SoftingManual DataFEEDOPCSuite en
SoftingManual DataFEEDOPCSuite en
SoftingManual DataFEEDOPCSuite en
Version: EN-102015-1.00
The information contained in these instructions corresponds to the technical status at the time of printing of it
and is passed on with the best of our knowledge. The information in these instructions is in no event a basis for
warranty claims or contractual agreements concerning the described products, and may especially not be
deemed as warranty concerning the quality and durability pursuant to Sec. 443 German Civil Code. We reserve
the right to make any alterations or improvements to these instructions without prior notice. The actual design of
products may deviate from the information contained in the instructions if technical alterations and product
improvements so require.
It may not, in part or in its entirety, be reproduced, copied, or transferred into electronic media.
The latest version of this manual is available in the Softing download area at: http://industrial.softing.com.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Welcome to Softing dataFEED OPC Suite
.........................................................................15
Chapter 2 dataFEED OPC Suite Quickstart
.........................................................................18
2.1 OPC
........................................................................................
Tunnel 19
2.2 OPC
........................................................................................
UA Server 20
2.3 OPC
........................................................................................
Bridge 20
2.4 OPC
........................................................................................
Optimizer 21
2.5 OPC
........................................................................................
Concentrator 22
2.6 OPC
........................................................................................
Filter 23
2.7 OPC
........................................................................................
Client2Client 24
2.8 OPC
........................................................................................
Server2Server 25
2.9 OPC2File
........................................................................................ 26
2.10 OPC2Database
........................................................................................ 27
2.11 OPC
........................................................................................
Store And Forward 28
Chapter 4 Installation
.........................................................................50
4.1 Operating
........................................................................................
Systems 50
4.2 Previous
........................................................................................
Versions 51
4.3 Installation
........................................................................................ 51
4.4 Uninstallation
........................................................................................ 52
4.5 DCOM
........................................................................................
Configuration 52
4.5.1 System................................................................................
Wide Security Parameters 54
4.5.2 Application Specific Security Parameters
................................................................................ 60
4.5.3 Activating Guest Access
................................................................................ 62
4.5.4 Configuring the Windows Firewall
................................................................................ 63
Chapter 5 Licensing
.........................................................................66
5.1 License
........................................................................................
Model 66
5.2 License
........................................................................................
Manager 69
5.3 Demonstration
........................................................................................
Mode 71
Chapter 6 Operation
.........................................................................72
6.1 Start
........................................................................................
Menu 73
6.2 Tray
........................................................................................
Application 74
6.3 Web
........................................................................................
Pages 80
6.3.1 Information
................................................................................ 82
6.3.2 Diagnostics
................................................................................ 83
6.3.2.1 Process Values
............................................................................................ 84
6.3.2.2 Clients
............................................................................................ 86
6.3.2.3 Configuration
............................................................................................ 87
6.3.2.4 Servers
............................................................................................ 88
6.3.2.5 Cyclic Requests
............................................................................................ 90
6.3.2.6 Device Connections
............................................................................................ 92
6.3.2.7 OPC UA Server Information
............................................................................................ 96
6.3.3 Configuration
................................................................................ 97
6.3.3.1 Trace
............................................................................................ 98
6.3.3.2 Password
............................................................................................ 99
6.4 Building
........................................................................................
Own Web Pages 100
6.5 Demonstration
........................................................................................
Mode 101
6.6 Converting
........................................................................................
Configurations 102
6.6.1 Project Converter
................................................................................ 102
6.6.2 Changes Between V1.x and V2.x
................................................................................ 105
6.7 Importing
........................................................................................
Multiprotocol OPC Server Configurations 112
6.7.1 Import................................................................................
- Configuration File Selection 113
6.7.2 Import................................................................................
- PLC Connections Selection 113
6.7.3 Import................................................................................
- PLC Symbols Selection 115
6.7.4 Import................................................................................
- Results 117
6.8 Identity
........................................................................................
Settings 118
6.8.1 dataFEED OPC Suite V4.10
................................................................................ 118
6.8.2 Changes Between V2.x/V3x and V4.x
................................................................................ 121
6.8.3 Changes Between V1.x and V2.x
................................................................................ 123
6.9 System
........................................................................................
Items 125
6.10 OPC
........................................................................................
Tunnel Discovery Service 133
6.11 OPC
........................................................................................
UA Local Discovery Service 134
Chapter 7 Configuration
.........................................................................135
7.1 Configuration
........................................................................................
Concept 136
7.1.1 Data Sources
................................................................................ 138
7.1.2 Data Processing
................................................................................ 139
7.1.3 Data Destinations
................................................................................ 141
7.2 dataFEED
........................................................................................
OPC Suite Configurator 142
7.2.1 General
................................................................................ 143
7.2.2 Feature Selection
................................................................................ 146
7.2.3 Configuration Handling
................................................................................ 148
7.2.4 Backup & Restore
................................................................................ 152
7.2.5 Import................................................................................
Multiprotocol OPC Server Configuration 154
7.2.6 V1.x Configuration Convertor
................................................................................ 154
7.2.7 Local................................................................................
Application Access 154
7.2.8 Tree Handling
................................................................................ 156
7.2.8.1 General
............................................................................................ 156
7.2.8.2 Local Namespace
............................................................................................ 158
7.2.8.3 Tree Node States and Icons
............................................................................................ 163
7.2.8.4 Online Mode
............................................................................................ 166
7.2.8.5 Offline Mode
............................................................................................ 166
7.2.8.6 Checked States
............................................................................................ 167
7.3 dataFEED
........................................................................................
