Dialog Addresses / assignment lists

In this dialog, all inputs and outputs for the PLC controllers in the project are managed. To distinguish between several PLC controllers within a project, the addresses must be assigned to a processor (i.e., a CPU). The list then shows which CPU a connection point belongs to. A CPU is identified by the specification of the CPU name. The full CPU name is composed of the contents of the properties Configuration project and PLC station: ID and a CPU identifier in the form of [Configuration project].[Station ID].[CPU identifier].

You can define new addresses by inserting an empty line and then filling it with data.
You can define new symbolic addresses by inserting an empty row and then filling it with data. To do this at least one data type must be filled additionally.
Data can be exchanged with an Excel table using Copy & Paste.
In addition to this, you can import assignment lists and synchronize them with the schematic, and also create new assignment lists.

Overview of the main dialog elements:

Filter:

This drop-down list displays all the available filters. A chosen filter is activated automatically. The "- Not activated -" entry deactivates the filter and causes an unfiltered display of the data. Click [...] to open the Filter dialog. Here you can create, edit, delete, copy, export, import, and manage filters.

The popup menu of the Filter drop-down list contains the following entries:

Deactivate: This popup menu item is available if a filter has been set: Resets the filter setting to the "- Not activated -" entry.
Activate <filter name>: This popup menu item is available if the filter setting is "- Not activated -": Reactivates the last active filter.

This allows you to toggle rapidly between the unfiltered representation and a representation filtered in accordance with your requirements.

By means of the filter you have the possibility to limit the display of the PLC addresses to one (or several) specific CPU(s).

Tip:

Using the Create filter for CPU popup menu item in the table you can automatically generate a filter for the display of the PLC addresses based on the data of the highlighted row. The values of the Configuration project (indirect), PLC station: ID (indirect), and CPU (indirect) properties are used as filter criteria here.

Table area PLC data from schematic

The table displays all the addresses of the selected filter in the PLC data from schematic section. Some of the columns listed here can be displayed additionally by using the dialog Configure representation. Properties which cannot be changed are grayed out. The following columns can, amongst others, be displayed:

Configuration project (indirect): Shows the configuration project of the PLC box to which the PLC connection point is assigned.
PLC station: ID (indirect): Shows the station ID of the CPU for the PLC box to which the PLC connection point is assigned.
CPU (indirect): Shows the CPU name of the PLC box to which the PLC connection point is assigned.
PLC address: The address of the PLC connection point is displayed here.
Data type: The data type is shown here.
Symbolic address: Shows the symbolic address that was manually entered at the PLC connection point (if existing).
Symbolic address (automatic): Shows the content of the manually entered symbolic address or, when that is empty, the automatically determined symbolic address.
Symbolic address (determined): This shows the symbolic addresses determined through the target tracking.
Symbolic address: Group: Shows the assignment of the symbolic address to a group. With this group you can group areas of symbolic addresses in the assignment list, for example inputs, outputs, safety addresses, etc.
Function text: Shows the function text that was manually entered at the PLC connection point (if existing).
Function text (automatic): Shows the automatic function text. If there is no manually entered function text, the function text determined by target tracking is displayed here.
DT (identifying): Shows the identifying device tag for the PLC connection point. This field is automatically filled when a connection point is placed.
Connection point designation (with plug designation (automatic)): A composite property formed from the plug designation (automatic) and the connection point designation of the PLC connection point. This field is automatically filled when a connection point is placed.
Direction: Specifies the direction of the address (input, output, undefined).
Marked for deletion: Shows whether an address is marked for deletion.
Name (identifying): Identifying name of the function, is made up of the identifying device tag and, in the case of connection points, the additional connection point designation.
Pre-planning: Outputs the planning object to which this PLC address is assigned.
Channel designation: Shows the channel designation of the PLC channel to which the PLC connection point is assigned. Through the display of the channel designation you can recognize the assignment of the function texts to the channel.
Position / (slot / module) (indirect): Outputs the slot of the associated PLC card for the PLC connection point. Describes the slot / position where this PLC card is plugged on the rack.
PLC card is placed on rack ID (indirect): Outputs the rack for the PLC connection point on which the associated PLC card is placed.
Plug designation (automatic): Shows the automatically determined plug designation.
Connection point designations (all): Outputs all connection point designations of the PLC connection point, whereby the individual connection point designations are separated by semicolons ";".
Connection point descriptions (all): Outputs all connection point descriptions of the PLC connection point, whereby the individual connection point descriptions are separated by semicolons ";".

