Macro Language

Reference Guide
GibbsCAM 2009
rev 1.1, March 2009
Proprietary Notice
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Modif ied: January 17, 2009

 Table of Contents

Table of Contents
MACRO LANGUAGE REFERENCE 1
The GibbsCAM Macro Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About the Macro Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About The Macro Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Language Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Flow Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Functions, Operators & Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Strings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About Strings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Commands With Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Conditional Logic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Functions With String Return Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
User Input Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Dialog Creation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Gibbs Part Manipulation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
File Handling Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Part Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Post Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Geometry Creation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A Note About The <Option> Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Circles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Other Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Geometry Selection & Transformation Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Geometry Information Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Workgroup & Coordinate System Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Solids Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Tool Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
ToolGroup Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Machining Process Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Machining Operation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
View Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Commands To Work With External Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Text Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Excel Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Miscellaneous Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Debugging Macros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Parameters from GibbsCAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Part Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
MTM Setup Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Tool Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Process Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
All Process Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

i
 Table of Contents

Mill Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Lathe Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Utility Process Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Operation Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
All Operation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Mill-Type Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Lathe-Type Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Post Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using GibbsCAM Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Configuring the Macros Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Starting Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

MACRO LANGUAGE SAMPLES 50

Good Programming Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
GibbsCAM Macro Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Quick Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
User Input Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Geometry Creation Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Simple Geometry Selection and Rotation Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Machining Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Advanced Geometry Create & Transform Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Get WG List Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Get CS List Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Calculate the Extents of Part Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Backup the Current Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Create & Bag Solid Bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Convert A Part Between Inch & Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Save Geometry Data to a Text File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Run a Post Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Loop Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Known Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Executing the loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Results of 1st loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Results of 2nd loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Results of the final loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
The Math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Full Macro Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
First Example - "Macro3" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Macro3.mac Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Macro3.dlg Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
The Results of the Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Second Example - "Macro2" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Macro2.mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Macro2.dlg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Macro2Repeats.dlg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

INDEX 77

ii
MACRO LANGUAGE
REFERENCE
 Macro Language Reference

Macro Language Reference

THE GIBBSCAM MACRO LANGUAGE
ABOUT THE MACRO FUNCTION
GibbsCAM has a macro function that can be used to create geometry, import saved processes, and create
operations. The original intended use for the GibbsCAM Macros function was for family of parts programming.
With added functionality you will likely f ind uses for the macros function beyond programming family of parts
setups.

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

This document is a reference guide for the macro language and its use. This document is designed with the
assumption that you are prof icient with GibbsCAM and have some familiarity with programming macros or have
general programming experience.

ABOUT THE MACRO LANGUAGE

GibbsCAM macros are text f iles which are interpreted at run-time. There is no compiler stage for GibbsCAM
macros and the language used is similar to Basic. All macro f iles must be plain ASCII text f iles. You may use
Notepad or the text editor of your choice for creating macros. The macro f iles may be saved anywhere as they are
run from a menu in GibbsCAM. You add macros to the menu using the macro plug-in.

User input is available through a simple prompt for a single value, or a user def ined dialog (a .DLG f ile) that may
contain input boxes, check boxes and radio buttons.

Following is some general information about the GibbsCAM Macros and the syntax of the macros.

• GibbsCAM Macros are not case dependent.

• Tabs are not recognized, indenting must be done with spaces.

• There must be a comma and a space between arguments in a command.

• Angle values may be in either radians or degrees.

• Macros can call other macros.

2
 Macro Language Reference

LANGUAGE DESCRIPTION
VARIABLES
GibbsCAM Macro variables do not need to be, but can be declared. If a variable is not declared then it is
automatically def ined when it is used and is global. All numeric variables are double precision floating point
numbers ("floats").

GLOBAL <VARIABLE NAME>, <VAR NAME> ... , <VAR NAME>: Global variables are available to all macros from the
f irst run in an instance. Global variables do not need to be declared unless they are arrays. If a variable is not
declared, i.e. specif ically stated as "global" or "local" then it is considered global.

GLOBAL XVAL(10), YVAL(5), ABC, DEF$

In this example of an array "XVAL" is an array with 10 values, "YVAL" holds 5 values, "ABC" is a single numeric
value and "DEF$" holds a single string of text characters.

LOCAL <VARIABLE NAME>, <VAR NAME> ... , <VAR NAME>: A local variable is only available to the particular macro
in which it was def ined. Variables that are local to a macros must be declared before they are used. When you exit
the macro the variable is lost.

ARGS <VARIABLE NAME>, <VAR NAME> ... , <VAR NAME>: When you call another macro, you can pass values or
variables to that macro. Inside the macro that is called, you must declare these values using the ARGS command.
This will def ine variables that are local to the called macro that will hold the values passed to that macro.

CALL "example.mac", 1, ABC

Inside the "example.mac" macro:

ARGS NUM, COUNTER

In the "example.mac" macro, the local variable NUM will start with the value 1 (the f irst value passed to it) and
the local variable COUNTER will hold the value of the ABC variable in the calling macro. When the
"example.mac" macro is f inished, it will pass back the current value of COUNTER into the variable ABC.

FLOW CONTROL
GOTO <LABEL NAME>: Goto instructs the computer to jump to another point in the macro, specif ied by a label
name.

CALL <MACRO FILENAME>: Call instructs the macro to refer to another macro, specif ied by the name of the macro
to be referenced.

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 Macro Language Reference

FUNCTIONS, OPERATORS & EXPRESSIONS

Math
By default all trig functions work in radians, not degrees. You can change this during a macro by using the
command “degrees”, the command “radians” will switch the values back to radians. In the description of the
functions angled brackets ( < > ) indicate any valid expression that evaluates to a number.

The GibbsCAM Macros use the standard mathematical operators, i.e. +, -, /, *, <, > and =. Expressions follow the
standard order of operations. Parentheses are optional but are highly recommended to ensure calculation is
correct and to maximize readability.

**: This operator will raise a value to a power.

a = x**3

<>: This operator specif ies "not equal to".

if dir<>1 then message "Rotate"

INT <NUMBER>: When this command is placed in front of a value or numeric variable the number will be
truncated to an integer.

SQRT <NUMBER>: Return the square root of the given number.

ABS <NUMBER>: Return the absolute value of the given number.

SIN <NUMBER>: Return the sine of the given number. By default the result is in radians.

x= r1 * sin(a)

COS <NUMBER>: Return the cosine of the given number. By default the result is in radians.

x= r1 * cos(a)

TAN <NUMBER>: Return the tangent of the given number. By default the result is in radians.

x= r1 / tan(a)

ASIN <NUMBER>: Compute the arc sine of the given number. By default the result is in radians.

ACOS <NUMBER>: Compute the arc cosine of the given number. By default the result is in radians.

ATAN <NUMBER>: Compute the arc tangent of the given number. By default the result is in radians.

DEGREES: This command will switch all trig functions to work in degrees.

RADIANS: This command will switch all trig functions to work in radians.

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 Macro Language Reference

Strings
About Strings
Concatenation
Most macro operators (-, *, /, etc) don't operate on strings. The exception is +, which acts as a concatenation
operator.

var$ = "a little bit of text"

msg$ = "This string and " + var$

In this example the msg will be set to "This string and a little bit of text".

Embedding Variables
Variables can be embedded in strings at runtime by using the "%variable" syntax.

a = 3
b = 4
s = a * a + b * b
c = sqrt(s)
Message "The hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides of length %a and %b is %c."

In this example the message will be set to "The hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides of
length 3 and 4 is 5."

Special Characters
Linebreaks in strings may be represented with the "\n" special character sequence.

msg$ = "this\nand that"

In this example the message will be set to:

this
and that

Double quotes may be output in text strings using "\q" (or "\Q") .

a$= "\qSome text in quotes\q"

returns

"some text in quotes"

Certain characters may not be included in string literals. At this point, the following characters will cause errors:
percent sign (%), and exclamation point (!).

Commands With Strings

Commands that handle strings follow.

EVAL_TEXT <VARIABLE NAME>: This command will evaluate the contents of the string and save the result back into
the variable. This lets you evaluate an array with a variable index.

a$="this is %fred(i)"
i=3
a$=a$+" and %fred(i)"
message a$

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 Macro Language Reference

eval_text a$

This will return the current value of fred.

LEN <STRING>: Return the length of a string.

Ilen = len("abc")

ilen will be set to 3

Ilen = len(a$)

ilen will be set to the number of characters in the variable a$

LEFT$ <STRING>, <NUMBER OF CHARACTERS>: Return the leftmost number of characters from a string.

B$ = left$("ABCDE", 3)

B$ will be set to "ABC"

RIGHT$ <STRING>, <NUMBER OF CHARACTERS>: Return the rightmost number of characters from a string.

B$ = right$("ABCDE", 3)

B$ will be set to "CDE"

MID$ <STRING>, <FIRST CHARACTER>, <NUMBER OF CHARACTERS>: Return the characters from the middle of a
string.

B$ = mid$("ABCDE", 3, 2)

B$ will be set to "CD"

LTRIM$ <STRING>: Return the string with any leading spaces removed

RTRIM$ <STRING>: Return the string with any trailing spaces removed

TRIM$ <STRING>: Return the string with any leading and trailing spaces removed

UCASE$ <STRING>: Return the string with any characters converted to upper case

LCASE$ <STRING>: Return the string with any characters converted to lower case

FMT$ <STRING>, <FORMAT>: Return a numeric value, formatted as a text string. The format may contain:

0 A digit

# A digit if it is not a leading or trailing zero

. A decimal point

+ A plus sign if the number is positive

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 Macro Language Reference

B$ = fmt$(123.45, "0000.000")

B$ will be set to "0123.450"

CHR$: This command will take as ASCII code and output the associated character string.

ASC: This command takes the f irst character in a string and returns the ASCII code for that character

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 Macro Language Reference

CONDITIONAL LOGIC
IF <EXPRESSION> THEN <EXPRESSION>: The if/then loop is fairly standard. A basic logic command has the following
syntax.

IF <value 1> <condition> <value 2> THEN <macro command>

Several examples of logic commands follow.

IF a = b THEN c = d

IF (a+2) > (b * cos(c+d/2)) THEN call macro2

IF abc <> 3 THEN goto label10

IF messages=1 THEN IF dir<>1 THEN message "Rotate"

FOR <VARIABLE> = <START> TO <END>, [STEP <INTEGER>]: For loops are very straight forward. The STEP parameter
has a default value of 1 so you do not need to declare the STEP if the increment is 1. Several examples of FOR loops
follow.

FOR I = 1 TO 10
A = A + 1
NEXT I

FOR I=2 TO 6 STEP 2

FOR J = (I+1) TO 2
A = I + J
NEXT J
NEXT I

The f irst example increments "A" by 1 ten times. The second example has a FOR in a FOR.

NEXT <VARIABLE NAME>: The next command modif ies the FOR variable by the specif ied step and executes the
contents of the loop again.

CONTINUE: The continue command, when placed inside a loop, stops executing the current iteration of a loop and
returns to the top of the next iteration of the loop.

for i = 1 to 3
message "This message will appear three times."
if i = 2 then continue
message "This message will appear twice, for i = 1 and 3; it is bypassed for 2"
next i

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 Macro Language Reference

COMMANDS
Commands that require arguments use a comma as a delimiter between each argument. In the description of the
commands angled brackets ( < > ) indicate any valid expression that evaluates to a number. Square brackets ( [ ] )
indicate optional arguments. The pipe character ( | ) indicates individual valid parameter entries such as "CW |
CCW", which indicates clockwise or counter clockwise and "0 | 1" which indicates either "true or false" or "on or
off". Quite a few commands described here have the parameters "Left" and "Top". The "Left" parameter describes
the distance from the left edge of GibbsCAM or the dialog the parameter is in. The "Top" parameter describes the
distance from the top edge of GibbsCAM or the dialog the parameter is in.

Functions With String Return Values

Most macro commands have no return value or return a floating-point number. There are, however, a number of
commands which return a string. These functions are indicated by a $ after the command name. These commands
are documented in the “Commands With Strings” section of this manual. These functions must be called with
parentheses around the parameters.

msg$ = " AB CD "

msg2$ = rtrim$(msg$)

In this example the variable msg2 will be set to "AB CD"

User Input Commands

INPUT "PROMPT", <VARIABLE>, <DEFAULT>: This command will display a dialog with an input box for the user to
enter a value and is called from within the macro f ile. Please note that this command is different than the input
command used within a dialog, which is documented on page 10.

INPUT "Enter Width", w1, 10

The results of this code is a dialog with an input box that prompts the user to input a value with a default of
"10". This value will be assigned to the variable w1.

YESNO "PROMPT TEXT", <VARIABLE>, ["CAPTION"]: This command calls a dalog with "Yes" and "No" buttons. The
variable gets set to "0" for "No" and "1" for "Yes". If a caption is not set then the top of the dialog will simply say
"Custom Macro".

YESNO "Do you want to do this?", doit1, "You need to make a choice."

This will display a dialog with the caption "You need to make a choice" and the message "Do you want to do
this?". There will be YES and NO buttons. If you press "yes", the variable doit1 will be set to 1, if you press "no"
or close the dialog, it will be set to 0.

DIALOG "FILENAME": You can set up a technique to get input through a custom dialog. When run this command
will open the specif ied dialog.

DIALOG "MyMacro.dlg"

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 Macro Language Reference

Dialog Creation Commands

As stated in the “dialog "f ilename"” section, you may collect input from a user by creating a custom dialog. The
dialog must be def ined as a separate text f ile. A dialog text f ile must start with the “dialog "caption", <left>, <top>,
<width>, <height>” command. A dialog may then contain any combination of text labels, input boxes, check boxes
and radio buttons. There may be up to 10 each of the controls. A dialog must also contain an "Okay" and "Cancel"
button. A dialog may also contain an optional bitmap image.

DIALOG "CAPTION", <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>: This command def ines the left and top position of a
dialog followed by its width and height. This command must be the f irst command in a dialog text f ile.

DIALOG "Diamond Insert", 30, 50, 530, 390

This creates a dialog called Diamond Insert that is 530x390 pixels which will open 30 pixels from the left and 50
pixels from the top of the GibbsCAM window.

FONT <NAME>, <SIZE>: By default the Macros function uses the default system font for all text in a macro. This
command lets you specify the font used. If the font specif ied is not installed on the user’s system then the macro
will use the system default font.

FRAME <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, "TEXT": This command lets you place a frame within a dialog that can
include a text label. A frame is useful for organizing groups of controls.

FRAME 20, 240, 250, 100, "Angle Definition"

This creates a frame within a dialog that has a label that says Angle Definition. The frame is 250x100 pixels and
is offset by 20 pixels from the left and 240 pixels from the top of the dialog.

LABEL "TEXT", <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>: This command lets you place a text label in a dialog. You def ine
the left and top position within the dialog, followed by the size of the text, followed by what the text is. Each label
you create is automatically given an incrementing name, i.e. the f irst label in the dialog is referred to as "label1",
the second label is "label2", etc.

LABEL "Enter a value", 310, 39, 100, 24

This creates text that says Enter a value. The text is offset by 310 pixels from the left and 39 pixels from the top
of the dialog. The text has a maximum area of 100x24 pixels. If the text takes up more space than this it will be
clipped.

INPUT <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, <VARIABLE>, [<DEFAULT>]: This command lets you place a text input
box in a dialog. You def ine the left and top position within the dialog, followed by the size of the box, followed by
a variable name and, optionally, a default value. Each input you create is automatically given an incrementing
name, i.e. the f irst input in the dialog is referred to as "input1", the second input is "input2", etc.

INPUT 420, 35, 70, 24, a1, 10

This creates a text entry box that is offset by 420 pixels from the left and 35 pixels from the top of the dialog.
The box is 70x24 pixels. Whatever the user types into this box will be assigned to the variable "a1". This box has
a default value of "10".

CHECK <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, "LABEL", <VARIABLE NAME>, [<0|1>]: This command lets you place a
checkbox within a dialog. You def ine the left and top position within the dialog, followed by the size of the
checkbox, followed by the text that will appear, followed by a variable name and lastly by the default state. "0"
states that the checkbox is off, "1" states that the checkbox is on. If a default setting is not used the checkbox s

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 Macro Language Reference

automatically set off. Each check box you create is automatically given an incrementing name, i.e. the f irst check
box in the dialog is referred to as "check1", the second check box is "check2", etc.

CHECK 420, 35, 20, 20, "Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!" check1, 1

RADIO <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, "LABEL", <VAR NAME>, [<0|1>, <GROUP #>]: This command lets you
place a radio button within a dialog and you can group them together. You def ine the left and top position within
the dialog, followed by the size of the button, followed by the text that will appear, followed by a variable name.
Optionally you can specify whether the item is off (0, which is the default) or on (1) and assign the button to a
group, which is any integer value. Each radio button you create is automatically given an incrementing name, i.e.
the f irst radio button in the dialog is referred to as "radio1", the second radio button is "radio2", etc.

