Real-time Laboratory System (RLS) Vol. 1 - User Guide

The RLS system provides an English-like language to control a library of laboratory oriented programs. This system has been built with the following main objectives: 1) Provide an easy to use command language common to many applications, 2) Provide an easy interface for the inclusion of new application programs, and 3) Provide mechanisms to interconnect different applications.

A user interacts with the central control program through a terminal using a high level English-like language. Each command entered invokes a program to perform the requested function. The executing program interacts with the user's input and output files and devices (and the user's terminal if necessary) to perform the required operations. After the executing program terminates, the central control program returns to the user for more command instructions.

Sequences of commands can be composed with a standard text editor and then executed as a 'command program' to perform more complex problem-oriented analysis. In this mode control statements such as IF/THEN/ELSE and GOTO are available to permit a degree of end-user high level programming.

Several major application subsystems have been developed as part of RLS. These include real-time device control, chromatography processing, x-y plotting and some general mathematical routines.

RLS enables off-line development or development of private systems, since no command definitions or programs or data files are required to reside within the main publicly accessible libraries.

This manual comes in two volumes. 'Volume 1: User Guide' contains information on user commands and the use of the application subsystems. 'Volume 2: Programmer Guide' contains information on programming, new commands and maintaining the system. In this volume, Chapter 2 describes general use of the RLS language and user interaction with the commands. Chapter 3 describes the creation and installation of RLS 'command programs'. Chapters 4 to 8 describe the main applications currently supported by RLS. Chapter 9 presents system information necessary for using and/or maintaining your version of RLS.