Combining Devices, Levels, and Channels
79
NetLinx Programming Language Reference Guide
Combining Devices, Levels, and Channels
The Axcess language supports the concept of combining several panels to make them behave as if they
were one panel, in order to simplify code. This feature allows the combination of functionally identical
devices, such as identically programmed Touch Panels and Softwire Panels. When the program
references one of these devices, all other combined device arrays are also referenced.
In Axcess, device combine operations are done in the
DEFINE_COMBINE section of the code, and can
produce mixed results (any time one or more panels are dropped off-line).
The NetLinx language further addresses the issues surrounding combining panels (and their associated
channels and levels), and allows you to combine and un-combine panels on the fly. The primary
difference between the way that the Axcess and NetLinx languages handles combine operations is that
NetLinx utilizes the concept of the virtual device. A virtual device is a device that does not physically
exist but merely represents one or more devices.
Combining and Un-Combining Devices
To approach setting up combine and un-combine operations in NetLinx, let's first look at the way that
combine operations are done in the Axcess language.
Combining devices
The example below illustrates how an Axcess program combines three touch panels to act as one.
DEFINE_DEVICE
TP1 = 128
TP2 = 129
TP3 = 130
DEFINE_COMBINE
(TP1, TP2, TP3)
DEFINE_PROGRAM
RELEASE[TP1,1]
{
(*Do Something*)
}
This combines a common level to each of three devices TP1 , TP2 , and TP3 . If an input change occurs
on any of the three devices, Axcess sees the input as coming only from the first device in the list (
TP1).
If button
[TP2,12] is pressed, Axcess will see the input coming from [TP1,12] due to the
combination. Likewise, any output change sent to any device in the list will automatically be sent to all
If you have combined Devices, Levels and/or Channels, they must be un-combined
before they can be added as part of a new COMBINE function.
The code shown in the Axcess example will not work in NetLinx, due to
incompatibilities between the languages (i.e. Axcess does not allow virtual devices,
which are required for Combine/Uncombine operations in NetLinx).
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