RADIO 40, 260, 200, 24, "Face Relief", opt1, 1, 1

RADIO 40, 285, 200, 24, "Diameter Relief", opt2, 0, 1

This code creates two radio buttons, the f irst is selected the second is not. The buttons are inset from the
dialog by 40 pixels and are 260 and 285 pixels from the top of the dialog. both occupy a 200x24 area, which
includes label text. The f irst button sets the variable "opt1" and the second button sets the variable "opt2". Face
Relief is enabled by default and both radio buttons are in group 1. See the "ON_EVENT" command for an
example of toggling radio buttons.

IMAGE <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, <FILENAME>: This command lets you place an image within a dialog.
You def ine the left and top position within the dialog, followed by the size of the image, followed by the name of
the image. The name may be simply the name of the f ile or it may be the entire path to the f ile. The image must be
a bitmap (.BMP) f ile. Each image you create is automatically given an incrementing name, i.e. the f irst image in
the dialog is referred to as "image1", the second image is "image2", etc.

IMAGE 20, 20, 250, 200, "UpLeft.bmp"

This code places the image "UpLeft.bmp" 20 pixels from the left and 20 pixels from the top of the dialog. The
image is given an area of 250x200 pixels.

OK <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, ["CAPTION"]: This command lets you place an "Okay" button within a
dialog. You def ine the left and top position within the dialog, followed by the size of the button. The CAPTION
option lets you change the text on the button.

OK 420, 316, 70, 24

This code creates an "OK" button that is 70x24pixels. The button is 420 pixels from the left and 316 pixels from
the top of the dialog.

CANCEL <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, ["CAPTION"]: This command lets you place a "Cancel" button within a
dialog. You def ine the left and top position within the dialog, followed by the size of the button. The CAPTION
option lets you change the text on the button.

CANCEL 310, 316, 70, 24

This code creates an "Cancel" button that is 70x24pixels. The button is 310 pixels from the left and 316 pixels
from the top of the dialog.

BUTTON <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, "LABEL", <VALUE>: This command lets you place a custom button
within a dialog. You def ine the left and top position within the dialog, followed by the size of the button, followed
by the text that will appear. This command def ines a variable called "button" that can be used to pass the value.

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 Macro Language Reference

BUTTON 250, 100, 40, 20, "Do it", 1

This creates a 40x20 pixel button labelled "Do it" that sets a value of 1 when the button is pressed.

ON_EVENT <CONTROL NAME>, <CONTROL NAME>, <"ENABLE" | "DISABLE" | "SHOW" | "HIDE">: This command is
used to control the enabling and disabling of controls. Following are two examples of this command’s use. The
f irst example illustrates displaying an image when a radio button is selected. The second example shows the
toggling action between radio buttons.

ON_EVENT radio3, image3, SHOW

ON_EVENT radio1, input1, ENABLE

ON_EVENT radio1, input2, DISABLE
ON_EVENT radio2, input1, DISABLE
ON_EVENT radio2, input2, ENABLE

We see two different uses of the on_event command. The f irst ("on_event radio3, image3, show") will display
image 3 when radio button 3 is clicked. The second example shows interactivity of radio buttons. When radio
button 1 is clicked "input1" will be enabled and "input2" will be disabled. When radio button 2 is clicked
"input1" will be disabled and "input2" will be enabled.

DROPDOWN_NEW <DROPDOWN #>, <LEFT>, <TOP>, <WIDTH>, <HEIGHT>, <VARIABLE>: This command lets you
create a dropdown menu within a dialog. The arguments <left> and <top> specify the where the top left corner of
the menu will be placed in the dialog. The <height> argument is the total height of the menu when dropped down,
which is different than other uses <height>, therefore the value should be fairly large to accommodate multiple
entries in the menu. The <variable> argument sets the name the dropdown menu’s value. You may def ine up to
twenty menus in a dialog.

DROPDOWN_NEW 1, 20, 20, 250, 100, drop1

This creates dropdown menu #1 20 pixels in from the top and left of a dialog. The menu is 250 pixels wide and
100 pixels tall when deployed. The selection will be assigned to the variable drop1.

DROPDOWN_ADD <DROPDOWN #>, <CAPTION>, <VALUE>: This command puts an entry into a dropdown menu.

DROPDOWN_ADD 1, "Create a Point", 10

DROPDOWN_ADD 1, "Create a Line", 20
DROPDOWN_ADD 1, "Create a Circle", 30

This dropdown menu has three entries. If the "Create a Circle" item is selected from the menu, the variable is
set to "30".

DROPDOWN_VAL <DROPDOWN #>, <VALUE>: This is an optional command that lets you specify a pre-selected
entry in the dropdown list. If this command is not used then the menu will automatically display the f irst item
def ined by "dropdown_add".

DROPDOWN_VAL 1, 20

The dropdown we are def ining will, by default, display the entry with the value "20".

DROPDOWN_EXCEL <DROPDOWN #>, <RANGE NUMBER>: This command maps an Excel range, which is set by using
the "excel_get_range" command. The "excel_get_range" command is used in the macro which calls the dialog. See
the Excel macro sample f ile for an example of this command’s use.

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 Macro Language Reference

SAVE_DEFAULTS: This command has no arguments. When the dialog is closed, it will save all of the dialog values in
a f ile that has the same name as the macro f ilename, but ending with "_in.ini" or "_mm.ini" depending on whether
the current units are inch or metric.

LOAD_DEFAULTS: This command has no arguments. It will set all of the dialog variables to the values that they
contained when the dialog was last used. The values will be read from the f ile previously saved using the
SAVE_DEFAULTS command.

COMMENTS
! Comments are noted by a leading exclamation point. To make a multi-line comment be sure to place an
exclamation point at the start of each line. Comments can be placed in-line with commands but anything
following the exclamation point will not be read by the macro.

RADIO 40, 260, 200, 24, "Face Relief", opt1, 1 ! 1 = default

Here we see a radio button being def ined. At the end of the line there is a comment.

Multi-Line comments can be split into individual lines using the following variables.

CR$: This is a variable mapped to the character strings for Carriage Return. This will help split comments into
multiple individual lines.

LF$: This is a variable mapped to the character strings for Line Feed. This will help split comments into multiple
individual lines.

CRLF$: This is a variable mapped to the character strings for Carriage Return and Line Feed. This will help split
comments into multiple individual lines.

LABELS
LABELS: A label is used as a pointer for references. A label is designated as a line of text with a colon ( : ) at the start
of the line.

if <value 1>=<value 1> goto option2

(...)
:option2 ! dia relief angle
a1 = 90-a2-a3
a4 = a1+(a2/2)

Here we see a logic test and if the test is true the macro will go to "option2". Further down the macro we f ind
":option2" which is the label for that section of the code. There is a comment to help us keep track of what the
code does. The last two lines are the actual code for option2.

13
 Macro Language Reference

GIBBS PART MANIPULATION COMMANDS

File Handling Commands
NEW_PART: This command will start a new f ile. This command has no arguments.

OPEN_PART "FILENAME": This command will open an existing f ile. If the f ile resides in the same directory as the
macro then the name does not need to be in quotes. Alternatively the f ilename can be a variable.

open_part "c:\Gibbs Parts\My Cool Macro-generated Part.vnc"

SAVE_PART: This command will save the current part. This command has no arguments.

SAVE_PART_AS <"FILENAME">: This command will save the current part with a new f ilename specif ied or data
from a variable. The name of the f ile must be specif ied within quotation marks.

FILE_DIALOG_NEW <CAPTION>: This command creates a new Windows Common Dialog with the given caption.

FILE_DIALOG_EXTENSION <DESCRIPTION>, <EXTENSION>: This command adds a value to the f ilename f ilter part of
the dialog box.

FILE_DIALOG_SHOW OPEN|SAVE <VARIABLE NAME>: This command shows the created dialog in "Open" or "Save"
mode.

FILE_DIALOG_NEW "Open GibbsCAM File"

FILE_DIALOG_EXTENSION "GibbsCAM Part Files (*.vnc)", "vnc"
FILE_DIALOG_EXTENSION "All Files (*.*)", "*"
FILE_DIALOG_SHOW OPEN, filename$
OPEN_PART filename$

Part Data
GET_PART_DATA <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get part specif ic data. A list of the
available parameters is provided in the section “Part Data” on page 34.

SET_PART_DATA <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set part specif ic data. A list of the available
parameters is provided in the section “Part Data” on page 34.

GET_SPINDLE_NUM <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get the number of the currently selected spindle.

SET_SPINDLE_NUM <SPINDLE NUMBER>: This command is used to set the number of the currently selected spindle.

GET_MTM_DATA <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get part specif ic data that is unique
to MTM. A list of the available parameters is provided in the section “MTM Setup Data” on page 34.

SET_MTM_DATA <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set part specif ic data that is unique to MTM. A
list of the available parameters is provided in the section “MTM Setup Data” on page 34.

Post Commands
GET_POST_DATA <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get data from the posting dialog. A
list of the available parameters is provided in the section “Post Data” on page 47.

SET_POST_DATA <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set data in the posting dialog. A list of the
available parameters is provided in the section “Post Data” on page 47.

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 Macro Language Reference

RUN_POST [<POST FILENAME>, <OUTPUT FILENAME>]: This command is used to run a post.

Geometry Creation Commands

The GibbsCAM Macro function has the ability to create geometry. When creating a point, line or circle you should
specify the feature’s number. These numbers are created within the macro memory, not within GibbsCAM. This is
done so that the feature may be selected. The system allows for up to 100 points, 100 lines and 100 circles.

A Note About The <Option> Argument

Quite a few of the geometry creation commands have the <option> argument. This argument is present in
commands that can result in more than one solution, such as a line tangent to a circle at a specif ic angle, which
has two solutions. The <option> argument provides for which solution will be chosen.

Each solution is calculated mathematically, so by trial and error you can see which one you will need. For example,
intersecting a line and circle to get a point will have 2 options. option 1 will always be the f irst intersection as you
look along the direction of the line. Intersecting 2 circles will have 2 solutions. Option 1 will always be the same
side of the line from the center of circle 1 to the center of circle 2.

Points
POINT <X>, <Y>: This command will create a point at the given position.

POINT x1, y1
POINT 10, 15

We see two different examples here. The f irst uses variables; a point will be created at the position specif ied by
variables from user input. The second example uses a hard-coded value; a point will be created at x10 y15. The
values are in part units.

CREATE_POINT <POINT NUMBER>: Points, lines and circles can be created internally in a macro that are in memory
but not drawn. These geometry features are used to calculate geometry, e.g. so you can create a point at the
intersection of a line and circle. This command takes a point def inition that is in memory and creates an actual
point at that location.

POINT_XY <POINT NUMBER>, <X>, <Y>: This command will create a point at the given position.

POINT_CA <POINT NUMBER>, <CIRCLE>, <ANGLE>: This command will create a point on a circle at an angle.

POINT_2L <POINT NUMBER>, <LINE>, <LINE>: This command will create a point at the intersection of two lines.

POINT_LC <POINT NUMBER>, <LINE>, <CIRCLE>, <OPTION>: This command will create a point at the intersection of a
line and circle.

POINT_2C <POINT NUMBER>, <CIRCLE>, <CIRCLE>, <OPTION>: This command will create a point at intersection of 2
circles.

POINT_2P <POINT NUMBER>, <POINT>, <POINT>: This command will create a point between two specif ied points.

POINT_GET_DATA <POINT NUMBER>, <X>, <Y>: This command acquires the data for the point specif ied.

point_get_data 10, xx, yy

This example shows us getting the X and Y coordinates for point #10. The coordinate data is put into the
variables xx and yy.

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 Macro Language Reference

POINT_COPY <POINT NUMBER>, <NEW POINT NUMBER>: This command will create a copy of the specif ied point.
The copied point is given a number.

point_copy 1, 99

This example shows point 1 being duplicated and the new point being set as point 99.

POINT_TRANSLATE <POINT NUMBER>, <DX>, <DY>: This command will move the specif ied point by an amount in X
and Y.

point_translate 1, 3, -5

This example shows point 1 being moved by 3 part units in X and -5 part units in Y.

POINT_ROTATE <POINT NUMBER>, <XC>, <YC>, <ANGLE>: This command will rotate the point about a specif ied
location at an angle. Negative values are valid.

point_rotate 1, 0, 0, 45
point_rotate 2, -3, -3, -45

This example shows point 1 being rotated about X0Y0 by 45 degrees and point 2 being rotated about X-3Y-3 by
-45 degrees.

POINT_MIRROR <POINT NUMBER>, <AXIS>, <VAL>: This command will reflect the specif ied point across the
specif ied axis at a particular value.

point_mirror 1, x, 0
point_mirror 2, y, 5

This example shows point 1 being reflected across the X axis and point 2 being reflected across Y5, from its
present position.

POINTS: This command takes no arguments This command lets you can create a group of pre-selected points.
Within brackets you def ine the various points in the group using any combination of the point creation
commands.

POINTS [
POINT 1, 2
POINT 3, 2
POINT 3, 5
]

After these commands there will be 3 points, [at (1,2), (3,2) and (3,5)] and they are all selected. At this point you
can load a drilling process to create a drilling operation.

Lines
LINE_2P <LINE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <POINT>: This command will create a line though 2 points.

line_2p 1, 3, 4
line_2p 2, varp1, varp2

The f irst example shows line #1 being created through point 3 and point 4. The second example shows line #2
being created through points that are variables.

16
 Macro Language Reference

LINE_HP <LINE NUMBER>, <POINT>: This command will create a horizontal line though a point.

line_hp 5, 1

This example shows horizontal line #5 being created through point #1.

LINE_VP <LINE NUMBER>, <POINT>: This command will create a vertical line though a point.

line_vp 5, 1

This example shows vertical line #5 being created through point #1.

LINE_PA <LINE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <ANGLE>: This command will create a line though a point at an angle.

line_pa 2, 1, 30

This example shows line #2 being created through point #1 at 30 degrees.

LINE_PC <LINE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <CIRCLE>, <OPTION>: This command will create a line though a point tangent to
a circle.

LINE_CA <LINE NUMBER>, <CIRCLE>, <ANGLE>, <OPTION>: This command will create a line tangent to a circle at a
specif ic angle.

LINE_2C <LINE NUMBER>, <CIRCLE>, <CIRCLE>, <OPTION>: This command will create a line tangent to two circles.

LINE_LD <LINE NUMBER>, <LINE>, <DISTANCE>: This command will create a line offset from another line at a
specif ied distance.

LINE_COPY <LINE NUMBER>, <NEW LINE NUMBER>: This command will create a copy of the specif ied line. The
copied line is given a number.

line_copy 1, 99

This example shows line 1 being duplicated and the new line being set as line 99.

CREATE_LINE <LINE NUMBER>: Points, lines and circles can be created internally in a macro that are in memory but
not drawn. These geometry features are used to calculate geometry, e.g. so you can create a point at the
intersection of a line and circle. This command takes a line def inition that is in memory and creates an actual line
at that location.

LINE <X1>, <Y1>, <X2>, <Y2>: This command has been deprecated. Use one of the other line creation commands
instead.

17
 Macro Language Reference

Circles
CIRCLE <XC>, <YC>, <RADIUS>: This command will create a circle with a given center point and radius. Upon
creation the circle is def ined by CircleRef(+1).

CIRCLE cpx, cpy, rad1

CIRCLE x0, y0, 10

We see two different examples here. The f irst uses variables; a circle with a radius def ined by rad1 will be
created with its center at cpx, cpy. These variables will be determined at runtime from user input. The second
example uses a hard-coded value; a 10 part unit radius circle will be created at the part origin.

CREATE_CIRCLE <CIRCLE NUMBER>: Points, lines and circles can be created internally in a macro that are in memory
but not drawn. These geometry features are used to calculate geometry, e.g. so you can create a point at the
intersection of a line and circle. This command takes a circle def inition that is in memory and creates an actual
circle at that location.

CIRCLE_CR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT #>, <RAD>: This command will create a circle using an existing point for the
center point with a specif ied radius.

CIRCLE_CP <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT1>, <POINT2>: This command will create a circle using two points, the f irst is
the center point and the second specif ies the radius.

CIRCLE_2P <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <POINT>: This command will create a circle using two points two def ine
the diameter.

CIRCLE_2PR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <POINT>, <RAD>, <OPTION>: This command will create a circle using two
points that are on the radius with a stated radius value.

CIRCLE_2LR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <LINE>, <LINE>, <RAD>, <OPTION>: This command will create a circle with a
specif ied radius tangent to two lines.

CIRCLE_3P <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <POINT>, <POINT>: This command will create a circle through three points.