OPC Suite Configuration 168
7.3.1 Data Sources
................................................................................ 171
7.3.1.1 Tunnel Server
............................................................................................ 172
7.3.1.1.1 Configuration
....................................................................................... 173
7.3.1.1.2 Advanced Settings
....................................................................................... 175
7.3.1.1.3 Connection Test
....................................................................................... 178
7.3.1.3.1 Configuration
....................................................................................... 233
7.3.1.3.2 Properties
....................................................................................... 235
7.3.1.3.3 Local.......................................................................................
Items Root 238
7.3.1.3.4 Advanced Settings
....................................................................................... 239
7.3.1.3.5 Local.......................................................................................
Items File 240
7.3.1.3.6 Import Wizard
....................................................................................... 241
7.3.1.3.6.1 Import File Format
........................................................................... 241
7.3.1.3.6.2 Import File Selection
........................................................................... 242
7.3.1.3.6.3 Import Results
........................................................................... 243
7.3.1.3.7 Export Wizard
....................................................................................... 244
7.3.1.3.7.1 Export File Selection
........................................................................... 245
7.3.1.3.7.2 Export Results
........................................................................... 246
7.3.1.4 Siemens Devices
............................................................................................ 247
7.3.1.4.1 Configuration
....................................................................................... 247
7.3.1.4.2 Siemens Device Wizard
....................................................................................... 250
7.3.1.4.2.1 Connection Settings
........................................................................... 251
7.3.1.4.2.2 Communication Settings
........................................................................... 252
7.3.1.4.2.1 Advanced Communication Settings S7
........................................................................... 253
7.3.1.4.2.2 Advanced Communication Settings S5
........................................................................... 255
7.3.1.4.2.3 Advanced Communication Settings Send/Receive
........................................................................... 259
7.3.1.4.2.4 Advanced Communication Settings Netlink
........................................................................... 261
7.3.1.4.2.3 Extended Settings
........................................................................... 263
7.3.1.4.2.4 Address Space Definition
........................................................................... 264
7.3.1.4.2.1 S7 Symbol File Import Wizard
........................................................................... 266
7.3.1.4.2.1 Import - File Selection
........................................................................... 267
7.3.1.4.2.2 Import - PLC...........................................................................
Program Selection 270
7.3.1.4.2.3 Import - Device Selection
........................................................................... 270
7.3.1.4.2.4 Import - PLC...........................................................................
Blocks Selection 271
7.3.1.4.2.5 Import - Results
........................................................................... 273
7.3.1.4.2.6 Import an *.sdfi file created with dataFEED Exporter
........................................................................... 274
7.3.1.4.2.7 Importing TIA...........................................................................
projects - supported data types 274
7.3.1.5 Rockwell Devices
............................................................................................ 276
7.3.1.5.1 Configuration
....................................................................................... 277
7.3.1.5.2 Rockwell Device Wizard
....................................................................................... 279
7.3.1.5.2.1 Connection Settings
........................................................................... 280
7.3.1.5.2.2 Communication Settings
........................................................................... 281
7.3.1.5.2.1 Advanced Communication Settings
........................................................................... 282
7.3.1.5.2.3 PLC Protocol...........................................................................
Settings CLX 283
7.3.1.5.2.4 Extended Settings
........................................................................... 285
7.3.3.5.1 Configuration
....................................................................................... 572
7.3.3.5.2 File Wizard
....................................................................................... 574
7.3.3.5.2.1 Welcome ........................................................................... 575
7.3.3.5.2.2 Data File ........................................................................... 576
7.3.3.5.2.3 File Header ........................................................................... 577
7.3.3.5.2.4 File Footer ........................................................................... 579
7.3.3.5.3 File Action Wizard
....................................................................................... 580
7.3.3.5.3.1 Welcome ........................................................................... 581
7.3.3.5.3.2 Output Data ........................................................................... 581
7.3.3.5.3.3 Trigger Type........................................................................... 583
7.3.3.5.3.4 Trigger Item ........................................................................... 584
7.3.3.5.3.5 Timer Selection
........................................................................... 587
7.3.3.5.3.6 Timer Identity........................................................................... 588
7.3.3.5.3.7 Timer Type ........................................................................... 589
7.3.3.5.3.8 Schedule Timer Settings
........................................................................... 591
7.3.3.5.3.9 Interval Timer...........................................................................
Settings 592
7.3.3.5.3.10 Action Settings
........................................................................... 593
7.3.3.5.4 Data .......................................................................................
Value Placeholder Wizard 594
7.3.3.5.4.1 Welcome ........................................................................... 594
7.3.3.5.4.2 Data Item ........................................................................... 595
7.3.3.5.4.3 Data Value ........................................................................... 598
7.3.3.5.5 Trigger Wizard
....................................................................................... 600
7.3.3.5.5.1 Welcome ........................................................................... 601
7.3.3.5.5.2 Trigger Type........................................................................... 602
7.3.3.5.5.3 Trigger Item ........................................................................... 603
7.3.3.5.5.4 Timer Selection
........................................................................... 606
7.3.3.5.5.5 Timer Identity........................................................................... 607
7.3.3.5.5.6 Timer Type ........................................................................... 608
7.3.3.5.5.7 Schedule Timer Settings
........................................................................... 610
7.3.3.5.5.8 Interval Timer...........................................................................
Settings 611
7.3.3.5.6 Item Trigger Wizard
....................................................................................... 612
7.3.3.5.6.1 Welcome ........................................................................... 612
7.3.3.5.6.2 Trigger Item ........................................................................... 613
7.3.3.5.7 Timer.......................................................................................
Trigger Wizard 616
7.3.3.5.7.1 Welcome ........................................................................... 617
7.3.3.5.7.2 Timer Selection
........................................................................... 618
7.3.3.5.7.3 Timer Identity........................................................................... 619
7.3.3.5.7.4 Timer Type ........................................................................... 620
7.3.3.5.7.5 Schedule Timer Settings
........................................................................... 622
Protection Against Data Loss @ dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Store and
Forward 28 .
Protection Against Data Loss @ dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Store And
Forward 47 .
Protection against data loss @ dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Store And
Forward 28 .
The Softing OPC Tunnel provides you with a secure and easy possibility of
cross-network OPC communication. The Softing OPC Tunnel eliminates the
configuration problems that were frequently encountered previously with the
DCOM security settings!
You can find a more detailed description of the OPC Tunnel functionality under
Introduction - OPC Tunnel 30 .
To configure the OPC Tunnel Server, the following configuration steps should
be executed:
To configure the OPC Tunnel Client, the following configuration steps should
be executed:
Add a single server connection to the OPC Tunnel server as a data source
@ Configuration: Data Source - Tunnel Server 173.
The Softing OPC Bridge gives one or more OPC Data Access and/or OPC XML-
DA client applications quick and easy access to any type of OPC data access
server. Vice versa, it allows any OPC data access server to be addressed by one
or more data OPC access clients and/or OPC XML-DA client applications.
A more detailed description about the Softing OPC Bridge functionality can be
found under Introduction - OPC Bridge 33 .
In order to configure the OPC Bridge, the following configuration steps should
be executed:
The Softing OPC Optimizer allows multiple OPC clients to access an OPC
server in such a way that workload on the server is minimized. According to the
definition and functionality of Data Access, every OPC client communicating with
the DA server creates groups and items in the DA server. The management of
many groups simultaneously as well as the processing of multiple read requests
to the often identical OPC items leads to a high communication load in the OPC
server.
