SoftMax Pro Automation API Reference Guide (Version 7.0)

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5049094 A June 2016 SoftMax® Pro Data Acquisition and Analysis Software Automation Version 7.0 API Reference Guide

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This document is provided to customers who have purchased Molecular Devices equipment, software, reagents, and consumables to use in the operation of such

Molecular Devices equipment, software, reagents, and consumables. This document is

prohibited, except as Molecular Devices may authorize in writing. Software that may be described in this document is furnished under a non-transferrable license. It is against the law to copy, modify, or distribute the software on any medium,

except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. Furthermore, the license

agreement may prohibit the software from being disassembled, reverse engineered, or

decompiled for any purpose. Portions of this document may make reference to other manufacturers and/or their products, which may contain parts whose names are registered as trademarks and/or

function as trademarks of their respective owners. Any such usage is intended only to

designate those manufacturers™ products as supplied by Molecular Devices for

incorporation into its equipment and does not imply any right and/or license to use or

permit others to use such manufacturers™ and/or their product names as trademarks. Each product is shipped with documentation stating specifications and other technical information. Molecular Devices products are warranted to meet the stated specifications.

Molecular Devices makes no other warranties or representations express or implied,

including but not limited to, the fitness of this product for any particular purpose and

assumes no responsibility or contingent liability, including indirect or consequential

damages, for any use to which the purchaser may put the equipment described herein, or

for any adverse circumstances arising therefrom. The sole obligation of Molecular Devices

and the customer's sole remedy are limited to repair or replacement of the product in the

event that the product fails to perform as warranted. For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Product manufactured by Molecular Devices, LLC. 1311 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale, California, United States of America 94089.

Molecular Devices, LLC is ISO 9001 registered.

without the prior written permission of Molecular Devices, LLC. Patents: http://www.moleculardevices.com/productpatents

The Automation API and associated documentation are copyrighted and property of Molecular Devices, LLC. Use of the Automation API and acceptance of the associated

documentation is prohibited without the express written consent of Molecular Devices, LLC.

which consent shall limit the scope of use of the Automation technology to the authorized

user, and shall be non-transferable.

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5049094 A 3 Foreword Who This Guide is For This guide is written for those who want to build an automation application that interacts with an instance of the SoftMax® Pro Data Acquisition and Analysis Software Version 6

using the automation interface to control the operation of a Molecular Devices®

instrument. This reference guide documents version 7.0 of the SoftMax Pro Automation

Interface. This version of the automation interface can run scripts written for version 6.0 and newer. Reader Prerequisites To use this guide, the reader must: Ł Understand the basic concept of object-oriented programming and programming using Microsoft .NET including the use of delegates and events. Ł Understand assemblies in Microsoft .NET. Ł Understand namespaces in Microsoft .NET. Ł Have access to and knowledge of development tool to create and customize an

assembly. Changes to SoftMax Pro Software Automation The technology used for SoftMax Pro Software Automation 6.0 and newer has changed

compared to previous versions. Technology The underlying communication mechanism is now Windows Communication Foundation

(WCF) rather than Windows messaging, which allows: Ł Connections to the SoftMax Pro Software over a network, rather than requiring

the automation application to be located on the same computer as the

SoftMax Pro Software installation. Ł A strongly-typed interface, so that the compiler can catch potential issues instead

of discovering errors at runtime. Ł Improved error reporting. Enhancements In addition, the following enhancements have been made: Ł Commands are now queued, so that you no longer have to wait for a command

to complete before sending the next one. Ł The SoftMax Pro Software application GUI is now blocked when it is being

controlled by an automation application, preventing another person from

interfering while automation is in progress. Ł There are more comprehensive documentation and samples, including a sample

application which can be used to prototype programs.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 4 5049094 A Commands The commands available in the API are the same, although the names of some commands have changed. The following commands are not available in this version, and will be added in future versions: Ł Copy, SelectAll, SetFolderAs, TrayLock Ł CDrawer, CloseCDrawer, OpenCDrawer, OpenTDrawer, TDrawer (FlexStation

instruments only) This version of the automation interface can run scripts written for version 6.0 and newer.

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5049094 A 5 Contents Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Who This Guide is For. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Reader Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Changes to SoftMax Pro Software Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Chapter 4: Automation Interface Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Automation Interface Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Using the Automation Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Installing the Automation API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Computer System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Using Automation with the SoftMax Pro Software GxP Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Sample Source Code and Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Creating a New Project in Visual Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Automation Sample Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Developing SoftMax Pro Excel Visual Basic Macros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Chapter 5: Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Installing the Excel Add-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Using the Provided Excel Workflows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Running Excel Workflows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Creating a New Excel Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Editing Excel Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Initialization Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Automation Command Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Worksheet Formatting Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Workflow Flow Control Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Custom Excel Formulas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Instrument Connectivity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Troubleshooting Excel Workflows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Chapter 6: SoftMax Pro Automation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 AppendData. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 AppendTitle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 CloseDocument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

CloseAllDocuments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

CloseDrawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Dispose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 ExportAs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 ExportSectionAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3 GetAutosaveState. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

GetDataCopy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 GetDrawerStatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 6 5049094 A GetFormulaResult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 GetGroupNameAssignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

GetInstrumentStatus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

GetNumberPlateSections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

GetTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

GetVersion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 ImportPlateData. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 3 ImportPlateTemplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Initialize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Logon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Logoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 NewDocument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

NewExperiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

NewNotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 NewPlate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 OpenDrawer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 OpenFile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 SaveAs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 SelectNextPlateSection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

SelectSection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 SetReader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 SetShake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 SetSimulationMode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

SetTemperature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

SetTitle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 SetUserName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 StartRead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 StopRead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Chapter 7: Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 CommandCompleted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 InstrumentStatusChanged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

ErrorReport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Chapter 8: Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Append Title Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 1 Get Commands Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Multiple Read and Copy Events Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Multiple Read With ID Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

ExportAs Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

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5049094 A 7 4 Automation Interface Over view Introduction To integrate Molecular Devices® readers and the SoftMax® Pro Software version 7 with robotic systems from other manufacturers, or to automate the export of data from the SoftMax Pro Software to a desired Laboratory Information Management System ( LIMS) package, the SoftMax Pro Software supports an automation interface. Molecular Devices has tested the interface but does not provide technical support for specific integration needs. Molecular Devices strongly recommends that customers consult a third-party

automation company if internal software resources or expertise are not available. All leading automation vendors have integrated the SoftMax Pro Software and Molecular Devices instruments with their robotics systems. A list of approved robotics partners can be found on the Molecular Devices web

site. Automation Interface Components This SoftMax Pro Automation Interface version 6 is a Microsoft .NET Framework assembly, which can be used

with any .NET Language (C#, Visual Basic, etc). This reference guide documents version 7.0 of the SoftMax Pro

Automation Interface. This version of the automation interface can run scripts written for version 6.0 and newer.

The Automation Interface API components are shown in the following figure. Figure 4-1: SoftMax Pro Automation API The .NET assembly SoftMax Pro AutomationClient supplies the interface that can be used to control the SoftMax Pro Software. This interface contains commands that can be called, as well as Event Handlers that are

used to notify the automation application of the status of the SoftMax Pro Software, execution of queued

commands, and errors. Any application that wants to control the SoftMax Pro Software must connect through

the AutomationClient. The AutomationClient connects to the AutomationServer , which is contained within the SoftMax Pro Software. The AutomationServer maintains a queue of commands that have been sent through the

Automation Client, and executes them sequentially. Commands are sent to the SoftMax Pro Software by calling functions in the automation interface (the client). All commands in the automation interface are asynchronous, meaning that the functions will return control to

the application immediately and will not block until complete. Command results and errors are obtained by subscribing to events on the automation interface. SoftMax Pro

SoftMax Pro Automation Client

Automation Application Automation Server Command Queue Command Execution in SoftMax Pro Commands Events Command Thread Event Thread

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 8 5049094 A The Automation Server and the Automation Client are both multi-threaded: Commands are sent by the client and received by the ser ver on one thread. Events are published by the ser ver and passed on by the client on a second thread. Using the Automation Interface You use the Automation Interface to control the SoftMax Pro Software. To connect to the SoftMax Pro Software using the automation interface, call the Initialize() function. After the automation interface is initialized, the SoftMax Pro Software enters ﬁautomation mode.ﬂ While in this automation mode, user input

by way of the SoftMax Pro Software user interface is disabled. Automation mode can be ended from the automation interface by calling Dispose() or from the SoftMax Pro Software user interface by clicking the Terminate button. After initialization is complete, events that the application would like to monitor must be hooked up. If events are connected, they should be disconnected when the CommandCompleted event indicates that the command queue is empty. All commands in the automation interface return a command ID. The command IDs are generated by the automation interface and maintained in a command queue, as shown in Figure 4-2 . Eachcommand IDshould be stored, and used to obtain command results when the command completes. An application obtains the

results of a command by subscribing to the CommandCompleted event, and matching the command ID in the event with the one that was returned when the command was sent. Figure 4-2: Command Queue In addition, the following two events are published and should be considered when designing and writing an automation application: ErrorReport event: When an error is detected by the automation ser ver an Error event is published, followed by a CommandComplete event. Additionally, all commands in the automation server command queue are

flushed. InstrumentStatus Event: When the instrument changes state, for example from Idle to Busy, an InstrumentStatus event is published. For more information about event messages, see Events on page 87 . For help with creating an environment able to run C# and Visual Basic .NET clients, see Creating a New Project in Visual Studio on page 14 . SelectSection Start Read GetDataCopy Command ID 0 1

2 New Command ID Returned (2) Command Cue

Automation Application Data for Command ID 1

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Automation Interface Overview 5049094 A 9 The following example shows a basic code structure. This includes a call to Initialize(), subscription to an event, and a Dispose() call to terminate the connection. The following examples assumes that the Automation Sample Application is being used. // An instrument must be connected to SoftMax Pro // before running this code int lastCommandId = -999; bool connected = false; public void Main() {

// Initialize the interface

connected = AutomationObject.Initialize(); if ( connected ) {

  // Hook up the CommandCompleted event

  AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

  // Open the reader drawer

  lastCommandId = AutomationObject.OpenDrawer();

