4. Graphical user interface

4.1. Overview

This section gives an overview about the graphical user interface:

The graphical user interface is divided into five parts:

Menu/Tool/Status bar:

Shows current status or mode of the EC-Engineer and allows the user to change it.

Project Explorer:

Shows different views of the current network configuration

Device Editor:

Show information about the selected device, like process variables.

Short Info:

Show short information about selected device, like name, description or vendor.

Messages:

Shows notifications which occur e.g. when the EtherCAT Device has changed its operation state or a SubDevice has been removed from (or added to) the EtherCAT network.

4.2. Menu/Tool/Status bar

4.2.1. File

New / Open / Save / Save As / Print:

Start new configuration or open/save/print existing configuration

Add MainDevice:

Add a new MainDevice-Unit to the configuration. At the moment we have five MainDevice:

• EtherCAT MainDevice (Class A)

• EtherCAT MainDevice (Class B)

• EtherCAT MainDevice (LxWin)

• EtherCAT MainDevice (Motion)

• EtherCAT Simulator

ESI-Manager:

Add, delete or export ESI and SCI files (see: ESI-Manager)

EMI-Manager:

Add, delete or modify EMI files (see: EMI-Manager)

Recent Projects:

Open recent project

Exit:

Closes the EC-Engineer

4.2.2. View

Message Window:

Shows/Hides the message window

Short-Info Window:

Shows/Hides the short-info window

Expert Tabs:

(De-)Activates expert mode

Simulator Tabs:

(De-)Activates simulator mode

Motion Tabs:

(De-)Activates motion mode

Refresh:

Updates the current view

4.2.3. Network

Scan EtherCAT Network:

Scans the connected network for SubDevices

Edit Topology:

Opens a dialog to change the current topology of the project and a bus merge is possible (for more information see EoE Endpoint Configuration)

Export ENI File / Export ENI Variants / Import ENI File / Export EXI File / Process Variables / EEPROM File

Creates an ENI file, or ENI variants (see Export ENI Variants) / imports an ENI file or export the process variables or the eeprom to a file

Network Mismatch Analyzer (active only in diagnosis mode):

Compares the configured SubDevices with the connected SubDevices. See Network Mismatch Analyzer

Line Crossed Analyzer (active only after scan):

Shows wrong connected SubDevices. See Line Crossed Analyzer

Inspection Report (active only in diagnosis mode):

Opens a statistic about the state of the network. Collects some useful data like error counters and so on. Possibility to print a PDF. See Inspection Report

Hardware Diagnostics:

Enables or disables the additional hardware diagnosistics and warnings in project explorer.

Acknowledge all warnings (active only in diagnosis mode):

Clears the yellow warning icon of all SubDevices

Clear Error Counters (active only in diagnosis mode):

Clears the error counters of all connected SubDevices (for more information about the extended diagnosis, see Extended Diagnosis)

Self Test Scan:

Executes a self test routine for EC-Master and the network (for more information about the Self Test Scan, see Self Test Scan)

Rescue Scan:

Executes the rescue scan. Can help if frames get lost with a switch for example

Take Snapshot:

Takes a snapshot from the current diagnosis state and saves it into a capture file (for more information about the snapshots and capture files, see Capture File)

Automatic Snapshot Mode:

Activates the automatic snapshot mode to take snapshots based on the configured rules

Snapshot:

Changes the active snapshot

EoE Endpoint Configuration (active only for local or remote system):

Activates EoE Endpoint support in diagnosis mode

4.2.4. Settings

Message Level:

Change the current message level

Project Template:

Shows project template settings dialog

Settings:

Shows more settings in the dialog Settings

4.2.5. Help

Show User Manual:

Shows this user manual

Show Log File:

Shows the log file

Check for updates:

Enable / disable automatic update check (once per month). Also a manual update check is performed on activation.

About …:

Show the about dialog

4.3. Project Explorer

4.3.1. Configuration Mode

There are three topology visualisation views:

Classic View

This is a tree view with multiple levels.

Flat View

This view shows all SubDevices in a flat list, as they are connected in the EtherCAT network.

