Overview

What is an Epson RC+ 8.0 Project?

An Epson RC+ 8.0 project is a collection of program files, include files, point files, force files, I/O labels, user errors, Vision settings, and conveyor settings used to run a SPEL+ application.

Why do you need projects?

Projects are a safe and convenient way to manage your SPEL+ applications. All the information for each application is kept in one project. By keeping all of your application code and point definitions in one project, it is easy to open a project and begin running or editing. Also, it is easy to create new versions of an application and run older versions.

Projects make it easier to maintain your application code with less chance of a program being lost.

Previously, multiple commands had to be executed to maintain an application. Creating the application also required a good understanding of SPEL. Without a good understanding, there was a possibility of overwriting and erasing important data during the work.

There are also functions for copying and renaming projects, making it easy to create new projects from previous versions and for backing up projects to an external media such as a USB memory key.

What does an Epson RC+ 8.0 project consist of?

Each project is saved in a folder specified by the customer.

Example: C:\EpsonRC80\Projects

KEY POINTS

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You can set the save location from the Epson RC+ menu: [Setup]-[Development Preferences]-[Workspace]-[Project Save Location].

The following paragraphs describe the components of a project.

• Project file

  This file contains all of the information that describes the project. This file is automatically created by Epson RC+ 8.0. You should never edit this file. Doing so may cause errors when you open the project. The file extension is ".sprj".

• Program files

  A program file is an ASCII text file that contains one or more SPEL+ functions. Each function in SPEL+ can be run as a separate task (thread) in the controller or called from other functions. The file extension is ".prg".

• Point File

  A point file contains a list of robot points. The file extension is ".pts".

• Include files

  In the include file, you can declare variables and macros. The file extension is ".inc".

• Force files

  Force files are where force objects are saved. The file name extension is "frc".