Option1: Using WinScriptLive and Touch
If you just need to view information about current variable and sequence status, WinScriptLive's "watch list" is the easiest way to do this. Our Touch for PC application can also be used to display variable and sequence information in a user created screen format. Please see the manuals for WinScriptLive and Touch to get more information about how to display the values.
Option 2: Using "VA" command
Any variable's value can be retrieved by sending the variable's name followed by the characters "VA" and then a carriage return. This method can be used over serial, USB or ethernet UDP port 2638 or 2639. This method is fairly simple, but may not be efficient for hundreds of variable values.
Example:
MyVarVA<h0D>
Where <h0D> represents a carriage return.
The response will be the value followed by a carriage return. For example:
1234<h0D>
Option 3: "Live Mode" method
If you need to run custom PC application that must pull a large number of specific values, you can use the "Live Mode" method. This protocol is the same protocol used by our Touch software to retrieve the information about sequences and variables.
This method requires a "heartbeat" packet to be sent, and is a bit more difficult to read than the "VA" method, but it is the most efficient way to pull large numbers of variable and sequence data from the Show Controller.
Attached is a PDF of a section of the manual that describes in more detail the syntax of this method.