CIRCLE_PL <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <LINE>: This command will create a circle with the specif ied point at the
center, that is tangent to a line.

CIRCLE_PLR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <LINE>, <RAD>, <OPTION>: This command will create a circle with the
specif ied point at the center, that is tangent to a line and has a specif ied radius.

CIRCLE_PC <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <CIRCLE>: This command will create a circle with the specif ied point at the
center, that is tangent to a circle.

CIRCLE_PCR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <POINT>, <CIRCLE>, <RAD>, <OPTION>: This command will create a circle with the
specif ied point at the center, that is tangent to another circle and has a specif ied radius.

CIRCLE_LCR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <LINE>, <CIRCLE>, <RAD>, <OPTION>: This command will create a circle with a
specif ied radius that is tangent to a line and a circle.

CIRCLE_2CR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <CIRCLE>, <CIRCLE>, <RAD>, <OPTION>: This command will create a circle with a
specif ied radius that is tangent to two circles.

CIRCLE_GET_DATA <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <CX>, <CY>, <RAD>: This command acquires the data for the circle specif ied.

18
 Macro Language Reference

circle_get_data 10, xx, yy, rr

This example shows us getting the X and Y coordinates and the radius value for circle #10. The coordinate data
is put into the variables xx, yy and rr.

CIRCLE_COPY <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <NEW CIRCLE NUMBER>: This command will create a copy of the specif ied circle.
The copied circle is given a number.

circle_copy 1, 99

This example shows circle 1 being duplicated and the new circle being set as circle 99.

CIRCLE_TRANSLATE <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <DX>, <DY>: This command will move the specif ied circle by an amount in
X and Y.

circle_translate 1, 3, -5

This example shows circle 1 being moved by 3 part units in X and -5 part units in Y.

CIRCLE_ROTATE <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <XC>, <YC>, <ANGLE>: This command will rotate the circle about a specif ied
location at an angle. Negative values are valid.

circle_rotate 1, 0, 0, 45
circle_rotate 2, -3, -3, -45

This example shows circle 1 being rotated about X0Y0 by 45 degrees and circle 2 being rotated about X-3Y-3 by
-45 degrees.

CIRCLE_MIRROR <CIRCLE NUMBER>, <AXIS>, <VAL>: This command will reflect the specif ied circle across the
specif ied axis at a particular value.

circle_mirror 1, x, 0
circle_mirror 2, y, 5

This example shows circle 1 being reflected across the X axis and circle 2 being reflected across Y5, from its
present position.

19
 Macro Language Reference

Other Geometry
CONTOUR [ ]: The macro function lets you can create a contour comprised of lines and/or circular arcs. Within
brackets you def ine the starting position of the shape followed by the lines and arcs that def ine the shape. The
contour def inition is terminated by a ].

contour [
start r1, 0
line l1-r1, 0
line l1, h2-r2
line l2+r2, h2
line l2, h1-r2
line r1, h1
line 0, r1
]

<REF> = CONTOURREF: Once the contour def inition is terminated, the variable ContourRef is set to the reference
number of the contour.

myShape = ContourRef

START <X>, <Y>: This is the starting position of the contour you are def ining.

START 0, 0

LINE <X>, <Y>: This is the starting position of a line in a contour shape.

LINE varx1, vary1

LINE 0, 0

We see two different examples here. The f irst uses variables; a line will be created that starts at the intersection
of varx1 and vary1. These variables will be determined at runtime from user input. The second example uses a
hard-coded value; a line will be created that starts at the part origin. The values are in part units.

ARC <XC>, <YC>, <X>, <Y>, "CW" | "CCW": This command states the centerpoint, radius def ined by a position, and
the direction of an arc.

ARC xc2, yc2, x2+tx2, y2+ty2, ccw

ARC 9, 1, 9, 0, ccw

We see two different examples here. The f irst uses variables; a counter clockwise arc whose centerpoint is the
intersection of xc2, yc2, with an end point at (x2+tx2), (y2+ty2). These variables will be determined at runtime
from user input. The second example uses a hard-coded value; a counter clockwise arc whose centerpoint is
X9, Y1 with an end point at X9, Y0. The values are in part units.

FIT_CURVE <TOLERANCE>, <UNIFORM | CHORD_LEN | FOLEY | CENTRIPETAL>: This command will create a curve
between points using one of four modes, either uniform, chord length, Foley’s or centripetal. See the Geometry
Creation manual for more information on the differences between these types of curves.

20
 Macro Language Reference

Geometry Selection & Transformation Commands

Geometry selection is controlled using the commands.

SELECT_GEO <REF NUM>: Select the given geometry feature, this will be added to the currently selected geometry.
Once selected, geometry may be transformed using the Translate, Rotate, Scale or Mirror functions.

SELECT_GEO line1

SELECT_ALL_GEO: This command will select all geometry in the current workgroup. There are no arguments for
this command. Once selected, geometry may be transformed using the Translate, Rotate, Scale or Mirror
functions.

SELECT_SHAPE <REF>: This command will select a shape. The shape reference number may be the number of any
feature on that shape, the GibbsCAM Macro function will automatically select all features that are connected to
the given feature. Once selected, geometry may be transformed using the Translate, Rotate, Scale or Mirror
functions.

SELECT_SHAPE myShape

DESELECT_ALL_GEO: This command will deselect all geometry. This is typically used before selecting shapes to
ensure you do not get multiple/incorrect selections and at the end of a macro. There are no arguments for this
command.

DESELECT_GEO <REF NUM>: This command will deselect the given geometry feature.

DESELECT_GEO line1

SELECT_REF <REF>: This command has been deprecated by “select_geo <ref num>”.

GET_SELECTION_LIST <LIST NUMBER>: This command gets a list of all currently selected geometry and saves that list
for later use. For example you may have a matrix of points selected. Creating a selection list lets you save this
particular grouping for use later, such as after creating more geometry. The "get_selection_list" command saves the
current selection. You may have up to 10 selection lists.

SET_SELECTION_LIST <LIST NUMBER>, [<OPTION>]: Select the geometry that was previously saved in the given
selection list number. If you set the option to 1, then any currently selected geometry will remain selected, setting
it 0 (the default) will deselect all geometry before selecting the geometry in the list.

TRANSLATE_GEO <DX>, <DY>, [ <DZ>, <# OF COPIES>]: This command will move the selected geometry by the given
amount. Numbers may be positive or negative. Optionally you may also change the depth of the geometry and/or
translate the geometry multiple times.

TRANSLATE_GEO 5, -2, 2

This command will move selected geometry by 5 part units in X, -2 units in Y and 2 units in Z. Typically this
command will be used with variables whose values are set at runtime.

ROTATE_GEO <XC>, <YC>, <ANGLE IN DEGREES>, [<# OF COPIES>]: This command will rotate the selected geometry
about the specif ied position by the specif ied number of degrees. Numbers may be positive or negative. Optionally
you may also rotate the geometry multiple times.

ROTATE_GEO 5, 0, 45

21
 Macro Language Reference

This command will rotate the selected geometry by 45 degrees about X5, Y0. Typically this command will be
used with variables whose values are set at runtime.

SCALE_GEO <FACTOR>: This command will scale the selected geometry.

SCALE_GEO 0.1

SCALE_GEO 25.4

The f irst example command will scale the selected geometry to 10% of its current size. The second example
will scale the selected geometry to 25.4 times its current size. Typically this command will be used with
variables whose values are set at runtime.

MIRROR_GEO <AXIS>, <AXIS VALUE>, [<# OF COPIES>]: This command will flip the selected geometry at the
specif ied point along a specif ic axis. The "axis" parameter for the mirror command is either X or Y. Optionally you
may also create more than one copy of the mirrored geometry.

MIRROR_GEO X, 5

MIRROR_GEO Y, 0

The f irst example command will flip the selected shape about X5. The second example command will flip the
geometry about Y0. Typically this command will be used with variables whose values are set at runtime.

DELETE_GEO <GEO REF>: Delete a geometry feature.

DELETE_SHAPE <SHAPE REF>: Delete a complete shape.

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 Macro Language Reference

Geometry Information Commands

These commands let you acquire data from a feature.

GET_NUM_FEAT_SELECTED <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the number of features currently selected.

GET_SELECTED_GEO_REF <NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the GibbsCAM feature reference number for one of
the currently selected features. <NUMBER> is a value between 1 and the number of selected features.

GET_NUM_FEAT_SELECTED inum
FOR I = 1 to inum
GET_SELECTED_GEO_REF i, iref
DEBUG iref
NEXT i

In the above example, assume that there were 3 features currently selected. The variable inum would be set to 3
and the macro would loop 3 times displaying the GibbsCAM feature number for the f irst selected feature, then
the second selected feature followed by the third.

GET_FEAT_TYPE <NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the type of selected feature. The variable will be set to:

1 = Point 2 = Line 3 = Circle

4 = Arc 5 = Curve

GET_FEAT_START <GEO_REF>, <CS>, <XS>, <YS>, [<ZS>]: Get the start position data of the selected feature. If <CS> is
set to 0, the position is in the local feature CS, any other value will return the positions in the world CS.

GET_FEAT_END <GEO REF>, <CS>, <XE>, <YE>, [<ZE>]: Get the end position data of the selected feature.

GET_CIRCLE_DATA <GEO REF>, <CS>, <RAD>, <XC>, <YC>, [<ZC>]: Get the center position data of the selected feature.
If the feature is not a circle, the macro will stop processing.

GET_ARC_DATA <GEO REF>, <CS>, <RAD>, <DIR>, <XC>, <YC>, [<ZC>]: Get the center position data of the selected
feature. If the feature is not an arc, the macro will stop processing.

Workgroup & Coordinate System Commands

NEW_CS [XY, <NAME>, <X>, <Y>, <Z>] | [XZ, <NAME>, <X>, <Y>, <Z>] | [YZ , <NAME>, <X>, <Y>, <Z>] | [3P, <NAME>,
<X1>, <Y1>, <Z1>, <X2>, <Y2>, <Z2>, <X3>, <Y3>, <Z3>]: This command creates a new coordinate system. There are
four ways the CS may be def ined. In each case, you provide the name for the new CS as either text inside double
quotes, or a string variable that contains the CS name. GibbsCAM will allocate the CS number and this number
will be saved in the variable CsNumber.

1. ,
Based on the XY plane [xy <name>, <x>, <y>, <z>] This CS will be aligned to the XY plane and its origin
will be at the XYZ coordinates specif ied.

,
2. Based on the XZ plane [xz <name>, <x>, <y>, <z>]. This CS will be aligned to the XZ plane and its origin
will be at the XYZ coordinates specif ied.

,
3. Based on the YZ plane[yz <name>, <x>, <y>, <z>]. This CS will be aligned to the YZ plane and its origin
will be at the XYZ coordinates specif ied.

,
4. Based on three points [3p <name>, <x1>, <y1>, <z1>, <x2>, <y2>, <z2>, <x3>, <y3>, <z3>].
This option allows you to create a CS that is aligned to three arbitrary points. The new CS’s origin will be

23
 Macro Language Reference

placed at the f irst point. The second point def ines any position along the H axis and the third point is any
position along the V axis.

SET_CS <CS NUMBER>: Select the given CS number.

GET_CS <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the number of the currently selected CS.

GET_CS_LIST: This command is one of three commands used to iterate through the CS list. Once called it enables
the use of the number_of_css and next_cs_number commands. See the example macro “Get CS List Info” on
page 55 for a good example of this and related commands.

NUMBER_OF_CSS: This command is the second of three commands used to iterate through the CS list.This
command stores a variable for the number of coordinate systems in a part.

NEXT_CS_NUMBER: This command is the third of three commands used to iterate through the CS list. This
command iterates to the next CS.

GET_CS_NAME <CS NUMBER>, <VARIABLE>: This command is used to acquire the name of a particular CS. The f irst
variable is the CS number and the second variable is the name of the CS.

SET_CS_NAME <CS NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the name of the given CS number.

GET_GEO_CS <GEO REF>, <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the CS number associated with the given feature number and
return the CS number in the variable.

SET_GEO_CS <GEO REF>, <VALUE>: Change the CS of a geometry feature.

GET_GEO_AIR <GEO REF>, <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the Air/Wall attribute of a geometry feature. If it is Air, the
variable will be set to 1, if not it will be set to 0.

SET_GEO_AIR <GEO REF>, <VALUE>: Change the Air/Wall attribute of a geometry feature. 1 will set it to Air, 0 to
Wall.

NEW_WG <WG NUMBER>: This command creates a new workgroup. Typically a variable will be used for the
workgroup number to increment to the next WG.

SET_WG <WG NUMBER>: Set the current Workgroup to the given workgroup number.

GET_WG <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the number of the currently selected Workgroup.

GET_WG_NAME <WG NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: Get the name of the given Workgroup number.

GET_CS_SPINDLE <CS>, <VARIABLE>: This command retrieves the spindle number associated with a given CS.

24
 Macro Language Reference

Solids Commands
EXTRUDE <ZS>, <ZE>: This command will create an extruded solid from a selected closed shape. Def ine the starting
and ending Z values, relative to the current coordinate system. The order of the values does not matter, i.e. the +Z
or the -Z can be f irst or last.

extrude 10, -10

extrude -10, 10

The examples shown here will create identical solids, extruded by 10 part units.

REVOLVE H <VALUE>, <ANGLE> | V <VALUE>, <ANGLE>: This command will create a revolved solid from selected
geometry about either the horizontal or vertical axis. The <value> parameter states the position about which the
shape will be revolved and the <angle> specif ies how many degrees the revolution should be, with 360 being the
maximum value.

revolve v, 0, 360
revolve h, 1, 180

These examples will create a shape that is revolved 360 degrees about the vertical axis and a shape that is
revolved 180 degrees about H+1.

TRANSLATE_SOLID <DX>, <DY>, [<DZ>, <NUM COPIES>]: This command will move the selected solid by the given
amount. Numbers may be positive or negative. Optionally you may also move the solid along the depth axis and/or
translate the solid multiple times.

ROTATE_SOLID <XC>, <YC>, <ANGLE>, [<NUM COPIES>]: This command will rotate the selected solid about the
specif ied position by the specif ied number of degrees. Numbers may be positive or negative. Optionally you may
also rotate the solid multiple times.

MIRROR_SOLID <AXIS>, <AXIS VALUE>, [<# OF COPIES>: This command will flip the reflect the currently selected
solid across the specif ied point along a specif ic axis. The "axis" parameter for the mirror command is either X or Y.
Optionally you may also make more than one copy of the mirrored solid.

SCALE_SOLID <SCALE FACTOR>: This command will scale the selected solid.

SCALE_SOLID 0.1

SCALE_SOLID 25.4

The f irst example command will scale the selected solid to 10% of its current size. The second example will
scale the selected solid to 25.4 times its current size. Typically this command will be used with variables whose
values are set at runtime.

SOLID_UNION <SOLID REF>, <SOLID REF>: This command will perform the Union boolean function on the two
specif ied solids.

SOLID_SUBTRACT <SOLID REF>, <SOLID REF>: This command will perform the Subtract boolean function on the two
specif ied solids.

SOLID_INTERSECT <SOLID REF>, <SOLID REF>: This command will perform the Intersection boolean function on the
two specif ied solids.

SELECT_SOLID <SOLID REF>: This command will select the specif ied solid body.

25
 Macro Language Reference

SELECT_ALL_SOLIDS: This command will select all solids, both in the workspace and the Body Bag if it is open. This
command has no arguments.

DELETE_SOLID <SOLID REF>: This command will deselect the specif ied solid body.

DESELECT_ALL_SOLIDS: This command will deselect all solids, both in the workspace and the Body Bag if it is open.
This command has no arguments.

GET_SOLID_BAGGED <SOLID REF>, <VARIABLE NAME>, <0 | 1>: This command will check if the given solid is in our
out of the body bag. 1 means that it is in the bag, 0 means that it is not.

SET_SOLID_BAGGED <SOLID REF>, <0 | 1 >: This command will put a specif ied solid in the Body Bag or take it out.
"0" takes the body out of the Body Bag while "1" puts it in the Body Bag.

Tool Commands
GET_TOOL_LIST [0 | 1]: This command creates a list of tools in the Tool list. This command does not require any
arguments, by default the it looks at the entire list (which is "0"). Alternatively you can use "1" in the argument
and the command will create a list only of selected tools. Once the list is generated the macro sets the variables
number_of_tools, first_tool_number, last_tool_number and first_free_tool_number. This allows the
macro to determine how many tools there are, what the number of the f irst tool is and the number of the f irst
empty tile. Then you can use the variable next_tool_number. The f irst time you use this it is set to the number of
the f irst tool, the next time it is set to the second tool and each time you use it the number is incremented to the
next tool. So you can use a FOR/NEXT loop to look at each tool.