}

} private void CommandCompleted( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{

// report on the command being completed

Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() ); // Disconnect from the automation server if( lastCommandId == e.QueueID )

{

 Results.AppendResult("Command execution complete, disconnecting from server");

 AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

 AutomationObject.Dispose();

}

} The output generated should be as follows: Command complete Command ID = 0Command execution complete, disconnecting from server

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 10 5049094 A The following example is similar logic written in C#. private int lastCommandId = -999; private bool connected = false;

private SMPAutomationClient client; public void OpenDrawerExample() {

// Create an instance of the automation client

client = new SMPAutomationClient(); // Initialize the interface connected = client.Initialize(); if (connected) {

  // Hook up the CommandCompleted event

  client.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

  // Open the reader drawer

  lastCommandId = client.OpenDrawer();

}

} private void CommandCompleted(object sender, SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e) {

// report on the command being completed

Console.WriteLine("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString()); // Disconnect from the automation server if (lastCommandId == e.QueueID)

{

  Console.WriteLine("Command execution complete, disconnecting from server");

  client.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

  client.Dispose();

}

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Automation Interface Overview 5049094 A 11 The following example is similar logic written in Visual Basic .NET. Imports System.Threading Imports SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient Module OpenDrawerExample Dim lastCommandId = -999

Dim client As SMPAutomationClient
Sub Main()
    REM Create an instance of the automation client

    client = New SMPAutomationClient
    REM Initialize the interface
    Dim connected = client.Initialize()
    If (connected) Then
        REM Hook up the CommandCompleted event

        AddHandler client.CommandCompleted, AddressOf CommandCompleted
        REM Open the reader drawer
        WaitForCommandCompletion(client.OpenDrawer())
        REM Disconnect from the automation server
        Console.WriteLine("Command execution complete, disconnecting from server")

        RemoveHandler client.CommandCompleted, AddressOf CommandCompleted

        client.Dispose()

    End If

End Sub
Private Sub CommandCompleted(ByVal sender As Object, _
                             ByVal e As SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg)

    Console.WriteLine("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString())

    lastCommandId = e.QueueID

End Sub
Private Sub WaitForCommandCompletion(ByVal commandId As Integer)
    While commandId > lastCommandId

        Thread.Sleep(10)

    End While

End Sub

End Module

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 12 5049094 A Get() Functions Commands that return information, that are prefixed with Get..., like GetVersion() or GetNumberPlateSections() . They are queued like all other commands and the information of the command is returned by way of the CommandStatusEventArgs class in the CommandCompleted event. The CommandStatusEventArg class public class CommandStatusEventArg : EventArgs { public CommandStatusEventArg( int queueID, bool queueEmpty, int commandID, int intResult, String stringResult) { QueueID = queueID; QueueEmpty = queueEmpty;

CommandID = commandID;

IntResult = intResult;

StringResult = stringResult; } public int QueueID;

public bool QueueEmpty;

public int CommandID;

public int IntResult;

public String StringResult; }

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Automation Interface Overview 5049094 A 13 The following example demonstrates how to use functions that return information. int mStatusID; public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize(); AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted; mStatusID = AutomationObject.GetVersion(); Results.AppendResult("Status Command ID = " + mStatusID .ToString() ); } private void CommandCompleted( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e) { Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() ); if( mStatusID== e.QueueID ) { Results.AppendResult( "Result: " +e.StringResult); } if( e.QueueEmpty) { Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events"); AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } } Installing the Automation API The Automation SDK is automatically installed with the SoftMax Pro Software, and can be found in the file system where the SoftMax Pro Software application is installed. The default installation path for the automation SDK is in a sub-folder of the Program Files folder where the SoftMax Pro Software is installed: Ł For a 32-bit installation:

C:\Program Files\Molecular Devices\SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK

Ł For a 64-bit installation: C:\Program Files (x86)\Molecular Devices\SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK

Computer System Requirements The minimum and recommended computer system requirements are listed in the SoftMax Pro Software application help and user guide. Ł When running both automation and the SoftMax Pro Software on the same computer, use at least

the recommended system configuration, not the minimum requirements. Ł Molecular Devices recommends that the files used in the automation workflow have a small number

of sections, and that documents should be closed when they are no longer needed. Ł An Experiment with many plates of data could adversely affect SoftMax Pro Software efficiency. If

increasing the computer memory is not an option, Molecular Devices recommends using only one

plate per Experiment and also ensuring that the computer is not being used for other purposes while

SoftMax Pro Software is running.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 14 5049094 A Using Automation with the SoftMax Pro Software GxP Edition If the target application is the SoftMax Pro GxP Software, /R is required in the program command line (for example, "SoftMaxProApp.exe /R") when launching the application to avoid the Log On dialog that requires

manual entry of user ID and password. Instead, the Logon remote command can be sent to log the user on

through the robotic interface. See Logon on page 68 . Sample Source Code and Applications Sample automation scripts and the command example scripts shown in this guide are included as a part of the

SoftMax Pro Automation API installation package and can be found in the Scripts folder in the SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK folder. The default installation path for the sample automation scripts is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Molecular Devices
SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK\Scripts

You can use the sample application to load, view, and run the script examples. Creating a New Project in Visual Studio To use the automation interface in the development of custom applications: 1. Create a new project in Visual Studio using your preferred programming language. 2. Select one of the relevant templates (for example, Windows Form Application, WPF application, or Console application). 3. In the new project, add a reference to each of the following assemblies: SoftMax Pro AutomationClient.dll SoftMaxPro.AutomationInterface.dll SoftMaxPro.AutomationExtensions.dll These assembles are contained in a sub-folder of the Program Files folder where the SoftMax Pro Software is installed: For a 32-bit installation, the assemblies are in the following folder:

C:\Program Files\Molecular Devices\SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK

For a 64-bit installation, the assemblies are in the following folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Molecular Devices\SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK Note: The provided Automation Sample Application does not show the referenced assembly because it is loaded dynamically at run time and injected

into the scripting interface. Referencing this assembly is required for normal application development.

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Automation Interface Overview 5049094 A 15 Automation Sample Application A Sample Application has been provided which can be used to quickly prototype and test code. The application binds the automation interface to a Microsoft scripting control. Figure 4-3: Sample Application Scripting Window The Sample Application is launched by executing the SMP AutomationSampleApp shortcut from the Windows Start Menu. The scripting window that appears is shown in Figure 4-3 . The Sample Application scripting window has buttons that let you view the available interface commands and to load, run, and save scripts. Errors are displayed in Compiler Errors and any output information that is

relevant to the script are shown in Results. To prototype sample code quickly, the scripting engine of the Sample Application has already created the object instance for the automation component, called AutomationObject , behind the scenes. In the script, you can use this object to access all automation commands and events to be monitored. If the code is

transferred to a stand-alone application, code must be added to create the automation object instance. The Sample Application also has a ﬁResultﬂ object that can be used to append text data. This can also be used to monitor the execution of commands and the progress in the command queue. After programming code has been prototyped in the Script section of the Sample Application, it can be used to create a stand-alone robotic/automation application that directly controls SoftMax Pro Software. Note: The Sample Application is not intended to be used in an actual laboratory or research environment.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 16 5049094 A Developing SoftMax Pro Excel Visual Basic Macros This section describes how Visual Basic developers can write Excel Visual Basic macros that access the SoftMax Pro Software through its Automation API. A working knowledge of Excel Visual Basic is required. SoftMax Pro Excel macro development requires the installation of the same Excel Add-In as is described in Installing the Excel Add-In on page 19 . Accessing the SoftMax Pro Software Automation API The SoftMax Pro Software Automation API described in Automation Interface Overview on page 7 is accessed from Excel Visual Basic by using a tool called Excel-DNA. To learn more, go to http://exceldna.codeplex.com/ . Excel-DNA enables developers to create a wrapper around the SoftMax Pro Software Automation interface,

resulting in the following differences. Automation Command Names To invoke an automation command from Excel Visual Basic, prefix the SoftMax Pro Software Automation

command name with SMP . For example, to invoke the GetInstrumentStatus automation API command from Excel Visual Basic, you must invoke SMPGetInstrumentStatus . Invocation Mechanism Instead of invoking methods directly (for example, AutomationObject.OpenDrawer() as shown in the example on page 9), commands are passed as arguments to an invocation of Application.Run . For example, Application.Run "SMPCloseDrawer" as shown in SoftMax Pro Excel VBA Example on page 17 . Synchronous Method Calls Instead of checking the contents of an event for the result of an automation command, the result is returned directly to the Excel Visual Basic statement issuing the command. For example, drawerStatus = Application.Run("SMPGetDrawerStatus") as shown in SoftMax Pro Excel VBA Example on page 17 . Error Detection Two new methods are available to Excel Visual Basic for error handling. Ł CommandError = Application.Run("SMPHasError") Ł ErrorMessage = Application.Run("SMPGetErrorMessage") Both are included in SoftMax Pro Excel VBA Example on page 17 . Instrument Status No events are generated. Instead, invoke SMPGetInstrumentStatus . Note: The development process described in this section is significantly different from the Visual Basic NET example on page 11. Excel Visual Basic macros and Visual Basic .NET are very different software development environments.

