The Machine Data File Generator (MDFG) is a menu driven program that generates Machine Data Files in ASCII format. These files have a .MDFA extension.
NOTE: Machine Data Files that were created prior to V 10.4 were created in binary format and had the extension .MDF. If you edit a .MDF, it is saved in ASCII format with the extension .MDFA.
The Graphics Postprocessor Module (GPM) uses the MDF to determine the (machine tool specific) postprocessor output.
You can use MDFG to create a new MDF or edit an existing MDF. You can also save an existing MDF with an new name after editing.
The MDFG consists of a series of interactive menus that prompt you with the current status (default) of any parameter that might pertain to your machine tool. Some parameters are switches that toggle between two options (usually between YES or NO, or VALID or NOT VALID.) For these switches, the current value is changed by selecting the menu item, causing the switch to toggle to the other value.
In order to reduce the size of this manual and to assist you in following the MDFG prompts, repetitious menus are not shown. For example, after you select any of the Postprocessor commands, you are prompted through a series of menus to indicate that you wish to make the selected command VALID. Since this process occurs throughout your creation of an MDFG, you will quickly become familiar with the sequence.
Once you execute the MDFG, and define the MDF you want to work on, the Generate MDF menu appears with the following options:
Machine Tool Type
Machine Tool Coordinate Axes Validity
Preparatory, Auxiliary, And Event Code Formats
Machine Tool Motion Control
Postprocessor Commands
Listing And Punch Control
Listing Commentary Data
Initial Codes
Run Time Options
Edit Word Address Character Output Sequence
Output File Validation
Print MDF Summary
Rename File
File/Terminate
These options are the major sections of this online help.
The MDFG Operations menu gives you access to all of the options you use to create or modify an MDF. After you define the Input Units, a menu allows you quick access any specific area that requires changing. Therefore, you can make changes or create a new MDF without defining every parameter for a machine tool.
The MDFG uses a caret (>) to show you the current option to change. You can select the option where the caret appears by pressing the Enter (Return on some keyboards) key. If you want a different option, you can enter the option number. This default caret will move as you go through the menu structure. The caret movement can help you go through the entire process of generating an MDF in a logical sequence. The recommended procedure is to follow the default pointers when generating a new MDF or making extensive changes to an existing MDF in order to create a new MDF.
NOTE: Certain MDFG options set the validity and defaults of subsequent options. Conversely, options further "down" in the sequence can change previous option settings without warning.
There are three types of MDFG menus:
A list of selections with current status displayed.
A list of selections without current status displayed.
A request to enter specific data along with the current value of that data.
The value written into the MDF during creation appears as the current status on some menus. The current status is either a value, such as a number or letter, or a word or phrase, such as YES, NO, VALID, NOT VALID, LEADING and TRAILING. You should only select the items that need changing. If nothing needs changing, you can accept the entire menu by choosing Entry Complete.
The menus that require a value are used to change the current status of options which can accept user defined data. This value usually must fall within a range (e.g., a number between 0 and 100.)
CAUTION: The MDFG sets some values based upon response to data you enter in other menus (e.g., when you define a Machine Type, other defaults are then set.) Also, some of the default values that are written to the MDF are transparent in the MDFG. Therefore, you must be careful when using option 1 through 4 on the Main Menu, to follow the default caret sequence.
When you select the option Create New MDF, you should choose each option in the order of the default caret for selections 1 thru 8 of Generate MDF menu. When editing an existing MDF you only need to access the menus where you are making changes, because all invisible defaults will be correct for the displayed "current status".
If you find postprocessor output that is incorrect for the displayed "current status", edit the MDF, accessing all selections related to the problem in the default caret order. If problems still persist, submit a problem report.