Starting the MERLIC RTE Setup

The MERLIC RTE Setup is a stand-alone application that can be started in various ways. You can start it from the MERLIC Creator, from the Windows start menu, and from the command line.

If the MERLIC RTE Setup is started independently from the MERLIC Creator, you can select the system on which you want to make any configuration changes. You can choose between your local system and a remote system. In case of a remote system, all configuration changes in the MERLIC RTE Setup will be applied on the respective components on the remote system.

You can configure the selected system from only one instance of the MERLIC RTE Setup at the same time, regardless of where that instance is running. If the MERLIC RTE Setup is already running in the background of your local system and you try to start another MERLIC RTE Setup on your system, an error occurs that the local system is already being configured. In this case, you have to switch to the other instance of the MERLIC RTE Setup that is already connected to the local system for the configuration. However, it is possible to open the MERLIC RTE Setup on your local system and another one that is connected to a remote system.

The following sections give more information about the different ways to start the MERLIC RTE Setup, how to select the desired system, and which configuration options are available for the local system and for remote systems.

Starting the MERLIC RTE Setup

You can start the MERLIC RTE Setup from the MERLIC Creator, from the Windows start menu, and from the command line.

From the MERLIC Creator

There are various options to open the MERLIC RTE Setup from the MERLIC Creator:

  • Click on the button " Runtime Environment Setup" in the MERLIC Creator.

  • In the menu bar, open "Window" and click the button " Open Runtime Environment Setup......"
  • Press the "F8" key.

If you start the MERLIC RTE Setup directly from the MERLIC Creator, a connection to your local system will be established. However, you can change to a remote system. See the section Switching to a Different System for more information.

From the Windows Start Menu

  1. Open the Windows start menu.
  2. Click on the start menu entry "MVTec MERLIC 5.5 > MERLIC 5.5 RTE Setup".
  3. Select the system on which you want to change the configuration. See the section Selecting the System for more information.

From the Command Line

  1. Open a command prompt and change to the "bin\x64-win64" directory within the MERLIC installation path, e.g., "%PROGRAMFILES%\MVTec\MERLIC-5.5\bin\x64-win64".
  2. Start the MERLIC RTE Setup with the following command:
    Copy
    merlic_rte_setup.exe
  3. Select the system on which you want to change the configuration. See the section Selecting the System for more information.
Starting the MERLIC RTE Setup with a Specific .ini File

To start the MERLIC RTE Setup with the settings of a specific .ini file, use the command line option "--ini" and add the name of the respective file:

Copy 
merlic_rte_setup.exe --ini <FILENAME>.ini
Starting the MERLIC RTE Setup with a Connection to a Specific System

With the command line option "--host" you can specify the system to which the MERLIC RTE Setup will automatically try to connect after the start-up.

Copy 
merlic_rte_setup.exe --host <HOSTNAME OR IP_ADDRESS>

If you need to start the MERLIC RTE Setup repeatedly on a specific system and don't want to specify the remote system each time, you can use the command line option and create a shortcut for the command. This way, you can start the MERLIC RTE Setup with a double-click on your shortcut and the setup will automatically try to connect to the desired system.

Command line option

Description

-h, --help

Get help for the available command line options.

--ini

Set the path and file name of the .ini file that is used for the configuration of the MERLIC settings.

-V, -- version

Display the MERLIC version.

--host

Specify the hostname or IP address of the system to which the MERLIC RTE Setup shall be connected. For the local system you can use "localhost".

--tab

Specify which tab is pre-selected when starting the MERLIC RTE Setup: (image_sources|communication|recipes|io)

Selecting the System

The MERLIC RTE Setup can be used for the configuration on the local system and on remote systems. On the local system, all configuration options of the MERLIC RTE Setup can be used. You can configure image sources for the image acquisition, manage recipe files, and configure communication devices and Communicator plug-ins that are available on your local system. On remote systems, the configuration of image sources and Communicator plug-ins that are available on the connected remote system is possible.

If the MERLIC RTE Setup is started directly from the MERLIC Creator, the MERLIC RTE Setup is automatically connected to the local system. This means, that the configuration settings for the devices and components that are available on your local system will be activated and shown. If the MERLIC RTE Setup is started independently from the MERLIC Creator, you can choose between your local system and a remote system after the start-up. It is also possible to switch to a different system within the MERLIC RTE Setup.

The following table gives an overview which components can be available for the configuration on a local and on a remote system:

Configuration Tab

Local System

Remote System

Image Sources

✔

✔

Communication

✔

✔

Recipes

✔

✘

I/O

✔

✘

In case you connect the MERLIC RTE Setup to a remote system, the configuration of image sources and Communicator plug-ins is available but the configuration of the MERLIC recipes and devices for which MERLIC provides built-in plug-ins, e.g., digital I/O devices, is currently not possible.

However, the prerequisite for an activated "Communication" tab on both types of systems is that a configuration service of the MERLIC Communicator could be found on the selected system, i.e., a MERLIC Communicator has already been started on the system.

Starting the MERLIC RTE Setup on a Local System

Start the MERLIC RTE Setup directly from the MERLIC Creator.

Alternatively:

  1. Start the MERLIC RTE Setup from the Windows start menu or from the command line.
  2. Select "Local system" in the "Select system" dialog.
  3. Click on "Connect".