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Automation Interface Overview 5049094 A 17 New Command Names To work within the constraints of the technology employed in this solution, some Excel Macro Commands do not conform exactly to the SMP prefix mechanism detailed in Invocation Mechanism on page 16 . Ł The automation API command SelectSection has two Excel Visual Basic equivalents: SMPSelectSectionByName(string sectionName) SMPSelectSectionByNumber(int sectionNumber) Ł The automation api command Initialize has three Excel Visual Basic equivalents: SMPInitialize() SMPInitializeByServer(string server) SMPInitializeByServerAndPort(string server, int port) SoftMax Pro Excel VBA Example A working spreadsheet called VbaMacroExample.xlsm is included under the SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK\ExcelAddIn folder, as described in Installing the Excel Add-In on page 19 . Please read the notes within the spreadsheet before executing the Visual Basic macro it contains. The following shows the code for example Visual Basic macro. Sub AcquireData() Dim initialized As Boolean

Dim disposed As Boolean

Dim drawerStatus As String

Dim plateData As String

Dim commandError As Boolean

Dim errorMessage As String

Rem Connect to a running instance of SMP

initialized = Application.Run("SMPInitializeByServer", "localhost")

If initialized Then

  Rem For testing purposes turn on the simulator

  Application.Run "SMPSetSimulationMode", True      

  Rem Execute some sample/example commands

  Application.Run "SMPCloseDrawer"

  drawerStatus = Application.Run("SMPGetDrawerStatus")

  

  Rem Select an initial plate section to make sure we have the experiment selected

  Application.Run "SMPSelectSectionByName", "Plate1@Expt1"      

   Rem Check the plate section selection completed correctly, 'HasError' checks the last command executed

  commandError = Application.Run("SMPHasError")      

  If commandError Then

    Rem An error has occurred

    errorMessage = Application.Run("SMPGetErrorMessage")

  Else

    Rem Add a new Plate section

    Application.Run "SMPNewPlate"

    numberPlateSections = Application.Run("SMPGetNumberPlateSections")      

    Rem Read the plate in the reader

    Application.Run "SMPStartRead"        

    Rem Get the data from the plate

    plateData = Application.Run("SMPGetDataCopy")      

    Rem Put the data into Excel

    Dim dataArray As Variant

    dataArray = Split(plateData, Chr(9))   

    ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Select

    For iRow = 0 To 8

      For iCol = 0 To 14

        Cells(iRow + 1, iCol + 1) = dataArray(iRow * 15 + iCol)

      Next iCol

    Next iRow

  End If      

  Rem tidy up

  Application.Run "SMPSetSimulationMode", False

  disposed = Application.Run("SMPDispose")

End If

End Sub

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 18 5049094 A

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5049094 A 19 5 Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows Introduction The SoftMax® Pro Excel workflows are designed to augment the industry-leading handling of Plate Format Data by the SoftMax Pro Software with Excel-based handling of List Format Data. You can use SoftMax Pro

Excel workflows to run discontinuous kinetic reads, multiplexed reads, kinetic well scan reads, and

temperature-triggered reads. The SoftMax Pro Automation SDK is the underlying mechanism used by SoftMax Pro Excel workflows to access SoftMax Pro Software functionality. If you want to write your own workflows, you need to be familiar

with the available Automation Commands. See SoftMax Pro Automation Commands on page 47 . The SoftMax Pro Excel workflow feature is provided as a standard Excel Add-In and can be used effectively through the application of the Excel Charting & Trend Line features along with the following Microsoft

Add-Ins: Ł Analysis ToolPak Ł Solver The Excel Add-In is compatible with the following versions of Microsoft Excel: Ł Microsoft Excel 2007 (version 12) Ł Microsoft Excel 2010 (version 14) Ł Microsoft Excel 2013 (version 15) A supported version of Microsoft Excel must be installed on the same computer as the SoftMax Pro Software.

The Excel Add-In has been tested on 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1.

Before you can use Excel to create and run automated workflows, you must install the custom Add-In in Excel. With the Add-In installed and macros enabled you can run or edit the provided workflows or create your own. You can write a new custom formula provided you have knowledge of Excel Visual Basic. All custom formulas can be used in a SoftMax Pro Excel workflow. See Custom Excel Formulas on page 42 . Installing the Excel Add-In 1. Start Microsoft Excel. 2. Click the Developer tab in the ribbon and then click Add-Ins . If the Developer tab is not enabled, right-click the ribbon and then select Customize the Ribbon . In the Excel Options dialog, enable the Developer tab. 3. In the Add-Ins dialog, click Browse . 4. In the Browse dialog, navigate to the Program Files folder where the SoftMax Pro Software is installed: For a 32-bit installation, go to C:\Program Files\Molecular Devices
. For a 64-bit installation, go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Molecular Devices
. 5. Navigate to SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK\ExcelAddIn . 6. Select the add-in file for your version of Microsoft Office: For a 32-bit version of Office, click the SoftMaxPro6.xll file. For a 64-bit version of Office, click the SoftMaxPro6x64.xll file. 7. Click OK . 8. In the Add-Ins dialog, select the SoftMaxPro6 or SoftMaxPro6x64 check box. 9. Click OK .

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 20 5049094 A Using the Provided Excel Workflows With the Add-In installed you can run or edit the provided Excel workflows. Accessing the Provided Excel Workflows The provided Excel workflows are installed in the same folder as the Add-In files. Ł For a 32-bit installation, the workflows are in the following folder: C:\Program Files\Molecular Devices\SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK\ExcelAddIn\Examples

Ł For a 64-bit installation, the workflows are in the following folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Molecular Devices\SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK

\ExcelAddIn \Examples The Excel workflow files have an extension of .xlsm . Layout of an Excel Workflow All SoftMax Pro workflows must be contained in one Excel Workbook, including the supplied workflows and any customized workflows. The supplied workflows are color coded for readability. The different Workflow Statement Types each have their own colors. The color coding does not affect the execution of workflows. Ł Initialization statements are in orange. Ł Automation Command statements are in yellow. Ł Worksheet Formatting statements are in green. Ł Workflow Flow Control statements are in gray. Free-format statement arguments are in pink for each statement type. See Workflow Statement Types on page 23 . Additionally, a list of valid instrument types is provided, so that you can copy and paste the appropriate instrument name into place in the workflow that you are editing. This helps prevent mismatches in the format

of the name of the instrument. See Instrument Connectivity on page 44 . Features of the SMPWorkflow Worksheet The SMPWorkflow worksheet contains an Execute button that you click to start the workflow. Each statement of the workflow is on a single row that starts in column B and can continue in the columns to the right with parameters or formatting information. Workflow Loop Control statements start in column A. After you click Execute , the first statement is read and executed. Ł The first blank column in the statement row indicates the end of the statement, and then the next statement in the following row is executed. Ł The first blank row indicates the end of the workflow. See Running Excel Workflows on page 21 . Excel Visual Basic Components A Visual Basic module called SMPWorkflow contains logic to initiate the invocation of Workflow Statements, worksheet formatting logic, and custom Excel formulas. See Custom Excel Formulas on page 42 . Visual Basic message can appear with the following types of information: Ł The workflow is being validated before execution. Ł The workflow is being executed. Ł The workflow is paused, and the reason for the pause is stated. Ł An error was detected. Note: Before running or editing a provided Excel workflow, save a copy of the workflow on your computer.

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 21 Running Excel Workflows To run a new workflow, you need an open SoftMax Pro Excel workflow with no saved data in the worksheet. The Excel Add-In must be installed with macros enabled. The SoftMax Pro Software must be running. There are three operations you can perform in a workflow: Ł Executing a Continuous Workflow, see page 21

Ł Continuing a Discontinuous Workflow, see page 21

Ł Canceling a Workflow, see page 22

In most workflows, the user running the SoftMax Pro Software connects to the instrument before starting the workflow. If you want the workflow to connect to the instrument without user intervention, then see Instrument Connectivity on page 44 . Executing a Continuous Workflow This procedure runs the workflow once and saves the acquired data in the Excel worksheet. 1. Make sure that the instrument is connected to the computer and that the instrument is powered on. 2. Start the SoftMax Pro Software. 3. Open the Excel workflow that you want to run. 4. In the SMPWorkflow worksheet, click Execute . 5. When the workflow completes, save your worksheet. Continuing a Discontinuous Workflow This procedure uses the example of running a fluorescence read followed once every hour. The List Format saves the acquired data in separate rows after each read. See Data Management with Excel-Based List Format Data on page 22 . 1. Make sure that the instrument is connected to the computer and that the instrument is powered on. 2. Start the SoftMax Pro Software. 3. In the SoftMax Pro Software, connect to the instrument. 4. Open the Excel workflow that you want to run. 5. In the SMPWorkflow worksheet, click Execute . 6. When the workflow completes save and close your Excel workbook. The data worksheet has one row of data. 7. After the correct amount of time has passed, open the Excel workflow again. 8. Make sure that the instrument is connected to the computer and that the instrument is powered on. 9. Start the SoftMax Pro Software. 10. In the SoftMax Pro Software, connect to the instrument. 11. In the SMPWorkflow worksheet, click Execute . 12. When the workflow completes save and close your Excel workbook. Each worksheet has now has two rows of data. You can continue these step for as many reads as you require.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 22 5049094 A Data Management with Excel-Based List Format Data After executing an Excel workflow to acquire data with the SoftMax Pro Software, the data is written to Excel in List Format style and does not overwrite existing data in Excel worksheets. This can allow for kinetic reads

with variable intervals, such as in a discontinuous workflow. For example, if you execute a read once every hour, then after the first read the worksheet would have one row of data similar to the following: After the second read, the worksheet would have two rows of data similar to the following: See Continuing a Discontinuous Workflow on page 21 . Canceling a Workflow When you run a SoftMax Pro Excel workflow, a dialog appears in front of the main SoftMax Pro Software window, to show that the software is in automation mode. Figure 5-1: SoftMax Pro Software Automation Mode If you need to stop the automation process and regain control of the SoftMax Pro Software, click Terminate . Then in the Excel workflow, close all open dialogs. Table 5-1: Date/Time

Elapsed Time

Temperature

2/20/2013 18:57031.50.300.21 Table 5-2: Date/Time

Elapsed Time

Temperature

2/20/2013 18:57031.50.300.21

2/20/2013 19:57360031.50.310.25

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 23 Creating a New Excel Workflow To create a new SoftMax Pro Excel workflow, open an existing workflow and then save it as new workbook. This process ensures that all required macros and dialogs are in place for the new workflow. Moving the Execute Button When you create a long workflow, you might want to move the Execute button. To move the Execute button, right-click the button and then drag it to its new location. Editing Excel Workflows When editing workflows, keep in mind how workflow statements are interpreted when the workflow is run. Ł The first blank column in the statement row indicates the end of the statement, and then the next statement in the following row is executed. Ł The first blank row indicates the end of the workflow. Workflow Statement Types To help understand how to read and write workflows, consider each Workflow Statement to be one of four

statement types. Table 5-3: Workflow Statement Types Statement Type Description Initialization Statements Initialization statements augment available Automation Commands when setting up the workflow execution environment. Automation Command Statements Automation command statements are available as part of the SoftMax Pro

Software Automation API. Worksheet Formatting Statements Worksheet formatting statements define the format of data to be written to

worksheets, and can retrieve the data from the SoftMax Pro Software and

write it to the Excel worksheet. Workflow Flow Control Statements Workflow flow control statements cause the workflow to repeat a section of

statements or pause until a given condition is satisfied.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 24 5049094 A Initialization Statements Initialization statements augment available Automation Commands when setting up the workflow execution environment. In the provided example workbooks, initialization statements are color coded orange. PlateSize Statement Purpose Define the size of the microplate used on the instrument. Arguments PlateSize has one argument: Ł The number of wells in the microplate. The following microplate sizes are supported. 24-well microplates 48-well microplates 96-well microplates 384-well microplates Defaults If the PlateSize Statement is not coded, the microplate size defaults to 96 wells. PlateSize Statement Examples

Page 25

Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 25 Automation Command Statements Automation command statements are available as part of the SoftMax Pro Software Automation API. In the provided example workbooks, automation command statements are color coded yellow.