A more detailed description about the OPC Optimizer functionality can be found
under Introduction - OPC Optimizer 34 .
In order to configure the OPC Optimizer, the following configuration steps
should be executed:
The Softing OPC Filter allows customizing the items that are provided by an
OPC server. It makes no difference whether communication with the OPC server
is via DCOM, XML-DA or the OPC Tunnel.
Define the filtered data items and specify their properties @ OPC Server
Wizard - Filter Items 222 or OPC Tunnel Wizard - Filter Items 192 .
Softing OPC Client2Client allows an OPC client to transmit data to one or more
other OPC clients. OPC Client2Client thereby acts as an intelligent data memory
which can receive configurable OPC items from an OPC client and pass them on
to another OPC client. The OPC namespace of OPC Client2Client can be
statically defined in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator by defined
corresponding Local Items or extended dynamically by the OPC clients by
creating items.
dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Server2Server allows two OPC Servers to exchange
data between each other. Both OPC Servers are acting as a data source,
introducing data items to the namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application. The Exchange module of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite is
responsible for actually copying data between the corresponding data items from
one OPC server to the other, therefore realizing the OPC Server2Server
functionality.
Add a server connection to the first OPC server as a first data source @
Configuration: Data Source - OPC Server 203.
2.9 OPC2File
Softing OPC2File stores data from any OPC Data Access, OPC Tunnel or OPC
XML-DA server in corresponding text files. Different types of text files like *.txt,
*.xml or *.html are supported. The data handled by Softing dataFEED OPC Suite
are written to file by executing simple file text actions.
Add one or more output data files as data destinations @ File Definition
Wizard 574
Define the file actions for actually writing the data to the data files @ File
Action Wizard 580 .
2.10 OPC2Database
Softing OPC2Database stores data from any OPC Data Access, OPC Tunnel or
OPC XML-DA server in SQL databases like Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle,
MySQL, IBM DB2 and other ODBC-enabled databases. The data handled by
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite are written to the database by executing simple
database SQL actions.
Add one or more databases resp. ODBC data source connections as data
destinations @ Database Definition Wizard 480
Define the database actions for actually writing the data to the databases
@ Database Action Wizard 485 .
A more detailed description of the OPC Store And Forward functionality can be
found under Introduction - OPC Store And Forward 47 .
To configure the OPC Store And Forward, the following configuration steps
should be executed:
Configure the local data storage and the data forwarding @ Store And
Forward Wizard 406
Define the data items to be monitored and specify their properties @ Store
And Forward Wizard - Storage Items 411.
Protection against data loss @ dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Store And
Forward 47 .
Avoiding DCOM
The Softing OPC Tunnel provides you with a secure and easy possibility of
cross-network OPC communication. The Softing OPC Tunnel eliminates the
configuration problems that were frequently encountered previously with the
DCOM security settings! You save yourself time and unnecessary questions to
the manufacturer. The Softing OPC Tunnel takes care of all the obstacles you
usually run into when networking OPC clients and servers that are located on
different computer platforms, in different network domains, or in completely
separate networks. The high-performance data exchange is stable and reliable.
optionally be encrypted. In this way, the data that are exchanged between client
and server applications are tunneled via TCP/IP; DCOM is avoided completely,
and the time-consuming and nerve-racking configuration of the DCOM security
settings is eliminated once and for all.
Attention: Please make sure that the configured TCP/IP port number is not
used by other local dataFEED OPC Suite applications on the server and client
computers and that your network infrastructure (like firewalls or switches) is
prepared to forward TCP/IP packets using the configured port number.
Note: The OPC Tunnel discovery service on the OPC Tunnel client side will find
the corresponding OPC Tunnel server only if the OPC Tunnel server is actually
running.
To configure the OPC Tunnel Server, the following configuration steps should
be executed:
To configure the OPC Tunnel Client, the following configuration steps should
be executed:
Add a single server connection to the OPC Tunnel server as a data source
@ Configuration: Data Source - Tunnel Server 173.
3.2 OPC UA
exchange of certificates
The Softing OPC Bridge gives one or more OPC Data Access and/or OPC XML-
DA client applications quick and easy access to any type of OPC data access
server. Vice versa, it allows any OPC Data Access server to be addressed by
one or more OPC Data Access clients and/or OPC XML-DA client applications.
Which OPC Data Access version (DA 1.0, DA 2.05 or DA 3) the OPC client or
OPC server has implemented is irrelevant. The OPC Bridge automatically
recognizes the implemented OPC specifications and converts them in such a
way that even those OPC components can communicate which would not be
compatible without the OPC Bridge. The OPC Bridge thus acts as a software
gateway, "bridging" the different implementations.
From the point of view of an OPC client application, access to the configured
OPC server through the OPC Bridge is fully transparent, which means that the
OPC Bridge provides the namespace of the configured OPC server to a client
without any changes.
Note: The OPC client data destination functionality is enabled and already
completely configured by default.
In order to configure the OPC Bridge, the following configuration steps should
be executed:
Additionally the data items provided by the different data sources can also be
filtered using the OPC Filter as described in Introduction: OPC Filter 37 .
The Softing OPC Optimizer allows multiple OPC clients to access an OPC
server in such a way that workload on the server is minimized. According to the
definition and functionality of Data Access, every OPC client communicating with
the OPC DA server creates groups and items in the DA server. The
management of many groups simultaneously as well as the processing of
multiple read requests to the often identical OPC items leads to a high
communication load in the OPC server.
As the name indicates, the OPC Optimizer optimizes read and write access to
the items of an OPC server. Read access to identical OPC items with different
update rates are combined and data acquisition from the peripherals by the OPC
server is bundled using intelligent algorithms.
The configuration settings offer additional possibilities for optimization. You can
specify, for example,
that the OPC server should only read the data from the device again after
the data have reached a certain age;
that the update cycles are determined independently of the OPC clients.
Note: The OPC client data destination functionality is enabled and already
completely configured by default.
Additionally the data items provided by the different data sources can also be
filtered using the OPC Filter as described in Introduction: OPC Filter 37 .
The dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Concentrator combines multiple OPC servers in
one by consolidating the namespaces and OPC items of multiple OPC servers in
one OPC server. This saves the project engineer valuable work and time when
setting up client applications and facilitates the management of large systems.
Multiple OPC clients can access multiple OPC servers via one OPC
Concentrator.
