Echelon LonTal Stack - Manual (Page 94)

82 Using the LonTalk Interface Developer Utility
Running the LonTalk Interface Developer
You use the LonTalk Interface Developer utility to create the application
framework files that are required for your LonTalk Stack application. The
LonTalk Interface Developer utility also generates the device interface files (*.xif
and *.xfb) that can be used by network management tools to design a network
that uses your device.
To create the device interface data and device interface files for your device,
perform the following tasks:
1. Create a model file as described in Chapter 6, Creating a Model File.
2. Start the LonTalk Interface Developer utility: from the Windows Start
menu, select Programs → Echelon LonTalk Stack → LonTalk
Interface Developer.
3. In the LonTalk Interface Developer utility, specify the program ID, the
model file for the device, and other preferences for the utility. The utility
uses this information to generate a number of files that your application
uses. See Using the LonTalk Interface Developer Files.
4. Add the FtxlDev.h ANSI C header file to your LonTalk Stack application
with an include statement:
#include "FtxlDev.h"
The LonTalk Interface Developer utility creates the application framework files
and copies other necessary files (such as the LonTalk API files and the LonTalk
host stack) to your project directory.
If you modify the LonTalk Interface Developer utility-generated files without
first copying them, any changes that you make will be overwritten the next time
you run the utility. However, the LonTalk Interface Developer utility does not
overwrite or modify the LonTalk API files.
After you have created the LonTalk Interface Developer utility-generated files,
modify and add code to your application using the LonTalk API to implement
desired L ON W ORKS functionality into your LonTalk Stack application. See
Chapter 8, Developing a LonTalk Stack Device Application, for information about
how to use the LonTalk API calls to implement L
ON W ORKS tasks.
Note: The LonTalk Interface Developer, source code, and examples include many
instances of “FTXL”. This is because the LonTalk Interface Developer was
initially developed for the FTXL Development Kit and the LonTalk Stack uses
the same API as FTXL.
Specifying the Project File
From the Welcome to LonTalk Interface Developer page of the utility, you can
enter the name and location of a new or existing LonTalk Stack project file
(.lidprj extension). The LonTalk Interface Developer utility uses this project file
to maintain your preferences for this project. The base name of the project file is
also used as the base name for the device interface files that the utility generates.