Table area New PLC data / From assignment list

In the New PLC data / From assignment list area you have the option of changing certain PLC data. If you have imported an assignment list, the imported data is shown in the table, and you can accept it or change it. If there are differences between the old and new values, then the corresponding lines are highlighted in color. The new values are identified by a yellow background and the old values by a gray background. The following properties can be changed:

PLC address: The address of the PLC connection point is displayed here. You can change the address manually or by re-addressing.
Data type: The data type is displayed here; you can select a different entry from the drop-down list or overwrite the entry.
Symbolic address: The automatic symbolic address is displayed here. You can overwrite the entry; the changes are then transferred into the manual symbolic address.
Symbolic address: Group: With this property you can group areas of symbolic addresses in the assignment list, for example inputs, outputs, safety addresses, etc. To do this enter a freely selectable designation. The property is used during the PLC data exchange in AutomationML AR APC format.
Function text: The automatic function text is displayed here. You can overwrite the entry; the changes are then transferred in the manual function text. If the function text is determined from the path function text, or from the function text of a sensor or actuator, then the changes are written back to the path function text or the sensor / actuator.
Marked for deletion: This column can be additionally displayed via the Configure representation dialog and shows if an address is identified for deletion. You can remove this identification by deselecting the check box.

Popup menu:

The popup menu provides - depending on the field type (e.g. date, integer, multilingual) - the following menu items that are, depending on the situation, available for influencing the table or editing the values in the fields. You can find an overview of these popup menu items in the section Popup menu items.

In addition, the following dialog-specific popup menu items are available:

Menu item	Meaning
Add row	Inserts a new row before the selected row.
Delete row	Deletes the selected rows. Addresses built into the project cannot be deleted.
Address	Opens the Reassign PLC addresses dialog.
Generate with device	Generates unplaced functions for the selected addresses, with the aid of the device selection.
Use original value	Adopts the old value when the contents of a cell are changed.
Keep line breaks in the project	Transfers the old function text with existing line breaks into the field for the new function text if the function texts are identical except for the line breaks and blanks. This allows line breaks which were removed to be recaptured when an assignment list was imported. Any translations existing in the project are also kept.
Create filter for CPU	Based on the data of the highlighted row, an automatic filter is generated for the display of the PLC addresses. The values of the Configuration project (indirect), PLC station: ID (indirect), and CPU (indirect) properties are used as filter criteria here.

[Extras]:

Menu item	Meaning
Import assignment list	Imports an assignment list. You specify via the submenu items whether the PLC addresses are to be imported into the CPU currently displayed or into a new CPU: Displayed CPU: Opens the dialog Import / synchronize assignment list. New CPU: Opens the New CPU dialog, and allows you to create a new CPU. Subsequently the dialog Import / synchronize assignment list is opened.
Export assignment list (entire CPU)	Opens the dialog Export assignment list (entire CPU) and offers the possibility to export all PLC I/O connection points of a CPU.
Export address space assignment	Opens the dialog Export address space assignment and makes it possible to export the address space assignment of a CPU as a list into a file.
Settings	Opens the dialog Settings: PLC.

Note:

You can export or import only one separate list each for each processor (CPU). Therefore set the filter so that the PLC addresses of only one CPU are displayed.

Sorting of the table

The data displayed in the table can be sorted by double-clicking the column headers. Please observe the following special aspects:

Free symbolic addresses (without assignment to a channel or PLC connection point) are always displayed on the very top or very bottom in table - in agreement with ascending or descending sorting. Depending on the sorting these symbolic addresses can then be separated from the other symbolic addresses of the same CPU.
The inputs and outputs are always grouped according to the CPU. In the process the full CPU name is considered. To improve the detection you can show the columns Configuration project (indirect) and PLC station: ID (indirect), if required.
Only then is sorting according to the selected column carried out.