Add-in for RS 5.07

RobotStudio
1

My RS 5.07 does not offer RS API help. It is grey in the menu.

Need help on how to build Add-in in RS 5.07. What’s the difference from RS 3.2?

2

Hi Alex.

Documentation of the RobotStudio API will be included in the next release (5.08). For now, I can provide you with some auto-generated documentation. Note that it is unsupported, incomplete and possibly incorrect!

2006-07-14_110219_APIDoc.zip

The RobotStudio 5.x API is .NET based and you need Visual Studio 2005 to build an addin. Typically you would program in C# or VB.NET. The requirements for an addin are very simple:

  1. It must contain a public, static and parameterless method called AddinMain
  2. The DLL must be placed in the RobotStudioBinAddins directory

To use the RS API you need to reference the ABB.Robotics.*.dll assemblies. These are:
ABB.Robotics.Math - Vector and matrix math
ABB.Robotics.RobotStudio - General and top-level (e.g. non-Station specific) classes
ABB.Robotics.RobotStudio.Environment - For manipulating the GUI, e.g. adding menus and buttons etc.
ABB.Robotics.RobotStudio.Stations - For manipulating stations and their contents
ABB.Robotics.RobotStudio.Stations.Forms - GUI controls used by RS

Below is an example of a basic addin written in C#:

using System;
using ABB.Robotics.RobotStudio;
using ABB.Robotics.RobotStudio.Environment;
using ABB.Robotics.RobotStudio.Stations;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace MyAddin
{
public class MyAddin
{
// This method is called when RS starts
public static void AddinMain()
{
// Create a new command button
CommandBarButton button = new CommandBarButton(“HelloMyAddin”, “Hello MyAddin!”);
// Add the button to the “Tools” menu
// The IDs of predefined menus and commands are found in “RobotStudioIDSummary.html”
CommandBarPopup.FromID(“MenuTools”).Controls.Add(button);
// Connect the command events
button.UpdateCommandUI += new UpdateCommandUIEventHandler(button_UpdateCommandUI);
button.ExecuteCommand += new ExecuteCommandEventHandler(button_ExecuteCommand);
}

static void button_UpdateCommandUI(object sender, UpdateCommandUIEventArgs e)
{
// Enable the button
e.Enabled = true;
}

static void button_ExecuteCommand(object sender, ExecuteCommandEventArgs e)
{
// Do something
MessageBox.Show(“Hello MyAddin!”);
}
}
}

regards,
Johannes

3

I am trying to use this to build an addin that will update positions of targets.

When i try to compile

CommandBarButton buttonGantryUpdate = new CommandBarButton(“GantryUpdate”, “Gantry Update”);
buttonGantryUpdate.UpdateCommandUI += new UpdateCommandUIEventHandler(buttonGantryUpdate_UpdateCommand UI);
buttonGantryUpdate.ExecuteCommand += new ExecuteCommandEventHandler(buttonGantryUpdate_ExecuteCommand );

i get
An Object reference is required for the nostatic field, method or property. I am using all the suggested ABB.Robotics items and have referenced the dll files in the SDK directory

Any ideas?

4

[QUOTE=mattdavis]
buttonGantryUpdate.UpdateCommandUI += new UpdateCommandUIEventHandler(buttonGantryUpdate_UpdateCommand UI);
[/QUOTE]

Hi,

There is a white space in the argumentlist between “UpdateCommand” and “UI”. Is that expected?

5

thats a weirdness of the forum i think. I cut and paste that from my code and theres no space in the code. Thanks for the suggestion and damm good spotting.

6

Is buttonGantryUpdate_UpdateCommandUI and buttonGantryUpdate_ExecuteCommand static? Try to make them static, and see if that works.

7

yes that works.

Thanks alot for that, im confused as to why it works but.. it does.