow chart PPG DGT003 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help L e input to Eile m o verity menu p iesite H W erity
146. s 121 122 displaying on portable screen 30 Exit command 92 94 exiting online help 50 PPG 7 Exit nodes 12 57 F F1 getting online help with 50 fields 43 71 73 132 creating for templates 46 creating from data in a register 78 defining 76 erasing contents of 66 storing datain 63 file dump bar code for 129 File Manager starting PPG from 7 File menu 84 Download Program 7 15 40 53 85 92 Exit 92 94 New 52 86 Open 85 93 in Percon Portable Programmer window 85 Percon Program Generator User Manual 137 Index Print 87 Receive in MACTFER window 99 inPTFER 95 Save 86 Save As 86 Send in MACTFER window 99 in PTFER 95 file names 31 files 71 132 downloading to aportable 93 107 erasing contents of 66 math operations on 64 number of records in 109 portable 73 134 copying datato 31 erasing 66 moving data to and from 59 naming 31 program source 84 134 creating 86 directory for 86 downloading 7 15 40 53 92 opening 85 printing 87 samples 8 10 saving 86 starting PPG with 7 testing 7 37 40 87 91 referencing multiple 113 reviewing contents of 115 searching for a partial match 110 splitting into two 111 storing datain 63 flow charts see programs flow of data 71 Fontcommand 82 fonts changing 82 Frame command 54 frames 132 adjusting 18 54 calling subroutines from 56 changing fonts in 82 copying 79 creating 18 53 cutting 79 deleting 18 80 138 Percon Program Generator User Manual examples 1
147. s as shown in figure 2 35 Figure 2 35 The repositioned Collect Data nodes PPG TUTORIAL SCR File Edit View Create Options Help 4 Delete the link from the Verify node to the Copy node MINI AMI To delete a link use the mouse to drag its arrowhead away from a node and double click iM WHWTM the left mouse button 5 Adjust the links from the Copy node to the Display node and from the Input node to the Exit node so that they are no longer jointed 44 Percon Program Generator User Manual Creating the New Nodes MI AMI You can either delete existing links and create new ones or drag the joints of the links until WARN they line up 6 Add the new nodes and links shown in figure 2 36 and rename the nodes as shown MINI MI Select Create gt Lock and then click the right mouse button to cycle through the items WM WITH you Can create Figure 2 36 The new Collect Data nodes PPG TUTORIAL SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry Display Output Collect Data Error Text Error Beep V Display d How Many A Output Position Output Quantity Register 7 Select the new Display node Display How Many and enter How Many on the first line and Menu on the fourth Then select Accept 8 Skip over the two Output nodes for now and select the new Input node Input Quan tity Select the Data Key and Fn Key check boxes and select the Scanner option to turn it off Link the F
148. s set to 5 5 Specifying Bar Code Type There are several types of bar codes that can be generated by bar code printing programs including Code 39 2 5 UPC EAN Codabar and Code 128 UPC EAN codes are the standard codes found on consumer items Percon portables can always read Code 39 bar codes but you must specify which other code types you want to decode To specify the types of bar codes that a program can read select Options Set Bar Codes and choose the symbologies you want to be able to decode from the Bar Code Version dialog box see figure 3 29 Figure 3 29 The Bar Code Version dialog box Bar Code Version 11215 Ol UPC EAN XX Codabar J Code 128 Percon Program Generator User Manual 83 Chapter 3 User s Guide START N O T E The number of types that can be decoded is limited by your portable s memory Possible combinations are 2 5 Codabar Code 128 2 5 UPC EAN 2 5 Codabar 2 5 Code 128 UPC EAN Codabar UPC EAN Code 128 When you ve selected the symbologies you want the portable to be able to decode select Ok If the selected symbologies require more memory than the portable has available a message box appears Deselect one or two symbologies and try again The bar code settings are stored with the current flow chart file and so they are in effect each time you work with that file Setting a Starting Place A program s starting place is the frame with which th
149. s to the main frame Verify IN FILE checks the contents of the default register against the file with the items in it Figure 4 13 shows the settings in the dialog box for the node Percon Program Generator User Manual 113 Chapter 4 Example Frames Figure 4 13 The Verify IN FILE dialog box Verify IN FILE Type Match ASCII None O Numeric O Constant O Alpha O Range O Ignore Case Register Store Index In Register nox Link On Fail Display NO MATCH ies Verify Source Register File Sorted File Default File O Record If there is no match Display NO MATCH instructs the user to enter the item number again and loops back to Input ITEM If there is a match the indexed position is put into a second register and Copy INDEX copies the record at that indexed position from the description file into the default regis ter see figure 4 14 Figure 4 14 The Copy INDEX dialog box Copy INDEX Source Constant Register Fil Destination Register File File FILE 2 bd Record em e Insert Replace Append Field Register Default Register 114 Percon Program Generator User Manual Reviewing a File Output POSITION positions the cursor on the portable screen Output TO DISP writes the item description at the cursor position The program returns to Display SCAN prompting the user to enter an item number again Reviewing a