For descriptions of and parameters for the available automation commands, see SoftMax Pro Automation Commands on page 47 . The following figure shows examples of some automation command statements. The first column contains the command name, and the columns to the right contain the parameter values for the command. Most automation commands perform an action. However, some commands retrieve data from the SoftMax Pro Software. These commands make their data available to be written to worksheets or used to

control the flow of a workflow. Ł Worksheet formatting statements define the format of data to be written to worksheets, and can

retrieve the data from the SoftMax Pro Software and write it to the Excel worksheet. For an example,

see ProcessCommandResult Statement on page 37 . Ł Workflow flow control statements cause the workflow to repeat a section of statements or pause

until a given condition is satisfied. For an example, see WaitUntil Statement on page 40 . Worksheet Formatting Statements Worksheet formatting statements define the format of data to be written to worksheets, and can retrieve

the data from the SoftMax Pro Software and write it to the Excel worksheet. In the provided example workbooks, formatting statements are color coded green.

There are three categories of worksheet formatting statements. Table 5-4: Worksheet Formatting Statement Categories Statement Type Description Creating and Selecting Worksheets As your workflow retrieves data from the SoftMax Pro Software you need to create worksheets in which to save or write this data. This section describes

how to create new worksheets and then target these worksheets to receive

specific data from within the workflow. Defining Write Formats Writing to a worksheet is broken into two parts. First, a workflow has to

define the format in which the data is written. Next, the data is written to the

worksheet. This section describes how to define formats. Writing to Worksheets When a workflow has data to write to an Excel worksheet it is directed to

perform the write by defining which Write Format to use. The section

describes how to write fixed values, calculated values, and acquired data to a

worksheet.

Page 26

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 26 5049094 A Creating and Selecting Worksheets As your workflow retrieves data from the SoftMax Pro Software you need to create worksheets in which to save or write this data. This section describes how to create new worksheets and then target these

worksheets to receive specific data from within the workflow. Worksheet Statement Purpose

This statement can create a new Excel worksheet and select an existing Excel worksheet. When a worksheet is added it is automatically selected. Worksheet formatting statements work mostly against the worksheet

currently selected. Arguments

Worksheet has two arguments: Ł Operation This is either one of two values: Select Add Ł Name (optional)

This is the name of the worksheet to be selected or added. This is optional. Defaults

If the Name argument is not given, a new worksheet will be added. The name of the worksheet will be Sheetx

where x is the lowest number required to create a new worksheet with a unique name in the workbook. Worksheet Statement Examples

Create a new worksheet named Summary: Select an existing worksheet named Summary: Add a new worksheet named Sheet1 in an almost empty workbook: Add a worksheet named Sheet3 in a workbook that already has worksheets named Sheet1 and Sheet2:

Page 27

Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 27 Defining Write Formats Writing to a worksheet is broken into two parts. First, a workflow has to define the format in which the data is written. Next, the data is written to the worksheet. This section describes how to define formats. CellFormat Statement Purpose

Defines a format in which to write data into one Excel worksheet cell. It is used in conjunction with the following two workflow statements: Ł FormatWorksheet Statement, see page 36 Ł ProcessCommandResult Statement, see page 37 Arguments

CellFormat has up to four arguments: Ł Format Name This must be unique within the workflow. Both the FormatWorksheet and ProcessCommandResult statements reference this name. Ł Target Worksheet Column Defines which worksheet column will be written into in the following format:

worksheet-name:worksheet-column or worksheet-column

If only the worksheet column is specified, then the worksheet row to be used is determined to be the next empty cell in the column, working down from the top of the target worksheet. Ł Row Number (optional) Allows output to always be written to a specific row. If omitted, then the output is written to next free row in the target column. It can be useful for making that sure headings are written out only once in

discontinuous reads. Ł Cell Content (sometimes not required, see defaults below) Optionally defines what will be written into the worksheet column. When writing an Excel formula (e.g. '=Sum(A1:A5)' the following keywords can be used and will be substituted automatically

immediately prior to the formula being written to a worksheet, #Column: The workflow keeps track of where it writes plate data into a worksheet. This keyword

should be used in conjunction with the FormatWorksheet WriteRow statement to apply

operations to whole columns of data. See the following examples. #RowCount: This provides the number of rows containing data values. As per #Column, this

keyword should be used in conjunction with the FormatWorksheet WriteRow statement. See the

following examples. #Worksheet: This references the currently selected worksheet. However, this keyword can be

used in conjunction with both the FormatWorksheet WriteRow and FormatWorksheet WriteCell

statements. See the following examples. A formula entered in the workflow evaluates before it is run if not entered with a single quotation mark prefix. For example,. instead of entering =SUM(A1: A5) enter '=SUM(A1: A5) . Defaults

If the worksheet name is omitted from the Target Worksheet Column argument, the currently selected worksheet is used as the target for the write. See Worksheet Statement on page 26 . Cell content can be omitted if the value to be written to the cell is the result from a previously issued Automation Command. See ProcessCommandResult Statement on page 37 .

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 28 5049094 A CellFormat Statement Example 1

This example shows how to write the word ﬁTemperatureﬂ into cell D1 of the Excel worksheet, which is selected when a subsequent FormatWorksheet statement is executed. The name of the format is

MyTemperatureHeading. The output written to Excel is highlighted in red in the following figure.

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 29 Cell Format Statement Example 2

In this example, the workflow performs four Well Scan reads, writing one result into each of Sheets 1 through 4. The CellFormat statement in this example is responsible for putting a reference in the Summary worksheet

to the date and time recorded in each of Sheets 1 through 4. The two most significant CellFormat arguments are interpreted as follows: Ł Summary:B

Write output to the next free or empty cell in column B of the Summary worksheet. Ł =#Worksheet!B2

The information written into column B where #Worksheet will be the name of the currently active worksheet, for example, Sheet1 . The output written to Excel is highlighted in red in the following figure.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 30 5049094 A CellFormat Statement Example 3

point in a well, for one read, into the Summary worksheet. The two most significant CellFormat arguments are interpreted as follows: Ł Summary:B

Start writing write output to the next free or empty row starting in column E of the Summary

worksheet. Ł =Sum(#Column)/#RowCount

The SoftMax Pro Software has tracked where acquired data has been written in each worksheet.

Because of this the workflow is able to substitute the #Column and #RowCount with real values that

match the currently active worksheet. The substitution is shown in the ‚fx™ cell in the following figure. The output written to Excel the final time through the loop is highlighted in red in the following figure.

Page 31

Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 31 CellFormat Statement Example 4

In this example, when subsequent ProcessCommandResult statements reference MyTemperature, they write the returned value of the last executed Automation Command into the first blank cell found in Column D of

the Excel worksheet that is selected at the time the ProcessCommandResult is executed. The output written to Excel is highlighted in red in the following figure.

Page 32

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 32 5049094 A CellFormat Statement Example 5

In this example, instead of writing a standard Excel formula to Column C of the selected Excel worksheet, the following statement writes in a call to a custom Visual Basic function called ElapsedTime. For details, see Custom Excel Formulas on page 42 . The output written to Excel is highlighted in red in the following figure.

Page 33

Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 33 RowFormat Statement Purpose

Defines a format in which to write data into one Excel worksheet row. It is used in conjunction with the following two workflow statements: Ł FormatWorksheet Statement, see page 36 Ł ProcessCommandResult Statement, see page 37 The RowFormat statement is designed to make it easy to write a plate of data as a row in an Excel worksheet. It is also useful in writing ancillary information related to plate data, such as well names (A1, A2, and so on)

and Group Name Assignments (Control, Unknown, and so on). As the Automation Command GetDataCopy returns a date followed by the well data, the simplest, default form of this command formats that data. See RowFormat Statement Example 1 on page 34 . Arguments

RowFormat has a variable number of arguments. Ł Format Name This must be unique within the workflow. Both the FormatWorksheet and ProcessCommandResult statements reference this name. Ł Start Column (optional) RowFormat always writes to the currently selected Excel worksheet. Ł Row Number (optional)

Allows output to always be written to a specific row. If omitted, then the output is written to next free row in the target column. It can be useful for making that sure headings are written out only once in

discontinuous reads. Ł Row Contents (optional) The number of subsequent arguments is variable. There are three keywords that can be used to control what is written in a row: Date/Time: This causes the Date/Time to be written. Wells: This causes the well related information to be written. For example, 96 columns of data in

a 96-well microplate. Blank: This leaves a column in the row blank, typically to be populated with a CellFormat related

entry such as temperature or elapsed time. Defaults

If no Start Column is given, then the row starts being written in Column A.

If no Row Contents are given, then the default is Date/Time followed by Wells.

For a full workflow using default RowFormat values, see RowFormat Statement Example 1 on page 34 .

