3. Graphical user interface

3.1. 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-Inspector and allows the user to change it.

Project Explorer:

Shows different views of the current network when adding an ENI file or switching to diagnosis mode.

Device Editor:

Show information about the selected device, like process variables. It allows the user to put them into a watchlist before switching to diagnosis mode.

Short Info:

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

Messages:

Shows notifications which occur e.g. when the EC-Monitor hat detected a change in the topology or an error counter increased.

3.2. Menu/Tool/Status bar

3.2.1. File

New / Open / Save / Save As / Print:

Start new configuration or open/save existing configuration

ESI-Manager:

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

Recent Projects:

Open recent project

Exit:

Closes the EC-Inspector

3.2.2. View

Message Window:

Shows/Hides the message window

Short-Info Window:

Shows/Hides the short-info window

Refresh:

Updates the current view

3.2.3. Network

Acknowledge all warnings (active only in diagnosis mode):

If one of the error counters increase there will be a warning in the tree, sigalized with an icon. With this entry it is possible to acknowledge all warnings in the tree. So the slaves can be monitored again and the icons will come back with the next error. It is also recommended that the error counters of the master are cleared before connecting with the EC-Inspector.

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

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

3.2.4. Settings

Language:

Changes the current language

Theme:

Changes the current theme

Message Level:

Change the current message level

Capture File:

Shows capture file settings dialog

Pcap File:

Shows pcap file settings dialog

3.2.5. 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

3.3. Project Explorer

3.3.1. Configuration Mode

There are three topology visualisation views:

Classic View

This is a tree view with multiple levels.

Flat View

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

Topology View

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

3.3.2. 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 slaves 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 slaves, 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 slave (for more information about the extended diagnosis, see Extended Diagnosis).

3.4. Device Editor

This Editor gives the user the possibility to read information of the selected monitor or slave:

3.5. Short Info

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

3.6. Message Window

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