To configure the OPC Concentrator you mainly need to configure the data
source connections to your corresponding OPC servers providing the OPC data
you want to concentrate. Each server connection needs to be assigned a unique
connection name in order to distinguish the different data items within the
namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
As a second configuration step, the OPC client data destination functionality of
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite needs to be enabled and configured.
Note: The OPC client data destination functionality is enabled and already
completely configured by default.
Additionally the data items provided by the different data sources can also be
filtered using the OPC Filter as described in Introduction: OPC Filter 37 .
The Softing OPC Filter allows customizing the items that are provided by a
specific data source a corresponding OPC or OPC Tunnel server. With the
Softing OPC Filter the following functionalities can be implemented:
Note: The OPC client data destination functionality is enabled and already
completely configured by default.
In order to configure the OPC Filter, the following configuration steps should
be executed:
Define the filtered data items and specify their properties @ OPC Server
Wizard - Filter Items 222 or OPC Tunnel Wizard - Filter Items 192 .
Softing OPC Client2Client allows an OPC client to transmit data to one or more
other OPC clients. OPC Client2Client thereby acts as an intelligent data memory
which can receive configurable OPC items from an OPC client and pass them on
to another OPC client. In this way, OPC Client2Client allows supervisory control
systems, SCADA systems or any applications that do not have an OPC server
interface to exchange data directly. OPC Client2Client is also suitable for testing
OPC clients by configuring the tool as an OPC server with any desired server
name, namespace and OPC items. You can use any OPC client, e.g. the Softing
OPC Demo Client, to write values to OPC Client2Client, either manually or script
controlled. This allows you to simulate real-world conditions and specific fault
situations in the test lab.
service. The first time an OPC client application accesses OPC Client2Client, the
default namespace of OPC Client2Client is provided, for example, Node1 with
Tag1 and Tag2, Node2 with Tag1 and Tag2.
If the client acting as the server does not update the data any longer, the client
being tested is informed of this fact.
Note: The OPC client data destination functionality is enabled and already
completely configured by default.
dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Server2Server allows two OPC Servers to exchange
data between each other. Both OPC Servers act as a data source, introducing
data items to the namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application. The
Exchange module of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite is responsible for actually
copying data between the corresponding data items from one OPC server to the
other thereby providing the OPC Server2Server functionality.
The data copy mechanism within the Exchange module of Softing dataFEED
OPC Suite is internally organized using so-called Exchange actions. Besides the
corresponding source and destination data items, the following parameters
needs to be specified for each Exchange action:
Add a server connection to the first OPC server as a first data source @
Configuration: Data Source - OPC Server 203.
Additionally the data items provided by the different data sources can also be
filtered using the OPC Filter as described in Introduction: OPC Filter 37 .
3.9 OPC2File
Softing OPC2File stores data from any OPC Data Access, OPC Tunnel or OPC
XML-DA server in the corresponding text files. Different types of text files like
*.txt, *.xml or *.html are supported. The data handled by Softing dataFEED OPC
Suite are written to file by executing simple file text actions.
No programming is necessary!
The data writing mechanism within the OPC2File module of Softing <%
OEMPRODUCT% is internally organized using so-called file file actions. Each
file action can write multiple data items at once. These data items are defined by
placeholders which are replaced by the corresponding values during the run time
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application. Besides the placeholders, the
following parameters need to be specified for each file action:
An update rate with which the corresponding file action should be executed.
An execution condition specifying under what conditions the corresponding
text action should be executed.
The corresponding data item value which should actually be written to the
file. (Possible values to be written are: the data value itself, the quality or the
time stamp of the corresponding data item.)
Configuring OPC2File
To configure the OPC2File functionality you mainly need to configure the data
source connections to the corresponding OPC or OPC Tunnel servers providing
the data items that should be written to the file.
As a second configuration step, the corresponding file and file actions which
are responsible for writing the data need to be created and configured.
Add one or more output data files as data destinations @ File Wizard 574
Define the file actions for actually writing the data to the data files @ File
Action Wizard 580 .
Additionally the data items provided by the different data sources can also be
filtered using the OPC Filter as described in Introduction: OPC Filter 37 .
3.10 OPC2Database
Softing OPC2DataBase stores data from any OPC Data Access, OPC Tunnel or
OPC XML-DA server in SQL databases like Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle,
MySQL, IBM DB2 and other ODBC-enabled databases. The data handled by
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite are written to the database by executing simple
database SQL actions.
No programming is necessary!
The data writing mechanism within the OPC2DataBase module of Softing <%
OEMPRODUCT% is internally organized using so-called SQL database actions.
Each SQL database action can write multiple data items at once. These data
items are defined by placeholders which are replaced by the corresponding
values during the runtime of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application. Besides
the placeholders, the following parameters need to be specified for each SQL
database action:
An update rate with which the corresponding SQL database action should be
executed.
An execution condition specifying under what conditions the corresponding
SQL database action should be executed.
The corresponding data item value which should actually be written to the
database. (Possible values to be written are: the data value itself, the quality
or the time stamp of the corresponding data item.)
The following types of SQL statements are supported:
Configuring OPC2Database
To configure the OPC2Database functionality you mainly need to configure the
data source connections to the corresponding OPC or OPC Tunnel servers
providing the corresponding data items which should be written into the
database.
As a second configuration step, the corresponding databases and database
actions which are responsible for writing the data need to be created and
configured.
Define the database actions for actually writing the data to the databases
@ Database Action Wizard 485 .
Additionally the data items provided by the different data sources can also be
filtered using the OPC Filter as described in Introduction: OPC Filter 37 .
Attention: When activating OPC Store And Forward for a connection to an OPC
or OPC Tunnel client some restrictions and constraints apply to this monitoring
client connection. However, these restrictions do not interfere with any other
configured functionalities of the corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Each local dataFEED OPC Suite application can monitor exactly one client
connection. The monitoring client is either identified by the client name or it is the
first client connected to the corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
If an OPC or OPC Tunnel client is identified as the monitoring client, it can only
use data items which are defined as monitoring data items in the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application. If the monitoring client tries to access non-monitoring
data items, it will always receive data values with the OPC quality BAD -
Configuration Error. Otherwise it would not be possible to keep the timeline in
the forwarding phase both between monitoring data items (historic data) and
non-monitoring data items (actual data).