Page 34

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 34 5049094 A RowFormat Statement Example 1

This example shows the simplest definition of a RowFormat statement where all default values are taken. The worksheet heading line (row 1) and the data itself (rows 2 through 10) use the same row format. This complete workflow creates the following Excel worksheet data file from one nine-point well scan read using the instrument simulator.

Page 35

Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 35 RowFormat Statement Example 2

In this example, the RowFormat starts writing its rows of data in column C and leaves a blank column between the date/time and the well data. This complete workflow creates the following Excel worksheet data file from five endpoint reads using the instrument simulator.

Page 36

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 36 5049094 A Writing to Worksheets When a workflow has data to write to an Excel worksheet it is directed to perform the write by defining which Write Format to use. The section describes how to write fixed values, calculated values, and acquired data to

a worksheet. When writing into an Excel worksheet there are two types of write statements that can be placed in a SoftMax Pro Excel workflow. When writing to a worksheet the information to be written should already have been defined by a Write Format. See Defining Write Formats on page 27 . FormatWorksheet Statement Purpose

This statement writes fixed or calculated values to a worksheet. The running instance of the SoftMax Pro Software does not directly provide data for this type of write. Examples include writing worksheet column headings and writing Excel formulas into worksheet cells.

Arguments

FormatWorksheet has two arguments: Ł Type of Write This is either one of two values: WriteCell WriteRow Ł Name of Format If the first argument specifies WriteCell, then argument this must reference a previously defined CellFormat. If the first argument specifies WriteRow, then this argument usually references a previously

defined RowFormat.

The exception is when a formula using keywords appears in a CellFormat. See CellFormat Statement Example 3 on page 30 . Defaults

No default values

Examples

See the examples given in the CellFormat Statement on page 27 and RowFormat Statement on page 33 . Table 5-5: Write Statements Statement Type Description FormatWorksheet Statement This statement writes fixed or calculated values to a worksheet. The running instance of the SoftMax Pro Software does not directly provide data for this

type of write. ProcessCommandResult Statement This statement takes data returned from a SoftMax Pro Software Automation

API command and writes it into a worksheet.

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 37 ProcessCommandResult Statement Purpose

This statement takes data returned from a SoftMax Pro Software Automation API command and writes it into a worksheet. Examples of commands which return data are GetTemperature, GetGroupNameAssignments, and GetDataCopy. The last automated command that was executed prior to the ProcessCommandResult statement is the command that is processed. For descriptions of and parameters for the available automation commands, see SoftMax Pro Automation Commands on page 47 . Arguments

ProcessCommandResult has two arguments: Ł Type of Write This is either one of two values: WriteCell WriteRow Ł Name of Format If the first argument specifies WriteCell, then argument this must reference a previously defined CellFormat. If the first argument specifies WriteRow, then this argument this must reference a previously

defined RowFormat. Defaults

No default values

Examples

See the examples given in the CellFormat Statement on page 27 and RowFormat Statement on page 33 .

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 38 5049094 A Workflow Flow Control Statements Workflow flow control statements cause the workflow to repeat a section of statements or pause until a given condition is satisfied. In the provided example, Workbooks control statements are color coded gray. Loop and EndLoop Statements Purpose To repeat a series of workflow statements a fixed number of times, Loop marks the start of the series and EndLoop marks the end of the series. Arguments Loop has one argument: Ł The number of times the series of statements should be repeated. EndLoop has no arguments. Defaults No default values. Example In this example, the series of statements between Loop and EndLoop repeats five (5) times. The SetTemperature and OpenDrawer statements execute only once each. Note: Loop and EndLoop statements should always written in worksheet column A to make them easy to detect. All other statements are written in worksheet column B.

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 39 Pause Statement Purpose This statement pauses workflow execution for a fixed number of seconds. When a workflow is paused a dialog appears. Arguments Pause has one argument: Ł The number of seconds the workflow should pause Defaults No default values Example In this example, the Pause within the Loop pauses the workflow for 300 seconds (5 minutes) after each read.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 40 5049094 A WaitUntil Statement Purpose This statement pauses workflow execution until a given condition has been satisfied. A dialog appears describing the condition that needs to be satisfied to allow the workflow to continue. Arguments WaitUntil has four arguments: Ł Automation Command This command must return a result that can be tested in combination with the second and third arguments. Ł Operator This can be one of the following values: EQ meaning equals LT meaning less than GT meaning greater than LE meaning less than or equals GE meaning greater than or equals Ł Target Value The target value against which the result from argument one is tested. Ł Description

This gives the reason the workflow is waiting and is displayed to the user while the pause is in effect. This optional argument can be used to make the wait reason more descriptive by adding context or

using a local language. Defaults If a description argument is not supplied the first three arguments are concatenated into a default

description.

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 41 Examples The following WaitUntil statement pauses until the instrument incubator is equal to, or greater than, 36 degrees. While the workflow is paused the following dialog appears. The following WaitUntil statement pauses until the instrument drawer is closed. While the workflow is paused the following dialog appears.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 42 5049094 A Custom Excel Formulas You can write a new custom formula provided you have knowledge of Excel Visual Basic. All custom formulas can be used in a SoftMax Pro Excel workflow. See CellFormat Statement on page 27 . The ElapsedTime custom formula is already provided with the SoftMax Pro Excel workflows.

Additional custom formula should be added to the SoftMax Pro Excel Visual Basic module called SMPWorkflow. ElapsedTime Custom Formula Purpose This custom formula writes a column of elapsed time values, in seconds, between successive instrument

reads. This can be used to assist in plotting a graph of data collected from instrument reads over time. Dependency The date/time of each read must be recorded in the Excel Worksheet. Usage =ElapsedTime(Base Date Cell, Date Column) where: Ł Base Date Cell is the Excel worksheet cell containing start date/time against which all other dates are compared against Ł Date Column is the column containing the dates to be compared against the Base Date. The Date Column must be in quotation marks, for example, ﬁCﬂ for column C of the worksheet.

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 43 ElapsedTime Example In this example, the workflow uses the ElapsedTime custom formula to write the elapsed time between runs in Column B of the Sheet1 worksheet. The output written to Excel appears in the following figure. Visual Basic Code Function ElapsedTime(ByVal startDate As Date, ByVal compareDateCol As String) As Long Dim compareDateColIndex As Long

compareDateColIndex = ColumnLetterToNumber(compareDateCol)

Cells(ActiveCell.row, compareDateColIndex).NumberFormat = "dd/mm/yy"

Dim compareDate As Date

compareDate = Cells(ActiveCell.row, compareDateColIndex)

ElapsedTime = DateDiff("s", startDate, compareDate)

End Function

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 44 5049094 A Instrument Connectivity In most workflows, the user running the SoftMax Pro Software connects to the instrument before starting the workflow. If you want the workflow to connect to the instrument without user intervention, then see read

this section. To connect to either an instrument or an instrument simulator, use the following Automation commands in the workflow: Ł SetReader Ł SetSimulationMode As the automation API requires the name of the instrument be in a very specific format, each model of instrument is included in the supplied example Excel workbooks. When writing or changing a workflow, you

can copy and paste the appropriate instrument name into place in the workflow that you are editing. This

helps prevent mismatches in the format of the name of the instrument. Instrument Connectivity Examples Connecting to a Real Instrument The port connected to the instrument should be coded as part of the SetReader command, and the

instrument should be taken out of simulation mode. Using a Simulator The instrument should be set as OFFLINE, and the SetSimulation command should say TRUE.

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Using SoftMax Pro Excel Workflows 5049094 A 45 Troubleshooting Excel Workflows Ł Make sure that the SoftMax Pro Excel Add-In is enabled in Excel. Ł Make sure that the SoftMax Pro Software is started and that the Automation Mode dialog is not displayed. Ł If a formula entered in the workflow evaluates before it is run then enter with a single quotation mark

prefix. For example, instead of entering =SUM(A1: A5) enter '=SUM(A1: A5) . Workflow Errors Any errors that are detected by the workflow are reported in the SMPErrors worksheet as shown in the following figure. You should also check for additional error messages in the SoftMax Pro Software Automation Mode dialog under Automation Messages. The errors reported in this dialog might not be reported to the workflow.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 46 5049094 A

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5049094 A 47 6 SoftMax Pro Automation Commands SoftMax Pro automation commands are one or more concatenated words with no spaces and a closing set of parentheses. If parameters are required, the parameters are including within the closing set of parentheses. Table 6-1: SoftMax Pro Commands Command Description AppendData Reads the current Plate section and appends the new data to the existing data. AppendTitle Appends text to the title of the specified section. CloseDocument Closes the current document. CloseAllDocuments Closes all the currently open documents. CloseDrawer Closes the specified drawer on the instrument. Dispose Closes the final automation application dialog. ExportAs Exports data in the Columns, Plate, or XML format. ExportSectionAs Exports the currently selected section. GetAutosaveState Returns the current autosave setting for the active document. GetDataCopy Copies data to the client by way of an event. GetDrawerStatus Returns the state of the specified drawer on the instrument. GetFormulaResult Returns the result from the specified formula. GetGroupNameAssignments Returns the group name assignments of the currently selected plate section. GetInstrumentStatus Returns the currently connected instrument status. GetNumberPlateSections Returns the number of plate sections in the active experiment. GetTemperature Returns the currently connected instrument incubator temperature. GetVersion Returns the version of the SoftMax Pro Automation Interface. ImportPlateData Imports data from a file into a Plate section in the current data file. ImportPlateTemplate Imports a template from a file into the current plate section. Initialize Initializes the Automation Interface. NewDocument Creates a new document. Logon Log a user onto the SoftMax Pro GxP Software. Logoff Log a user off from the SoftMax Pro GxP Software. NewExperiment Creates a new Experiment section. NewNotes Creates a new Notes section within the current Experiment. NewPlate Creates a new Plate section within the current Experiment. OpenDrawer Opens the specified drawer on the instrument. OpenFile Opens a protocol file or data file. Quit Exits the SoftMax Pro Software application. SaveAs Saves the current document as a data file or a protocol file. SelectNextPlateSection Selects the next plate section from the current Experiment.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 48 5049094 A AppendData Int32 AppendData() Purpose Reads the current Plate section and appends the new data to the existing data. If the current section is not a Plate section, then the next Plate section is read.

