Starting the MERLIC Frontend
The MERLIC Frontend can be started in different ways and with different connections. When starting the MERLIC Frontend, it tries to connect to a MERLIC server, which is part of the MERLIC core The processing unit of a running MERLIC Vision App., that is, either an instance of MERLIC Creator or MERLIC RTE.
When implementing a MERLIC Vision App (MVApp) and the Frontend user interface for the MVApp, the MERLIC Frontend is usually started from the Frontend Designer or MERLIC Creator. In this case, the MERLIC Frontend is connected to the respective instance of MERLIC Creator and it is possible to control the application and apply modifications directly in the MERLIC Frontend. The connected MERLIC Creator and Frontend Designer are locked while the MERLIC Frontend is open.
For productive use, the MERLIC Frontend is usually started with a connection to a MERLIC RTE instance. In this case, the MERLIC Frontend is locked for any user interactions and modifications. The control is given to the communication device that is used for MERLIC RTE, and the MERLIC Frontend can only be used to monitor the state and execution of the application. However, it is still possible to allow users to take control in the MERLIC Frontend. For more information, see Write Access in the Frontend.
You may also start a MERLIC Frontend with a connection to a MERLIC server of a remote system. This way, you can monitor the execution of MERLIC applications running on a remote system.
It is also possible to start multiple instances of the MERLIC Frontend that are connected to the same MERLIC server. However, you can only interact with one instance at a time.
The server can provide different channels for the connection with a MERLIC Frontend. These channels are defined within the MERLIC5.ini configuration file. For most scenarios, the default settings are sufficient. In case you are running multiple instances of MERLIC in a distributed system or strictly need to define which TCP/IP ports may be used by MERLIC, you may need to adapt the configuration to your needs. For more information, see The MERLIC INI File. Thus, it depends on how you start the MERLIC Frontend if you have to adjust any connection settings.
