Table of Contents

Glossary: Script Commands

What Is a Script Command?

A script command is a C# statement executed by the HiNC scripting engine. Scripts directly reference members and methods of RuntimeApi, which serves as the global scope — no explicit object reference is needed.

// These are all RuntimeApi members used directly as globals
EnablePhysics = true;
MachiningResolution_mm = 0.125;
PlayNcFile("NC/file1.nc");
Message("Done");

Script Syntax Basics

Scripts use native C# syntax:

Feature Syntax
Statement terminator ;
End-of-line comment // comment
String interpolation $"Value is {variable}"
Positive infinity double.PositiveInfinity
Negative infinity double.NegativeInfinity
Bitwise OR (for flags) Fx|Fy|Fz

All standard C# language features (variables, loops, conditionals, LINQ, etc.) are available.

Script Task Page

In the HiNC GUI, the Task page contains one or more script panels. Each panel has:

  • Order: Execution order (left to right, top to bottom)
  • Enabled: Whether the script runs (unchecked = skipped)
  • Title: A label for human reference only — has no functional effect

Execution Model

Session Lifecycle

  1. Scripts execute in order on the Task page
  2. A PacePlayer(API) controls playback — script commands like PlayNcFile(API) block until the NC program completes
  3. Player control commands (Pace()(API), Pause()(API), Reset()(API)) interact with the PacePlayer(API)
  4. ResetRuntime(API) clears event handlers, buffers, and runtime state

Event-Driven Execution

Events like SessionStepBuilt(API) fire during simulation and allow per-step logic:

SessionStepBuilt += (preStep, curStep) => {
    if (curStep != null)
        Message($"Step: ToolId={curStep.ToolId}");
};
PlayNcFile("NC/file1.nc");

Events are cleared by ResetRuntime.

Script Commands in NC Code

Script commands can be embedded inside NC code comments. Lines starting with ;@ execute before that NC line runs:

T01 M06 (;@MachiningResolution_mm=0.03125;)
S1270 M03
G43 Z10. H01

For controllers that do not support ; as a comment character (e.g., FANUC), wrap in a comment block:

T01 M06 (;@MachiningResolution_mm=0.03125;)

File Path Templates

Commands that output files support the [NcName] token, which is replaced with each NC file name:

PlayNcFile("NC/file1.nc");
PlayNcFile("NC/file2.nc");
WriteShotFiles("Output/[NcName].shot.csv", 1);
// Produces: Output/file1.nc.shot.csv, Output/file2.nc.shot.csv

All file paths are relative to the project directory unless an absolute path is given.

Important Warnings

The following operations can corrupt simulation state or produce incorrect results:

  • Do not save the project during simulation. System-internal configuration (e.g., training-specific resolution overrides) may overwrite your settings.
  • Do not reset the player during milling coefficient training. Close the project instead of pressing the reset button to avoid unexpected errors.
  • Do not modify resolution, tool, or controller settings during training. Changing these mid-training invalidates the results.
  • Do not combine UpdateNcOptOption in SessionStepBuilt(API) with NC-embedded optimization commands. Parallel computation may cause undefined behavior.

Global Variables

Global provides a key-value dictionary for sharing data across scripts:

Global["material"] = "Steel";
var material = Global["material"];

Full API Reference

For the complete list of available commands, properties, and events, see:

See Also