See StartRead on page 85 . Parameters None SelectSection Selects a section by name or by the order of the section within the experiment. SetReader Selects a reader type and sets the reader status. SetShake Shakes the microplate. SetSimulationMode Sets SoftMax Pro software into simulation mode. SetTemperature Sets the current instrument incubator temperature. SetTitle Sets the title of the selected section. SetUserName Used with GxP systems to set the user name for a shielded protocol. StartRead Reads the current Plate or CuvetteSet section. StopRead Stops the current Plate or CuvetteSet section read. Table 6-1: SoftMax Pro Commands (cont ™d) Command Description

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 49 AppendTitle Int32 AppendTitle(String titletext ) Purpose Appends text to the title of the specified section. Parameters titletext Type: String

The text to be appended to the section title. Example The following example demonstrates appending text to the title of a plate section. int mAppenTitleID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate01");

mAppenTitleID = AutomationObject.AppendTitle("- YeOld Append"); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); } private void CommandCompleted( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mAppenTitleID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } } Note: This command can alter the names of the sections within an experiment, but it cannot alter the name of the experiment.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 50 5049094 A CloseDocument Int32 CloseDocument() Purpose Closes the current document. If the data has not been saved, the document is closed anyway with no user warning. Parameters None CloseAllDocuments Int32 CloseAllDocuments() Purpose Closes all the currently open documents. Parameters None CloseDrawer Int32 CloseDrawer() Int32 CloseDrawer(String drawerType ) Purpose Closes the specified drawer on the instrument. For most instruments, this command closes the microplate drawer. Parameters The CloseDrawer parameters are recognized by the FlexStation 3 reader only. For all other instruments, the parameters are ignored and can be omitted. drawerType Type: String

Must be one of the following strings: ﬁAssay Plate Drawerﬂ [default] "Compound Plate Drawerﬂ ﬁTips Drawerﬂ These values are not case sensitive. Note: The drawerType parameter is required for the FlexStation 3 reader, since it has three drawers. If the parameter is omitted, then the assay plate drawer is closed.

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 51 Dispose Void Dispose() Purpose Closes the final automation application dialog. The termination dialog containing the ﬁ Terminateﬂ button that appears on the SoftMax Pro 6 Software application after the script has completed execution. Parameters None Example The following example demonstrates how to use the Dispose function to close the automation dialog and exit

the automation application. In The following example the code used to complete command execution and

dispose the interface dialog box is included. public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize();

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport+= Error;

AutomationObject.OpenDrawer(); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 52 5049094 A ExportAs Int32 ExportAs(String path , ExportAsFormat exportAsFormat ) Purpose Exports data in the Columns, Plate, or XML format. The ExportAs command overwrites any existing file without warning. Parameters path Type: String

Fully qualified path name exportAsFormat

Type: ExportAsFormat

TIME exports data in a single column of text for each well. COLUMNS exports data in a single column of text for each well. PLATE exports data in a text matrix corresponding to a microplate grid. XML exports data in an XML file format. Example The following example demonstrates using the ExportAs function to output data in XML, Plate, and Columns formats. In this example, TIME is used in the ExportAsFormat parameter to export in Columns format. public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.StartRead();

var commandID = AutomationObject.ExportAs("C:\test.xml", SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ExportAsFormat.XML ); Results.AppendResult("Command ID = " + commandID.ToString() );

commandID = AutomationObject.ExportAs("C:\Plate.txt", SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ExportAsFormat.PLATE ); Results.AppendResult("Command ID = " + commandID.ToString() );

commandID = AutomationObject.ExportAs("C:\COLUMNS.txt", SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ExportAsFormat.TIME); Results.AppendResult("Command ID = " + commandID.ToString() ); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() ); if( e.QueueEmpty) { Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 53 ExportSectionAs Int32 ExportSectionAs(String path , ExportAsFormat exportAsFormat, Bool append ) Purpose Exports the currently selected section. Parameters path Type: String

Fully qualified path name exportAsFormat

Type: ExportAsFormat

Specify whether to append the data to an existing file.

If append is set to false , the command will overwrite any existing file without warning. GetAutosaveState Int32 GetAutosaveState() Purpose Returns the current autosave setting for the active document. Parameters None Returns This function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return type: String Returns the AutoSave state.

The return string is one of the following properties: Ł SMPAutomationClient.AutoSaveState.OFF = AutoSave is turned off Ł SMPAutomationClient.AutoSaveState.ON = AutoSave is turned on

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 54 5049094 A GetDataCopy Int32 GetDataCopy() Purpose Copies data to the client by way of an event. The format of the copied data copied can var y based on the display settings for the current plate section (normally Raw Data), the read mode, the read type, and the number of wavelengths. Parameters None Returns This function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the

CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return type: String Returns the data for the selected plate section. Example The following example demonstrates how to copy data to the client by way of an event. int mCopyID; public void Main()

{ string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult(now);

AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

int read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

mCopyID = AutomationObject.GetDataCopy(); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mCopyID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void InstrumentStatus( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 55 Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); } GetDrawerStatus Int32 GetDrawerStatus() Int32 GetDrawerStatus(String drawerType ) Purpose Returns the state of the specified drawer on the instrument. For most instruments, this command returns the state of the microplate drawer. Parameters The GetDrawerStatus parameters are recognized by the FlexStation 3 reader only. For all other instruments, the parameters are ignored and can be omitted. drawerType Type: String

Must be one of the following strings: ﬁAssay Plate Drawerﬂ [default] "Compound Plate Drawerﬂ ﬁTips Drawerﬂ These values are not case sensitive. Returns This function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return type: String Returns the status of the drawer.

The return string is one of following properties: SMPAutomationClient.DrawerStatus.OPENED = The drawer is open SMPAutomationClient.DrawerStatus.CLOSED = The drawer is closed Note: The drawerType parameter is required for the FlexStation 3 reader, since it has three drawers. If the parameter is omitted, then the status of the assay plate drawer is returned.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 56 5049094 A Example The following example demonstrates how to determine out if each of the drawers on a FlexStation 3 reader is open or closed. For all other instruments, no parameter is required to determine if the microplate drawer is open or closed. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

mStatusID = AutomationObject.GetDrawerStatus("Assay Plate Drawer");

cStatusID = AutomationObject.GetDrawerStatus("Compound Plate Drawer");

tStatusID = AutomationObject.GetDrawerStatus("Tips Drawer");

Results.AppendResult("Status Command ID = " + mStatusID .ToString()); }

private void Error(object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted(object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID== e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult( "Assay Plate Drawer Status: " +e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() ); if( cStatusID== e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult( "Compound Plate Drawer Status: " +e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() ); if( tStatusID== e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult( "Tips Drawer Status: " +e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 57 GetFormulaResult Int32 GetformulaResult(String results ) Purpose Returns the result from the specified formula. This command requires the name of the formula, name of either Notes or Group section, and the name of the Experiment. If the name of the Experiment is not specified, it will search from the first Experiment of the

document. Parameters results Type: String

fully qualified formula name, including section and experiment identifiers

Example: formulaName@sectionName@experimentName Returns This function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Type: String Calculated value for the formula Note: The returned value is the calculated value for the formula, not the formula string.

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 58 5049094 A Example The following example shows getting information from a Notes section. If the Notes section does not have a field titled Summary1, the command fails. int mID; int bAutomix;

System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<int, string> commandResultFormatter = new

System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<int, string>();

public void Main()

{ string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult(now);

AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Notes1");

mID = AutomationObject.GetFormulaResult("Summary1");

commandResultFormatter.Add(mID, "Formula Result of Summary1 :- {0}");

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Notes1");

mID = AutomationObject.GetFormulaResult("Summary2");

commandResultFormatter.Add(mID, "Formula Result of Summary2 :- {0}"); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( !string.IsNullOrEmpty(e.StringResult) )

{ if(commandResultFormatter.ContainsKey(e.QueueID)) Results.AppendResult(string.Format(commandResultFormatter[e.QueueID], e.StringResult)); else Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 59 GetGroupNameAssignments Int32 GetGroupNameAssignments Purpose Returns the group name assignments of the currently selected plate section. Parameters None Returns The function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return Type: String Returns a tab-delimited list of group names assigned to wells for all the wells in the plate.

Wells without a group assignment are returned as blank. GetInstrumentStatus Int32 GetInstrumentStatus Purpose Returns the currently connected instrument status. Parameters None Returns The function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return Type: String For the possible values, see InstrumentStatusChanged on page 88 .

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 60 5049094 A GetNumberPlateSections Int32 GetNumberPlateSections() Purpose Returns the number of plate sections in the active experiment. Parameters None Returns This function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return Type: Int32 Returns the number of plate sections in the active experiment. Example The following example shows how to determine the number of plate sections in the active experiment. int NumPlateSectionsID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

NumPlateSectionsID = AutomationObject.GetNumberPlateSections();

Results.AppendResult("Status Command ID = " + NumPlateSectionsID .ToString()); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( e.QueueID == NumPlateSectionsID )

Results.AppendResult("Number of Plate Sections : " + e.IntResult.ToString() );

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 61 GetTemperature Int32 GetTemperature() Purpose Returns the currently connected instrument incubator temperature. Parameters None Returns The function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return Type: Double Current instrument incubator temperature GetVersion Int32 GetVersion() Purpose Returns the version of the SoftMax Pro Automation Interface. Parameters None Returns This function returns the command id which can be used to retrieve the returned data from the CommandCompleted Event. Data Returned Through the CommandCompleted Event Return Type: String Returns the version of the SoftMax Pro Software application.

