Table of Contents

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 SessionShell, which serves as the global scope — no explicit object reference is needed.

// These are all SessionShell 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.

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:

The marker is read inside the line's comment, so the comment character is the controller's own. Where ; opens a comment:

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

For controllers that do not support ; as a comment character (FANUC and the other ( ) dialects), the same marker goes inside the parentheses:

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

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.
  • Do not write NaN into a per-step NcOptOption. A NaN feed-per-tooth boundary is refused when the step is solved: that step keeps its simulated feed rate and is reported as an error naming the option values, and the rest of the run is optimized normally. See When a Step Cannot Be Solved.

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