1

RSView Studio for Machine Edition

User's Guide SuppIement
T|ps lor Creal|rg ar R3v|eW Vacr|re Ed|l|or App||cal|or
Purpose of this Guide........................................................................................2
nformation to Know before You Start ...............................................................2
Setup Project Setting.........................................................................................3
Create a Startup Screen with Goto Configure Mode .........................................4
Setting Up RSLinx Enterprise for Direct Tags & Runtime Comms ....................4
Direct Tag Browsing Overview.......................................................................4
nformation Required for Direct Browsing Tags/Addresses ...........................5
Open RSLinx Enterprise................................................................................5
Overview of Local and Target ........................................................................5
Direct Tag Location (Local tab)......................................................................6
Target Setup..................................................................................................9
Direct Tag Address Referencing (Tag Browsing) ............................................12
Setting the Display Update Rate .....................................................................14
Moving, Backing up and Restoring Applications .............................................14
Test Running an Application ...........................................................................15
Downloading Options ......................................................................................15
2
Purpose of this Guide
The RSView Studio for Machine Edition User's Guide Supplement is intended to
provide the information on recommended steps to begin a typical PanelView Plus
or VersaView CE application. The guide focuses on areas that experienced HM
developers typically are not aware of when using RSView Studio for the first time.
The guide is not intended to provide details about dialog boxes, menus or
objects. Use this guide in conjunction with:
RSView Studio Help Contents
Online Book RSView Machine Edition User's Guide VEWME-UM003C-
EN-E that is accessible from RSView Studio Help menu.
PanelView Plus Operator Terminal User Manual, 2711P-UM001B-EN-P,
or and VersaView CE Terminals User Manual, 6182H- UM001B-EN-P.
Manuals are available from www.ab.com, Manuals On-line.
Labs and sample applications from the Knowledgebase web site
accessible from the Support menu on www.software.rockwell.com or
www.ab.com.
Information to Know before You Start
Screen resolution of the target platform you plan to run the application on.
f it is a PanelView Plus or VersaView product, the model number will be
enough (i.e. PanelView Plus 1000).
Location of the logic controller application(s) in a controller or in a file.
Communication network(s)
3
Setup Project Setting
One of the first items to setup is the screen resolution of the target platform you
plan to run the application on. While it is possible to resize the objects in the
application if you need to change the resolution, it saves time to start with the
correct resolution.
f you are uncertain of the final resolution, chose the lower screen resolution of
your potential choices. t is usually easier to scale up than to scale down.
n order to select the screen resolution, double click on System > Project
Settings.
Here are the screen resolutions of Allen-Bradley products that can run RSView
Machine Edition applications. The PanelView Plus and VersaView CE screen
resolution information is available by pressing the Help button in the Project
Setting dialog.
AIIen-BradIey Product CataIog Number Screen ResoIution
PanelView Plus 400
600
2711P-x4xxx
2711P-x6xxx
320x240
PanelView Plus 700
1000
VersaView CE 700H
1000H
2711P-x7xxxx
2711P-x10xxx
6182H-7xxxxx
6182H-10xxxxx
640x480
PanelView Plus 1250
VersaView CE 1250H
VersaView 1200P
1200M
1200W
2711P-x12xxxx
6182H-12xxxxx
6181P-12xxxxx
6186-M12xxxx
6180W-12xxxxx
800x600
PanelView Plus 1500
VersaView CE 1500H
VersaView 1500P
1500M (Monitor)
1500W
2711P-x15xxxx
6182H-12xxxxx
6181P-15xxxxx
6186-M15xxxx
6180W-15xxxxx
1024x768
VersaView 1700M (Monitor) 6186-M17xxxx 1284x1024
VersaView 2000M (Monitor) 6186-M20xxxx 1600x1200
(Use Custom Size)
TIPS:
When creating an application for a PanelV iew Plus 400 or 600
Re-size the message and alarm display windows so that the entire
message text can be viewed.
Re-position the Alarm Banner from the default position (0, 0) as it is below
the viewing area of the terminals.
4
Create a Startup Screen with Goto Configure Mode
At this point it is a good idea to create a simple startup display. You can create a
startup display any time before you compile the runtime file, but often it is
forgotten until after the application is downloaded to the platform.
1. Create a display.
Right-click on Graphic > DispIay. Select New.
2. Create a Goto Configure Mode button in the upper left corner of the
display.
Click on Objects > Advanced > Goto Configure Mode. f the Object
menu is not visible, click any where on the new display in order for the
menu to re-appear.
3. Save the display and give it a name that is meaningful to you, such as
Main Menu.
Either close the display or click the Save button.
4. Assign this display as the Startup Screen
Click on System > Startup. Check "InitiaI graphic and select the
name of the display you create from the drop down list.
By completing these steps, you ensure that there is an initial display and a way to
exit the application once it is running, regardless of the platform.