If Store And Forward is configured to identify the monitoring client as the first
connected client, all other client connections will be blocked from the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application. Otherwise, in the case of a connection
interruption to the real monitoring client, any other connected client could
Attention: The update rate for the storage actions (the cycle time with which the
data files will be written to the local data storage during a connection
interruption) and the general update rate used by the OPC client during normal
operations can be configured to have different values for some special
situations.
However, in most of the use cases you should ensure that both update rates
have the same value in order to obtain the same number of data changes both in
the normal operation phase and in the storage phase when the connection is
interrupted.
Attention: The update rate for the forwarding phase can be additionally
configured in the Store And Forward Wizard. If this forwarding update rate is not
smaller (meaning faster) than the storage action update rate AND the normal
update rate specified by the OPC client, the data forwarding will never catch up
with the present time. (Even worse, the stored data will grow forever (or until the
maximum storage size is reached) because the data forwarding would then be
slower than the actual data acquisition.)
To configure the OPC Store And Forward functionality you mainly need to
configure the data source connections to the corresponding OPC or OPC Tunnel
servers providing the data items you want to monitor.
As a second configuration step, Store And Forward needs to be activated and
configured in the Store And Forward Wizard.
In the last step, the data items to be monitored are specified. If the
corresponding OPC or OPC Tunnel server is running, the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator reads the available data items and presents them for selection of
the monitoring items on the last page of the Store And Forward Wizard or on the
main configuration page of Store And Forward in the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator. By checking or unchecking the individual items you can include
them in, or exclude them from, the set of monitoring items for Store And
Forward.
If the corresponding OPC or OPC Tunnel server is not running, you can
manually add data items to the local namespace by using the buttons on the
right side of the wizard page or the context sensitive menu in the namespace
tree control. You can also import a predefined list of monitoring items from an
external Store And Forward definition file.
Note: The dataFEED OPC Suite OPC Store And Forward functionality is not
necessarily restricted to data items provided by OPC or OPC Tunnel servers it
can be applied to any data item from the namespace of the corresponding local
dataFEED OPC Suite application.
To configure the OPC Store And Forward, the following configuration steps
should be executed:
Configure the local data storage and the data forwarding @ Store And
Forward Wizard 406
Define the monitoring data items and specify their properties @ Store And
Forward Wizard - Storage Items 411 .
In addition, the data items provided by the different data sources can also be
filtered using the OPC Filter as described in Introduction: OPC Filter 37 .
4 Installation
This section of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes procedures
and configurations for installing dataFEED OPC Suite.
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows 7
Microsoft Windows 8.1
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry
Windows 10
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
Note: It is strongly recommended to install the latest service packs and security
updates available from Microsoft for the corresponding operating system before
installing Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
Version V2.x of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite can be installed and executed in
parallel with previous V1.x versions of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite on the same
machine.
The only restriction is that the OPC identity settings like Program ID, Class ID
and TCP/IP port numbers must still be unique for all V2.x and V1.x
configurations running on the same PC.
4.3 Installation
In addition to the dataFEED OPC Suite application the installer also installs the
following additional applications:
Note: If you want to use the USB hardware license keys (dongles) you also
need to install the SafeNet dongle driver separately. This can be done either
directly by selecting the SafeNet dongle driver in the dataFEED OPC Suite setup
or by executing the corresponding link in the Softing License Manager start
4.4 Uninstallation
Uninstalling of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite can be done from Windows Control
Panel in the Programs and Functions folder.
Note: All existing configurations of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite and the
associated data files will just be unregistered but not deleted from your PC. After
reinstalling dataFEED OPC Suite, they will be registered and should be available
again.
Note: The License Manager, the OPC Demo Client and the OPC Demo Server
will only be uninstalled if no other Softing product using those tools is installed on
the PC.
Note: Even if the License Manager is uninstalled, the corresponding licenses will
remain on the PC and will be available again when the License Manager is
reinstalled.
This chapter of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help provides a short overview
of the necessary DCOM settings to allow OPC communication between
networked computers, even in different domains.
What is DCOM?
DCOM, the Distributed Component Object Model of Microsoft, is an object
oriented RPC system that enables remote procedure calls. It was defined by
Microsoft to enable the communication of COM based applications over a
network. OPC uses the DCOM protocol for computer-to-computer
communication.
Under OPC DA, the "dcomcnfg" service program is used for computer-to-
computer communication between OPC clients and OPC servers.
This service program will look and behave differently depending on the operating
system used (XP / Vista / 7 / 2003 Server / 2008 Server). This document refers
to Windows XP.
DCOM permits only authenticated access between computers. We recommend
registering the computers in the same domain and specifying a user group (e.g.,
"OPC Users") for OPC communication on all computers.
This chapter will provide recommendations for suitable DCOM settings.
Attention: The DCOM configuration "dcomcnfg" reaches deep into the Windows
operating system. Therefore, any wrong adjustment can result in an unstable
operating system.
These DCOM settings require lowering the security of the system. The security
settings to be selected in order to allow the communication between distributed
computers via DCOM / OPC (e.g. authentication "None"; access authorization
"Everyone") result in giving all users on the network unlimited access to all data
and services provided by the current computer.
In particular the opening of port #135 creates a critical security hole this allows
applications to interfere with Windows components through "remote procedure
calls" via the network without any restrictions
The above graphs present the data volumes (scale in kB) transferred between
an OPC client and an OPC server when using "standard OPC" via DCOM (left)
and when using the Softing OPC Tunnel (right). When communicating via the
OPC Tunnel on average only 50% of the bandwidth is required, compared to the
DCOM-based data transfer. (Source: OPC Training Institute).
DCOM Settings
If you want to use DCOM / OPC communication, the following sections
describe the necessary configuration steps:
The following preferences should be set on the client computer and the server
computer.
Start "dcomcnfg"
Log in with administrator rights
Open the Windows start menu
Select "Run"
Enter "dcomcnfg"
Click "OK"
Image 1: "Run" dialog in Microsoft Windows:
Note: Windows checks the protocols in the order in which they are displayed
here. If "Connection-oriented TCP/IP" is not in the first position, there will be
delays. If the time it takes to establish a connection is longer than the time
allocated for the server, the server will not be able to start. A high number of
DCOM protocols will lead to unnecessary delays if the connection is broken.
Unnecessary entries should therefore be deleted.