150. specific order given For example File Run means select the File menu and then select Run from that menu Characters in courier bold are input characters that you should type Input charac ters are usually given in lowercase no capital letters but you may enter them in lower case uppercase or a combination When input characters are given in uppercase or a combination of lowercase and uppercase type the characters exactly as shown Characters in SMALL CAPITAL LETTERS are file names or directories Characters in BOLD SMALL CAPITAL LETTERS are keyboard keys such as ENTER When these are linked with a plus sign for example SHIFT ENTER hold down the first key while pressing the second key once Percon Program Generator User Manual 3 Introduction Technical Support If you have a question or problem that you are unable to resolve by reading the manual or online help you can call Percon Technical Support for assistance Before you do so how ever be prepared to offer the following information Your name and address The program s version number choose Help gt About PPG for this The dates of the PHB and BHB files that came with PPG Use the File Manager or the DOS DIR command for this The versions of DOS and Windows you are using Type ver at the DOS prompt for the DOS version number Choose Help About Program Manager from the Windows Pro gram Manager for the Windows version number The amount of RAM and exte
151. t of the record to a different file 1ST FILE and Copy 2ND FIL copies the other part of the record into another file 2ND FILE Modify DEL 1ST deletes the first record in the original default file what was the sec ond record in the file is now the first The program loops back to Copy 1ST FIL and the next record is split into two different files 112 Percon Program Generator User Manual Referencing Two Different Files This loop continues until the program reaches the final record containing end At that point the program knows it has reached the end of the file and Modify DEL TEMP deletes the default file to make sure it s clear for the next time it s used The program then returns to the Main frame Referencing Two Different Files The example in figure 4 12 uses two data files one that contains item numbers and one that contains item descriptions Records in both are sorted identically By referencing data in both files this example displays the description of an item whose number is entered by the user Figure 4 12 A frame that references two files PPG TIP10 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help M Output POSITION TO DISP The nodes in this example work as follows Display SCAN prompts the user to enter an item number or press F4 to quit Input ITEM stores the input entry in the default register Verify F4 checks to see whether the user pressed F4 If so the program return
152. t sample files SAMPLE SCR allows you to collect information with your portable upload collected data to a PC and erase collected data You will be using this file as you work through chapter 2 SAMPLE2 SCR is a simple but complete data collection program that allows the user to enter data as either item and quantity values or just item values The program also stores data uploads data and erases data SAMPLE3 SCR is an expanded version of SAMPLE2 SCR that includes review and edit capabilities This is the program that was loaded with your portable when you first got it You can use these files as is or modify them to suit your needs Several additional sample files are available from your PPG dealer see appendix D Some of these files are just portions of programs demonstrating use of a specific node However you can use any of these samples as a foundation for building a full size program 8 Percon Program Generator User Manual Chapter 2 Tutorial QUININE UA This chapter eases you into using Percon Program Generator PPG by stepping you through several specific procedures Detailed instructions have you perform the following View the flow chart of a sample program file Load the program into your portable collect data using the program and upload the data to your PC Build a portable program of your own using PPG The program will allow you to collect and upload data using your portable Use the Emulati
153. teps 1 Select the Output Error Beep node to display its dialog box see figure 2 22 Figure 2 22 The Output Error Beep dialog box Output Error Beep Output To O Wedge Display Serial System Link On Success Display Error Text Failure Display Error Text 2 Register Default Register O Field 2 Select System as the Output To setting and Constant as the Source setting In the new input box that appears enter the characters period and plus This is a spe cial code telling the program to sound a high beep You can enter to sound a low beep Because the system already beeps once when a code is scanned this causes it to beep twice on an error 3 Select Accept to save your settings and exit the dialog box THE DISPLAY ERROR TEXT NODE You can have a special message appear when the error beep is sounded Select the Display Error Text node enter the text shown in figure 2 23 and select Accept Figure 2 23 The Display Error Text dialog box Display Error Text Display Screen Invalid entry Try again 30 Percon Program Generator User Manual is T P x N O T E The Copy To File Node THE COPY To FILE NODE Finally you need to set up the Copy To File node to copy data from the Inventory register to a portable file for transmittal back to the PC Each time new data is scanned or entered existing data in the Inventory register is replaced and