Setting Up RSLinx Enterprise for Direct Tags & Runtime Comms
Direct Tag Browsing Overview
One of the features of RSView Studio is the ability to directly browse tags in a
controller or in an offline file. The traditional method of creating a tag database in
an HM application required synchronization with the tags/addresses in the logic
controller. Tags/addresses were exported from a logic controller program and
imported into the HM software. f you made any changes in one database, you
had to duplicate them in the other database.
With Direct Browsing, the tags/addresses are created once in the logic controller
application and you browse them when assigning an address to an object in
RSView Studio. With one database, the requirement to synchronize databases
is eliminated.
f you prefer to use the traditional HM tag database (or you need to create
internal memory tags), the HM Tag spreadsheet in RSView Studio allows you
continue to assign HM tags to addresses in the controller. However, the
throughput of directly referenced tags is better than the HM tags over a network.
n order to use the Direct Browsing feature, you need to identify where the logic
controller addresses or tags are. The same process allows you to Test Run your
application from the desktop.
5
Information Required for Direct Browsing Tags/Addresses
Before you get started, you need to know where the logic controller
tags/addresses are located while you are developing the application. You will
also need to know if the tags/addresses are /O or not, such as ControlNet
Scheduled or Remote /O. The location of the controller tags/addresses during
the application development can be different than relationship between the
controller and runtime platform.
Online over the Rockwell Automation network to a physical logic controller
(EtherNet/P, ControlNet, DH+, DH485, DF1 (RS232))
Offline in a RSLogix 5000 .ACD file
Communication to a device over other networks using KEPServer driver.
Refer to the RSView Studio Online Book, User's Guide on OPC Servers
for information on how to link the KEPServer configuration with RSView
Studio.
/O communication such as RO or ControlNet Scheduled
Open RSLinx Enterprise
Click RSLinx Enterprise > Communication Setup
Leave the default "Create a new configuration. Once you have created
an application, you can reuse the configuration in new applications.
Overview of LocaI and Target
On opening the Communication Setup, you will notice two tabs on the right side
of the dialog: Local and Target. The Local tab of the RSLinx Enterprise
Communication Setup is for configuring the identifying the location of the tags to
browse, as well as the communications for Test Run of the project application
from the computer with RSView Studio development software. n other words,
the Local tab identifies the communication path from the desktop to the controller
or file.
The Target tab is used for configuring the communications from the perspective
of the device that will be running the project application, such as a PanelView
Plus or VersaView computer with runtime activation. n other words, the Target
tab identifies the communication path from the PanelView Plus to the controller.
The shortcuts in the Target need to have the same name(s) as the ones in the
Local tab. You can configure the Target at any time before you create a runtime
.mer file.
6
Direct Tag Location (LocaI tab)
1. Create a Shortcut in the LocaI tab and assign a name.
Click the Add button in the Device Shortcuts
2. Select the location of the logic controller tags/addresses.
a. Online to a controller: f the tags/addresses are in a controller, you
can browse over the network through communication modules,
across backplanes into the controller. To add a DH+, DH485 or
serial driver, right click on the RSLinx Enterprise root. For
ControlNet, add a ControlNet driver to the Virtual Backplane.
b. Offline: f the tags/addresses are in an RSLogix 5000 .acd file,
browse to the file by selecting the Browse button in the Offline Tag
File section. n the RSLinx Enterprise tree, add the controller that
matches the RSLogix 5000 file. You can either browse to an
existing controller on the network or add the path manually by right
clicking on each branch. You do not have to download the file to
the controller. Select both the offline file and the online controller
and apply to the shortcut.
7
c. /O networks: f RSView ME platform will be communicating over
ControlNet Scheduled or Remote /O, the tags must be created in
RSView Studio.
Right click on each branch and enter the dialogs as
prompted
For RO
1. Add the appropriate RO Driver to the RSLinx
Enterprise root directory. For the PanelView Plus 400
& 600 select the 2711P- RN1. For the PanelView
Plus/VersaView CE 700-1500 select 2711P-RN6.
Remote /O is not supported on the desktop for
runtime.
2. Configure the Racks and Block Transfers.
3. f you have data that is nota 16- bit integer or a bit
address, you will need to assign an aliasand select
the data type.
For ControlNet Schedule, you will need to assign
connections and aliases to match the configuration in
RSNetworx for ControlNet. Refer to Help for further
information.
TIP: RSLinx Enterprise configuration stays resident on the desktop
computer, regardless of which application is being edited. To retain the
/O configuration for the Local tab with the application, save the /O
configuration with the application by backing it up an .apa file by using the
Application Manager. Refer to the section on Application Manager.
When you are ready to resume editing, restore the application using the
Application Manager. This will create an XML file with the restored /O
configuration. For RSView Studio 3.20, you must complete the following
steps:
a) Close RSView Studio.
b) Disable the RSLinx Enterprise service within the Service Control Manager
(Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services). Double click on RSLinx
Enterprise.
c) Make a backup copy of the current RSLinxNG.xml file in the C:\ Documents and
Settings\All Users\Application Data\Rockwell\RSLinx Enterprise.
d) Rename the Restored_restoredAppNAme_RSLinxNG.xml to RSLinxNG.xml.
e) Re-enable & restart the RSLinx Enterprise service.
