You can start the server in four ways:
1. |
By double-clicking the file WS3L.EXE in the Diamond installation folder (or a shortcut to it—there is one in the start menu). This brings up the server window, but no application is selected. |
2. |
By double-clicking a .app file. This works only if you have associated WS3L with the .app file type. The Diamond installation procedure does this for you, but you can do it yourself at any time by following the operating system’s instructions in 'Start/Help/file types/associating extensions with'. When the server starts running it will have selected the application file you double-clicked. |
3. |
By dragging a .app file from an explorer window and dropping it into the server window. |
4. |
By giving WS3L as a command at a DOS prompt. You can also give the name of an application file as an optional argument and the server will start running with that file selected. If you do not specify the .app file type, the server appends it automatically. Placing the optional argument -exit after the application file name makes the server terminate when the application terminates. This can be useful in batch files that invoke several applications in a sequence. |
When the server is started with an application selected, it attempts to load that application into your DSP network and start it running. This is possible only if the server knows which DSP system you have; it knows this if it can only find one link interface when it is invoked. You can stop the server from running applications under these circumstances by unselecting View/Options/Run .app files... This is described further under Options.
The server normally allows only a single instance of itself to be created; when you start the server, the last instance of it to be started is used. If this instance is currently executing a program you will get the following alert:
If you select 'No', the default option, the existing application continues to run and the request to run a new application will be ignored. If you select 'Yes', the running application is stopped and your new application is started.
You can change the default behaviour by going to View/Options/Advanced and ticking the box for Allow multiple instances of the server. With this option selected a new instance is created each time you start the server. Note that you may need to select a new board interface for each extra instance of the server.
At any time you can create a new server instance selecting File/New Server Instance.