Add New Toolbar for C-Hooks

[Sunder]

Hello all!

 

I do have a problem in getting a new toolbar for C-Hooks which are not in customizeMastercam c-hookscategory.

 

I unable to find my new c-hook in the category

Is there any other way to add a new c-hoook to this list or change the existing comands button to map some other c-hook

 

thanks in advance

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

To be able to create a toolbar icon for a C-Hook, it must be listed in a Customize-Category. To add the ability for a C-Hook (or NET Hook) to be "mapped" to an icon and/or keystroke it must defined in an .FT (Funtion Table) file, and the .FT file must reside in the CHOOKS folder so Mastercam will read it when X is started.

 

 

Sample FT file -->

 

code:

---

#--------------

# Wire_Entry.FT

#--------------

 

APPLICATION "Mastercam"

 

FUNC_DLL "chooksWireEntry.dll"

RES_DLL "chooksWireEntry.dll"

 

CATEGORY "Mastercam C-Hooks"

 

FUNCTION CPP "m_main"

SBMP 18001

LBMP 18002

TIP 1

END_FUNCTION

---

Obviously CATEGORY defines the Customize-Category for the icons used by the DLL will be placed.

(You can define your own Category is you wish!)

 

SBMP - defines the Resource ID of the "small" BMP icon (16x16 pixels).

LBMP - defines the Resource ID of the "large" BMP icon (24x24 pixels).

TIP - defines the Resource ID of the "Help Tip" string used.

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

If this is a C-Hook you've developed, you should learn about making a Function Table (.FT) file (see the SDK documentation) and putting that FT file in the CHooks subfolder. If properly formatted, your C-hook(s) will appear in the Category list.

Also note that there is now a "Developer's Forum" on eMastercam - which also might provide answers for you.

 

---------------------------------

Edited....

 

Or you can do what Roger says in the previous post that beat me by a few seconds

----------------------------------

[Sunder]

thankx for your quick reply

i got it!

[tpreb6]

Ok, I am having a little trouble trying to get this to work for the silhouetteboundry.dll. Mastercam errors on startup that it can not read the .ft file.

 

This is what I have:

 

 

APPLICATION "Mastercam"

FUNC_DLL "chooksSilhouetteBoundary.dll"

RES_DLL "chooks SilhouetteBoundary.dll"

CATEGORY "Mastercam C-Hooks"

FUNCTION CPP "m_main"

SBMP 18001

LBMP 18002

TIP 1

END_FUNCTION

 

 

and saved it in the chook directory as:

silhouetteboudary.ft

 

What do I have wrong?

 

 

Tom

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

Tom,

 

FYI,

The SilhouetteBoundary function is already loaded and available in the 'Geometry' category.

I beleive it is usually the last icon in the list.

 

Anyway...

If you want a separate FT for this, here it is ->

 

APPLICATION "Mastercam"

CATEGORY "Mastercam C-Hooks"

FUNC_DLL "chooksSilhouetteBoundary.dll"

RES_DLL "chooksSilhouetteBoundary.dll"

FUNCTION CPP "m_main"

SBMP 800

LBMP 801

TIP 1

END_FUNCTION

 

1> There was a 'space' in the RES_DLL path.

This will get you an error on startup about "Unable to open resource module..."

 

2> The Resource IDs (the icon bitmaps) for this function are not "18001" and "18002" (like some of the other DLLs), but "800" and "801".

This would not cause an error, but you would not have the desired icon loaded for the function.

You would get the default generic 'X' icon.

[tpreb6]

Thank you for your help Roger!

 

I didn't know that the Silhouette chook was under Geometry catagory. I just expected that all of the chooks should be under one chook catagory like in 9.

 

Tom

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

I tried doing this for Takashi's "Ai-Freehand" C-hook, and it's giving me a 10" white shaded circle for a cursor on Mastercam startup. Can someone clue me in?

 

Thanks.

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

Matt,

 

That's pretty cool - not!

 

You'll need to ask Takashi about this.

[Thad]

Matt,

 

It sounds like you set the chook to be the startup chook. Did you, by chance?

 

Thad

[Thee Rickster ™]

I have the same problem as Matt. (big white circle)

 

I just placed the .dll in the chook folder.

 

Thad,

 

did you do it differently and get a different

curser?

 

Thanks

Rick

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

I did not set it as the startup C-Hook. With that FT file in place, it uses the cursor from the C-Hook , but is not actually in the C-hook at startup. In that condition I can run the C-Hook once and it will function correctly, but without turning off the "verify" cursor on exit. Here's what I put in the FT file:

 

APPLICATION "Ai_Freehand"

FUNC_DLL "chooksAi_Freehand.dll"

RES_DLL "chooksAi_Freehand.dll"

FUNCTION CPP "m_main"

SBMP 101

LBMP 102

TIP 1

END_FUNCTION

[Thad]

quote:

---

did you do it differently and get a different

curser?

---

No. I replied and then went to try it myself. I got the same white circle.

 

Thad

[Thee Rickster ™]

Where do you get an FT file.

 

O

 

how do you create one?

 

Or can you send me one?

 

Thanks

Rick

[Thad]

Rick,

 

It's probably easier (for us rookies) to copy an existing .ft file and then edit it. You can open a .ft file with any text editor. Find a small one (1kb) and see what it looks like. You'll see plenty of them in the chooks folder.

 

Thad

[Thad]

quote:

---

I did not set it as the startup C-Hook.

---

Matt, I missed your earlier reply. We both squeaked in at the same time.

 

I used the same info for my .ft file and got the same results. I guess we'll have to wait for Takashi to reply.

 

Thad

[Takashi Sato from Ai Solutions.]

Matt

 

I have fixed it for using with .ft file.

 

http://www.emastercam.com/ubb/ultimatebb.p...6456;p=2#000050

[Thad]

I'm interested to try this out on Monday. The contents of Takashi's .ft file looks just like what I created earler today and I got the big, white, round cursor.

 

Thanks for looking into this, Takashi!

 

Thad

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Thanks Takashi, it works great. I even assigned it a hotkey. Now if only it could remember the tool size from one call to the next...

[Takashi Sato from Ai Solutions.]

This one is to pass the lines/chain to a contour operation.

 

( first you have to select the machine you use. and you have to add a tool for the operation.)

http://ai-sols.sytes.net/download/Ai_Freehand_Contour.zip

[Thad]

BEAUTIFUL! Very nice job!

 

Thanks Takashi!

 

How about starting a new topic announcing this chook. Right now, this project is being discussed in 2 different threads.

 

Thad