Abstract: The invention relates to a control system for an industrial robot adapted for storage of user programs which comprise a series of robot instructions. At least one of the robot instructions is arranged as a shell instruction, which constitutes a call to a shell routine (20). The shell routine is associated with a plurality of optional attributes (21a, 21b, 21c) and comprises- a forward list (22) comprising a first set of robot instructions; and- a backward list (23) comprising a second set of robot instructions.The control system comprises a program executor adapted, for forward running of a user program, to execute the shell instructions in accordance with the forward list and, for running the user program backwards, to execute the shell instructions in accordance with the backward list.The invention also relates to a method for controlling an industrial robot. The method comprises creating a plurality of shell routines and testing them in advance.

Abstract: A control system for a programmable industrial robot has a joystick for manual control of the robot during programming for teaching the robot to follow a working path defined by a number of set points. The control system further comprises a memory for storage of the coordinates of these set points and of other instructions and control members for control of the function of the control system during the programming and for storing or entering instructions in the memory. The control members comprise a group of control members each having a plurality of different functions, the particular function in question being determined by the prevailing condition of the control system. An indicating member is arranged, for each of the control members in the group, to indicate the current function of said control members.