Welcome to LinuxCNC.org

So I use my macbook with windows installed for all my CAD work, since I have a student version of Solidworks.

I'd like to also write my gcode on windows. The LinuxCNC machine is in the basement and it has a horrible keyboard.

I have not been able to find a single decent gcode editor on windows. You'd think there would be at least one that was decent, and there might be but I haven't found it.

All I want is syntax highlighting, function chart, and code examples / explination for each line you write.

GWizard does some of this but it's quite buggy and doesn't support things like G02 helix with multiple turns as listed in emc2 documentation.

And a somewhat unrelated question, is there any way to write gcode alongside axis and have it pipe directly in (live?) to simulate? If I must I will just run a VNC server on the LinuxCNC machine and do my writing that way with final checks in person.

Thanks,
Luke

Hi
That might be a lot to expect from any editor

gedit has a windows port
projects.gnome.org/gedit/ and see link on RHS of page

The main thing to be wary of is that you don't want windows CR/LF pairs and other formatting characters in your code.
See if it has a Unix mode.

I just have a browser open with whatever info I need, if I need to refer to something whilst coding.
axis-remote on the same machine or emcrsh (linuxcncrsh) remotely

But if you use VNC you can just remotely write and run the code on the linux machine in the first place.
That seems to be what quite a few people do

regards

taiden wrote:
That's quite a huge thing to ask an editor to do past syntax highlighting... I use notepad++ on my windows machine. The syntax highlighting is severely broken in gedit IMHO.

John

Hi,

Nick on cnc-club.ru provided his version of G code highlighting for Gedit. It works very well for me.

Gedit exists for windows too. I never tried, but should work, together with syntax highlighting.
And CR/LF problem solved automatically, because Gedit can save text in Win and Unix style format.

James

I decided to go the VNC route. After a few tried with vino (not working at all), tightvncserver (only loading twm), vnc4viewer (not loading anything) and now some strange thing I am not familiar with at all? I can't find the link to the install instructions but it now works completely headless, seems to be fast enough, but won't allow any opengl programs to run.

What VNC server are you guys using?

taiden wrote:The one built-in to MacOSX (CMD-K to bring up the "connect to server" dialog, and then vnc://andypugh@lathe)

Alternatively, you can try using ssh -X (or ssh -Y) and then the local X-server handles the GUI. I do this rather often.

ssh -X andypugh@mill
linuxcnc

brings up an Axis Gui window on my iMac.

Sounds like a great alternative. I actually use a macbook so doing it on OSX is no problem.

What server side software are you using to serve the VNC connection?

taiden wrote:
Again, it's built-in.
System->Preferences->Remote Desktop.
You need to set a password or OSX won't connect.

I'm confused. Your CNC computer needs to serve the VNC connection, not your client mac.

Unless you're mac is listening for a host and you are connecting from your CNC computer?

taiden wrote:Yes, and those were instructions for the Ubuntu end.

But (for some reason) you appear to need to set the Ubuntu end to demand a password at the OSX end, or the OSX end won't connect.

But it is built-in at both ends. (And in Lion, you actually get a remote-desktop connect button when the remote machine is available too, presumably due to Bonjour)