154. th Item and Quantity listed as fields for the Combine template Select Done You can now use the templates and fields in the nodes button next to the Template input box and choose Combine Set the Field input box to Quantity This tells the program to store the value input after the How Many prompt in the Quantity field of the Inventory register Select Accept Now you can specify storing the input item number in the Item field of the register The program will work correctly whether or not you perform this step Select the other Input node Input Item and select the Field radio button in the Register sub dialog box Select Combine from the Template drop down list and then select Item from the Field drop down list Select Accept The two new output registers make it possible to display the Item value without over writing the How Many prompt Select the first one Output Position and select the Constant radio button in the dialog box Then enter the following in the input box that appears x1B 2 0f Enter the ch t tl hown The eighth character is a zero not the letter O Ii Eater the characters exact as s 10 11 12 This character string is a special code recognized by PPG lt positions the cursor in the first column of the third row Further output commands are described in chapter 3 Be sure the Output to Display option is selected it s the default and select Accept Select the other
155. the data you collected to your computer Complete the following steps 1 Click on the Minimize button in the PPG window to temporarily put it out of sight A 2 Back in the Windows Program Manager double click on the PTFER icon in the Percon PPG31 program group to display the PTFER window TIRER 3 If your serial port is not COM2 select Options gt Settings from the menu select the correct COM port and select Ok 4 Select Options gt Connect A message appears in the window saying the connection was successful 5 Select File gt Receive In the Receive File dialog box type the file name invntory and select OK The file name appears in the PTFER window s title bar with the TXT extension added automatically 6 Reconnect the cable to the portable and press the F4 key for Upload Data on the portable 7 Press the F3 key for Yes to confirm uploading The data that you scanned and entered is immediately transferred from the portable s file called Monthly Inventory to a DOS file on your PC called INVNTORY TXT AMAA MAI If this doesn t happen check your connections and COM port setting and try again The No T E portable defaults to 9600 baud no parity 8 data bits and 1 stop bit To reset the portable to these defaults scan the following C 8 E E 8 Double click on the PTFER window s Control menu box or choose File Exit to close the window For complete information about PTFER i
156. to the front 50 Percon Program Generator User Manual Using the Mouse Using the Mouse Like most Windows applications PPG makes extensive use of the mouse Table 3 1 shows standard mouse techniques that have special effects in PPG Table 3 1 Mouse Techniques Mouse Action Effects Left button On an object such as a menu command or frame selects that single click object In Create mode creates the object specified by the cursor label at the cursor position When creating a link specifies the beginning or end of the link or a joint With two or more overlapped links selected selects the next link in the stack Left button At the Frames level enters the Nodes level for the selected frame double click On an Entry or Exit node reverts to the Frames level On any other node opens the node s dialog box While holding a link deletes that link Left button On an object moves the object with the pointer until the button is press and hold released Not on an object draws a rectangle on the screen All drag objects within the rectangle are selected and can be moved or adjusted at once Right button On a frame or node opens the Name dialog box single click n Create mode selects the next option on the Create menu Right button Places PPG in Create mode double click Depending on what you re doing with the mouse the pointer changes to reflect the current action I
157. together in a single register This allows you to collect and store more than one type of information For example your program could ask the user to enter first a location code for an item and then the item number The template would combine each set of values in a register and the value pair could then be copied to a file as fields in a single record Data in the file would be arranged either in fields of a fixed size as in the following 74 Percon Program Generator User Manual N O T E Creating a Template Field 1 Field 2 2348 493848 48 393948 8 293832 29 832928 185 392038 28 282930 or with delimiters separating variable length fields in the record as in the following 2483 493848 48 393948 8 293832 29 832928 185 392038 28 282930 Templates can be used only on registers not on records in files The data file can then easily be translated for use by a database or spreadsheet program The first value in each record would go into a Location field the second value would go into an Item Number field and the program would pair the values appropriately Another use of templates is to break down data stored in one register into two or more reg ister fields for example to strip out the first section of a code To create a template complete the following steps 1 Double click on an Input node or any node that has a Register option and select Register as an option setting 2 Specify a new register for s
