If your project contains unplaced PLC connection points, you can re-use these and assign their properties to the placed connection points.
At a single PLC connection point, you can use the Properties <...> dialog to re-use another connection point. In the Use existing PLC connection points blockwise dialog, you can re-use several connection points at the same time (also for different placements). You can also use existing PLC boxes there.
Re-use single PLC connection points
Precondition:
You have opened the Properties <...> dialog for a single PLC connection point.
- Select the <Function category> tab and click [...] next to the Displayed DT field.
- Navigate through the tree or list of the dialog DT selection and select an unplaced PLC connection point, or – depending on the selection – select a new one using [Next].
- Click [OK].
Use existing PLC connection points blockwise
Precondition:
You have selected one or more PLC boxes and / or multiple PLC connection points in the graphical editor or in the navigator dialogs PLC - <Project name> or Devices - <Project name>.
Note:
If you have selected placed PLC connection points that are located in a PLC box, these will have the DT of the PLC connection points selected for use assigned when you use the 'use existing' function. This does not change the DT of the PLC box and, as a result, the assignment of the PLC connection points to the PLC box is lost. If you want to retain the assignment of the PLC connection points to the PLC box, you should again use the existing PLC box.
- Select the following commands: Tab Devices > Command group PLC > Connection points.
The Use existing PLC connection points blockwise and Select unplaced PLC connection points to place them blockwise dialogs open automatically. The second dialog is in the foreground and can be edited directly. - In the Select unplaced PLC connection points to place them blockwise dialog, navigate through the tree or list and select the PLC boxes and connection points that you wish to use.
- Click [OK]. The PLC boxes and connection points are displayed in the Use existing PLC connection points blockwise dialog, in the From table.
- Use the arrow keys to move the PLC boxes and connection points in the right-hand table and assign them to the existing PLC boxes and connection points in the left-hand table To. Make sure that no more red error icons are displayed in the Status column. The icon in the Status column shows whether the category and group of the PLC function definitions in the same line match. Entries can only be moved to another free position; no changes are made to the unselected, occupied positions. If the selected quantities are different, then this is balanced by appended empty lines.
- Click [OK]. The PLC boxes and connection points are re-used, i.e., their properties are adopted by the assigned, placed PLC boxes and connection points.
Tip:
Using the [...] button above the From table you can open the Select unplaced PLC connection points to place them blockwise dialog again at any time and select additional PLC boxes and connections to use.
Notes:
- If, for a function in the schematic, you have also selected the associated function in the overview page, then the same connection point is re-used for both functions. Both placements then belong together after this. (If only one placement was selected, then the relationship is lost!) Only one common entry is displayed for both placements in the left-hand table. If the addresses of the two placements are different, the <<...>> character string is displayed in the table. The <<...>> character string is also displayed for different representation types.
- If multiple PLC connection points exist in the project (with the same DT and connection point designation), then both are listed. If the PLC connection point occurs several times in the schematic and the associated PLC connection point on the overview page only once, then only the graphically first PLC connection point in the schematic is assigned to the relevant connection point in the overview page.
See also