Re: gcode comments

Alan

(/) doesn't really comment out a line.

(comments out the stuff between)

/ skips a block if the operator wants to skip a bunch of blocks. This
feature is a lot like some genetic code that you might want to try but be
able to disable rather quickly. And it was intended for those days long
gone when it was much harder to edit a part program than it is today. You
could use (/) to write in stuff to test the program and then switch it out
by turning on the ignore blocks that start with (/) switch.

This is implemented in RS274NGC because it was a part of the K&T that the
initial interpreter was written for. All we would need to do is use a
software switch in tkemc and we could reinvent the old skip block feature.

IMO Putting the (/) elsewhere in the line would trip me up 9 times outa
10. Same thing with (;), it is a separator in some programming languages.
(Old dog new trick problem) I have a hard enough time remembering where I
put my Car keys. Usually in the ignition for simplicity (If someone wants
my car bad enough, they probably need it worse than I do.)

I also have a real difficult time when Ballendo reminds me that EMC's
g-code is a variant. Damn if I didn't grow up on AB and GE controls when
they were the only folk building controls and most of the stuff in RS274NGC
is common to both. Seems to me EMC's language is a minimallist and others
with "frills" are the variants. Hope we all come to terms with this
difference before the book or at least in a footnote to the relevant
chapter.

I still consider a home command to be a frill. You notice how many ways to
get home that have recently been suggested here. I wrote my choice of home
routines into a genedit script (under the genedit scripts menu) that simply
writes

g0 z0
x0 y0

or

g0 x0 y0 z0

or

g53 and either of the above.

In Conversational Programming you could have a whole stack of home buttons
for all the possible ways, (Don't worry about the wood mamma, I'm commin
home with a load).

IMHO - Why muddle up relatively simple g-code language with all of the great
ideas that we can think up. We can write a language any way we want.
Just don't pretend that it's the "real" g-code. Call it RS274ALAN or
RS274BNDO.

rant off
<grin> hope you are too.
--

Ray


From: Alan Marconett KM6VV <KM6VV@...>

Ballendo,

So is the ';' not advisable? I want to implement the "stock size"
also. I have also read (NIST ?) that '/' can be used to "comment out" a
line. Is this in general acceptance? I like the '()' comments, easy to
parse. Although I'm inclined to put in "//" or "/* ... */" comments!
;>)

Alan KM6VV