Download Docklight V2.1 User Manual 08/2015

22
Working with Docklight
Start Docklight by choosing Run >
Start Communication, then activate the serial
devices 1 and 2 and perform a test run. Docklight will display all communication between
serial device 1 and serial device 2. Docklight uses different colors and font types to
make it easy to distinguish between data transmitted by device 1 or device 2. The colors
and font types can be chosen in the Display tab of the Tools >
Options... dialog.
TIP: The
Snapshot Function allows you to locate a rare sequence or error condition
in a communication protocol with a large amount of data.
TIP: See the sections How to Increase the Processing Speed... and How to Obtain Best
Timing Accuracy to learn how to adjust Docklight for applications with high amounts of
data, or increased timing accuracy requirements.
5.4
Catching a Specific Sequence and Taking a Snapshot of the
Communication
When monitoring serial communications between two devices, you might want to test for
a rare error and the interesting parts would be just the serial communication before and
after this event. You could look for this situation by logging the test and searching the
log files for the characteristic error sequence. This could mean storing and analyzing
several MB of data when you are actually just looking for a few bytes though, if they
appeared at all. As an alternative, you can use the Snapshot feature as described below.
Preconditions
· Docklight is ready to run a test as described in the previous use cases, e.g.
monitoring serial communications between two devices.
Taking a snapshot
A) Defining a trigger for the snapshot
1. Define the sequence that appears in your error situation as a Receive Sequence.
2. Check the Trigger tab in the "action" part of the Receive Sequence dialog: The
trigger option must be enabled if this is the sequence that you want to track down.
NOTE: Do not forget to disable the trigger option for all other Receive Sequences that
should be ignored in your test so that they do not trigger the snapshot.
B) Creating a snapshot
Click on the
Snapshot button of the toolbar. Docklight will start communications, but
will not display anything in the communication window. If the trigger sequence is
detected, Docklight will display communication data before and after the trigger event.
Further data is processed, until the trigger sequence is located roughly in the middle of
the communication window. Docklight will then stop communication and position the
cursor at the trigger sequence.
5.5
Logging and Analyzing a Test
Preconditions
· Docklight is ready to run a test as described in the previous use cases, e.g.
Docklight V2.1 User Manual 08/2015
Copyright 2015 Flachmann und Heggelbacher GbR