Docklight Scripting V1.9.21
Copyright 2009 Flachmann und Heggelbacher (www.fuh-edv.de)
Program Description:
Docklight is a test, analysis and simulation tool for serial communication
protocols (RS232, RS485/422 and others). It allows you to monitor the
communication between two serial devices or to test the serial communication
of a single device. Docklight is easy to use and runs on almost any standard
PC using Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Windows NT operating
system.
Docklight Scripting provides an easy-to-use program language and a built-in
editor to create and run automated test jobs. Docklight Scripting is network-
enabled and allows TCP or UDP connections.
Installation:
- Execute the "setup.exe" application.
Distribution:
- See the "fuh_distribute_int.txt" file
Version History:
Docklight / Docklight Scripting V1.9.21 (05/2009)
New features and functions:
- Support for Docklight Monitoring Tap USB - Choose comm.channels TAP0 / TAP1
(e.g.) instead of COM4 / COM5 for best monitoring accuracy better than 10
milliseconds
- Milliseconds timestamp resolution and improved overall timing accuracy
(menu Tools-->Options, "Date/Time Stamps")
- Menu Tools --> Expert Options:
Comm. Driver Mode = External / High Priority Process
for higher accuracy when monitoring serial COM ports
- Menu Tools --> Expert Options: Disable data forwarding in Monitoring Mode
for higher data throughput when monitoring serial COM ports
- Receive Sequence Function Character "!" to detect handshake signal changes
- Menu Scripting --> Customize / External Editor:
use a third party program editor with advanced editing features like
syntax highlighting
- Break Script menu/toolbar and DL.Break method:
interrupts script execution and shows the current line in the editor
- #include statement / include file support for scripts
Fixes and Improvements:
- Keyboard console state is now remembered when communication is stopped and
started again.
- Flow Control Support "Manual" now displays the RI (Ring Indicator) status, too
- Multiple input / output files:
Up to 4 FileInput objects and 4 FileOutput objects can be used simultaneously
FileInput, FileInput2, FileInput3, FileInput4
FileOutput, FileOutput2, FileOutput3, FileOutput4
- Show recently used network addresses in the drop down list of the
Project Settings dialog
- DL.AddComment Chr(7) can be used to produce a beep sound
- You can now call user-defined Subs or Functions from inside DL_OnSend() or
DL_OnReceive()
- CRCs with less than 7 bits now available. New predfined keyword "CRC-7" for
7 bit CRC used with MMC / smart card applications
- Improved performance when opening / starting large scripts
- Fixed bug: Flow control setting "RS485 Transceiver Control" would activate
XON/XOFF, too
- Fixed bug: DL.LoadProgramOptions "" now displays the file open dialog correctly
- Fixed bug: Keyboard console in V1.8.10 introduces new timestamp after each
character
- Fixed bug: Keyboard console steals focus from other applications.
- Fixed bug: Run-time error 91 could occur when Docklight is closed with logging
still running
- Fixed problem: Docklight goes to 100% CPU load with certain (virtual) COM port
drivers.
Docklight / Docklight Scripting V1.8.10 (03/2008)
New features and functions:
- HTML log file format can be customized.
- New DL.GetChannelStatus() method to determine the communication channel status
(closed, open, waiting for TCP connection, or error).
- New DL.PlaybackLogFile() method to replay a recorded communication.
- New DL.SaveProgramOptions() / DL.LoadProgramOptions() methods to save and load
Docklight user options (display settings, ...)
Fixes and Improvements:
- DL.OnSend_Peek() / DL.OnReceive_Peek(): optional parameter to return the value
in Docklight's ASC, HEX, Decimal or Binary representation
- DL.SetChannelSettings(): Additional "dontTest" argument to suppress the open/close
attempts for testing purposes.
- Improved multiple screen support.
- Sequence editor recognizes HEX, Decimal or Binary data in various
formats (e.g "5A A5 0F", "5A-A5-0F", "5A/A5/F" or "5AA50F")
- Sequence Editor mode (ASCII / HEX / Decimal ...) always follows the
selected Communications Window Mode.
- Improved sequence editor behavior when deleting a single HEX character.
- Keyboard Console allows transmitting data by pasting from clipboard (up to
1024 characters).
- new menu Help->Contact E-Mail Support allows sending relevant user setttings,
to faciliate customer support.
- Baud rates down to 1 (one) can be selected now (Note: Make sure your COM
port device can handle such low baud rates properly.)
- Fixed compatibility problem with Keyspan USA-19H USB adapter
- Fixed bug: FileInput.OpenFile "" now uses file open dialog correctly
- Fixed bug: Docklight Scripting now sets working directory correctly when
started from command line.
Docklight / Docklight Scripting V1.7.37 (06/2007)
Fixes and Improvements:
- For ASCII log files, the ASCII character code 26 is now replaced by 127.
ASCII code 26 serves as a end-of-file mark for text files and should be
avoided in text files.
- Improved behavior when CR only or LF only is used for end-of-line:
The line break is now inserted always before a comm.direction change, a new
date/time stamp or a comment.
- Improved behavior when a TCP client is immediately rejected: 2 seconds idle
time before retry.
- Fixed bug: Class definitions with private member variables caused syntax
error.
- Fixed bug: Docklight V1.7 now stores COM > 16 correctly
Docklight / Docklight Scripting V1.7.33 (04/2007)
New features and functions:
- Networking: Docklight Scripting can act as TCP client, TCP server or UDP peer
- new FileInput / FileOutput objects for easy and straightforward file I/O
- new DL.CalcChecksum() method for calculating CRCs of any type
- new DL.SetChannelSettings() / DL.GetChannelSettings() methods for changing
the communication port and settings (baud rate, ...) while running a script.
- new DL.Quit() command to stop script execution
- new DL.GetDocklightTimeStamp() method to return a Docklight-style time stamp
Fixes and Improvements:
- COM1 to COM256 can be selected.
- Project Settings dialog shows available COM ports in dropdown list.
- Timing acurracy in monitoring mode improved.
- Improved transmit and receive buffering, less COM buffer overflows
on high-speed connections.
- Monitoring mode additionally transmits the received data on the
opposite communication port (data forwarding).
- Communications display now buffers up to 128.000 characters.
- Log file buffers are now flushed after 1 seconds of inactivity.
- "RS485 Transceiver Control" now uses Windows RTS_CONTROL_TOGGLE mode with
improved timing (Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista only)
- Parity Error Character: "(ignore)" for reading characters with wrong parity bit
- The "Edit Send/Receive Sequence" dialogs show the current cursor position
and support cursor keys (Page Up/Down, Cursor Up/Down, Home/End).
- Minimum time for "Send Sequence periodically" now 0.01 sec (before: 0.1 sec)
- Additional operations on sequence lists: Import from a project file,
swap receive and send sequence lists.
- Improved behavior for large sequence lists (> 100 sequences).
- Fixed rare crash in Sequence Editor after copying & pasting a sequence
using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
- DL.UploadFile() supports raw binary data tranfer mode ("R").
- DL.UploadFile(), DL.StartLogging(), DL.OpenProject() show a file dialog
if an empty file path argument is passed.
- DL.StartLogging() closes a previously opened log file automatically,
instead of returning an error.
- DL.AddComment with additional formatting options.
- DL.ResetReceiveCounter now additionally resets the Receive Sequence detection
algorithm, allow