virtual button tied to program file

Here we go again. A while back I had a project that I needed help with. My customer wanted to create bar codes from their cnc program files and then while in Axis, scan the bar code to open the correct program instead of drilling through a folder looking for them. I was able to make that work..with quite a bit of help.

Now it seems they want to go another route on a different project. When I started this project, they were all for the bar code scanner method. Now after I have pretty much everything ordered, they want to use a touch screen...not just a touch monitor. Right now I don't think a touch screen is going to happen, but I was wondering how difficult it would be to make virtual buttons that would either be on the right side of the Axis screen or under another tab that they could have their program files tied to. I am hoping that if this is relatively painless to accomplish this on my end, then I could also use a touch monitor with Axis to get closer to the solution that they want.

I am to meet with them next week, so if anyone out there has a solution for me, please come forward.

Thank you!

I come from a PLC/HMI background where a touch screen is something that requires external software to design your screen images and then is usually connected to a PLC to run industrial equipment. To me a touch monitor is basically a PC monitor with touch capability used with a PC. Hope that make sense.

I have looked in the GUI section and at Touchy. I think I can create a button or even a tabbed page, but I don't have a clue how to make the button open a program file. I was hoping that I could do this from Axis as I didn't want to have to have more external buttons for the operator. This machine is going to do a very simple positioning move. There is no machining involved, just positioning a 2 axis table.

Thanks for your help, I will keep searching the web.

It is very easy to create a button that calls and runs one program. I have several that run useful sub programs for me, Such as one that I call "Clear" that turns off the routers, raises the heads and returns the machine to the home ready position. Is this the sort of thing you need?

Todd,
Yes, that is what I want. I want to create as many buttons as I need and tie them to the various programs that I will create to run this table instead of drilling down through a list of programs in a folder somewhere.
Can you give me details on how to do this?
Thank you.

I was hoping to use Axis to do this, but can look into Touchy more. How do you get the programs "in the control" to select from?

Cradek,
I looked at Touchy and you are correct, that it is very easy to get what I am after there. How hard is it to modify the Touchy screens? My machine is only a 2 axis positioning table and this interface is kind of over whelming for my needs.
Is the reason that Axis doesn't work well with a touch screen because of the size of the icons or what? I would really like to hear how Todd creates the buttons that he uses.
Thanks for your help.