Licensed installations of previous versions of Focus will be upgraded when the new version is installed. Otherwise, a 15-day free trial will be automatically authorized.

Release Notes for Focus Version 1.4a (March, 2003)

Terminal Window infinite loop bug fixed

An incorrect command entered in the teminal window caused an infinite loop of error messages if USB or Ethernet PMAC communication was used.

Rename #define bug fixed

Renaming pName1 to pName2 would also replace pName1_X with pName2_X in open file editor windows.

Setting I5=0 during downloads is now optional

This option has been added to the Focus Options (Advanced) dialog box for situations where it is critical that PLC programs not be paused during downloads.

Software Licensing System Update

The software licensing system was upgraded to maintain compatibility with the latest versions of Microsoft Windows.

New Focus Web Site

The Greene & Morehead Engineering web site has moved from www.commander.com to www.MotionCommander.com.

Windows 2000 and Windows Millenium Edition Compatibility

The software licensing system was upgraded to maintain compatibility with the latest versions of Microsoft Windows.

Additional Help Files

The Focus HTML Help System now features many more illustrations as well as an expanded and extensively illustrated "Getting Started" chapter.

The Focus HTML Help System and the suggested M-variable definitions are now distributed in a separate archive from the main Focus program. Download "FocHelp.exe" from the Focus home page of www.MotionCommander.com to install these files.

Compatibility with the new PComm32-PRO Driver

Focus now searches for "PCOMM32.DLL" before it loads "PMAC.DLL" to in order to utilize the new Delta Tau PComm32-PRO communication driver while still maintaining backwards compatibility with previous versions of PComm32 .

Fast way to Open or Close PMAC Communication

Click on the communication status lamp to open or close communication with PMAC.

The Results Window

A Results window has been added to the Advice Bar. This new window will display status messages during downloads, #define macro imports, and other major operations.

"File Not Found" Bug

If a file is open in Focus when the program is closed, Focus will re-open it the next time it is run. If the file was moved or deleted between runs, Focus 1.3a crashed when it attempted to re-open the file. This bug has been fixed.

The "Register Focus File Types" Dialog

A new tool has been added that performs selective registration of Focus file types, allowing you to double-click on a file in Windows Explorer and open that file in Focus. This tool also can add Focus shortcuts to the Windows Start Menu.

Simple Editor Mode

Focus now has two modes of operation. "Simple Editor Mode" provides the colored-text command file editor, downloader, terminal, real-time advice, and context-specific F1 help. "Full Project Mode" adds multi-file project support, #define macro management, suggested M-variable definitions, watch windows, and much more. No license is required to run Focus in "Simple Editor Mode". Use the "Tools" menu to switch between "Full Project Mode" and "Simple Editor Mode".

UMAC Support

A checkbox has been added to the "PMAC Type" dialog that enables you to identify a Turbo PMAC2 as a UMAC. Focus then uses UMAC-specific suggested M-variable definitions (generously provided by Rickard Andersson of Beijer Electronics AB).

Rename Option for #define Macros

Right-click on a #define macro in the QuickFinder to rename it. The name is replaced automatically in all project files.

New and Improved Project Bar

The new Project Bar features icons that indicate files that need downloading, have caused download errors, contain PLCC programs, or are excluded from project downloads. Previously opened projects are also listed in the new Project Bar for convenient access.

Resizable Project and Advice Bars

You can now click-and-drag to resize and relocate the Project Bar and Advice Bar. The sizes and locations are retained between program runs.

Specify First Variable to Auto-Assign

Focus will auto-assign variables to #defines starting with variables P100, Q100, and M900 (or M7000 for Turbo PMAC's). You can now specify different starting variables in the "Focus Options (Advanced)" dialog box.

Option to Strip Spaces from Downloads

The "Focus Options (Advanced)" dialog box now has an option to not send spaces or TAB characters to PMAC while downloading command files.

Option to Save Communication Settings in Project

This option allows different projects to maintain different PMAC communication settings. Otherwise, communication settings are global and are saved in the main Focus initialization file.

Child Window Positions are Restored

Focus now saves and restores the size and location of child windows that were open when the program was exited.

A Focus "Dongle" is Now Available

A hardware security key can now be obtained which can be used in place of the Focus software licensing system. Attaching the key to the computer's parallel port activates Focus regardless of the status of the software licensing system. Contact Delta Tau Data Systems to inquire about purchasing Focus hardware keys.

Minor Bug Fixes

A new file named "File.plc" would be saved as "File.plc.pmc". Having the "Auto Open Comm" option disabled caused watch variables to be lost when Focus was restarted. A typo was reported in the suggested M-variable definitions.

Send your own suggestions to us via e-mail. New feature requests with broad appeal and technical feasibility will be added to future versions of the product as we work to make Focus the ultimate PMAC programming environment!