TCL/TK CNC Interface

I have two requests from Bill

1) Goto button with a corrdinate box for the destination.
I will post 3 entry boxes, one for each axis in a "goto" dialog box. The
boxes will contain the current position. Any entry will assume a move of
that axis once the ok button on the dialog is entered. cancel button will
result in no change to positions.

2) Home button to set an axis to 0.00 at the current position.

Should I make a select axis feature like EMC and Highlight the selected
axis? then
home will zero only that axis? i.e X, Y,X,Z keys select the axis and home
key zero's the selected one.

3) My own realization: Estop/Start and machine on/off are needed on the
manual control panel.

4) My own realization: Jog speed..... How do I interpret "Feed overide"
can someone explain the
concept so I don't violate CNC traditions? Is it in percent or inches per
minute or What?


Now to disect XEMC and figure out the communications so I can get some
simple commands working to the EMC
motor controller and have something useful. again, any comments welcome...
This is your chance to get just
what you want. well almost :)

I'm writing my first TCL/TK/Gcode hybrid program for bolt hole circles. I
thought it would be a good way to work
out the design goals for GUI code in CNC programs. So far the idea places
most of the GUI code into a library. This will allow the CNC programs to be
smaller, but the library must be correct and up to date for the CNC file to
run right. This may be a problem.....



So Far the architecture looks like:

TCLCNC interpreter(finds GUI calls and passes them to the GUI library,
vanila g-code is passed direct to EMC)
|
TCLCNC GUI library
(generates gcode on the fly from user dialog box inputs, adds this code to
the gcode stream, Sort of a macro expansion that depends on user inputs in
the GUI boxes)
|
TCLCNC pipe (Sends Gcode to EMC Gcode interpreter)

Ideas????

dave