Exercise - Exporting the Traffic Cone Component

Preliminaries

• Create a traffic cone component as shown in the exercise - Building a Complex Component - the traffic cone.

Declaring the interface

Before you export a component, you need to 'declare the interface'.

• Move the mouse cursor over the System Panel, and right-click.

• Select the option 'Export component'. The Component Management dialogue box opens.

• Configure this for the traffic cone component as follow:

• Click on the 'Setup' tab.

• Don't assign a category. As a result, the traffic cone will appear in the 'Misc'toolbox.
• Give the component a 'Cosmetic name' of "traffic cone", which is what it will be called in the 'Misc' toolbox.
• Click on the check-box next to the 'Use an image of the panel' label.

• Click on the 'Interface' tab.

• Set the 'flash' macro as a simulation macro, by clicking on 'Simulation macro' in the 'Type of macro' drop-down menu.

• In this case, there are no additional files to save with the component, and so you don't need to use the 'Resources' tab.

• Click on 'OK'.

Saving the component

• You may be asked if you want to save the current flowchart. Do so if you wish.

• The 'Save As' dialogue box opens. This will automatically point to a destination Flowcode will search for components. Select a suitable name for the component.

• Click 'Save'. The component file is saved with a '*.fcpx' extension.

Testing the component

Select to create a new flowchart from the main menu.

Go to the category your component was assigned to be in, ('Outputs' in this case). If you did not select a category you will find the component inMisc.

Click on the down arrow next to the component, and select 'Add to system panel, or double click on the name of the component.

Create a Flowcode flowchart to test the component, such as the one given in the Exercise - Testing an imported LED component