If a desired group or user name does not appear in the selection window, it can
be added as follows:
Click "Add"
Click "Advanced"
Click "Find Now"
Mark "Group or user names" (multiple selections are possible by holding
down the "Ctrl" key)
Click "OK"
Note: The "Everyone" user group contains all users (local and domain). You can
also create permissions for a group (e.g., "OPC Users") and add all OPC users
to this group. This group must then exist on the server computer and client
computer. Windows does not allow empty passwords for DCOM communication.
Carry out the following steps for all configured local dataFEED OPC Suite
applications and for OPC enumeration service OPCenum.exe on your local
computer.
Identity
Select the "Identity" tab
Image 9 : Setting the identity:
make sure that it is within the Administrator group and available both on the
client and on the server side.)
This section is only relevant to Windows XP. With the standard XP installation,
users are authenticated on remote computers as guests. This means that a
DCOM client will not be able to connect to a server until guest access has been
activated and the guest has sufficient permissions to access the server.
The following preferences should be set on the client computer and the server
computer.
This section refers to the firewall in Windows XP SP2. However, these settings
generally apply to all other firewalls as well. The configuration should be carried
out on the client computer and the server computer.
Specify "Exceptions"
Select the "Exceptions" tab
Click "Add Program"
Add the following programs:
o All OPC clients / OPC servers
o Microsoft Management Console
o "OPCEnum.exe" (Windows/System32)
o Microsoft File and Printer sharing
Note: Not all applications are shown in the "Add a Program" dialog. Other
applications can be found using the "Browse" button.
Note: Only *.exe files are included in the exceptions list. For an in-process
server, please select the application which calls the server.
Open port
Select the "Exceptions" tab
Click "Add Port"
Set the following preferences:
o Name: "DCOM"
o Port number: "135"
o Select "TCP" radio button
Click "OK"
Image 13 : Opening a port for DCOM:
Attention: Opening port 135 creates a critical security hole. This allows
applications to carry out remote procedure calls over the network and thus
influence Windows components. This creates a gateway for many computer
viruses. Please ensure that port 135 remains closed between your company
network and the Internet
5 Licensing
This section of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the licensing
of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
Softing OPC products and their scalable features are licensed and managed
following a uniform concept.
License Types
Note: If you want to use the USB hardware license keys (dongles) you also
need to install the SafeNet dongle driver separately. This can be done either
directly by selecting the SafeNet dongle driver in the dataFEED OPC Suite setup
or by executing the corresponding link in the Softing License Manager start
menu - Softing / License Manager / SafeNet Dongle Driver Installation.
OPC Bridge.
OPC Server Concentrator
OPC Optimizer
Interface for the communication with different clients - OPC DA (V1.00,
V2.05 and V3.00) and XML-DA
Interface for the communication with different server - OPC DA (V1.00,
V2.05 and V3.00) and XML-DA
OPC Filtering
Note: The maximum number of items used for all running instances/
configurations into add-ons is limited to 10.000 collector item.
Attention: If the actual licenses are changed during the runtime of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application, the local dataFEED OPC Suite application will
be stopped and the configurator and the tray application will show the yellow
'Demonstration Mode Expired' icon for the corresponding configuration.
The Softing License Manager can be used for installing and activating the
licenses for the different features of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
Note: If you want to use the USB hardware license keys (dongles) you may
need to install the SafeNet Dongle Driver separately.
A detailed description of the licensing process can be found in the online help for
the Softing License Manager, in the corresponding help section:
If no license is installed on the local computer Softing dataFEED OPC Suite runs
for 72 hours in a limited demonstration mode. All dataFEED OPC Suite features
are enabled, however the available license items are restricted to the following
values:
10 server connections.
250 data items.
When the demonstration period ends after 72 hours, the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application stops all functionalities. The user is notified by a warning
message from the dataFEED OPC Suite tray application, and both the
configurator and the tray application show the corresponding yellow icon.
Restarting the local dataFEED OPC Suite application will start a new 72-hours
demonstration period.
6 Operation
This section of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes some general
operating procedures for Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
Explain the different start menu entries of dataFEED OPC Suite @ Start
Menu 73 .
Show how to use the dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application @ Tray
Application 74 .
Show how to use the different web pages of the integrated web server @
Web Pages 80 .
List the different OPC and Tunnel default identity settings @ Identity
Settings 118 .
Explain the contents of the different system items of dataFEED OPC Suite
@ System Items 125 .
Show how OPC Tunnel clients can find Tunnel servers in the network @
OPC Tunnel Discovery Service 133.
After installing Softing dataFEED OPC Suite the following entries are created in
the Windows start menu:
Softing OPC / dataFEED OPC Suite / dataFEED OPC Suite Starts the
Configurator dataFEED OPC
Suite
Configurator.
Softing OPC / dataFEED OPC Suite / dataFEED OPC Suite Opens this help
Online Help file.
Softing OPC / dataFEED OPC Suite / dataFEED OPC Suite Starts the
Tray Application dataFEED OPC
Suite tray
application.
Demonstration
Server.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application gives you an easy way to start, stop
and configure the local dataFEED OPC Suite applications and their
corresponding configurations.
The color of the icon of the dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application represents
the current running state of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application:
Green/ Running (or demonstration mode) & The local dataFEED OPC
Yellow initializing UA Server functionality. Suite application is initialing
the UA Server functionality
(the initialization of the
address is a time consuming
task depending of the size of
address space and the
speed of the connection to
the devices/servers). The
DA/AE functionality is ready
and client connections are
allowed at this time.
Note: The green/yellow icon
can also mean that the
corresponding local
dataFEED OPC Suite
application is running in the
demonstration mode.
The organization of the dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application menu depends
on the number of configured local dataFEED OPC Suite applications. If only one
configuration is present, the menu has the following format:
configured:
Note: Starting, stopping and changing the Run Mode of a local dataFEED OPC
Suite application requires administrator rights.
On Windows Vista, XP, 7 Server 2003, Server 2008 and Windows 8 with
activated Windows User Access Control, the corresponding Windows Elevation
Dialog is shown asking the user for administrator credentials or for an
acknowledgment of the planned operation.
Note: The Run Mode can only be changed if the corresponding local dataFEED
OPC Suite application is not running.
Note: The web pages can only the shown if the corresponding local dataFEED
OPC Suite application is currently running.
If there is more than one configured local dataFEED OPC Suite application on
the current computer, the dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application menu shows an
entry for each configured local dataFEED OPC Suite application. The icons
again indicate the current running states of the individual local dataFEED OPC
Suite applications:
The different functionalities for the corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite
applications are now provided in a submenu:
The color of the icon of the dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application is now
computed as follows:
Icon Description
Color
Red At least one of the currently configured local dataFEED OPC Suite
applications is not running.
