Packing a RobotWare Add-In
It is important to distribute RobotWare Add-Ins to other end-users in an easy way. To do so, RobotStudio uses the .rspak format for packing and distributing RobotWare Add-Ins and other assets. This distribution package must contain a manifest file with information about the package's structure and content. This topic explains how to pack several RobotWare Add-Ins into an .rspak file for later distribution and create a manifest file.
Creating an .rspak file
The developer needs to have previously created an .rpk file to complete this procedure. For more information about .rpk files, please refer to Application Manual - RobotWare Add-Ins.
To comply with the minimum necessary information for the manifest file, create an XML file and add the following information:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <DistributionPackage> <!-- Information about the package goes here --> </DistributionPackage>
For more information about the manifest format and the .rspak files, refer to the "Structure of a Distribution package" topic.
Add some basic information about the package with the "Title", "Creator", "Description" and "Date" elements as shown below:
<Title>Test Add-In</Title> <Creator>ABB User</Creator> <Description>This distribution package shows how to pack several RobotWare Add-In and make a manifest file</Description> <Date>2016-07-15</Date>
The manifest file offers a "SideBySide" element that specifies whether or not the content distributed by the package can be loaded several times in RobotSudio. For a RobotWare Add-In it should be set to "false".
<SideBySide>false</SideBySide>
Continue by creating the folder structure of the package: In the root directory, place the "manifest.xml" file and create three folders: "Documentation", "Information" and "RobotPackages".
Using the "Information" element, you can add any file (such as a text document) that provides information about the package. Likewise, place any file or resource that contains the documentation of the package using the "Documentation" element. Add the following elements to point to those files:
<Information>http://www.abb.com</Information> <Documentation>Documentation\use_manual.pdf</Documentation>
Note
The "Information" and "Documentation" elements accept either a path relative to the package root or an external URL.
In the RobotPackages folder, create a directory with the name of your product and add the generated .rpk and .rmf files of the RobotWare Add-In.
If desired, add a thumbnail to the package in the root directory and call it "thumbnail.png".
Modify the root directory's name to include the name of your package plus the version number, for example: "TestPack-1.0". The finished folder structure for this package should look like this:
TestPack-1.0 | Documentation | use_manual.pdf | Information | read_me.txt | RobotPackages | WeldingProgram | ABB.WeldingProgram_1.0.rpk | ABB.WeldingProgram_1.0.rmf | manifest.xml | thumbnail.png
The finished manifest file should look like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <DistributionPackage> <Title>Test Add-In distribution package</Title> <Creator>ABB User</Creator> <Description>This shows how to pack an Add-In and make a manifest file</Description> <Date>2016-07-15</Date> <SideBySide>false</SideBySide> <Information>Information\read_me.txt</Information> <Documentation>Documentation\user_manual.pdf</Documentation> </DistributionPackage>
Compress the created directory structure into a .zip file using a compression utility (like WinZip) and change the extension of the file from .zip to .rsaddin.
To install the distribution package, start RobotStudio and navigate to the Add-Ins tab and press the Install Package button.