Creating and Modifying Programs
Manually Editing a PGM File in the Commands View

If you want to modify and save an existing Program, follow the steps below. (For information about how to create a new program, refer to  Automatically Creating a Program. Modify the program in the device view as described in  Editing PGM Files in the Device Views of the PGM Editor.)

General Information

• Select Open… on the File menu, and then select an existing PGM File from the Open dialog box.

• Verify that the server is running. If the server is not yet running, start the server in the Server Monitor Program.

• Select Connect to Timebase on the Control menu, and then select the timebase in which you want to use the modified PGM File.

• To open the Commands view, click the following icon on the icon bar:

• Place the cursor on the position you wish to modify or press the Enter key to insert a new program line.

Entering commands or properties

• Press the F8 key to open the Commands dialog box.

• Select the instrument (called Device below) for which you want to edit an instruction. A device can be any of the following: an instrument in a timebase, an installed channel, a relay, a remote input, or the system itself. Devices are marked by the following icon . Click the "+" character beside the device name to display the items underneath.

• Each device has its own commands () and/or properties (, , , ).

• When you select a command or a property, additional input boxes appear under the Retention Time input box. The Help section displays a brief description of the selected command or property.

• Enter the retention time at which the command will be executed or when the status of a property will be changed.

• Assign either the required value (e.g., a number) or a new status (e.g., On) to the command or property.

• Click OK to complete the input. Click OK & Prev or OK & Next to go to the previous or next program line, respectively.

• Repeat the input procedure until you have changed all commands and/or properties.

Adding command/property values to the Audit Trail

• Press the F8 key to open the Commands dialog box.

• Select the Log command from the commands list. The devices listed in the left window are displayed a second time, in the Property box on the right. The structure in which the devices are displayed is the same as described above. The Property box provides the commands and properties in the left window; several read-only variables are available, also.

• Select the command or the property for which you want to write the value at the time specified in the Retention Time field to the Audit Trail. The Help section displays a brief description of the selected command or property.

• Click OK to enter the selected Log command into the program.

Adding comments to the Audit Trail

• Press the F8 key to open the Commands dialog box.

• Select the Protocol command from the commands list. Enter a comment into the Text input box that appears on the right.

• Click OK to enter the Protocol command into the program.

Checks during command input

• When you enter commands, Chromeleon performs different checks (see Check Command):

Syntax check: Does the entry correspond to the formal rules of the program language?

Semantics check: Does the program make sense with regard to chromatography?

• If an error is detected, the corresponding line is displayed in red. Check and correct the entry. If necessary, repeat this procedure, using the F8 box.

Adding comments

To enter a comment, place the cursor at the position. Type the text, starting with a semicolon. Alternatively, press the F8 key to open the Commands dialog box and enter the comment in the Comment field. Click OK to add the comment to the program.

Comments are displayed in green. Any comment entered in this way does not appear in the Audit Trail. The purpose of entering a comment is to provide details about a program so that you can, for example, easily recall and understand the various steps later.

 Note:

If you want to edit your program later in the Device views (see Control/The PGM Editor  The Device Views), Dionex recommends entering all comments right at the beginning of the program. In some cases, Chromeleon cannot assign comments to the associated commands when re-sorting. Thus, it may happen that some comments appear at the wrong position after you have edited the program in the Device views.

For information about how to perform calculations in a program, refer to  Calculating in a Program.

Save the result as a new PGM File, using the Save as command.

 Note:

Experienced users can enter these commands directly, that is, without opening the F8 box. However, this requires profound knowledge of the program syntax (see Control  The Program Syntax).

 Tip:

Try to avoid editing programs for Tandem Operation. If editing is necessary, keep in mind that you have the make the corresponding changes also for the other pump. Any inconsistencies that might occur are displayed on the Consistency Check page. (When Chromeleon detects inconsistencies, this page opens automatically when you exit the PGM Editor and specify that you want to solve the problem(s). As an alternative, you may open this open by clicking the x2 Tandem Operation icon.)

For a simple program example, refer to  Creating a Program Example.

For special program examples, refer to How to …: Creating and Modifying Programs:

 Creating an Equilibration Program

 Creating a Shutdown Program

 Specifying an Emergency Program

 Creating a Power Failure Program

For program examples for special applications, refer to How to …: Creating and Modifying Programs

 Creating a Tandem Program (including Bypass Mode)

 Using User-defined Columns in a Program

For an overview of the numerous programming capabilities, refer to Device Control  Practical Tips for Device Control (Overview).