Test and analyze the parameters of connections between serial devices and simulate port activity to optimize their performance. The utility is compatible with RS232, RS485/422, and other standards and works with Bluetooth and Arduino ports. ASCII, HEX, decimal and binary data are accessible.
Docklight is a program that allows users to manage communication between serial devices, which is quite useful when having to generate test conditions that are very hard to reproduce with the original device.
The program is wrapped in a decent-looking interface, composed of the main section area, a left side panel, a tab menu, and a few action buttons. The interface offers great response time to the user actions but it provides basic display options, such as a background color selector or text output. Not to mention that the menu icons seem quite small in contrast to the size of the program's main window.
As you start using the program, you discover that in order to function at the right parameters, the program uses a high amount of system resources which might cause your computer to freeze.
One of the most important features of the program is the way it responds to incoming data. Docklight allows you to build a basic simulator for your device thanks to an option that lets you specify user-defined answers to the different communication sequences received. In addition to that, all serial communication data can be logged using two different file formats - you can choose either plain text or an HTML file.
Last but not least, if you want to find a certain data sequence in the communication window, all you need to do is use the search tool. This way, the condition issues can easily be detected and diagnosed in order to find the source of the error message.
To sum it up, Docklight is a complex tool that can be used in various fields and which has the capacity to perform serial port tests, automate sequences. and diagnose problems.
v2.0 [Aug 18, 2012]
New features and functions:
- Support for EZ-Tap Pro and Versa-Tap from www.stratusengineering.com
(see also http://docklight.de/support/support_dl_faq034.htm)
- New setting for COM communication channels:
Baud Rate "None" = Don't set serial communication settings (baud rate, parity ...)
(to avoid problems with virtual COM drivers / Embedded COM stacks that do not support this)
- New OnReceive_GetDateTime() / OnReceive_GetMilliseconds() method
- New DL.ConvertSequenceData() for processing float and integer encoded values
- New DL.SetContentsFilter() to change Communication Filter settings while channel is open
- New Function Character '^' for bitwise comparisons
- New Receive Sequence comment macros (%_L, %_T, %_C, %_A, %_H, %_D, %_B)
- New method DL.GetHandshakeSignals()
- New method DL.GetEnvironmentVariable(), e.g. DL.GetEnvironmentVariable("USERNAME")
Fixes and Improvements:
- Improved Receive Sequence matching: no more restrictions due to cursor-based matching.
All possible matches are detected.
- Improved non-modal "Find Sequence..." dialog. Better matching, wildcards allowed.
- New command line option '-i' for invisible background operation
- Extended OnSend_GetData() / OnReceive_GetData() syntax for returning substrings
- Fixed bug with StartLogging: "Internal error 1000 in module MdCommunication.printAndLogIntCommData"
- Fixed ghost ".exe" when closing Docklight (using Alt F4) while logging is active
- Fixed crash in "Create Log file(s)" when providing an illegal base file path
- Fixed bug in File->Import Sequence List..: Receive Action index was incorrectly set
- Docklight now allows editing a project file manually using a text editor, without having
to maintain the original sequence indexes. Docklight will re-index on project load.
- Digitally signed setup packages and executables (.exe, .dll)
The Remote Debugger Installation is intended for computers without Visual Studio
