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ETN043886-D02
K-Cube NanoTrak Auto-Alignment Controller
1.3.4 APT Server (ActiveX Controls)
ActiveX Controls are re-usable compiled software components that supply both a graphical user interface and a programmable
interface. Many such Controls are available for Windows applications development, providing a large range of re-usable
functionality. For example, there are Controls available that can be used to manipulate image files, connect to the internet or
simply provide user interface components such as buttons and list boxes.
With the APT system, ActiveX Controls are deployed to allow direct control over (and also reflect the status of) the range of
electronic controller units, including the KSG101 Strain Gauge controller. Software applications that use ActiveX Controls are
often referred to as 'client applications'. Based on ActiveX interfacing technology, an ActiveX Control is a language
independent software component. Consequently ActiveX Controls can be incorporated into a wide range of software
development environments for use by client application developers. Development environments supported include Visual
Basic, Labview, Visual C++, C++ Builder, HPVEE, Matlab, VB.NET, C#.NET and, via VBA, Microsoft Office applications such
as Excel and Word.
Consider the ActiveX Control supplied for a KNA NanoTrak K-Cube unit.
This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to allow the NanoTrak unit to be manually operated, as well as
a complete set of software functions (often called methods) to allow all parameters to be set and NanoTrak control operations to
be automated by a client application. The instrument panel reflects the current operating state of the controller unit to which it is
associated (e.g. such as Relative Power). Updates to the panel take place automatically when a user (client) application is
making software calls into the same Control. For example, if a client application instructs the associated NanoTrak Control to
track the position of optimum power, progress is monitored automatically by changing position of the circle on the graphical
interface, without the need for further programming intervention.
The APT ActiveX Controls collection provides a rich set of graphical user panels and programmable interfaces allowing users
and client application developers to interact seamlessly with the APT hardware. Each of the APT controllers has an associated
ActiveX Control and these are described fully in system online help. Note that the APTUser and APTConfig utilities take
advantage of and are built on top of the powerful functionality provided by the APT ActiveX Server (as shown in Fig. 1.1).
Fig. 1.1 System Architecture Diagram
Summary of Contents for NanoTrak KNA-IR
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