The return string is the following property:

SMPAutomationClient.Version.VERSION6300

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 62 5049094 A Example The following example demonstrates getting the Version level of the SoftMax Pro Software application. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

mStatusID = AutomationObject.GetVersion(); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID== e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult( "Version: " +e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 63 ImportPlateData Int32 ImportPlateData(string importType , params string[] importParameter ) Purpose Imports data from a file into a Plate section in the current data file. Parameters importType Type: String

Must be one of the following format strings: ﬁPlate Format" "XML Format" importParameter Type: Params String

Fully qualified path name of the file containing the data to be imported. The file must match the format used for manual data imports. Example The following example imports microplate data in Plate format from a file named data_import.txt. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M5");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

mStatusID = AutomationObject.ImportPlateData("Plate Formatﬂ, "C:\Program Files\Molecular Devices\Import Templates\data_import.txt"); Results.AppendResult("Import Plate Data Status="+mStatusID.ToString()); } private void CommandCompleted( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void InstrumentStatus( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); }

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 64 5049094 A ImportPlateTemplate Int32 ImportPlateTemplate(string path ) Purpose Imports a template from a file into the current plate section. Parameters path Type: String

Fully qualified path name of the file containing the template to be imported. The file must match the format used by for manual template imports. Example The following example imports a plate template named platetemplate.txt. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M5");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

mStatusID = AutomationObject.ImportPlateTemplate("C:\Program Files\Molecular Devices\SoftMax Pro 7.0 Automation SDK\Scripts\PlateTemplate.txt"); Results.AppendResult("Import Plate Template Status="+mStatusID.ToString()); } private void CommandCompleted( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void InstrumentStatus( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); }

Page 65

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 65 Initialize Boolean Initialize () Boolean Initialize (String server ) Boolean Initialize (String server , Int32 port ) Purpose Initializes the Automation Interface. Parameters ser ver Type: String

the computer name or IP address of the server port Type: Int32

the port address of the server Returns Return Type: Boolean Ł True = initialization was successful Ł False = initialization failed Examples There are three ways to use the Initialize command. Ł bool Initialize() Ł bool Initialize(String ser ver) Ł bool Initialize(String ser ver, int port)

Page 66

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 66 5049094 A bool Initialize()

With no parameters, the Initialize function uses the default host 'localhost' and default port of 9000. bool mInitialize; public void Main()

{ mInitialize = AutomationObject.Initialize(); // Replace the target machine IP Address here

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

Results.AppendResult("Inirialized : " + mInitialize.ToString()); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if(mInitialize)

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); } Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events"); AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e) { Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); } private void InstrumentStatus( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); }

Page 67

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 67 bool Initialize(String server )

The server parameter can be either the computer name or IP address and default port. bool mInitialize; public void Main()

{ mInitialize = AutomationObject.Initialize("127.0.0.1"); // Replace the target machine IP Address here

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

Results.AppendResult("Inirialized : " + mInitialize.ToString()); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if(mInitialize)

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); } Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events"); AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); } bool Initialize(String server , int port )

You can use the computer name or IP and port. public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize("10.212.11.175", 9901)

AutomationObject.CloseDocument();

AutomationObject.NewDocument(); } When the default port is not available for SoftMax Pro, then the you can add a registry key in HLM\SOFTWARE\Molecular Devices\Readers\SMP with key "Port" and a 32bit DWORD that contains the port

address.

Page 68

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 68 5049094 A Logon Int32 Logon(String userID, String password ) Purpose Log a user onto the SoftMax Pro GxP Software. To prevent the Log On dialog from appearing when the application starts, use /R in the program command line (for example, "SoftMaxProApp.exe /R"). See Computer System Requirements on page 13 . Parameters userID Type: String

The user ID for the account password Type: String

The password for the account Logoff Int32 Logoff() Purpose Log a user off from the SoftMax Pro GxP Software. Parameters None.

Page 69

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 69 NewDocument Int32 NewDocument() Purpose Creates a new document. This command also reads into the new document the values contained in the ﬁDefault Protocol.sprﬂ protocol file. Parameters None Example The following example demonstrates creating a new document containing the values in the default protocol. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

mStatusID = AutomationObject.NewDocument(); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 70

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 70 5049094 A NewExperiment Int32 NewExperiment() Purpose Creates a new Experiment section. Parameters None Example The following example shows creating a new experiment section. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.NewDocument();

AutomationObject.NewNotes();

AutomationObject.NewPlate();

AutomationObject.NewNotes();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.NewExperiment(); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 71

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 71 NewNotes Int32 NewNotes() Purpose Creates a new Notes section within the current Experiment. Parameters None Example The following example shows creating a notes section. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.NewDocument();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.NewNotes(); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 72

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 72 5049094 A NewPlate Int32 NewPlate() Purpose Creates a new Plate section within the current Experiment. Parameters None Example The following example demonstrates the use of NewPlate command. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.NewDocument();

AutomationObject.NewPlate();

AutomationObject.NewNotes();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.NewPlate(); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void InstrumentStatus( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); }

Page 73

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 73 OpenDrawer OpenDrawer() CloseDrawer(String drawerType ) OpenDrawer(Int32 xPosition , Int32 yPosition , Bool locked ) Purpose Opens the specified drawer on the instrument. For most instruments, this command opens the microplate drawer. Parameters for FlexStation 3 Readers The OpenDrawer drawerType parameter is recognized by the FlexStation 3 reader only. For all other instruments, this parameter is ignored and can be omitted.

drawerType Type: String

Must be one of the following strings: ﬁAssay Plate Drawerﬂ [default] "Compound Plate Drawerﬂ ﬁTips Drawerﬂ These values are not case sensitive. See also Parameters for SpectraMax i3x, SpectraMax i3, SpectraMax Paradigm, and FilterMax Instruments on page 74 . Note: For instruments with temperature control, the microplate drawer cannot be opened while the incubator is on. See SetTemperature on page 83 . Note: The drawerType parameter is required for the FlexStation 3 reader, since it has three drawers. If the parameter is omitted, then the assay plate drawer is opened.

Page 74

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 74 5049094 A Parameters for SpectraMax i3x, SpectraMax i3, SpectraMax Paradigm, and FilterMax Instruments The OpenDrawer xPosition , yPosition , and locked parameters are recognized by the SpectraMax i3x, SpectraMax i3, SpectraMax Paradigm, and FilterMax Instruments only. For all other instruments, these parameters are ignored and can be omitted.

xPosition Type: Int32

This parameter defines the left-right offset for the position of the open microplate drawer. Range for the SpectraMax i3x and i3 Instruments: 0 to 2900 Range for the SpectraMax Paradigm Instrument: 0 to 2950 Range for the FilterMax Instruments: 0 to 2950 yPosition Type: Int32

This parameter defines the front-rear offset for the position of the open microplate drawer. Range for the SpectraMax i3x and i3 Instruments: 5200 to 6900 Range for the SpectraMax Paradigm Instrument: 5200 to 6900 Range for the FilterMax Instruments: 5200 to 6900 locked Type: Bool

When this parameter is true, the microplate is held in a fixed position to allow operations such as dispensing. Example The following example shows opening the microplate drawer. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.OpenDrawer();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.GetDrawerStatus();

Results.AppendResult("Status Command ID = " + mStatusID .ToString() ); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID== e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult( "Result: " +e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

Page 75

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 75 OpenFile Int32 OpenFile(String pathname ) Purpose Opens a protocol file or data file. If the file is not found, the SoftMax Pro application does nothing. Parameters pathname Type: String

Fully qualified path to protocol file or protocol name Example In the following example, the file that is to be opened must exist in the file system. If it does not exist, the command fails. int mStatusID; string mPath="C:\Users\All Users\Application Data\Molecular Devices\SMP6\Default

Protocols\Basics\Spectrum.spr"; public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

mStatusID = AutomationObject.OpenFile(mPath); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 76

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 76 5049094 A Quit Int32 Quit() Purpose Exits the SoftMax Pro Software application. Parameters None Example The following example demonstrates quitting the SoftMax Pro Software application. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.NewDocument();

AutomationObject.NewPlate();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.Quit(); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 77

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 77 SaveAs Int32 SaveAs(String pathname ) Purpose Saves the current document as a data file or a protocol file. Define the file type for the saved file by the file extension in the path statement. Use the *.sda extension for data files and *.spr for protocol files. If you are using the SoftMax Pro GxP Software, use the *.sdax extension

for data files and *.sprx for protocol files. If a file with the same name already exists, the SoftMax Pro Software automatically overwrites the file with no warning. The SoftMax Pro GxP Software does not allow overwriting existing files, and generates an error

message if an overwrite is attempted. Parameters pathname Type: String

Fully qualified path and name of file to be saved, including the file extension. Example The following example shows saving the file to an undefined ﬁTempﬂ path. To define the path, the mPath string needs to be defined with an absolute or relative path that includes the name of the file and its file

extension. int mStatusID; string mPath="C:\temp\mydata.sda";

public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

mStatusID = AutomationObject.SaveAs(mPath); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 78

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 78 5049094 A SelectNextPlateSection Int32 SelectNextPlateSection() Purpose Selects the next plate section from the current Experiment. Parameters None Example The following example shows selecting the next plate after Plate1. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.CloseDocument();

AutomationObject.NewDocument();

AutomationObject.NewPlate();

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

mStatusID= AutomationObject.SelectNextPlateSection(); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } } private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e) { Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 79

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 79 SelectSection Int32 SelectSection(String sectionName ) Int32 SelectSection(Int32 sectionNumber ) Purpose Selects a section by name or by the order of the section within the experiment. SelectSection using the System.String parameter can be useful for multi-plate protocols or for selecting Group tables for copying. Parameters sectionName Type: String

The name of the section.

Either the name of a section within the currently selected experiment or a fully qualified section name, including section and experiment identifiers Examples: sectionName or sectionName@experimentName sectionNumber Type: Int32

The order number of the section. Example The following example demonstrates using the SelectSection function using the System.String parameter. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.NewExperiment();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.SelectSection("Exp02");

AutomationObject.NewExperiment();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.SelectSection(2);

AutomationObject.AppendTitle("_&&^^**%%$$##@@"); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); } if( e.QueueEmpty) { Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

Page 80

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 80 5049094 A SetReader Int32 SetReader(String port , String instrument ) Purpose Selects a reader type and sets the reader status. Parameters communication port Type: String

The name of the communication port to look for the instrument (for example, COM1 ). Offline sets the reader state to offline. instrument Type: String

340PC384

DTX 800

DTX 880

Emax

Emax Plus

FilterMax F3

FilterMax F5

Flexstation III

GEMINI EM

GEMINI XPS

PLUS190PC

PLUS384

SpectraMax i3

SpectraMax i3x

SPECTRAmax M2

SPECTRAmax M2e

SPECTRAmax M3

SPECTRAmax M4

SPECTRAmax M5

SPECTRAmax M5e

SpectraMax Paradigm

VersaMaxPLUS

Vma x Example See the Example on page 82 . Note: The parameters are case-sensitive.