158. toring the data or just use the Default Register setting 3 Select the Field check box next to the Register list box The subdialog box expands as shown in figure 3 22 Figure 3 22 The expanded Register subdialog box Register Default Register X Field Template System Date Template B5 Percon Program Generator User Manual 75 Chapter 3 User s Guide 4 Click on the right arrow button to the right of the Template list box to display the Define Template subdialog box see figure 3 23 Figure 3 23 The Define Template subdialog box Define Template Template System Date Template is Defi reds Moh ef 5 In the Template input box enter the name you want to give the new template To modif isting template ch from the drop down list MAN A Tere aetna templets choose ai name from the drop down 6 The Fields list box includes the names of all fields assigned to the template There are none at this point The Define Fields list box lists all defined fields you can assign to the template It includes system defined fields such as Month and Hours To add your own fields to the Fields list click on the right arrow button to the right of the Define Fields list box The Define Field subdialog box appears see figure 3 24 Figure 3 24 The Define Field subdialog box Define Field fed wm jig Length Fixed 2 Variable In the Field input box enter the nam
159. u re done choose Create Unlock or press ESC to exit Create mode and redisplay the arrow pointer To reference a subroutine from within a frame use a Call node see Call Nodes on page 58 When the subroutine has been executed control continues with the next node after the Call node Creating and Using Links LINK T P gt T P x Links are arrows that connect two frames or nodes directing the program to the next step A link pointing to a frame or node shows how it is accessed A link pointing away from a frame or node shows where the program goes next Creating Links To create a link complete the following steps 1 Select Create Link from the menu The pointer changes into a rounded box labeled LINK 2 Move the box to the frame or node you want to draw the link from and click the left mouse button The link will be drawn using the middle of each object as an axis regardless of the exact position of the pointer 3 Move the box to the object you want the link to connect to and click the left mouse button again to draw the link To draw a jointed link a link with one or more bends click the mouse with the pointer on the frame move the LINK pointer to where you want the first joint to be click the mouse again and draw the next leg of the link You can create up to seven joints Click inside a frame or node to complete the link When creating several links you can lock PPG into Create mod
160. u ve scanned a series of bar codes with the programmed por table you can use the PTFER or PDTFER program that comes with PPG to transfer the collected data to a file on your PC The information is sent back through the connected cable to a specified file on your computer You can also transfer data such as a pick list for comparing input data from the PC to the portable Versions of this transfer program are also available for Macintosh and UNIX computer systems see chapter 4 Most likely the data you collect and store in a file will be nothing more than a series of numbers or alphanumeric strings You can transfer that data however into a data proc essing program that makes sense of it For example a scanned bar code may read 107 028 0274 However once that number is fed through a database or some other program set up to interpret it it could be translated into more readable information such as DECKERS THONG ADULT BLACK BRAID 25 60 Although it is possible to program the portable to translate scanned numbers into words this is usually a function of the program you use to process the data You may load the data into a spreadsheet program for example that you can use to perform calculations Or you might use a database program that keeps track of each item in your inventory You can use PPG to format collected data in a style that is accepted by most data processing pro grams Sample Program Files PPG comes with three importan
161. ubdialog box of the Input Node dialog box You must specify a row number from 0 to 3 See Echoing Input on page 62 Percon Program Generator User Manual 121 Appendix A Error Messages Syntax error PPG generated source code that is not recognizable by the portable Under normal cir cumstances this message should never appear If you encounter it however save your file and send it to Percon for debugging Timeout exceeded When downloading a program or data file into the portable PPG did not receive acknowl edgment from the portable within a specified number of seconds Make sure the portable is securely connected to the PC and that the appropriate COM port is selected Try reset ting the portable eject and replace the battery while pressing Shift Enter You may need to prepare the portable for downloading first by scanning the following code See If You Have Problems on page 93 Undefined link A node in your program flow chart is missing a required link This error occurs most often for Verify Math and Output nodes These nodes require two links even if both go to the same node Check all nodes of these types and make sure that both settings for Link On list nodes If either the Success or Failure option is set to None you need to create a sec ond link even if it duplicates the first See Creating and Using Links beginning on page 56 Verify Nodes beginning on page 67 Math Nodes beginn
