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Socket communication

Exchange your own messages with a UR robot program through the socket functions of URScript. The SDK is the socket server.

How it works
Example
Try it in the demo application
Reference
What to read next

With the socket functions of URScript, a program that runs on a Universal Robots cobot connects to your application and exchanges text and numbers with it. This page shows the socket server of the SDK: it listens on a port of the PC, 50001 by default, and raises an event for each message of a robot.

How it works

The robot program opens the connection with socket_open, then sends and receives messages. On the PC, the SDK raises an event for each step:

URScript of the robot	Event of the SDK	Your code
`socket_open("192.168.0.10", 50001)`	`SocketClientConnection`	Keep the client, send it a first message
`socket_send_string("Hello")`	`SocketRequest`	Read `Message`
`value := socket_get_var("COUNTER")`	`SocketGetVar`	Set `Value`, an integer, sent back to the robot
`socket_read_string()`	none	Send with `SocketWrite`
`socket_close()`	`SocketClientDisconnection`

192.168.0.10 is the address of the PC. See TCP/IP socket communication via URScript by Universal Robots.

Ruby

socket_open("192.168.0.10", 50001)
socket_send_string("Hello")
counter := socket_get_var("COUNTER")
reply := socket_read_string()
socket_close()

The program socket_sample.urp uses these functions.

Example

The socket server is disabled by default: set SocketCommunication.Enable in ConnectParameters.

static void Main(string[] args)
{
var robot = new UR();

var parameters = new ConnectParameters("192.168.0.1");

// The socket server is disabled by default
parameters.SocketCommunication.Enable = true;
parameters.SocketCommunication.Port = 50001;

robot.Connect(parameters);

// URScript: socket_open("192.168.0.10", 50001)
robot.SocketCommunication.SocketClientConnection += (sender, e) =>
{
  e.Client.SocketWrite("Welcome");
};

// URScript: socket_send_string("Hello")
robot.SocketCommunication.SocketRequest += (sender, e) =>
{
  Console.WriteLine(e.Client.EndPoint.Address + " says " + e.Message);
};

// URScript: value := socket_get_var("COUNTER")
robot.SocketCommunication.SocketGetVar += (sender, e) =>
{
  if (e.Name == "COUNTER") e.Value = 12; // integer only
};

// URScript: socket_close()
robot.SocketCommunication.SocketClientDisconnection += (sender, e) =>
{
  Console.WriteLine(e.Client.EndPoint + " disconnected");
};

// Send a message to every connected robot
robot.SocketCommunication.SocketWrite("Start");

// Or to one robot
foreach (SocketClient client in robot.SocketCommunication.ConnectedClients)
  client.SocketWrite("Hello " + client.EndPoint.Address);
}
}

Click to see the full code

The same server works without UR:

static void Main(string[] args)
{
// A socket server, without a UR instance
var server = new SocketCommunicationServer();

server.SocketRequest += (sender, e) =>
{
  Console.WriteLine(e.Client.EndPoint.Address + " says " + e.Message);
};

server.Start(50001);

// ...

server.Stop();
}
}

Click to see the full code

Several robots can connect to the same server: ConnectedClients lists them, and each SocketClient has its own SocketWrite. Allow the port of the server in the firewall of the PC.

Try it in the demo application

Everything on this page can be tried without writing code, in the Socket communication page of the demo application.

Socket communication page of the Universal Robots SDK demo application

The demo application is open source. The C# source of this page is SocketControl.cs.

Reference

Class

SocketCommunicationServerBaseinherits URServiceBase

C#Python

Base for Socket communication server

Member	Type	Description
SocketCommunicationServerBase() Constructor
ConnectedClients Property read only	SocketClient[]	List of all connected clients. One robot can open multiple sockets.
Enabled Property read only	bool	Is the socket server enabled
Port Property read only	int	Socket server local port
SocketClientConnection Event	SocketClientConnectionEventHandler	Event raised when a robot connects with URScript function socket_open()
SocketClientDisconnection Event	SocketClientDisconnectionEventHandler	Event raised when the robot socket disconnects
SocketGetVar Event	SocketGetVarEventHandler	Event raised when the robot calls socket_get_var()
SocketRequest Event	SocketRequestEventHandler	Event raised when a message is received from robot
SocketWrite(string) Method	void	Write a socket message to the robot. The robot should be connected with socket_open() message : Message to send to the robot
Start(int) Method	void	Starts socket server. Robot can connect with URScript function socket_open() port : Socket server port
Stop() Method	void	Disable local socket server and disconnect all connected clients

Class

SocketClient

C#Python

Represent a UR robot connected with URScript function socket_open()

Member	Type	Description
Connected Property read only	bool	Indicates that robot socket is still active
EndPoint Field	IPEndPoint	IP address and remote port used by the robot for socket communication
SocketClientDisconnection Event	SocketClientDisconnectionEventHandler	Event handler when the robot socket disconnects
SocketGetVar Event	SocketGetVarEventHandler	Event raised when the robot calls socket_get_var()
SocketRequest Event	SocketRequestEventHandler	Event raised when a message is received from robot
Disconnect() Method	void	Closes socket communication to robot
SocketWrite(string) Method	void	Write a socket message to the robot. The robot should be connected with socket_open() message : Message to send to the robot
ToString() Method	string	Returns the remote endpoint address and port of the connected robot.

Class

SocketClientConnectionEventArgsinherits EventArgs

C#Python

Event args raised when a socket client is connected with socket_open()

Member	Type	Description
Client Field	SocketClient	Robot remote endpoint

Class

SocketRequestEventArgsinherits EventArgs

C#Python

Event args raised when a socket message is received

Member	Type	Description
Client Field	SocketClient	Robot IP information
Message Field	string	Message content received from robot

Class

SocketGetVarEventArgsinherits EventArgs

C#Python

Event args raised when a socket message sent with socket_get_var() is received

Member	Type	Description
Client Field	SocketClient	Robot remote endpoint
Name Field	string	Name of requested variable
Value Field	int?	Variable value to send to the robot. If value is null, no messsage is replied to the robot

Class

SocketClientDisconnectionEventArgsinherits EventArgs

C#Python

Event args raised when a socket client disconnects

Member	Type	Description
Client Field	SocketClient	Robot remote endpoint

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Socket communication

How it works

Example

Try it in the demo application

Reference

What to read next