3. Once the file, controller or /O driver has been configured, click on the
shortcut name and then corresponding source (file, controller, /O driver).
Do not select a communication port or backplane as they do not store
tags/addresses. Click on AppIy. Each shortcut should have a unique
source.
8
Target Setup
At this point, you can begin assigning tags to objects within your application.
However, if you know the path of your target device to the controller, it is best to
assign it now instead of trying to remember to complete it before you compile the
runtime file.
When the development computer with RSView Studio is connected to the
network(s) in the same manner as the target runtime device is or will be, the
configurations of the Local and Target tabs will be identical. The Copy button on
both the Local and Target tabs reduces development time by copying the
configuration from Local tab and pasting it to the Target tab. This is
recommended if you have an /O network, as it will reduce development time.
n the Target tab, you must manually set up any communication configuration
that you did not copy from the Local. n general, right click on each new branch
will bring up the next dialog. For ControlNet, begin by right clicking on the Virtual
Backplane. For DH+, DH-485 or DF1, right click on the root RSLinx Enterprise
directory. All PanelView Plus & VersaView CE communication modules begin
with 2711P-RNxxx.
TIPS:
For any driver configured from the virtual 1789-A17 backplane, such as
ControlNet, leave the slot number at 1 if using a PanelView Plus or
VersaView CE.
Chose 1 for the backplane address of a ControlLogix rack.
You should see something similar to the picture below.
9
Now associate your shortcut with your target.
10
Direct Tag Address Referencing (Tag Browsing)
Once the Local configuration is set up, RSView Studio is ready to browse. When
configuring an object or connection in RSView Studio, tags/addresses in a logic
controller can be view and selected online over a network or offline from a
program file.
To assign a tag/address to an object, double click on the object or right- click and
select Properties. n the Connections tab, you can assign tags or expressions by
clicking the ellipse button.
11
The Tag Browser dialog will appear. Right click on the root directory of the
folders and select Refresh AII FoIders. You need to do this any time you make
a change to RSLinx Enterprise or the tags in the controller or file. f RSView
Studio, were to continuously refresh the folders and there were several devices
to scan, it would delay your ability to select tags from the browser. So to avoid
adding any annoying delays, the Refresh Folders is a process that you control.
Click on the shortcut name you entered earlier to expand the folder. The folder
"Offline is the tag folder in the offline file if you assigned it to the shortcut.
Subfolders match those in RSLogix 5000. The "Online folder is the tag folder of
the controller you browsed.
Select the tag in the right hand side and select OK.
Here is a sample of the Tag Browser.
12
Setting the Display Update Rate
The RSView Machine Edition application will request or read new data for only
the active display screens and any background activity such as global
connections, alarms, historical trending, data logging and information messages.
The maximum update time is set from the Display Settings dialog of each display
or the specific setup dialog for each background activity.
To access the Display Settings either:
Right-click on area of the display without an object
Select Edit > DispIay Settings
The default update time is 1 second. Setting the update time faster than the
controller or runtime device can respond is not recommended. Typically .5
seconds is satisfactory for most applications.
Moving, Backing up and Restoring Applications
RSView Studio stores application files in several directories. n order to backup
all of the files so the information can be moved to another computer, the
Application Manager must be used.
To access the Application Manager, select Start > Programs > RockweII
Software > RSView Enterprise > TooIs > AppIication Manager.
There are several selection for copying, renaming, deleting, backing up and
restoring applications.
Note: For RSView Studio 3.20, you may need to reboot the computer before
renaming or deleting an application that has been recently edited.
13
Test Running an Application
At any time while you are developing an application you can test a display or the
entire application. When testing a display , the tags associated with that
screen are active. When you test an application , an .mer file is created and
runs on the desktop computer. The communications that you configured in the
Local tab will be used for testing the application.
Downloading Options
Once you have completed your application, you are ready to create a compiled
.mer runtime file and download to the target device.
To create the .mer file, select AppIication > Create Runtime AppIication. The
default directory is Documents and Settings\AII Users\Documents\RSView
Enterprise\ME\ Runtime. You could create the .mer file on a Compact Flash
card from this dialog as well.
There are two main methods to transfer the compiled .mer file to a PanelView
Plus or VersaView CE:
Download your program using the Transfer Utility
Copy the file to a Compact Flash card
For downloading, select TooIs > Transfer UtiIity.
For copying the file to a Compact Flash card, you can use Window Explorer.
Create a directory \RockwellSoftware\RSViewME\Runtime on the compact flash
card and paste the .mer file in that directory.
TIP:
f you install the Compact Flash card into the PanelView Plus or
VersaView CE and access the File Management screen in the
configuration mode, the directory will be created automatically.
Details of the configuration screens are available in the PanelView Plus Operator
Terminal User Manual, 2711P-UM001B-EN-P, and VersaView CE Terminals
User Manual, 6182H- UM001B-EN-P. Manuals are available from www.ab.com,
Publications Library > Manuals On-line.