The PGM Editor
The Program Syntax (Experts Only)

 Tip:

Dionex recommends always editing programs in the associated Device view (see Control/The PGM Editor  The Device Views). The Device view is easy to use and ensures correct command syntax. Use the Commands view only if the desired parameters are unavailable in the device view. To enter the commands, use the F8 dialog box as described in the Commands view (see Control/The PGM Editor  Commands View). Enter commands directly only if you know the correct syntax.

For uniform operation by different users, Control Commands are in English. The syntax for the Program commands is as follows:

or

If you are not familiar with the syntax, use the  Program Wizard and the different Device Views that guide you through program creation.

For a list of the general commands and the commands supported for Dionex and third-party devices, refer to  Device Control (Overview).

Time (Retention Time)

The time appears at the beginning of the control command and determines when the command will be executed. The time is in Decimal Minutes, for example,

This input is optional. If no time is entered, the time specified in the previous program line will be used.

Device

Devices are all instruments, channels, relays, or remote inputs that are available in the active timebase. You can identify them in the F8 dialog box by the device icon (). Each Device has a number of commands and/or properties.

Various instruments can have the same commands or properties. Therefore, add the device name in front of the command to identify the instrument. The syntax is as follows:

or

If no confusion occurs with other commands or properties, the device name can be omitted. For example, you can omit the device name in the Flow command when only one pump is installed. The syntax is as follows:

Command

In the F8 edit box, commands are marked by an exclamation mark (). If a command exists for only one instrument, the name is sufficient for identification:

The NeedleUp command exists only for the Dionex Autosampler GINA 50. In this case, the device name can be omitted. This is in contrast to:

The AcqOn command is not unique if there is more than one channel in the system. To address a specific channel, you have to add the channel name to the command.

In addition, commands can be extended by additional parameters; for example:

The possible command extensions and their order are predefined. They are listed in the F8 edit box. As confusion is impossible, you can also use the following syntax:

Device-Independent Control Commands

Commands that are independent from a device appear as main entries in the F8 box. These are, for example Branch, If, ElseIf, Else, EndIf, Log, Message, Protocol, Wait, Delay, Trigger, EndTrigger, and End.

For more information, refer to Practical Tips for Device Control

 Trigger Commands

 Mixed Commands

Property

Properties are distinguished by their value. An I/0 icon () in the F8 edit box indicates that the value is predefined by the system. The icon indicates that the values are freely selectable. A command string is also considered a property (). For example:

If a property reports an actual value (for example, Pressure (bar), %A (%), Signal (mAU), etc.), the icon looks as follows: (). Properties related to the actual value are subordinate to it. For example, Chromeleon enables the output of the current system pressure ( pressure) and the definition of an upper and lower pressure limit ( UpperLimit and  LowerLimit). Solvent names are assigned in the same way. ( %B,  Value, Equate). The syntax is as follows:

If the syntax is not clear, the device name must precede the command or property. For example:

Text, Names

Comments on the program or individual commands can be included before, after, or between individual commands. Comment lines always start with a semicolon ";" and appear green:

Text that appears on the screen due to a command (as with the Protocol and Message commands) and that is logged in the Audit Trail, must be entered in quotation marks:

When you enter these commands in the F8 edit box, the quotation marks are added automatically.