The PLC-Browser

Attention !: Please be aware, that each modification of the predefined target configuration can cause severe changes in performance and behaviour of the target !

Press <Default> if you want to reset the target settings to the standard configuration given by the target file.

6.13The PLC-Browser

The PLC-Browser is a text-based control monitor (terminal). Commands for the request of specific information from the controller are entered in an entry line and sent as string to the controller. The returned response string is displayed in a result window of the browser. This functionality serves diagnosticand debugging purposes.

The commands available for the set target-system are made up of the CoDeSys standard set plus a possible extension set of the controller manufacturer. They are managed in an ini file and implemented accordingly in the runtime system.

6.13.1General remarks concerning PLC-Browser operation

Select the entry PLC-Browser in the Resources tab-control. It will be available there if it is activated in the current target settings (category networkfunctionality).

The CoDeSys PLC Browser window

The browser consists of a command entry line and a result/display window.

In a selection box the input line displays a list of all the commands entered since the start of the project (input history). They are available for re-selection until the project is closed. Only commands, which differ from those already existing, are added to the list.

The entered command is sent to the controller with <Enter>. If there is no Online connection, the command is displayed in the result window in the same way as it is sent to the controller, otherwise the response from the controller is shown there. If a new command is sent to the controller, the content of the result window is deleted.

Commands can be entered in the form of command strings , the use of macros is possible as well:

6.13.2Command entry in the PLC-Browser

Basically the PLC-Browser makes available the 3S standard commands hard-coded in the run-time system. It is concerned with functions for direct memory manipulation, for the output of projectand

6 - The Resources

status functions as well as for run-time monitoring. They are described in the browser's ini-file, which is an integral part of the Target Support Package. These standard commands can be further supplemented by specialized ones, e.g. self-diagnostic functions or other status messages of the control application. The expansion of the command list must be carried out both in the customer interface in the run-time system as well as through additional entries in the Browser ini-file.

When opening the project the command list available in the PLC-Browser is generated based on the entries in the Browser ini-file. It can be accessed as input help using the ... key in the dialog „Insert standard command" or using <F2>. Also the command 'Insert' 'Standard commands' can be used to get the command list. A command can be typed in manually to the command line or it can be selected from the list by a double-click on the appropriate entry.

The general command syntax is: <KEYWORD><LEER><KEYWORD-DEPENDEND PARAMETERS>

The keyword is the command. With which parameters it can be expanded is described in the respective tooltip in the entry help window.

The command, which has been sent, is repeated in the output data window, the controller's response appears below it.

Example: Request for the project Id from the controller with the command "pid"

Entry in command line: pid.....

Output in result window:

pid

Project-ID: 16#0025CFDA

A help text can be supplied for each standard command with ?<BLANK><KEYWORD>. This is similarly defined in the ini-file.

The following commands are firmly integrated in the run-time system and contained in the ini-file with the corresponding entries for entry help, tooltips and help:

Note: The first word of the command sequence entered is interpreted as keyword. If a keyword is preceded by a „<SPACE>?" (e.g. „mem ?"), the ini-file will be searched for the existence of a help section to this keyword. If one is available, nothing is sent to the controller, but only the help text is displayed in the output data window.

If the first word of the command entry (<KEYWORD>) is not recognized by the controller, the response 'Keyword not found' will appear in the result window.

6.13.3Use of macros during the command entry in PLC-Browser

If a command associated with a macro is entered in the command line, this is expanded before it is sent to the controller. Then the response in the result window appears in a similarly expanded form.

The entry syntax is: <KEYWORD><macro> <KEYWORD> is the command.

Macros are:

%P<NAME> If NAME is a POU-name, the expression is expanded to <POU-Index>, otherwise there is no alteration

%V<NAME> If NAME is a variable name, the expression is expanded to #<INDEX>:<OFFSET>, otherwise there is no alteration (this notation #<INDEX>:<OFFSET> is interpreted by the controller as a memory address)

%T<NAME> If NAME is a variable name, the expression is expanded to <VARIABLENTYP>, otherwise there is no alteration.

%S<NAME> If NAME is a variable name, the expression is expanded to <SIZEOF(VAR)>, otherwise there is no alteration.

The % character is ignored if the escape symbol \ (Backslash) is placed in front. The escape symbol as such is only transmitted if written \\.

Example:

Entry in command line: (memory dump of the variable .testit ?) mem %V.testit

Output in result window:

mem #4:52

03BAAA24 00 00 00 00 CD CD CD CD ....ÍÍÍÍ

6.13.4Further PLC-Browser options

In the 'Extras' menu or in the PLC-Browser's toolbar there are the following commands for handling the command entry or history list:

With History forward and History backward you can scroll backwards and forwards through the query results already carried out. The history recording is continued until you leave the project. With Cancel command you can break off a query which has been initiated.