162. umber and enter the number in the input box that appears To use a record number stored in a register select Index and use the displayed Register list box to specify the register see Using a Register as a Source on page 71 USING A FILE AS A DESTINATION If you choose File as the setting for a destination op tion the dialog box shown in figure 3 21 appears Figure 3 21 The Destination File subdialog box Insert Replace Append Sorted Fle ventory E Choose the file you want from the drop down list or enter a file name in the list box Then select one of the following radio buttons Insert places the data before a given record When this option is selected further radio buttons appear First Last Index and Number that let you specify a certain record in the file These options are described in the preceding section Using a File as a Source Replace replaces a given record Use the displayed radio buttons to specify the exact record Append adds the data to the end of the existing file Sorted inserts the record of data into the file based on ascending ASCII value Use this to insert records into a file that has already been sorted to maintain the proper order of the records in the file Creating a Template A template is a structure that you can define and use to alter the way in which collected data is stored The most common use of templates is to take data from two or more registers and tie them
163. w File To clear the PPG window so that you can start a new flow chart select File gt New A dia log box appears asking if you want to save changes to the current flow chart Choose Yes or No If you choose Yes and the flow chart is unnamed the Save As dialog box appears see figure 3 31 so that you can name the file to store it in If you choose Yes and the file is already named it will be saved automatically The current flow chart is then removed from the window so that you can start fresh 86 Percon Program Generator User Manual NO T E Printing a File Printing a File To print the current view of a program flow chart select File Print The displayed Frames or Nodes view is sent to the printer and a message box appears Select Cancel in the message box to abort printing You can print only one view of a flow chart at a time Using the Program Emulator N O T E The emulator feature of PPG lets you test your program source file before loading it into your portable It runs your program in a separate window that is modeled after the face of the portable It shows what would appear in the portable s display at each step and re sponds to your input just as the program would You can simulate scanning codes press ing function keys and entering data with the data keys If there are any problems with the program you can pinpoint them and make corrections before programming the portable You cannot save or access
164. w and high values of the range M Text O Register Hi pene Register For the lowest and highest values in the range you can specify either a constant or the contents of a given register To specify a constant select the Constant radio button and type in a number or text string To specify a register select the Register radio button and select a register name from the drop down list Select Accept to return to the Verify Node dialog box Verify Range Verify Ignore Case verifies the data match regardless of capitalization If you want the data to be case specific don t select this option Use Store Index In Register when you re verifying data in a file This option stores in a register the number of the first record in the file that passes the verification If there is no match it stores the position of the last record When this check box is selected a register list box appears Select a register name from the list or type in an unlisted name to create a new register see Registers on page 71 This option is disabled when the Verify Source option is set to Register Link On specifies the node to branch to if the verify function is successful and where to branch to if it fails The Pass Fail settings are assigned automatically according to links you ve created You can t type in a different link You can however click on the switch but ton to reverse the Pass Fail settings 70 Percon Program Gene
165. w chart Select Yes to save the file or No to discard changes The Open dialog box then appears see figure 3 30 Figure 3 30 The Open dialog box Open File Name Directories sample scr sample2 scr List Files of Type PPG Source Files SCF By default the File list shows all program source SCR files in the PPG31 directory If the file you want is located elsewhere choose the drive and directory from those lists or type them in the input box Select the file you want to open from the File list or type its name in the input box and select OK The specified file is loaded into the PPG window When you compile a program source file using the File Download Program com mand see page 92 PPG creates a new file that is suitable for programming your por table The original scr file remains intact and the compiled file is given the same name but with a HEX extension It is this HEX file that is downloaded into the portable Once you ve compiled a program source file you can use the File Open command in the Percon Portable Programmer window to download its HEX file into your portable without having to recompile it You can also load a HEX file from DOS using the PDPROG appli cation in the PPG31 directory Enter pdprog on the DOS command line for information about using the program Percon Program Generator User Manual 85 Chapter 3 User s Guide Saving a File To save a newly created file for the
