Use M100 to send popup messages - my solution

I have wanted a method of displaying popup reminders during code execution for some time (I'm getting old and forgetful and need constant prompting) and, I wanted it to be easy to maintain the messages.

After searching for some time and not finding what I wanted I decided to write my own Python script that pulls messages out of a good old-fashioned INI file that is easy to edit.

I use
M100 Px
to call the popup where x can be any positive number.
The popup (ugly as it is displays the message and offers large 'Continue' and 'Stop Executing' buttons that can be clicked with a mouse (sometimes I 'mouse' left-handedly), or you can use the [Enter] or [Esc] keys. 'Continue' allows the program to resume executing, 'Stop Executing' stops execution (duh!)

Unzip M00 Messages.zip and:
Place Messages.ini in your linuxcnc/configs/ folder.
Place M100 in your linuxcnc/nc_files/ folder

You will need to edit a couple lines of M100.
Change
user="jim"
and
title="Jim's CNC"
to reflect your username and the title you wish to display on the popup

Change the permissions on M100 to make it executable. (Right-click on M100, click on Properties, then on Permissions, and check 'Allow this file to run as a program')

Place the line
M100 P0
in your program and try it.

By the way, I'm not much of a Python programmer (give me VB6 any day - sure wish it worked in Linux!) so I'm certain those of you who know Python will have all sorts of improvements that could be made to this. I welcome them and am interested in seeing them.
-Jim

You shoudt not use M100 at all
as it is internal linked to Featurers use from 160 UP

BUT it is great eyample

I don't understand what you mean. I have seen suggestions that M1xx could be used this way. Might this interfere with some other feature?

you can use from 100-200
BUT as you posted a Realy good Idee and it may be sticky
yoiu shoudent do this with the First eighter the Last UserMcode

I'm really sorry to be so dense and I really appreciate your input.

So it would be better if I use M199 instead of M100 ?

If you are concerned about using M100 specifically you can use any of the available codes (M100 - M199). Just change 'M100' to the code you wish to use wherever it occurs.

The M codes up to M112 are used to set things in NGCgui
so if you are on a plain mashine you are ok
if somone ads Lrts Say TrueType tracer
he might be in troubel

so for good component selfmade it is best to be over that number

It Doesen Matter at all if someone knows How to EDIT the system

Thanks. I didn't know that. Learn something every day!

I have taken pl7i92's comments about not using some Mxxx codes to heart and have rewritten M100 so it can be renamed any name from M100-M199.

To try this out:
Place both files from the attachment in your linuxcnc/nc_files folder
Rename both files - replace each 'M100' with the 'Mxxx' of your choice
Make Mxxx executable

Next time you start AXIS a call to
Mxxx P2
will display the message 'Turn vacuum on'

You can test this from the MDI [F5] screen without having to actually put it in in your code.

Instructions are included as comments in M100

If you wish, you can create message files for specific uses. Just copy M100 and rename the copies M199, M198, etc. and create M199messages.ini, M198messages.ini

Hope you find this useful,
Jim

Sorry for the triplicated attachments. They are identical.