1st application controls the XRF analyzer and deconvolution data processor, data recorder, web interface, graphics, and user interface.
I have a hardware device that runs the flow system, but it fires events (Actually its driver fires events) into VB that I have to service ASAP or lose the data. Servicing this event INSTANTLY is very disruptive, and makes the main program run erratically. I want to write a small application that will service this flow control device, deal with the instant event service issue, accumulate all the data and save it to files. To give you an idea of timing, this flow control device needs to open/close valves, start/stop motors, and write data files once every 15 minutes. It does monitor the flow volume accumulation at higher speeds, like 5 or 8 times a second. And it has a ton of other capability we don't use, which is why its interface driver is designed to be so demanding.
So now my question, how can I make the small application communicate with the 1st application ? The communication could be very casual, like once every 15 minutes it signals the main (1st) application " Hey, flow system worked fine for 15 minutes, data files are written " Or " Hey, I've got an error with Valve 2 " Or " Hey, I'm ready to start running the flow now...."
How do VB application talk to each other like this ? Perhaps the 1st application could launch the 2nd one ? And I'd probably like the 2nd small application to run in the background, maybe with an icon in systray. BTW I'm using Win 7 Pro. I'm not sure which is the best approach since this is not high speed data exchange with reams of data arrays and such...All of the data files are ASCII text files.
I have a hardware device that runs the flow system, but it fires events (Actually its driver fires events) into VB that I have to service ASAP or lose the data. Servicing this event INSTANTLY is very disruptive, and makes the main program run erratically. I want to write a small application that will service this flow control device, deal with the instant event service issue, accumulate all the data and save it to files. To give you an idea of timing, this flow control device needs to open/close valves, start/stop motors, and write data files once every 15 minutes. It does monitor the flow volume accumulation at higher speeds, like 5 or 8 times a second. And it has a ton of other capability we don't use, which is why its interface driver is designed to be so demanding.
So now my question, how can I make the small application communicate with the 1st application ? The communication could be very casual, like once every 15 minutes it signals the main (1st) application " Hey, flow system worked fine for 15 minutes, data files are written " Or " Hey, I've got an error with Valve 2 " Or " Hey, I'm ready to start running the flow now...."
How do VB application talk to each other like this ? Perhaps the 1st application could launch the 2nd one ? And I'd probably like the 2nd small application to run in the background, maybe with an icon in systray. BTW I'm using Win 7 Pro. I'm not sure which is the best approach since this is not high speed data exchange with reams of data arrays and such...All of the data files are ASCII text files.