HAL names - 16 argument limit?

Hi all,

I've run into an issue with my HAL files for a project I'm working on. When using "loadrt and2 names=", it seems that listing more than 16 names causes the insmod call to fail, resulting in none of those HAL components being created. I don't think this is specific to and2, but maybe it is. See below for a command line printout showing the error. I'm assuming the 16 argument limit is hard-coded somewhere, but is there any way around it?

Some background: for what I'm trying to do, using names instead of count is necessary. I'm trying to split out some basic logic and timers into a separate HAL file, which requires using twopass to load all the components common to both files (like and2). I don't want to have to rewrite an entire file if the number of and2's (or any shared component) in the first file changes. I have been using classicladder for this logic up until now, but I wanted to move it to HAL to simplify things a bit - one less 'program' to maintain, and it's a little cumbersome that you need an operational LinuxCNC instance running in order to edit the ladder.

it seems that listing more than 16 names causes the
insmod call to fail

The limit of 16 for names= instances is set by halcompile.
The 16 value is hardcoded in a number of places in halcompile.g:

github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/blob/master...l/utils/halcompile.g


Some possible solutions for a RIP build:

1) handedit the 16 value in appropriate places in halcompile.g, then rebuild

2) to make a little easier, i've made a branch that
parameterizes the number of names= instances so you just edit in
one place (MAX_NAMES=)
(this branch could likely be merged to master if sufficiently tested)

Ref: github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/commits/dgarr/halcompile_max_names

Commit: github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/commit/0eb1...8256f79de07c0a5f2b26

---

For a deb install, you could build some additional
components using halcompile that replicate the and2.comp
with different file/component names:

you then can use 16 name= instances of and2
and 16 name= instances of myand2

Now I understand.
I run recently into the same with two many and2. Solved it by inverted logic, but it looks odd.

Is that restriction somewhere in the docs.

THX

dgarret, thanks for the answer! I suspected it was something like that, but it's good to know for sure. I would say that change should be pulled (magic numbers are bad!), but that's not up to me. Now I just need to decide which way I want to solve it in the mean time...

Mike, I didn't find mention of the 16 instance limit in the docs, but I also skimmed a lot.

Looking at halcompile.g, it looks like the same limit will apply to any HAL component that uses a personality (e.g. logic or lut5).Is there any hidden downside to increasing the max number of named instances? The fact that you can exceed that limit by using count= suggests to me that there isn't, someone just had to pick a number at some point in the past.

Edit: It's true that having more than 16 names and personalities on one line of a HAL file would be very cumbersome to read. However, that can be mitigated by splitting it into multiple loadrt lines and turning TWOPASS = on in the ini file, so that isn't a real limitation IMO.

I'm using always names, multiple hal and twopass.
Doesn't matter in with file.
It did not work.
Mike

Sorry, Mike, I guess I could've formatted my post a bit better. My last two paragraphs were meant to be just a discussion of the source code, not a solution to the issue.

As far as I can see, the only solutions for now are what dgarrett mentioned in his post.