GET_TOOL_LIST 1

This command creates a list in memory of the selected tools in the tool list. It also sets four variables that let
you look through the list of selected tools.

CREATE_MILL_TOOL <NUMBER>: This command creates a new mill-type tool. The tool is created in the Tool list at
the tile number specif ied

CREATE_LATHE_TOOL <NUMBER>: This command creates a new lathe-type tool. The tool is created in the Tool list
at the tile number specif ied

DELETE_TOOL <NUMBER>: This command deletes the tool that occupies the specif ied position in the Tool list.

NUMBER_OF_TOOLS: This command has no arguments.

GET_TOOL_STATUS <TOOL NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command determines the state of a tool tile. A
returned value of "0" means the tile position is empty, "1" means that the tool is def ined and valid while a value of
"-1" means that not all of the data required to def ine the tool has been def ined.

GET_TOOL_DATA <TOOL NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get tool specif ic
data. A list of the available parameters is provided in the section “Tool Data” on page 35.

SET_TOOL_DATA <TOOL NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set tool specif ic data. A list
of the available parameters is provided in the section “Tool Data” on page 35.

contour [
start 1, 0
line 1, 1

26
 Macro Language Reference

line 1, 2
line 2, 2
]

iShapeRef = ContourRef
set_tool_data 1, mtool_holder, 11
set_tool_data 1, holder_shape_ref, iShapeRef

This code def ines a very simple, geometry-based shape for a mill tool holder using the holder_shape_ref
option.

GET_TOOL_SELECTED <TOOL NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to check if a given tool number
is currently def ined. If it is the variable is set to 1, otherwise it will be set to 0.

SELECT_TOOL <NUMBER>: This command selects the tool that occupies the specif ied position in the Tool list.

SELECT_ALL_TOOLS: This command selects all tools in the tool list. This command has no arguments.

DESELECT_TOOL <TOOL NUMBER>: This command deselects the tool that occupies the specif ied position in the
Tool list.

DESELECT_ALL_TOOLS: This command deselects all tools in the tool list. This command has no arguments.

ToolGroup Commands
GET_TG_DATA <SPINDLE #>, <TOOLGROUP #>, <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get the
tool change position for a given toolgroup. The command requires input for the spindle currently being
referenced, the tool group number, a parameter and a variable name to store the data. The valid parameters for
this command are tool_change_x, tool_change_y and tool_change_z.

SET_TG_DATA <SPINDLE #>, <TOOLGROUP #>, <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set the tool
change position for a given toolgroup. The command requires input for the spindle currently being referenced, the
tool group number, a parameter and a value to assign to the parameter. The valid parameters for this command are
tool_change_x, tool_change_y and tool_change_z.

Machining Process Commands

Processes are used to make operations. This set of commands lets you def ine and manipulate process data and
create one or more operations.

GET_PROC_LIST [0 | 1]: This command creates a list of processes in the Process list. This command does not require
any arguments, by default the it looks at the entire list (which is "0"). Alternatively you can use "1" in the argument
and the command will create a list only of selected processes. Once the list is generated the macro sets the
variables number_of_procs, first_proc_number, last_proc_number and first_free_proc_number. This
allows the macro to determine how many processes there are, what the number of the f irst process is and the
number of the f irst empty tile. Then you can use the variable next_proc_number. The f irst time you use this it is
set to the number of the f irst process, the next time it is set to the second process and each time you use it it is
incremented to the next process. So you can use a FOR/NEXT loop to look at each process.

GET_PROC_LIST 1

This command creates a list in memory of the selected processes in the Process list. It also sets four variables that
let you look through the list of selected processes.

27
 Macro Language Reference

CREATE_PROC <NUMBER>: This command creates a process. You must follow this with commands to set the
process type and process values using SET_PROC_DATA commands

DELETE_PROC <PROCESS NUMBER>: This command deletes the process number specif ied from the Process list.

GET_PROC_STATUS <PROCESS NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command checks the status of a given process
number. The variable will be set to 0 if the process tile is empty, 1 if it contains a valid process def inition and –1 if
contains a partially complete process.

GET_PROC_DATA <PROCESS NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get process
data. A list of the available parameters is provided in the section “Process Data” on page 36.

SET_PROC_DATA <PROCESS NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set process data. A list of
the available parameters is provided in the section “Process Data” on page 36.

GET_UTIL_PROC_DATA <PROCESS NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get data
from a utility process. A list of the available parameters is provided in the section “Utility Process Data” on page 41.

SET_UTIL_PROC_DATA <PROCESS NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set data for a utility
process. A list of the available parameters is provided in the section “Utility Process Data” on page 41.

CLEAR_PROC_LIST: This command will delete all of the processes in the Process list. This command has no
arguments.

LOAD_PROC <"FILENAME">: This command enables a macro to load a stored/saved process. The name may be
simply the name of the f ile or it may be the entire path to the f ile. This command deprecates "load_process".

LOAD_PROC "c:\Documents and Settings\wilg\Desktop\SavedProcess3.prc"

CALC_PROC: This command enables a macro to calculate toolpath and create one or more operations. A process
must have been set or loaded for this command to work. This is the equivalent to clicking the "Do It" button. This
command deprecates "calc_process".

GET_PROC_SELECTED <PROCESS NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to check if a given process is
currently selected. The variable will be set to 1 if it is, 0 if not.

SELECT_PROC <PROCESS NUMBER>: This command will select the Process tile specif ied.

SELECT_ALL_PROCS: This command will select all of the processes in the Process list. This command has no
arguments.

DESELECT_PROC <PROCESS NUMBER>: This command will deselect the Process tile specif ied.

DESELECT_ALL_PROCS: This command will deselect all of the processes in the Process list. This command has no
arguments.

SET_MARKERS <0 | 1 | 2 (TOOL SIDE)>, <START FEAT>, <START DIST>, <END FEAT>, <END DIST>, [<DIRECTION>, <SINGLE
FEATURE>]: This command lets you specify how the machining markers are set prior to creating toolpath.

<Tool side> values may be "0" (no offset), "1" (tool left) or "2" (tool right).

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 Macro Language Reference

<Start feat> specif ies which geometry feature to start on. Valid values are integers where "1" is the f irst feature in
the contour, "2" is the second feature, etc.

<Start dist> specif ies the distance along the start feature at which to start machining. Valid values are a percentage
along the feature expressed as a decimal, where "-0.1" is 10% of the feature length before the start of the feature,
"0.5" is halfway along the feature and "0.9" is 90% of the way along the feature.

<End feat> specif ies which geometry feature to end on. Valid values are integers where "1" is the f irst feature in
the contour, "2" is the second feature, etc.

<End dist> specif ies the distance along the end feature at which to stop machining. Valid values are a percentage
along the feature expressed as a decimal, where "-0.1" will start before the feature by 10% of the feature length,
"0.5" is halfway along the feature and "1.1" is 10% of the feature length past the end of the feature.

<Direction> is set to 1 to machine in the direction that the shape was created, 0 to machine in the opposite
direction.

<Single Feature> is set to 1 if the shape is to be cut as a single feature shape.

SET_MARKERS 0, 1, -0.05, 4, 1.05 1 0

This example sets the machining markers to cut on center, starting off of the f irst feature by 5% of the feature
length. The 4th feature is the last to be cut and the toolpath will f inish off the end of the feature by 5% of its
length. The markers are set to go all the way around and cut in the direction the shape was made.

Machining Operation Commands

Operations contain toolpath data and are what gets rendered by and postprocessed GibbsCAM. This set of
commands lets you manipulate operation data.

GET_OP_LIST [0 | 1]: This command creates a list of operations in the Operations list. This command does not
require any arguments, by default the it looks at the entire list (which is "0"). Alternatively you can use "1" in the
argument and the command will create a list only of selected processes. Once the list is generated the macro sets
the variables number_of_ops, first_op_number, last_op_number and first_free_op_number. This allows
the macro to determine how many operations there are, what the number of the f irst operation is and the number
of the f irst empty tile. Then you can use the variable next_op_number. The f irst time you use this it is set to the
number of the f irst operation, the next time it is set to the second operation and each time you use it it is
incremented to the next operation. So you can use a FOR/NEXT loop to look at each operation.

GET_OP_LIST 1

This command creates a list in memory of the selected operations in the Operations list. It also sets four variables
that let you look through the list of selected operations.

GET_OP_STATUS <NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command gets the status of the given operation tile number.
0 means that it is empty, 1 means that it contains a valid operation and –1 means it is a partially completed
operation tile.

DELETE_OP <NUMBER>: This command deletes the operation number specif ied from the Operation list.

GET_OP_DATA <NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to get data from an operation
process. A list of the available parameters is provided in the section “Operation Data” on page 43.

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 Macro Language Reference

SET_OP_DATA <NUMBER>, <PARAMETER>, <VALUE>: This command is used to set data for an operation process. A
list of the available parameters is provided in the section “Operation Data” on page 43.

GET_OP_SELECTED <NUMBER>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command is used to check if a given operation tile is
currently selected. The variable will be set to 1 if it is, 0 if not.

SELECT_OP <NUMBER>: This command will select the Operation tile that is specif ied.

SELECT_ALL_OPS: This command will select all of the operations in the Operation List. This command has no
arguments.

DESELECT_OP <NUMBER>: This command will deselect the Operation tile that is specif ied.

DESELECT_ALL_OPS: This command will deselect all of the operations in the Operation List. This command has no
arguments.

DESELECT_OPS: This command has been deprecated by “deselect_all_ops”. Use that command instead.

View Commands
SET_VIEW <TOP | FRONT | LEFT | RIGHT | BACK | ISO | HOME>: This command will set the view of the part to one of
the seven standard views, either top, front, left, right, back, isometric or the home view for the current CS.

ZOOM_VIEW <(ZOOM FACTOR)>: This command will zoom in or out on the parts based on the zoom factor entered.
A value of "0" is unzoom, meaning the stock boundary will f it the screen. The zoom factor must be a positive
floating point value. A factor of "0.5" will set the view to half the current size, "1" is the current view size and "2"
is double the current size.

SHRINK_WRAP: This command will enact the Shrink Wrap function, causing the stock to shrink or expand to the
bounds of all geometry and solids. This command has no arguments.

REDRAW: This command will force the screen to redraw. This is typically used at the end of macro to ensure the
user sees what has been done if the system does not force a redraw.

COMMANDS TO WORK WITH EXTERNAL DATA

The GibbsCAM Macros function can read and write to text f iles and can also extract data from Microsoft Excel®
spreadsheets.

RUN_EXE "APPLICATION FILENAME", ["TEXT" | <VAR NAME>]: This command will launch the specif ied application.
The path to the application is required. The optional parameter is simply passed to the EXE that is being run as a
command line argument. The optional parameter may be a string of text in quotes or a text variable.

So in the example you found, the result is the same as running notepad with a command line argument that is the
contents of the variable $output_f ile. Instead of a variable, you could just as easily have the second argument as a
string of text in double quotes, (for example run_exe "\Windows\System32\Notepad.exe", "c:\myf ile.txt")

run_exe "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\EXCEL.EXE"

run_exe "\Windows\System32\Notepad.exe", "c:\myfile.txt"

run_exe "\Windows\System32\Notepad.exe", output_file$

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 Macro Language Reference

The f irst item above simply launches Excel. The second example launches Notepad and opens a specif ic f ile.
The third example launches Notepad and opens the f ile whose name is stored in a variable. Please refer to the
macro “Run a Post Processor” for a working example of this.

Text Files
The macro language provides the ability to create, open, read from and write to text f iles. Text f iles should be
space delimited.

FILE_OPEN <FILE NUMBER>, "FILENAME": This command will open a f ile for reading and writing. A maximum of 10
f iles may be opened and the f ile number must be between 1 and 10.

FILE_CLOSE <FILE NUMBER>: This command will close a f ile previously opened using the FILE_OPEN command.

FILE_DELETE "FILENAME": This command will delete the given f ilename.

FILE_READ_VARS <FILE NUMBER>, <VAR NAME 1>, ... , <VAR NAME 10>: This command will read one line from the
given f ile number and separate out the data from that line into a set of values. Each value will be returned in the
variable names used in this command. This command supports reading arrays.

FILE_WRITE_VARS <FILE NUMBER>, <VAR NAME 1>, ... , <VAR NAME 10>: This command will write a line of text to a
f ile, that line containing the values of the variables in this command.

FILE_READ_TEXT <FILE NUMBER>, <VARIABLE>: This command will read a line of text from a f ile and save the
contents in the string variable given in this command.

FILE_WRITE_TEXT <FILE NUMBER>, <TEXT>: This command will write a line of text to a f ile.

Excel Files
The macro language provides the ability to open an Excel spreadsheet, scan cells on any given sheet in the XLS f ile
and extract data from specif ic cells.

EXCEL_OPEN "FILENAME": This command will open the specif ied Excel spreadsheet. The path to the f ile is
required.

excel_open "c:\My Archive\Macros\point matrix.xls"

EXCEL_CLOSE: This command will close Excel. This command has no arguments.

EXCEL_SELECT_SHEET <SHEET NAME>: This command will select all of the data in the specif ied sheet of an open
Excel f ile. As a note, Excel f iles have three sheets by default, labelled "Sheet1", "Sheet2" and "Sheet3", these may be
renamed and the macro requires the correct sheet name.

EXCEL_FIND_CELL <ROW1>, <COL1>, <ROW2>, <COL2>, <CELL TEXT>, <ROW VARIABLE>, <COL VARIABLE>: This
command f inds a cell containing a particular value within a specif ied range. This command matches the exact
value only.

row1, col1 - upper-left coordinates of the search range

row2, col2 - lower-right coordinates of the search range

cell text - the text to search for

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 Macro Language Reference

row variable - output; row of found cell

col variable - output; column of found cell

EXCEL_GET_CELL <ROW>, <COL>, <VARIABLE NAME>: This command will extract data from a particular cell. You
must specify the row and column to identify the cell. The data in the cell will be assigned to a given variable.

EXCEL_GET_CELL 3, e, data3

EXCEL_GET_RANGE <RANGE NUMBER>, <ROW 1>, <COL 1>, <ROW 2>, <COL 2>: This command will extract data from
a range of cells. You must specify the start cell (row and column) followed by the cell at the end of the range.

EXCEL_GET_RANGE 1, 1, a, 1, j
EXCEL_GET_RANGE 2, 2, a, 11, j

The f irst example above gets the text from the f irst 10 cells (a-j) in the f irst column. The second range example
gets the text from a 10x10 cell range, rows 2-11 and columns a-j.

MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS
SLEEP <TIME IN SECONDS>: This command will cause the macro to wait for a given amount of time. This puts the
macro to "sleep" for a few seconds, which gives the operating system time to close f iles and clear buffers when you
are creating and/or reading data from external applications.

DEBUGGING MACROS
These commands are provided to assist with debugging.

MESSAGE "TEXT", ["CAPTION"]: This command will display a message box with given text. Optionally you may also
include a caption on the message by including text in a second set of quotation marks. This command is often used
with a logic statement.

MESSAGE "Create contour", "Let’s Make Some Toolpath"

DEBUG <VARIABLE>, <VARIABLE> ... This command will display a message box with the value of the given
variable(s).

STOP "TEXT", [<CAPTION>]: This command will stop the macro and display a dialog with the text of your choosing.
This command is often used with a logic statement for error checking. The text must be contained within
quotation marks. Optionally you may give the message box a custom title.

STOP "This is not used properly. RTFM."

CHECK <PARAMETER>, <ERROR MSG TEXT>: This command can check to see if there is a part currently open in
GibbsCAM and what type of part it is. The command has four parameters, "part_open", "part_mill",
"part_turn"and "part_mtm". In each case the variable gets set to "1" if the case is true, so if a part is open the
value is "1". If the part type and parameter do not match then the macro will stop and the error message will be
displayed.

PART_OPEN Stop if there is no part currently open

PART_MILL Stop if the current part is not MILL
PART_LATHE Stop if the current part is not LATHE
PART_MTM Stop if the current part is not MTM

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TRACE <ON | OFF>: This command will display each macro in a message box. You will need to press OK to continue
processing the macro.

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 Macro Language Reference

PARAMETERS FROM GIBBSCAM

PART DATA
The following parameters are accessible by the get_part_data and set_part_data commands.

All Part Types

type units radius
auto_clear num_flows num_tool_groups
num_spindles cp1 clear_rad
auto_clear graphic_part_dist_on graphic_part_dist_val
part_name (string variable) part_f ile (string variable) mdd_name (string variable)
mdd_f ile (string variable) comment (string variable) alloy (string variable)
family (string variable) hardness (string variable)

Mill Parts
tool_change_x tool_change_y stock_x1
stock_y1 stock_z1 stock_x2
stock_y2 stock_z2

Turn Parts
tool_change_x tool_change_z stock_rad
stock_z1 stock_z2

MTM SETUP DATA

The following parameters are accessible by the get_mtm_data and set_mtm_data commands.

