TP,
Yup, that's why I'd suggest a multi dimensional array sort of arrangement.
Because c# indexes arrays from position zero [0], hence within the [0] row you could list all of the headers, then when you reference the tooltable, you know that position [1] = tool #1, [2] = tool #2, etc....
hence pulling the info back into the wizards should be logical (instead of using read & write key.... or streamreader & streamwriter which would / could be another PIA way..... to be superseded I'm sure by a better arrangement.
The starting point I'd suggest for tooltables is probably to consider your end point : i.e. where are you going to use them, and how are you going to use them for mill (router
) plasma, turn, multihead 3d printer etc.... then consider the easiest way to be able to pull the values out of there and also be able to maybe share those tool tables with other users.
For example, I copied the hypertherm PMX45 tooltable and plonked it within sheetcam for all the uk steelsizes that I was likely to cut.... I've no use for that holding on to that info, hence I'd rather post that info to share with others to save them setting up the same tooltable, I'm sure there are many other things that we all do repetitively that in my altruistic view there is little economic value in withholding
Same thing with tooltables..... thing that gets new users is speeds and feeds..... first cnc milling I did on perspex was ok, adjusted the feedrate & spindle speed and got a good finish..... tried to cut the same part in aluminium 10mm plate..... and it was a little less fogiving on tools if the speed and feed was wrong and by the time I figured out it was wrong I had two tool bits instead of one
and there was a few nice onsrud tools that could have been saved by simply having a tooltable that listed the onsrud tool with a feed, speed and dia that I could have imported directly into the tooltable to get me going.....
(another consideration there maybe..... double click on a filetype and import the tool directly into the next poisition in the tooltable? .... that would require a standard tooltable format .... sort of order of info in maybe a CSV type file arrangement?)