User manual

MAUI Oscilloscopes Remote Control and Automation Manual
Automation Overview
Automation (formerly referred to as “OLE Automation”) is a Microsoft technology that is primarily used to
enable cross-application macro programming. It is based upon the Component Object Model (COM),
which is similar in nature to CORBA more commonly found in the UNIX world. In addition to supporting the
familiar ASCII-based remote commands that have been used to control all Teledyne LeCroy oscilloscopes
for many years, all Windows-based MAUI instruments fully support control by Automation interfaces.
Using COM, the controlling application can run directly on the instrument without requiring an external
controller. Alternatively, it can run from a remote, networked computer using Microsoft’s distributed COM
standard (DCOM).
It is important to note that Automation itself is not language dependent; it can be performed using any
programming language that supports COM.
General Architecture
An application that “exposes Automation objects” is referred to as an “Automation server.” Automation
objects expose “Automation interfaces” to the controlling “Automation client.” The oscilloscope application
on MAUI oscilloscopes (XStreamDSO) is an Automation server that can be controlled locally or remotely
by Automation clients.
Automation objects can take the form of:
l Invisible "objects" created by script, such as a Visual Basic script to change oscilloscope settings
and read back the new measurement results
l Visible objects embedded in an application, such as a button that launches a macro containing an
Automation subroutine
Uses of Automation
Automation has many uses:
l Instrument setup (panel files)
l Remote control from external Windows applications
l Exposing waveform data and measurement results to external Windows applications
l Custom math/measurement processing and user interface customizations (with XDEV)
This section concentrates on using Automation for remote set up, control, and waveform/data transfer,
the functions traditionally performed by GPIB remote control.
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