General MTM Data

spindle_used stock_z1 stock_z2
stock_rad chuck_width chuck_part_len
clear_dia stock_dia

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 Macro Language Reference

TOOL DATA
The following parameters are accessible by the get_tool_data and set_tool_data commands.

All Tools
type material offset
spindle_dir id use_id
tool_group_pos tool_group prime_spindle
holder_solid_ref holder_shape_ref
comment (this is a string variable)

Mill Tools
mtool_type mtool_num_flutes mtool_len_offset
mtool_options mtool_length mtool_flute_length
mtool_radius mtool_shank_rad mtool_top_corner_rad
mtool_corner_rad mtool_draft_angle mtool_non_cut_dia
mtool_orientation mtool_tip_angle mtool_pitch_tpi
mtool_preset mtool_tc_shift mtool_lead_tip
mtool_tip_rad mtool_inner_top_corner_rad mtool_bottom_rad
mtool_top_rad holder_type

Lathe Tools
ltool_type ltool_isize ltool_orientation
ltool_holder ltool_thread_style ltool_thread_type
ltool_thread_id_od ltool_thread_dir ltool_offset
ltool_cut_side ltool_face_up ltool_neg_side
ltool_other ltool_holder_option ltool_size
ltool_thick ltool_length ltool_tip_rad
ltool_insert_angle ltool_tip_offset ltool_preset_pt_x
ltool_preset_pt_z ltool_turret_shift_x ltool_turret_shift_z
ltool_face_angle ltool_side_angle ltool_tip_width
ltool_tip_length ltool_thread_pitch ltool_thread_flat_len
ltool_thread_insert_width ltool_thread_edge_pos ltool_mid_angle
ltool_tip_centre_to_preset ltool_face_relief ltool_dia_relief
ltool_holder_thickness ltool_b_axis ltool_util_len
ltool_util_dia ltool_util_angle

LTOOL_ORIENTATION: This item has eight values, 0 through 7. The values correspond to a position
in the tool setup dialog as shown here.

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 Macro Language Reference

LTOOL_TYPE: This item has 17 values, numbered 1 through 17. The values correspond to a position in the tool setup
dialog as shown here.

MTOOL_ORIENTATION: This item has four values, 0, 1, 2 and 3. The values correspond to a
position in the tool setup dialog as shown here.

MTOOL_TYPE: This item has 20 values, numbered 1 through 20. The values correspond to a
position in the tool setup dialog as shown here.

PROCESS DATA
All Process Types
The following parameters are accessible by the get_proc_data and set_proc_data commands when referencing any
type of part.

Standard Process Parameters

type mill_type lathe_type
tool_num prog_stop rapid_in
material_only spring_passes cut_type
repeats tool_change cs_num
path_cs crc coolant
rpm rpms

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 Macro Language Reference

Mill Processes
The following parameters are accessible by the get_proc_data and set_proc_data commands when referencing a
Mill-type part.

Milling Process Parameters

entry_clear exit_clear entry_line
exit_line entry_rad exit_rad
entry_feed contour_feed surf_z
tip_z z_step_wanted cut_width
stock boss_stock overhang
overlap open_clearance rpm
drill_feed prefer_subs cp1
curve_tol auto_entry_cp auto_entry_clear_rad
auto_exit_cp auto_exit_clear_rad axis_info
geo_rad min_rad z_step
fm_clear fm_cut_width cut_angle
stepover_feed clear_feed scallop_feed
min_cut msurf_clear mstock_tol
mf ix_tol mzshift

Mill Drilling Process Parameters

drill_type drill_pos_approach drill_clear_plane
drill_dwell drill_peck_amount drill_peck_clearance
drill_tap_percent drill_bore_pulloff drill_peck_retract

Pocket & Contour Process Parameters

feed_connect crc_offset len_offset
custom_cbset pattern_on pattern_index
round_corners entry_perp exit_perp
ignore_tools depth_f irst fm_use_shape
fm_hplus fm_vplus fm_moveh
fm_before_zigzag fm_back_and_forth fm_type
entry_type start_on_right retracts
hit_parallel stay_clear cut_back
same_stroke full_dia stepover_feed_lock
clear_feed_lock scallop_feed_lock clear_periph
past_stock pocket_type wall_mode
hit_flats

Pocket Entry Parameters

pocket_entry_ramp_type pocket_entry_helix_type

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 Macro Language Reference

Pocket Entry Parameters

pocket_entry_plunge_pt pocket_entry_ramp_slope
pocket_entry_ramp_start_z pocket_entry_ramp_max_cut
pocket_entry_ramp_wall_clear pocket_entry_ramp_angle
pocket_entry_helix_slope pocket_entry_helix_angle
pocket_entry_helix_start_z pocket_entry_helix_max_cut
pocket_entry_helix_wall_clear pocket_entry_helix_dia
pocket_entry_helix_cp pocket_entry_periph_start_z
pocket_entry_periph_slope wall_top
wall_angle wall_bottom
walli_top walli_angle
walli_bottom wall_user_step
wall_shape_step wall_ridge_height

Surface Process Parameters

surface_type surface_cut_type surface_back_and_forth
surface_lace_cut_dir surface_output_pref surface_efeed
surface_cfeed surface_stock surface_f ix_clear
surface_stepover surface_ridge_height surface_cut_angle
surface_desired_z surface_const_faces_clear surface_cut_tol
surface_stock_tol surface_f ix_tol surface_constraint_tol
surface_smooth_tol surface_arc_f it_tol surface_spline_approx_tol

Lace Cut Parameters

surface_cut_opt surface_offsets_surfs surface_one_pass
surface_constrain surface_retract_option surface_stay_in_stock
surface_clear_stock surface_clear_stock_type surface_cut_over_edges
surface_skip_flats surface_normal_angle surface_step_cut_ratio

2 Curve Flow Parameters

curve_cut_dir surface flow
surface_flow_mach_dir surface_flow_mach_z_order
surface_flow_travel_around_mode surface_flow_cut_type

Intersection Parameters
surface_intersect_type surface_cuts_type surface_passes_type
surface_cleanup_type surface_passes_per_side surface_corner_rad
surface_max_cut_angle

Surface Process Entry Parameters

surface_entry_type surface_entry_ramp_type wall_step

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 Macro Language Reference

Surface Process Entry Parameters

wall_top_to_bottom wall_same_dir wall_same_dcep_side
wall_swept_pocket wall_swept_island s_use_adv_tol
m_use_adv_tol cut_side md_from_tool
md_vary_with_geo md_vary_with_feat md_retract_level
md_process_load_h1z_feat surface_entry_plunge_pt rapid_clearance
surface_stock

Contour Process Entry Parameters

contour_entry_ramp_type contour_entry_helix_type
contour_entry_ramp_slope contour_entry_ramp_start_z
contour_entry_ramp_max_cut contour_entry_ramp_angle
contour_entry_helix_slope contour_entry_helix_start_z
contour_entry_helix_max_cut contour_entry_helix_dia

Thread Milling Process Parameters

mthread_traverse_cp1 mthread_id_od mthread_thread_dir
mthread_rapid_in mthread_start_thread mthread_end_thread
mthread_cut_dia mthread_clear_dia mthread_pitch
mthread_feed

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 Macro Language Reference

Lathe Processes
The following parameters are accessible by the get_proc_data and set_proc_data commands when referencing a
Mill-type part.

Lathe Process Parameters

lathe_prefer_canned lathe_clear_id

Lathe Drilling Process Parameters

ldrill_entry ldrill_dwell ldrill_peck
ldrill_clearance ldrill_retract ldrill_tap_percent
ldrill_feed ldrill_tip_z ldrill_surface_z

Lathe Roughing Process Parameters

lrough_round_corners lrough_cut_off lrough_cut_dir
lrough_entry_perp lrough_exit_perp lrough_rough_type
lrough_css lrough_rapid_step lrough_monotonic
lrough_avoid_air lrough_xplus lrough_xminus
lrough_zplus lrough_zminus lrough_autof in
lrough_spindle_dir lrough_f inish_last lrough_center_out
lrough_constant_step lrough_peck lrough_plunge_type
lrough_constant_path lrough_f ixed_sp lrough_num_passes
lrough_min_rad lrough_stock lrough_stock_x
lrough_stock_z lrough_entry_line lrough_entry_rad
lrough_exit_rad lrough_exit_line lrough_rough_start
lrough_max_rpm lrough_sfpm lrough_feed
lrough_clearance lrough_turn_cut_width lrough_ramp_angle
lrough_plunge_angle lrough_cut_width lrough_feed_percent
lrough_peck lrough_retract lrough_cut_x
lrough_cut_z lrough_shift_cut_width lrough_cycle_sp

Lathe Threading Process Parameters

lthread_style lthread_cut_dir lthread_cut_type
lthread_css lthread_balanced_in_feed lthread_alternate
lthread_last_cut lthread_nominal_pitch_index lthread_taper_index
lthread_num_spring_passes lthread_num_starts lthread_max_rpm
lthread_sfpm lthread_z_start lthread_z_end
lthread_nominal lthread_pitch lthread_major_dia
lthread_minor_dia lthread_thread_height lthread_taper
lthread_thread_angle lthread_cut_depth lthread_last_cut
lthread_z_start_ext lthread_z_end_ext lthread_x_start_ext
lthread_x_end_ext

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 Macro Language Reference

UTILITY PROCESS DATA

The following parameters are accessible by the get_util_proc_data and set_util_proc_data commands.

Utility Process Names

load_spindle unload_spindle part_shift
sub_spindle_in sub_spindle_return parts_catcher_in
parts_catcher_out all_stop move_toolgroup

Load Spindle - Manual Chuck

spindle_num time

Load Spindle - Auto Chuck

spindle_num time

Load Spindle - Bar Feed

spindle_on forward spindle_speed
z_clearance x_position feedrate
initial_face_z

Load Spindle - Auto Bar Feed

flow_num spindle_on forward
spindle_speed feedrate feed_distance

Load Spindle - Bar Pull

z_clearance x_position feedrate
initial_face_z grip_z

Unload Spindle
spindle_num time

Part Shift - Bar Feed

spindle_on forward spindle_speed
z_clearance x_position feedrate
initial_face_z shift_distance

Part Shift - Bar Pull

z_clearance x_position feedrate
initial_face_z grip_z shift_distance

Part Shift - Bar Pull

spindle_on forward spindle_speed
feedrate shift_distance

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 Macro Language Reference

SubSpindle In
flow_1 flow_2 fromworkpiece
to_workpiece c_synched spindle_speed
forward sub_in_unload part_in_main
part_in_sub z_clearance z_grip
feedrate orientation
Please note that the options that are used for check boxes will only have a value of 0 or 1.

SubSpindle Return
spindle_on forward with_part
open_main_collet main_loaded spindle_speed

Parts Catcher In
spindle_num z_position time

Parts Catcher Out

spindle_num time spindle_unloaded

Move ToolGroup
spindle_num location x_home
x_value z_home z_value
cs control_point

All Stop
This Utility op has no variables

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 Macro Language Reference

OPERATION DATA
All Operation Types
The following parameters are accessible by the get_op_data and set_op_data commands.

Type
mill_type lathe_type

All Operation Types

tool_num proc_group proc_id
proc_op wg_num cs_num
path_cs locks num_repeats
crc_dir crc_offset coolant
cut_type css crc_side
mach_engine rpm rpms

Comment String
op_start (this is a string variable) op_end (this is a string variable)

Mill-Type Operations
The following parameters are accessible by the get_op_data and set_op_data commands when referencing a mill-
type operation.

All Milling Operations

entry_clear exit_clear entry_feed
contour_feed len_offset wrap
wrap_dups prog_stop pocket_type
tool_group workpiece flow
spin_control wrap_start_angle wrap_dup_angle
cut_width stock boss_stock
rpms time length
css surf_stock

Mill Drilling Operations

drill_type drill_clear_plane drill_pos_approach
material_only rapid_in drill_clear_plane
drill_dwell drill_tap_percent drill_peck_clearance
drill_peck_amount drill_peck_retract drill_bore_pulloff
drill_cb_start_riz drill_cb_end_riz drill_clear_plane_loc_cs

Mill Pocket & Contour Operations

feed_connect crc_offset pattern_on
pattern_index round_corners entry_perp

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 Macro Language Reference

Mill Pocket & Contour Operations

exit_perp ignore_tools depth_f irst
fm_use_shape fm_hplus fm_vplus
fm_moveh zig_zag back_forth
fm_type entry_type start_on_right
retracts hit_parallel stay_clear
cut_back same_stroke full_dia
stepover_feed_lock clear_feed_lock scallop_feed_lock
clear_periph hit_flats cp1
curve_tolerance auto_entry_cp auto_entry_clear_rad
auto_exit_cp auto_exit_clear_rad geo_rad
min_rad z_step fm_clear
fm_cut_width cut_angle stepover_feed
clear_feed scallop_feed min_cut
past_stock pocket_entry_plunge_point pocket_entry_ramp_slope
pocket_entry_ramp_start_z pocket_entry_ramp_max_cut pocket_entry_ramp_wall_clear
pocket_entry_ramp_angle pocket_entry_helix_slope pocket_entry_helix_angle
pocket_entry_helix_start_z pocket_entry_helix_max_cut pocket_entry_helix_wall_clear
pocket_entry_helix_dia pocket_entry_helix_cp pocket_entry_periph_start_z
pocket_entry_periph_slope entry_line_len exit_line_len
entry_rad exit_rad z_step_wanted
overhang overlap open_clearance
msurf_clear msurf_stock_tol mf ixture_tol
m_zshift contour_entry_ramp_slop contour_entry_ramp_start_z
contour_entry_ramp_max_cut contour_entry_ramp_angle contour_entry_helix_slope
contour_entry_helix_start_z contour_entry_helix_max_cut contour_entry_helix_dia

Mill Contour & Pocket Wall Operations

wall_step wall_top_to_bottom wall_same_dir
wall_dcep_side wall_swept_pocket wall_swept_island
wall_top wall_ang wall_bot
wall_itop wall_iang wall_ibot
wall_user_step wall_shape_step wall_ridge_height
cut_side s_use_adv_tol m_use_adv_tol
wall_mode inter_op_override util_type
md_from_tool md_vary_with_geo md_vary_with_feat
md_retract_level

Contour Entry Information

contour_entry_ramp_type contour_entry_helix_type prefer_subs

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 Macro Language Reference

Pocket Entry Information

pocket_entry_ramp pocket_entry_helix_type

Thread Milling
mthread_traverse_cp1 mthread_id_od mthread_thread_dir
mthread_start_thread mthread_end_thread mthread_cut_dia
mthread_clear_dia mthread_pitch mthread_feed

Surfacing Information - General

surface_type surface_cut_type surface_back_forth
surface_lace_cut_dir surface_output_pref surrface_depth
surface_entry_plunge_pt rapid_clearance surface_step_over
surface_ridge_height surface_cut_angle surface_desired_z
surface_constraint_faces_clear surface_stock_tol surface_f ix_tol
surface_constraint_tol surface_smooth_tol surface_arc_f it_tol
surface_spline_tol surface_normal_angle surface_step_cut_ratio
surface_corner_rad surface_max_cut_angle

Surfacing Information - Lace Cut

surface_cut_opt surface_offset_surfs surface_one_pass
surface_constrain surface_retract_opt surface_stay_in_stock
surface_clear_stock surface_clear_stock_type surface_cut_over_edges
surface_skip_flats

Surfacing Information - 2 Curve Flow

surface_curve_cut_dir

Surfacing Information - Surface Flow

sflow_mach_dir sflow_mach_zorder
sflow_travel_around_mode sflocut_type

Surfacing Information - Intersection

intersect_type intersect_cuts_type intersect_pass_type
intersect_cleanup_from intersect_passes_per_side

Surfacing Entry Information

surface_entry_type surface_entry_ramp_type

45
 Macro Language Reference

Lathe-Type Operations
The following parameters are accessible by the get_op_data and set_op_data commands when referencing a lathe-
type operation.

