--**********************************************************
--Purpose
--This piece of Code reads data from com port 1 and 
--put the data in the given field. This task is being
--accomplished by using Microsoft Activ-X Control  
--MSCOMM32.OCX as called as 'Communication Control'
--**********************************************************
FUNCTION ScaleWeight RETURN CHAR IS
	receive   OLEVAR;
	v_buffer varchar2(10240);
	x number;
	Attempts Number:= 0; --counts the number of attempts to read the data from port
	v_FirstPoint number;  --used for taking the index of first symbol of 'kg'
	v_SecondPoint number;	--used for taking the index of second symbol of 'kg'
	v_BufferLength number; --stores the data stream get from com port
	v_DataStream varchar2(32767); -- gets the data from com port and stores in v_BufferLength
	v_ScaleLoopCnt number:=0;
	v_Number varchar2(200);
BEGIN    
	
	If (MSCOMMLib_IMSComm.PortOpen(:ITEM('BLOCK3.MSCOMMCONTROL').INTERFACE) = -1) then --open
		null;
	Else
		MSCOMMLib_IMSComm.CommPort(:ITEM('BLOCK3.MSCOMMCONTROL').INTERFACE,3);
		MSCOMMLib_IMSComm.Settings(:ITEM('BLOCK3.MSCOMMCONTROL').INTERFACE,'9600,N,8,1');
			--MSCOMMLib_IMSComm.Settings(:ITEM('BLOCK3.MSCOMMCONTROL').INTERFACE,ConnStr);
		MSCOMMLib_IMSComm.PortOpen(:ITEM('BLOCK3.MSCOMMCONTROL').INTERFACE,3);	
	End if;	

  --MSCOMMLib_IMSComm.PortOpen( comm_hnd, 1 );  
           
	--assigning the comport to active x control
	--check to see whether it is already open or closed

	v_FirstPoint := 0;
	v_SecondPoint := 0;
	v_buffer :=' ';
	v_BufferLength := 0;
	Attempts :=0;	
	loop			
		exit when (v_BufferLength > 150) or (Attempts > 200);
		begin
				mydelay(200);
				receive := MSCOMMLib_IMSComm.input(:ITEM('BLOCK3.MSCOMMCONTROL').INTERFACE);
				v_DataStream:= var_to_char(receive);
				v_BufferLength := NVL(length(v_buffer||v_DataStream),0);
				v_buffer := v_buffer||v_DataStream;
				Attempts := Attempts +1;

			exception when others then
			  --  Message(SQlcode||sqlerrm);
			   -- Message(SQlcode||sqlerrm);	
			   null;			
		end;
end loop;
BREAK;
			  	message(v_DataStream);
					message(v_DataStream);
					
				v_FirstPoint := nvl(instr(v_buffer,'kg',1),0);
				v_SecondPoint := nvl(instr(v_buffer,'kg',v_FirstPoint+2),0);
				v_buffer := substr(v_buffer,v_SecondPoint - 7 ,6);
				if (instr(v_buffer,',',1) =0) then --no comma exists in the data
							v_SecondPoint :=0;
				end if;				
				--v_buffer     := substr(v_buffer,1,2)||substr(v_buffer,4,3);
				v_buffer     := substr(v_buffer,1,7);--||substr(v_buffer,4,3);
				v_number := to_number(v_buffer);
  RETURN (v_number);  
END;