Rockwell Automation 2708-NAG Application Generation Software - Manual (Page 6)

Chapter
1
Chapter 1
Overview
1 – 1
Overview
This brief chapter provides an overview of the A-B VBASIC Applications
Generator Software (Cat. No. 2708-NAG). The topics it covers include
descriptions of:
•
What it is
•
What it does
•
Who can use it
•
How it works
•
Contents of this manual
The Application Generator (AG) is an interactive program development tool
for Catalog No. 2708–DH5B2L and -DH5B4L products from Allen-Bradley
Company. It simulates a workstation on a standard personal computer (PC).
An AG developer trains a DH5 workstation by interactively modifying its
current behavior until the desired functions are achieved.
Because the developer is working with the actual operation of the program,
instead of trying to relate the program’s behavior to a listing of program
source code, development with AG is both faster and more intuitive than
using traditional programming techniques. AG allows a wider range of
programmers to develop software. It no longer requires a “software
engineer” to write an application program within a reasonable amount of
time.
The simulation is controlled by the AG master program. The AG developer
first loads an initial personality file (with the extension
.AIP ) into the
simulator program.
The personality file contains a set of operations which are eventually
compiled into an A-B VBASIC program. The operation of the program is
controlled by menu selections within AG.
Unlike an actual program, the personality can be executed stepwise, both
forward and backward. Any operation the simulator program performs can
thus be “undone”. The developer can easily insert missing operations, and
delete extraneous operations.
When the program successfully simulates a desired application, it generates
an A-B VBASIC program. On the workstation, that program will perform
identically to the A-B VBASIC computer simulator.
What Is It?
What Does It Do?