All Turning Operations

material_only_clearance lplunge_max_cut lplunge_angle
lplunge_peck_amount lplunge_peck_clearance lplunge_peck_retract
lplunge_feed_percent lplunge_entry_type lathe_pattern_shift_cut
lathe_pattern_shift_point lathe_max_rpm lathe_xz_stock
lathe_cut_width cut_tol step
depth od_id_face lathe_depth

Lathe Threading
lthread_balanced lthread_angle_alt lthread_starts
lthread_last_cut lathe_prefer_canned lathe_canned_autof in
lthread_type lathe_cut_dir num_spring_passes

Lathe Roughing
lathe_rough_type lathe_pull_off_wall lathe_plunge_cut_type
lathe_plunge_center_out lathe_plunge_type lathe_plunge_entry_type
lathe_pat_shift_f ixed_srt lathe_pat_shift_passes lathe_square_corners
lathe_no_drag lathe_cut_off lathe_od_id_face
lathe_cut_other_side lrough_round_corners lrough_exit_perp
lrough_xplus lrough_xminus lrough_zplus
lrough_zminus lrough_autof in lrough_spindle_dir
lrough_constant_path lrough_min_rad lrough_entry_line
lrough_entry_rad lrough_exit_rad lrough_exit_line
lrough_start lrough_cut_width lrough_ramp_angle

Lathe Threading
lthread_stype lthread_alternate lthread_nom_pitch_index
lthread_angle lthread_nominal_xd lthread_tpi
lthread_pitch lthread_slope lthread_minor_xd
lthread_height_xr lthread_run_in lthread_run_out
lthread_f irst_cut lthread_last_cut lthread_z_start
lthread_z_end lthread_major_dia lathe_surface_z

46
 Macro Language Reference

POST DATA
The following parameters are accessible by the get_post_data and set_post_data commands.

All Posting Data

start_prog_num seq_from seq_by
abs_moves comments op_stops
num_parts work_f ixtures one_part_all_tools
inter_part_full_up minimize selected_ops
pref_header pref_sub pref_op
pref_footer num_flows num_tool_groups
num_spindles part_spacing_x part_spacing_y
part_spacing_z post_f ile (string variable) output_f ile (string variable)

47
 Macro Language Reference

USING GIBBSCAM MACROS

The macros function can be found in the Plug-ins menu.
The Configure option lets you tell the macro plug-in
where your macros are stored. Any macro that the plug-
in is aware of will appear in the menu. Simply select a
macro from the menu to run the macro.

CONFIGURING THE MACROS MENU

The Macros menu shows all of the macros that the
system is aware of. You can add to and customize these
entries by selecting the Configure menu item.

Once the Macros dialog is open you can add and

organize the macros. To add a macro simply select an empty f ield, enter a name you would like the macro to
appear as and enter the path to the macro f ile. You can use the Browse function to point to the f ile you would like
to add or you may type the path in manually. Once you have entered the path click the Update button to save this
information. Finally, click the OK button. This will close the Macros dialog and the next time you launch
GibbsCAM the macros you added will be available.

You can avoid having to go through the process of entering the macros each time you get a new version of
GibbsCAM. The information is saved in the f ile "Macros.ini" which is located in the GibbsCAM
application data folder. You can simply copy this f ile to the new version’s folder.

From here: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Gibbs\GibbsCAM\8.0\plugins\data

To here: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Gibbs\GibbsCAM\8.1\plugins\data

48
 Macro Language Reference

Items in the list can be reorganized. Simply select an

entry and click the Move Up or Move Down button
as needed. Additionally, you can create a divider by
simply putting a dash ( - ) in an entry. This will help
you organize groups of macros.

STARTING MACROS
Macros are accessed from the Plug-Ins menu of
GibbsCAM. Additionally a macro may be
automatically run when GibbsCAM is launched
using a command line parameter. To use this the
macro f ilename must be specif ied as an absolute
path. The command may be run from the
command line interface, added to the shortcut to
GibbsCAM (see image to the right) or added to a
batch f ile.

-m "x:\path\to\macro.mac"

49
MACRO LANGUAGE SAMPLES
 Macro Language Samples

Macro Language Samples

GOOD PROGRAMMING PRACTICES
When you write a macro, remember that you may need to go back to it at a later date to f ix bugs or to modify the
code. You may also want to look at old macros to reuse parts of the code in other projects. It is therefore a good
idea to take a little extra time to make your code easier to read and understand by using the following simple rules:

• Use meaningful variable names

• Break up code with blank lines between blocks of commands

• Add comments to describe what you are doing

• Indent code for loops to identify repeated code

• Add error checks to make sure the data is valid

GIBBSCAM MACRO SAMPLES

QUICK SAMPLES
User Input Example
An example of a dialog def inition follows.

DIALOG "Sample",100,250,200,120
IMAGE 200, 30, 50, 50, "c:\macros\pic1.bmp"
LABEL 30, 30, 80, 20, "Width"
LABEL 30, 60, 80, 20, "Height"
INPUT 120, 30, 60, 20, w1, 10
INPUT 120, 60, 60, 20, h1, 6
CANCEL 30, 90, 60, 20
OK 120, 90,60, 20

Geometry Creation Example

An example of a contour def inition follows.

CONTOUR [
START 1, 2
LINE 1, 4
ARC 2, 4, 2, 5, CW
LINE 4, 5
ARC 4, 4, 5, 4, CW
LINE 5, 2
LINE 2, 2
]

51
 Macro Language Samples

Simple Geometry Selection and Rotation Example

An example of creating a shape and rotating it follows.

xx=0
yy=0
CONTOUR [
START xx, yy
LINE (xx+10), yy
LINE (xx+10), (yy+6)
LINE xx, (yy+6)
LINE xx, yy
]
refnum = ContourRef
CLEAR_SELECT
SELECT_SHAPE refnum
ROTATE_GEO xx, yy, 30

Machining Example
As an example, we could follow the contour created in “Simple Geometry Selection and Rotation Example” with
the following:

LOAD_PROCESS "c:\macros\process1.prc"
CALC_PROCESS
SET_MARKERS 1, 1, 0.5, 1, 0.5

This will start and end half way along the f irst feature and cut with tool to the left.

Advanced Geometry Create & Transform Example

This example will create a simple shape then apply successive transformations to the geometry.

a1$ = "This macro will use the geometry transformations"

a2$ = "translate, rotate, mirror, scale and copy"
message "%a1$\n%a2$"

! ---------------------------------------
! start a new part and set the stock size
new_part "Example.vnc"
set_part_data mdd_name, "VMill3a"
! 3 axis vertical mill
set_part_data units, 1
! inches
set_part_data stock_x1, -10
set_part_data stock_y1, -10
set_part_data stock_z1, -1
set_part_data stock_x2, 10
set_part_data stock_y2, 10
set_part_data stock_z2, 1

set_view top
zoom_view 0
! zoom full
message "Create a contour", "Geo Transform", 1
contour [
start 0, 0

52
 Macro Language Samples

line 5, 0
line 4, 2
line 4, 1
line 0, 1
line 0, 0
]
iref = ContourRef

! ---------------------------------------
! Start the transformations
message "Select the contour", "Geo Transform", 1

clear_select
select_shape iref
redraw
get_selection_list 1
! save list of currently selected geometry

! ---------------------------------------
! Translate
message "Translate by X 3, Y 4", "Geo Transform", 1
translate_geo 3, 4, 0
redraw

! ---------------------------------------
! Rotate
message "Rotate cw by 30 degrees", "Geo Transform", 1
rotate_geo 0, 0, 30
redraw

! ---------------------------------------
! Mirror
message "Mirror in X, about Y 0", "Geo Transform", 1
mirror_geo x, 0
redraw

! ---------------------------------------
! Translate
message "Copy Translate by X 6, Y 0", "Geo Transform", 1
translate_geo 6, 0, 0, 1
redraw

get_selection_list 2
! save list of currently selected geometry
message "Select both shapes", "Geo Transform", 1

set_selection_list 1
! select the original shape
set_selection_list 2, 1
! add the copy
redraw

! ---------------------------------------
! Mirror
message "Copy Mirror in Y about Y 1.5", "Geo Transform", 1

53
 Macro Language Samples

mirror_geo y, 1.5, 1
redraw

! ---------------------------------------
! Scale
message "Scale all geometry to half size", "Geo Transform", 1
select_all_geo
scale_geo 0.5
redraw

message "Finished", "Geo Transform"

Get WG List Info

This example will create a list of all of the workgroups in the current part. The
macro then prompts the user to optionally add a new WG.

a1$ = "This macro will get a list of all WGs,"

a2$ = "create a new WG and select it."
message "%a1$\n%a2$"

check part_open, "You must have a part open to run this macro"

get_wg_list

inum = number_of_wgs
if inum<1 then stop "No WG found"
if inum>20 then inum = 20
! just display data for the f irst 20 workgroups
a$ = "Number of WGs = %inum\n"

for i=1 to inum

n = next_wg_number
get_wg_name n, wg$
a$ = a$ + "\n" + format$(n, "###0") + " " + wg$
next i

a$ = a$ + "\n\nAdd a new one ?"

yesno a$, iyesno
if iyesno=0 then stop "Finished"

new_wg "Macro WG"

iwg = WgNumber
set_wg iwg
update_wg_window

a$ = "Created new WG, number " + format$(iwg, "###0") + " = 'Macro WG'"

stop "Finished\n"+a$

54
 Macro Language Samples

Get CS List Info

This example will create a list of all of the coordinate systems in the current part
including which spindle the CS is aligned to. The macro then prompts the user to
optionally add a new CS (which is hard coded in this example), that will be the
current CS at the end of the macro.

a1$ = "This macro will get a list the CSs and indicate"
a2$ = "which spindle number is associated with each CS."
a3$ = "Lastly you can create a new CS at the end of the macro."
message "%a1$\n%a2$\n%a3$"

check part_open, "You must have a part open to run this macro."

get_cs_list

inum = number_of_css
if inum<1 then stop "No CS found"
if inum>20 then inum = 20
! just display data for the f irst 20
a$ = "Number of CSs = %inum\n"

for i=1 to inum

n = next_cs_number
get_cs_name n, cs$
get_cs_spindle n, ispin

a$ = a$ + "\n" + format$(n, "###0") + " " + cs$

a$ = a$ + " : spindle "+format$(ispin,"0")
next i

a$ = a$ + "\n\nAdd a new CS?"

! This section is for adding a new CS. Commenting out everything between here
! and the "stop" command will cause the macro to only generate a list of the CSs.
yesno a$, iyesno
if iyesno=0 then stop "Finished"

new_cs 3P, "Macro CS", 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1

ics = CsNumber

set_cs ics
update_cs_window

a$ = "Created new CS, number " + format$(ics, "###0") + " = 'Macro CS'"

stop "Finished\n"+a$

55
 Macro Language Samples

Calculate the Extents of Part Geometry

This macro will calculate the extents (the min/max values) in X and Y of selected geometry in a mill part and can
optionally create geometry that bounds the extents.

a1$ = "This macro will calculate the extents"

a2$ = "(min/max X and Y) of the selected geometry"

message "%a1$\n%a2$"

check part_open, "You must have a part open to run this macro"
check part_mill, "This macro is not designed for turned parts"

global xmin, ymin, xmax,ymax ! these variables are used by all macros
global ics

xmin=99999
ymin=99999
xmax=-99999
ymax=-99999

! when we get the data for each feature, we can get the xyz values in either the world cs or the cs local
to each feature.
ics = 1
! world cs (local cs would be zero)
! -----------------------------------
! get the number of selected features
get_num_feat_selected inum
if inum<1 then stop "No geometry selected"
! --------------------------------------
! loop through all selected features and update the min/max xy data according to each features xy
data
for i=1 to inum
! ------------------------------------
! get the feature reference number for the 'i'th selected feature
get_selected_geo_ref i, iref
! -------------------------------------
! get the feature type for this feature
get_feat_type iref, itype
if itype=1 then call "Check_Point_Data.mac"
if itype=2 then call "Check_Line_Data.mac"
if itype=3 then call "Check_Circle_Data.mac"
if itype=4 then call "Check_Arc_Data.mac"
next i

! -------------------
! display the results

56
 Macro Language Samples

xmin$=format$(xmin,"####0.0###")
ymin$=format$(ymin,"####0.0###")
xmax$=format$(xmax,"####0.0###")
ymax$=format$(ymax,"####0.0###")

msg$="X Min = %xmin$\n"

msg$=msg$+"Y Min = %ymin$\n"
msg$=msg$+"X Max = %xmax$\n"
msg$=msg$+"X Max = %ymax$"

message msg$, "Geometry Extents"

! -------------------------------------
! get the feature type for this feature
yesno "Draw a rectangle around the geometry ?", iyesno

if iyesno=0 then stop "Finished"

contour[
start xmin, ymin
line xmax, ymin
line xmax, ymax
line xmin, ymax
line xmin, ymin
]

redraw
stop "Finished"

57
 Macro Language Samples

Backup the Current Part

This example macro will backup the current part by creating a new f ile name based on current f ile name.

a1$ = "This macro will make a backup copy of the current"

a2$ = "part by saving it under a filename which is the same"
a3$ = "as the current filename, but with '_backup' added to it."
! some variable strings are def ined.
message "%a1$\n%a2$\n%a3$"
! This def ines a message that will open when the macro is run.
check part_open, "You must have a part open to run this macro"
! Error checking in case a part is not open.
get_part_data part_name, pname$
get_part_data part_file, pfile$
! The name of the part and its path are assigned to strings.
ilen=len(pfile$)
! remove the /vnc from the end of the f ilename
f$=left$(pfile$,ilen-4)+"_backup.vnc"
! then add "_backup.vnc" to it
a$="OK to save current part as\n%f$"
yesno a$, iyesno
if iyesno=0 then stop "Backup not created"
! The user is prompted to save the f ile or not.

message "Backup was created"

! A dialog opens letting the user know that the backup is done.
save_part_as f$
! save the current part as the original f ilename
! if we don’t do this now, using f ile > save will overwrite the backup f ile we just saved
save_part_as pfile$
stop "Finished"
! A dialog opens letting the user know that the macro is complete.

58
 Macro Language Samples

Create & Bag Solid Bodies

This sample will create 2 solids and put them into the body bag and then take one out. This macro does not
require a part to be open.

! We will f irst create a message that describes what will happen.

a1$ = "This macro will create 2 solids and show"
a2$ = "them going in and out of the body bag."
message "%a1$\n%a2$"
! We will now make a new 3 axis vertical mill part that measures 4x3x1 inches.
new_part "Example.vnc"
set_part_data mdd_name, "VMill3a"
set_part_data units, 1
set_part_data stock_x1, 0
set_part_data stock_y1, 0
set_part_data stock_z1, 0
set_part_data stock_x2, 4
set_part_data stock_y2, 3
set_part_data stock_z2, 1
! The view is set to isometric and the part is zoomed to f it your screen.
set_view iso
zoom_view 0
! We make a triangular shape and extrude it along the depth axis by +1 inch. The geometry is deleted
after the solid is made.
contour [
start 0, 0
line 2, 0
line 1, 3
line 0, 0
]
iref = ContourRef
deselect_all_geo
select_shape iref
redraw
extrude 0, 1
solref1 = SolidRef
deselect_all_geo
delete_shape iref
! A second triangular shape is made and extruded along the depth axis by +1 inch. The geometry is
deleted after the solid is made.
contour [
start 2, 3
line 3, 0
line 4, 3
line 2, 3
]
iref = ContourRef
deselect_all_geo
deselect_all_solids
select_shape iref
extrude 0, 1
solref2 = SolidRef
deselect_all_geo
delete_shape iref
redraw
! We will now start moving the bodies into and out of the Body Bag.

