Hi all,
Hamilton Standard Language (HSL) can be a complex topic to talk about and is generally reserved as a means for those who have expertise in similar programming languages, such as C/C++ or C#, to extend the functionality of VENUS in a way that can only be done in a text-based programming environment.
Although there is always room for improvement, we put a lot of emphasis on the Help features in our software to the point that nearly every function has a Help (?) button. The documentation for HSL and HSL Method Editor are built directly into the software with the Help menu. If adding HSL to a Method in Method Editor (rather than HSL Method Editor) you can quickly access the Help documentation by clicking the “Help” button on the bottom right of the “HSL Code” dialog box, which includes topics such as “HSL Essentials” and “HSL Functions” among others.
I have uploaded some materials that you might find helpful as well:
- HSL Overview ppt
- HSL Examples - VENUS method with examples of commonly used snippets of HSL code
A copy of the HSL Method Editor is included with every installation of the VENUS software. The executable, HxHSLMetEd.exe, can be found in the Hamilton\Bin directory. When you open the editor, you can navigate to the menu and under Help, select Help Topics to bring up the HSL overview help materials.
While I acknowledge that these tools and materials aren’t featured prominently, part of the reason is simply because the majority of solutions can be facilitated using the VENUS software, which is targeted more towards end users and automation specialists. To that end, on the support side, we do not explicitly train our applications or training staff on HSL or author solutions for our customers in HSL. There are exceptions such as when there is a need for a new library or to insert snippets of HSL code into the VENUS method (anyone who has used the assignment with calculation command in VENUS would find HSL a bit more flexible!), but for the most part, you can program what is needed within the various VENUS functions. Because of this, if you venture into the world of HSL programming, your options for support will be limited.
I hope that provides a bit more context and resources for you all!
Thanks,
-Eric