Run a VAL 3 program

This article shows how to start and stop a VAL 3 program of a Staubli CS8 or CS9 controller from a PC, in C# or Python. It gives a complete program that loads a project from the disk of the controller, starts it, checks its tasks and stops it.

Prerequisites

• The SDK is connected to the controller: see Connect to your robot.
• The VAL 3 project is on the disk of the controller, for example Disk://myProject/myProject.pjx. Copy it there with Staubli Robotics Suite or the pendant.
• The user of the connection has the right to start applications. If the application moves the arm, the controller is in the mode that the application needs.

The calls

Example

using UnderAutomation.Staubli;
using UnderAutomation.Staubli.Soap.Data;
using UnderAutomation.Staubli.Soap.Errors;

public class HowToRunProgram
{
    static void Main()
    {
        
        var controller = new StaubliController();
        controller.Connect("192.168.0.254");

        string project = "Disk://myProject/myProject.pjx";

        // 1. Stop what runs, and free the memory
        controller.Soap.StopAndUnloadAll();

        // 2. Load and start the application
        try
        {
            controller.Soap.LoadProject(project);
            controller.Soap.StartApplication(project);
        }
        catch (CustomSoapException ex)
        {
            // For example ApplicationNotFound or CannotStartApplication
            Console.WriteLine($"{ex.ErrorCode}: {ex.Description}");
            return;
        }

        // 3. Check that its tasks run
        Thread.Sleep(500);
        foreach (ControllerTask task in controller.Soap.GetTasks())
            Console.WriteLine($"{task.Name}: {task.State}");

        // 4. Later, stop it
        controller.Soap.StopApplication();

        controller.Disconnect();
        
    }
}

The program:

1. stops and unloads what runs, so that the project loads in a known state;
2. loads and starts the project, and prints the reason if the controller refuses;
3. waits 500 ms and prints the state of each task;
4. stops the application.

Follow the program

After the start, read the tasks with GetTasks(): State tells if a task runs, ProgramLine gives its current line, and RuntimeError is not 0 when the program stopped on an error. See Monitor the state of the robot.

Troubleshooting

• CustomSoapException with ApplicationNotFound: the path is wrong. Check the name of the folder and of the .pjx file on the disk of the controller.
• CustomSoapException with CannotStartApplication: the controller cannot start the project in its current state, for example because another application runs. Call StopAndUnloadAll() first.
• The task stops at once: read RuntimeError and RuntimeErrorDescription of the task.

What to read next

• VAL 3 applications and VAL 3 tasks: the reference of these methods.