Using expressions in macros

An arithmetic expression is a list of variables and values with operators which define a value. Typical usage is in variable declarations and assignments.

// Variable declarions
REAL factor = 0.6
REAL value = Tolerance * factor

// Assignments
$Stepover = Tool.Diameter * factor
$factor = 0.75

In addition to using expressions in calculations, you can use logical expressions to make decisions in macros. The decision making statements in PowerMill are IF-ELSE_IF, SWITCH, WHILE, and DO-WHILE. These execute the commands within their code blocks if the result of an expression is true (1). For example:

IF active(Tool.TipRadiused) {
    // Things to do if a tip radiused tool.
}
IF active(Tool.TipRadiused) AND Tool.Diameter \< 5 {
    // Things to do if a tip radiused tool and the diameter
    // is less than 5.
}

You can use any expression to decide whether or not a block of code is performed.

Operators for integers and real numbers

The standard arithmetical operators are available for integers and real numbers.

For a complete list of operators, see the HTML page displayed when you select click Help > Documentation > Parameters > Reference > Functions.

Operators for strings

The concatenation (+) operator is available for string.

For example "abc"+"xyz" evaluates to abcxyz.

You can use this to build strings from various parts, for example:

MESSAGE "The Stepover value is: " + string(Stepover)