Product: MoveProduct

There are variants of MoveProduct depending upon the target and the parameters passed.

Attempting to place Product on equipment other than a ProductSchedule, another product or a Rack produces the message:

        "Destination is not a Transporter, Product Schedule, Product container nor Rack"
    

1) Move product to Transporter or Product Schedule

Called to move product from one transporter to another. Requires 3 parameters.

Function

Object MoveProduct(product: Product, target: string, distance: number);

Parameters

Return Value

Void (or the schedule object, if moved to a Product Schedule)

Example

MoveProduct(childProduct, parentProduct.Name, 0); // Place of top, centre of parentProduct

Remarks

Products are moved to transports by being removed from their current transport (if any) and added to the destination transport. This is true even if the current transport is the same as the destination transport. In particular, this means that any subscribed OnProductAdded events will be called. Beware of this pattern:

function OnSimulationStart() {
    SubscribeToEvent("OnProductAdded", "Conveyor1", "Conveyor", RepositionProductIncorrectly);
}

function RepositionProductIncorrectly(conveyor, product) {
    // This will call the RepositionProductIncorrectly until an error is generated!
    MoveProduct(product, conveyor.Name, 0.5);
}

If a product is added to Conveyor1, the OnProductAdded handler RepositionProductIncorrectly will be called. The MoveProduct call, despite only intending to move the product slightly, will cause the product to be removed and readded to Conveyor1…which calls the OnProductAdded handler RepositionProductIncorrectly, which calls MoveProduct, which calls RepositionProductIncorrectly.

If you want to reposition a product inside an OnProductAdded handler, your event handler will need to discern between the initial call and the subsequent calls generated by MoveProduct. This can be as simple as a boolean flag that you set when moving a product, and clear once the movement is complete. The important thing is that whatever method you choose, it must persist between function calls:

function OnSimulationStart() {
    SubscribeToEvent("OnProductAdded", "Conveyor1", "Conveyor", RepositionProduct);
}

function RepositionProduct(conveyor, product) {
    // Construct a counter that keeps its value between calls.
    if (RepositionProduct.recursionCounter === undefined) {
        // This block is only entered the first time this function is called.
        RepositionProduct.recursionCounter = 0;
    }

    // If we're not in the middle of a MoveProduct call, call MoveProduct.
    if (RepositionProduct.recursionCounter === 0) {
        ++RepositionProduct.recursionCounter;
        try {
            MoveProduct(product, conveyor.Name, 0.5);
        } finally {
            // Wrap the decrement in a finally in case MoveProduct throws.
            --RepositionProduct.recursionCounter;
        }
    }
}

2) Move product to a Rack

Called to move product into the cell of a Rack. Requires 4 parameters.

Function

void MoveProduct(
    product: Product, 
    target: string, 
    indexX: integer, 
    indexY: integer);

void MoveProduct(
    product: Product, 
    target: string, 
    indexX: integer, 
    indexY: integer, 
    offsetX: double, 
    offsetY: double, 
    offsetZ: double, 
    direction: double, 
    tilt: double, 
    roll: double);

Parameters

Return Value

None

Example

MoveProduct(childProduct, rack.Name, 2, 1); // Place in grid 2,1 of the specified Rack

3) Move Product to a Product container

Called to move product to a Product container or another Product. Requires 3 to 8 parameters.

A Product container can be a Product or an Array of products.

When moving a Product on a Product, unless specified the ‘child’ product will be displayed on top , in the centre of the ‘parent’ product. New parameters allow this to be controlled.

Function

void MoveProduct(product: Product, target: string, X: double, Y: double, Z: double, direction: double, tilt: double, roll: double);

Parameters

Return Value

None

Example

MoveProduct(childProduct, products[cells[1]].Name, -0.15, 0.20, 0.10); // Place at X,Y,Z coordinates on array of Product
MoveProduct(childProduct, parentProduct.Name, 1.0, -21.0, 0.0, 45, 30, 20); // Place at X,Y,Z coordinates on Parent Product specifying a Direction, Tilt and Roll