Category Advanced

Write object content as

Available from TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4024

Background information:

From Build 4024, Base64 introduces a new storage format that is optionally available for the following PLC objects:

• POUs where the POU body is programmed in a graphical implementation language
• Sequential Function Chart (SFC)
• FBD/LD/IL (Function Block Diagram/Ladder Diagram/Instruction List)
• CFC (Continuous Function Chart and page-oriented CFC)
• UML class diagram and state diagram
• POUs with a subelement (e.g. action, method) that is programmed in a graphical implementation language (for graphical languages see first key point)
• Visualizations
• Visualization Manager
• Text lists
• Recipe manager
• Image pool

Up to now, these objects were saved as XML by default.

From Build 4024 you can configure whether these object types should be saved as XML or Base64.

Advantages of Base64 over XML:

Base64 results in compressed storage, compared to XML. As a result, improved performance can be achieved with file access to these objects, which can be used, for example, when loading projects or moving/copying objects.

Setting option for the standard storage format:

For a PLC project, the setting "Write object content as" in the PLC project properties can be used to define the standard storage format for the object types mentioned above.

The selected standard storage format is only used with newly added objects (exception: not with newly added POU sub-objects. Example: A POU is saved as an XML and the standard storage format is configured as Base64. If a graphic sub-object is then added to the POU, the storage format of the POU and thus of the sub-object as XML remains unchanged).

The storage format of an existing object with a non-standard storage format is not automatically changed when the object is changed and saved. The storage format of an existing object can be changed individually via the Properties window (see below). Alternatively, when changing the standard storage format, there is the option of adopting the newly selected storage format for all existing objects. If you change the storage format at this point, a corresponding query window appears.

The following options are available for the setting "Write object content as":

• XML (default): The PLC objects mentioned above are saved in XML format by default.
• Objects with this storage format are stored in file version 1.1.0.1.
• Base64: The PLC objects mentioned above are saved in Base64 format by default.
• Objects with this storage format are stored in file version 1.2.0.0.
  Please note that objects with the file version 1.2.0.0 (or higher) cannot be loaded with Engineering versions < TwinCAT 3.1.4024!

Individual setting option of the storage format:

The storage format of an object can be configured individually for the object types mentioned above in the Properties window of the object. For more information see the description of the properties (Format property).

Write product version in files

Available from TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4024

The product version indicates which plug-in version was used to save a PLC file (e.g. a function block). The setting of this checkbox is valid for the whole project and is the default setting for all modified or newly added PLC objects located in this PLC project.

(Default): The product or plugin version is written into the file (the version is not visible in XAE; it shows up if the file is analyzed at file level).

• If you change the setting from disabled to enabled, a query window appears in which you can select whether to add the product version to all existing files.
• Use case for the enabled option: This setting can be used to include the file version in the file for debugging or tracking purposes, for example.
• Please note the following: If the file is saved with a different product version, this leads to a change of this file, which shows up as a file difference when using source code management systems.

: The product or plugin version is not written to the file.

• If you change the setting from enabled to disabled, a query window appears in which you can select whether to remove the product version from all existing files.
• Use case for the disabled option: This setting can be used if the product version is not of interest. This minimizes changes to files with regard to source code management systems.

Write object content with profile

The profile defines the format in which objects are saved. With Build 4024, for example, new functionalities were added for the PLC HMI. For this reason, visualization files saved with Build 4024 cannot be directly opened with older builds. If you set a 4022 profile here, then the visualization files will be saved in the appropriate format and can be opened with Build 4022.

Requirement: So that, for example, the 4022 profile is available in the drop-down menu, either a 4022 Remote Manager installation must be carried out or the current 4024 XAE installation must have been installed via a previously existing 4022 XAE installation.

Write Bookmarks to File

Available from TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4026

: The stored bookmarks are also written from the Visual Studio project user options file (.suo) to a separate file. This file ends with .bookmarks and is located in the project directory. It is then also part of the known archive options.

(default setting): The bookmarks are only saved in the .suo file from Visual Studio. A .bookmarks file that has already been created is deleted from the project directory.

The global default setting for new PLC projects as to whether bookmarks should be stored in a separate file can be found at Dialog Options - Write Options. The value is transferred once to this local project setting when a new PLC project is created.

Use Multiuser

Available from TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4024

(Default): The multiuser functionality of the PLC project is not enabled.

: The multiuser functionality of the PLC project is enabled.

Please also refer to the further information in the Multiuser documentation.

Secure Online Mode

: (Default): For security reasons, the user is always prompted to confirm the execution of the following commands when they are called.

• Activate the configuration
• Restart TwinCAT System in Config/Run Mode
• Reset cold
• Reset origin

: In addition to the above commands, for which a confirmation prompt appears by default, the following commands will also prompt you to confirm.

• Start
• Stop
• Single Cycle

Autoupdate Visu Profile

This option allows you to configure the automatic update behavior of the visualization profile.

When you open a PLC project that uses an outdated visualization profile, a warning appears in the message window ("New Version found for Visualization profile").

: In such a case, the visualization profile version is automatically set to the latest version if the option Autoupdate Visu Profile is enabled. With such an automatic update of the visualization profile version, a corresponding warning is displayed in the message window (e.g. "Visualization profile set from' TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4020.10' to' TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4022.0'").

(Default): If the Autoupdate Visu Profile option is disabled, the visualization profile version is not changed automatically. By double-clicking on the warning "New Version found for Visualization profile", you can open the ProfileUpdate dialog in which you can manually change the visualization profile version.

Autoupdate Uml Profile

This option allows you to configure the automatic update behavior of the UML compiler version.

If you open a PLC project, in which an outdated UML compiler version is used, a corresponding warning appears in the message window ("new version for UML found").

: In such a case, the UML compiler version is automatically set to the latest version if the option Autoupdate Uml Profile is enabled. In the case of such an automatic update of the UML compiler version, a corresponding warning will be displayed in the message window (e.g. "UML set from '4.0.2.0' to '4.0.2.1'").

(Default): If the option Autoupdate Uml Profile is disabled, the UML compiler version is not changed automatically. Double-click on the warning "new version for UML found" to open the ProfileUpdate dialog, in which you can change the UML compiler version manually.

For more information, see UML Compiler Version.

Write Line IDs

Available from TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4026

: Line IDs are generated and stored for the POUs of the project (default behavior up to TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4024). The line IDs can be used to assign lines of code to machine code instructions, which is required for breakpoint handling, among other things.

(Default): No separate line IDs are generated. For the assignment of the machine code instructions and the breakpoint handling in this case the line number is used. Therefore, an online change is required for changes such as spaces or comments.

The global default setting for new PLC projects regarding the Write Line IDs can be found at Dialog Options - Write Options. The value is transferred once to this local project setting when a new PLC project is created.

Convert PLC Project to previous TwinCAT version

Available from TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4026

In the dialog that opens you can select a TwinCAT version to which the PLC project should be converted (TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4022 or 4024). After confirming the conversion with "Convert", the project is closed and saved compatible with the selected version.

Note that the project data will be changed during the conversion and settings and properties of later versions will be lost. Therefore, the conversion is not suitable for multiple switching between different versions.