Page 81

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 81 SetShake Int32 SetShake(Boolean shakestate ) Purpose Shakes the microplate. When this command is set to true , starts shaking the microplate tray until the Shake(false) command is sent. By default, the shake will stop after 30 seconds in most instruments. Parameters shakestate Type: Boolean

true turns Shake on. false turns Shake off. Example The following example demonstrates turning the shake function on and then off. public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.Initialize(); AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2"); AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1"); AutomationObject.CloseDrawer(); AutomationObject.SetShake(true); AutomationObject.StartRead();

AutomationObject.SetShake(false); AutomationObject.OpenDrawer(); } private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); } Note: The SetShake command is not supported for the SpectraMax i3x, SpectraMax i3, SpectraMax Paradigm, and FilterMax instruments.

Page 82

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 82 5049094 A SetSimulationMode Int32 SetSimulationMode(Boolean modestate ) Purpose Sets SoftMax Pro software into simulation mode. Parameters modestate Type: Boolean

true enables simulation mode. false disables simulation mode. Example The following example demonstrates selecting a reader, enabling simulation mode and starting a read. int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult(now);

AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M5");

mStatusID = AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

Results.AppendResult("Simulation Mode Status = " +mStatusID.ToString());

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

int read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString()); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void InstrumentStatus( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); }

Page 83

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 83 SetTemperature Int32 SetTemperature(Double temperature) Purpose Sets the current instrument incubator temperature. Setting temperature to zero turns off the incubator. Parameters Temperature Type: Double

The number of degrees centigrade Example The following example demonstrates setting the incubator temperature to 20°C. int ID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

ID = AutomationObject.SetTemperature(20.0);

Results.AppendResult("Set Temperature Status = " + ID.ToString()); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if(ID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void InstrumentStatus( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); }

Page 84

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 84 5049094 A SetTitle Int32 SetTitle() Purpose Sets the title of the selected section. Checks for uniqueness of the specified section name within the current experiment. If there is a conflict, no change is made. Parameters None Example int mStatusID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M5e");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

mStatusID = AutomationObject.SetTitle("Plate-100");

Results.AppendResult("Set Title Result : "+mStatusID.ToString()); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); } private void InstrumentStatus( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); } Note: This command can alter the names of the sections within an experiment, but it cannot alter the name of the experiment.

Page 85

SoftMax Pro Automation Commands 5049094 A 85 SetUserName Int32 SetUserName() Purpose Used with GxP systems to set the user name for a shielded protocol. Parameters

User name StartRead Int32 StartRead() Purpose Reads the current Plate or CuvetteSet section.

If the current section is neither a Plate nor CuvetteSet section, the next Plate or CuvetteSet section is read. Parameters None Example The following example shows starting a read operation. int mCopyID; public void Main()

{ string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult(now);

AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.CloseDocument();

AutomationObject.NewDocument();

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

int read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

mCopyID = AutomationObject.GetDataCopy(); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mCopyID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

private void InstrumentStatus( object sender,

Page 86

SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 86 5049094 A SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs e) { Results.AppendResult("Status changed to " + e.Status); } StopRead Int32 StopRead() Purpose Stops the current Plate or CuvetteSet section read. This command is not queued. Parameters None

Page 87

5049094 A 87 7 Events The .NET server generates events which the client application can ﬁlistenﬂ for by way of an event handler. CommandCompleted event EventHandler(object sender, SoftMaxPro.Automation.SMPAutomationclient.CommandStatusEventArgs) CommandCompleted Purpose To generate a client callback when a command has completed. Example See Multiple Read and Copy Events Script on page 93 . Table 7-1: CommandStatusEventArgs Properties Name Type Description DoubleResultDoubleReturns a double result from a get command, such as GetTemperature() IntResultInt32Provides the integer result from a get command, such as GetNumberPlateSections() QueueEmptyBoolean True indicates the command queue on the server is empty False indicates the command queue on the server still contains commands QueueIdInt32The id of the completed command

StringResultStringProvides the string result from a get command, such as GetDrawerStatus()

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 88 5049094 A InstrumentStatusChanged event EventHandler(object sender, SoftMaxPro.Automation.SMPAutomationclient.InstrumentStatusEventArgs)

InstrumentStatusChanged Purpose To generate a client callback when the status of the connected instrument changes. Returns The following properties can be used for testing which state has been returned: Ł SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatus.IDLE Ł SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatus.INITIALIZING Ł SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatus.BUSY Ł SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatus.STOPPING Ł SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatus.ERROR Ł SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatus.TIMEOUT Ł SMPAutomationClient.InstrumentStatus.OFFLINE Example See Multiple Read and Copy Events Script on page 93 . Table 7-2: InstrumentStatusEventArgs Property Name Type Description StatusStringProvides the new status of the instrument. See the possible values listed below.

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Events 5049094 A 89 ErrorReport event EventHandler(object sender, SoftMaxPro.Automation.SMPAutomationclient.ErrorEventArgs)

ErrorReport Purpose To generate a client callback when an error condition occurs. Error Event Related Processing When an Error event is generated, it is always followed by a CommandComplete event for the command that

caused the error. All commands waiting in the automation server command queue are deleted so that the automation client can control exactly what commands are executed when an error has been reported. Example public void Main() { AutomationObject.Initialize();

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CloseDrawer();

AutomationObject.SetShake(true);

AutomationObject.OpenDrawer(); }

private void Error( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " +

e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); } Table 7-3: ErrorEventArgs Properties Name Type Description Error StringA description of the error QueueIdInt32The id of the command with the error

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 90 5049094 A

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5049094 A 91 8 Examples This chapter contains some sample scripts. Append Title Script int mAppenTitleID; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate01");

mAppenTitleID = AutomationObject.AppendTitle("- YeOld Append"); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mAppenTitleID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 92 5049094 A Get Commands Script public int AutosaveStateID; public int NumPlateSectionsID;

public int DrawerStatusID;

public void Main()

{ string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult(now);

AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.CloseDrawer();

AutosaveStateID = AutomationObject.GetAutosaveState();

Results.AppendResult("AutosaveStateID= " + AutosaveStateID.ToString());

NumPlateSectionsID = AutomationObject.GetNumberPlateSections();

Results.AppendResult("NumPlateSectionsID= " + NumPlateSectionsID.ToString()); DrawerStatusID = AutomationObject.GetDrawerStatus(); Results.AppendResult("NumPlateSectionsID= " + DrawerStatusID.ToString()); } private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( e.QueueID == AutosaveStateID)

Results.AppendResult("AutosaveState: " + e.IntResult.ToString() );

if( e.QueueID == NumPlateSectionsID )

Results.AppendResult("NumPlateSections: " + e.IntResult.ToString() );

if( e.QueueID == DrawerStatusID )

Results.AppendResult("DrawerStatus: " + e.IntResult.ToString() );

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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Examples 5049094 A 93 Multiple Read and Copy Events Script int mCopyID; int read1;

public void Main()

{ string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult(now);

AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged += InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read ID = " + read1.ToString());

mCopyID = AutomationObject.GetDataCopy(); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() ); if( read1 == e.QueueID ) { Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.InstrumentStatusChanged -= InstrumentStatus;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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SoftMax Pro Software Automation API Reference Guide 94 5049094 A Multiple Read With ID Script public void Main() { string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult(now);

AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted+= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

int read1 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read 1 ID = " + read1.ToString());

int read2 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read 2 ID = " + read2.ToString());

int read3 = AutomationObject.StartRead();

Results.AppendResult("Read 3 ID = " + read3.ToString()); } private void PrintCurrentTime() { string now = System.DateTime.Now.ToString();

Results.AppendResult("Read completed at: " + now); } private void CommandCompleted( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ PrintCurrentTime();

Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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Examples 5049094 A 95 ExportAs Script int mStatusID ; public void Main()

{ AutomationObject.Initialize("localhost");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport += Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted += CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.SelectSection("Plate1");

AutomationObject.SetReader("Offline", "SPECTRAmax M2");

AutomationObject.SetSimulationMode(true);

AutomationObject.StartRead();

mStatusID = AutomationObject.ExportAs("C:\Automation_Test\Results\test.xml", SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ExportAsFormat.XML ); Results.AppendResult("Status Command ID = " + mStatusID .ToString() );

mStatusID = AutomationObject.ExportAs("C:\Automation_Test\Results\Plate.txt", SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ExportAsFormat.PLATE ); Results.AppendResult("Status Command ID = " + mStatusID .ToString() );

mStatusID = AutomationObject.ExportAs("C:\Automation_Test\Results\COLUMNS.txt", SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ExportAsFormat.TIME); Results.AppendResult("Status Command ID = " + mStatusID .ToString() ); }

private void Error( object sender, SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.ErrorEventArgs e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Error: Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() + " - " + e.Error); }

private void CommandCompleted( object sender,

SoftMaxPro.AutomationClient.SMPAutomationClient.CommandStatusEventArg e)

{ Results.AppendResult("Command complete Command ID = " + e.QueueID.ToString() );

if( mStatusID == e.QueueID )

{ Results.AppendResult(e.StringResult); }

if( e.QueueEmpty)

{ Results.AppendResult("Queue empty - disconnecting events");

AutomationObject.ErrorReport -= Error;

AutomationObject.CommandCompleted -= CommandCompleted;

AutomationObject.Dispose(); } }

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The trademarks used herein are the property of Molecular Devices, LLC or their respective owners. Specifications subject to change without notice. Patents: www.moleculardevices.com/productpatents

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SoftMax Pro Automation API Reference Guide (Version 7.0)

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