166. with your portable you must download it from PPG to the portable Complete the following steps 1 2 If you re returning from a break and had exited PPG start the program now by double clicking its icon in the Window s Percon PPG31 program group Connect the 25 pin connector of your cable supplied with your portable to a serial port on your computer If you have a 9 pin serial port use a 25 to 9 pin adapter 3 Connect the other end of the cable to your portable Turn the portable on 5 In the PPG window select File gt Download Program from the menu If a dialog box appears asking whether you want to save changes to the file select Cancel to keep the sample file intact This will abort the download Close the sample file without sav ing it reopen it and select File gt Download Program again If you do not have the sample file loaded select it from the dialog box that appears The Percon Portable Compiler window appears momentarily as PPG compiles the program translating it into a language understood by the portable IM MM While a program is downloading you can work in another application window T P gt When compiling is complete the Percon Portable Programmer window appears dis playing the message Initiating Download If the connection is successful the window shows further messages as the program is loaded into the portable The percentage of completion is displayed as the programming pro
167. x Output POSITION Output To O Wedge Display Serial System Link On Success Output SCAN Failure Output SCAN o x1 B 1 0x1B K The x1B 1 0f portion of the given command sequence positions the cursor at the beginning of the second row Rows and columns are numbered beginning with 0 so 1 specifies the second row and 0 specifies the first column The f positions the cursor within the existing screen and the x1B K portion of the command clears any existing text on the line Output SCAN displays the contents of the default register at the cursor position This leaves the Display node s menu prompt F4 intact on the fourth line Copy TO FILE copies the input into a file and loops back to the Input node where the user can either enter another item or press F4 to exit MAI MM If you were displaying a constant on the portable screen instead of register contents you AEE TEL TEI could combine the constant with the cursor positioning command string in one Output node For example x1B 2 0 x1B KTEST would put the word TEST on the third row Verifying Input Size To verify that a scanned or entered code is a given number of characters or within a given range use the Size to Register option in the Input node collecting the data This option stores the number of characters of the given input in a separate register which can then be checked with a Verify node Figure 4 4 shows an example of this
168. y splitting the record into two different files and referencing each file s index position For example if you had a file with the following records showing item numbers and descriptions item1 desc1 item2 desc2 item3 desc3 you could divide it into two files as follows Filet File2 item desc item2 desc2 item3 desc3 Percon Program Generator User Manual 111 Chapter 4 Example Frames Instead of searching through both item numbers and descriptions your program could search through File1 which contains item numbers only When the item number is found you can use the same index number to find the matching description in File2 Figure 4 11 shows a sample program frame used to divide a data file into two files Use a different program first to load the file into the portable Figure 4 11 A frame that divides records into two files PPG TIP09 SCR File Edit View Create Options Help Entry COMPILE Modity DEL TEM Modify DEL 18T The nodes in this example work as follows Display WAIT instructs the user to wait while the Percon portable completes this process Copy END places the constant end at the end of the file to mark the last record Copy 1ST REC copies the first record in the file into the default register Verify END checks to see whether the default register contains the constant end If the default register doesn t contain end Copy 1ST FIL copies the first par
169. zeros 118 parity 96 Paste command 79 pasting objects 79 PDPROG 85 PDTFER 8 93 98 Percon Portable Compiler window 15 92 Percon Portable Programmer window 15 85 92 Percon portables see portables Percon PPG31 program group 6 Percon Program Generator PPG about 1 7 equipment requirements 2 exiting 7 installing 5 loading 6 from File Manager 7 Microsoft Windows mode for 2 program icons 6 program source files backingup 2 samples 8 10 program upgrades 2 version 4 pick lists 8 modifying 77 PocketReader emulating 37 88 see also portables Index PocketReader command 88 pointers mouse 51 portable files 73 134 copying datato 31 erasing 66 moving data to and from 59 naming 31 portables allowing data input from 61 beeps 30 setting tone of 68 117 calendar 68 clock 68 default communications settings 42 bar code for 129 downloading files to 107 echoing input to screen 61 62 function keys allowing input from 61 65 assigning to menu items 65 PocketReader emulating 37 88 programming 7 15 PT 2000 emulating 88 using as keyboard wedge 67 screen clearing 62 68 displaying menus on 64 displaying texton 60 echoing input to 61 62 outputting commands to 68 outputting datato 67 position of cursoron 62 68 size of 64 65 SHIFT key on 61 65 transferring datato 8 93 uploading data from 8 42 93 Port options in Communications Settings dialog box 96 position of cursor on display screen 62 68 PPG icon for 6 see also

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