Green All currently configured local dataFEED OPC Suite applications are
running with all the required licenses, or they are currently running
in the limited demonstration mode.
Yellow At least one of the currently configured local dataFEED OPC Suite
applications has been stopped because a demo mode expired or
because licenses have been changed during the run time of the
associated local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Green/ At least one of the currently configured local dataFEED OPC Suite
Yellow applications is running and initializing its UA Server functionality.
Green/Red At least one of the currently configured local dataFEED OPC Suite
applications is running without its UA Server functionality..
Configuration Status
The dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application will display a tool tip message
containing the names and states of up to three configurations (first three
configurations, sorted in alphabetical order):
The Application Type button opens another dialog that allows selecting the run
mode of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application. Here, you can also choose
whether the application should start on Windows startup. The button is only
available if the corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite application is not
running.
Note: Starting, stopping and changing the Run Mode of a local dataFEED OPC
Suite application requires administrator rights.
On Windows Vista and Windows 7 with activated Windows User Access Control,
the corresponding Windows Elevation Dialog is shown asking the user for
administrator credentials or for an acknowledgment of the planned operation.
Note: The Run Mode can only be changed if the corresponding local dataFEED
OPC Suite application is not running.
Note: The web pages can only the shown if the corresponding local dataFEED
OPC Suite application is currently running.
The web pages of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application provide run time
information about the actual licenses and license items, version information,
diagnostics information and contact data for requesting technical support for
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
Attention: When the 72-hours demonstration mode expires, the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application is generally stopped. As a result, the corresponding web
pages will not be available anymore, either.
The available web pages depend on the provided user credentials. The following
default passwords are defined for each local dataFEED OPC Suite application
and can be changed under Configuration: Settings - Web Server 647 .
User Password
Operator op
Administrator ad
The user can be changed either on the Login or Change User web page:
Operator Additionally:
Diagnostics information (process values, servers,
clients, etc.).
Current configuration and trace outputs.
See Diagnostics Web Pages 83 for details.
Administrator Additionally:
Possibility to change the operator and administrator
passwords.
Possibility to change the trace output settings.
Note: If the operator or administrator password or the
6.3.1 Information
The following information web pages are available also without providing
operator or administrator user credentials.
Attention: License items are always counted for all the currently running local
dataFEED OPC Suite applications. However, the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator only shows the license items used for the current configuration.
6.3.2 Diagnostics
The following diagnostics web pages are available for the local dataFEED
OPC Suite applications:
Read and write data item values @ Diagnostics Web Pages: Process
Values 84 .
Review the current configuration for the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application @ Diagnostics Web Pages: Configuration 87 .
Display the current states of the OPC and Tunnel server connections @
Diagnostics Web Pages: Servers 88 .
The web interface of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite allows reading and writing
real time data item values of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Note: To access this web page, you must be logged in either as operator or as
administrator.
Select Diagnostics | Process Values to open the start up page for monitoring the
process values - at the beginning the data item list is empty:
To add an item to the monitoring list, enter the complete item path in the edit
control at the end of the list and press the button. Repeat this step for all
items you want to add to the item list. Items can be deleted by selecting the
corresponding item line in the list and pressing the button.
You can always manually refresh (manually read the values) by pressing the
button. By pressing the button you can advise the web browser to
automatically update the data values every five seconds. This automatic refresh
can be stopped again by pressing the button.
Data item values can also be written by clicking the button which opens the
corresponding write values page. To modify a data value, enter the new value in
the corresponding edit control, select the associated item line on the left and
press the button.
6.3.2.2 Clients
This web page displays the OPC and Tunnel clients currently connected to the
local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Note: To access this web page, you must be logged in either as operator or as
administrator.
Select Diagnostics | Clients to open the page for displaying the currently
connected clients.
6.3.2.3 Configuration
The parameters of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can be displayed
on this web page.
Note: To access this web page, you must be logged in either as operator or as
administrator.
Select Diagnostics | Configuration to open the page for displaying the current
configuration.
6.3.2.4 Servers
On this web page the current OPC and Tunnel server connections of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application are displayed.
Note: To access this web page, you must be logged in either as operator or as
administrator.
Select Diagnostics | OPC and Tunnel | Servers to open the page for displaying
information about the current server connections.
The first two columns indicate the current state of the connection and the desired
target state. When the local dataFEED OPC Suite application receives a
shutdown request from an OPC server, it sets the target state to Not connected.
Communication with the server can be reestablished by manually opening a
connection to the corresponding server by pressing the button.
To manually refresh the displayed data, press the button. By pressing the
you can advise your web browser to automatically update the server data every
five seconds. This automatic refresh can be stopped again by pressing the
button.
On this web page the currently configured cyclic requests and some associated
additional information are displayed for the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Note: To access this web page, you must be logged in either as operator or as
administrator.
Select Diagnostics | OPC and Tunnel | Cyclic Requests to open the page for
displaying information about the currently configured cyclic request.
Each active item in an active group, which an OPC client creates in the OPC
server of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application, creates an entry in the
Cyclic Requests page. Here you can see the server items which are
automatically monitored for value changes.
If objects are shown in red on these two pages, they could not be created in the
OPC server.
To manually refresh the displayed data, press the button. By pressing the
you can advise your web browser to automatically update the server data every
five seconds. This automatic refresh can be stopped again by pressing the
button.
On this web page the currently configured device connections and some
associated additional information are displayed for the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application.
Note: To access this web page, you must be logged in either as operator or as
administrator.
In the left side navigator there are different menu entries, corresponding to the
different device families the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can access:
Siemens
Rockwell
Modbus
B&R
Mitsubishi
Select a device family for displaying information about the current configured
device connections of the corresponding type.
For the Siemens, Rockwell, Modbus and Mitsubishi families the information
which is presented is quite similar.
You can always manually refresh (manually read the values) by pressing the
button. By pressing the button you can advise the web browser to
automatically update the data values every five seconds. This automatic refresh
can be stopped again by pressing the button.
The table below provides a short description of the individual parameters which
can be monitored for each device connection:
Attribute Description
Summary Short summary of the basic configuration options for the current
device connection.
