Machining Code

This is an update of an article about how to determine the installed version of THINC API. Back then, the method for checking the installed version involved searching the Windows Registry’s uninstall information for a specific GUID key.

Eight years have passed since then. Now there’s a utility library called SCOUT (System Compatibility Output UTility) that provides an easy way to read the installed THINC API version, and much more.

The library (and its provided sample application) shows whether THINC API is installed, what version and type, whether the API is ready, along with:

• Special CNC directories (OSP, CNS, VOLANTE, CRAD)
• Data Management Card (DMC) info
• License status for Data and Command API, P200, NC Current Alarm, and other common specs
• Installed .NET Framework versions (although this is a .NET library, so chicken-and-egg)
• Basic OS information (Windows version, internet access, machine name and domain, user name etc.)

The Okuma SCOUT library is an indispensable tool for THINC developers whose apps need to learn about their CNC environment programmatically.

For users who just need a convenient tool to check THINC API version and Data Management Card information, the Okuma SCOUT App provides both a command-line and a GUI tool for doing so.