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 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.

3.2. Menu/Tool/Status bar

3.2.1. File

New / Open / Save / Save As / Print:

Start new configuration or open/save/print 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

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

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

Message Level:

Change the current message level

Settings:

Shows more settings in the dialog Settings

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 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:

Enable SubDevices:

Enable disabled slaves

Disable SubDevices:

Disabled slaves will be ignored by EC-Monitor if they could not be seen by TAP

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 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).

3.4. Device Editor

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

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 MainDevice has changed its operation state or a SubDevice has been removed from (or added to) the EtherCAT network:

There is also a SDO Message Window, where only mailbox messages are shown. For example CoE messages and FoE messages. With EC-Inspector it is also possible to save the FoE file which is transferred on the network to a specific folder.