Control from PC

Nightcrawler

Hi,

I want to know if I can control or more or less call certain functions on a NetLinx box ?

So say I write a module for DMX control or event a button for a sequence of events. I then want to call this from the PowerPoint or other problem through maybe VB script ???

Anyone know a way to do this, I noticed i-ConnectLinx but can't see how the PC side to that works ?

Thanks

Ed

rverstappen

TCP socket

I would just open a TCP/IP socket on AMX and listen for command strings that you send via VB (using its TCP/IP API).

Cheers!

Nightcrawler

Thanks - would this create stablility problems or anything like that ?

Thanks

Ed

rverstappen

Any stability issues would likely come from the Windows side, but it should probably work pretty cleanly. The AMX side handles sockets very well and easily.

See discussion and examples of IP_SERVER_OPEN the NetLinx programming manual.

Cheers!

jcerecke

Just as an OT question semi-related. If say I were controlling a matrix switcher, and in netlinx I opened a client connection to it and sent it a command, but the switcher documentation recommended not to leave the connection open... how would it create a connection back to me, if it needed, to give me a status update, say from someone using the front panel buttons? Or is that not possible?

Jorde_V

jcerecke wrote: »

Just as an OT question semi-related. If say I were controlling a matrix switcher, and in netlinx I opened a client connection to it and sent it a command, but the switcher documentation recommended not to leave the connection open... how would it create a connection back to me, if it needed, to give me a status update, say from someone using the front panel buttons? Or is that not possible?

That would depend entirely on the switcher. And frankly it's highly unlikely that it has the capabilities.

If you do want feedback you'll have to make requests to the switcher and close the connection after doing so.

Nightcrawler

Sockets Open and Close

Does AMX close sockets cleanly if say PowePoint crashed and didn't close it??

Is it better to have one socket open for the duration of the show or close and open on each slide.

Thanks

Ed

GigaNexus

If / when NetLinx detects a problem with the TCP/IP communication (i.e. cable's cut, powerpoint crashes, gremlins attack the network), it will close the socket and fire an OFFLINE event for the corresponding AMX Port (0:#:0)

(Note: You cannot guarantee this will happen immediately. In practice, it is usually people-time immediate... But it 'should' occur in a worst case scenario of approximately 30 seconds maximum.)

You will need to (unfortunately) keep track manually if the AMX Port is ON or OFF-line, you cannot query this state from AMX.

Nightcrawler

Thanks for replying. I got this to work. I was wondering thou. With the iPCLink etc applications. They use the 1319 port first and I guess get the NetLinx box to open a port that way. Is this do able or do I have to have NetLinx open another port and just wait ? It seems silly to allocate resources to another port when there is one already doing the job ?

Thanks

Ed