59
 Macro Language Samples

message "Put the first solid in the bag", "Bag Solids", 1

set_solid_bagged solref1, 1
redraw
! We generate a message to show if the bodies are bagged or not.
message "Check the bagged state of the 2 solids", "Bag Solids", 1
get_solid_bagged solref1, bag1
get_solid_bagged solref2, bag2
message "Solid 1 bagged = %bag1\nSolid 2 bagged = %bag2", "Bag Solids", 1
! We will now switch the status of each body.
message "Unbag the first solid and bag the second one", "Bag Solids", 1
set_solid_bagged solref1, 0
set_solid_bagged solref2, 1
redraw
stop "Finished"

Convert A Part Between Inch & Metric

! change current part units from inch to metric

! or metric to inch, ie swap the current units

a1$ = "This macro will change the units of the current part"
a2$ = "from inch to metric, or metric to inch, scaling the"
a3$ = "geometry and solids accordingly"
message "%a1$\n%a2$\n%a3$"

check part_open, "You must have a part open to run this macro"

get_part_data units, iunits

if iunits=1 then goto inch

yesno "This part is Metric, Do you want to convert it to Inch ?", iyesno, "Inch Metric Macro"
if iyesno=0 then stop "Finished - no action taken"

! ---------------------------
! convert from metric to inch
scale = 1/25.4
iunits= 1

goto scale

! ---------------------------
! convert from metric to inch
:inch
scale = 25.4
iunits= 0

:scale

set_part_data units, iunits

! change the part units
! ---------------------------
! any solids will have been scaled by changing the part units,
! now scale the geometry
select_all_geo

60
 Macro Language Samples

scale_geo scale

yesno "Scale the stock ?", iyesno, "Inch Metric Macro"

if iyesno=0 then redraw
if iyesno=0 then stop "Finished - stock size not changed"

! ---------------------------
! get the current stock
get_part_data stock_x1, x1
get_part_data stock_y1, y1
get_part_data stock_z1, z1
get_part_data stock_x2, x2
get_part_data stock_y2, y2
get_part_data stock_z2, z2

! you would use these variables for a turned part

!get_part_data stock_z1, z1
!get_part_data stock_z2, z2
!get_part_data stock_rad, rr
! ---------------------------
! change the current stock
set_part_data stock_x1, x1*scale
set_part_data stock_y1, y1*scale
set_part_data stock_z1, z1*scale
set_part_data stock_x2, x2*scale
set_part_data stock_y2, y2*scale
set_part_data stock_z2, z2*scale

! you would use these variables for a turned part

!get_part_data stock_z1, z1
!get_part_data stock_z2, z2
!get_part_data stock_rad, rr

zoom_view 0

message "Finished"

Save Geometry Data to a Text File

This macro looks at selected geometry and exports the geometric data to a text f ile. This macro is a good example
of manpulatnig f iles outside of GibbsCAM.

a1$ = "This macro look at the selected geometry and"

a2$ = "print the data for that geometry to a text file,"
a3$ = "with the filename selected by the user."
message "%a1$\n%a2$\n%a3$"

check part_open, "You must have a part open to run this macro"
check part_mill, "This macro is not designed for turned parts"
get_num_feat_selected inum
if inum<1 then stop "No geometry selected"

! -------------------------
! create a f ile open dialog
file_dialog_new "Select output filename"
file_dialog_extension "Text files (*.txt)", "txt"

61
 Macro Language Samples

file_dialog_extension "All files (*.*)", "*"

file_dialog_show save, f$

! -------------------------
! open the f ile on unit 1 for writing
file1_open=0
file_open 1, f$, write
if FileError<>0 then goto file_error
file1_open=1

! -------------------------
! loop through all selected features and update the min/max
! xy data according to each features xy data
! try setting fmt$ to any of the next 3
! to get different formatted numbers
fmt$ = "+~~~0.0~~"
! ! output spaces in place of leading/trailing zeros
!fmt$ = "+###0.0##"
! do not output leading/trailing zeros
!fmt$ = "+0000.000"
! output leading/trailing zeros
for i=1 to inum

! -------------------------
! get the feature reference number for the 'i'th selected feature
get_selected_geo_ref i, iref
! -------------------------
! get the feature type for this feature
get_feat_type iref, itype
if itype=1 then goto label_point
if itype=2 then goto label_line
if itype=3 then goto label_circle
if itype=4 then goto label_arc

continue

:label_point
get_feat_start iref, 1, xs, ys, zs

xs$ = format$(xs, fmt$)

ys$ = format$(ys, fmt$)
zs$ = format$(zs, fmt$)

a$ = "Point X =%xs$ Y =%ys$ Z =%zs$"

goto label_print

:label_line
get_feat_start iref, 1, xs, ys, zs
get_feat_end iref, 1, xe, ye, ze

xs$ = format$(xs, fmt$)

ys$ = format$(ys, fmt$)
zs$ = format$(zs, fmt$)
xe$ = format$(xe, fmt$)
ye$ = format$(ye, fmt$)
ze$ = format$(ze, fmt$)

62
 Macro Language Samples

a$ = "Line Xs=%xs$ Ys=%ys$ Zs=%zs$"

a$ = a$ + " Xe=%xe$ Ye=%ye$ Ze=%ze$"
goto label_print

:label_circle
get_circle_data iref, 1, rad, xc, yc, zc

xc$ = format$(xs, fmt$)

yc$ = format$(ys, fmt$)
zc$ = format$(zs, fmt$)
rr$ = format$(rad, fmt$)

a$ = "Circle Xc=%xs$ Yc=%ys$ Zc=%zs$ R =%rr$"

goto label_print

:label_arc
get_feat_start iref, 1, xs, ys, zs
get_feat_end iref, 1, xe, ye, ze
get_arc_data iref, 1, rad, dir, xc, yc, zc

xc$ = format$(xc, fmt$)

yc$ = format$(yc, fmt$)
zc$ = format$(zc, fmt$)
xs$ = format$(xs, fmt$)
ys$ = format$(ys, fmt$)
zs$ = format$(zs, fmt$)
xe$ = format$(xe, fmt$)
ye$ = format$(ye, fmt$)
ze$ = format$(ze, fmt$)
rr$ = format$(rad, fmt$)

a$="Arc CCW"
if dir=1 then a$ = "Arc CW "
a$ = a$ + " Xc=%xc$ Yc=%yc$ Zc=%zc$ R =%rr$"
a$ = a$ + "\n Xs=%xs$ Ys=%ys$ Zs=%zs$"
a$ = a$ + " Xe=%xe$ Ye=%ye$ Ze=%ze$"
goto label_print

:label_print
file_write_text 1, a$
if FileError<>0 then goto file_error

next i

file_close 1
if FileError<>0 then goto file_error

stop "Finished"

:file_error
ierr=FileError
if file_open=1 then file_close 1
stop "File error, code = %FileError"

63
 Macro Language Samples

Run a Post Processor

This macro sets posting parameters, prompts the user for the post processor to be used and runs the post. The user
can choose to view the posted code at the end. This sample is a good example of user and f ile interaction.

a1$ = "This macro will prompt for a post, set some"

a2$ = "post parameters and run the post to create code"
message "%a1$\n%a2$"
check part_open, "You must have a part open to run this macro"

! -----------------------------------------------
! create a f ile open dialog and get post f ilename
file_dialog_new "Select Post"
file_dialog_extension "Post files (*.pst)", "pst"
file_dialog_show open, post_file$
! -----------------------------------------------
! create a f ile save dialog and get code f ilename
file_dialog_new "Post Output File"
file_dialog_extension "All files (*.*)", "*"
file_dialog_show open, output_file$
! -----------------------------------------------
! get some post parameters
get_post_data, start_prog_num, post_start_prog_num
get_post_data, seq_from, post_seq_from
get_post_data, seq_by, post_seq_by

a$ = "Original Post Parameters\n"

b$ = "Start Program Number = " + format$(post_start_prog_num, "#####0")
a$ = a$ + "\n" + b$
b$ = "Sequence From = " + format$(post_seq_from, "#####0")
a$ = a$ + "\n" + b$
b$ = "Sequence By = " + format$(post_seq_by, "#####0")
a$ = a$ + "\n" + b$
! -----------------------------------------------
! change these post parameters
set_post_data, start_prog_num, 1234
set_post_data, seq_from, 12
set_post_data, seq_by, 15
! -----------------------------------------------
! get them again, to show they have been changed

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 Macro Language Samples

get_post_data, start_prog_num, post_start_prog_num

get_post_data, seq_from, post_seq_from
get_post_data, seq_by, post_seq_by

b$ = "New Post Parameters\n"

a$ = a$ + "\n\n" + b$
b$ = "Start Program Number = " + format$(post_start_prog_num, "#####0")
a$ = a$ + "\n" + b$
b$ = "Sequence From = " + format$(post_seq_from, "#####0")
a$ = a$ + "\n" + b$
b$ = "Sequence By = " + format$(post_seq_by, "#####0")
a$ = a$ + "\n" + b$
! -----------------------------------------------
! run the post
a$ = a$ + "\n\nOK to run the post?"
yesno a$, iyesno
if iyesno = 0 then stop "Stopped without running post"

set_post_data, post_file, post_file$

set_post_data, output_file, output_file$

run_post
message "Finished - output file = %output_file$"
yesno "View the output ?", iyesno
if iyesno = 0 then stop "Finished"
run_exe "\Windows\System32\Notepad.exe", output_file$

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 Macro Language Samples

Loop Example
Following is an example of how a "For/Next Loop" (for i=1 to 3)
variable works. In the example, we will make a variable loop to
create a bolt-circle as shown to the right. The bolt-circle will
have a radius of 1.3 with 8 holes equally spaced. The f irst hole
will be located at 22.5°. The positive direction of rotation is c/
cw.

Known Values
• 1.3 = r1 (radius).

• 8 = n1 (# of holes).

• 22.5° = a1 (angle of hole 1)

• 360/8 = 45°

Executing the loop

The loop is executed with the following 14 lines of code: Note, the line numbers would not be used in the macro.

1. DEGREES
2. r1=20
3. n1=8
4. a1=22.5
5. aa = a1
! 22.5°
6. da = (360/n1)
! 45°
7. points[
! start creating a set of points
8. for i=1 to n1
! loop 8 times
9. xx = r1*cos(aa)
! x position of hole
10. yy = r1*sin(aa)
! y position of hole
11. point xx,yy
! points 1 to 8
12. aa = aa + da
! angle of next hole going ccw
13. next i
! increment loop count i
14. ]
! end creating set of points

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 Macro Language Samples

Results of 1st loop

5. Variable aa starts as 0°. Variable a1 starts as 22.5°.

6. Variable da starts as 45° (360°/8).

7. Macro command to start creating a set of points.

8. Begin the loop, set the variable i to 1.

9. Set variable xx to equal 1.3*cos(22.5°) or xx1.2010.

10. Set variable yy to equal 1.3*sin(22.5°) or yy0.4975.

11. Create one point at X,Y location using values xx,yy.

12. Reset variable aa to equal previous aa + da or 22.5°+45°.

13. Add 1 to variable I, making it 2. Since 2 is less than or equal to 8 (n1), jump back to line 5.

Results of 2nd loop

Please note that loops 2-8 begin at line 5.

9. Set variable xx to equal 1.3*cos(67.5°) or xx0.4975.

10. Set variable yy to equal 1.3*sin(67.5°) or yy1.2010.

11. Create one point at X,Y location using values xx,yy.

12. Reset variable aa to equal previous aa + da or 67.5°+45°.

13. Add 1 to I, making it 3. 3 is still <= 8, so jump back to line 5.

Results of the final loop

9. Set variable xx to equal 1.3*cos(337.5°) or xx1.2010.

10. Set variable yy to equal 1.3*sin(337.5°) or yy-0.4975.

11. Create one point at X,Y location using values xx,yy.

12. Reset variable aa to equal previous aa + da or 337.5°+45°.

13. Add 1 to I, making it 9. Since 9 is greater than 8 (n1), f inish the loop and continue to line 10.

14. End of set of points.

67
 Macro Language Samples

The Math
i1 = 000.0° + 022.5° = 022.5° = x1.2010 y0.4975

i2 = 022.5° + 045.0° = 067.5° = x0.4975 y1.2010

i3 = 067.5° + 045.0° = 112.5° = x-0.4975 y1.2010

i4 = 112.5° + 045.0° = 157.5° = x-1.2010 y0.4975

i5 = 157.5° + 045.0° = 202.5° = x-1.2010 y-0.4975

i6 = 202.5° + 045.0° = 247.5° = x-0.4975 y-1.2010

i7 = 247.5° + 045.0° = 292.5° = x0.4975 y-1.2010

i8 = 292.5° + 045.0° = 337.5° = x1.2010 y-0.4975

FULL MACRO EXAMPLES

This example is a fully working macro program. This program creates a dialog that accepts user input to create a
trapezoid, load a saved process f ile and create toolpath to machine the shape. For this to work a macro f ile is
created ("Macro3.mac) which references an accompanying dialog f ile ("Macro3.dlg). The dialog references an
image f ile that helps the user visualize the shape. A saved process f ile is referenced by the macro f ile so that tool
and process data can be loaded.

First Example - "Macro3"

This is the actual code for the macro. If you do not have the sample you can copy the text and save it. The green
text denotes our comments to help you understand the code.

Macro3.mac Code
dialog "Macro3.dlg"
! This calls the dialog f ile. The macro f ile is the basis of the program but the user interacts with the
dialog. Since this macro can’t do anything until it has data fro the user the dialog must be called
f irst. Looking at the dialog f ile at the is point is recommended so that you become familiar with its
components. The code for "Macro3.dlg" can be found on page 70.
! a1 = incline angle
! a2 = included angle
! ww = width
! ll = length
! xs = start point
! ys = start point
! These are comments to help you keep track of what the variables represent. A liberal use of
comments is strongly recommended.
degrees ! switch all trig functions to degrees
! Here we see an inline comment letting us know we’re switching value types.
d2 = (ll * tan(90-a2))
w2= (ww-d2-d2) ! length of short end
! As the comment says, this calculates the length of the short end of the trapezoid. The user inputs
the length of the long end and the included angle of the sides, the system calculates the short end.
if messages=1 then message "Create contour, without rotation"

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 Macro Language Samples

! If the user selected the "Show Messages" option a message will open
that keeps the user informed. Please note that the user must click
the "OK" button before the macro continues.
contour [
start xs, ys
line xs+ll, ys+d2
line xs+ll, ys+d2+w2
line xs, ys+ww
line xs, ys
]
! The contour command creates the trapezoid from the user-supplied data.
iref = ContourRef
! The contour is assigned the variable name "iref".
if messages=1 then message "select contour"
! If messages are on the user is told the system is selecting the shape it just made.
clear_select
select_shape iref
redraw
! The macro f irst makes sure nothing is selected, then it selects "iref" and f inally redraws the screen.
if messages=1 then message "Rotate to inclination angle"
! If messages are on then the user is told the shape is going to be rotated.
rotate_geo xs,ys,a1
redraw
! The shape is rotated about the start point by the user-supplied angle.
if messages=1 then message "Set markers, load process and create ops"
! If messages are on then the user is told that toolpath is going to be created.
set_markers 1, 1, 0.5, 1, 0.5
! The machining markers are set to cut on the left ("1") and to start and end halfway along the f irst
feature ("1. 0.5").

load_process "macro3.prc"
! The saved process f ile is loaded. Since only the f ile name is referenced the process f ile must be in
the same directory as the macro.
calc_process
clear_select
redraw
! The process is applied to the shape. The selection is cleared and the screen is redrawn so the user
can see the results.
if messages=1 then message "Finished"
! If messages are on then the user is told that the macros has done its job. The macro is not set up to
save the f ile. A good way to learn more about the macros is to add a message warning the user
about saving the f ile or even adding code to this f ile that will save the part.

69
 Macro Language Samples

Macro3.dlg Code
This is the actual code for the macro dialog. If you do not have the sample you can copy the text and save it. The
green text denotes our comments to help you understand the code.

dialog "Example Macro 3",250,250,490,320

! Here we set the name of the dialog and its size.
! a1 = incline angle
! a2 = included angle
! ww = width
! ll = length
! xs = position
! ys = position
! These are comments to help you keep track of what the variables represent. A liberal use of
comments is strongly recommended.
image 20, 20, 200,200,"Macro3.bmp"
! The dialog’s image is placed.
frame 240, 16, 220,204, "User Data"
! The frame that contains the user input f ields is placed. Frames are optional but are very useful for
organizing data.
label 260, 39, 100, 24, "X position"
label 260, 69, 100, 24, "Y position"
label 260, 99, 100, 24, "Rotation Angle (A1)"
label 260, 129, 100, 24, "Included Angle (A2)"
label 260, 159, 100, 24, "Width"
label 260, 189, 100, 24, "Length"
! The text labels for user input are placed.
input 370, 35, 70, 24, xs, 0
input 370, 65, 70, 24, ys, 0
input 370, 95, 70, 24, a1, 15
input 370, 125, 70, 24, a2, 80
input 370, 155, 70, 24, ww, 4
input 370, 185, 70, 24, ll, 5
! The text input boxes are placed. Note the variable names and default values.
check 20, 240, 200, 24, "Show Messages", messages, 1

70
 Macro Language Samples

! An option is placed for the user. If this option is checked then the macro will show a text message
at certain points during the macro’s execution. The messages let the user know what is going on.
This sets the variable "messages" to true ("1").
cancel 260, 240, 70, 24
! This creates a cancel button which is mandatory.
ok 370, 240, 70, 24
! This creates an okay button which is mandatory. That is all there is to the dialog f ile. All the data
collected here gets passed to the macro f ile.
The Results of the Macro
This macro requires an open f ile. We start with an empty 3-axis mill part.

The user inputs data.

The user gets a series of messages.

71
 Macro Language Samples

The f inal results. The shape, tools. processes and operations are all created by the macro.