Starting the MERLIC RTE Setup on a Remote System
  1. Start the MERLIC RTE Setup from the Windows start menu or from the command line.
  2. Select "Remote system" in the "Select system" dialog.
  3. Enter the hostname or the IP address of the remote system.
  4. Click on "Connect".

If another user is already connected to the specified host or using the MERLIC RTE Setup locally on the specified host, you can still force the connection to the host. Any unsaved configuration changes of the other user will be lost.

Switching to a Different System
  1. Click on the connection status button on the top right of the MERLIC RTE Setup to open the "Select system" dialog.

    Depending on the status the following icons are displayed:

    • : Disconnected
    • : Connecting
    • : Connected
  2. Select the desired system as described in the sections above.

In contrast to the case when the system is selected directly after the start-up of MERLIC RTE Setup, you can close the "Select connection" dialog without establishing a new connection.

Reconnecting the System

In some cases, the connection to the selected system or the current service in the MERLIC RTE Setup, e.g., the "Communication" tab, might be lost and you have to reconnect to the system or start the required MERLIC application to continue the configuration. Depending on the cause of the disconnection, different actions might be necessary to restore the connection. In the following, we list the most common use cases for the respective tabs in the MERLIC RTE Setup.

Missing Configuration Service for the "Image Sources" Tab

The configuration options in the "Image Sources" tab are only available if either the MERLIC Creator or the process integration mode of MERLIC, i.e., MERLIC RTE, is currently running. Otherwise, no image source can be configured because no service for the image source configuration is available. The MERLIC Creator or MERLIC RTE must be running on the system that is connected, e.g., for the configuration on your local system, MERLIC Creator or MERLIC RTE must be running on the local system.

If the configuration service for the "Image Sources" tab is lost, you can easily restart the MERLIC Creator or MERLIC RTE in the MERLIC RTE Setup via the respective buttons. However, these buttons will only be available if MERLIC Creator and MERLIC RTE are installed on the connected system. Otherwise, the configuration service is not available. In this case, you first have to install the MERLIC package "Runtime and Development" via the MVTec Software Manager on the connected system to enable the configuration of image sources. For more information about the installation, see the topic Installing MERLIC.

If you start the applications outside of the MERLIC RTE Setup, for example, via the Windows start menu, you can also use the button "Retry connection" to reconnect to the respective configuration service. This might be necessary in case you are connected to a remote system. However, all unsaved changes at the image source configurations will be lost when the configuration service is lost.

Missing Configuration Service for the "Communication" Tab

The configuration options in the "Communication" tab are only available if the MERLIC Communicator is currently running on the respective system. If you want to configure Communicator plug-ins that are available on your local system, you have to ensure that the MERLIC Communicator is running on your local system. For the configuration of Communicator plug-ins on remote systems, the MERLIC Communicator must be running on the selected remote system. Otherwise, no configuration service for Communicator plug-ins is available and the configuration options in the "Communication" tab cannot be accessed.

If the configuration service for the "Communication" tab is lost, you can easily restart the MERLIC Communicator in the MERLIC RTE Setup via the button "Start MERLIC Communicator". However, this button will only be available if MERLIC Communicator is installed on the connected system. Otherwise, the configuration service is not available. In this case, you first have to install the MERLIC package "Runtime and Development" via the MVTec Software Manager on the connected system to enable the configuration of Communicator plug-ins. For more information about the installation, see the topic Installing MERLIC.

If you start the Communicator outside of the MERLIC RTE Setup, you can also use the button "Retry connection" to reconnect to the respective configuration service. This might be necessary in case you are connected to a remote system. However, all unsaved changes at the configuration of the plug-ins will be lost when the configuration service is lost.

The "Recipes" and "I/O" Tabs Are Not Available

The configuration options in the "Recipes" and the "I/O" tab of the MERLIC RTE Setup might not be available in some cases as described in the following.

MERLIC RTE is Running

If you want to manage your recipe files in the "Recipes" tab or if you want to configure communication devices for which MERLIC provides built-in plug-ins, e.g., Hilscher card, you have to ensure that the process integration mode of MERLIC, i.e., MERLIC RTE, is currently not running. Otherwise, the recipes and the configuration options cannot be accessed. This ensures that the configuration for MERLIC RTE is not changed during the processing.

Connection to a Remote System

If you are connected to a remote system with the MERLIC RTE Setup, the "Recipes" and "I/O" tab will not be available. The configuration options of these tabs are only available for recipes and communication devices on the local system. In contrast to Communicator plug-ins which can be configured remotely, the communication devices for which MERLIC provides built-in plug-ins can only be configured on the local system.

If you change to one of these tabs while you are connected to a remote system, the configuration options will not be displayed. However, the MERLIC RTE Setup gives you the possibility to quickly change to the local system via the button " Select local system".

The Session of the MERLIC RTE Setup Expired

In case another user forces a connection to the system to which you are currently connected, your session will be expired and the configuration cannot be continued. All unsaved changes will be lost. In this case, the "Select System" dialog is displayed with the respective message. You have the possibility to force the connection to the respective system by checking the "Force connection" check box and clicking on "Connect". Then the user who previously held the connection will receive the same message that the user's session expired.