Studio Development Framework (SDF) is a set of businness logic and user interface components providing software developers possibility to build a custom EtherCAT configuration and diagnostic tool. KPA EtherCAT Studio is based on SDF and may be represented as an example of EtherCAT configuration tool.
SDF Architecture and integration
SDF provides front-end interfaces:
- .NET remoting to connect to running SDF instance remotely
- WCF
- COM, etc.
SDF has online connection to VS EtherCAT Master as back end and supports all ETG specifications. SDF could be integrated into any IDE.
SDF components
SDF core interfaces and GUI components provide a full set of objects for custom EtherCAT configuration tool using BLF procedure (brand labeling).
User interface (UI)
- Dialogs
- Controls
Automation interface/business objects (BL)
- core interfaces representing EtherCAT object model:
- project, security
- master, slave, process image, etc.
- slave library
- online interface to master over remote procedure calls (RPC)
- extensions:
- plug-ins (MDP Modules, MDP Profibus Master Gateway Profile 3100, M2M, Profibus slave, CANopen Master, CAN Interface, MDP 4-CAN Gateway, Virtual Serial COM)
- tools (Data logger, EEPROM Editor, ESI and EEPROM Comparator, Frame Logger, Motion Configuration Utility, Process Image Viewer, RunTime Data Logger, S2S Communication Editor, Snapshot Viewer, Topology Viewer)
- customizations:
- localizations
- brand labeling
SDF is already localized to several languages and can be localized to any language through localization procedure. Any brand could be applied to labeling.
SDF functionality can be extended by writing custom tools and plug-ins.