8"
6"

70°
30°
X4,

Second Example - "Macro2"

Macro2.mac
As with the f irst example, this is the complete code for a macro. This code is
not as heavily commented, instead the comments are more focused on items
the f irst macro does not have. This macro collects input from a user to create a
six-sided shape and will then repeat that shape a number of times.

dialog "Macro2.dlg"
! The f ile “Macro2.dlg” is opened to gather the shape dimensions.
“Macro2.dlg” can be found on page 74.
dialog "Macro2repeats.dlg"
! After data has been collected from "macro2.dlg" this dialog, “Macro2Repeats.dlg” opens to
determine the number of repeats.“Macro2Repeats.dlg” can be found on page 75.
! l1 = long length
! l2 = short length
! h1 = long height
! h2 = short height
! r1 = large fillet
! r2 = small fillet
! These are the variables collected by "macro2.dlg".
! xs = x start
! ys = y start
! dx = x spacing
! dy = y spacing
! nx = number in x
! ny = number in y
! These are the variables collected by "macro2repeats.dlg".
if nx<2 then stop "Invalid number of parts in X (2 to 5)"
if nx>5 then stop "Invalid number of parts in X (2 to 5)"

72
 Macro Language Samples

! the macro can only create up to 5 shapes in an X direction. If less than 2 or more than 5 parts are
requested then the macro will stop.
if ny<2 then stop "Invalid number of parts in Y (2 to 4)"
if ny>4 then stop "Invalid number of parts in Y (2 to 4)"
! the macro can only create up to 4 shapes in a Y direction. If less than 2 or more than 4 parts are
requested then the macro will stop.
x1=xs
! The variable "x1" is set equal to the X start position the user specif ied.
for i=1 to nx
! a count is started
y1=ys
! The variable "y1" is set equal to the Y start position the user specif ied.
for j=1 to ny
! a count is started
contour [
start x1+r1, y1
line x1+l1-r1, y1
arc x1+l1-r1, y1+r1, x1+l1, y1+r1, ccw
line x1+l1, y1+h2-r2
arc x1+l1-r2, y1+h2-r2, x1+l1-r2, y1+h2, ccw
line x1+l2+r2, y1+h2
arc x1+l2+r2, y1+h2+r2, x1+l2, y1+h2+r2, cw
line x1+l2, y1+h1-r2
arc x1+l2-r2, y1+h1-r2, x1+l2-r2, y1+h1, ccw
line x1+r1, y1+h1
arc x1+r1, y1+h1-r1, x1, y1+h1-r1, ccw
line x1, y1+r1
arc x1+r1, y1+r1, x1+r1, y1, ccw
]
! This code creates the shape from the user-input using simple math.
y1 = y1 + dy
! The variable "y1" is incremented by the Y offset
next j
! The next contour is created in Y. This will repeat a number of times equal to "ny".
x1 = x1 + dx
! The variable "x1" is incremented by the x offset
next i
! The next contour is created in X. This will repeat a number of times equal to "nx". Basically, this
code creates a number of shapes in Y, then steps over in X and creates the same number of shapes.
This will repeat until "nx" is reached.
clear_select
! This deselects any item to ensure it is not accidentally deleted.
redraw
! This forces a redraw so the user can see the results of the macro.

73
 Macro Language Samples

Macro2.dlg
This code sets the dialog "Example Macro 2" which collects user input for def ining the shape that will be repeated.

dialog "Example Macro 2",250,250,440,320

! The size and position of the dialog are set.
! l1 = long length
! l2 = short length
! h1 = long height
! h2 = short height
! r1 = large fillet
! r2 = small fillet
! These are simply comments about the variables and what they represent.
! xs = x start
! ys = y start
! dx = x spacing
! dy = y spacing
! nx = number in x
! ny = number in y
! These are simply comments about the variables and what they represent. These variables are
collected in "Macro2Reapeats.dlg".
image 20, 20, 200,200, "Macro2.bmp"
! The example graphic is positioned.
frame 240, 16, 180,204, "Part Data"
! A frame that contains the user input is created.
label 260, 39, 70, 24, "L1"
label 260, 69, 70, 24, "L2"
label 260, 99, 70, 24, "H1"
label 260, 129, 70, 24, "H2"
label 260, 159, 70, 24, "R1"
label 260, 189, 70, 24, "R2"
! Text labels for the input f ields are set.
input 340, 35, 70, 24, l1, 5
input 340, 65, 70, 24, l2, 3
input 340, 95, 70, 24, h1, 4
input 340, 125, 70, 24, h2, 2

74
 Macro Language Samples

input 340, 155, 70, 24, r1, 0.6

input 340, 185, 70, 24, r2, 0.3
! Text entry boxes are created. A variable and default is set for each f ield.
cancel 260, 240, 70, 24
ok 340, 240, 70, 24
! The required "Cancel" and "OK" buttons are created. When this dialog is closed the macro will
continue to run which means Macro2Repeats.dlg will open.
Macro2Repeats.dlg
This code sets the second dialog "Example Macro 2" which collects user input for how the shapes are to be offset.

dialog "Example Macro 2",250,250,440,320

! The size and position of the dialog are set.
! xs = x start
! ys = y start
! dx = x spacing
! dy = y spacing
! nx = number in x
! ny = number in y
! These are simply comments about the variables and what they represent.
image 20, 20, 200,200, "Macro2repeats.bmp"
frame 240, 16, 180,204, "Repeats"
! The example graphic and frame are positioned.
label 260, 39, 70, 24, "X start"
label 260, 69, 70, 24, "Y start"
label 260, 99, 70, 24, "DX"
label 260, 129, 70, 24, "DY"
label 260, 159, 70, 24, "Num in X"
label 260, 189, 70, 24, "Num in Y"
input 340, 35, 70, 24, xs, 1
input 340, 65, 70, 24, ys, 1
input 340, 95, 70, 24, dx, 6
input 340, 125, 70, 24, dy, 5
input 340, 155, 70, 24, nx, 4
input 340, 185, 70, 24, ny, 3

75
 Macro Language Samples

! Text labels for the input f ields and the accompanying text entry boxes are created. A variable and
default is set for each f ield.
cancel 260, 240, 70, 24
ok 340, 240, 70, 24
! The required "Cancel" and "OK" buttons are created. When this dialog is closed with "OK" the
macro will continue to run with values for all of the variables.

76
INDEX
 Index

Index
Comments: 13, 68
Symbols Concatenation: 5
%variable: 5 Continue statements: 8
Contour
example of defining: 51
example of transforming: 52
A contour command: 20, 69
Absolute Value: 4 ContourRef: 69
Air/Wall geometry: 24 Coordinate System commands
arc command: 20 get_cs: 24
Arc Cosine: 4 get_cs_list: 24
Arc Sine: 4 get_cs_name: 24
Arc Tangent: 4 get_geo_air: 24
Args: 3 new_cs: 23
Arrays: 3 next_cs_number: 24
number_of_css: 24
set_cs: 24
set_cs_name: 24
B set_geo_air: 24
button command: 11 Cosine: 4
CounterRef: 20
create_lathe_tool: 26
C create_mill_tool: 26
create_proc command: 28
calc_proc command: 28 Curve, creation of: 20
calc_process command: 28, 69
Call function: 3
cancel button command: 11, 71
check command: 32 D
check(box) command: 10, 70 debug command: 32
Circle commands Degrees: 4
circle: 18 command: 4, 68
circle_2cr: 18 Delete commands
circle_2lr: 18 clear_proc_list: 28
circle_2p: 18 delete_geo: 22
circle_2pr: 18 delete_op: 29
circle_3p: 18 delete_proc: 28
circle_copy: 19 delete_shape: 22
circle_cp: 18 delete_solid: 26
circle_cr: 18 delete_tool: 26
circle_get_data: 18 Deselect, see Selection commands
circle_lcr: 18 Dialog
circle_mirror: 19 command: 9, 68
circle_pc: 18 creating a: 10, 70
circle_pcr: 18 example of defining: 51
circle_pl: 18 Dropdown menus
circle_plr: 18 dropdown_add command: 12
circle_rotate: 19 dropdown_excel command: 12
circle_translate: 19 dropdown_new command: 12
create_circle: 18 dropdown_val command: 12
clear_select command: 69

78
 Index

parameters: 43, 46
E All Milling Ops: 43
Embedding Variables: 5 All Operations: 43
Excel commands Comment String: 43
excel_close: 31 Lathe Roughing: 46
excel_find_cell: 31 Lathe Threading: 46
excel_get_cell: 32 Mill Contour & Pocket Wall: 44
excel_get_range: 32 Mill Contour Entry: 44
excel_open: 31 Mill Drilling: 43
excel_select_sheet: 31 Mill Pocket & Contour: 43
Exclamation Point: 5 Pocket Entry: 45
Exponent: 4 Surfacing Entry: 45
extrude command: 25 Surfacing, 2 Curve Flow: 45
Surfacing, General: 45
Surfacing, Intersection: 45
Surfacing, Lace Cut: 45
F Surfacing, Surface Flow: 45
File commands Thread Milling: 45
file_close: 31 Turning Ops: 46
file_delete: 31 Type: 43
file_dialog_extension: 14 get_op_list: 29
file_dialog_new: 14 get_op_selected: 30
file_dialog_show open: 14 get_op_status: 29
file_open: 31 get_part_data
file_read_text: 31 command: 14
file_read_vars: 31 parameters: 34
file_write_text: 31 All Part Types: 34
file_write_vars: 31 Mill Parts: 34
fit_curve command: 20 Turn Parts: 34
font: 10 get_post_data
For Statements: 8 command: 14
Loop Example: 73 parameters: 47
frame command: 10, 70 Posting Data: 47
get_proc_data
command: 28
parameters: 36, 37, 40
G 2 Curve Flow: 38
Get commands Contour Entry, Mill: 39
Get Feature commands General Process Parameters: 36
get_feat_end: 23 Intersection: 38
get_feat_start: 23 Lace Cut: 38
get_feat_type: 23 Lathe Drilling: 40
get_arc_data: 23 Lathe Process: 40
get_circle_data: 23 Lathe Roughing: 40
get_geo_air command: 24 Lathe Threading: 40
get_mtm_data Mill Drilling: 37
command: 14 Milling: 37
parameters: 34 Pocket & Contour: 37
General MTM: 34 Pocket Entry: 37
get_num_feat_selected: 23 Surface Entry: 38
get_op_data Surface Process: 38
command: 29 Thread Milling: 39

79
 Index

get_proc_list: 27 Labels: 13
get_proc_selected: 28 lcase$ command: 6
get_proc_status: 28 left$ command: 6
get_selected_geo_ref: 23 len command: 6
get_selection_list: 21 Line commands
get_solid_bagged: 26 create_line: 17
get_tg_data: 27 line: 17
get_tool_data line (in a contour): 20
command: 26 line_2c: 17
parameters: 35 line_2p: 16
All Tools: 35 line_ca: 17
Lathe Tools: 35 line_copy: 17
Mill Tools: 35 line_hp: 17
get_tool_list command: 26 line_ld: 17
get_tool_selected: 27 line_pa: 17
get_tool_status: 26 line_pc: 17
get_util_proc_data line_vp: 17
command: 28 Linebreak: 5
parameters: 41 Load commands
All Stop: 42 load_defauts: 13
Load, Auto Bar Feed: 41 load_proc: 28
Load, Auto Chuck: 41 load_process: 28, 69
Load, Bar Feed: 41 Local variables: 3
Load, Bar Pull: 41 ltrim$ command: 6
Load, Manual Chuck: 41
Move ToolGroup: 42
Part Shift, Bar Feed: 41
Part Shift, Bar Pull: 41
M
Parts Catcher In: 42 Machining markers: 28
Parts Catcher Out: 42 Machining process, example of defining: 52
Process Names: 41 Mathematical Operators: 4
SubSpindle In: 42 message command: 32, 68
SubSpindle Return: 42 mid$ command: 6
Unload: 41 mirror_geo command: 22
get_cs_spindle: 24 mirror_solid: 25
Global variables: 3 MTM commands
Goto: 3 get_mtm_data: 14
set_mtm_data: 14

I
If - Then
N
command: 8 new_part command: 14
Loop example: 72 Next statements: 8
Image command: 11, 70 Not Equal: 4
Indents: 2
Input command: 9, 10, 70
Int: 4 O
ok (button) command: 11, 71
on_event command: 12
L open_part command: 14
Label command: 10, 70 Option argument: 15

80
 Index

save_part_as: 14
P scale_geo command: 22
Part Data commands scale_solid command: 25
get_part_data: 14 Selection commands
set_part_data: 14 deselect_all_geo: 21
Passing values: 3 deselect_all_ops: 30
percent sign: 5 deselect_all_procs: 28
Point Commands deselect_all_solids: 26
create_point: 15 deselect_all_tools: 27
point: 15 deselect_geo: 21
point_2c: 15 deselect_op: 30
point_2l: 15 deselect_ops: 30
point_2p: 15 deselect_proc: 28
point_ca: 15 deselect_tool: 27
point_copy: 16 select_all_geo: 21
point_get_data: 15 select_all_ops: 30
point_lc: 15 select_all_procs: 28
point_mirror: 16 select_all_solids: 26
point_rotate: 16 select_all_tools: 27
point_translate: 16 select_geo: 21
point_xy: 15 select_op: 30
points: 16 select_proc: 28
Post commands select_ref: 21
get_post_data: 14 select_shape: 21, 69
run_post: 15 select_solid: 25
set_post_data: 14 select_tool: 27
Selection list: 21
Set commands
set_markers: 28, 30, 69
Q set_mtm_data
Quote Mark: 5 command: 14
get_part_data: 14
parameters: 34
General MTM: 34
R set_op_data
Radians: 4 command: 30
command: 4 parameters: 43, 46
radio command: 11 All Milling Ops: 43
redraw command: 30, 69 All Operations: 43
Return Values, String: 9 Comment String: 43
revolve (solid) command: 25 Lathe Roughing: 46
right$ command: 6 Lathe Threading: 46
rotate_geo command: 21, 69 Mill Contour & Pocket Wall: 44
rotate_solid command: 25 Mill Contour Entry: 44
rtrim$ command: 6 Mill Drilling: 43
run_exe command: 30 Mill Pocket & Contour: 43
Pocket Entry: 45
Surfacing Entry: 45
S Surfacing, 2 Curve Flow: 45
Surfacing, General: 45
Save commands Surfacing, Intersection: 45
save_defaults: 13 Surfacing, Lace Cut: 45
save_part: 14

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 Index

Surfacing, Surface Flow: 45 Part Shift, Bar Feed: 41

Thread Milling: 45 Part Shift, Bar Pull: 41
Turning Ops: 46 Parts Catcher In: 42
Type: 43 Parts Catcher Out: 42
set_part_data Process Names: 41
command: 14 SubSpindle In: 42
parameters: 34 SubSpindle Return: 42
All Part Types: 34 Unload: 41
Mill Parts: 34 set_view: 30
Turn Parts: 34 set_geo_air command: 24
set_post_data shrink_wrap command: 30
command: 14 Sine: 4
parameters: 47 sleep command: 32
Posting Data: 47 Solid Boolean commands
set_proc_data solid_intersect: 25
command: 28 solid_subtract: 25
parameters: 36, 37, 40 solid_union: 25
2 Curve Flow: 38 Special Characters: 5
Contour Entry, Mill: 39 Spindle commands
General Process Parameters: 36 get_spindle_num: 14
Intersection: 38 set_spindle_num: 14
Lace Cut: 38 Square Root: 4
Lathe Drilling: 40 start command: 20
Lathe Process: 40 stop command: 32
Lathe Roughing: 40 String commands: 5
Lathe Threading: 40 lcase$: 6
Mill Drilling: 37 left$: 6
Milling Process Parameters: 37 len: 6
Pocket & Contour: 37 ltrim$: 6
Pocket Entry: 37 mid$: 6
Surface Entry: 38 right$: 6
Surface Process: 38 rtrim$: 6
Thread Milling: 39 trim$: 6
set_selection_list: 21 ucase$: 6
set_solid_bagged: 26 String Return Values: 9
set_tg_data: 27
set_tool_data
command: 26
parameters: 35
T
All Tools: 35 Tabs: 2
Lathe Tools: 35 Tangent: 4
Mill Tools: 35 trace command: 33
set_util_proc_data Translate commands
command: 28 translate_geo: 21
parameters: 41 translate_solid: 25
All Stop: 42 trim$ command: 6
Load, Auto Bar Feed: 41
Load, Auto Chuck: 41
Load, Bar Feed: 41
Load, Bar Pull: 41
U
Load, Manual Chuck: 41 ucase$ command: 6
Move ToolGroup: 42

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 Index

V
Variable: 3

W
Workgroup commands
get_wg: 24
get_wg_name: 24
new_wg: 24
set_wg: 24

Y
Yes or No button: 9
yesno command: 9

Z
zoom_view command: 30

83