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Offline OPC-UA

sparky66sparky66
in PLCnext Engineer
Is there any kind export feature for OPC tags? How is someone supposed to program a PLC and HMI project when offline? Looking to export OPC variables from PLCnext Engineer, and import them into a 3rd-party HMI project. HMI yet to be determined.

Comments

  • Martin [PLCnext Technology Team]Martin [PLCnext Technology Team]
    Is there any kind export feature for OPC tags?
    No (sorry). A feature like this, even if it was available (and it's not), would not be possible from PLCnext Engineer unless it was attached to a running PLC and could query the OPC UA server for all available tags, which I think would defeat the purpose.
    How is someone supposed to program a PLC and HMI project when offline?
    The next release of PLCnext Engineer (coming soon) will include a Windows-based PLCnext Control device emulator. This emulator won't have all the features of a physical device, but it will include the OPC UA server. So you could send your PLCnext Engineer project to the virtual device and then browse the OPC UA server from your HMI programming software to get the tags you want.

    I hope this helps.
  • sparky66sparky66
    Thanks for the response. Does the project need to be in a running state for the emulator to work?
  • Martin [PLCnext Technology Team]Martin [PLCnext Technology Team]
    Yes, but a PLCnext Engineer project without any logic - with only empty POU instances and variables marked with the OPC attribute - will run and so should be enough to generate the OPC UA server tags for the HMI software to browse.
  • peterdallmannpeterdallmann
    Hi Sparky66,
    I know what you mean! I have some projects that run over 16000 OPC UA Tags and no way to build the complete system in the office.
    OPC UA has always been an online exchange. This applies to all controllers (Phoenix; Siemens or what ever). I always fix my variable list with the OPC UA variables beforehand and loaded it to a controller as Martin has suggested. For this reason I have an AXC F 2152; AXC F 3152 and an RFC 4072S in my office.
    I generate all my variables, mark those that should be used in the OPC UA and load the project to the controller. You don't need to link the physical I/Os to the variables for this to work. you can do the linking later. If you structure your variables in groups (like DIs; DOs; AIs) it is easier to keep track of them in the PLC.
    I also have my electrical drawings done before I start programming. This also contains my I/O list.
  • sparky66sparky66
    Hi Peter-
    Thanks for the information. That is not a good solution for most customers, though. Which HMI do you use? Does is flatten structures or arrays?
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