Topology View

This view shows a graphical tree of all SubDevices, as they are connected in the EtherCAT network.

The context menu of one or more selected SubDevices has the following entries:

Append SubDevices:

Appends a new SubDevices

Remove SubDevices:

Deletes the selected SubDevices

Cut/Copy/Paste:

Extended clipboard operations, which should help the user to move or multiply existing SubDevice definitions.

Enable SubDevices:

Appends disabled SubDevices to the process image at the previous position. If this is not possible, the SubDevice will be marked as “not connected” and the user can append the SubDevice by using “cut” & “paste”.

Disable SubDevices:

Removes the SubDevices from process image and from the exported ENI file, but keeps the SubDevice as “disabled” in the project.

Reload ESI data:

Reloads ESI data which are stored in the project file from global ESI cache (after adding a SubDevice to the project the ESI data will be stored in the project file).

Export SCI:

Exports a SCI file. A SCI file is like an ESI file but preconfigured. So it is possible to create a fixed SubDevice which can be added to the configuration and is working out of the box.

Change SubDevice:

Opens the following dialog, where the user can select a compatible SubDevice (this is helpful, if the user wants to update the SubDevice to a new revision and keeps his configuration). This is also used to change from an ESI to a SCI file.

Import Beckhoff SubDevice Description, to import SubDevice settings from TwinCAT (or ET9000)

Import SubDevice settings from “Beckhoff SubDevice Description” files

• Open project in TwinCAT

• Select SubDevice to export

• Main menu “TwinCAT”

• Selected Item

• Export XML Description

• Import the exported file (imported will be MDP configuration, PDOs, DC settings, …)

Import init commands of SubDevice from “Beckhoff Init Command Description” files

• Open project in TwinCAT

• Select SubDevice to export

• Open tab “Startup”

• Context menu: “Export to XML”

• Import the exported file (imported will be the exported init commands)

If user tries to append SubDevice he will see the following dialog:

Filter

Search: Keyword to filter the SubDevices by type name. Vendors: List of all available vendors. User can filter all SubDevices by selecting the desired vendor from the list. If it makes sense, the recommended vendor is already preselected, e.g. if you try to append a SubDevice to an E-Bus. Show Hidden SubDevices: Shows also hidden SubDevices (e.g. with older revisions, if newer SubDevices are available) Show Preconfiguren SubDevices: Shows also SubDevices from SCI files

Connection

Select the port where the predecessor device is connected

List of available SubDevices

User can select the SubDevice which should be added, be expanding the three levels: vendors, groups and the SubDevices themselves. The 3^rd level consists of three parts: Type name, description and the revision number.

Number of SubDevices

User can change this value to add more than one SubDevice of the same type.

Apply

Add SubDevices of the same and different type, the dialog will automatically reopen after appending the previous SubDevice. The number of SubDevices must be set at “1” to use this function.

Ok

Add SubDevices of the same type, based of the “Number of SubDevices” selected.

4.3.2. Diagnosis Mode

There are three topology visualisation views:

Classic View

This is a tree view with multiple levels.

Possible device states:

Init Bootstrap

Pre-Op

Safe-Op

Op

Flat View

This view shows all SubDevices in a flat list, as they are connected in the EtherCAT network.

Possible device states:

Init Bootstrap

Pre-Op

Safe-Op

Op

Topology View

This view shows a graphical tree of all SubDevices, as they are connected in the EtherCAT network.

Possible device states:

Init Bootstrap

Pre-Op

Safe-Op

Op

Possible port states:

Bad Cable Quality

Constricted Cable Quality

Good Cable Quality

If cable quality is constricted or bad, please check the error counters of the SubDevice (for more information about the extended diagnosis, see Extended Diagnosis).

4.4. Device Editor

This Editor gives the user the possibility to read and write information of the selected device or SubDevice:

4.5. Short Info

This window shows short information about selected device, like name, description or vendor:

4.6. Message Window

Shows notifications which occur e.g. when the EtherCAT MainDevice has changed its operation state or a SubDevice has been removed from (or added to) the EtherCAT network: