Application

User Manual

Revision 4.2 - February 2015

 Application User Manual
Revision 4.2- February 2015
Published by Eliwell Controls S.r.l.
Via dellIndustria, 15 Z.I. Paludi
32010 Pieve dAlpago (BL)
Eliwell Controls S.r.l. 2010-2015.
All Rights Reserved.

II user manual
 Contents
1. Introduction 1

1.1 Conventions used in this document 1

2. Overview 3

2.1 The workspace 3

2.1.1 The output window 4
2.1.2 The status bar 4
2.1.3 The document bar 4
2.1.4 The watch window 5
2.1.5 The library window 5
2.1.6 The workspace window 6
2.1.7 The source code editors 7

3. Using the environment 9

3.1 Layout customization 9

3.2 Toolbars 9
3.2.1 Showing/hiding toolbars 9
3.2.2 Moving toolbars 9

3.3 Docking windows 10

3.3.1 Showing/hiding tool windows 10
3.3.2 Floating tool windows 10
3.3.3 Docking tool windows 10
3.3.4 Auto-Hide tool windows 11

3.4 Working with windows 11

3.4.1 The document bar 11
3.4.2 The window menu 12

3.5 Full screen mode 12

3.6 Environment options 12

3.6.1 General 12
3.6.2 Graphic Editor 13
3.6.3 Text Editors 13
3.6.4 Language 13
3.6.5 Tools 14
3.6.6 Merge 16

4. Managing projects 17

4.1 Creating a new project 17

4.2 Uploading the project from the target device 17

4.3 Saving the project 18

4.3.1 Persisting changes to the project 18

user manual III

 4.3.2 Saving to an alternative location 18
4.3.3 Autosave 18
4.3.4 Backup Copies 19

4.4 Managing existing projects 19

4.4.1 Opening an existing Application project 19
4.4.2 Editing the project 19
4.4.3 Closing the project 20

4.5 Distributing projects 20

4.6 Project options 21

4.6.1 Project info 21
4.6.2 Code generation 21
4.6.3 Build output 22
4.6.4 Download 23
4.6.5 Debug 23
4.6.6 Build events 24

4.7 Selecting the target device 24

4.8 Working with libraries 25

4.8.1 The library manager 25
4.8.2 Exporting to a library 26
4.8.3 Importing from a library or another source 27
4.8.4 Updating existing libraries 29

5. Managing project elements 31

5.1 Program Organization Units 31

5.1.1 Creating a new Program Organization Unit 31
5.1.2 Editing POUs 32
5.1.3 Source code encryption/DECRYPTION 32

5.2 Variables 33
5.2.1 Global variables 33
5.2.2 Local variables 36
5.2.3 Creating multiple 36

5.3 Tasks 37
5.3.1 Assigning a program to a task 37
5.3.2 Task configuration 38

5.4 Derived data types 38

5.4.1 Typedefs 38
5.4.2 Structures 39
5.4.3 Enumerations 40
5.4.4 Subranges 41

5.5 Browse the project 42

5.5.1 Object Browser 43

IV user manual
 5.5.2 Search with the Find in project command 49

5.6 Working with Application extensions 51

5.7 Project Custom Workspace 52

5.7.1 Enable The Custom Workspace Into An Existing Project 52
5.7.2 Workspaces Migration 52
5.7.3 Custom Workspace Basic Units 53
5.7.4 Custom Workspace Operations 53
5.7.5 Workspace Elements With Limitations 54

6. Editing the source code 55

6.1 Instruction List (IL) editor 55

6.1.1 Editing functions 55
6.1.2 Reference to PLC objects 55
6.1.3 Automatic error location 56
6.1.4 Bookmarks 56

6.2 Structured Text (ST) Editor 56

6.2.1 Creating and editing ST objects 56
6.2.2 Editing functions 56
6.2.3 Reference to PLC objects 57
6.2.4 Automatic error location 57
6.2.5 Bookmarks 57

6.3 Ladder Diagram (LD) editor 58

6.3.1 Creating a new LD document 58
6.3.2 Adding/Removing networks 58
6.3.3 Labeling networks 59
6.3.4 Inserting contacts 59
6.3.5 Inserting coils 60
6.3.6 Inserting blocks 60
6.3.7 Editing coils and contacts properties 61
6.3.8 Editing networks 61
6.3.9 Modifying properties of blocks 61
6.3.10 Getting information on a block 62
6.3.11 Automatic error retrieval 62
6.3.12 Inserting variables 62
6.3.13 Inserting constants 62
6.3.14 Inserting expression 62
6.3.15 Comments 63
6.3.16 Branches 63

6.4 Function Block Diagram (FBD) editor 64

6.4.1 Creating a new FBD document 64
6.4.2 Adding/Removing networks 64
6.4.3 Labeling networks 65

user manual V
 6.4.4 Inserting and connecting blocks 65
6.4.5 Editing networks 66
6.4.6 Modifying properties of blocks 66
6.4.7 Getting information on a block 66
6.4.8 Automatic error retrieval 67

6.5 Sequential Function Chart (SFC) Editor 67

6.5.1 Creating a new SFC document 67
6.5.2 Inserting a new SFC element 67
6.5.3 Connecting SFC elements 67
6.5.4 Assigning an action to a step 67
6.5.5 Specifying a constant/a variable as the condition of a transition 69
6.5.6 Assigning conditional code to a transition 69
6.5.7 Specifying the destination of a jump 71
6.5.8 Editing SFC networks 71

6.6 Variables editor 71

6.6.1 Opening a variables editor 72
6.6.2 Creating a new variable 73
6.6.3 Editing variables 73
6.6.4 Deleting variables 75
6.6.5 Sorting variables 75
6.6.6 Copying variables 76

7. Compiling 77

7.1 Compiling the project 77

7.1.1 Image file loading 77

7.2 Compiler output 77

7.2.1 Compiler errors 78

7.3 Command-line compiler 80

8. Launching the application 81

8.1 Setting up the communication 81

8.1.1 Saving the last used communication port 83

8.2 On-line status 83

8.2.1 Connection status 83
8.2.2 Application status 83

8.3 Downloading the application 84

8.3.1 Controlling source code download 84

8.4 Simulation 87

8.5 Control the PLC execution 87

8.5.1 Halt 87
8.5.2 Cold restart 87
8.5.3 Warm restart 87

VI user manual
 8.5.4 Hot restart 87
8.5.5 Reboot target 87

9. Debugging 89

9.1 Watch window 89

9.1.1 Opening and closing the watch window 89
9.1.2 Adding items to the watch window 89
9.1.3 Removing a variable 92
9.1.4 Refreshment of values 93
9.1.5 Changing the format of data 94
9.1.6 Working with watch lists 94
9.1.7 Autosave watch list 96

9.2 Oscilloscope 96
9.2.1 Opening and closing the oscilloscope 97
9.2.2 Adding items to the oscilloscope 97
9.2.3 Removing a variable 100
9.2.4 Variables sampling 100
9.2.5 Controlling data acquisition and display 100
9.2.6 Changing the polling rate 107
9.2.7 Saving and printing the graph 107

9.3 Edit and debug mode 109

9.4 Live debug 109

9.4.1 SFC animation 109
9.4.2 LD animation 110
9.4.3 FBD animation 110
9.4.4 IL and ST animation 111

9.5 Triggers 111

9.5.1 Trigger window 111
9.5.2 Debugging with trigger windows 117

9.6 Graphic triggers 127

9.6.1 Graphic trigger window 127
9.6.2 Debugging with the graphic trigger window 133

10. Application reference 143

10.1 Menus reference 143

10.1.1 File menu 143
10.1.2 Edit menu 144
10.1.3 View menu 145
10.1.4 Project menu 146
10.1.5 Online Menu 147
10.1.6 Debug menu 148
10.1.7 Scheme FBD menu 149
10.1.8 Scheme LD menu 151

user manual VII

 10.1.9 Scheme SFC menu 153
10.1.10 Variables menu 154
10.1.11 Window menu 154
10.1.12 Help menu 154

10.2 Toolbars reference 155

10.2.1 Main toolbar 155
10.2.2 FBD toolbar 155
10.2.3 LD toolbar 155
10.2.4 SFC toolbar 155
10.2.5 Project toolbar 155
10.2.6 Network toolbar 155
10.2.7 Debug toolbar 155

11. Language reference 157

11.1 Common elements 157

11.1.1 Basic elements 157
11.1.2 Elementary data types 157
11.1.3 Derived data types 158
11.1.4 Literals 160
11.1.5 Variables 161
11.1.6 Program Organization Units 164
11.1.7 IEC 61131-3 standard functions 167

11.2 Instruction List (IL) 181

11.2.1 Syntax and semantics 181
11.2.2 Standard operators 182
11.2.3 Calling Functions and Function blocks 183

11.3 Function Block Diagram (FBD) 184

11.3.1 Representation of lines and blocks 184
11.3.2 Direction of flow in networks 184
11.3.3 Evaluation of networks 184
11.3.4 Execution control elements 186

11.4 Ladder Diagram (LD) 187

11.4.1 Power rails 187
11.4.2 Link elements and states 188
11.4.3 Contacts 188
11.4.4 Coils 189
11.4.5 Operators, functions and function blocks 190

11.5 Structured Text (ST) 190

11.5.1 Expressions 190
11.5.2 Statements in ST 191

11.6 Sequential Function Chart (SFC) 196

11.6.1 Steps 197

VIII user manual

 11.6.2 Transitions 199
11.6.3 Rules of evolution 199
11.6.4 SFC control flags 202
11.6.5 Check a SFC POU from other programs 203

11.7 Application Language Extensions 205

11.7.1 Macros 205
11.7.2 Pointers 205
11.7.3 Waiting statement 206

12. Errors Reference 207

12.1 Compile time error messages 207

user manual IX
SAFETY INFORMATION

Important Information
Read these instructions carefully, and look at the equipment to become familiar with the
device before trying to install, operate, or maintain it. The following special messages
may appear throughout this documentation or on the equipment to inform of potential
hazards or to call attention to information that clarifies or simplifies a procedure.

The addition of this symbol to a Danger safety label indicates that an electrical hazard
exists, which will result in personal injury if the instructions are not followed.

This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to potential personal injury
hazards.
Obey all safety messages that follow this symbol to avoid possible injury or death.

DANGER
DANGER indicates an imminently hazardous situation which, if not avoided, results in death
or serious injury.

WARNING
WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, can result in
death or serious injury.

CAUTION
CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, can result in
minor or moderate injury.

NOTICE
NOTICE is used to address practices not related to physical injury.

PLEASE NOTE
Electrical equipment should be installed, operated, serviced, and maintained only by qualified
personnel.
No responsibility is assumed by Eliwell for any consequences arising out of the use of this
material.
You can download these technical publications and other technical information from our website at:
www.eliwell.it

X user manual
PRODUCT RELATED INFORMATION

WARNING
LOSS OF CONTROL
The designer of any control scheme must consider the potential failure modes of control
paths and, for certain critical control functions, provide a means to achieve a safe state
during and after a path failure. Examples of critical control functions are emergency stop and
overtravel stop, power outage and restart.
Separate or redundant control paths must be provided for critical control functions.
System control paths may include communication links. Consideration must be given to the
implications of unanticipated transmission delays or failures of the link.
Observe all accident prevention regulations and local safety guidelines.(1)
Each implementation of this equipment must be individually and thoroughly tested for proper
operation before being placed into service.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment
damage.

(1)For additional information, refer to NEMA ICS 1.1 (latest edition), Safety Guidelines for the
Application, Installation, and Maintenance of Solid State Control and to NEMA ICS 7.1 (latest
edition), Safety Standards for Construction and Guide for Selection, Installation and Operation
of Adjustable-Speed Drive Systems or their equivalent governing your particular location.

WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Only use software approved by Eliwell for use with this equipment.
Update your application program every time you change the physical hardware configuration.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage

user manual XI
1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT

Text Type Description

Name of the command or keyboard
Command, Key
shortcuts key.
Code Source code text.
[Context menu] Toolbar icon and context menu voice.
[Context menu] Context menu voice without any icon.
For menu items hierarchy, the > symbol
is used. A record File>Open Project is
Menu>Item
equivalent to the Open Project item under
the File menu.
Same as above including the icon shown in
Menu>Item
the toolbar.
(see Paragraph)
Link to related subject within this guide.
(see Chapter)
Terminology Important term or concept.

user manual 1
2 user manual
2. OVERVIEW

Application is an IEC61131-3 Integrated Development Environment supporting the whole

range of languages defined in the standard.
In order to support the user in all the activities involved in the development of an applica-
tion, Application includes:
-- textual source code editors for the Instruction List (briefly, IL) and Structured Text
(briefly, ST) programming languages (see Chapter 6.);
-- graphical source code editors for the Ladder Diagram (briefly, LD), Function Block Dia-
gram (briefly, FBD), and Sequential Function Chart (briefly, SFC) programming lan-
guages (see Chapter 6.);
-- a compiler, which translates applications written according to the IEC standard directly
into machine code, avoiding the need for a run-time interpreter, thus making the pro-
gram execution as fast as possible (see Chapter 7);
-- a communication system which allows the download of the application to the target
environment (see Chapter 8);
-- a rich set of debugging tools, ranging from an easy-to-use watch window to more pow-
erful tools, which allows the sampling of fast changing data directly on the target envi-
ronment, ensuring the information is accurate and reliable (see Chapter 9).

2.1 THE WORKSPACE

The figure below shows a view of Applications workspace, including many of its more
commonly used components.

3 4
1

5
2
6
1. Workspace window 2. Output window 3. Source code editors 4. Watch window 5. Library window 6. Status
bar 7. Document bar

The following paragraphs give an overview of these elements.

user manual 3
2.1.1 THE OUTPUT WINDOW
The Output window is the place where Application prints its output messages. This win-
dow contains four tabs: Build, Find in project, Debug, and Resources.

Build
The Build panel displays the output of the following activities:
-- opening a project;
-- compiling a project;
-- downloading code to a target.

Find in project
This panel shows the result of the Find in project activity.

Debug
The Debug panel displays information about advanced debugging activities (for example,
breakpoints). Depending on the target device you are interfacing with, Application can
print on this output window every PLC run-time error (for example, division by zero), lo-
cating the exact position where the error occurred.

Resources
The Resources panel displays messages related to the specific target device Application
is interfacing with.

2.1.2 THE STATUS BAR

The Status bar displays the state of the application at its left border, and an animated
control reporting the state of communication at its right border.

2.1.3 THE DOCUMENT BAR

The Document bar lists all the documents currently open for editing in Application.

4 user manual
2.1.4 THE WATCH WINDOW
The Watch window is one of the many debugging tools supplied by Application. Among
the other debugging tools, it is worth mentioning the Oscilloscope (see Paragraph 9.2),
triggers, and the live debug mode (see Paragraph 9.2).

2.1.5 THE LIBRARY WINDOW

The Library window contains a set of different panels, which fall into the categories ex-
plained in the following paragraphs.
You can choose the display mode by clicking the right button of your mouse. In the
[View list] mode, each element is represented by its name and icon. Instead, a table
appears in the [View detail] mode, each row of which is associated with one of the em-
bedded elements. The latter mode also displays the Type (Operator/Function) and the
description of each element.
If you right-click one of the elements of this panel, and you click [Object properties] from
the dialog box, then a window appears with further details on the element you selected
(input and output supported types, name of input and output pins, etc.).
In the [View folder] mode each element is grouped into the folder to which it belongs.
These folders are useful to logically group the library elements.

2.1.5.1 OPERATORS AND STANDARD BLOCKS

This panel lists basic language elements, such as operators and functions defined by the
IEC 61131-3 standard.

2.1.5.2 TARGET VARIABLES

This panel lists all the system variables, also called target variables, which are the inter-
face between firmware and PLC application code.

user manual 5
2.1.5.3 TARGET BLOCKS

This panel lists all the system functions and function blocks available on the specific target
device.

2.1.5.4 INCLUDED LIBRARY PANELS

The panels described in the preceding paragraphs are usually always available in the Li-
brary window. However, other panels may be added to this window, one for each library
included in the current Application project. For example, the picture above was taken from
a Application project having two included libraries, basic.pll and thermmodel.pll (see
Paragraph 4.7).

2.1.6 THE WORKSPACE WINDOW

The Workspace window consists of three distinct panels, as shown in the following picture.

6 user manual
2.1.6.1 PROJECT

The Project panel contains a set of folders:

-- Tasks: this item lists the system tasks and the programs assigned to each task (see
Paragraph 5.3).

2.1.6.2 DEFINITIONS

The Definitions panel contains the definitions of all user-defined data types, such as
structures or enumerated types.

2.1.6.3 RESOURCES

The contents of the Resources panel depends on the target device Application is interfac-
ing with: it may include configuration elements, schemas, wizards, and so on.

2.1.7 THE SOURCE CODE EDITORS

The Application programming environment includes a set of editors to manage, edit,
and print source files written in any of the 5 programming languages defined by the IEC
61131-3 standard (see Chapter 6).

The definition of both global and local variables is supported by specific spreadsheet-like
editors

user manual 7
8 user manual
3. USING THE ENVIRONMENT

This chapter shows you how to deal with the many UI elements Application is composed
of, in order to let you set up the IDE in the way which best suits to your specific develop-
ment process.

3.1 LAYOUT CUSTOMIZATION

The layout of Applications workspace can be freely customized in order to suit your needs.
Application takes care to save the layout configuration on application exit, in order to per-
sist your preferences between different working sessions.

3.2 TOOLBARS
3.2.1 SHOWING/HIDING TOOLBARS
In details, in order to show (or hide) a toolbar, open the View>Toolbars menu and select
the desired toolbar (for example, the FBD bar).
The toolbar is then shown (hidden).

3.2.2 MOVING TOOLBARS

You can move a toolbar by clicking on its left border and then dragging and dropping it to
the destination.

The toolbar shows up in the new position.

user manual 9
3.3 DOCKING WINDOWS
3.3.1 SHOWING/HIDING TOOL WINDOWS
The View>Tool windows menu allows you to show (or hide) a tool window (for example,
the Output window).
The tool window is then shown (hidden).

3.3.2 FLOATING TOOL WINDOWS

You can undock any window from its default location in Application and move it anywhere
by dragging it to the location you want.
Take back a window to its most recent docked location simply double-click the title bar of
the window.

3.3.3 DOCKING TOOL WINDOWS

Application shows you a guide diamond when you drag a window to another location to
help you easily re-dock the window.
While dragging a window move the mouse cursor on the position of the guide diamond
you want to use as new window position.

Tool windows can be fastened to one side of a frame in Application or within a frame.

10 user manual
3.3.4 AUTO-HIDE TOOL WINDOWS
By the pin button on the top right corner of the window you can switch the window to
auto-hide mode or to regular docking mode.

3.4 WORKING WITH WINDOWS

Application allows to open many source code editors so that the workspace could get
rather messy.
You can easily navigate between these windows through the Document bar and the Win-
dow menu.

3.4.1 THE DOCUMENT BAR

The Document bar allows to switch between all the currently open editors, simply by click-
ing on the corresponding name.

You can show or hide the Document bar with the menu option of the same name in the
menu View>Toolbars>Document bar .

user manual 11
3.4.2 THE WINDOW MENU
The Window menu is an alternative to the Document bar: it lists all the currently open
editors and allows to switch between them.

Moreover, this menu supplies a few commands to automate some basic tasks, such as
closing all windows.

3.5 FULL SCREEN MODE

In order to ease the coding of your application, you may want to switch on the full screen
mode. In full screen mode, the source code editor extends to the whole working area,
making easier the job of editing the code, notably when graphical programming languag-
es (that is, LD, FBD, and SFC) are involved.

You can switch on and off the full screen mode with the View>Full screen .

3.6 ENVIRONMENT OPTIONS

If you click File>Options... , a multi-tab dialog box appears and lets you customize some
options of Application.

3.6.1 GENERAL

3.6.1.1 SAVE OPTIONS

Autosave: if the Enable Autosave box is checked, Application periodically saves the
whole project. You can specify the period of execution of this task by entering the number
of minutes between two automatic savings in the Autosave interval text box.

Max previous version to keep: if set greater than 0 indicates the maximum number
of copies of the project that must be zipped and stored in the PreviousVersions folder.

3.6.1.2 OUTPUT WINDOW

You can specify the family and the size of the font used for output window.

12 user manual
3.6.1.3 COMMUNICATION

If enabled, the last used port will be set as the default one.

3.6.1.4 TOOLTIP

If enabled, small information boxes will appear when user places the cursor over a symbol
in the editors.

3.6.1.5 TOOL WINDOWS

You can specify the family and the size of the font used for tool windows.

Reset bars positions: the layout of the dock bars in the IDE will be resetted to de-
fault positions and dimensions. In order to take effect Application must be restarted.

3.6.2 GRAPHIC EDITOR

This panel lets you edit the properties of the LD, FBD, and SFC source code editors.
You can specify the family and the size of the font used for graphical editors.
You can modify also the colours of the graphical object.

3.6.3 TEXT EDITORS

You can specify the family and the size of the font both for code and variable editors.

3.6.4 LANGUAGE
You can change the language of the environment by selecting a new one from the list
shown in this panel.
After selecting the new language, press the Select button and confirm by clicking OK.
This change will be effective only the next time you start Application.

user manual 13
3.6.5 TOOLS
You can add up to 16 commands to the Tools menu. These commands can be associated
with any program that will run on your operating system. You can also specify arguments
for any command that you add to the Tools menu. The following procedure shows you
how to add a tool to the Tools menu.
1) Type the full path of the executable file of the tool in the Command text box. Other-
wise, you can specify the filename by selecting it from Windows Explorer, which you
open by clicking the Browse button.

2) In the Arguments text box, type the arguments - if any - to be passed to the execut-
able command mentioned at step 1. They must be separated by a space.
3) Enter in Menu string the name you want to give to the tool you are adding. This is
the string that will be displayed in the Tools menu.
4) Press Add to effectively insert the new command into the suitable menu.
5) Press OK to confirm, or Cancel to quit.
For example, let us assume that you want to add Windows calculator to the Tools
menu:
-- Fill the fields of the dialog box as displayed.

14 user manual
 -- Press Add. The name you gave to the new tool is now displayed in the list box at the
top of the panel.

And in the Tools>Calc menu as well.

user manual 15
3.6.6 MERGE
Here you can set the merge function behavior (see Paragraph 4.8.3.2 for more details).

16 user manual
4. MANAGING PROJECTS

This chapter focuses on Application projects.

A project corresponds to a PLC application and includes all the required elements to run
that application on the target device, including its source code, links to libraries, informa-
tion about the target device and so on.
The following paragraphs explain how to properly work with projects and their elements.

4.1 CREATING A NEW PROJECT

To start a new project, click File>New project of the Application main window.

You are required to enter the name of the new project in the Name control. The string you
enter will also be the name of the folder which will contain all the files making up the Ap-
plication project. The pathname in the Directory control indicates the default location
of this folder.
Target selection allows you to specify the target device which will run the project.
Finally, you can make the project case-sensitive by activating the related option. Note
that, by default, this option is not active, in compliance with IEC 61131-3 standard: when
you choose to create a case-sensitive project, it will not be standard-compliant.
When you confirm your decision to create a new project and the whole required informa-
tion has been provided, Application completes the operation, creating the project direc-
tory and all project files; then, the project is opened.
The list of devices from which you can select the target for the project you are creating
depends on the contents of the catalog of target devices available to Application.
When the desired target is missing, either you have run the wrong setup executable or
you have to run a separate setup which is responsible to update the catalog to include
the target device. In both cases, you should contact your hardware supplier for support.

4.2 UPLOADING THE PROJECT FROM THE TARGET DEVICE

Depending on the target device you are interfacing with, you may be able to upload a
working Application project from the target itself.
In order to upload the project from the target device, follow the procedure below:
1) Click the File>Import project from target menu voice of the Application main window,
which opens the Target list dialog box.

user manual 17
 2) From the shown list select the target device from which you want to upload the pro-
ject.
3) Configure Connection with correct parameters (see Paragraph 8.1 for more details).
4) You can test the connection with the target device by Verify Connection button.
Application tries to establish the connection and reports the test result.
5) If the connection is available confirm the operation by clicking on the Upload Sourc-
es button. When the application upload completes successfully, the project is open
and ready for editing.

4.3 SAVING THE PROJECT

4.3.1 PERSISTING CHANGES TO THE PROJECT
When you make any change to the project (for example, you add a new Program Organi-
zation Unit) you are required to save the project in order to persist that change.
To save the project, you can select the corresponding item File>Save project .

4.3.2 SAVING TO AN ALTERNATIVE LOCATION

You can also use the File>Save project As ... command to rename the project, change its
format or modify the location of where you want save the file.
Application asks you to select the new destination (which must be an empty directory),
then saves a copy of the project to that location and opens this new project file for editing.

4.3.3 AUTOSAVE
Application includes an AutoSave feature that periodically saves your project as you work
on it.
AutoSave saves data in a separate folder, called Backup, stored at the same location of
the project folder.
AutoSave protects your project in the event that Application unexpectedly quits. When
Application is started again, if the Backup folder is present, you are asked to restore the

18 user manual
 last valid backup file of the project.

When you close Application correctly the Backup folder and its contents are deleted. You
can specify the interval time (in minutes) between saving.
By default AutoSave is running with 1 minute of interval (see Paragraph 3.6 for more
details).

4.3.4 BACKUP COPIES

Application includes a backup feature of the previous version of the project on which you
are working.
When you explicitly save the project, Application saves the current version (before save)
of the project in the PreviousVersions folder stored at the same location of the project
folder;
You can set the upper limit of the backup files to be kept on your PC. By default this is 10,
set to 0 if you want to disable this feature (see Paragraph 3.6 for more details).

4.4 MANAGING EXISTING PROJECTS

4.4.1 OPENING AN EXISTING APPLICATION PROJECT

To open an existing project, click File>Open project of Applications main window, or in
the Welcome page (when no project is open). This causes a dialog box to appear, which
lets you load the directory containing the project and select the relative project file.

4.4.2 EDITING THE PROJECT

In order to modify an element of a project, you need first to open that element by double-
clicking its name, which you can find by browsing the tree structure of the project tab of
the Workspace bar.
By double-clicking the name of the object you want to modify, you open an editor consist-
ent with the object type: for example, when you double-click the name of a project POU,
the appropriate source code editor is shown; if you double-click the name of a global vari-
able, the variable editor is shown.
Note that Application prevents you from applying changes to elements of a project, when
at least one of the following conditions holds:
-- you are in debug mode.
-- It is an object of an included library (whereas you can modify an object that you im-
ported from a library).
-- The project is opened in read-only mode (view project).

user manual 19
4.4.3 CLOSING THE PROJECT
You can terminate the working session either by explicitly closing the project or by exiting
Application. In both cases, when there are changes not yet persisted to file, Application
asks you to choose between saving and discarding them.

To close the project, select the item File>Close project ; Application shows the Welcome
page, so that you can rapidly start a new working session.

4.5 DISTRIBUTING PROJECTS

When you need to share a project with another developer you can send him/her either
a copy of the project file(s) or a redistributable source module (RSM) generated by Ap-
plication.
In the former case, the number of files you have to share depends on the format of the
project file:
-- PLC single project file (.ppjs file extension): the project file itself contains the whole
information needed to run the application (assuming the receiving developer has an ap-
propriate available target device) including all source code modules, so that you need
to share only the .ppjs file.
-- PLC multiple project file (.ppjx or .ppj file extension): the project file contains only
the links to the source code modules composing the project, which are stored as single
files in the project directory. You need to share the whole directory.
-- Full XML PLC project file (.plcprj): the project file is generated entirely in XML lan-
guage. The information contained in the project file and its behavior are the same as
.ppjs file extension.
Alternatively, you can generate a redistributable source module (RSM) with the corre-
sponding item Project>Generate redistributable source module .
Application notifies you of the name of the RSM file and lets you choose whether to protect
the file with a password or not. If you choose to protect the file, Application asks you to
insert the password.

The advantages of the RSM file format are:

-- the source code is encoded in binary format, thus it cannot be read by third parties
which do not use Application, making a transfer over the Internet more secure;
-- it can be protected with a password, which will be required by Application on file open-
ing;
-- being a binary file, its size is reduced.

20 user manual
4.6 PROJECT OPTIONS
You can edit some significant project properties choosing Project>Options... .

4.6.1 PROJECT INFO

Here you can set some basic properties related to the project, such as its application
name and version.

-- Use new LD editor: the new Ladder Diagram editor is easier to use, by helping you in
common operations working on the diagram will be faster and more efficient. Note that,
by default, this option is active.
-- Use customizable workspace: allows you to manage your project tree in order to
reach a more efficient workspace. Note that, by default, this option is active.

4.6.2 CODE GENERATION

Here you can edit some properties about code generation.

user manual 21
 -- Case sensitivity: you can set the project as case-sensitive checking this option. Note
that, by default, this option is not active.
-- Check function and function block external variables: if this option is disabled,
all functions and function blocks can access to global variables without declaring them
as external variables. Note that, by default, this option is enabled respecting the IEC
61131-3 standard.
-- Print debug information: prints on the output window some significant debug info.
-- Allow only integer indexes for arrays: if this option is checked you cannot use
BYTE, WORD or DWORD as array indexes.
-- Run-time check of array bounds: if this option is checked some check code is added
to verify that array indexes are not out of bounds during run-time. This option is set-
table depending on target device.
-- Run-time check of division by zero: if this option is checked some check code is
added to verify that divisions by zero are not performed on arrays during run-time. This
option is settable depending on target device.
-- Run-time check of pointers: if this option is checked the pointers will be test for their
validity before their use, calling a user-defined function checkptr on target. Therefore
this option is settable depending on target device.
-- Enable SFC control flags (extension to standard): if this option is checked, HOLD
and RESET flags for SFC POU are enabled.
-- Enable WAITING statement (extension to standard): if this option is checked the
WAITING construct for the ST language is added as IEC 61131-3 extension (see Para-
graph 11.7.3 for more details).
-- Data copy size warning threshold (bytes, 0=disable): when arrays or structures
are copied, if their dimension exceed the specified threshold, a warning is emitted in
order to inform the possible loss of performance of the PLC. If the threshold is set to 0,
no warnings are emitted.
-- Disable warning emission: if this option is checked warning emissions are not printed
on the output window.
-- Disable warning codes: if this option is checked some specified warning emissions are
not printed on the output window.

4.6.3 BUILD OUTPUT

Here you can edit some significant properties of the output files generated by compiling
operation.

22 user manual
 Listing section
-- Generate listing file: if this option is checked the compiler will generate a listing
file named as projectname.lst.
-- Include source code (active only if Generate listing file is checked): if this op-
tion is checked the source code will be inserted as visible in the lst file. Otherwise the
source code will be hidden.

Downloadable target files section

-- Create downloadable target files: if this option is checked the compiler will gener-
ate the binary files that can be downloaded to the target. You can specify custom file-
names or use default ones.
Please note that only valid Windows filename are accepted!

-- PLC application (active only if Create downloadable target files is checked):

this field specifies the name of the PLC application binary file. By default projectname.
bin.
-- Source code (active only if Create downloadable target files is checked): this field
specifies the name of the Source code binary file. By default projectname._source.
bin.
-- Debug (active only if Create downloadable target files is checked): this field speci-
fies the name of the Debug symbol binary file. By default projectname._debug.bin

Generate EXP file section

-- Generate EXP file: if this option is checked the compiler will generate an EXP file
named as projectname.exp

4.6.4 DOWNLOAD
Here you can edit some significant properties of the download behavior (see Paragraph
8.3.1 for more information).

4.6.5 DEBUG
Here you can edit some significant properties of the debug behavior.

user manual 23
 -- Polling period for debug function (ms): set the active sampling period of the
functionss status.
-- Number of displayed array elements without alert message: specifies the maxi-
mum number of array elements to be added in watch window without being alerted.
-- Polling period between more variables (ms): set the sleep period between sam-
pling two variables.
-- Autosave watch list: if checked (not by default) the watch list status will be saved
into a file, when the project is closed (see Paragraph 9.1.7 for more details).

4.6.6 BUILD EVENTS

Here you can specify commands that run before the build starts or after the build finishes.
You can also use a set of defined environment variables listed on the top of the window.

4.7 SELECTING THE TARGET DEVICE

You may need to port a PLC application on a target device which differs from the one you
originally wrote the code for. Follow the instructions below to adapt your Application pro-
ject to a new target device.
1) Click Project>Select target menu of the Application main window. This causes the fol-
lowing dialog box to appear.

24 user manual
 2) Select one of the target devices listed in the combo box.
3) Click Change to confirm your choice, Cancel to abort.
4) If you confirm, Application displays the following dialog box.

Press Yes to complete the conversion, No to quit.

If you press Yes, Application updates the project to work with the new target.
It also makes a backup copy of the project file(s) in a sub-directory inside the project
directory, so that you can roll-back the operation by manually (i.e., using Windows
Explorer) replacing the project file(s) with the backup copy.

4.8 WORKING WITH LIBRARIES

Libraries are a powerful tool for sharing objects between Application projects. Libraries
are usually stored in dedicated source file, whose extension is .pll.

4.8.1 THE LIBRARY MANAGER

The library manager lists all the libraries currently included in a Application project. It also
allows you to include or remove libraries.
To access the library manager, click Project>Library manager .

4.8.1.1 INCLUDING A LIBRARY

The following procedure shows you how to include a library in a Application project, which
results in all the librarys objects becoming available to the current project.
Including a library means that a reference to the librarys .pll file is added to the cur-
rent project, and that a local copy of the library is made. Note that you cannot edit the
elements of an included library, unlike imported objects.

user manual 25
 If you want to copy or move a project which includes one or more libraries, make sure
that references to those libraries are still valid in the new location.
1) Click Project>Library manager , which opens the Library manager dialog box.
2) Press the Add button, which causes an explorer dialog box to appear, to let you select
the .pll file of the library you want to open.
3) When you have found the .pll file, open it either by double-clicking it or by press-
ing the Open button. The name of the library and its absolute pathname are now
displayed in a new row at the bottom of the list in the white box.
4) Repeat step 1, 2, and 3 for all the libraries you wish to include.
5) When you have finished including libraries, press either OK to confirm, or Cancel to
quit.

4.8.1.2 REMOVING A LIBRARY

The following procedure shows you how to remove an included library from the current
project. Remember that removing a library does not mean erasing the library itself, but
the projects reference to it.
1) Click Project>Library manager menu of the Application main window, which opens
the Library manager dialog box.

Select the library you wish to remove by clicking its name once. The Remove button
is now enabled.

2) Click the Remove button, which causes the reference to the selected library to disap-
pear from the Project library list.
3) Repeat for all the libraries you wish to remove. Alternatively, if you want to remove
all the libraries, you can press the Remove all button.
4) When you have finished removing libraries, press either OK to confirm, or Cancel not
to apply changes.

4.8.2 EXPORTING TO A LIBRARY

You may export an object from the currently open project to a library, in order to make
that object available to other projects. The following procedure shows you how to export
objects to a library.
1) Look for the object you want to export by browsing the tree structure of the project
tab of the Workspace bar, then click once the name of the object.

26 user manual
 2) Click Project>Export object to library . This causes the following dialog box to appear.

3) Enter the destination library by specifying the location of its .pll file. You can do
this by:
-- typing the full pathname in the white text box;
-- clicking the Browse button , in order to open an explorer dialog box which allows
you to browse your disk and the network.
4) You may optionally choose to encrypt the source code of the POU you are exporting,
in order to protect your intellectual property.
5) Click OK to confirm the operation, otherwise press Cancel to quit.
If at Step 3 of this procedure you enter the name of a non-existing .pll file, Application
creates the file, thus establishing a new library.

4.8.2.1 UNDOING EXPORT TO A LIBRARY

So far, it is not possible to undo export to a library. The only possibility to remove an ob-
ject is to create another library containing all the objects of the current one, except the
one you wish to delete.

4.8.3 IMPORTING FROM A LIBRARY OR ANOTHER SOURCE

You can import an object from a library in order to use it in the current project. When
you import an object from a library, the local copy of the object loses its reference to the
original library and it belongs exclusively to the current project. Therefore, you can edit
imported objects, unlike objects of included libraries.
There are two ways of getting a POU from a library. The following procedure shows you
how to import objects from a library.
1) Click Project>Import object from library . This causes an explorer dialog box to appear,
which lets you select the .pll file of the library you want to open.
2) When you have found the .pll file, open it either by double-clicking it or by pressing
the Open button. The dialog box of the library explorer appears in foreground. Each
tab in the dialog box contains a list of objects of a type consistent with the tabs title.

user manual 27
 3) Select the tab of the type of the object(s) you want to import. You can also make
simple queries on the objects in each tab by using Filters. However, note that only
the Name filter actually applies to libraries. To use it, select a tab, then enter the name
of the desired object(s), even using the * wildcard, if necessary.
4) Select the object(s) you want to import, then press the Import object button.
5) When you have finished importing objects, press indifferently OK or Cancel to close
the Library browser.

4.8.3.1 UNDOING IMPORT FROM A LIBRARY

When you import an object in a Application project, you actually make a local copy of that
object. Therefore, you just need to delete the local object in order to undo import.

4.8.3.2 MERGE FUNCTION

When you import objects in a Application project or insert a copied mapped variable, you
may encounter an overlapping address or duplicate naming warning.
By setting the corresponding environment options (see Paragraph 3.6 for more details)
you can choose the behavior that Application should keep when encountering those prob-
lems.
The possible actions are:

Take from Do
Ask Automatic
library nothing
If different types X X X
Naming If same type but not
X X X
behavior variables
If both variables X X X
If address overlaps X X X
Address
behavior Copy/paste mapped
X X
variable

-- Ask (default): user has to decide every time an action is required.

-- Automatic: a valid name or address is automatically generated by Application and as-
signed to the imported object.

28 user manual
 -- Take from library: the name or the address is taken from the imported object.
-- Do nothing: the name or the address of the objects in the project are not modified.
After importing objects, Application generates a log file in the project folder with detailed
info.

4.8.4 UPDATING EXISTING LIBRARIES

If you edit a linked library file you can refresh its content on the project without closing
Application.
1) Click Project>Refresh all libraries .
2) If the file is correct, Application updates the linked library content and prints a suc-
cessful message in the output window, otherwise no changes are made on the exist-
ing linked library.

user manual 29
30 user manual
5. MANAGING PROJECT ELEMENTS

This chapter shows you how to deal with the elements which compose a project, namely:
Program Organization Units (briefly, POUs), tasks, derived data types, and variables.

5.1 PROGRAM ORGANIZATION UNITS

A POU is a Program Organization Unit of type Program, Function or Function block.
This paragraph shows you how to add new POUs to the project, how to edit and eventu-
ally remove them.

5.1.1 CREATING A NEW PROGRAM ORGANIZATION UNIT

In order to Add a POU select the appropriate voice of the menu
Project>New Object>New program
Please note that the item of the sub-menu may change according to the type of the POU
you want to create.
Application will show you a dialog box in where you must select the specific language for
the new POU and enter its name.

Confirm the operation by clicking on the OK button.

Alternatively, you can create a new POU from the context menu by selecting a folder or
the root element of the project (see Paragraph 5.7.4).
After creating a new program, an alert icon (interrogation mark) appears below the new
program icon.

This alert icon indicates that the program is not yet associated to a task. Refer to para-
graph 5.3.1 to assign the program to the desired task.

user manual 31
5.1.1.1 ASSIGNING A PROGRAM TO A TASK AT CREATION TIME

When creating a new program, Application gives you the chance to assign that program
to a task at the same time: select the task you want the program to be assigned to from
the list shown in the Task section of the New program window.

5.1.2 EDITING POUS

To edit a POU, open it by double-clicking it from the project tree. The relative editor opens
and lets you modify the source code of the POU.

Changing the name of the POU:

Select a POU from the project tree then choose the appropriate voice of the menu
Project > PLC Object Properties . Please note that the menu voice may change according
to the type of the selected POU.

Duplicating a POU:
Select a POU from the project tree then choose the appropriate voice of the menu
Project>Duplicate object . Please note that the menu voice may change according to the
type of the selected POU.
Enter the name of the new duplicated POU and confirm the operation.

Deleting POUs
Select a POU from the project tree then choose the appropriate voice of the menu
Project>Delete Object .
Please note that the item of the sub-menu may change according to the type of the POU
you have selected.
Confirm the operation to delete the POU.

5.1.3 SOURCE CODE ENCRYPTION/DECRYPTION

Application can encrypt POUs and protect them with a password, hiding the source code
of the POU.

Encrypting a POU:
Select a POU from the project tree then choose the [Crypt] voice of the context menu

32 user manual
 Double enter the password and confirm the operation.

Application shows in the project tree a special marker icon that overlays the standard POU
icon in order to inform the user that the POU is crypted.

Decrypting a POU:
Select a POU from the project tree then choose the [Decrypt] voice of the context menu

Encrypting all POUs:

Select the root element from the project tree then choose the [Crypt all objects] voice of
the context menu.
All POUs will be encrypted with the same password.

Decrypt all POUs:

Select the root element from the project tree then choose the [Decrypt all objects] voice
of the context menu.

5.2 VARIABLES
There are two classes of variables in Application: global variables and local variables.
This paragraph shows you how to add to the project, edit, and eventually remove both
global and local variables.

5.2.1 GLOBAL VARIABLES

Global variables can be seen and referenced by any module of the project.

5.2.1.1 CLASSES OF GLOBAL VARIABLES

Global variables are organized in special folders of the project tree called Global vari-
ables group. Those variables are classified according to their properties as:
-- Automatics: the compiler automatically allocates them to an appropriate location in the
target device memory.
-- Mapped: they have an assigned address in the target device logical addressing system,
which shall be specified by the developer.
-- Constants: are declared having the CONSTANT attribute; They cannot be written.
-- Retains: they are declared having the RETAIN attribute; Their values are stored in a
persistent memory area of the target device.

5.2.1.2 CREATING A NEW GLOBAL VARIABLE

1) In order to create a new global variable you need to define almost one Global vari-
ables group in your project then select it from the project tree then choose the ap-
propriate voice of the menu Project>New Object>New variable (see Paragraph 5.7.4).
2) Application will show you a dialog box where you must enter the name of the variable
(remember that some characters, such as ?, ., /, and so on, cannot be used: the
variable name must be a valid IEC 61131-3 identifier).

user manual 33
 3) Specify the type of the variable either by typing it or by selecting it from the list that
Application displays when you click on the Browse button.

If you want to declare an array, you must specify its size.

4) You may optionally assign the initial value to the variable or to the single elements
of the array.

If you create a new mapped variable, you are required to specify the address of the vari-
able during its definition. In order to do so, you may do one of the following actions:
-- Click on the button to open the editor of the address, then enter the desired value.

34 user manual
 -- Select from the list that Application shows you the memory area you want to use: the
tool automatically calculates the address of the first free memory location of that area.

5.2.1.3 EDITING A GLOBAL VARIABLE

To edit the definition of an existing global variable, open it by double-clicking it, or the
folder that it belongs to, from the project tree. The global variables editor opens and lets
you modify its definition.

Changing the name of the variable:

Select the variable you want to rename from the project tree then choose the appropriate
voice of the menu Project>View PLC Object Properties .

Duplicating a variable:
Select the variable you want to duplicate from the project tree then choose the appropri-
ate voice of the menu Project>Duplicate variable .
Enter the name of the new duplicated variable and confirm.

5.2.1.4 DELETING A GLOBAL VARIABLE

Select the variable you want to delete from the project tree then choose the appropriate
voice of the menu Project>Delete variable .

user manual 35
 Confirm the operation to delete the variable.

5.2.2 LOCAL VARIABLES

Local variables are declared within a POU (either program, or function, or function block),
the module itself being the only project element which can refer to and access them.
Local variables are listed in the project tree under the POU which declares them (only
when that POU is open for editing), where they are further classified according to their
class (e.g., as input or inout variables).

In order to create, edit, and delete local variables, you have to open the Program Organi-
zation Unit for editing and use the local variables editor. The project needs to be saved
in order to update the POU branch structure of the project tree, including the changes
applied to the local variables.

Refer to the corresponding section in this manual for details (see Paragraph 6.6.1.2).

5.2.3 CREATING MULTIPLE

Application allows you to create multiple variables in one shot.
Open the POU for editing then choose the appropriate voice of the menu
Variables>Create multiple .
Application will show you a dialog box where you must specify the prefix and the suffix to
name of the new variables.

36 user manual
 1) Select the type of the variables.
2) Insert the number of the variables you want to create specifying the start index,
the end index and the step value. You can see an example of the generated variable
names at the bottom of the dialog.

5.3 TASKS
5.3.1 ASSIGNING A PROGRAM TO A TASK
1) Select the task where you want to add the program from the project tree then choose
the [Add program] voice of the context menu.
2) Select the program you want to be executed by the task from the list which shows up
and confirm your choice.

3) The program has been assigned to the task, as you can see in the project tree.

user manual 37
 Note that you can assign more than a program to a task. From the contextual menu you
can sort and, eventually, remove program assignments to tasks.

5.3.2 TASK CONFIGURATION

Depending on the target device you are interfacing with, you may have the chance to
configure some of the PLC tasks settings.
Select the tasks element from the project tree then choose the [Task configuration] voice
of the context menu.
In the Task configuration window you can edit the task execution period.

5.4 DERIVED DATA TYPES

The Definitions section of the Workspace window lets you define derived data types.
The derived data type is a complex classification that identifies one or various data types
and is made up of primitive data types.
User has the flexibility to create those own types that have advanced properties and uses
far beyond those of the basic primitive data types.

5.4.1 TYPEDEFS
The following paragraphs show you how to manage Typedefs.
Application can manage Typedefs, Structures, Enumeration and Subranges.
In order to create, edit or delete those data types, use the Definitions section of the
Worskpace window.

5.4.1.1 CREATING A NEW TYPEDEF

In order to create a Typedef select TypeDefs folder item in the Definitions tree then
choose the [New TypeDef] voice of the context menu.
Application will show you a dialog box where you must specify the name of the new type-
def and select the type you are defining an alias for:

38 user manual
 (if you want to define an alias for an array type, you shall choose the array size).
Enter a meaningful description (optional) and confirm the operation.

5.4.1.2 EDITING A TYPEDEF

In order to edit an existing typedef you have to double-click it from the Definitions tree.
The associated editor opens and lets you modify its definition.

5.4.1.3 DELETING A TYPEDEF

In order to delete a Typedef select it from the Definitions tree then choose the [Delete]
voice of the context menu.

5.4.2 STRUCTURES
The following paragraphs show you how to manage structures.

user manual 39
5.4.2.1 CREATING A NEW STRUCTURE

In order to create a Structure select Structure folder item in the Definitions tree then
choose the [New Structure] voice of the context menu.
Application will show you a dialog box where you must specify the name of the new struc-
ture and a meaningful description, then confirm the operation.

5.4.2.2 EDITING A STRUCTURE

In order to edit an existing structure, open it by double-clicking it from the Definitions

tree. The associated editor opens and lets you modify its definition and fields.

5.4.2.3 DELETING A STRUCTURE

In order to delete an existing structure select it from Structures folder item in the Defi-
nitions tree then choose the [Delete] voice of the context menu.

5.4.3 ENUMERATIONS
The following paragraphs show you how to manage enumerations.

5.4.3.1 CREATING A NEW ENUMERATION

In order to create an enumeration select Enumerations folder item in the Definitions

tree then choose the [New Enumeration] voice of the context menu.
Application will show you a dialog box where you must specify the name of the new enu-
meration and a meaningful description, then confirm the operation.

40 user manual
5.4.3.2 EDITING AN ENUMERATION

In order to edit an existing enumeration, open it by double-clicking it from the Defini-

tions tree. The associated editor opens and lets you modify its definition and the initiali-
zation values of its elements.

5.4.3.3 DELETING AN ENUMERATION

In order to delete an existing enumeration select it from Enumeration folder item in the
Definitions tree then choose the [Delete] voice of the context menu.

5.4.4 SUBRANGES
The following paragraphs show you how to manage subranges.

5.4.4.1 CREATING A NEW SUBRANGE

In order to create a subrange select Subranges folder item in the Definitions tree
then choose the [New Subrange] voice of the context menu.

Application will show you a dialog box where you must specify the name of the new
subrange and select its basic type.

user manual 41
 Enter minimum and maximum values of the subrange, a meaningful description (option-
al), and confirm the operation.

5.4.4.2 EDITING A SUBRANGE

In order to edit an existing subrange, open it by double-clicking it from the Subranges

folder of the Definitions tree. The associated editor opens and lets you modify its defi-
nition.

5.4.4.3 DELETING A SUBRANGE

In order to delete an existing subrange select it from Subranges folder item in the Defi-
nitions tree then choose the [Delete] voice of the context menu.

5.5 BROWSE THE PROJECT

Projects may grow huge, hence Application provides two tools to search for an object

42 user manual
 within a project: the Object browser and the Find in project feature.

5.5.1 OBJECT BROWSER

Application provides a useful tool for browsing the objects of your project: the Object
Browser.

This tool is context dependent, this implies that the kind of objects that can be selected
and that the available operations on the objects in the different contexts are not the same.
Object browser can be opened in these three main ways:
-- Browser mode.
-- Import object mode.
-- Select object mode.
User interaction with Object browser is mainly the same for all the three modes and is
described in the next paragraph.

5.5.1.1 COMMON FEATURES AND USAGE OF OBJECT BROWSER

This section describes the features and the usage of the Object browser that are com-
mon to every mode in which Object browser can be used.

Objects filter

This is the main filter of the Object browser. User can check one of the available (ena-
bled) object items.
In this example, Programs, Function Blocks, Functions are selected, so objects of this
type are shown in the object list. Variables and User types objects can be selected
by user but objects of that type are not currently shown in the object list. Operators,
Standard functions, Local variables, and Basic types cannot be checked by user
(because of the context) so cannot be browsed.

user manual 43
 User can also click Check all button to select all available objects at one time or can click
Check none button to deselect all objects at one time.

Other filters

Selected objects can be also filtered by name, symbol location, specific library and var
type.
Filters are all additive and are immediately applied after setting.

Name
Function Filters objects on the base of their name.
Set of legal values All the strings of characters.
Type a string to display the specific object whose name
matches the string. Use the * wildcard if you want to
display all the objects whose name contains the string in
Use the Name text box. Type * if you want to disable this filter.
Press Enter when edit box is focused or click on the OK
button near the edit box to apply the filter.
Applies to All object types.

Symbol location
Function Filters objects on the base of their location.
Set of legal values All, Project, Target, Library, Aux. Sources.

44 user manual
 All= Disables this filter.
Project= Objects declared in the Application project.
Target= Firmware objects.
Use
Library= Objects contained in a library. In this case, use
simultaneously also the Library filter, described below.
Aux sources= Shows aux sources only.
Applies to All objects types.

Library
Completes the specification of a query on objects contained
Function in libraries. The value of this control is relevant only if the
Symbol location filter is set to Library.
Set of legal values All, libraryname1, libraryname2, ...
All= Shows objects contained in whatever library.
Use LibrarynameN= Shows only the objects contained in the
library named librarynameN.
Applies to All objects types.

user manual 45
 Vars Type
Filters global variables and system variables (also known
Function
as firmware variables) according to their type.
Set of legal values All, Normal, Constant, Retain
All= Shows all the global and system variables.
Normal= Shows normal global variables only.
Use
Constant= Shows constants only.
Retain= Shows retain variables only.
Applies to Variables.

46 user manual
 Object list

Object list shows all the filtered objects. List can be ordered in ascending or descend-
ing way by clicking on the header of the column. So it is possible to order items by Name,
Type, or Description.
Double-clicking on an item allows the user to perform the default associated operation
(the action is the same of the OK, Import object, or Open source button actions).
When item multiselection is allowed, Select all and Select none buttons are visible.
It is possible to select all objects by clicking on Select all button. Select none dese-
lects all objects.
If at least one item is selected on the list operation, buttons are enabled.

Resize
Window can be resized, the cursor changes along the border of the dialog and allows the
user to resize window. When reopened, Object browser dialog takes the same size and
position of the previous usage.

5.5.1.2 USING OBJECT BROWSER AS A BROWSER

In order to use the object browser to simply look over through the element of the project
choose the appropriate voice of the menu Project > Object Browser .

Available objects
In this mode you can list objects of these types:

user manual 47
 -- Programs.
-- Function Blocks.
-- Functions.
-- Variables.
-- User types.
These items can be checked or unchecked in Objects filter section to show or to hide
the objects of the chosen type in the list.
Other types of objects (Operators, Standard functions, Local variables, Basic types) can-
not be browsed in this context so they are unchecked and disabled).

Available operations
Allowed operations in this mode are:

Open source, default operation for double-click on an item

Opens the editor by which the selected object was created
Function
and displays the relevant source code.
If the object is a program, or a function, or a function
block, this button opens the relevant source code editor.
If the object is a variable, then this button opens the
Use
variable editor.
Select the object whose editor you want to open, then click
on the Open source button.

Export to library
Function Exports an object to a library.
Select the objects you want to export, then press the
Use
Export to library button.

Delete objects
Function Allows you to delete an object.
Select the object you want to delete, then press the
Use
Delete object button.

Multi selection
Multi selection is allowed for this mode, Select all and Select none buttons are visible.

5.5.1.3 USING OBJECT BROWSER FOR IMPORT

Object browser is also used to support objects importation in the project from a desired
external library.
In order to use the object browser to import external library to the project choose the ap-
propriate voice of the menu Project>Import object from library .

Available objects
In this mode you can list objects of these types:
-- Programs.
-- Function blocks.
-- Functions.

48 user manual
 -- Variables.
-- User types.
These items can be checked or unchecked in Objects filter section to show or to hide
the objects of the chosen type in the list.
Other types of objects (Operators, Standard functions, Local variables, Basic types) can-
not be imported so they are unchecked and disabled.

Available operations

Import objects is the only operation supported in this mode. It is possible to import
selected objects by clicking on Import objects button or by double-clicking on one of
the objects in the list.

Multi selection
Multi selection is allowed for this mode, Select all and Select none buttons are visible.

5.5.1.4 USING OBJECT BROWSER FOR OBJECT SELECTION

Object browser dialog is useful for many operations that requires the selection of a single
PLC object. So Object browser can be used to select the program to add to a task, to se-
lect the type of a variable, to select an item to find in the project, etc..

Available objects
Available objects are strictly dependent on the context, for example in the program as-
signment to a task operation the only available objects are programs objects.
It is possible that not all available objects are selected by default.

Available operations
In this mode it is possible to select a single object by double-clicking on the list or by click-
ing on the OK button, then the dialog is automatically closed.

Multi selection
Multi selection is not allowed for this mode, Select all and Select none buttons are
not visible.

5.5.2 SEARCH WITH THE FIND IN PROJECT COMMAND

The Find in project command retrieves all the instances of a specified character string
in the project.
In order to use this functionality choose the appropriate voice of the menu
Edit > Find in project .
Application will show you the following dialog box:

user manual 49
 1) In the Find what text box, type the name of the object you want to search.

Otherwise, click the Browse button to the right of the text box, and select the name
of the object from the list of all the existing items.
2) Select one of the values listed in the Location combo box, so as to specify a con-
straint on the location of the objects to be inspected.

3) The frame named Filters contains 7 checkboxes, each of which, if ticked, enables
research of the string among the object it refers to.
4) Tick Match whole word only if you want to compare your string to entire word only.
5) Tick Match case if you want your search to be case-sensitive.
6) Press Find to start the search, otherwise click Cancel to abandon.

The results will be printed in the Find in project tab of the Output window.

50 user manual
5.6 WORKING WITH APPLICATION EXTENSIONS
Applications Workspace window may include a section whose contents completely depend
on the target device the IDE is interfacing with: the Resources panel.
If the Resources panel is visible, you can access some additional features related to the
target device (configuration elements, schemas, wizards, and so on).

Information about these features may be found in a separate document: refer to your
hardware supplier for details.

user manual 51
5.7 PROJECT CUSTOM WORKSPACE
The custom workspace functionalities allow you to organize your project tree according to
your needs, in order to obtain more efficiency in the management of the project.
All organizationals units of the custom workspace are logical: creating and editing those
units will no triggers any effects on the PLC code.

5.7.1 ENABLE THE CUSTOM WORKSPACE INTO AN EXISTING PROJECT

To enable this feature see the Project>Options... (see Paragraph 4.6.1), once enabled the
project needs to be reloaded.
By default this features is enabled depending on targets.

5.7.2 WORKSPACES MIGRATION

Whenever this feature is switched, Application tries to reorder the workspace maintaining
the user customization by this logic:

Static (old) workspace to custom (new)

Fixed logic units (Ex. Function blocks folder) are converted into new dynamic folders with
the same names. Fixed global group units (Ex. Mapped variables) are converted into new
global dynamic groups with the same names. All global variables that do not belong to any
group will be grouped into a new group called Ungrouped global vars.

Custom (new) workspace to static (old)

All custom units will be destroyed and all POUs and global variables will be grouped into
the default fixed units (Ex. Function blocks folder and Mapped Variables).

52 user manual
5.7.3 CUSTOM WORKSPACE BASIC UNITS
In the new custom workspace you can work using two different main logic units:
-- Folder: this is an optional logical unit that can contain POUs, folders (you can nest fold-
ers into another one) and global variables group.

-- Global variables group: this is a mandatory logical unit that can only contain global
variables. In order to create a global variable you need to have almost one global vari-
ables group defined into your custom workspace.

5.7.4 CUSTOM WORKSPACE OPERATIONS

Different useful operations can be performed in order to give a better organization of your
project.

Creating a folder

In order to create a folder select the root item of the project tree or, if you want to nest
it, an existing folder then choose the [Add>New folder] voice of the context menu.

This operation adds a new customizable folder (by default named New folder) unit
ready to be renamed.

Creating a Global variables Group

In order to create a global variables group select the root item of the project tree or, if
you want to nest it, an existing folder the [Add>New global variables group] voice of the
context menu.
This operation adds a new customizable folder (by default named New var group) unit
ready to be renamed.

Rename a unit (folder or Global variables group)

In order to rename a global variables group or a folder select it than choose [Rename]
voice of the context menu.
This operations makes the name of the unit ready to be renamed.

Deleting a unit (folder or Global variables group)

In order to delete a global variables group or a folder select it than choose [Delete] voice
of the context menu.
If the units contains any child you will be prompted for three possibilities:
1) Delete all child elements too (this may impact the PLC).
2) Do not delete child elements, they will be moved upwards following the project tree.
3) Cancel the operations and do nothing.

Export all children to library

In order to export all elements of a global variables group or a folder select it than choose
[Export all children to library] voice of the context menu.
This operation allows you to export recursively all child elements of the selected item into
a library (see 4.8.2 for more information about new library).

Moving Unit
You can simply drag&drop units to a different location of the tree in order to organize
your project workspace. All children are moved if the parent item is moved, following the

user manual 53
 original structure.
Moving variables is also possible both from project tree (single selection) and from the
variable grid (single and multiple selections) (see Paragraph 6.6 for more information
about variables editor).

5.7.5 WORKSPACE ELEMENTS WITH LIMITATIONS

Some elements of the workspace are fixed and not customizable. They are automatically
generated by Application and no special custom operations are allowed on.

Root Project Element

You can not move, rename or delete this element. It can contain customizable units as
children.

POUs Children Elments

These elements are generated following the structure of the POU they belong to. You can
not move, rename or delete these elements directly from the tree. For more information
about POUs (see Paragraph 5.1).

SFC Children Elements

These elements follow the aforesaid rules but especially for the SFC children nodes the
rename or delete operations are not allowed also on the POUs that belong to Actions or
Transitions elements. For more information about SFC language (see Paragraph 6.5).

Aux Variables Element

You can not move, rename or delete this element and his children. They are automatically
generated by Application.

Tasks Element
You can not move, rename or delete these elements. They are automatically generated by
Application. For more information about SFC language (see Paragraph 5.3).

54 user manual
6. EDITING THE SOURCE CODE
PLC editors
Application includes five source code editors, which support the whole range of IEC 61131-
3 programming languages: Instruction List (IL), Structured Text (ST), Ladder Diagram
(LD), Function Block Diagram (FBD), and Sequential Function Chart (SFC).
Moreover, Application includes a grid-like editor to support the user in the definition of
variables.
All editors, both graphical and text one, support tooltips. By enabling them (see Para-
graph 3.6.1.4), Application will show some information about symbols on which the user
move the mouse.
This chapter focuses on all these editors.

6.1 INSTRUCTION LIST (IL) EDITOR

The IL editor allows you to code and modify POUs using IL (i.e., Instruction List), one of
the IEC-compliant languages.

6.1.1 EDITING FUNCTIONS

The IL editor is endowed with functions common to most editors running on a Windows
platform, namely:
-- Text selection.
-- Edit>Cut .
-- Edit>Copy .
-- Edit>Paste .
-- Edit>Replace .
-- Drag-and-drop of selected text.

6.1.2 REFERENCE TO PLC OBJECTS

If you need to add to your IL code a reference to an existing PLC object, you have two
options:
-- You can type directly the name of the PLC object.
-- You can drag it to a suitable location. For example, global variables can be taken from
the Workspace window, whereas standard operators and embedded functions can be
dragged from the Libraries window, whereas local variables can be selected from the
local variables editor.

user manual 55
6.1.3 AUTOMATIC ERROR LOCATION
The IL editor also automatically displays the location of compiler errors. To know where
a compiler error occurred, double-click the corresponding error line in the Output bar.

6.1.4 BOOKMARKS
You can set bookmarks to mark frequently accessed lines in your source file. Once a book-
mark is set, you can use a keyboard command to move to it. You can remove a bookmark
when you no longer need it.

6.1.4.1 SETTING A BOOKMARK

Move the insertion point to the line where you want to set a bookmark, then press
Ctrl+F2. The line is marked in the margin by a light-blue circle.

6.1.4.2 JUMPING TO A BOOKMARK

Press F2 repeatedly, until you reach the desired line

6.1.4.3 REMOVING A BOOKMARK

Move the cursor to anywhere on the line containing the bookmark, then press Ctrl+ F2.

6.2 STRUCTURED TEXT (ST) EDITOR

The ST editor allows you to code and modify POUs using ST (i.e. Structured Text), one of
the IEC-compliant languages.

6.2.1 CREATING AND EDITING ST OBJECTS

See the Creating and Editing POUs section (see Paragraphs 5.1.1 and 5.1.2).

6.2.2 EDITING FUNCTIONS

The ST editor is endowed with functions common to most editors running on a Windows
platform, namely:
-- Text selection.
-- Edit>Cut .
-- Edit>Copy
-- Edit>Paste .
-- Edit>Replace .

56 user manual
 -- Drag-and-drop of selected text.

6.2.3 REFERENCE TO PLC OBJECTS

If you need to add to your ST code a reference to an existing PLC object, you
have two options:
-- You can type directly the name of the PLC object.
-- You can drag it to a suitable location. For example, global variables can be taken from
the Workspace window, whereas embedded functions can be dragged from the Librar-
ies window, whereas local variables can be selected from the local variables editor.

6.2.4 AUTOMATIC ERROR LOCATION

The ST editor also automatically displays the location of compiler errors. To know where a
compiler error has occurred, double-click the corresponding error line in the Output bar.

6.2.5 BOOKMARKS
You can set bookmarks to mark frequently accessed lines in your source file. Once a book-
mark is set, you can use a keyboard command to move to it. You can remove a bookmark
when you no longer need it.

6.2.5.1 SETTING A BOOKMARK

Move the insertion point to the line where you want to set a bookmark, then press
Ctrl+F2. The line is marked in the margin by a light-blue circle.

6.2.5.2 JUMPING TO A BOOKMARK

Press F2 repeatedly, until you reach the desired line.

6.2.5.3 REMOVING A BOOKMARK

Move the cursor to anywhere on the line containing the bookmark, then press Ctrl+F2.

user manual 57
6.3 LADDER DIAGRAM (LD) EDITOR

The LD editor allows you to code and modify POUs using LD (i.e. Ladder Diagram), one of
the IEC-compliant languages.

6.3.1 CREATING A NEW LD DOCUMENT

See the Creating and Editing POUs section (see Paragraphs 5.1.1 and 5.1.2).

6.3.2 ADDING/REMOVING NETWORKS

Each POU coded in LD consists of a sequence of networks. A network is defined as a
maximal set of interconnected graphic elements. The upper and lower bounds of every
network are fixed by two straight lines, while each network is delimited on the left by a
grey raised button containing the network number.

On each LD network the right and the left power rail are represented, according to the LD
language indication.
On the new LD network a horizontal line links the two power rails. It is called the power
link. On this link, all the LD elements (contacts, coils and blocks) have to be placed.
You can perform the following operations on networks:
-- To add a new blank network, click Scheme>Network>New , or press one of the equivalent
buttons in the Network toolbar.
-- To assign a label to a selected network, give the Scheme>Network>Label . This enables
jumping to the labeled network.
-- To display a background grid which helps you to align objects, click View>Grid .
-- To add a comment, click Scheme>Object>New Comment .

58 user manual
6.3.3 LABELING NETWORKS
You can modify the usual order of execution of networks through a jump statement, which
transfers the program control to a labeled network. To assign a label to a network, double-
click the raised grey button on the left, which bears the network number.
This causes a dialog box to appear, where you can type the label you want to associate
with the selected network.

If you press OK, the label is printed in the top left-hand corner of the selected network.

6.3.4 INSERTING CONTACTS

To insert new contacts on the network apply one of the following options:
-- Select a contact, a block, a pin of block, or a connection point, that will act as the in-
sertion point. Insert the new contact choosing between the connection type (serial or
parallel) and choosing the position (before or after the currently selected object) by
using the Sheme>Object>New . For serial insertion, the new contact will be inserted on
the left or right side of the selected contact/block or in the middle of the selected con-
nection depending on the element selected before the insertion. For parallel insertions,
several contacts can be selected before performing the insertion; the new contact will
be inserted above or below the group of selected contacts.

user manual 59
 -- Drag a boolean variable to the desired place over an object. For example, global vari-
ables can be taken from the Workspace window, whereas local variables can be selected
from the local variables editor. Contacts inserted with drag and drop will always be in-
serted in series after the destination object.

6.3.5 INSERTING COILS

To insert new coils on the network apply one of the following options:
-- Click Scheme>Object>New>Coil . The new coil will be inserted and linked to the right
power rail. If other coils, return or jumps are already present in the network, the new
coil will be added in parallel with the previous ones.

-- Drag a boolean variable on the network, over an existing output of the network (coil,
return, jump). For example, global variables can be taken from the Workspace window,
whereas local variables can be selected from the local variables editor.

6.3.6 INSERTING BLOCKS

To insert blocks on the network apply one of the following options:
-- Select a contact, connection or block then click Scheme>Object>New>Block , which
causes a dialog box to appear listing all the objects of the project, then choose one
item from the list.
-- Drag the selected object (from the Workspace window, the Libraries window or the
local variables editor) over the desired connection.
If the object has at least one BOOL input and one BOOL output pins, they will be connected
to the power link (and it will possible to add EN/ENO pins later with the provided com-
mand); otherwise the EN/ENO pins will be automatically added.
Operators, functions and function blocks can only be inserted into an LD network on the
main power link, or on the power link of a branch (so they can not be inserted on the par-
allel of a contact); it is also not possible to create a contact in parallel of a block.
If a block has a BOOL input pin, it is possible to create another logical sub-network of
contacts and blocks before it; otherwise, you can connect only variables, constants or

60 user manual
 expressions (that nevertheless can be connected to BOOL pins) to non-BOOL input pins.

6.3.7 EDITING COILS AND CONTACTS PROPERTIES

The type of a contact (normal, negated, positive, negative) or a coil (normal, negated,
set, reset, positive, negative) can be changed by one of the following operations:
-- Double-click on the element (contact or coil).
-- Select the element and then press the Enter key.
-- Select the element, activate the pop-up menu, then select [Properties] .
An apposite dialog box will appear. Select the desired element type from the presented
list and then press OK.
Otherwise, select the desired contact or coil, and change its type using the six provided
buttons in the LD toolbar or the six commands in the Scheme menu.

6.3.8 EDITING NETWORKS

The LD editor is endowed with functions common to most graphic applications running on
a Windows platform, namely:
-- Selection of a block.
-- Selection of a set of adjacent contacts by pressing Ctrl+Left button on each contact
to select; if the selection spans across different parallel branches, more contacts will be
automatically added in the selection.
-- Edit>Cut , Edit>Copy , Edit>Paste operations of a single block as well as of a
set of blocks.
-- Drag-and-drop of the selected object or group, to move it inside or outside the current
network.
Adding, moving, deleting or copy/pasting objects will automatically recalculate the layout
of the network objects; because of this, it is not possible to manually draw connection
lines or freely placing objects without connecting them to the network.

6.3.9 MODIFYING PROPERTIES OF BLOCKS

-- Click Scheme>Increment pins , to increment the number of input pins of some opera-
tors and embedded functions.

-- Click Scheme>Enable EN/ENO pins , to display the enable input and output pins.

EN/ENO pins can be removed only if the selected block has at least one BOOL input and
one BOOL output; otherwise, they will be automatically added when creating the block
and it will not be possible to remove them (the Enable EN/ENO pins command will be
disabled).

user manual 61
 If a block has more than one BOOL output pin, it is possible to choose which pin will bring
the signal out of the block and so continue the power link: select the desired output
pin and click the Scheme>Set output line menu command.
-- Click Scheme>Object>Instance name , to change the name of an instance of a function
block.

6.3.10 GETTING INFORMATION ON A BLOCK

You can always get information on a block that you added to an LD document, by selecting
it and then performing one of the following operations:
-- click Scheme>Object>Open source , to open the source code of a block.
-- Click Scheme>Object properties in the menu, to see properties and input/output pins
of the selected block.

6.3.11 AUTOMATIC ERROR RETRIEVAL

The LD editor also automatically displays the location of compiler errors. To reach the
block where a compiler error occurred, double-click the corresponding error line in the
Output bar.

6.3.12 INSERTING VARIABLES

To connect a variable to an input or output pin of a block apply one of the following op-
tions:
-- select the pin of a block, and then click the Scheme>Object>New>Variable menu com-
mand; then double-click the new variable object (or press ENTER) and enter the variable
name.
-- Drag the selected variable (from the Workspace window, the Libraries window or the
local variables editor) over the desired pin of a block.

6.3.13 INSERTING CONSTANTS

To connect a numeric constant to an input pin of block, select the pin and click the
Scheme>Object>New>Constant menu command; then double-click the new constant ob-
ject (or press ENTER) and enter the numeric constant value.

6.3.14 INSERTING EXPRESSION

To connect a complex expression to an input pin of block, select the pin and click the
Scheme>Object>New>Expression menu command; then double-click the new expression
object (or press ENTER) and enter any ST expression:
(a+b)*c

TO_INT(n)

ADR(x)

62 user manual
6.3.15 COMMENTS
It is possible to insert two types of comments:
-- network comments: activate the network by clicking on the header on the left or inside the
grid (but without selecting any object), and then click the Scheme>Object>New>Comment
menu command. The network comment will be displayed at the top of the network, and
if necessary will be expanded to show all the text lines of the comment.
-- Object comments: they are activated with the apposite menu command in
View>Show comments for objects ; above any contact, function block or coil the descrip-
tion of the associated PLC variable (if present) will be initially shown, but with the Com-
ment command you can modify it to enter a specific object comment that will override
the PLC variable description.

6.3.16 BRANCHES
The main power line can be branched to create sub-networks, that can be further branched
themselves: to add a branch, select the object after you want to create the branch and
then click the Scheme>Object>New>Branch menu command.
The start of the new branch is marked as a big dot on the source line; deleting all objects
on a branch deletes the branch itself.
Selecting an object on a branch effectively selects the branch, so for example selecting a
contact on a branch and then clicking the Scheme>Object>New>Coil adds the coil on the
branch instead of adding it on the main power line.

user manual 63
6.4 FUNCTION BLOCK DIAGRAM (FBD) EDITOR

The FBD editor allows you to code and modify POUs using FBD (i.e. Function Block Dia-
gram), one of the IEC-compliant languages.

6.4.1 CREATING A NEW FBD DOCUMENT

See the Creating and editing POUs section (see Paragraphs 5.1.1 and 5.1.2).

6.4.2 ADDING/REMOVING NETWORKS

Every POU coded in FBD consists of a sequence of networks. A network is defined as a
maximal set of interconnected graphic elements. The upper and lower bounds of every
network are fixed by two straight lines, while each network is delimited on the left by a
grey raised button containing the network number.

64 user manual
 You can perform the following operations on networks:
-- To add a new blank network, click Scheme>Network>New .
-- To assign a label to a selected network, give the Scheme>Network>Label command. This
enables jumping to the labeled network.
-- To display a background grid which helps you to align objects, click View>View greed .
-- To add a comment, click Scheme>Object>New>Comment .

6.4.3 LABELING NETWORKS

You can modify the usual order of execution of networks through a jump statement, which
transfers the program control to a labeled network. To assign a label to a network, double-
click the raised grey button on the left, that bears the network number.

This causes a dialog box to appear, which lets you type the label you want to associate
with the selected network.

If you press OK, the label is printed in the top left-hand corner of the selected network.

6.4.4 INSERTING AND CONNECTING BLOCKS

This paragraph shows you how to build a network.
Add a block to the blank network, by applying one of the following options:
-- Click Scheme>Object>New>Function Block which causes a dialog box to appear list-
ing all the objects of the project, then choose one item from the list. If the block is a
constant, a return statement, or a jump statement, you can directly press the relevant
buttons in the FBD toolbar.
-- Drag the selected object to the suitable location. For example, global variables can be
taken from the Workspace window, whereas standard operators and embedded func-
tions can be dragged from the Libraries window, whereas local variables can be se-
lected from the local variables editor.
Repeat until you have added all the blocks that will make up the network.
Then connect blocks:
-- Click Edit>Connection mode , or simply press the space bar of your keyboard. Click
once the source pin, then move the mouse pointer to the destination pin: the FBD editor
draws a logical wire from the former to the latter.
-- If you want to connect two blocks having a one-to-one correspondence of pins, you can
enable the auto connection mode by clicking Scheme>Auto connect . Then take the two

user manual 65
 blocks, drag them close to each other so as to let the corresponding pins coincide. The
FBD editor automatically draws the logical wires.

If you delete a block, its connections are not removed automatically, but they become
invalid and they are redrawn red. Click Scheme>Delete invalid connection .

6.4.5 EDITING NETWORKS

The FBD editor is endowed with functions common to most graphic applications running
on a Windows platform, namely:
-- Selection of a block.
-- Selection of a set of blocks by pressing Shift + left button and by drawing a frame
including the blocks to select.
-- Edit>Cut , Edit>Copy , Edit>Paste operations of a single block as well as of a
set of blocks.
-- Drag-and-drop.

6.4.6 MODIFYING PROPERTIES OF BLOCKS

-- Click Scheme>Increment pins , to increment the number of input pins of some opera-
tors and embedded functions.

-- Click Scheme>Enable EN/ENO pins , to display the enable input and output pins.

-- Click Scheme>Object>Instance name , or click Scheme>Object properties , to change the

name of an instance of a function block.

6.4.7 GETTING INFORMATION ON A BLOCK

You can always get information on a block that you added to an FBD document, by select-
ing it and then performing one of the following operations:
-- Click Scheme>Object>Open source , to open the source code of a block.
-- Click Scheme>Object properties , to see properties and input/output pins of the se-
lected block.

66 user manual
6.4.8 AUTOMATIC ERROR RETRIEVAL
The FBD editor also automatically displays the location of compiler errors. To reach the
block where a compiler error occurred, double-click the corresponding error line in the
Output bar.

6.5 SEQUENTIAL FUNCTION CHART (SFC) EDITOR

The SFC editor allows you to code and modify POUs using SFC (i.e. Sequential Function
Chart), one of the IEC-compliant languages.

6.5.1 CREATING A NEW SFC DOCUMENT

See the creating and editing POUs section (see Paragraphs 5.1.1 and 5.1.2).

6.5.2 INSERTING A NEW SFC ELEMENT

-- Click Scheme>Object>New>Step .
-- Click Scheme>Object>New>transition .
-- Click Scheme>Object>New>Jump .
In either case, the mouse pointer changes to:

for steps;

for transitions;

for jumps.

6.5.3 CONNECTING SFC ELEMENTS

Follow this procedure to connect SFC blocks:
-- Click Edit>Connection mode , or simply press the space bar on your keyboard. Click
once the source pin, then move the mouse pointer to the destination pin: the SFC editor
draws a logical wire from the former to the latter.
-- Alternatively, you can enable the auto connection mode by clicking Scheme>Auto connect
Then take the two blocks, and drag them close to each other so as to let the respective
pins coincide, which makes the SFC editor draw automatically the logical wire.

6.5.4 ASSIGNING AN ACTION TO A STEP

This paragraph explains how to implement an action and how to assign it to a step.

6.5.4.1 WRITING THE CODE OF AN ACTION

To start implementing an action, you need to open an editor. Do it by applying one of the
following procedures:
-- Click Scheme>Code object>New action .
-- Right-click on the name of the SFC POU in the Workspace window [New action] .

user manual 67
 In either case, Application displays a dialog box like the one shown below.

Select one of the languages and type the name of the new action in the text box at the
bottom of the dialog box. Then either confirm by pressing OK, or quit by clicking Cancel.
If you press OK, Application opens automatically the editor associated with the language
you selected in the previous dialog box and you are ready to type the code of the new
action.
Note that you are not allowed to declare new local variables, as the module you are now
editing is a component of the original SFC module, which is the POU where local variables
can be declared. The scope of local variables extends to all the actions and transitions
making up the SFC diagram.

6.5.4.2 ASSIGNING AN ACTION TO A STEP

When you have finished writing the code, double-click the step you want to assign the
new action to. This causes the following dialog box to appear.

From the list shown in the Code N box, select the name of the action you want to execute
if the step is active. You may also choose, from the list shown in the Code P (Pulse) box,
the name of the action you want to execute each time the step becomes active (that is,
the action is executed only once per step activation, regardless of the number of cycles
the step remains active). Confirm the assignments by pressing OK.
In the SFC schema, action to step assignments are represented by letters on the step
block:
-- action N by letter N in the top right corner;
-- action P by letter P in the bottom right corner.

68 user manual
 If later you need to edit the source code of the action, you can just double-click these
letters. Alternatively, you can double-click the name of the action in the Actions folder of
the Workspace window.

6.5.5 SPECIFYING A CONSTANT/A VARIABLE AS THE CONDITION OF

A TRANSITION
As stated in the relevant section of the language reference, a transition condition can be
assigned through a constant, a variable, or a piece of code. This paragraph explains how
to use the first two means, while conditional code is discussed in the next paragraph.
First of all double-click the transition you want to assign a condition to. This causes the
following dialog box to appear.

Select True if you want this transition to be constantly cleared, False if you want the PLC
program to keep executing the preceding block.
Instead, if you select Variable the transition will depend on the value of a Boolean vari-
able. Click the corresponding bullet, to make the text box to its right available, and to
specify the name of the variable.
To this purpose, you can also make use of the objects browser, that you can invoke by
pressing the Browse button shown here below.

Click OK to confirm, or Cancel to quit without applying changes.

6.5.6 ASSIGNING CONDITIONAL CODE TO A TRANSITION

This paragraph explains how to specify a condition through a piece of code, and how to
assign it to a transition.

6.5.6.1 WRITING THE CODE OF A CONDITION

Start by opening an editor, following one of these procedures:

-- Click Scheme>Code object>New transition .
-- Right-click on the name of the SFC POU in the Workspace window [New transition] .
In either case, Application displays a dialog box similar the one shown in the following
picture.

user manual 69
 Note that you can use any language except SFC to code a condition. Select one of the
languages and type the name of the new condition in the text box at the bottom of the
dialog box. Then either confirm by pressing OK, or quit by clicking Cancel.
If you press OK, Application opens automatically the editor associated with the language
you selected in the previous dialog box and you can type the code of the new condition.
Note that you are not allowed to declare new local variables, as the module you are now
editing is a component of the original SFC module, which is the POU where local variables
can be declared. The scope of local variables extends to all the actions and transitions
making up the SFC diagram.

6.5.6.2 ASSIGNING A CONDITION TO A TRANSITION

When you have finished writing the code, double-click the transition you want to assign
the new condition to. This causes the following dialog box to appear.

Select the name of the condition you want to assign to this step. Then confirm by press-
ing OK.
If later you need to edit the source code of the condition, you can double-click the name
of the transition in the Transitions folder of the Workspace window.

70 user manual
6.5.7 SPECIFYING THE DESTINATION OF A JUMP
To specify the destination step of a jump, double-click the jump block in the Chart area.
This causes the dialog box shown below to appear, listing the name of all the existing
steps. Select the destination step, then either press OK to confirm or Cancel to quit.

6.5.8 EDITING SFC NETWORKS

The SFC editor is endowed with functions common to most graphic applications running
on a Windows platform, namely:
-- Selection of a block.
-- Selection of a set of blocks by pressing Ctrl + left button.
-- Edit>Cut , Edit>Copy , Edit>Paste operations of a single block as well as of a
set of blocks.
-- Drag-and-drop.

6.6 VARIABLES EDITOR

Application includes a graphical editor for both global and local variables that supplies a
user-friendly interface for declaring and editing variables: the tool takes care of the trans-
lation of the contents of these editors into syntactically correct IEC 61131-3 source code.
As an example, consider the contents of the Global variables editor represented in the
following figure.

The corresponding source code will look like this:

VAR_GLOBAL
gA : BOOL := TRUE;
gB : ARRAY[ 0..4 ] OF REAL;
gC AT %MD60.20 : REAL := 1.0;
END_VAR
VAR_GLOBAL CONSTANT
gD : INT := -74;
END_VAR

user manual 71
6.6.1 OPENING A VARIABLES EDITOR
6.6.1.1 OPENING THE GLOBAL VARIABLES EDITOR

In order to open the Global variables editor, double-click on Global variables in the
project tree.

6.6.1.2 OPENING A LOCAL VARIABLES EDITOR

To open a local variables editor, just open the Program Organization Unit the variables you
want to edit are local to.

72 user manual
6.6.2 CREATING A NEW VARIABLE
In order to create a new variable, you may click Variables>Insert .

6.6.3 EDITING VARIABLES

Follow this procedure to edit the declaration of a variable in a variables editor (all the fol-
lowing steps are optional and you will typically skip most of them when editing a variable):
1) Edit the name of the variable by entering the new name in the corresponding cell.

2) Change the variable type, either by editing the type name in the corresponding cell
or by clicking on the button in that cell and select the desired type from the list that
pops up.

3) Edit the address of the variable by clicking on the button in the corresponding cell
and entering the required information in the window that shows up. Note that, in the
case of global variables, this operation may change the position of the variable in the
project tree.

user manual 73
 4) In the case of global variables, you can assign the variable to a group, by selecting
it from the list which opens when you click on the corresponding cell. This operation
will change the position of the variable in the project tree.

5) Choose whether a variable is an array or not; if it is, edit the size of the variable.

6) Edit the initial values of the variable: click on the button in the corresponding cell and
enter the values in the window that pops up.

7) Assign an attribute to the variable (for example, CONSTANT or RETAIN), by selecting it

from the list which opens when you click on the corresponding cell.

8) Type a description for the variable in the corresponding cell. Note that, in the case of
global variables, this operation may change the position of the variable in the project
tree.

74 user manual
 9) Save the project to persist the changes you made to the declaration of the variable.

WARNING
UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION
Ensure that all variables are initialized to an appropriate value before their first use as array
indices.
Write programming instructions to test the validity of operands intended to be used as array
indices.
Do not attempt to access an array element outside the defined bounds of the array.
Do not attempt to assign a value to an array name without using an appropriate index into
the array.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage

6.6.4 DELETING VARIABLES

In order to delete one or more variables, select them in the editor: you may use the CTRL
or the SHIFT keys to select multiple elements.

Then, click Variables>Delete .

Notice that you cannot delete the RESULT of an IEC61131-3 FUNCTION.

6.6.5 SORTING VARIABLES

You can sort the variables in the editor by clicking on the column header of the field you
want to use as the sorting criterion.

user manual 75
6.6.6 COPYING VARIABLES
The variables editor allows you to quickly copy and paste elements. You can either use
keyboard shortcuts or the Edit>Copy , Edit>Paste menu.
Note: overlapping addresses problems may occur by copying mapped variables. Application can
automatically assign new free address to the new pasted variable and fix the overlap. In
order to enable this functionality please refer to paragraph 3.6 and 4.8.3.2 for further
details.

76 user manual
7. COMPILING

Compilation consists of taking the PLC source code and automatically translating it into
binary code, which can be executed by the processor on the target device.

7.1 COMPILING THE PROJECT

Before starting actual compilation, make sure that at least one program has been as-
signed to a task.

When this pre-condition does not hold, compilation aborts with a meaningful error mes-
sage.

In order to start compilation, click Project>Compile .

Note that Application automatically saves all changes to the project before starting the
compilation.

7.1.1 IMAGE FILE LOADING

Before performing the actual compilation, the compiler needs to load the image file (img
file), which contains the map of memory of the target device. If the target is connected
when compilation is started, the compiler seeks the image file directly on the target. Oth-
erwise, it loads the local copy of the image file from the working folder. If the target device
is disconnected and there is no local copy of the image file, compilation cannot be carried
out: you are then required to connect to a working target device.

7.2 COMPILER OUTPUT

If the previous step was accomplished, the compiler performs the actual compilation,
then prints a report in the Output window. The last string of the report has the following
format:
m warnings, n errors
It tells the user the outcome of compilation.

Condition Description
Compiler error(s). The PLC code contains one or more serious errors,
n>0
which cannot be worked around by the compiler.

user manual 77
 Condition Description
Emission of warning(s). The PLC code contains one or more minor
errors, which the compiler automatically spotted and worked around.
However, you are informed that the PLC program may act in a
n=0, m>0
different way from what you expected: you are encouraged to get rid
of these warnings by editing and re-compiling the application until no
warning messages are emitted.
PLC code entirely correct, compilation accomplished. You should
n=m=0
always work with 0 warnings, 0 errors.

7.2.1 COMPILER ERRORS

When your application contains one or more errors, some useful information is printed in
the Output window for each of those errors.

As you can see, the information includes:

-- the name of the Program Organization Unit affected by the error;
-- the number of the source code line which procured the error;
-- whether it is a fatal error (error) or one that the compiler could work around (warn-
ing);
-- the error code;
-- the error description.
Refer to the appropriate section for the compiler error reference.
If you double-click the error message in the Output bar, Application opens the source
code and highlights the line containing the error.

78 user manual
 You can then fix the problem and re-compile.

user manual 79
7.3 COMMAND-LINE COMPILER
Applications compiler can be used independently from the IDE: in Applications directory,
you can find an executable file, Command-line compiler, which can be invoked (for ex-
ample, in a batch file) with a number of options.
In order to get information about the syntax and the options of this command-line tool,
just launch the executable without parameters.

80 user manual
8. LAUNCHING THE APPLICATION

In order to download and debug the application, you have to establish a connection with
the target device. This chapter focuses on the operations required to connect to the target
and to download the application, while the wide range of Applications debugging tools
deserves a separate chapter (see Chapter 9).

8.1 SETTING UP THE COMMUNICATION

In order to establish the connection with the target device, make sure the physical link is
up (all the cables are plugged in, the network is properly configured, and so on).
Follow this procedure to set up and establish the connection to the target device:
1) Click On-line>Set up communication... menu of the Application main window. This
causes the following dialog box to appear.

The elements in the list of communication protocols you can select from depend on
the setup executable(s) you have run on your PC (refer to your hardware provider if
a protocol you expect to appear in the list is missing).
2) Choose the appropriate protocol and make it the active protocol.

Note: in case the connection is made through a USB cable, using a virtual COM port on your
PC, Modbus protocol is to be activated.

user manual 81
 3) Fill in all the protocol-specific settings (e.g., the address or the communication
timeout - that is how long Application must wait for an answer from the target before
displaying a communication error message).
If the selection is on Modbus, with a USB cable connection, only the proper virtual
COM port is to be selected, leaving all the other parameters as default.

4) Apply the changes you made to the communication settings.

Now you can establish communication by clicking On-line>Connect menu.

82 user manual
8.1.1 SAVING THE LAST USED COMMUNICATION PORT
When you connect to target devices using a serial port (COM port), you usually use the
same port for all devices (many modern PCs have only one COM port). You may save the
last used COM port and let Application use that port to override the project settings: this
feature proves especially useful when you share projects with other developers, which
may use a different COM port to connect to the target device.
In order to save your COM port settings, enable the Use last port option in File>Options...
menu.

8.2 ON-LINE STATUS

8.2.1 CONNECTION STATUS
The state of communication is shown in a small box next to the right border of the Status
bar.
If you have not yet attempted to connect to the target, the state of communication is set
to Not connected.

When you try to connect to the target device, the state of communication becomes one
of the following:
-- Error: the communication cannot be established. You should check both the physical
link and the communication settings.

-- Connected: the communication has been established.

8.2.2 APPLICATION STATUS

Next to the communication status there is another small box which gives information
about the status of the application currently executing on the target device.
When the connection status is Connected, the application status takes on one of the fol-
lowing values.
-- No code: no application is executing on the target device.

-- Diff. code: the application currently executing on the target device is not the same as
the one currently open in the IDE; moreover, no debug information consistent with the
running application is available: thus, the values shown in the watch window or in the
oscilloscope are not reliable and the debug mode cannot be activated.

-- Diff. code, Symbols OK: the application currently executing on the target device is

user manual 83
 not the same as the one currently open in the IDE; however, some debug information
consistent with the running application is available (for example, because that applica-
tion has been previously downloaded to the target device from the same PC): the values
shown in the watch window or in the oscilloscope are reliable, but the debug mode still
cannot be activated.

-- Source OK: the application currently executing on the target device is the same as the
one currently open in the IDE: the debug mode can be activated.

8.3 DOWNLOADING THE APPLICATION

A compiled PLC application must be downloaded to the target device in order to have
the processor execute it. This paragraph shows you how to send a PLC code to a target
device. Note that Application can download the code to the target device only if the latter
is connected to the PC where Application is running. See the related section for details.
To download the application, click On-line>Download code .
Application checks whether the project has unsaved changes. If this is the case, it auto-
matically starts the compilation of the application. The binary code is eventually sent to
the target device, which then undergoes automatic reset at the end of transmission. Now
the code you sent is actually executed by the processor on the target device.

8.3.1 CONTROLLING SOURCE CODE DOWNLOAD

Whether the source code of the application is downloaded along with the binary code or
not, depends on the target device you are interfacing with: some devices host the appli-
cation source code in their storage, in order to allow the developer to upload the project
in a later moment.
If this is the case, you can control some aspects of the source code download process, as
explained in the following paragraphs.

84 user manual
8.3.1.1 PROTECTING THE SOURCE CODE WITH A PASSWORD

You may want to protect the source code downloaded to the target device with a pass-
word, so that Application will not open the uploaded project unless the correct password
is entered.
Click the Project>Options... menu and set the password.

You may opt to disable the password, instead.

user manual 85
8.3.1.2 SOURCE CODE AND DEBUG SYMBOLS DOWNLOAD TIME

From the following select menu you can set the Source code download time.

Choosing:
-- On PLC application download: the Source code will be downloaded to the target to-
gether with PLC application.
-- Before disconnection: the Source code will be downloaded before target disconnec-
tion.
-- Never: the Source code will be never downloaded to the target.
As well as Source code the Debug symbols download time can be set using the following
select menu with the same options.

86 user manual
8.4 SIMULATION
Depending on the target device you are interfacing with, you may be able to simulate the
execution of the PLC application with Applications integrated simulation environment:
Simulation.
In order to start the simulation, just click Debug>Simulation mode .
Refer to Simulations manual to gain information on how to control the simulation.

8.5 CONTROL THE PLC EXECUTION

The PLC application execution can be controlled using the related functions in the project
bar or by the command presents in the On-line menu.

8.5.1 HALT
You can stop the PLC execution by clicking On-line>Halt

8.5.2 COLD RESTART

The PLC application execution will be restarted and both retain and non-retain variables
will be resetted.
You can cold restart the PLC execution by clicking On-line>Cold restart .

8.5.3 WARM RESTART

The PLC application execution will be restarted and only non-retain variables will be reset-
ted.
You can warm restart the PLC execution by clicking On-line>Warm restart .

8.5.4 HOT RESTART

The PLC application execution will be restarted and no variables will be resetted.
You can hot restart the PLC execution by clicking On-line>Hot restart .

8.5.5 REBOOT TARGET

You can reboot the target by clicking On-line>Reboot target .

user manual 87
88 user manual
9. DEBUGGING

Application provides several debugging tools, which help the developer to check whether
the application behaves as expected or not.
All these debugging tools basically allow the developer to watch the value of selected vari-
ables while the PLC application is running.
Application debugging tools can be gathered in two classes:
-- Asynchronous debuggers. They read the values of the variables selected by the devel-
oper with successive queries issued to the target device. Both the manager of the de-
bugging tool (that runs on the PC) and, potentially, the task which is responsible to an-
swer those queries (on the target device) run independently from the PLC application.
Thus, there is no guarantee about the values of two distinct variables being sampled in
the same moment, with respect to the PLC application execution (one or more cycles
may have occurred); for the same reason, the evolution of the value of a single variable
is not reliable, especially when it changes fast.
-- Synchronous debuggers. They require the definition of a trigger in the PLC code. They
refresh simultaneously all the variables they have been assigned every time the proces-
sor reaches the trigger, as no further instruction can be executed until the value of all
the variables is refreshed. As a result, synchronous debuggers obviate the limitations
affecting asynchronous ones.
This chapter shows you how to debug your application using both asynchronous and syn-
chronous tools.

9.1 WATCH WINDOW

The Watch window allows you to monitor the current values of a set of variables. Being
an asynchronous tool, the Watch window does not guarantee synchronization of values.
Therefore, when reading the values of the variables in the Watch window, be aware of
the possibility that they may refer to different execution cycles of the corresponding task.
The Watch window contains an item for each variable that you added to it. The informa-
tion shown in the Watch window includes the name of the variable, its value, its type, and
its location in the PLC application.

9.1.1 OPENING AND CLOSING THE WATCH WINDOW

To open, close the Watch window, click View>Tool windows>Watch .
Closing the Watch window means simply hiding it, not resetting it. As a matter of fact, if
you close the Watch window and then open it again, you will see that it still contains all
the variables you added to it.

9.1.2 ADDING ITEMS TO THE WATCH WINDOW

To watch a variable, you need to add it to the watch list.
Note that, unlike trigger windows and the Graphic trigger window, you can add to the
Watch window all the variables of the project, regardless of where they were declared.

user manual 89
9.1.2.1 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM A TEXTUAL SOURCE CODE EDITOR

Follow this procedure to add a variable to the Watch window from a textual (that is, IL or
ST) source code editor: select a variable, by double-clicking on it, and then drag it into
the watch window.

The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.

9.1.2.2 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM A GRAPHICAL SOURCE CODE EDITOR

Follow this procedure to add a variable to the Watch window from a graphical (that is, LD,
FBD, or SFC) source code editor:
1) Click Edit>Watch mode .
2) Click on the block representing the variable you wish to be shown in the Watch win-
dow.

A dialog box appears listing all the currently existing instances of debug windows, and
asking you which one is to receive the object you have just clicked on.

In order to display the variable in the Watch window, select Watch, then press OK.

90 user manual
 The variable name, value, and location are now displayed in a new row of the Watch win-
dow.

The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once you have added to the Watch window all the variables you want to observe, you
should click Edit>Insert/Move mode : the mouse cursor turns to its original shape.

9.1.2.3 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM A VARIABLES EDITOR

In order to add a variable to the Watch window, you can select the corresponding record
in the variables editor and then either drag-and-drop it in the Watch window

or press the F8 key.

9.1.2.4 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM THE PROJECT TREE

In order to add a variable to the Watch window, you can select it in the project tree and
then either drag-and-drop it in the Watch window

user manual 91
 or press the F8 key.

9.1.2.5 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM THE WATCH WINDOW TOOLBAR

You can also click on the appropriate item of the Watch window inner toolbar, in order to
add a variable to it.

You shall type (or select by browsing the project symbols) the name of the variable and
its location (where it has been declared).

9.1.3 REMOVING A VARIABLE

If you want a variable not to be displayed any more in the Watch window, select it by
clicking on its name once, then press the Del key.

92 user manual
9.1.4 REFRESHMENT OF VALUES
9.1.4.1 NORMAL OPERATION

Let us consider the following example.

The watch window manager reads periodically from memory the value of the variables.
However, this action is carried out asynchronously , that is it may happen that a higher-
priority task modifies the value of some of the variables while they are being read. Thus,
at the end of a refreshment process, the values displayed in the window may refer to dif-
ferent execution states of the PLC code.

9.1.4.2 TARGET DISCONNECTED

If the target device is disconnected, the Value column contains three dots.

9.1.4.3 OBJECT NOT FOUND

If the PLC code changes and Application cannot retrieve the memory location of an object
in the Watch window, then the Value column contains three dots.

If you try to add to the Watch window a symbol which has not been allocated, Application
gives the following error message.

user manual 93
9.1.5 CHANGING THE FORMAT OF DATA
When you add a variable to the Watch window, Application automatically recognizes its
type (unsigned integer, signed integer, floating point, hexadecimal), and displays its value
consistently. Also, if the variable is floating point, Application assigns it a default number
of decimal figures.
However, you may need the variable to be printed in a different format.
To impose another format than the one assigned by Application, press the Format value
button in the toolbar.

Choose the format and confirm your choice.

9.1.6 WORKING WITH WATCH LISTS

You can store to file the set of all the items in the Watch window, in order to easily restore
the status of this debugging tools in a successive working session.
Follow this procedure to save a watch list:
1) Click on the corresponding item in the Watch window toolbar.

2) Enter the file name and choose its destination in the file system.

94 user manual
 You can load a watch list from file, removing the opened one, following this procedure:
1) Click on the corresponding icon in the Watch window toolbar.

2) Browse the file system and select the watch list file.

The set of symbols in the watch list is added to the Watch window.

You can load a watch list from file, appending to the opened one, following this procedure:
1) Click on the corresponding icon in the Watch window toolbar.

user manual 95
 2) Browse the file system and select the watch list file.

The set of symbols in the watch list is added to the Watch window.

You can clear the current opened watch list by clicking on the following icon:

9.1.7 AUTOSAVE WATCH LIST

By selecting the associated option in the project options dialog (see Paragraph 4.6.5 for
more info) the watch list will be automatically saved on the project closing.
The saved watch list will be automatically loaded (with no append option) on the first con-
nection to target when the project will be re-opened.

9.2 OSCILLOSCOPE
The Oscilloscope allows you to plot the evolution of the values of a set of variables. Be-
ing an asynchronous tool, the Oscilloscope cannot guarantee synchronization of samples.
Opening the Oscilloscope causes a new window to appear next to the right-hand border
of the Application frame. This is the interface for accessing the debugging functions that
the Oscilloscope makes available. The Oscilloscope consists of three elements, as shown

96 user manual
 in the following picture.

The toolbar allows you to better control the Oscilloscope. A detailed description of the
function of each control is given later in this chapter.
The Chart area includes several items:
-- Plot: area containing the curve of the variables.
-- Vertical cursors: cursors identifying two distinct vertical lines. The values of each vari-
able at the intersection with these lines are reported in the corresponding columns.
-- Scroll bar: if the scale of the x-axis is too large to display all the samples in the Plot
area, the scroll bar allows you to slide back and forth along the horizontal axis.
The lower section of the Oscilloscope is a table consisting of a row for each variable.

9.2.1 OPENING AND CLOSING THE OSCILLOSCOPE

To open, close the Oscilloscope, click View>Tool windows>Oscilloscope .
Closing the Oscilloscope means simply hiding it, not resetting it. As a matter of fact, if you
open again the Oscilloscope after closing it, you will see that plotting of the curve of all
the variables you added to it starts again.

9.2.2 ADDING ITEMS TO THE OSCILLOSCOPE

In order to plot the evolution of the value of a variable, you need to add it to the Oscil-
loscope.
Note that unlike trigger windows and the Graphic trigger window, you can add to the
Oscilloscope all the variables of the project, regardless of where they were declared.

user manual 97
9.2.2.1 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM A TEXTUAL SOURCE CODE EDITOR

Follow this procedure to add a variable to the Oscilloscope from a textual (that is, IL or
ST) source code editor: select a variable by double-clicking on it, and then drag it into the
Oscilloscope window.

The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.

9.2.2.2 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM A GRAPHICAL SOURCE CODE EDITOR

Follow this procedure to add a variable to the Oscilloscope from a graphical (that is, LD,
FBD, or SFC) source code editor:
1) Click Edit>Watch mode .
2) Click on the block representing the variable you wish to be shown in the Oscilloscope.

3) A dialog box appears listing all the currently existing instances of debug windows, and
asking you which one is to receive the object you have just clicked on.

Select Oscilloscope, the press OK. The name of the variable is now displayed in the
Track column.
The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once you have added to the Oscilloscope all the variables you want to observe, you should
click Edit>Insert/Move mode : the mouse cursor turns to its original shape.

98 user manual
9.2.2.3 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM A VARIABLES EDITOR

In order to add a variable to the Oscilloscope, you can select the corresponding record in
the variables editor and then either drag-and-drop it in the Oscilloscope

or press the F10 key and choose Oscilloscope from the list of debug windows which pops
up.

9.2.2.4 ADDING A VARIABLE FROM THE PROJECT TREE

In order to add a variable to the Oscilloscope, you can select it in the project tree and then
either drag-and-drop it in the Oscilloscope

or press the F10 key and choose Oscilloscope from the list of debug windows which
pops up.

user manual 99
9.2.3 REMOVING A VARIABLE
If you want to remove a variable from the Oscilloscope, select it by clicking on its name
once, then press the Del key.

9.2.4 VARIABLES SAMPLING

9.2.4.1 NORMAL OPERATION

The Oscilloscope manager periodically reads from memory the value of the variables.
However, this action is carried out asynchronously, that is it may happen that a higher-
priority task modifies the value of some of the variables while they are being read. Thus,
at the end of a sampling process, data associated with the same value of the x-axis may
actually refer to different execution states of the PLC code.

9.2.4.2 TARGET DISCONNECTED

If the target device is disconnected, the curves of the dragged-in variables get frozen,
until communication is restored.

9.2.5 CONTROLLING DATA ACQUISITION AND DISPLAY

The Oscilloscope includes a toolbar with several commands, which can be used to control
the acquisition process and the way data are displayed. This paragraph focuses on these
commands.
Note that all the commands in the toolbar are disabled if no variable has been added to
the Oscilloscope.

9.2.5.1 STARTING AND STOPPING DATA ACQUISITION

When you add a variable to the Oscilloscope, data acquisition begins immediately.

However, you can suspend the acquisition by clicking on Pause acquisition.

100 user manual

 The curve freezes (while the process of data acquisition is still running in background),
until you click on Restart acquisition.

In order to stop the acquisition you may click on Stop acquisition.

In this case, when you click on Restart acquisition, the evolution of the value of the
variable is plotted from scratch.

9.2.5.2 SETTING THE SCALE OF THE AXES

When you open the Oscilloscope, Application applies a default scale to the axes. However,
if you want to set a different scale, you may follow this procedure:
1) Open the graph properties by clicking on the corresponding item in the toolbar.

user manual 101

 2) Set the scale of the horizontal axis, which is common to all the tracks.

3) For each variable, you may specify a distinct scale for the vertical axis.

4) Confirm your settings. The graph adapts to reflect the new scale.

102 user manual

 You can also zoom in and out with respect to both the horizontal and the vertical axes.

Finally, you may also quickly adapt the scale of the horizontal axis, the vertical axis, or
both to include all the samples, by clicking on the corresponding item of the toolbar.

user manual 103

9.2.5.3 VERTICAL SPLIT

When you are watching the evolution of two or more variables, you may want to split the
respective tracks. For this purpose, click on the Vertical split item in the Oscillo-
scope toolbar.

9.2.5.4 VIEWING SAMPLES

If you click on the Show samples item in the Oscilloscope toolbar, the tool highlights
the single values detected during data acquisition.

You can click on the same item again, in order to go back to the default view mode.

104 user manual

9.2.5.5 TAKING MEASURES

The Oscilloscope includes two measure bars, which can be exploited to take some meas-
ures on the chart; in order to show and hide them, click on the Show measure bars item
in the Oscilloscope toolbar.

If you want to measure a time interval between two events, you just have to move one
bar to the point in the graph that corresponds to the first event and the other to the point
that corresponds to the second one.

The time interval between the two bars is shown in the top left corner of the chart.

You can use a measure bar also to read the value of all the variables in the Oscilloscope
at a particular moment: move the bar to the point in the graph which corresponds to the
instant you want to observe.

user manual 105

 In the table below the chart, you can now read the values of all the variables at that par-
ticular moment.

9.2.5.6 OSCILLOSCOPE SETTINGS

You can further customize the appearance of the Oscilloscope by clicking on the Graph
properties item in the toolbar.

In the window that pops up you can choose whether to display or not the Background
grid, the Time slide bar, and the Track list.

106 user manual

9.2.6 CHANGING THE POLLING RATE
Application periodically sends queries to the target device, in order to read the data to be
plotted in the Oscilloscope.
The polling rate can be configured by following this procedure:
1) Click on the Graph properties item in the toolbar.

2) In the window that pops up edit the Sampling polling rate.

3) Confirm your decision.

Note that the actual rate depends on the performance of the target device (in particular,
on the performance of its communication task). You can read the actual rate in the Oscil-
loscope settings window.

9.2.7 SAVING AND PRINTING THE GRAPH

Application allows you to persist the acquisition either by saving the data to a file or by
printing a view of the data plotted in the Oscilloscope.

9.2.7.1 SAVING DATA TO A FILE

You can save the samples acquired by the Oscilloscope to a file, in order to further analyze
the data with other tools.
1) You may want to stop acquisition before saving data to a file.
2) Click on the Save tracks data into file in the Oscilloscope toolbar.

user manual 107

 3) Choose between the available output file format: OSC is a simple plain-text file, con-
taining time and value of each sample; OSCX is an XML file, that includes more
complete information, which can be further analyzed with another tool, provided
separately from Application.

4) Choose a file name and a destination directory, then confirm the operation.

9.2.7.2 PRINTING THE GRAPH

Follow this procedure to print a view of the data plotted in the Oscilloscope:
1) Either suspend or stop the acquisition.

2) Move the time slide bar and adjust the zoom, in order to include in the view the ele-
ments you want to print.

3) Click on the Print graph item.

108 user manual

9.3 EDIT AND DEBUG MODE
While both the Watch window and the Oscilloscope do not make use of the source code,
all the other debuggers do: when debug mode is on, changes to the source code are in-
hibited and debug tools become active.
Application automatically enables debug mode when at least one of the following condi-
tions are met:
-- at least one breakpoint is correctly set.
-- At least one trigger (graphic or textual) is correctly set.
-- Live debug mode is on.
When all the conditions above are not met, the debug mode automatically switches off
and Application enters in edit mode.
The status bar shows whether the debug mode is active or not.

Note that you cannot enter the debug mode if the connection status differs from Con-
nected.

9.4 LIVE DEBUG

Application can display meaningful animation of the current and changing state of execu-
tion over time of a Program Organization Unit (POU) coded in any IEC 61131-3 program-
ming language.
To switch on and off the live debug mode, you may click Debug>Live debug mode .

9.4.1 SFC ANIMATION

As explained in the relevant section of the language reference, an SFC POU is structured
in a set of steps, each of which is either active or inactive at any given moment. Once
started up, this SFC-specific debugging tool animates the SFC documents by highlighting
the active steps.

Animation ON in hold
Animation OFF Animation ON
status

user manual 109

 In the left column, a portion of an SFC network is shown, diagram animation being off.
In the middle column the same portion of network is displayed when the live debug mode
is active. The picture in the middle column shows that steps S1 and S3 are currently ac-
tive, whereas Init, S2, and S4 are inactive.
In the right column the same portion of network is displayed with steps S1 and S3 that are
currently active but in hold status.
This may occur in SFC blocks when they are children of a parent in inactive status.
Note that the SFC animation manager tests periodically the state of all steps, the user not
being allowed to edit the sampling period. Therefore, it may happen that a step remains
active for a slot of time too short to be displayed.
The fact that a step is never highlighted does not imply that its action is not executed, it
may simply mean that the sampling rate is too slow to detect the execution.

9.4.1.1 DEBUGGING ACTIONS AND CONDITIONS

As explained in the SFC language reference, a step can be assigned to an action, and a
transition can be associated with a condition code. Actions and conditions can be coded in
any of the IEC 61131-3 languages. General-purpose debugging tools can be used within
each action/condition, as if it was a stand-alone POU.

9.4.2 LD ANIMATION
In live debug mode, Ladder Diagram schemes are animated by highlighting the contacts
and coils whose value is true (in the example, i1 and i2).

Note that the LD animation manager tests periodically the state of all the elements. It
may happen that an element remains true for a slot of time too short to be displayed
on the video. The fact that an element is never highlighted does not imply that its value
never becomes true (the sampling rate may be too slow).

9.4.3 FBD ANIMATION

In live debug mode, Application displays the values of all the visible variables directly in
the graphical source code editor.

This works for both FBD and LD programming language.

110 user manual

 Note that, once again, this tool is asynchronous.

9.4.4 IL AND ST ANIMATION

The live debug mode also applies to textual source code editors (the ones for IL and ST).
You can quickly watch the values of a variable by hovering with the mouse over it.

9.5 TRIGGERS
9.5.1 TRIGGER WINDOW
The Trigger window tool allows you to select a set of variables and to have them updated
synchronously in a special pop-up window.

9.5.1.1 PRE-CONDITIONS TO OPEN A TRIGGER WINDOW

No need for special compilation
Application debugging tools operate at run-time. Thus, unlike other programming lan-
guages such as C++, the compiler does not need to be told whether or not to support trig-
ger windows: given a PLC code, the compilers output is unique, and there is no distinction
between debug and release version.

Memory availability
A trigger window takes a segment in the application code sector, having a well-defined
length. Obviously, in order to start up a trigger window, it is necessary that a sufficient
amount of memory is available, otherwise an error message appears.

Incompatibility with graphic trigger windows

A graphic trigger window takes the whole free space of the application code sector. There-
fore, once such a debugging tool has been started, it is not possible to add any trigger
window, and an error message appears if you attempt to start a new window. Once the
graphic trigger window is eventually closed, trigger windows are enabled again.
Note that all the trigger windows existing before the starting of a graphic trigger window
keep working normally. You are simply not allowed to add new ones.

9.5.1.2 TRIGGER WINDOW TOOLBAR

Trigger window icons are part of the Debug toolbar and are enabled only if Application is
in debug mode.

user manual 111

 Button Command Description
In order to actually start a trigger window,
select the point of the PLC code where to insert
the relative trigger and then press this button.
Set/Remove trigger The same procedure applies to trigger window
removal: in order to definitely close a debug
window, click once the instruction/block where the
trigger was inserted, then press this button again.
This button operates exactly as the above Set/
Remove trigger, except for that it opens a
graphic trigger window. It can be used likewise
Graphic trace
also to remove a graphic trigger window. Shortcut
key: pressing Shift + F9 is equivalent to clicking
on Set/Remove trigger button.
Pressing this key causes all the existing trigger
windows and the graphic trigger window to be
Remove all
removed simultaneously. Shortcut key: pressing
triggers
Ctrl+Shift+F9 is equivalent to clicking on this
button.
This key opens a dialog listing all the existing
Trigger list trigger windows. Shortcut key: pressing Ctrl+I is
equivalent to clicking on this button.

Each record refers to a trigger window, either graphic or textual. The following table ex-
plains the meaning of each field.

Field Description
T: trigger window.
Type
G: graphic trigger window.
Name of the program, function, or function block where
the trigger is placed. If the module is a function block, this
Module
field contains its name, not the name of its instance where
you actually put the trigger.
For the textual languages (IL, ST) indicates the line in
Line which the trigger is placed. For the other languages the
value is always -1.

112 user manual

9.5.1.3 TRIGGER WINDOW INTERFACE

Setting a trigger causes a pop-up window to appear, which is called Interface window:
this is the interface to access the debugging functions that the trigger window makes
available. It consists of three elements, as shown below.

Caption bar
The Caption bar of the pop-up window shows information on the location of the trigger
which causes the refresh of the Variables window, when reached by the processor.
The text in the Caption bar has the following format:
Trigger n X at ModuleName#Location

where

X Trigger identifier.
Name of the program, function, or function block where
ModuleName
the trigger was placed.
Exact location of the trigger, within module ModuleName.
If ModuleName is in IL, Location has the following format:
N1
Otherwise, if ModuleName is in FBD, it becomes:
N2$BT:BID
Location
where:
N1 = instruction line number
N2 = network number
BT = block type (operand, function, function block, etc.)
BID = block identifier

Controls section
This dialog box allows the user to better control the refresh of the trigger window to get
more information on the code under scope. A detailed description of the function of each
control is given in the Trigger window controls section (see Paragraph 9.5.2.11).
All controls except Ac, the Accumulator display button, are not accessible until at least
one variable is dragged into the debug window.

The Variables section

This lower section of the Debug window is a table consisting of a row for each variable that

user manual 113

 you dragged in. Each row has four fields: the name of the variable, its value, its type, and
its location (@task:ModuleName) read from memory during the last refresh.

9.5.1.4 TRIGGER WINDOW: DRAG AND DROP INFORMATION

To watch a variable, you need to copy it to the lower section of the Debug window.
This section is a table consisting of a row for each variable you dragged in. You can drag
into the trigger window only variables local to the module where you placed the relative
trigger, or global variables, or parameters. You cannot drag variables declared in another
program, or function, or function block.

9.5.1.5 REFRESH OF THE VALUES

Let us consider the following example.

The value of variables is refreshed every time the window manager is triggered, that is
every time the processor executes the instruction marked by the green arrowhead. How-
ever, you can set controls in order to have variables refreshed only when triggers satisfy
the more limiting conditions you define.
Note that the value of the variables in column Symbol is read from memory just before
the marked instruction (in this case: the instruction at line 5) and immediately after the
previous instruction (the one at line 4) has been performed.
Thus, in the above example the second ST statement has not been executed yet when the
new value of a is read from memory and displayed in the trigger window. Thus the result
of the second ST a is 1.

114 user manual

9.5.1.6 TRIGGER WINDOW CONTROLS

This paragraph deals with the trigger window controls, which allows you to better super-
vise the working of this debugging tool, to get more information on the code under scope.
Trigger window controls act in a well-defined way on the behavior of the window, regard-
less for the type of the module (either IL or FBD) where the related trigger has been
inserted.
All controls except the Accumulator display are not accessible until at least one variable
is dragged into the Variables window.
Window controls are made accessible to users through the grey top half of the debug
window.

Button Command Description

This control is used to start a triggering session.
If system is triggering you can click this button to
force stop. Otherwise session automatically stops
Start/Stop
when conditions are reached. At this point you
can press this button to start another triggering
session.
This control is used to execute a single step
trigger. It is enabled only when there is no active
Single step triggering session and None is selected. Specified
execution condition is considered. After the single step
trigger is done, triggering session automatically
stops.
This control adds the Accumulator to the list of
variables already dragged into the trigger window.
A new row is added at the bottom of the table of
Accumulator
variables, containing the string Accumulator in
display
column Symbol, the accumulators value in column
Value, Type is not specified and Location is set
to global as shown in the following figure.

user manual 115

 In order to remove the accumulator from the table, click its name in Symbol column, and
press the Del key.
This control can be very useful if a trigger was inserted before a ST statement, because
it allows you to know what value is being written in the destination variable, during the
current execution of the task. You can get the same result by moving the trigger to an
instruction following the one marked by the green arrowhead.

Trigger counter

This read-only control counts how many times the debug window manager has been trig-
gered, since the window was installed.
The window manager automatically resets this counter every time a new triggering ses-
sion is started.

Trigger state
This read-only control shows the user the state of the Debug window. It can assume the
following values.

The trigger has not occurred during the current task execution.

The trigger has occurred during the current task execution.

System is not triggering. Triggering has not been started yet

or it has been stopped by user or an halt condition has been
reached.
Communication with target interrupted, the state of the trigger
window cannot be determined.

User-defined condition

If you define a condition by using this control, the values in the Debug window are re-

116 user manual

 freshed every time the window manager is triggered and the user-defined condition is
true.
After you have entered a condition, the control displays its simplified expression.

Counters

These controls allow the user to define conditions on the trigger counter.
The trigger window can be in one of the following three states.
-- None: no counter has been started up, thus no condition has been specified upon the
trigger.
-- For: assuming that you gave the counter limit the value N, the window manager adds
1 to the current value of the counter and refreshes the value of its variables, each time
the debug window is triggered. However, when the counter equals N, the window stops
refreshing the values, and it changes to the Stop state.
-- After: assuming that you gave the counter limit the value N, the window manager re-
sets the counter and adds 1 to its current value each time it is triggered. The window
remains in the Ready state and does not update the value of its variables until the
counter reaches N.

9.5.2 DEBUGGING WITH TRIGGER WINDOWS

9.5.2.1 INTRODUCTION

The trigger window tool allows the user to select a set of variables and to have their val-
ues displayed and updated synchronously in a pop-up window. Unlike the Watch window,
trigger windows refresh simultaneously all the variables they contain, every time they are
triggered.

9.5.2.2 OPENING A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN IL MODULE

Let us assume that you have an IL module, also containing the following instructions.

Let us also assume that you want to know the value of b, d, and k, just before the ST k
instruction is executed. To do so, move the cursor to line 12.

Then you can click Debug>Set/Remove trigger .

In both cases, a green arrowhead appears next to the line number, and the related trigger
window pops up.

user manual 117

 Not all the IL instructions support triggers. For example, it is not possible to place a trig-
ger at the beginning of a line containing a JMP statement.

9.5.2.3 ADDING A VARIABLE TO A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN IL MODULE

In order to watch the value of a variable, you need to add it to the trigger window. To this
purpose, select a variable by double-clicking it, and then drag it into the Variables win-
dow, that is the lower white box in the pop-up window. The variables name now appears
in the Symbol column.

The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.

9.5.2.4 OPENING A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN FBD MULE

Let us assume that you have an FBD module, also containing the following instructions.

Let us also assume that you want to know the values of C, D, and K, just before the ST

118 user manual

 k instruction is executed.
Provided that you can never place a trigger in a block representing a variable such as

you must select the first available block preceding the selected variable. In the example
of the above figure, you must move the cursor to network 3, and click the ADD block.
You can click Debug>Set/Remove trigger .
In both cases, the color of the selected block turns to green, a white circle with a number
inside appears in the middle of the block, and the related trigger window pops up.

When preprocessing FBD source code, the compiler translates it into IL instructions. The
ADD instruction in network 3 is expanded to:
LD k
ADD 1
ST k
When you add a trigger to an FBD block, you actually place the trigger before the first
statement of its IL equivalent code.

9.5.2.5 ADDING A VARIABLE TO A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN FBD MODULE

In order to watch the value of a variable, you need to add it to the trigger window. Let
us assume that you want to inspect the value of variable k of the FBD code in the figure
below.
To this purpose, click Edit>Watch mode .
The cursor will become as follows.

Now you can click the block representing the variable you wish to be shown in the trigger

user manual 119

 window.
In the example we are considering, click the button block.

A dialog box appears listing all the currently existing instances of debug windows, and
asking you which one is to receive the object you have just clicked.

In order to display the variable k in the trigger window, select its reference in the Debug
windows column, then press OK. The name of the variable is now printed in the Symbol
column.

The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once you have added to the Graphic watch window all the variables you want to observe,
you can click Edit>Insert/Move mode , so as to let the cursor take back its original shape.

120 user manual

9.5.2.6 OPENING A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN LD MODULE

Let us assume that you have an LD module, also containing the following instructions.

You can place a trigger on a block such as follows.

In this case, the same rules apply as to insert a trigger in an FBD module on a contact

or a coil

In this case, follow the SE instructions. Let us also assume that you want to know the
value of some variables every time the processor reaches network number 1.
First you must click one of the items making up network number 1. Now you can click
Debug>Add/Remove text trigger .
In both cases, the grey raised button containing the network number turns to green, and
a white circle with the number of the trigger inside appears in the middle of the button,
while the related trigger window pops up.

user manual 121

 Unlike the other languages supported by Application, LD does not allow you to insert a
trigger into a single contact or coil, as it lets you select only an entire network. Thus the
variables in the trigger window will be refreshed every time the processor reaches the
beginning of the selected network.

9.5.2.7 ADDING A VARIABLE TO A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN LD MODULE

In order to watch the value of a variable, you need to add it to the trigger window. Let
us assume that you want to inspect the value of variable b in the LD code represented in
the figure below.
To this purpose, click Edit>Watch mode .
The cursor will become as follows.

Now you can click the item representing the variable you wish to be shown in the trigger
window.
A dialog box appears listing all the currently existing instances of debug windows, and
asking you which one is to receive the object you have just clicked.

In order to display variable B in the trigger window, select its reference in the Debug win-
dow column, then press OK.
The name of the variable is now printed in the Symbol column.

122 user manual

 The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once you have added to the Graphic watch window all the variables you want to observe,
you can click Edit>Insert/Move mode , so as to restore the original shape of the cursor.

9.5.2.8 OPENING A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN ST MODULE

Let us assume that you have an ST module, also containing the following instructions.

Let us also assume that you want to know the value of e, d, and f, just before the in-
struction
f := f+ SHR( d, 16#04 )

is executed. To do so, move the cursor to line 6.

Then you can click Debug>Add/Remove text trigger .
In both cases, a green arrowhead appears next to the line number, and the related trigger
window pops up.

Not all the ST instructions support triggers. For example, it is not possible to place a trig-
ger on a line containing a terminator such as END_IF, END_FOR, END_WHILE, etc..

user manual 123

9.5.2.9 ADDING A VARIABLE TO A TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN ST MODULE

In order to watch the value of a variable, you need to add it to the trigger window. To this
purpose, select a variable, by double clicking it, and then drag it into the Variables win-
dow, that is the lower white box in the pop-up window. The variable name now appears
in the Symbol column.

The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.

9.5.2.10 REMOVING A VARIABLE FROM THE TRIGGER WINDOW

If you want a variable not to be displayed any more in the trigger window, select it by
clicking its name once, then press the Del key.

9.5.2.11 USING CONTROLS

This paragraph deals with trigger windows controls, which allow you to better supervise
the working of this debugging tool to get more information on the code under scope. The
main purpose of trigger window controls is to let you define more limiting conditions, so
that variables in Variables window are refreshed when the processor reaches the trig-
ger location and these conditions are satisfied. If you do not use controls, variables are
refreshed every single time the processor reaches the relative trigger.

Enabling controls
When you set a trigger, all the elements in the Control window look disabled.

As a matter of fact, you cannot access any of the controls, except the Accumulator dis-
play, until at least one variable is dragged into the Debug window. When this happens
triggering automatically starts and the Controls window changes as follows.

124 user manual

 Triggering can be started/stopped with the apposite button.

Fixing the number of refresh

If you want the values to be refreshed the first time the window is triggered, select None,
and press the single step button, otherwise set the counter to 1 and select For.
If you want the values to be refreshed the first X times the window is triggered, set the
counter to X and select For.
If you want the values to be refreshed after Y times the window is triggered, set the coun-
ter to Y and select After.
Triggers and conditions settings become the actual settings when the triggering is (re)
started.

Watching the accumulator

As stated in the Refresh of values section (see Paragraph 9.5.1.5), when you insert a trigger
on an instruction line, you establish that the variables in the relative debugging window will be
updated every time the processor reaches that location, before the instruction itself is executed.
In some cases, for example when a trigger is placed before a ST statement, it can be use-
ful to know the value of the accumulator. This allows you to forecast the outcome of the
instruction that will be executed after all the variables in the trigger window have been
updated. To add the accumulator to the trigger window, click on the Accumulator dis-
play button.

Defining a condition
This control enables users to set a condition on the occurrences of a trigger. By default,
this condition is set to TRUE, and the values in the debug window are refreshed every time
the window manager is triggered.
If you want to put a restriction on the refreshment mechanism, you can specify a condi-
tion by clicking on the apposite button.

When you do so, a text window pops up, where you can write the IL code that sets the
condition.

Once you have finished writing the condition code, click the OK button to install it, or press
the Esc button to cancel. If you choose to install it, the values in the debug window are
refreshed every time the window manager is triggered and the user-defined condition is
true.

user manual 125

 A simplified expression of the condition now appears in the control.

To modify it, press again the above mentioned button.

The text window appears, containing the text you originally wrote, which you can now
edit.
To completely remove a user-defined condition, delete the whole IL code in the text win-
dow, then click OK.
After the execution of the condition code, the accumulator must be of type Boolean (TRUE
or FALSE), otherwise a compiler error occurs.
Only global variables and dragged-in variables can be used in the condition code. Namely,
all variables local to the module where the trigger was originally inserted are out of scope,
if they have not been dragged into the debug window. No new variables can be declared
in the condition window.

9.5.2.12 CLOSING A TRIGGER WINDOW AND REMOVING A TRIGGER

This web page deals with what you can do when you finish a debug session with a trigger
window. You can choose between the following options.
-- Closing the trigger window.
-- Removing the trigger.
-- Removing all the triggers.
Notice that the actions listed above produce very different results.

Closing the trigger window

If you have finished watching a set of variables by means of a trigger window, you may
want to close the Debug window, without removing the trigger. If you click the button in
the top right-hand corner, you just hide the interface window, while the window manager
and the relative trigger keep working.
As a matter of fact, if later you want to resume debugging with a trigger window that you
previously hid, you just need to open the Trigger list window, to select the record
referred to that trigger window, and to click the Open button.

The interface window appears with value of variables and trigger counter updated, as if it
had not been closed.

Removing a trigger
If you choose this option, you completely remove the code both of the window manager
and of its trigger. To this purpose, just open the Trigger list window, select the record
referred to the trigger window you want to eliminate, and click the Remove button.

126 user manual

 Alternatively, you can move the cursor to the line (if the module is in IL or ST), or click
the block (if the module is in FBD or LD) where you placed the trigger. Now press the Set/
Remove trigger button in the Debug toolbar.

Removing all the triggers

Alternatively, you can remove all the existing triggers at once, regardless for which re-
cords are selected, by clicking on the Remove all button.

9.6 GRAPHIC TRIGGERS

9.6.1 GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW
The graphic trigger window tool allows you to select a set of variables and to have them
sampled synchronously and to have their curve displayed in a special pop-up window.
Sampling of the dragged-in variables occurs every time the processor reaches the position
(i.e. the instruction - if IL, ST - or the block - if FBD, LD) where you placed the trigger.

9.6.1.1 PRE-CONDITIONS TO OPEN A GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW

No need for special compilation
All the Application debugging tools operate at run-time. Thus, unlike other programming
languages such as C++, the compiler does not need to be told whether or not to support
trigger windows: given a PLC code, the compilers output is unique, and there is no dis-
tinction between debug and release version.

Memory availability
A graphic trigger window takes all the free memory space in the application code sector.
Obviously, in order to start up a trigger window, it is necessary that a sufficient amount
of memory is available, otherwise an error message appears.

user manual 127

9.6.1.2 GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW INTERFACE

Setting a graphic trigger causes a pop-up window to appear, which is called Interface
window. This is the main interface for accessing the debugging functions that the graphic
trigger window makes available. It consists of several elements, as shown below.

1
2

1. Caption bar 2. Controls bar 3. Chart area 4. Variables window

The caption bar

The Caption bar at the top of the pop-up window shows information on the location of
the trigger which causes the variables listed in the Variables window to be sampled.
The text in the caption has the following format:
ModuleName#Location

Where

Name of program, function, or function block where the trigger was

ModuleName
placed.

Exact location of the trigger, within module ModuleName.

If ModuleName is in IL, ST, Location has the format:
N1
Otherwise, if ModuleName is in FBD, LD, it becomes:
Location N2$BT:BID
N1 = instruction line number
N2 = network number
BT = block type (operand, function, function block, etc.)
BID = block identifier

128 user manual

 The Controls bar
This dialog box allows you to better control the working of the graphic trigger window. A
detailed description of the function of each control is given in the Graphic trigger win-
dow controls section (see Paragraph 9.6.1.5).

The Chart area

The Chart area includes six items:
1) Plot: area containing the actual plot of the curve of the dragged-in variables.
2) Samples to acquire: number of samples to be collected by the graphic trigger window
manager.
3) Horizontal cursor: cursor identifying a horizontal line. The value of each variable at
the intersection with this line is reported in the column horz cursor.
4) Blue cursor: cursor identifying a vertical line. The value of each variable at the inter-
section with this line is reported in the column left cursor.
5) Red cursor: same as blue cursor.
6) Scroll bar: if the scale of the x-axis is too large to display all the samples in the Plot
area, the scroll bar allows you to slide back and forth along the horizontal axis.

The Variables window

This lower section of the Debug window is a table consisting of a row for each variable
that you have dragged in. Every row has several fields, which are described in detail in
the Drag and drop information section.

9.6.1.3 GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW: DRAG AND DROP INFORMATION

To watch a variable, you need to copy it to the lower section of the Debug window.

1. Variables window

This lower section of the Debug window is a table consisting of a row for each variable that
you dragged in. Each row has several fields, as shown in the picture below.

user manual 129

 Field Description
Track Name of the variable.
Um Unit of measurement.
Min value Minimum value in the record set.
Max value Maximum value in the record set.
Cur value Current value of the variable.
How many engineering units are represented by a unit
v/div of the y-axis (i.e. the space between two ticks on the
vertical axis).
Value of the variable at the intersection with the line
Blue cursor
identified by the blue cursor.
Value of the variable at the intersection with the line
Red cursor
identified by the red cursor.
Value of the variable at the intersection with the line
Horz cursor
identified by the horizontal cursor.

Note that you can drag into the graphic trigger window only variables local to the module
where you placed the relative trigger, or global variables, or parameters. You cannot drag
variables declared in another program, or function, or function block.

9.6.1.4 SAMPLING OF VARIABLES

Let us consider the following example.

The value of the variables is sampled every time the window manager is triggered, that is
every time the processor executes the instruction marked by the green arrowhead. How-
ever, you can set controls in order to have variables sampled when triggers also satisfy
further limiting conditions that you define.
The value of the variables in the column Track is read from memory just before the
marked instruction and immediately after the previous instruction.

9.6.1.5 GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW CONTROLS

This paragraph deals with controls of the Graphic trigger window. Controls allow you
to specify in detail when Application is supposed to sample the variables added to the
Variables window.
Graphic trigger window controls act in a well-defined way on the behavior of the window,
regardless for the type of the module (IL, ST, FBD or LD) where the related trigger has
been inserted.
Window controls are made accessible to users through the Controls bar of the debug
window.

130 user manual

 Button Command Description
When you push this button down, you let
acquisition start. Now, if acquisition is running
Start graphic
and you release this button, you stop the sample
trace
collection process, and you reset all the data you
have acquired so far.
The two cursors (red cursor, blue cursor) may be
Enable/Disable seen and moved along their axis as long as this
cursors button is pressed. Release this button if you want
to hide simultaneously all the cursors.
This control is used to put in evidence the exact
Show samples point in which the variables are triggered at each
sample.
When pressed, this control splits the y-axis into
as many segments as the dragged-in variables,
Split variables
so that the diagram of each variable is drawn in a
separate band.
It is used to fill in the graph window all the values
Show all values sampled for the selected variables in the current
record setrecord set.
Zooming in is an operation that makes the curves
in the Chart area appear larger on the screen,
so that greater detail may be viewed. Zooming
Horizontal Zoom In
out is an operation that makes the curves appear
and Zoom Out
smaller on the screen, so that it may be viewed
in its entirety. Horizontal zoom acts only on the
horizontal axis.
This control is used to horizontally center record
Horizontal show set samples. So first sample will be placed on the
all left margin, and last will be placed on the right
margin of the graphic window.

Vertical Zoom In
Vertical Zoom acts only on the vertical axis.
and Zoom Out

This control is used to vertically center record set

samples. So max value sample will be placed near
Vertical show all
top margin and low value sample will be placed on
the bottom margin of the graphic window.
Pushing this button causes a tabs dialog box
to appear, which allows you to set general user
Graphic trigger options affecting the action of the graphic trigger
window properties window. Since the options you can set are quite
numerous, they are dealt with in a section apart.
Click here to access this section.
Push this button to print both the Chart area and
Print chart
the Variables window.

Save chart Press this button to save the chart.

Trigger counter

user manual 131

 This read-only control displays two numbers with the following format: X/Y.
X indicates how many times the debug window manager has been triggered, since the
graphic trigger was installed.
Y represents the number of samples the graphic window has to collect before stopping
data acquisition and drawing the curves.

Trigger state
This read-only control shows you the state of the Debug window. It can assume the fol-
lowing values.

No sample(s) taken, as the trigger has not occurred during the

current task execution.
Sample(s) collected, as the trigger has occurred during the
current task execution.
The trigger counter indicates that a number of samples
has been collected satisfying the user request or memory
constraints, thus the acquisition process is stopped.
Communication with target interrupted, the state of the trigger
window cannot be determined.

9.6.1.6 GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW OPTIONS

In order to open the options tab, you must click the Properties button in the Controls
bar. When you do this, the following dialog box appears.

General

Control

Control Description
Tick this control to display a grid in the Chart area
Show grid
background.
Show time The scroll bar at the bottom of the Chart area is
bar available as long as this box is checked.

132 user manual

 Control Description
The Variables window is shown as long as this box
Show tracks
is checked, otherwise the Chart area extends to the
list
bottom of the graphic trigger window.

Values

Control Description
Horizontal
Number of samples per unit of the x-axis. By unit of the
scale
x-axis the space is meant between two vertical lines of
the background grid.

Number of samples to acquire. When you open the

option tab, after having dragged-in all the variables you
want to watch, you can read a default number in this
Buffer size
field, representing the maximum number of samples you
can collect for each variable. You can therefore type a
number which is less or equal to the default one.

Tracks
This tab allows you to define some graphic properties of the plot of each variable. To select
a variable, click its name in the Track list column.

Control Description
Unit of measurement, printed in the table of the
Unit
Variables window.
value per unit of the y-axis. By unit of the y-axis is
Value/div meant the space between two horizontal lines of the
background grid.
Hide Check this flag to hide selected track on the graph.

Push Apply to make your changes effective, or push OK to apply your changes and to
close the options tab.

User-defined condition
If you define a condition by using this control, the sampling process does not start until
that condition is satisfied. Note that, unlike trigger windows, once data acquisition begins,
samples are taken every time the window manager is triggered, regardless of the user
condition being still true or not.
After you enter a condition, the control displays its simplified expression.

9.6.2 DEBUGGING WITH THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW

The graphic trigger window tool allows you to select a set of variables and to have them
sampled synchronously and their curve displayed in a special pop-up window.

9.6.2.1 OPENING THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN IL MODULE

Let us assume that you have an IL module, also containing the following instructions.

user manual 133

 Let us also assume that you want to know the value of b, d, and k, just before the ST k
instruction is executed. To do so, move the cursor to line 12.

Then click Debug>Add/Remuve grafic trigger .

A green arrowhead appears next to the line number, and the graphic trigger window pops
up.

Not all the IL instructions support triggers. For example, it is not possible to place a trig-
ger at the beginning of a line containing a JMP statement.

9.6.2.2 ADDING A VARIABLE TO THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN IL MODULE

In order to get the diagram of a variable plotted, you need to add it to the graphic trigger
window. To this purpose, select a variable, by double clicking it, and then drag it into the
Variables window. The variable now appears in the Track column.

134 user manual

 The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once the first variable is dropped into a graphic trace, the Graphic properties window
is automatically shown and allows the user to setup sampling and visualization properties.

9.6.2.3 OPENING THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FORM AN FBD MODULE

Let us assume that you have an FBD module, also containing the following instructions.

Let us also assume that you want to know the values of c, d, and k, just before the ST
k instruction is executed.
Provided that you can never place a trigger in a block representing a variable such as

you must select the first available block preceding the selected variable. In the example
of the above figure, you must move the cursor to network 3, and click the ADD block.
Now click Debug>Add/Remuve grafic trigger .
This causes the colour of the selected block to turn to green, a white circle with the trig-
ger ID number inside to appear in the middle of the block, and the related trigger window
to pop up.

user manual 135

 When preprocessing the FBD source code, compiler translates it into IL instructions. The
ADD instruction in network 3 is expanded to:
LD k
ADD 1
ST k
When you add a trigger to an FBD block, you actually place the trigger before the first
statement of its IL equivalent code.

9.6.2.4 ADDING A VARIABLE TO THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN FBD

MODULE

In order to watch the diagram of a variable, you need to add it to the trigger window. Let
us assume that you want to see the plot of the variable k of the FBD code in the figure
below.
To this purpose, click Edit>Watch mode .
The cursor will become as follows.

Now you can click the block representing the variable you wish to be shown in the graphic
trigger window.
In the example we are considering, click the button block.

A dialog box appears listing all the currently existing instances of debug windows, and
asking you which one is to receive the object you have just clicked.

In order to plot the curve of variable k, select Graphic Trace in the Debug windows col-
umn, then press OK. The name of the variable is now printed in the Track column.

136 user manual

 The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once you have added to the Graphic watch window all the variables you want to ob-
serve, you can click Edit>Insert/Move mode , in order to restore the original cursor.
Once the first variable is dropped into a graphic trace, the Graphic properties window
is automatically shown and allows the user to setup sampling and visualization properties.

9.6.2.5 OPENING THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN LD MODULE

Let us assume that you have an LD module, also containing the following instructions.

You can place a trigger on a block such as follows.

In this case, the same rules apply as to insert the graphic trigger in an FBD module on a
contact

or coil

In this case, follow the instructions. Let us also assume that you want to know the value
of some variables every time the processor reaches network number 1.

user manual 137

 Click one of the items making up network nr. 1, then click Debug>Add/Remuve grafic trigger
This causes the grey raised button containing the network number to turn to green, a
white circle with a number inside to appear in the middle of the button, and the graphic
trigger window to pop up.

Note that unlike the other languages supported by Application, LD does not allow you to
insert a trigger before a single contact or coil, as it lets you select only an entire network.
Thus the variables in the Graphic trigger window will be sampled every time the pro-
cessor reaches the beginning of the selected network.

9.6.2.6 ADDING A VARIABLE TO THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN LD

MODULE

In order to watch the diagram of a variable, you need to add it to the Graphic trigger
window. Let us assume that you want to see the plot of the variable b in the LD code
represented in the figure below.
To this purpose, click Edit>Watch mode .
The cursor will become as follows.

Now you can click the item representing the variable you wish to be shown in the Graphic
trigger window.
A dialog box appears listing all the currently existing instances of debug windows, and
asking you which one is to receive the object you have just clicked.
In order to plot the curve of variable b, select Graphic trace in the Debug windows col-
umn, then press OK. The name of the variable is now printed in the Track column.

The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once you have added to the Graphic watch window all the variables you want to observe,
you can click Edit>Insert/Move mode , so as to restore the original shape of the cursor.
Once the first variable is dropped into a graphic trace, the Graphic properties window

138 user manual

 is automatically shown and allows the user to setup sampling and visualization properties.

9.6.2.7 OPENING THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN ST MODULE

Let us assume that you have an ST module, also containing the following instructions.

Let us also assume that you want to know the value of e, d, and f, just before the in-
struction
f := f+ SHR( d, 16#04 )

is executed. To do so, move the cursor to line 6.

Then click Debug>Add/Remuve grafic trigger .
A green arrowhead appears next to the line number, and the Graphic trigger window
pops up.

Not all the ST instructions support triggers. For example, it is not possible to place a trig-
ger on a line containing a terminator such as END_IF, END_FOR, END_WHILE, etc.

9.6.2.8 ADDING A VARIABLE TO THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW FROM AN ST

MODULE

In order to get the diagram of a variable plotted, you need to add it to the Graphic trig-
ger window. To this purpose, select a variable, by double clicking it, and then drag it into
the Variables window, that is the lower white box in the pop-up window. The variable
now appears in the Track column.

user manual 139

 The same procedure applies to all the variables you wish to inspect.
Once the first variable is dropped into a graphic trace, the Graphic properties window
is automatically shown and allows the user to setup sampling and visualization properties.

9.6.2.9 REMOVING A VARIABLE FROM THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW

If you want to remove a variable from the Graphic trigger window, select it by clicking its
name once, then press the Del key.

9.6.2.10 USING CONTROLS

This paragraph deals with graphic trigger window controls, which allow you to better
supervise the working of this debugging tool, so as to get more information on the code
under scope.

Enabling controls
When you set a trigger, all the elements in the Control bar are enabled. You can start
data acquisition by clicking the Start graphic trace acquisition button.
If you defined a user condition, which is currently false, data acquisition does not start,
even though you press the apposite button.

On the contrary, once the condition becomes true, data acquisition starts and continues
until the Start graphic trace acquisition button is released, regardless for the con-
dition being or not still true.
if you release the Start graphic trace acquisition button before all the required
samples have been acquired, the acquisition process stops and all the collected data get
lost.

Defining a condition
This control enables users to set a condition on when to start acquisition. By default, this
condition is set to true, and acquisition begins as soon as you press the Enable/Disable
acquisition button. From that moment on, the value of the variables in the Debug win-
dow is sampled every time the trigger occurs.
In order to specify a condition, open the Condition tab of the Options dialog box, then
press the relevant button.

A text window pops up, where you can write the IL code that sets the condition.

140 user manual

 Once you have finished writing the condition code, click the OK button to install it, or press
the Esc button to cancel. The collection of samples will not start until the Start graphic
trace acquisition button is pressed and the user-defined condition is true. A simplified
expression of the condition now appears in the control.

To modify it, press again the relevant button.

The text window appears, containing the text you originally wrote, which you can now
edit.
To completely remove a user-defined condition, press again on the above mentioned but-
ton, delete the whole IL code in the text window, then click OK.
After the execution of the condition code, the accumulator must be of type Boolean (TRUE
or FALSE), otherwise a compiler error occurs.
Only global variables and dragged-in variables can be used in the condition code. Namely,
all variables local to the module where the trigger was originally inserted are out of scope,
if they have not been dragged into the Debug window. Also, no new variables can be de-
clared in the condition window.

Setting the scale of axes

-- x-axis
When acquisition is completed, Application plots the curve of the dragged-in variables
adjusting the x-axis so that all the data fit in the Chart window. If you want to apply a
different scale, open the General tab of the Graph properties dialog box, type a number
in the horizontal scale edit box, then confirm by clicking Apply.
-- y-axis
You can change the scale of the plot of each variable through the Tracks list tab of the
Graph properties dialog box. Otherwise, if you do not need to specify exactly a scale,
you can use the Zoom In and Zoom Out controls.

9.6.2.11 CLOSING THE GRAPHIC TRIGGER WINDOW AND REMOVING THE TRIGGER

At the end of a debug session with the graphic trigger window you can choose between
the following options:
-- Closing the Graphic trigger window.
-- Removing the trigger.

user manual 141

 -- Removing all the triggers.

Closing the graphic trigger window

If you have finished plotting the diagram of a set of variables by means of the Graphic
trigger window, you may want to close the Debug window without removing the trigger.
If you click the button in the top right-hand corner, you just hide the Interface window,
while the window manager and the relative trigger keep working.
As a matter of fact, if later you want to restore the Graphic trigger window that you
previously hid:
-- open the Trigger list window;
-- select the record (having type G);
-- click the Open button.
The Interface window appears with the trigger counter properly updated, as if it had
never been closed.

Removing the trigger

If you choose this option, you completely remove the code both of the window manager
and of its trigger. To this purpose:
-- open the Trigger list window;
-- select the record (having type G);
-- click the Remove button.
Alternatively, you can move the cursor to the line (if the module is in IL), or click the block
(if the module is in FBD) where you placed the trigger. Now press the Graphic trace
button in the Debug toolbar.

Removing all the triggers

Alternatively, you can remove all the existing triggers at once, regardless for which re-
cords are selected, by clicking on the Remove all triggers button.

142 user manual

10. APPLICATION REFERENCE

10.1 MENUS REFERENCE

In the following tables you can see the list of all Applications commands. However, since
Application has a multi-document interface (MDI), you may find some disabled commands
or even some unavailable menus, depending on what kind of document is currently active.

10.1.1 FILE MENU

Command Icon Key Description

New project Creates a new Application project.

Open project Opens an existing Application project.

Import project
Imports sources project from target device.
from target

View project
Opens an existing Application project in read-only mode.
(read only)

Save project Saves the current open project.

Saves the current open project specifying new name, location and
Save project As
extension.

Close project Closes the open project.

New text file Opens a blank new generic text file.

Opens an existing file, whatever its extension. The file is displayed

Open file Ctrl+O in the text editor. Anyway, if you open a project file, you actually
open the Application project it refers to.

Save Ctrl+S Saves the document of the currently active window.

Close Closes the document of the currently active window.

Options Opens the Application options dialog box.

Print Ctrl+P Prints the document of the currently active window.

Creates a preview of the document of the currently active window,

Print preview
ready to be printed.

Print project Prints all the documents making up the project.

Printer setup Opens the Printer setup dialog box.

..recent.. Lists a set of project file recently opened.

Exit Closes Application.

user manual 143

10.1.2 EDIT MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Undo Ctrl+Z Cancels last action made in the document.

Redo Ctrl+Y Restores the last action cancelled by Undo.

Removes the selected items from the active document and

Cut Ctrl+X
stores them in a system buffer.

Copy Ctrl+C Copies the selected items to a system buffer.

Pastes in the active document the contents of the system buf-

Paste Ctrl+V
fer.

Delete Del Deletes the selected item.

Delete line Ctrl+E Deletes the whole source code line.

Ctrl+
Find in project Opens the Find in project dialog box.
Shift+F

Bookmarks...

Adds a bookmark to mark lines. If a bookmark is already

Add/Toggle Ctrl+F2
defined, removes it.

Next F2 Goes to next defined bookmark

Prev Shift+F2 Goes to previous defined bookmark

Remove all Removes all defined bookmarks

Allows you to quickly move to a specific line in the source

Go to line Ctrl+G
code editor.

Asks you to type a string and searches for its first instance
Find Ctrl+F within the active document from the current location of the
cursor.

Iterates between the results of the research, found by the

Find next F3
Find command.
Allows you to automatically replace one or all the instances of
Replace Ctrl+H
a string with another string.

Toggle between those two editing modes, used to insert or

Insert/Move mode
move blocks.

Editing mode which allows you to draw logical wires to con-

Connection mode
nect pins.

Editing mode which allows you to add variables to any debug-

Watch mode
ging tool.

144 user manual

10.1.3 VIEW MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Toolbar

Main Toolbar Shows or hides the Main toolbar.

Status bar Shows or hides the Status bar.

Debug bar Ctrl+B Shows or hides the Debug toolbar.

FBD bar Ctrl+D Shows or hides the FBD toolbar.

LD bar Ctrl+A Shows or hides the LD toolbar.

SFC bar Ctrl+Q Shows or hides the SFC toolbar.

Project bar Ctrl+J Shows or hides the Project toolbar.

Network Ctrl+N Shows or hides the Network toolbar.

Document bar Ctrl+M Shows or hides the Document bar.

Tool windows

Shows or hides the Workspace window (also called Project

Workspace Ctrl+W
window).

Library Ctrl+L Shows or hides the Libraries window.

Output Ctrl+R Shows or hides the Output window.

Oscilloscope Ctrl+K Shows or hides the Oscilloscope window.

Watch window Ctrl+T Shows or hides the Watch window.

Force I/O bar Shows or hides the Force I/O bar.

PLC run-time
Shows or hides the PLC run-time window.
status

Cross Reference
Not implemented yet.
window

Expands the currently active document window to fill entire

Full screen Ctrl+U
screen. (Esc to exit from this mode).

Shows or hides a dotted grid in the background of graphical

Grid
source code editors.

Show comments for Shows or hides comments for individual objects, not only for
objects networks. (Only for LD editor).

user manual 145

10.1.4 PROJECT MENU

Command Icon Key Description

New object

Creates a new program. A dialog is prompted in order to

New program
specify the new program properties.

New function Creates a new function block. A dialog is prompted in order

block to specify the new function block properties.

Creates a new function block. A dialog is prompted in order

New function
to specify the new function properties.

New variable

Creates a new automatic variable. A dialog is prompted in

Automatic
order to specify the new variable properties.

Mapped Creates a new mapped variable. A dialog is prompted in

variable order to specify the new variable properties.

Creates a new constant. A dialog is prompted in order to

Constant
specify the new constant properties.

Creates a new retain variable. A dialog is prompted in order

Retain
to specify the new variable properties.

Copy object Copies the object currently selected in the Workspace.

Paste object Pastes the previously copied object.

Duplicates the object currently selected in the Workspace,

Duplicate object
and asks you to type the name of the copy.

Delete object Deletes the currently selected object.

View PLC object Shows properties and description of the currently selected
Alt+Enter
properties object.

Opens the Object browser, which lets you navigate

Object browser
between objects.

Compile F7 Launches the Application compiler.

Ctrl+
Recompile all Recompiles the project.
Alt+F7

Generate
redistributable Generates an RSM file.
source module

Import object from

Lets you import a Application object from a library.
library

Export object to
Lets you export a Application object to a library.
library

Library manager Opens the Library manager.

Refresh all li-

Reloads all libraries linked to the project.
braries

Macros

Creates a new macro. A dialog is prompted in order to

New macro
specify the new macro properties.

146 user manual

 Command Icon Key Description
Copy macro Copies the selected macro creating a new one.

Delete macro Deletes the selected macro.

Properties Shows the selected macro properties.

Select target... Lets you to select a new target for the project.

Refresh current Lets you update the target file for the same version of the
target target.

Options... Opens the project options dialog.

10.1.5 ONLINE MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Set up communica-
Lets you set the properties of the connection to the target.
tion...

Connect Application tries to establish a connection to the target.

Application checks if any changes have been applied since last

Download code F5 compilation, if so compiles the project and then downloads the
source code to the target.

Lets you set the properties of the source code downloaded to

Download options
the target.

Force image upload If the target device is connected, lets you upload the img file.

Force debug symbols If the target device is connected, lets you upload the debug
upload symbols file.

Halt Stops the PLC execution.

Restarts the PLC execution and both retain and non-retain

Cold restart
variables will be reset.

Restarts the PLC execution and non-retain variables will be

Warm restart
reset.

Hot restart Restarts the PLC execution without any reset on variables.

Reboot target Reboots the target.

Read all logs again Reloads all remote logs from target.

user manual 147

10.1.6 DEBUG MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Simulation mode Open/close the integrated simulation environment.

Start/Stop watch Starts or stops (toggle) the evaluation of the symbols

value added in the watch window.

Add symbol to watch F8 Adds a symbol to the Watch window.

Insert new item

Shift+F8 Inserts a new item into the Watch window.
into watch

Add symbol to a de-

F10 Adds a symbol to a debug window.
bug window

Insert new item

Shift+F10 Inserts a new item into a debug window.
into a debug window

If debug mode is running, starts or stops (toggle) the live

Live debug mode
debug mode.

Add/remove text
F9 Adds/removes a text trigger.
trigger

Add/remove
Shift+F9 Adds/removes a graphic trigger.
graphic trigger

Remove all Ctrl+

Removes all the active triggers.
triggers Shift+F9

Trigger list Ctrl+I Lists all the active triggers.

Run Restarts program after a breakpoint is hit.

Add/Remove
F12 Adds or removes a breakpoint.
breakpoint

Remove all
Removes all the active breakpoints.
breakpoints

Breakpoint list Lists all the active breakpoints.

Change current in- Changes the current function block instance (live
stance debug mode).

148 user manual

10.1.7 SCHEME FBD MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Network

New

Top Adds a blank network at the top of the active document.

Bottom Adds a blank network at the bottom of the active document.

Adds a blank network before the selected network in the active

Before
document.

Adds a blank network after the selected network in the active

After
document.

Assigns a label to the selected network, so that it can be

Label
indicated as the target of a jump instruction.

Object

New

Opens the object browser in order to choose a function to be

Function
added to the current active document.

Function Opens the object browser in order to choose a function block to

shift+B
block be added to the current active document.

Opens the object browser in order to choose a variable to be

Variable shift+V
added to the current active document.

Opens the object browser in order to choose a constant to be

Constant shift+K
added to the current active document.

Return shift+R Adds a return statement into the selected network.

Jump to
shift+J Adds a jump statement into the selected network.
label

Opens the object browser in order to choose an operator to be

Operator
added to the current active document.

Comment shift+M Adds a comment into the selected network.

Opens the object browser in order to choose an operator to be

Instance name
added to the current active document.

Opens the editor by which the selected object was created, and
displays the relevant source code:
-- if the object is a program, or a function, or a function block,
this command opens its source code;
Open source
-- if the object is a variable or a parameter, this command opens
the corresponding variable editor;
-- if the object is a standard function or an operator, this
command has no functionality.

Toggle auto-connection mode, in order to connect automatically

Auto connect
two blocks when they are close enough.

Delete invalid Removes all invalid connections, represented by a red line in the
Ctrl+M
connection active scheme.

user manual 149

 Command Icon Key Description
Adds additional pins to the selected block in order to increase
Increment pins Ctrl++
standard ones.

Decrement pins Ctrl+- Removes pins added by the Increment pins command.

Adds the enable in/enable out pins to the selected block.

The code implementing the selected block will be executed
Enable EN/ENO
only when the enable in signal is true. The enable out signal
pins
simply repeats the value of enable in, allowing you either to
enable or to disable a set of blocks in cascade.

Object proper-
Shows some properties of the selected block.
ties

150 user manual

10.1.8 SCHEME LD MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Network

New

Adds a blank network at the top of the active

Top
document.

Adds a blank network at the bottom of the active

Bottom
document.

Adds a blank network before the selected network in

Before
the active document.

Adds a blank network after the selected network in the

After
active document.

Assigns a label to the selected network in order to be

Label
used as target of a jump instruction.

Object

New

Parallel contact Adds a contact parallel before the selected one into the
Shift+P
before selected network.

Parallel contact Adds a contact parallel after the selected one into the
after selected network.

Serie contact Adds a contact in series before the selected one into
before the selected network.

Adds a contact in series after the selected one into the

Serie contact after Shift+C
selected network.

Coil Shift+O Adds a Coil into the selected network.

Opens the object browser in order to choose which

Block Shift+B
block should be added to the current active document.

Opens the object browser in order to choose a constant

Constant Shift+K
to be added to the current active document.

Return Shift+R Adds a Return statement into the selected network.

Jump Shift+J Adds a jump statement into the selected network.

Opens the object browser in order to choose a variable

Variable Shift+V
to be added to the current active document.

Expression Shift+E Adds an expression into the selected network.

New branch Creates new branch after the current position.

Comment Shift+M Adds a comment into the selected network.

Lets you assign a name to an instance of the selected

Instance name
function block.

user manual 151

 Command Icon Key Description
Opens the editor by which the selected object was
created, and displays the relevant source code:
-- if the object is a program, or a function, or a function
block, this command opens its source code;
Open source
-- if the object is a variable or a parameter, this
command opens the corresponding variable editor;
-- if the object is a standard function or an operator,
this command has no functionality.

Changes the selected object into an open contact

Open object O
object.

Changes the selected object into a negated contact

Negated object C
object.

Changes the selected object into a positive contact

Positive object P
object.

Changes the selected object into a negative contact

Negative object N
object.

Set coil S Changes the selected coil into a set coil.

Reset coil R Changes the selected coil into a reset coil.

Adds additional pins to the selected block in order to

Increment pins Ctrl++
increase standard ones.

Removes pins added by the Increment pins

Decrement pins Ctrl+-
command.

Adds the enable in/enable out pins to the selected

block. The code implementing the selected block will be
executed only when the enable in signal is true. The
Enable EN/ENO pins E
enable out signal simply repeats the value of enable
in, allowing you either to enable or to disable a set of
blocks in cascade.

Set output line Set selected pin as the output line of the block.

Object properties Shows some properties of the selected block.

152 user manual

10.1.9 SCHEME SFC MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Object

New

Step Adds new step into the selected network.

Transition Adds new transition into the selected network.

Jump Adds new jump into the selected network.

Modify

Add pin to divergent

Adds a divergent pin to the selected transition.
transition

Remove pin from divergent Removes a divergent pin to the selected

transition transition.

Add pin to convergent

Adds a convergent pin to the selected transition.
transition

Remove pin from convergent Removes a convergent pin to the selected

transition transition.

Add pin to simultaneous Adds a simultaneous divergent pin to the

divergent transition selected transition.

Remove pin from

Removes a simultaneous divergent pin to the
simultaneous divergent
selected transition.
transition

Add pin to simultaneous Adds a simultaneous convergent pin to the

convergent transition selected transition.

Remove pin from

Removes a simultaneous convergent pin to the
simultaneous convergent
selected transition.
transition

Add space before rightmost

Adds a space before the rightmost pin.
pin

Remove space before

Removes a space before the rightmost pin.
rightmost pin

Code Object

New Action Adds an action in the active document.

New Transition code Adds a transition in the active document.

Toggle auto-connection mode, in order to

Auto connect connect automatically two blocks when they are
close enough.

Removes all invalid connections, represented by

Delete invalid connection Ctrl+M
a red line in the active scheme.

user manual 153

10.1.10 VARIABLES MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Add

Creates a new automatic variable. A dialog is prompted in

Automatic
order to specify the new variable.

Ctrl+ Creates a new mapped variable. A dialog is prompted in order

Mapped variable
Shift+M to specify the new variable.

Creates a new constant. A dialog is prompted in order to

Constant
specify the new constant.

Creates a new retain variable. A dialog is prompted in order

Retain
to specify the new variable.

Ctrl+
Insert Adds a new row to the grid in the currently active editor.
Shift+ins

Deletes the variable in the selected row of the currently

Delete Del
active table.

Create multiple Lets you to create a set of multiple variables.

Opens a dialog box which lets you create and delete groups
Group
of variables.

10.1.11 WINDOW MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Displaces all open documents in cascade, so that they
Cascade
completely overlap except for the caption.

The PLC editors area is split into frames having the same
dimensions, depending on the number of currently open
Tile
documents. Each frame is automatically assigned to one of
such documents.

Displaces the icons of the minimized documents in the bottom

Arrange Icons
left-hand corner of the PLC editors area.

Close all Closes all open documents.

10.1.12 HELP MENU

Command Icon Key Description

Index Lists all the Help keywords and opens the related topic.

Context-sensitive help. Opens the topic related to the currently

Context F1
active window.

About... Credits and version information.

154 user manual

10.2 TOOLBARS REFERENCE
In the following tables you can see the list of all Applications toolbars. The buttons making
up each toolbar are always the same, whatever the currently active document. However,
some of them may produce no effect, if there is no logical relation to the active document.

10.2.1 MAIN TOOLBAR

10.2.2 FBD TOOLBAR

10.2.3 LD TOOLBAR

10.2.4 SFC TOOLBAR

10.2.5 PROJECT TOOLBAR

10.2.6 NETWORK TOOLBAR

10.2.7 DEBUG TOOLBAR

user manual 155

156 user manual
11. LANGUAGE REFERENCE

All Application languages are IEC 61131-3 standard-compliant.

-- Common elements
-- Instruction list (IL)
-- Function block diagram (FBD)
-- Ladder diagram (LD)
-- Structured text (ST)
-- Sequential Function Chart (SFC).
Moreover, Application implements some extensions:
-- Pointers
-- Macros.

11.1 COMMON ELEMENTS

By common elements textual and graphic elements are means which are common to all
the programmable controller programming languages specified by IEC 61131-3 standard.
Note: the definition and editing of most of the common elements (variables, structured ele-
ments, function blocks definitions etc.) are managed by Application through specific edi-
tors, forms and tables.
Application does not allow to edit directly the source code related to the above mentioned
common elements.
The following paragraphs are meant to be a language specification. To correctly manage
common elements refer to the Application user guide.

11.1.1 BASIC ELEMENTS

11.1.1.1 CHARACTER SET

Textual documents and textual elements of graphic languages are written by using the
standard ASCII character set.

11.1.1.2 COMMENTS

User comments are delimited at the beginning and end by the special character combina-
tions (* and *), respectively. Comments are permitted anywhere in the program,
and they have no syntactic or semantic significance in any of the languages defined in
this standard.
The use of nested comments, e.g., (* (* NESTED *) *), is treated as an error.

11.1.2 ELEMENTARY DATA TYPES

A number of elementary (i.e. pre-defined) data types is made available by Application, all
compliant with IEC 61131-3 standard.
Elementary data types, keyword for each data type, number of bits per data element, and
range of values for each elementary data type are described in the following table.

Keyword Data type Bits Range

BOOL Boolean See note 0 to 1
SINT Short integer 8 -128 to 127
USINT Unsigned short integer 8 0 to 255
INT Integer 16 -32768 to 32767

user manual 157

 Keyword Data type Bits Range
UINT Unsigned integer 16 0 to 65536
DINT Double integer 32 -231 to 231-1
UDINT Unsigned long integer 32 0 to 232
BYTE Bit string of length 8 8
WORD Bit string of length 16 16
DWORD Bit string of length 32 32
REAL Real number 32 -3.40E+38 to +3.40E+38
STRING String of characters - -

Note: the actual implementation of the BOOL data type depends on the processor of the target
device, e.g. it is 1 bit long for devices that have a bit-addressable area.

11.1.3 DERIVED DATA TYPES

Derived data types can be declared using the TYPE...END_TYPE construct. They can be
used in variable declarations, in addition to the elementary data types.
Both single-element variables and elements of a multi-element variable, which are de-
clared to be of derived data types, can be used anywhere where a variable of its parent
type can be used.

11.1.3.1 TYPEDEFS

The purpose of typedefs is to assign alternative names to existing types. There are not
any differences between a typedef and its parent type, except the name.
Typedefs can be declared using the following syntax:
TYPE
<enumerated data type name> : <parent type name>;
END_TYPE
For example, consider the following declaration, mapping the name LONGWORD to the IEC
61131-3 standard type DWORD:
TYPE
longword : DWORD;
END_TYPE

11.1.3.2 ENUMERATED DATA TYPES

An enumerated data type declaration specifies that the value of any data element of that
type can only be one of the values given in the associated list of identifiers. The enumera-
tion list defines an ordered set of enumerated values, starting with the first identifier of
the list, and ending with the last.
Enumerated data types can be declared using the following syntax:
TYPE
<enumerated data type name> : ( <enumeration list> );
END_TYPE
For example, consider the following declaration of two enumerated data types. Note that,
when no explicit value is given to an identifier in the enumeration list, its value equals the
value assigned to the previous identifier augmented by one.

158 user manual

 TYPE
enum1: (
val1, (* the value of val1 is 0 *)
val2, (* the value of val2 is 1 *)
val3 (* the value of val3 is 2 *)
);
enum2: (
k := -11,
i := 0,
j, (* the value of j is ( i + 1 ) = 1 *)
l := 5
);
END_TYPE
Different enumerated data types may use the same identifiers for enumerated values. In
order to be uniquely identified when used in a particular context, enumerated literals may
be qualified by a prefix consisting of their associated data type name and the # sign.

11.1.3.3 SUBRANGES

A subrange declaration specifies that the value of any data element of that type is re-
stricted between and including the specified upper and lower limits.
Subranges can be declared using the following syntax:
TYPE
<subrange name> : <parent type name> ( <lower limit>..<upper limit>
);
END_TYPE
For a concrete example consider the following declaration:
TYPE
int_0_to_100 : INT (0..100);
END_TYPE

11.1.3.4 STRUCTURES

A STRUCT declaration specifies that data elements of that type shall contain sub-elements
of specified types which can be accessed by the specified names.
Structures can be declared using the following syntax:
TYPE
<structured type name> : STRUCT
<declaration of structurestructure elements>
END_STRUCT;
END_TYPE
For example, consider the following declaration:
TYPE
structure1 : STRUCT
elem1 : USINT;
elem2 : USINT;
elem3 : INT;

user manual 159

 elem3 : REAL;
END_STRUCT;
END_TYPE

11.1.4 LITERALS

11.1.4.1 NUMERIC LITERALS

External representation of data in the various programmable controller programming lan-

guages consists of numeric literals.
There are two classes of numeric literals: integer literals and real literals. A numeric literal
is defined as a decimal number or a based number.
Decimal literals are represented in conventional decimal notation. Real literals are dis-
tinguished by the presence of a decimal point. An exponent indicates the integer power
of ten by which the preceding number needs to be multiplied to obtain the represented
value. Decimal literals and their exponents can contain a preceding sign (+ or -).
Integer literals can also be represented in base 2, 8 or 16. The base is in decimal notation.
For base 16, an extended set of digits consisting of letters A through F is used, with the
conventional significance of decimal 10 through 15, respectively. Based numbers do not
contain any leading sign (+ or -).
Boolean data are represented by the keywords FALSE or TRUE.
Numerical literal features and examples are shown in the table below.

Feature description Examples

Integer literals -12 0 123 +986
Real literals -12.0 0.0 0.4560
-1.34E-12 or -1.34e-12
Real literals with exponents 1.0E+6 or 1.0e+6
1.234E6 or 1.234e6
2#11111111 (256 decimal)
Base 2 literals
2#11100000 (240 decimal)
8#377 (256 decimal)
Base 8 literals
8#340 (240 decimal)
16#FF or 16#ff (256 decimal)
Base 16 literals
16#E0 or 16#e0 (240 decimal)
Boolean FALSE and TRUE FALSE TRUE

11.1.4.2 CHARACTER STRING LITERALS

A character string literal is a sequence of zero or more characters prefixed and terminated
by the single quote character (').
The three-character combination of the dollar sign ($) followed by two hexadecimal digits
shall be interpreted as the hexadecimal representation of the eight-bit character code.

Example Explanation
'' Empty string (length zero)
'A' String of length one containing the single character A
' ' String of length one containing the space character
'$'' String of length one containing the single quote character

160 user manual

 Example Explanation
'' String of length one containing the double quote character
'$R$L' String of length two containing CR and LF characters
'$0A' String of length one containing the LF character

Two-character combinations beginning with the dollar sign shall be interpreted as shown
in the following table when they occur in character strings.

Combination Interpretation when printed

$$ Dollar sign
$' Single quote
$L or $1 Line feed
$N or $n Newline
$P or $p Form feed (page)
$R or $r Carriage return
$T or $t Tab

11.1.5 VARIABLES
11.1.5.1 FOREWORD

Variables provide a means of identifying data objects whose contents may change, e.g.,
data associated with the inputs, outputs, or memory of the programmable controller. A
variable must be declared to be one of the elementary types. Variables can be represent-
ed symbolically, or alternatively in a manner which directly represents the association of
the data element with physical or logical locations in the programmable controllers input,
output, or memory structure.
Each program organization unit (POU) (i.e., each program, function, or function block)
contains at its beginning at least one declaration part, consisting of one or more structur-
ing elements, which specify the types (and, if necessary, the physical or logical location)
of the variables used in the organization unit. This declaration part has the textual form of
one of the keywords VAR, VAR_INPUT, or VAR_OUTPUT as defined in the keywords section,
followed in the case of VAR by zero or one occurrence of the qualifiers RETAIN, NON_RE-
TAIN or the qualifier CONSTANT, and in the case of VAR_INPUT or VAR_OUTPUT by zero or
one occurrence of the qualifier RETAIN or NON_RETAIN, followed by one or more decla-
rations separated by semicolons and terminated by the keyword END_VAR. A declaration
may also specify an initialization for the declared variable, when a programmable control-
ler supports the declaration by the user of initial values for variables.

11.1.5.2 STRUCTURING ELEMENT

The declaration of a variable must be performed within the following program structuring
element:
KEYWORD [RETAIN] [CONSTANT]
Declaration 1
Declaration 2
...
Declaration N
END_VAR

user manual 161

11.1.5.3 KEYWORDS AND SCOPE

Keyword Variable usage

VAR Internal to organization unit.
VAR_INPUT Externally supplied.
Supplied by organization unit to external
VAR_OUTPUT
entities.
Supplied by external entities, can be
VAR_IN_OUT
modified within organization unit.
Supplied by configuration via VAR_GLOBAL,
VAR_EXTERNAL
can be modified within organization unit.
VAR_GLOBAL Global variable declaration.

The scope (range of validity) of the declarations contained in structuring elements is local
to the program organization unit (POU) in which the declaration part is contained. That
is, the declared variables are accessible to other program organization units except by
explicit argument passing via variables which have been declared as inputs or outputs of
those units. The one exception to this rule is the case of variables which have been de-
clared to be global.
Such variables are accessible to programs in any case, or via a VAR_EXTERNAL declaration
to function blocks. The type of a variable declared in a VAR_EXTERNAL must agree with the
type declared in the VAR_GLOBAL block.
To give access to this variables to all type of POU, without using any keyword, you must
enable this option in the code generation tab of the project options (see Paragraph 4.6.2).
There is an error if:
-- any program organization unit attempts to modify the value of a variable that has been
declared with the CONSTANT qualifier;
-- a variable declared as VAR_GLOBAL CONSTANT in a configuration element or program or-
ganization unit (the containing element) is used in a VAR_EXTERNAL declaration (with-
out the CONSTANT qualifier) of any element contained within the containing element.

11.1.5.4 QUALIFIERS

Qualifier Description
The attribute CONST indicates that the variables within
the structuring elements are constants, i.e. they have
CONST
a constant value, which cannot be modified once the
PLC project has been compiled.
The attribute RETAIN indicates that the variables
within the structuring elements are retentive, i.e. they
RETAIN
keep their value even after the target device is reset
or switched off.

11.1.5.5 SINGLE-ELEMENT VARIABLES AND ARRAYS

A single-element variable represents a single data element of either one of the elemen-
tary types or one of the derived data types.
An array is a collection of data elements of the same data type; in order to access a single
element of the array, a subscript (or index) enclosed in square brackets has to be used.
Subscripts can be either integer literals or single-element variables.

162 user manual

 To easily represent data matrices, arrays can be multi-dimensional; in this case, a com-
posite subscript is required, one index per dimension, separated by commas. The maxi-
mum number of dimensions allowed in the definition of an array is three.

11.1.5.6 DECLARATION SYNTAX

Variables must be declared within structuring elements, using the following syntax:
VarName1 : Typename1 [ := InitialVal1 ];
VarName2 AT Location2 : Typename2 [ := InitialVal2 ];
VarName3 : ARRAY [ 0..N ] OF Typename3;
where:

Keyword Description
Variable identifier, consisting of a string of
VarNameX alphanumeric characters, of length 1 or more. It is
used for symbolic representation of variables.
Data type of the variable, selected from elementary
TypenameX
data types.
The value the variable assumes after reset of the
InitialValX
target.
LocationX See the next paragraph.
Index of the last element, the array having length
N
N + 1.

11.1.5.7 LOCATION

Variables can be represented symbolically, i.e. accessed through their identifier, or alter-
natively in a manner which directly represents the association of the data element with
physical or logical locations in the programmable controllers input, output, or memory
structure.
Direct representation of a single-element variable is provided by a special symbol formed
by the concatenation of the percent sign % , a location prefix and a size prefix, and one
or two unsigned integers, separated by periods (.).
%location.size.index.index
1) location
The location prefix may be one of the following:

Location prefix Description

I Input location
Q Output location
M Memory location

2) size
The size prefix may be one of the following:

Size prefix Description

X Single bit size
B Byte (8 bits) size
W Word (16 bits) size

user manual 163

 Size prefix Description
D Double word (32 bits) size

3) index.index
This sequence of unsigned integers, separated by dots, specifies the actual position
of the variable in the area specified by the location prefix.

Example:

Direct representation Description

Word starting from the first byte of the 7th
%MW4.6
element of memory datablock 4.
First bit of the first byte of the 5th element
%IX0.4
of input set 0.

Note that the absolute position depends on the size of the datablock elements, not on the
size prefix. As a matter of fact, %MW4.6 and %MD4.6 begin from the same byte in memory,
but the former points to an area which is 16 bits shorter than the latter.
For advanced users only: if the index consists of one integer only (no dots), then it loses
any reference to data blocks, and it points directly to the byte in memory having the index
value as its absolute address.

Direct representation Description

Word starting from the first byte of the 7th
%MW4.6
element of datablock 4 in memory.
%MW4 Word starting from byte 4 of memory.

Example
VAR [RETAIN] [CONSTANT]
XQuote : DINT; Enabling : BOOL := FALSE;
TorqueCurrent AT %MW4.32 : INT;
Counters : ARRAY [ 0 .. 9 ] OF UINT;
Limits: ARRAY [0..3, 0..9]
END_VAR
-- Variable XQuote is 32 bits long, and it is automatically allocated by the Application com-
piler.
-- Variable Enabling is initialized to FALSE after target reset.
-- Variable TorqueCurrent is allocated in the memory area of the target device, and it
takes 16 bits starting from the first byte of the 33rd element of datablock 4.
-- Variable Counters is an array of 10 independent variables of type unsigned integer.

11.1.5.8 DECLARING VARIABLES IN APPLICATION

Whatever the PLC language you are using, Application allows you to disregard the syntax
above, as it supplies the Local variables editor, the Global variables editor, and the Param-
eters editor, which provide a friendly interface to declare all kinds of variables.

11.1.6 PROGRAM ORGANIZATION UNITS

Program organization units are functions, function blocks, and programs. Program Organ-
ization Units can be delivered by the manufacturer, or programmed by the user through
the means defined in this part of the standard

164 user manual

 Program organization units are not recursive; that is, the invocation of a program organi-
zation unit cannot cause the invocation of another program organization unit of the same
type.

11.1.6.1 FUNCTIONS
Introduction
For the purposes of programmable controller programming languages, a function is de-
fined as a program organization unit (POU) which, when executed, yields exactly one data
element, which is considered to be the function result.
Functions contain no internal state information, i.e., invocation of a function with the
same arguments (input variables VAR_INPUT and in-out variables VAR_IN_OUT) always
yields the same values (output variables VAR_OUTPUT, in-out variables VAR_IN_OUT and
function result).

Declaration syntax
The declaration of a function must be performed as follows:
FUNCTION FunctionName : RetDataType
VAR_INPUT
declaration of input variables (see the relevant section)
END_VAR
VAR
declaration of local variables (see the relevant section)
END_VAR
Function body
END_FUNCTION

Keyword Description
FunctionName Name of the function being declared.
RetDataType Data type of the value to be returned by the function.
Specifies the operations to be performed upon the
input variables in order to assign values dependent on
the functions semantics to a variable with the same
Function body
name as the function, which represents the function
result. It can be written in any of the languages
supported by Application.

Declaring functions in Application

Whatever the PLC language you are using, Application allows you to disregard the syntax
above, as it supplies a friendly interface for using functions.

11.1.6.2 FUNCTION BLOCKS

Introduction
For the purposes of programmable controller programming languages, a function block is
a program organization unit which, when executed, yields one or more values. Multiple,
named instances (copies) of a function block can be created. Each instance has an associ-
ated identifier (the instance name), and a data structure containing its input, output and
internal variables. All the values of the output variables and the necessary internal vari-
ables of this data structure persist from one execution of the function block to the next;
therefore, invocation of a function block with the same arguments (input variables) does
not always yield the same output values.

user manual 165

 Only the input and output variables are accessible outside of an instance of a function
block, i.e., the function blocks internal variables are hidden from the user of the function
block.
In order to execute its operations, a function block needs to be invoked by another POU.
Invocation depends on the specific language of the module calling the function block.
The scope of an instance of a function block is local to the program organization unit in
which it is instantiated.

Declaration syntax
The declaration of a function must be performed as follows:
FUNCTION_BLOCK FunctionBlockName
VAR_INPUT
declaration of input variables (see the relevant section)
END_VAR
VAR_OUTPUT
declaration of output variables
END_VAR
VAR_EXTERNAL
declaration of external variables
END_VAR
VAR
declaration of local variables
END_VAR
Function block body
END_FUNCTION_BLOCK

Keyword Description

Name of the function block being declared (note:

FunctionBlockName
name of the template, not of its instances).

A function block can access global variables only

if they are listed in a VAR_EXTERNAL structuring
VAR_EXTERNAL .. END_VAR element. Variables passed to the FB via a VAR_
EXTERNAL construct can be modified from within the
FB.

Specifies the operations to be performed upon the

input variables in order to assign values to the
output variables - dependent on the function blocks
Function block body
semantics and on the value of the internal variables.
It can be written in any of the languages supported
by Application.

Declaring functions in Application

Whatever the PLC language you are using, Application allows you to disregard the syntax
above, as it supplies a friendly interface for using function blocks.

166 user manual

11.1.6.3 PROGRAMS
Introduction
A program is defined in IEC 61131-1 as a logical assembly of all the programming lan-
guage elements and constructs necessary for the intended signal processing required for
the control of a machine or process by a programmable controller system.

Declaration syntax
The declaration of a program must be performed as follows:
PROGRAM < program name>
Declaration of variables (see the relevant section)
Program body
END_PROGRAM

Keyword Description
Program Name Name of the program being declared.
Specifies the operations to be performed to get the
Program body intended signal processing. It can be written in any of
the languages supported by Application.

Writing programs in Application

Whatever the PLC language you are using, Application allows you to disregard the syntax
above, as it supplies a friendly interface for writing programs.

11.1.7 IEC 61131-3 STANDARD FUNCTIONS

This paragraph is a reference of all IEC 61131-3 standard functions available in Applica-
tion, along with a few others, which may be considered as Applications extensions to the
standard.
These functions are common to the whole set of programming languages and can there-
fore be used in any Programmable Organization Unit (POU).
A function specified in this paragraph to be extensible (Ext.) is allowed to have a variable
number of inputs.

Type conversion functions

According to the IEC 61131-3 standard, type conversion functions shall have the form *_
TO_**, where * is the type of the input variable, and ** the type of the output variable
(for example, INT_TO_REAL). Application provides a more convenient set of overloaded
type conversion functions, relieving the developer to specify the input variable type.

TO_BOOL
Description Conversion to BOOL (boolean)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type
Output data type BOOL
out := TO_BOOL( 0 ); (* out = FALSE *)
Examples out := TO_BOOL( 1 ); (* out = TRUE *)
out := TO_BOOL( 1000 ); (* out = TRUE *)

user manual 167

 TO_SINT
Description Conversion to SINT (8-bit signed integer)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type SINT
out := TO_SINT( -1 ); (* out = -1 *)
Examples
out := TO_SINT( 16#100 ); (* out = 0 *)

TO_USINT
Description Conversion to USINT (8-bit unsigned integer)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type USINT
out := TO_USINT( -1 ); (* out = 255 *)
Examples
out := TO_USINT( 16#100 ); (* out = 0 *)

TO_INT
Description Conversion to INT (16-bit signed integer)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type INT
out := TO_INT( -1000.0 ); (* out = -1000 *)
Examples
out := TO_INT( 16#8000 ); (* out = -32768 *)

TO_UINT
Description Conversion to UINT (16-bit unsigned integer)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type UINT
out := TO_UINT( 1000.0 ); (* out = 1000 *)
Examples
out := TO_UINT( 16#8000 ); (* out = 32768 *)

TO_DINT
Description Conversion to DINT (32-bit signed integer)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type DINT
out := TO_DINT( 10.0 ); (* out = 10 *)
Examples
out := TO_DINT( 16#FFFFFFFF ); (* out = -1 *)

168 user manual

 TO_UDINT
Description Conversion to UDINT (32-bit unsigned integer)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type UDINT
out := TO_UDINT( 10.0 ); (* out = 10 *)
Examples out := TO_UDINT( 16#FFFFFFFF ); (* out = 4294967295
*)

TO_BYTE
Description Conversion to BYTE (8-bit string)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type BYTE
out := TO_BYTE( -1 ); (* out = 16#FF *)
Examples
out := TO_BYTE( 16#100 ); (* out = 16#00 *)

TO_WORD
Description Conversion to WORD (16-bit string)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type WORD
out := TO_WORD( 1000.0 ); (* out = 16#03E8 *)
Examples
out := TO_WORD( -32768 ); (* out = 16#8000 *)

TO_DWORD
Description Conversion to DWORD (32-bit string)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type DWORD
out := TO_DWORD( 10.0 ); (* out = 16#0000000A *)
Examples
out := TO_DWORD( -1 ); (* out = 16#FFFFFFFF *)

TO_REAL
Description Conversion to REAL (32-bit floating point)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type REAL
out := TO_REAL( -1000 ); (* out = -1000.0 *)
Examples
out := TO_REAL( 16#8000 ); (* out = -32768.0 *)

user manual 169

 TO_LREAL
Description Conversion to LREAL (64-bit floating point)
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type or STRING
Output data type LREAL
out := TO_LREAL( -1000 ); (* out = -1000.0 *)
Examples
out := TO_LREAL( 16#8000 ); (* out = -32768.0 *)

Numerical functions
The availability of the following functions depends on the target device. Please refer to
your hardware supplier for details.

ABS
Description Absolute value. Computes the absolute value of input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type
Output data type Same as input
OUT := ABS( -5 );(* OUT = 5 *)
Examples OUT := ABS( -1.618 );(* OUT = 1.618 *)
OUT := ABS( 3.141592 );(* OUT = 3.141592 *)

SQRT
Description Square root. Computes the square root of input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Examples OUT := SQRT( 4.0 ); (* OUT = 2.0 *)

LN
Natural logarithm. Computes the logarithm with base e of
Description
input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Examples OUT := LN( 2.718281 ); (* OUT = 1.0 *)

LOG
Common logarithm. Computes the logarithm with base 10 of
Description
input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Examples OUT := LOG( 100.0 );(* OUT = 2.0 *)

170 user manual

 EXP
Natural exponential. Computes the exponential function of
Description
input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Examples OUT := EXP( 1.0 ); (* OUT ~ 2.718281 *)

SIN
Sine. Computes the sine function of input #0 expressed in
Description
radians
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := SIN( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)
Examples
OUT := SIN( 2.5 * 3.141592 ); (* OUT ~ 1.0 *)

COS
Cosine. Computes the cosine function of input #0 expressed
Description
in radians
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := COS( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 1.0 *)
Examples
OUT := COS( -3.141592 ); (* OUT ~ -1.0 *)

TAN
Tangent. Computes the tangent function of input #0
Description
expressed in radians
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := TAN( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)
Examples
OUT := TAN( 3.141592 / 4.0 ); (* OUT ~ 1.0 *)

ASIN
Arc sine. Computes the principal arc sine of input #0; result
Description
is expressed in radians
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := ASIN( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)
Examples
OUT := ASIN( 1.0 ); (* OUT = PI / 2 *)

user manual 171

 ACOS
Arc cosine. Computes the principal arc cosine of input #0;
Description
result is expressed in radians
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := ACOS( 1.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)
Examples
OUT := ACOS( -1.0 ); (* OUT = PI *)

ATAN
Arc tangent. Computes the principal arc tangent of input
Description
#0; result is expressed in radians
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := ATAN( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)
Examples
OUT := ATAN( 1.0 ); (* OUT = PI / 4 *)

ADD
Description Arithmetic addition. Computes the sum of the two inputs.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Inputs
Examples OUT := ADD( 20, 40 ); (* OUT = 60 *)

MUL
Description Arithmetic multiplication. Multiplies the two inputs.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Inputs
Examples OUT := MUL( 10, 10 ); (* OUT = 100 *)

SUB
Description Arithmetic subtraction. Subtracts input #1 from input #0
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Inputs
Examples OUT := SUB( 10, 3 ); (* OUT = 7 *)

172 user manual

 DIV
Description Arithmetic division. Divides input #0 by input #1
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Inputs
Examples OUT := DIV( 20, 2 ); (* OUT = 10 *)

MOD
Description Module. Computes input #0 module input #1
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Inputs
Examples OUT := MOD( 10, 3 ); (* OUT = 1 *)

POW
Description Exponentiation. Raises Base to the power Expo
Number of operands 2
LREAL where available, REAL otherwise;
Input data type
LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := POW( 2.0, 3.0 ); (* OUT = 8.0 *)
Examples
OUT := POW( -1.0, 5.0 ); (* OUT = -1.0 *)

ATAN2*
Arc tangent (with 2 parameters). Computes the principal arc
Description
tangent of Y/X; result is expressed in radians
Number of operands 2
LREAL where available, REAL otherwise;
Input data type
LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := ATAN2( 0.0, 1.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)
OUT := ATAN2( 1.0, 1.0 ); (* OUT = PI / 4 *)
Examples OUT := ATAN2( -1.0, -1.0 ); (* OUT = ( -3/4 ) * PI
*)
OUT := ATAN2( 1.0, 0.0 ); (* OUT = PI / 2 *)

SINH*
Hyperbolic sine. Computes the hyperbolic sine function of
Description
input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Examples OUT := SINH( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)

user manual 173

 COSH*
Hyperbolic cosine. Computes the hyperbolic cosine function
Description
of input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Examples OUT := COSH( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 1.0 *)

TANH*
Hyperbolic tangent. Computes the hyperbolic tangent
Description
function of input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Examples OUT := TANH( 0.0 ); (* OUT = 0.0 *)

CEIL*
Rounding up to integer. Returns the smallest integer that is
Description
greater than or equal to input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := CEIL( 1.95 ); (* OUT = 2.0 *)
Examples
OUT := CEIL( -1.27 ); (* OUT = -1.0 *)

FLOOR*
Rounding down to integer. Returns the largest integer that is
Description
less than or equal to input #0
Number of operands 1
Input data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
Output data type LREAL where available, REAL otherwise
OUT := FLOOR( 1.95 ); (* OUT = 1.0 *)
Examples
OUT := FLOOR( -1.27 ); (* OUT = -2.0 *)

*: function provided as extension to the IEC 61131-3 standard.

Bit string functions

SHL
Description Input#0 left-shifted of Input #1 bits, zero filled on the right.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Input #0
OUT := SHL( IN := 16#1000CAFE, 16 );
Examples
(* OUT = 16#CAFE0000 *)

174 user manual

 SHR
Input #0 right-shifted of Input #1 bits, zero filled on the
Description
left.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Input #0
OUT := SHR( IN := 16#1000CAFE, 24 );
Examples
(* OUT = 16#00000010 *)

ROL
Description Input #0 left-shifted of Input #1 bits, circular.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Input #0
OUT := ROL( IN := 16#1000CAFE, 4 );
Examples
(* OUT = 16#000CAFE1 *)

ROR
Description Input #0 right-shifted of Input #1 bits, circular.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Input #0
OUT := ROR( IN := 16#1000CAFE, 16 );
Examples
(* OUT = 16#CAFE1000 *)

AND
Logical AND if both Input #0 and Input #1 are BOOL,
Description
otherwise bitwise AND.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any but STRING, Any but STRING
Output data type Same as Inputs
OUT := TRUE AND FALSE; (* OUT = FALSE *)
Examples
OUT := 16#1234 AND 16#5678; (* OUT = 16#1230 *)

OR
Logical OR if both Input #0 and Input #1 are BOOL,
Description
otherwise bitwise OR.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any but STRING, Any but STRING
Output data type Same as Inputs
OUT := TRUE OR FALSE; (* OUT = FALSE *)
Examples
OUT := 16#1234 OR 16#5678;(* OUT = 16#567C *)

user manual 175

 XOR
Logical XOR if both Input #0 and Input #1 are BOOL,
Description
otherwise bitwise XOR.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any but STRING, Any but STRING
Output data type Same as Inputs
OUT := TRUE OR FALSE; (* OUT = TRUE *)
Examples
OUT := 16#1234 OR 16#5678; (* OUT = 16#444C *)

NOT
Description Logical NOT if Input is BOOL, otherwise bitwise NOT.
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any but STRING
Output data type Same as Inputs
OUT := NOT FALSE; (* OUT = TRUE *)
Examples
OUT := NOT 16#1234;(* OUT = 16#EDCB *)

Selection functions

SEL
Description Binary selection
Number of operands 3
Input data type BOOL, Any, Any
Output data type Same as selected Input
OUT := SEL( G := FALSE, IN0 := X, IN1 := 5 );
Examples
(* OUT = X *)

MAX
Description Maximum value selection
Number of operands 2, extensible
Any numerical type, Any numerical type, .., Any numerical
Input data type
type
Output data type Same as max Input
Examples OUT := MAX( -8, 120, -1000 ); (* OUT = 120 *)

MIN
Description Minimum value selection
Number of operands 2, extensible
Any numerical type, Any numerical type, .., Any numerical
Input data type
type
Output data type Same as min Input
Examples OUT := MIN( -8, 120, -1000 ); (* OUT = -1000 *)

176 user manual

 LIMIT
Limits Input #0 to be equal or more than Input#1, and
Description
equal or less than Input #2.
Number of operands 3
Input data type Any numerical type, Any numerical type, Any numerical type
Output data type Same as Inputs
OUT := LIMIT( IN := 4, MN := 0, MX := 5 ); (* OUT =
4 *)
OUT := LIMIT( IN := 88, MN := 0, MX := 5 );(* OUT =
Examples
5 *)
OUT := LIMIT( IN := -1, MN := 0, MX := 5 );(* OUT =
0 *)

MUX
Description Multiplexer. Selects one of N inputs depending on input K
Number of operands 3, extensible
Any numerical type, Any numerical type, ..., Any numerical
Input data type
type
Output data type Same as selected Input
Examples OUT := MUX( 0, A, B, C ); (* OUT = A *)

Comparison functions
Comparison functions can be also used to compare strings if this feature is supported by
target device.

GT
Greater than. Returns TRUE if Input #0 > Input #1,
Description
otherwise FALSE.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any but BOOL, Any but BOOL
Output data type BOOL
OUT := GT( 0, 20 ); (* OUT = FALSE *)
Examples
OUT := GT( AZ, ABC ); (* OUT = TRUE *)

GE
Greater than or equal to. Returns TRUE if Input #0 >=
Description
Input #1, otherwise FALSE.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any but BOOL, Any but BOOL
Output data type BOOL
OUT := GE( 20, 20 ); (* OUT = TRUE *)
Examples
OUT := GE( AZ, ABC ); (* OUT = FALSE *)

user manual 177

 EQ
Equal to. Returns TRUE if Input #0 = Input #1, otherwise
Description
FALSE.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any, Any
Output data type BOOL
OUT := EQ( TRUE, FALSE ); (* OUT = FALSE *)
Examples
OUT := EQ( AZ, ABC ); (* OUT = FALSE *)

LT
Less than. Returns TRUE if Input #0 < Input #1, otherwise
Description
FALSE.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any but BOOL, Any but BOOL
Output data type BOOL
OUT := LT( 0, 20 ); (* OUT = TRUE *)
Examples
OUT := LT( AZ, ABC ); (* OUT = FALSE *)

LE
Less than or equal to. Returns TRUE if Input #0 <= Input
Description
#1, otherwise FALSE.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any but BOOL, Any but BOOL
Output data type BOOL
OUT := LE( 20, 20 ); (* OUT = TRUE *)
Examples
OUT := LE( AZ, ABC ); (* OUT = FALSE *)

NE
Not equal to. Returns TRUE if Input #0 != Input #1,
Description
otherwise FALSE.
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any, Any
Output data type BOOL
OUT := NE( TRUE, FALSE ); (* OUT = TRUE *)
Examples
OUT := NE( AZ, ABC ); (* OUT = TRUE *)

178 user manual

 String functions
The availability of the following functions depends on the target device. Please refer to
your hardware supplier for details.

CONCAT
Description Character string concatenation
Number of operands 2
Input data type STRING, STRING
Output data type STRING
Examples OUT := CONCAT( AB, CD ); (* OUT = ABCD *)

DELETE
Delete L characters of IN, beginning at the P-th character
Description
position
Number of operands 3
Input data type STRING, UINT, UINT
Output data type STRING
OUT := DELETE( IN := ABXYC, L := 2, P := 3 );
Examples
(* OUT = ABC *)

FIND
Find the character position of the beginning of the first
Description occurrence of IN2 in IN1. If no occurrence of IN2 is found,
then OUT := 0.
Number of operands 2
Input data type STRING, STRING
Output data type UINT
OUT := FIND( IN1 := ABCBC, IN2 := BC ); (* OUT
Examples
= 2 *)

INSERT
Description Insert IN2 into IN1 after the P-th character position
Number of operands 3
Input data type STRING, STRING, UINT
Output data type STRING
OUT := INSERT( IN1 := ABC, IN2 := XY, P := 2 );
Examples
(* OUT = ABXYC *)

LEFT
Description Leftmost L characters of IN
Number of operands 2
Input data type STRING, UINT
Output data type STRING
OUT := LEFT( IN := ASTR, L := 3 ); (* OUT = AST
Examples
*)

user manual 179

 MID
Description L characters of IN, beginning at the P-th
Number of operands 3
Input data type STRING, UINT, UINT
Output data type STRING
OUT := MID( IN := ASTR, L := 2, P := 2 );
Examples
(* OUT = ST *)

REPLACE
Replace L characters of IN1 by IN2, starting at the P-th
Description
character position
Number of operands 4
Input data type STRING, STRING, UINT, UINT
Output data type STRING
OUT := REPLACE( IN1 := ABCDE, IN2 := X, L := 2,
Examples
P := 3 ); (* OUT = ABXE *)

RIGHT
Description Rightmost L characters of IN
Number of operands 2
Input data type STRING, UINT
Output data type STRING
OUT := RIGHT( IN := ASTR, L := 3 ); (* OUT =
Examples
STR *)

TO_STRING
Description Conversion to STRING
Number of operands 1
Input data type Any numerical type
Output data type STRING
str := TO_STRING( 10.0 ); (* str = 10,0 *)
Examples
str := TO_STRING( -1 ); (* str = -1 *)

TO_STRINGFORMAT
Description Conversion to STRING, with format specifier
Number of operands 2
Input data type Any numerical type, STRING
Output data type STRING
str := TO_STRINGFORMAT(10, %04d); (* str = 0010
Examples
*)

180 user manual

11.2 INSTRUCTION LIST (IL)
This section defines the semantics of the IL (Instruction List) language.

11.2.1 SYNTAX AND SEMANTICS

11.2.1.1 SYNTAX OF IL INSTRUCTIONS

IL code is composed of a sequence of instructions. Each instruction begins on a new line

and contains an operator with optional modifiers, and, if necessary for the particular op-
eration, one or more operands separated by commas. Operands can be any of the data
representations for literals and for variables.
The instruction can be preceded by an identifying label followed by a colon (:). Empty
lines can be inserted between instructions.

Example
Let us parse a small piece of code:
START:
LD %IX1 (* Push button *)
ANDN %MX5.4 (* Not inhibited *)
ST %QX2 (* Fan out *)
The elements making up each instruction are classified as follows:

Operator
Label Operand Comment
[+ modifier]
START: LD %IX1 (* Push button *)
ANDN %MX5.4 (* Not inhibited *)
ST %QX2 (* Fan out *)

Semantics of IL instructions
-- Accumulator
By accumulator a register is meant containing the value of the currently evaluated re-
sult.
-- Operators
Unless otherwise specified, the semantics of the operators is
accumulator := accumulator OP operand
That is, the value of the accumulator is replaced by the result yielded by operation OP
applied to the current value of the accumulator itself, with respect to the operand. For
instance, the instruction AND %IX1 is interpreted as
accumulator := accumulator AND %IX1
and the instruction GT %IW10 will have the Boolean result TRUE if the current value
of the accumulator is greater than the value of input word 10, and the Boolean result
FALSE otherwise:
accumulator := accumulator GT %IW10
-- Modifiers
The modifier N indicates bitwise negation of the operand.
The left parenthesis modifier ( indicates that evaluation of the operator must be de-
ferred until a right parenthesis operator ) is encountered. The form of a parenthesized
sequence of instructions is shown below, referred to the instruction
accumulator := accumulator AND (%MX1.3 OR %MX1.4)

user manual 181

 The modifier C indicates that the associated instruction can be performed only if the
value of the currently evaluated result is Boolean 1 (or Boolean 0 if the operator is com-
bined with the N modifier).

11.2.2 STANDARD OPERATORS

Standard operators with their allowed modifiers and operands are as listed below.

Supported operand
Operator Modifiers types: Acc_type, Semantics
Op_type
Sets the accumulator equal to
LD N Any, Any
operand.
Stores the accumulator into
ST N Any, Any
operand location.
Sets operand to TRUE if
S BOOL, BOOL
accumulator is TRUE.
Sets operand to FALSE if
R BOOL, BOOL
accumulator is TRUE.
Any but REAL, Any but
AND N, ( Logical or bitwise AND
REAL
Any but REAL, Any but
OR N, ( Logical or bitwise OR
REAL
Any but REAL, Any but
XOR N, ( Logical or bitwise XOR
REAL
NOT Any but REAL Logical or bitwise NOT
ADD ( Any but BOOL Addition
SUB ( Any but BOOL Subtraction
MUL ( Any but BOOL Multiplication
DIV ( Any but BOOL Division
MOD ( Any but BOOL Modulo-division
GT ( Any but BOOL Comparison:
GE ( Any but BOOL Comparison: =
EQ ( Any but BOOL Comparison: =
NE ( Any but BOOL Comparison:
LE ( Any but BOOL Comparison:
LT ( Any but BOOL Comparison:
JMP C, N Label Jumps to label
CAL C, N FB instance name Calls function block
Returns from called program,
RET C, N
function, or function block.
) Evaluates deferred operation.

182 user manual

11.2.3 CALLING FUNCTIONS AND FUNCTION BLOCKS
11.2.3.1 CALLING FUNCTIONS

Functions (as defined in the relevant section) are invoked by placing the function name in
the operator field. This invocation takes the following form:
LD 1
MUX 5, var0, -6.5, 3.14
ST vRES
Note that the first argument is not contained in the input list, but the accumulator is used
as the first argument of the function. Additional arguments (starting with the 2nd), if re-
quired, are given in the operand field, separated by commas, in the order of their decla-
ration. For example, operator MUX in the table above takes 5 operands, the first of which
is loaded into the accumulator, whereas the remaining 4 arguments are orderly reported
after the function name.

The following rules apply to function invocation.

1) Assignments to VAR_INPUT arguments may be empty, constants, or variables.
2) Execution of a function ends upon reaching a RET instruction or the physical end of
the function. When this happens, the output variable of the function is copied into the
accumulator.

Calling Function Blocks

Function blocks (as defined in the relevant section) can be invoked conditionally and un-
conditionally via the CAL operator. This invocation takes the following form:
LD A
ADD 5
ST INST5.IN1
LD 3.141592
ST INST5.IN2
CAL INST5
LD INST5.OUT1
ST vRES
LD INST5.OUT2
ST vVALID
This method of invocation is equivalent to a CAL with an argument list, which contains only
one variable with the name of the FB instance.
Input arguments are passed to / output arguments are read from the FB instance through
ST / LD operations performed on operands taking the following form:
FBInstanceName.IO_var
where

Keyword Description
FBInstanceName Name of the instance to be invoked.
IO_var Input or output variable to be written / read.

user manual 183

11.3 FUNCTION BLOCK DIAGRAM (FBD)
This section defines the semantics of the FBD (Function Block Diagram) language.

11.3.1 REPRESENTATION OF LINES AND BLOCKS

The graphic language elements are drawn using graphic or semi graphic elements, as
shown in the table below.
No storage of data or association with data elements can be associated with the use of
connectors; hence, to avoid ambiguity, connectors cannot be given any identifier.

Feature Example

Lines

Line crossing with connection

Blocks with connecting lines

and unconnected pins

11.3.2 DIRECTION OF FLOW IN NETWORKS

A network is defined as a maximal set of interconnected graphic elements. A network
label delimited on the right by a colon (:) can be associated with each network or group
of networks. The scope of a network and its label is local to the program organization unit
(POU) where the network is located.
Graphic languages are used to represent the flow of a conceptual quantity through one
or more networks representing a control plan. Namely, in the case of function block dia-
grams (FBD), the Signal flow is typically used, analogous to the flow of signals between
elements of a signal processing system. Signal flow in the FBD language is from the out-
put (right-hand) side of a function or function block to the input (left-hand) side of the
function or function block(s) so connected.

11.3.3 EVALUATION OF NETWORKS

11.3.3.1 ORDER OF EVALUATION OF NETWORKS

The order in which networks and their elements are evaluated is not necessarily the same
as the order in which they are labeled or displayed. When the body of a program organiza-
tion unit (POU) consists of one or more networks, the results of network evaluation within
the aforesaid body are functionally equivalent to the observance of the following rules:
1) No element of a network is evaluated until the states of all of its inputs have been
evaluated.
2) The evaluation of a network element is not complete until the states of all of its out-
puts have been evaluated.
3) As stated when describing the FBD editor, a network number is automatically as-

184 user manual

 signed to every network. Within a program organization unit (POU), networks are
evaluated according to the sequence of their number: network N is evaluated before
network N+1, unless otherwise specified by means of the execution control elements.

11.3.3.2 COMBINATION OF ELEMENTS

Elements of the FBD language must be interconnected by signal flow lines.

Outputs of blocks shall not be connected together. In particular, the wired-OR construct
of the LD language is not allowed, as an explicit Boolean OR block is required.

Feedback
A feedback path is said to exist in a network when the output of a function or function
block is used as the input to a function or function block which precedes it in the network;
the associated variable is called a feedback variable.
Feedback paths can be utilized subject to the following rules:
1) Feedback variables must be initialized, and the initial value is used during the first
evaluation of the network. Look at the Global variables editor, the Local variables
editor, or the Parameters editor to know how to initialize the respective item.
2) Once the element with a feedback variable as output has been evaluated, the new
value of the feedback variable is used until the next evaluation of the element.
For instance, the Boolean variable RUN is the feedback variable in the example shown
below.

Explicit loop

Implicit loop

user manual 185

11.3.4 EXECUTION CONTROL ELEMENTS
11.3.4.1 EN/ENO SIGNALS

Additional Boolean EN (Enable) input and ENO (Enable Out) characterize Application blocks,
according to the declarations

EN ENO
VAR_INPUT VAR_OUTPUT
EN: BOOL := 1; ENO: BOOL;
END_VAR END_VAR

See the Modifying properties of blocks section to know how to add these pins to a block.

When these variables are used, the execution of the operations defined by the block are
controlled according to the following rules:
1) If the value of EN is FALSE when the block is invoked, the operations defined by the
function body are not executed and the value of ENO is reset to FALSE by the program-
mable controller system.
2) Otherwise, the value of ENO is set to TRUE by the programmable controller system,
and the operations defined by the block body are executed.

11.3.4.2 JUMPS

Jumps are represented by a Boolean signal line terminated in a double arrowhead. The
signal line for a jump condition originates at a Boolean variable, or at a Boolean output of
a function or function block. A transfer of program control to the designated network label
occurs when the Boolean value of the signal line is TRUE; thus, the unconditional jump is
a special case of the conditional jump.
The target of a jump is a network label within the program organization unit within which
the jump occurs.

Symbol / Example Explanation

Unconditional Jump

Conditional Jump

186 user manual

 Symbol / Example Explanation

Example: Jump Condition

Network

11.3.4.3 CONDITIONAL RETURNS

-- Conditional returns from functions and function blocks are implemented using a RETURN
construction as shown in the table below. Program execution is transferred back to the
invoking entity when the Boolean input is TRUE, and continues in the normal fashion
when the Boolean input is FALSE.
-- Unconditional returns are provided by the physical end of the function or function block.

Symbol / Example Explanation

Conditional Return

Example: Return Condition

Network

11.4 LADDER DIAGRAM (LD)

This section defines the semantics of the LD (Ladder Diagram) language.

11.4.1 POWER RAILS

The LD network is delimited on the left side by a vertical line known as the left power rail,
and on the right side by a vertical line known as the right power rail. The right power rail
may be explicit in the Application implementation and it is always shown.
The two power rails are always connected with an horizontal line named signal link. All LD
elements should be placed and connected to the signal link.

Description Symbol

Left power rail (with attached

horizontal link)

Right power rail (with attached

horizontal link)

user manual 187

 Description Symbol

Power rails connected by the

signal link

11.4.2 LINK ELEMENTS AND STATES

Link elements may be horizontal or vertical. The state of the link elements shall be de-
noted ON or OFF, corresponding to the literal Boolean values 1 or 0, respectively. The
term link state shall be synonymous with the term power flow.
The following properties apply to the link elements:
-- The state of the left rail shall be considered ON at all times. No state is defined for the
right rail.
-- A horizontal link element is indicated by a horizontal line. A horizontal link element
transmits the state of the element on its immediate left to the element on its immedi-
ate right.
-- The vertical link element consists of a vertical line intersecting with one or more hori-
zontal link elements on each side. The state of the vertical link represents the inclusive
OR of the ON states of the horizontal links on its left side, that is, the state of the verti-
cal link is:
OFF if the states of all the attached horizontal links to its left are OFF;
ON if the state of one or more of the attached horizontal links to its left is ON.
-- The state of the vertical link is copied to all of the attached horizontal links on its right.
-- The state of the vertical link is not copied to any of the attached horizontal links on its
left.

Description Symbol

Vertical link with attached

horizontal links

11.4.3 CONTACTS
A contact is an element which imparts a state to the horizontal link on its right side which
is equal to the Boolean AND of the state of the horizontal link at its left side with an ap-
propriate function of an associated Boolean input, output, or memory variable.
A contact does not modify the value of the associated Boolean variable. Standard contact
symbols are given in the following table.

188 user manual

 Name Description Symbol
The state of the left link is copied
to the right link if the state of the
Normally open
associated Boolean variable is ON.
contact
Otherwise, the state of the right
link is OFF.
The state of the left link is copied
to the right link if the state of the
Normally closed
associated Boolean variable is OFF.
contact
Otherwise, the state of the right
link is OFF.
The state of the right link is
ON from one evaluation of
this element to the next when
a transition of the associated
Positive transition-
variable from OFF to ON is sensed
sensing contact
at the same time that the state of
the left link is ON. The state of the
right link shall be OFF at all other
times.
The state of the right link is
ON from one evaluation of
this element to the next when
a transition of the associated
Negative transition-
variable from ON to OFF is sensed
sensing contact
at the same time that the state of
the left link is ON. The state of the
right link shall be OFF at all other
times.

11.4.4 COILS
A coil copies the state of the link on its left side to the link on its right side without modi-
fication, and stores an appropriate function of the state or transition of the left link into
the associated Boolean variable.
Standard coil symbols are shown in the following table.

Name Description Symbol

The state of the left link is
Coil copied to the associated
Boolean variable.
The inverse of the state of
the left link is copied to the
associated Boolean variable,
Negated coil that is, if the state of the left
link is OFF, then the state of the
associated variable is ON, and
vice versa.
The associated Boolean variable
is set to the ON state when the
SET (latch) coil left link is in the ON state, and
remains set until reset by a
RESET coil.

user manual 189

 Name Description Symbol
The associated Boolean variable
is reset to the OFF state when
RESET (unlatch) coil the left link is in the ON state,
and remains reset until set by a
SET coil.
The state of the associated
Boolean variable is ON from
Positive transition- one evaluation of this element
sensing coil to the next when a transition of
the left link from OFF to ON is
sensed.
The state of the associated
Boolean variable is ON from
Negative transition- one evaluation of this element
sensing coil to the next when a transition of
the left link from ON to OFF is
sensed.

11.4.5 OPERATORS, FUNCTIONS AND FUNCTION BLOCKS

The representation of functions and function blocks in the LD language is similar to the
one used for FBD. At least one Boolean input and one Boolean output shall be shown on
each block to allow for power flow through the block as shown in the following figure.

11.5 STRUCTURED TEXT (ST)

This section defines the semantics of the ST (Structured Text) language.

11.5.1 EXPRESSIONS
An expression is a construct which, when evaluated, yields a value corresponding to one
of the data types listed in the elementary data types table. Application does not set any
constraint on the maximum length of expressions.
Expressions are composed of operators and operands.

11.5.1.1 OPERANDS

An operand can be a literal, a variable, a function invocation, or another expression.

11.5.1.2 OPERATORS

Open the table of operators to see the list of all the operators supported by ST. The evalu-
ation of an expression consists of applying the operators to the operands in a sequence
defined by the operator precedence rules.

190 user manual

11.5.1.3 OPERATOR PRECEDENCE RULES

Operators have different levels of precedence, as specified in the table of operators. The
operator with highest precedence in an expression is applied first, followed by the opera-
tor of next lower precedence, etc., until evaluation is complete. Operators of equal prec-
edence are applied as written in the expression from left to right.
For example if A, B, C, and D are of type INT with values 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, then:
A+B-C*ABS(D)
yields -9, and:
(A+B-C)*ABS(D)
yields 0.
When an operator has two operands, the leftmost operand is evaluated first. For example,
in the expression
SIN(A)*COS(B)
the expression SIN(A) is evaluated first, followed by COS(B), followed by evaluation of
the product.
Functions are invoked as elements of expressions consisting of the function name fol-
lowed by a parenthesized list of arguments, as defined in the relevant section.

11.5.1.4 OPERATORS OF THE ST LANGUAGE

Operation Symbol Precedence

Parenthesization (<expression>) HIGHEST
Function evaluation <fname>(<arglist>) .
- .
Negation Complement
NOT .
Exponentiation ** .
* .
Multiply Divide Modulo / .
MOD .
+
Add Subtract .
-
.
Comparison <, >, <=, >=
.
=
Equality Inequality .
<>
.
Boolean AND AND
.
Boolean Exclusive OR XOR
Boolean OR OR LOWEST

11.5.2 STATEMENTS IN ST
All statements comply with the following rules:
-- they are terminated by semicolons;
-- unlike IL, a carriage return or new line character is treated the same as a space char-
acter;
-- Application does not set any constraint on the maximum length of statements.
ST statements can be divided into classes, according to their semantics.

user manual 191

11.5.2.1 ASSIGNMENTS
Semantics
The assignment statement replaces the current value of a single or multi-element variable
by the result of evaluating an expression.
The assignment statement is also used to assign the value to be returned by a function,
by placing the function name to the left of an assignment operator in the body of the
function declaration. The value returned by the function is the result of the most recent
evaluation of such an assignment.

Syntax
An assignment statement consists of a variable reference on the left-hand side, followed
by the assignment operator :=, followed by the expression to be evaluated. For in-
stance, the statement
A := B ;

would be used to replace the single data value of variable A by the current value of vari-
able B if both were of type INT.

Examples
a := b ;
assignment
pCV := pCV + 1 ;
assignment
c := SIN( x );
assignment with function invocation
FUNCTION SIMPLE_FUN : REAL
variables declaration
...
function body
...
SIMPLE_FUN := a * b - c ;
END_FUNCTION
assigning the output value to a function

11.5.2.2 FUNCTION AND FUNCTION BLOCK STATEMENTS

Semantics
-- Functions are invoked as elements of expressions consisting of the function name fol-
lowed by a parenthesized list of arguments. Each argument can be a literal, a variable,
or an arbitrarily complex expression.
-- Function blocks are invoked by a statement consisting of the name of the function block
instance followed by a parenthesized list of arguments. Both invocation with formal ar-
gument list and with assignment of arguments are supported.
-- RETURN: function and function block control statements consist of the mechanisms for
invoking function blocks and for returning control to the invoking entity before the phys-
ical end of a function or function block. The RETURN statement provides early exit from
a function or a function block (e.g., as the result of the evaluation of an IF statement).

192 user manual

 Syntax
1) Function:
dst_var := function_name( arg1, arg2 , ... , argN );

2) Function block with formal argument list:

instance_name( var_in1 := arg1 ,
var_in2 := arg2 ,
... ,
var_inN := argN );
3) Function block with assignment of arguments:
instance_name.var_in1 := arg1;
...
instance_name.var_inN := argN;
instance_name();
4) Function and function block control statement:
RETURN;

Examples
CMD_TMR( IN := %IX5,
PT:= 300 ) ;
FB invocation with formal argument list:
IN := %IX5 ;
PT:= 300 ;
CMD_TMR() ;
FB invocation with assignment of arguments:
a := CMD_TMR.Q;
FB output usage:
RETURN ;
early exit from function or function block.

11.5.2.3 SELECTION STATEMENTS

Semantics
Selection statements include the IF and CASE statements. A selection statement selects
one (or a group) of its component statements for execution based on a specified condi-
tion.
-- IF: the IF statement specifies that a group of statements is to be executed only if the
associated Boolean expression evaluates to the value TRUE. If the condition is false,
then either no statement is to be executed, or the statement group following the ELSE
keyword (or the ELSIF keyword if its associated Boolean condition is true) is executed.
-- CASE: the CASE statement consists of an expression which evaluates to a variable of
type DINT (the selector), and a list of statement groups, each group being labeled by
one or more integer or ranges of integer values, as applicable. It specifies that the first
group of statements, one of whose ranges contains the computed value of the selector,
is to be executed. If the value of the selector does not occur in a range of any case, the
statement sequence following the keyword ELSE (if it occurs in the CASE statement) is
executed. Otherwise, none of the statement sequences is executed.
Application does not set any constraint on the maximum allowed number of selections in
CASE statements.

user manual 193

 Syntax
Note that square brackets include optional code, while braces include repeatable portions
of code.
1) IF:
IF expression1 THEN
stat_list
[ { ELSIF expression2 THEN
stat_list } ]
ELSE
stat_list
END_IF ;
2) CASE:
CASE expression1 OF
intv [ {, intv } ] :
stat_list
{ intv [ {, intv } ] :
stat_list }
[ ELSE
stat_list ]
END_CASE ;
intv being either a constant or an interval: a or a..b

Examples
IF statement:
IF d 0.0 THEN
nRoots := 0 ;
ELSIF d = 0.0 THEN
nRoots := 1 ;
x1 := -b / (2.0 * a) ;
ELSE
nRoots := 2 ;
x1 := (-b + SQRT(d)) / (2.0 * a) ;
x2 := (-b - SQRT(d)) / (2.0 * a) ;
END_IF ;
CASE statement:
CASE tw OF
1, 5:
display := oven_temp ;
2:
display := motor_speed ;
3:
display := gross_tare;
4, 6..10:
display := status(tw - 4) ;

194 user manual

 ELSE
display := 0;
tw_error := 1;
END_CASE ;

11.5.2.4 ITERATION STATEMENTS

Semantics
Iteration statements specify that the group of associated statements are executed repeat-
edly. The FOR statement is used if the number of iterations can be determined in advance;
otherwise, the WHILE or REPEAT constructs are used.
-- FOR: the FOR statement indicates that a statement sequence is repeatedly executed,
up to the END_FOR keyword, while a progression of values is assigned to the FOR loop
control variable. The control variable, initial value, and final value are expressions of
the same integer type (e.g., SINT, INT, or DINT) and cannot be altered by any of the
repeated statements. The FOR statement increments the control variable up or down
from an initial value to a final value in increments determined by the value of an ex-
pression; this value defaults to 1. The test for the termination condition is made at the
beginning of each iteration, so that the statement sequence is not executed if the initial
value exceeds the final value.
-- WHILE: the WHILE statement causes the sequence of statements up to the END_WHILE
keyword to be executed repeatedly until the associated Boolean expression is false. If
the expression is initially false, then the group of statements is not executed at all.
-- REPEAT: the REPEAT statement causes the sequence of statements up to the UNTIL
keyword to be executed repeatedly (and at least once) until the associated Boolean
condition is true.
-- EXIT: the EXIT statement is used to terminate iterations before the termination condi-
tion is satisfied. When the EXIT statement is located within nested iterative constructs,
exit is from the innermost loop in which the EXIT is located, that is, control passes to
the next statement after the first loop terminator (END_FOR, END_WHILE, or END_RE-
PEAT) following the EXIT statement.
Note: the WHILE and REPEAT statements cannot be used to achieve interprocess synchronization,
for example as a wait loop with an externally determined termination condition. The SFC
elements defined must be used for this purpose.

Syntax
Note that square brackets include optional code, while braces include repeatable portions
of code.
1) FOR:
FOR control_var := init_val TO end_val [ BY increm_val ] DO
stat_list
END_FOR ;
2) WHILE:
WHILE expression DO
stat_list
END_WHILE ;
3) REPEAT:
REPEAT
stat_list
UNTIL expression
END_REPEAT ;

user manual 195

 Examples
FOR statement:
j := 101 ;
FOR i := 1 TO 100 BY 2 DO
IF arrvals[i] = 57 THEN
j := i ;
EXIT ;
END_IF ;
END_FOR ;
WHILE statement:
j := 1 ;
WHILE j <=100 AND arrvals[i] <> 57 DO
j := j + 2 ;
END_WHILE ;
REPEAT statement:
j := -1 ;
REPEAT
j := j + 2 ;
UNTIL j = 101 AND arrvals[i] = 57
END_REPEAT ;

11.6 SEQUENTIAL FUNCTION CHART (SFC)

This section defines Sequential Function Chart (SFC) elements to structure the internal
organization of a PLC program organization unit (POU), written in one of the languages
defined in this standard, for the purpose of performing sequential control functions. The
definitions in this section are derived from IEC 848, with the necessary changes to convert
the representations from a standard documentation to a set of execution control elements
for a PLC program organization unit.
Since SFC elements require storage of state information, the only program organization
units which can be structured using these elements are function blocks and programs.
If any part of a program organization unit is partitioned into SFC elements, the entire
program organization unit is so partitioned. If no SFC partitioning is given for a program
organization unit, the entire program organization unit is considered to be a single action
which executes under the control of the invoking entity.

SFC elements
The SFC elements provide a means of partitioning a PLC program organization unit into a
set of steps and transitions interconnected by directed links. Associated with each step is
a set of actions, and with each transition is associated a transition condition.

196 user manual

11.6.1 STEPS
11.6.1.1 DEFINITION

A step represents a situation where the behavior of a program organization unit (POU)
with respect to its inputs and outputs follows a set of rules defined by the associated ac-
tions of the step. A step is either active or inactive. At any given moment, the state of
the program organization unit is defined by the set of active steps and the values of its
internal and output variables.
A step is represented graphically by a block containing a step name in the form of an iden-
tifier. The directed link(s) into the step can be represented graphically by a vertical line
attached to the top of the step. The directed link(s) out of the step can be represented by
a vertical line attached to the bottom of the step.

Representation Description

Step
(graphical representation with
direct links)

Application does not set any constraint on the maximum number of steps per SFC.

Step flag
The step flag (active or inactive state of a step) can be represented by the logic value of a
Boolean variable ***_x, where *** is the step name. This Boolean variable has the value
TRUE when the corresponding step is active, and FALSE when it is inactive. The scope of
step names and step flags is local to the program organization unit where the steps ap-
pear.

Representation Description
Step flag
Step Name_x = TRUE when Step Name_x is active
= FALSE otherwise

11.6.1.2 INITIAL STEP

The initial state of the program organization unit is represented by the initial values of
its internal and output variables, and by its set of initial steps, i.e., the steps which are
initially active. Each SFC network, or its textual equivalent, has exactly one initial step.
An initial step can be drawn graphically with double lines for the borders, as shown below.
For system initialization, the default initial state is FALSE for ordinary steps and TRUE for
initial steps.
Application cannot compile an SFC network not containing exactly one initial step.

Representation Description

Initial step
(graphical representation with
direct links)

11.6.1.3 ACTIONS

An action can be:

user manual 197

 -- a collection of instructions in the IL language;
-- a collection of networks in the FBD language;
-- a collection of rungs in the LD language;
-- a collection of statements in the ST language;
-- a sequential function chart (SFC) organized as defined in this section.
Zero or more actions can be associated with each step. Actions are declared via one of the
textual structuring elements listed in the following table.

Structuring element Description

STEP StepName :
(* Step body *) Step (textual form)
END_STEP
INITIAL_STEP StepName :
(* Step body *) Initial step (textual form)
END_STEP

Such a structuring element exists in the lsc file for every step having at least one associ-
ated action.

11.6.1.4 ACTION QUALIFIERS

The time when an action associated to a step is executed depends on its action qualifier.
Application implements the following action qualifiers.

Qualifier Description Meaning

The action is executed as long as
N Non-stored (null qualifier).
the step remains active.
The action is executed only once per
step activation, regardless of the
P Pulse.
number of cycles the step remains
active.

If a step has zero associated actions, then it is considered as having a WAIT function, that
is, waiting for a successor transition condition to become true.

11.6.1.5 JUMPS

Direct links flow only downwards. Therefore, if you want to return to a upper step from a
lower one, you cannot draw a logical wire from the latter to the former. A special type of
block exists, called Jump, which lets you implement such a transition.
A Jump block is logically equivalent to a step, as they have to always be separated by a
transition. The only effect of a Jump is to activate the step flag of the preceding step and
to activate the flag of the step it points to.

Representation Description

Jump
(logical link to the destination step)

198 user manual

11.6.2 TRANSITIONS
11.6.2.1 DEFINITION

A transition represents the condition whereby control passes from one or more steps
preceding the transition to one or more successor steps along the corresponding directed
link. The transition is represented by a small grey square across the vertical directed link.
The direction of evolution following the directed links is from the bottom of the predeces-
sor step(s) to the top of the successor step(s).

11.6.2.2 TRANSITION CONDITION

Each transition has an associated transition condition which is the result of the evaluation
of a single Boolean expression. A transition condition which is always true is represented
by the keyword TRUE, whereas a transition condition always false is symbolized by the
keyword FALSE.
A transition condition can be associated with a transition by one of the following means:

Representation Description

By placing the appropriate Boolean constant {TRUE,

FALSE} adjacent to the vertical directed link.

By declaring a Boolean variable, whose value

determines whether or not the transition is cleared.

By writing a piece of code, in any of the languages

supported by Application, except for SFC. The result
of the evaluation of such a code determines the
transition condition.

The scope of a transition name is local to the program organization unit (POU) where the
transition is located.

11.6.3 RULES OF EVOLUTION

Introduction
The initial situation of a SFC network is characterized by the initial step which is in the
active state upon initialization of the program or function block containing the network.
Evolutions of the active states of steps take place along the directed links when caused by
the clearing of one or more transitions.
A transition is enabled when all the preceding steps, connected to the corresponding tran-
sition symbol by directed links, are active. The clearing of a transition occurs when the
transition is enabled and when the associated transition condition is true.
The clearing of a transition causes the deactivation (or resetting) of all the immediately
preceding steps connected to the corresponding transition symbol by directed links, fol-
lowed by the activation of all the immediately following steps.
The alternation Step/Transition and Transition/Step is always maintained in SFC element
connections, that is:
-- two steps are never directly linked; they are always separated by a transition;
-- two transitions are never directly linked; they are always separated by a step.
When the clearing of a transition leads to the activation of several steps at the same time,
the sequences which these steps belong to are called simultaneous sequences. After their

user manual 199

 simultaneous activation, the evolution of each of these sequences becomes independent.
In order to emphasize the special nature of such constructs, the divergence and conver-
gence of simultaneous sequences is indicated by a double horizontal line.
The clearing time of a transition may theoretically be considered as short as one may
wish, but it can never be zero. In practice, the clearing time will be imposed by the PLC
implementation: several transitions which can be cleared simultaneously will be cleared
simultaneously, within the timing constraints of the particular PLC implementation and
the priority constraints defined in the sequence evolution table. For the same reason, the
duration of a step activity can never be considered to be zero. Testing of the successor
transition condition(s) of an active step shall not be performed until the effects of the step
activation have propagated throughout the program organization unit where the step is
declared.

200 user manual

 Sequence evolution table
This table defines the syntax and semantics of the allowed combinations of steps and
transitions.

Example Rule

Normal transition
An evolution from step S3 to step S4
takes place if and only if step S3 is
in the active state and the transition
condition c is TRUE.

Divergent transition
An evolution takes place from S5 to
S6 if and only if S5 is active and the
transition condition e is TRUE, or from
S5 to S8 only if S5 is active and f is
TRUE and e is FALSE.

Convergent transition
An evolution takes place from S7
to S10 only if S7 is active and the
transition condition h is TRUE, or from
S9 to S10 only if S9 is active and j is
TRUE.

Simultaneous divergent transition

An evolution takes place from S11 to
S12, S14,... only if S11 is active and
the transition condition b associated
to the common transition is TRUE.
After the simultaneous activation of
S12, S14, etc., the evolution of each
sequence proceeds independently.

Simultaneous convergent transition

An evolution takes place from S13,
S15,... to S16 only if all steps above
and connected to the double horizontal
line are active and the transition
condition d associated to the common
transition is TRUE.

user manual 201

 Examples

Invalid scheme Equivalent allowed scheme Note

Expected behavior: an
evolution takes place
from S30 to S33 if a is
FALSE and d is TRUE.
The scheme in the
leftmost column
is invalid because
conditions d and TRUE
are directly linked.

Expected behavior: an
evolution takes place
from S32 to S31 if c is
FALSE and d is TRUE.
The scheme in the
leftmost column
is invalid because
direct links flow only
downwards. Upward
transitions can be
performed via jump
blocks.

11.6.4 SFC CONTROL FLAGS

Application provides some control flags for SFC program or function blocks.
To enable this feature, please refer to paragraph 4.6.2.
Those flags are:
-- <POU name>_HOLD_SFC (type BOOL);
-- <POU name>_RESET_SFC (type BOOL).
Where <POU name> means the name of the SFC POU (program or function block).
For example, if the SFC POU is named Main, the control flags will be named Main_HOLD_
SFC and Main_RESET_SFC.
Another couple of actions is available for every SFC action, which also are contained in a
SFC POU.
For example, if the above program Main contains a SFC action named Execute, the con-
trol flags of this action will be Main_Execute_HOLD_SFC and Main_Execute_RESET_SFC.
These flags functionalities are described in details on next paragraphs.

202 user manual

11.6.4.1 HOLD FLAG

Following the main characteristics of the <POU name>_HOLD_SFC flag:

-- default value is FALSE;
-- when set to TRUE, the SFC block, which is referred to ( the one with the same name as
<POU name>), it is kept in the current status (hold) and no code is executed;
-- when the flag is set back to FALSE, the SFC block execution is recovered from exactly
the same point in which was set to hold, trough <POU name>_HOLD_SFC := TRUE.

11.6.4.2 RESET FLAG

Following the main characteristics of the <POU name>_RESET_SFC flag:

-- default value is FALSE;
-- when set to TRUE, the SFC block, which is referred to (the one with the same name as
<POU name>), it is brought back to the initial state, that is the execution state of the init
action.
-- this is an auto-reset flag, which means that if it is set to TRUE his own state becomes
FALSE after his reset action has been executed. It is therefore not necessary to bring
the <POU name>_RESET_SFC value back to FALSE.

11.6.4.3 FLAGS VISIBILITY

The <POU name>_HOLD_SFC and <POU name>_RESET_SFC flags are automatically gener-
ated from the code compiler and they belongs to the local variables of the POU which are
referred to.
Application does not show this flags in the variables list of the POU; they are hidden but
in any case they can be used everywhere within the code.

11.6.5 CHECK A SFC POU FROM OTHER PROGRAMS

To allow the managing of a SFC POU from other programs Application provides the follow-
ing functionalities:
-- The compiler automatically generates the <POU name>_RESET_SFC and <POU name>_
HOLD_SFC flags.
-- If the SFC POU is a function block, the user has the possibility to declare, as VAR_INPUT
and type BOOL, both flags having the name of the SFC POU control flags.
-- If the SFC POU is a program, the user has the possibility to declare, as VAR_GLOBAL and
type BOOL, both flags having the name of the SFC POU control flags.
-- In both cases above, Application compiler will use the variables declared among the
VAR_INPUT or VAR_GLOBAL ones and not those automatically generated (therefore they
will be not generated).
Using these techniques, user then can manage the working state of the SFC POU from
other POU using the INPUT variables of the SFC POU.

user manual 203

 Example
FUNCTION_BLOCK test
VAR_INPUT

test_RESET_SFC : BOOL; (* Control flag explicitly declared *)
END_VAR

END_FUNCTION_BLOCK
PROGRAM Main
VAR

block : test; (* SFC block instance *)
END_VAR

(* Reset SFC block state *)
block.test_RESET_SFC := TRUE;

END_PROGRAM

11.6.5.1 SFC MACRO LIBRARY

Application makes available to user a library, called SFCControl.pll, to allow the manage
of the SFC states trough commands instead of variable settings.
This library is composed by macros usable only in ST language.

11.6.5.2 USAGE EXAMPLE OF THE CONTROL FLAGS

Following are some example of control flags usage, assuming the SFC POU is named Main:
-- Hold (freeze):
Main_HOLD_SFC := TRUE;
-- Restart from hold state:
Main_HOLD_SFC := FALSE;
-- Restart form initial state of a SFC block in hold state:
Main_RESET_SFC := TRUE;
Main_HOLD_SFC := FALSE;
-- Reset to initial state and instant restart of SFC block:
Main_RESET_SFC := TRUE; (* automatic reset from compiler *).

204 user manual

11.7 APPLICATION LANGUAGE EXTENSIONS
Application features a few extensions to the IEC 61131-3 standard, in order to further
enrich the language and to adapt to different coding styles.

11.7.1 MACROS
Application implements macros in the same way a C programming language pre-proces-
sor does.
Macros can be defined using the following syntax:
MACRO <macro name>
PAR_MACRO
<parameter list>
END_PAR
<macro body>
END_MACRO
Note that the parameter list may eventually be empty, thus distinguishing between ob-
ject-like macros, which do not take parameters, and function-like macros, which do take
parameters.
A concrete example of macro definition is the following, which takes two bytes and com-
poses a 16-bit word:
MACRO MAKEWORD
PAR_MACRO
lobyte;
hibyte;
END_PAR
{ CODE:ST }
lobyte + SHL( TO_UINT( hibyte ), 8 )
END_MACRO
Whenever the macro name appears in the source code, it is replaced (along with the ac-
tual parameter list, in case of function-like macros) with the macro body. For example,
given the definition of the macro MAKEWORD and the following Structured Text code frag-
ment:
w := MAKEWORD( b1, b2 );
the macro pre-processor expands it to
w := b1 + SHL( TO_UINT( b2 ), 8 );

11.7.2 POINTERS
Pointers are a special kind of variables which act as a reference to another variable (the
pointed variable). The value of a pointer is, in fact, the address of the pointed variable; in
order to access the data stored at the address pointed to, pointers can be dereferenced.
Pointer declaration requires the same syntax used in variable declaration, where the type
name is the type name of the pointed variable preceded by a @ sign:
VAR
<pointer name> : @<pointed variable type name>;
END_VAR
For example, the declaration of a pointer to a REAL variable shall be as follows:

user manual 205

 VAR
px : @REAL;
END_VAR
A pointer can be assigned with another pointer or with an address. A special operator, ADR,
is available to retrieve the address of a variable.
px := py; (* px and py are pointers to REAL (that is, vari-
ables of type @REAL) *)
px := ADR( x ) (* x is a variable of type REAL *)
px := ?x (* ? is an alternative notation for ADR *)
The @ operator is used to dereference a pointer, hence to access the pointed variable.
px := ADR( x );
@px := 3.141592; (* the approximate value of pi is assigned to x *)
pn := ADR( n );
n := @pn + 1; (* n is incremented by 1 *)
Beware that careless use of pointers is potentially dangerous: indeed, pointers can point
to any arbitrary location, which can cause undesirable effects.

WARNING

UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

Ensure that all variables are initialized to an appropriate value before their first use as point-
ers.
Write programming instructions to test the validity of operands intended to be used as mem-
ory pointers.
Do not attempt to access memory element outside the defined bounds of the allocated mem-
ory.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage

11.7.3 WAITING STATEMENT

Application implements a WAITING statement that can be used in ST code as following
example:
...
WAITING <condition> DO
<code to be executed waiting for condition becomes true>
END_WAITING;
...
Until the condition is not verified, the code will be executed (not as in a loop cycle but
returning to caller in every execution).
The WAITING statement can be used only if the associated project option is enabled (see
paragraph 4.6.2 for more details).

206 user manual

12. ERRORS REFERENCE

12.1 COMPILE TIME ERROR MESSAGES

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The object indicated (variable or function block) has not
A4097 Object not found
been defined in the application.
The size (in bits) requested by the indicated data type
A4098 Unsupported data type
isn't supported by the target system.
The total allocation space requested by all local variables
A4099 Auto vars space exhausted
exceeds the space available on the target system.
The total allocation space requested by all local retentive
A4100 Retentive vars space exhausted variables exceeds the space available on the target
system.
The total allocation space requested by all local bit
A4101 Bit vars space exhausted (boolean) variables exceeds the space available on the
target system.
The variable indicated is associated with an index that is
A4102 Invalid ++ in data block
not available in the relative data block.
The variable indicated is associated with a data block
A4103 Data block not found
that doesn't exist (isn't defined) in the target system.
The total size of code used for POU (programs, functions
A4104 Code space exhausted and function blocks) exceed the space available on the
target system.
The variable indicated is associated with a bit index that
A4105 Invalid bit offset
is not available in the relative data block.
A4106 Image variable requested Error code superseded.
The function indicated isn't available on the target
A4107 Target function not found
system.
The indicated instance refers to a function block
A4108 Base object not found
definition non defined.
The indicated variable is associated with a data type
A4109 Invalid base object type
(including function block definition) that isn't defined.
The data type used in the variable definition doesn't
A4110 Invalid data type
exist.
A4111 Invalid operand type The operand type is not allowed for the current operator.
The indicated function block is called by more than one
Function block shares global data task but uses global variables with process image. For
A4112
and is used by more tasks this reason the compiler isn't able to refer to the proper
image variable for each instance of the function block.
Temporary variables allocation
A4113 Internal compiler error.
error
Embedded functions do not
A4114
support arrays as input variables
Too many parameters input to
A4115
embedded function
Incremental build failed, perform
A4116
a full build command
A4117 Less then 10% of free data
A4118 Less then 10% of free retain data

user manual 207

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
A4119 Less then 10% of free bit data
A4120 Variable exceeds data block space
A4121 Element not found
A4123 Invalid access to private member
A4129 Not a structured type
A4130 Not a function block instance
A4131 Incompatible external declaration
A4133 Not a variable
A4134 Index exceeds array size
A4135 Invalid index data type
A4136 Missing index(es)
A4137 Function block instance required
A4138 Simple variable required
A4139 Too many indexes
A4140 Not a structure instance
A4141 Not an array
A4143 Not a pointer
Double pointer indirection not
A4144
allowed
A4145 To be implemented
A4146 Bit datatype not allowed
A4147 Unable to calculate variable offset
Complex variables cannot have
A4148
process image
Cannot use directly represented
A4149 variables with process image in
function blocks (not implemented)
Function block instance not
A4150
allowed
A4151 Structure not allowed
16-bit variables must be aligned
A4152
to a 16-bit boundary
32-bit variables must be aligned
A4153
to a 32-bit boundary
Temporary string variable
A4154 allocation error. Instruction shall
be split.
Ext/aux auto vars space
A4155
exhausted
Ambiguous enum value,
A4156
<enum># prefix required
The variable indicated is associated with a data block
B0001 Data block not found
that doesn't exist (isn't defined) in the target system.
The indicated file can't be created due to a file system
B0002 Error on create file
error or to a missing source file.
C0001 Parser not initialized Internal compiler error.
C0002 Invalid token Invalid word for the current language syntax

208 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
C0003 Invalid file specification Internal compiler error.
The indicated file can't be opened due to a file system
C0004 Can't open file
error or to a missing source file.
C0005 Parser table error Internal compiler error.
C0006 Parser non specified Internal compiler error.
The indicated file is truncated or the syntax is
C0007 Unexpected end of file
incomplete.
The indicated word can't be used for declaration
C0009 Reserved keyword
purposes because is a keyword of the language.
The indicated word isn't a valid one for the language
C0010 Invalid element
syntax.
C0011 Aborted by user
Too many parameters in macro
C0032
call
Invalid number of parameters in
C0033
macro call
C0034 Too many macro calls nested
C4097 Invalid variable type The data type indicated isn't allowed.
The address string of the indicated variable isn't correct,
C4098 Invalid location prefix
'%' missing.
The address string of the indicated variable isn't correct,
C4099 Invalid location specification
the data access type indication isn't 'I', 'Q' or 'M'.
The address string of the indicated variable isn't correct,
C4100 Invalid location type
the data type indication isn't 'X', 'B', 'W', 'D', 'R' or 'L'.
The address string of the indicated variable isn't correct,
C4101 Invalid location index specification
the index isn't correct.
The name of the indicated variable has already been
C4102 Duplicate variable name
used for some other project object.
C4103 Only 0 admitted here The compiler uses only arrays zero-index based
The dimension of the array isn't indicated in the correct
C4104 Invalid array dimension way (e.g.: contains invalid characters, negative numbers
etc.).
C4105 Constant not initialized Every constant need to have an initial value.
C4106 Invalid string size
C4107 Initialization exceeding string size
C4108 Invalid repetition in initialization
C4109 Invalid data type for initialization
The indicated label has already been defined in the
C4353 Duplicate label
current POU (program, function or function block).
The operation indicated doesn't allow to use constants
C4354 Constant not admitted
(typically store or assign operations).
Address of explicit constant not
C4355
defined
Maximum number of subscripts
C4356
exceeded
C4358 Invalid array base
C4359 Invalid operand
A constant value with 2# prefix must contain only binary
C4609 Invalid binary constant
digits (0 or 1).

user manual 209

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
A constant value with 8# prefix must contain only octal
C4610 Invalid octal constant
digits (between 0 and 7).
A constant value with 16# prefix must contain only
C4611 Invalid hexadecimal constant hexadecimal digits (between 0 and 9 and between A and
F).
A decimal constant must contain only digits between 0
C4612 Invalid decimal constant and 9, a leading sign + or -, a decimal separator '.' Or a
exponent indicator 'e' or 'E'.
A constant value with t# prefix must contain a time
C4613 Invalid time constant indication in decimal notation and a time unit between
'ms, 's' or 'm'.
C4614 Invalid constant string
The indicated function name has already been used for
C4864 Duplicate function name
another application object.
The data type returned by the indicated function is not
C4865 Invalid function type
correct.
The indicated program name has already been used for
C5120 Duplicate program name
another application object.
The indicated function block name has already been
C5376 Duplicate function block name
used for another application object.
C5632 Invalid pragma
C5633 Invalid pragma value
C5889 Duplicate macro name
C5890 Duplicate macro parameter name
Invalid resource definition: two or
C6144
more tasks have the same ID
C16385 Invalid init value
C16386 Invalid initialization definition
C16387 Invalid array delimiters (brackets)
C16388 Empty init value
C16389 Empty array init value
C16390 Invalid repeated init value
C16391 Not implemented
Missing array delimiters
C16392
(brackets)
C16393 Missing comma
C16394 Not implemented
C16395 Invalid (incomplete) string
The memory space needed for parameter's database
exceeds the space available on the target system. If
D12289 Can't allocate database
possible, remove unused parameter's records, menus
etc.
The memory space needed for parameter's database
exceeds the space available on the target system. If
D12290 Can't allocate database record
possible, remove unused parameter's records, menus
etc.
D12291 Database variable not found Internal compiler error.
Invalid expression or expression The database expression that has the result indicated
D12292
syntax error isn't correct, contains syntax errors or invalid operators.

210 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The database expression that has the result indicated
contains a parameter (as operand) that isn't the same to
which the expression refers to. The expression can use
only PLC variables (including the variables associated
with parameters) and the value of the parameter that
Invalid parameter reference in is exchanged at the moment. For example: pDELTA
D12293
expression = DELTA / pRATIO + pOFFSET is correct because
the parameter exchanged is DELTA and it's the only
parameter value used in the expression. The expression:
pDELTA = DELTA / pRATIO + OFFSET isn't correct
because the parameter OFFSET used in the expression
isn't currently exchanged
The database expression that has the result indicated
D12294 Recursive expression calls itself by means of some operand used that contains
the current expression result.
The database expression that has the result indicated
D12295 Unresolved variable in expression uses an operand that isn't defined in the whole PLC
project.
D12296 Unresolved expression result Internal compiler error.
The parameter that is the result of the expression has a
D12297 Invalid result type for expression
data type invalid (such as enumerative) or not defined.
The database expression that has the result indicated
D12298 Invalid operand in expression
uses an invalid operand.
Invalid variable type for The variable that is the result of the expression has a
D12299
expression data type invalid (such as enumerative) or not defined.
D12300 Assembler error Internal compiler error.
The code space needed for the expression is exhausted.
D12301 Can't allocate database code Is necessary to remove some expressions from the
parameter's database.
The database expression that has the result indicated
D12302 Invalid operation in expression
uses an invalid operand.
The indicated FBD or LD network contains a connection
F1025 Invalid network error (the errors are normally indicated by red
connections).
The indicated block (operator, function, contact or coil)
F1026 Unconnected pin
has an unconnected pin.
Invalid connection (incomplete,
F1027 Internal compiler error.
more than a source etc.)
The network indicated contains more networks of blocks
F1028 More than one network per block
and variables not connected between them.
The compiler is not able to find an univocal way to
F1029 Ambiguous network evaluation
establish the order of blocks execution.
Temporary variables allocation
F1030 Internal compiler error.
error
The network indicated doesn't have input or output
F1031 Inconsistent network
variables.
Invalid object connected to power
F1032
rail
Invalid use of pin negation (ADR
F1033 operator does not allow negated
input
Invalid use of pin negation
F1034 (SIZEOF operator does not allow
negated input

user manual 211

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The number of operands is not correct for the operand or
G0001 Invalid operand number
the function indicated.
The variable has not been defined in the local or global
G0002 Variable not defined
context.
The label indicated for the JMP operand isn't defined in
G0003 Label not defined
the current POU (program, function or function block).
The indicated instance refers to a function block not
G0004 Function block not defined
defined in the whole project.
The indicated instance refers to an object not defined in
G0005 Reference to object not defined
the whole project.
The operation indicated doesn't allow to use constants
G0006 Constant not admitted
(typically store or assign operations).
The total size of code used for POU (programs, functions
G0007 Code buffer overflow and function blocks) exceed the space available on the
target system.
The access made to the indicated variable is not allowed.
G0008 Invalid access to variable An attempt to write a read-only variable or to read a
write-only variable has been made.
The indicated program doesn't exist in the current
G0009 Program not found
project.
Program already assigned to a The indicated program has been assigned to more than
G0010
task one task of the target system.
There isn't enough memory on the PC to create the
G0011 Can't allocate code buffer
image of the code of the target system.
The indicated function doesn't exist in the current
G0012 Function not defined
project.
Cyclic declaration of function The indicated function block call itself directly or by
G0013
blocks means of other functions.
The external variable declaration of the current function
block doesn't match with the global variable definition it
G0014 Incompatible external declaration
refers to (the one with the same name). Typically is the
case of a type mismatch.
G0015 Accumulator extension
The external variable doesn't refer to any of the global
G0016 External variable not found variables of the project (e.g.: there isn't a global variable
with the same name).
The indicated program hasn't been assigned to a task in
G0017 Program is not assigned to a task
the target system.
G0018 Task not found in resources The indicated task isn't defined in the target system.
There aren't task definitions for the target system. The
G0019 No task defined for the application target definition file (*.TAR) is missing or incomplete.
Contact the target system vendor.
Huge memory access isn't allowed for function blocks,
Far data allowed only for load/
G0020 only for programs (error code valid only for some target
store operations in PROGRAMs
system with NEAR/FAR data access).
The processor indicated into the target definition file
G0021 Invalid processor type
(*.TAR) isn't correct or isn't supported by the compiler.
Function block with process image
G0022 variables can't be used in event
tasks
Process image variables can't be
G0023
used in event tasks

212 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
G0024 Accumulator undefined
G0025 Invalid index
G0026 Only constant index allowed
Illegal reference to the address of
G0027
a register
G0028 Less then 10% of free code
G0029 Index exceeds array size
Access to array as scalar -
G0030
assuming index 0
Number of indexes not matching
G0031
the var size
Multidimensional variables not
G0032
supported
G0033 Invalid data type
G0034 Invalid operand type
G0035 Assembler error
G0036 Aborted by user
G0037 Element not defined
G0038 Cyclic declaration of structures
G0039 Cyclic declaration of typedefs
G0040 Unresolved definition of typedef
G0041 Exceeding dimensions in typedef
Unable to allocate compiler
G0042
internal data
CODE GENERATOR INTERNAL
G0043
ERROR
G0044 Real data not supported
G0045 Long real data not supported
G0046 Long data not supported
G0047 Operation not implemented
G0048 Invalid operator
G0049 Invalid operator value
G0050 Unbalanced parentheses
G0051 Data conversion
G0052 To be implemented
G0053 Invalid index data type
G0054 Negation without condition
G0055 Operation not allowed on boolean
Negation of a non-boolean
G0056
operand
G0057 Boolean operand required
Floating point parameter not
G0058
allowed
G0059 Operand extension
G0060 Division by zero

user manual 213

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
G0061 Illegal comparison
Function block must be
G0062
instanciated
G0063 String operand not allowed
G0064 Operation not allowed on pointers
Destination may be too small to
G0065
store current result
Cannot use a function block
containing external variables with
G0066
process image in more than one
task
Cannot load the address of an
G0067
explicit constant
Writing a real value into an
G0068
integer variable
Cannot use complex variables in
G0069
functions. Not implemented
G0070 Signed/unsigned mismatch
Conversion data types mismatch,
G0071
possible loss of data
Implicit type conversion of
G0072
boolean to integer
Implicit type conversion of
G0073
boolean to real
Implicit type conversion of integer
G0074
to boolean
Implicit type conversion of integer
G0075
to boolean
Implicit type conversion of real to
G0076
boolean
Implicit type conversion of real to
G0077
integer
Arithmetic operations require
G0078
numerical operands
Bitwise logical operations require
G0079
bitstring/integer operands
Comparison operations require
G0080 elementary (i.e., not user-
defined) operands
Cannot take the address of a bit
G0081
variable
Writing a signed value into an
G0082
unsigned variable
Writing an unsigned value into a
G0083
signed variable
Implicit conversion from single to
G0084
double precision
Implicit conversion from double to
G0085
single precision
G0086 Function parameter extension

214 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
Casting to the same type has no
G0087
effects
Function parameters wrong
G0088
number
Embedded target function not
G0089
found
G0090 Recursive type declaration
Wrong initial value. Signed/
G0091
unsigned mismatch
Wrong initial value. Conversion
G0092 data types mismatch, possible
loss of data
G0093 String will be truncated
G0094 Init value type mismatch
G0095 Improper init value
G0096 Init value object not found
G0097 Invalid assignment to pointer
The operator indicated is not allowed for the indicated
G0513 Invalid operator
operation.
The operator indicated isn't supported by the current
G0514 Operation not implemented
target system.
The target system in use doesn't support floating point
G0515 Real data not supported
operations.
The variable destination of the store/assignment
operation has a data type smaller than the one of the
accumulator. Data may be lost in the operation. For
example, if the accumulator contains 340 and the
Destination may be too small to
G0516 destination operand is of SINT type, the assignment
store current result
operation will loose data. If the operation is under the
programmer's control an appropriate type conversion
function (TO_SINT, TO_INT, TO_DINT etc.) can be used
to eliminate the warning message.
The target system in use doesn't support long data
G0517 Long data not supported
operations.
The variable destination of the store/assignment
operation has a data type bigger than the one of the
accumulator. An extension operation has been performed
G0518 Accumulator extension
automatically by the compiler. To eliminate this warning
message use the appropriate type conversion function
(TO_SINT, TO_INT, TO_DINT etc.).
G0519 Assembler error Internal compiler error.
The 'N' modifier used for some IL operators (LDN, STN,
G0520 Negation allowed only on boolean ANDN etc.) can't be used with operators having type
other than boolean.
Operation allowed with boolean The IL operator indicated (typically 'S' or 'R') can't be
G0521
types used when the accumulator has a type other than BOOL.
The indicated operation has a result that is constant (ex.
G0522 Instruction has constant result
multiply by 0, AND with FALSE).
The operation indicated has no influence on the value of
G0523 Instruction is a NOP
the accumulator (ex. multiply by 1, AND with TRUE).

user manual 215

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The number of opened parentheses doesn't match with
G0524 Unbalanced parentheses the number of the closed parentheses in the indicated
code block.
The indicated operation can't be performed on boolean
G0525 Operation not allowed on boolean
operands (ex. the arithmetic operations).
Can't perform modulo with long The current target system doesn't allow the modulo
G0526
values operation with long data types.
The indicated division operation has the constant value 0
G0527 Division by 0
as denominator.
The indicated operation (JMP or RET) has the negation
modifier 'N' without the conditional evaluation modifier
G0528 Negation without condition
'C'. Use JMPCN instead of JMPN or RETCN instead of
RETN.
G0529 Initial value not defined Internal compiler error.
G0530 Invalid initial value The initial value of the variable isn't indicated correctly.
The accumulator has a data type not allowed for the
G0531 Invalid accumulator type indicated operation (ex. MUX operator with REAL
accumulator).
G0532 Code generator internal error Internal compiler error.
The operator has a value not acceptable for the indicated
G0533 Invalid operator value
operation (ex. SHL with constant value bigger than 32).
The operation is performed without a previously loaded
G0534 Accumulator undefined
value into the accumulator.
The constant index value used in the indicated
G0535 Invalid index expression is too big for the array dimension. See the
array declaration string.
The use of variable as index for the indicated array is not
G0536 Only constant index allowed supported by the compiler. This error is typically issued
with boolean (bit) arrays.
The use of variable as index for the indicated array is not
Indexing of boolean constants not
G0537 supported by the compiler. This error is typically issued
allowed
with boolean (bit) arrays.
G0538 Return not allowed from programs The RET operator isn't allowed in PROGRAM blocks.
A function block can't be invoked directly with a CAL
Function block must be instruction. It must be instantiated before its use eg.
G0539
instantiated must be a variable with data type corresponding to the
function block instead.
The indicated operation can't be executed on REAL data
Operation not allowed with real
G0540 types. Instructions of this kind are logical and bitwise
types
operations.
This warning informs that the data type of the
accumulator has been automatically converted by the
G0541 Accumulator conversion compiler. This operation is typically executed when
the accumulator and the operand used in a arithmetic
operation have different data types.
Some target-specific implementations with software
Real accumulator must be floating point emulation require that each store
G0542
reloaded operation shall be preceded by a new load operation or a
arithmetic sequence.
Some target-specific implementations with software
floating point emulation require that when the floating
G0543 Real accumulator not stored
point stack has been loaded, the same shall be unloaded
at the end of arithmetic sequence.

216 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The long real data type LREAL isn't supported by the
G0544 Long real data not supported
compiler.
The operator indicated is not allowed for the indicated
G0769 Invalid operator
operation.
The operator indicated isn't supported by the current
G0770 Operation not implemented
target system.
G0771 Assembler error Internal compiler error.
The long real data type LREAL isn't supported by the
G0772 Long real data not supported
compiler.
G0773 Long data not supported The long data type LINT isn't supported by the compiler.
Negation of a non-boolean The negation modifier 'N' can't be used in operations
G0774
parameter with data types different than boolean.
The indicated operation can't be performed on boolean
G0775 Operation not allowed on boolean
operands (ex. the arithmetic operations).
The variable destination of the store/assignment
operation has a data type bigger than the one of the
accumulator. An extension operation has been performed
G0776 Accumulator extension
automatically by the compiler. To eliminate this warning
message use the appropriate type conversion function
(TO_SINT, TO_INT, TO_DINT etc.).
The operation is performed without a previously loaded
G0777 Accumulator undefined
value into the accumulator.
The variable destination of the store/assignment
operation has a data type smaller than the one of the
accumulator. Data may be lost in the operation. For
example, if the accumulator contains 340 and the
Destination may be too small to
G0778 destination operand is of SINT type, the assignment
store current result
operation will loose data. If the operation is under the
programmer's control an appropriate type conversion
function (TO_SINT, TO_INT, TO_DINT etc.) can be used
to eliminate the warning message.
The indicated division operation has the constant value 0
G0779 Division by zero
as denominator.
The indicated operation can't be executed on REAL data
Operation allowed on real
G0780 types. Instructions of this kind are logical and bitwise
parameters only
operations.
The indicated comparison operation is executed between
G0781 Illegal comparison
non homogeneous data types.
The indicated operation (JMP or RET) has the negation
modifier 'N' without the conditional evaluation modifier
G0782 Negation without condition
'C'. Use JMPCN instead of JMPN or RETCN instead of
RETN.
The IL operator indicated (typically 'S' or 'R') can't be
G0783 Boolean parameter required
used when the accumulator has a type other than BOOL.
The data type of the operand has been extended to
the data type of the accumulator. Then the operation is
G0784 Operand extension executed. The operand extension take place whenever
the operand data type is smaller than the accumulator
data type.
Does not support float The accumulator has REAL data type and it's not allowed
G0785
accumulator for the indicated operation (typically MUX operation).
Does not support boolean The accumulator has boolean data type and isn't allowed
G0786
accumulator for the indicated operation (ex. MUX operator).

user manual 217

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The compare operation indicated is performed using
Comparison of unsigned type and
G0787 operators that have signed and unsigned data type.
signed type
Undesired or uncontrolled result may be possible.
G0788 Illegal conversion Internal compiler error.
Conversion may result in loss or
G0789 Error code not used.
corruption of data
Illegal negation of a real
G0790 Error code not used.
parameter
The parameter passed to the function is of REAL type
Writing a real value into an
G0791 instead of an integer data type as required by the
integer var / param
function input variables definition.
The parameter passed to the function is of an integer
Writing an integer value into a
G0792 data type instead of the REAL type as required by the
real var / param
function input variables definition.
The assignment operation is performed on an unsigned
Writing a signed value into an
G0793 data type variable but the accumulator data type has a
unsigned var / param
signed data type. Undesired result may be possible.
The assignment operation is performed on an unsigned
Writing an unsigned value into a
G0794 data type variable but the accumulator data type has a
signed var / param
signed data type. Undesired result may be possible.
The number of opened parentheses doesn't match with
G0795 Unbalanced parentheses the number of the closed parentheses in the indicated
code block.
G0796 Error while extending parameters Internal compiler error.
The constant index value used in the indicated
G0797 Invalid index expression is too big for the array dimension. See the
array declaration string.
Using a boolean index to access The indicated array access is incorrect because the index
G0798
an element of array variable used has a boolean data type.
G0799 Return not allowed from programs The RET operator isn't allowed in PROGRAM blocks.
The indicated SEL operator requires that the accumulator
G0800 Boolean accumulator required
has the boolean data type.
The selection performed by MUX and SEL operators shall
G0801 Operators have mismatching type be done between elements that have homogeneous data
types.
A function block can't be invoked directly with a CAL
Function block must be instruction. It must be instantiated before its use eg.
G0802
instantiated must be a variable with data type corresponding to the
function block instead.
Using a boolean index to access
G1537
an element of array
Does not support boolean
G1538
accumulator
Does not support float
G1539
accumulator
G1540 Error while extending operand(s)
Writing a signed value into an
G1541
unsigned variable
Writing an unsigned value into a
G1542
signed variable
Writing a real value into an
G1543
integer variable

218 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
Writing an integer value into a
G1544
real variable
G1545 Converting a string into a number
G1546 Converting a number into a string
G1547 FPU stack full
G1548 FPU stack empty
G1549 FPU stack size error
Illegal access to variable through
G1550
function
Illegal reference to address
G1551 of variable accessible through
function
G1552 Invalid access through function
Two variables with the same
G1553
handle
Invalid index for variable
G1554
accessible through function
Invalid instruction with non-empty
G1555
FPU stack
Function result of type string
G1556
requires store to variable
Type definition of unknown data
G8193
type
Type definition has exceeding
G8194
array dimensions
G8195 Cyclic definition of data type
G8196 Double pointers are not supported
G8197 No enumerative elements
Invalid or undefined initialization
G8199
constant
G10241 Too many initializers for variable
G10242 Too less initializers for variable
G10243 Constant without init values
The source file for parameters (with PPC extension) can't
P2048 Can't open parameters file be opened because of is missing or is locked by the PC's
file system.
The symbol allocation file (with SYM extension) can't be
P2049 Symbol table file not created written because of disk write protection or insufficient
disk space.
The parameters file (with PAR extension) can't be
P2050 Can't create parameters file written because of disk write protection or insufficient
disk space.
The directory for the new project can't be created. The
problem arises when there is a disk write protection or
when the new directory indicated for the project is more
P2051 Can't create directory than one level deep form an existing disk directory. The
compiler creates only one new directory level (the one
with the name of the project) starting from an existing
directory.

user manual 219

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The source project indicated for creating the new project
P2052 Can't open source project doesn't exist, is incomplete or is locked by the file
system.
The new project can't be saved due to disk write
P2053 Save project error protection, non existing destination directory or file
system lock.
P2054 Generic file error A non specific error occurred during file operations.
The indicated file can't be copied because of missing
P2055 Can't copy file source file, disk write protection or destination file
existing and protected.
The indicated file can't be saved because of disk write
P2056 Can't save file
protection or destination file existing and protected.
The indicated object (variable, function, function block or
program) is contained in the last loaded library but there
P2057 Object already exist in project
is already another object with the same name in the
current project.
The indicated library file doesn't exits or can't be opened
P2058 Can't open library file
due to file system locking.
P2059 Listing file not created
Cannot create PLC application
P2060
binary file
P2061 Can't open template project
Support for processor isn't
P2062
available
P2063 Less than 10% of free code
P2064 Less than 10% of free data
P2065 Less than 10% of free retain data
P2066 Less than 10% of free bit data
P2067 Task not found in resources
P2068 No task defined for the application
Project is in the old PPJ format.
P2069 It will be saved in the actual PPJX
format
P2070 Can't open auxiliary source file
P2071 Can't read file
Application name is longer than
10 characters: only the first 10
P2072
characters will be downloaded into
the target
Downloadable source code file is
P2073
not password-protected
Downloadable PLC application
P2074
binary file not created
Less than 10% of free ext/aux
P2075
data
Project private copy of this
library was missing and has been
P2076
replaced with a new copy of the
library (from the original path)

220 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
Cannot load library! Project
private copy of this library was
P2077 missing and the original path to
the library is invalid: library has
been dropped
PLC variables export file not
P2078
created
Debug symbols package (for
P2079 following download to the target
device) not created
Source code package (for
P2080 following download to the target
device) not created
P2081 Invalid task definition
P2083 Invalid or incoherent task period
P2084 Broken library link
S1281 Generic ST error
S1282 Too many expressions nested
S1283 No iteration to exit from
S1284 Missing END_IF
S1285 Invalid ST statement
S1286 Invalid assignment
S1287 Missing;
S1288 Invalid expression
S1289 Invalid expression or missing DO
S1290 Missing END_WHILE
S1291 Missing END_FOR
S1292 Missing END_REPEAT
Invalid expression or missing
S1293
THEN
S1294 Invalid expression or missing TO
S1295 Invalid expression or missing BY
Invalid statement or missing
S1296
UNTIL
S1297 Invalid assignment, := expected
S1298 Invalid address expression
S1299 Invalid size expression
S1300 Function return value ignored
S1301 Invalid parameter passing
S1302 Function parameter not defined
S1303 Useless expression
S1304 Unbalanced parentheses
S1305 Unknown function
Invalid function parameter(s)
S1306
specification
S1307 Function parameter doesn't exist

user manual 221

ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
Multiple assignment not allowed
S1308
(in accordance with IEC 61131-3)
S1309 ST preprocessor buffer overflow
Function block invocation of a
S1310
non-function block instance
S1311 Missing END_WAITING
S1312 Syntax error
S1537 Generic SFC error
S1538 Initial step missing
S1539 Output connection missing
The output pin must be connected
S1540
to a transition
Every output pin of a transition
S1541 must be connected to a step/jump
block
S1542 Transition expected
S1543 Step or jump expected
Could not find the associate
S1544
program code
S1545 Could not find the condition code
S1546 Unknown-type transition
S1547 Invalid destination
Duplicates action. Same SFC
S1548 action cannot be used in more
than one step
The communication with the target system failed
because there is non answer from the system itself.
More common causes of this problem are wrong cable
T8193 Communication timeout
connection, invalid target address in communication
settings, invalid settings of communication parameters
(such as baud rate), target system failure.
T8194 Incompatible target version Error code not used.
The target system image file (with IMG extension)
is invalid or corrupted. Try to upload and create new
T8195 Invalid code file
version of the image file using the "Communication
Upload image file" menu option.
The image file (with IMG extension) contains a data
block that has an index greater than the largest index
supported by the target system. Try to upload and create
T8196 Invalid data block index
new version of the image file using the "Communication
Upload image file" menu option. If the problem persist,
contact the target system vendor.
T8197 Invalid target information address Internal compiler error.
The target system was not able to complete the flash
T8198 Flash erase failure erasure procedure. Contact the target system vendor for
details.
The target system was not able to complete the flash
T8199 Code write failure programming procedure. Contact the target system
vendor for details.

222 user manual

 ERROR
SHORT DESCRIPTION EXPLANATION
CODE
The compiler tried to communicate with the target
system but the communication channel is not available.
T8200 Communication device unavailable If the problem persist and there are other applications
that communicate with the target system, deactivate the
communication on the other applications and try again.
T8201 Invalid function index Internal compiler error.
The address of the parameter's database memory area
Invalid database information of the target system isn't correct or valid. Try to upload
T8202
address and create new version of the image file using the
"Communication Upload image file" menu option.
T8203 Invalid target information
T8204 Rebuild required
T8205 Invalid task
Application-level communication
protocol error: PLC run-time
T8206
was not able to understand the
received command
T8207 Not implemented
No room for source file on the
T8209
target
Error while uploading source code
T8210
from target device
No room for debug symbols on
T8211
the target
T8212 Memory read error
T8213 Memory write error
Not enough space available on
T8214 the target device for the PLC
application binary

user manual 223