Read
Write
Event
SendNew The number of values up to now that were written by the OPC client
Value to the OPC server. If write optimization is set to
Zusammenhngende Blcke immer zusammenfassen (always
combine related blocks) and the write access speed of the OPC
client is very fast, the OPC server optimizes and only writes the last
word written to the controller. This means that there may be a
difference between the number of items sent to the server by the
client and the values that were passed on from the server to the
hardware (PLC). SendNewValue corresponds to the logger entry
Gesendete Daten (Show Send Values).
WriteItem Specifies the number of values that were written up to now by the
Count OPC server to the hardware (PLC). WriteItemCount corresponds to
the logger entry Senden (Show Send).
RecMsg Specifies the number of frames which the OPC server has received
up to now from the hardware. The read interval specified during
connection parameterization shows how frequently the OPC server
reads from the hardware. If the optimized protocol (High
Performance Protocol) is used, the number of actually transferred
frames may differ since this protocol can combine several inquiries
in one frame. RecMsg corresponds to the logger entry
Empfangen (Show Receive).
ServerCy The number of passes is indicated as to how often the server reads
cle the registered frames of this connection from the PLC. After all
frames are read and the set read access interval has expired, this
number increments itself upward. The values can also be queried
with the special item ServerCycle via the OPC interface.
The individual data areas which are requested from the devices (PLC) are listed
in one ore more subsequent line, under the Connection details label.
Attribute Description
Start Specifies the start address of the area starting at which the area is
accessed.
Length Specifies the length of the area which will be read with this inquiry.
The unity of the area is considered. The actual length (in bytes)
results from the orientation of the data area.
Elements Specifies how many items are registered for this access path and
how many of these are switched active and inactive.
PLC error Shows the error number and the error text which the PLC sent back
to the inquiry.
server name
start time
state.
6.3.3 Configuration
The following configuration web pages are available for the local dataFEED
OPC Suite applications:
6.3.3.1 Trace
On this web page the currently configured trace settings of the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application are displayed and can be modified.
Select Configuration | Trace to open the page for displaying and modifying the
trace settings of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Press the button to apply the changes. The different trace settings are
described in detail in Configuration: Settings - Diagnostics 644.
Attention: If the trace configuration is changed using the web pages, the
corresponding information loaded in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator is
not updated automatically. To avoid inconsistencies, the corresponding
configuration must be manually reloaded in the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator.
6.3.3.2 Password
On this web page you can change the passwords of the operator and
administrator users for the web access of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Select Configuration | Set Password to open the page for modifying the operator
and administrator passwords of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Press the button to apply the changes. These passwords can also be
changed in dataFEED OPC Suite as described in detail in Configuration:
Settings - Web Server 647 .
Attention: If the passwords are changed using the web pages, the
corresponding information loaded in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator is
not updated automatically. To avoid inconsistencies, the corresponding
configuration must be manually reloaded in the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator.
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite features an integrated web server which allows
you to provide your own web pages for displaying and setting values. The
architecture and performance of the web server have been designed for small-
scale visualizations.
You will find the original Softing dataFEED OPC Suite web pages in the
directory <WindowsProgramFolder>\Softing\dataFEED OPC Suite\www\Softing.
Beyond the .\www\Softing folder you can store your own web pages. The
integrated web server will first browse the www and then the www\Softing folder
for the corresponding HTML files.
In the corresponding www folder you will find an example of a visualization page
(sampleSite.html). To display this sample visualization page, just type http://
localhost:<PortNumber>/sampleSite.html into the address field of your web
browser (where <PortNumber> is the current TCP/IP port number for the
corresponding configuration - typically 8091).
Note: The page uses ActiveX controls, which may only function properly if you
have customized the security settings of your web browser accordingly.
You can also use the web server to set the values of data items. This is done by
transmitting the data of an HTML form from the client to the server.
The form must contain an element representing the action to be executed.
When writing individual values, you have to use the command
CMD##WRITEITEM. The values to be written are reported to the web server via
input elements named ITEMVALUE##ItemID.
When writing multiple values on one page, you have to use the command
CMD##WRITEITEM##CHECK. Here, too, the values to be written are reported to
the web server via input elements named ITEMVALUE##ItemID. However, only
those values will be written for which a CHECK##ItemID has been set.
If no license is installed on the local computer Softing dataFEED OPC Suite runs
for 72 hours in a limited demonstration mode. All dataFEED OPC Suite features
are enabled, however the available license items are restricted to the following
values:
10 server connections.
250 data items.
When the demonstration period ends after 72 hours, the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application stops all functionalities. The user is notified by a corresponding
warning message from the dataFEED OPC Suite Tray Application, and both the
Configurator and the Tray Application show the corresponding yellow icon.
Restarting the local dataFEED OPC Suite application will start a new 72-hours
demonstration period.
This chapter of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the
conversion between V1.x and V2.x configurations:
You can start the dataFEED OPC Suite Project Converter by selecting
Configuration / V1.x Import in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator main
menu:
V1.x Configurations
In this section of the dataFEED OPC Suite Project Converter you need to select
the V1.x configuration you want to convert.
If the old V1.x dataFEED OPC Suite version is still installed on the local
computer, the list control in this configuration section shows the currently
configured V1.x configurations. When the V1.x configuration to be converted is
selected in the list, the file path for this V1.x configuration is automatically
entered in the V1.x Configuration edit control.
If the old V1.x dataFEED OPC Suite version is no longer installed on the local
computer or if the V1.x configuration you want to convert is not shown in the list,
you need to explicitly browse for the configuration file in the local file system by
pressing the button. The V1.x configuration files are always named OCT.xml.
V2.x Configuration
In this section of the dataFEED OPC Suite Project Converter the V2.x target
configuration is defined.
Check the corresponding checkbox in this section if you want to want to replace
the current V1.x configuration. After the conversion the corresponding
configuration will not be available in the V1.x dataFEED OPC Suite version
anymore. However the V2.x configuration will use the same OPC and Tunnel
identity settings, so that any OPC or Tunnel clients connected to the
corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite application should not notice the
application of the new dataFEED OPC Suite version.
Note: The project conversion cannot be undone; however, the Project Converter
always creates a backup of the old V1.x configuration.
If the checkbox is not checked, the dataFEED OPC Suite Project Converter
creates a completely new V2.x configuration, which also uses the given
configuration name. In this case the dataFEED OPC Suite Project Converter
assigns a completely new set of OPC and Tunnel identity settings to this new
V2.x configuration. Therefore all OPC or Tunnel clients connected to the
corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite application need to be reconfigured as
well.
However, with the new version of dataFEED OPC Suite the Configurator
supports only ODBC database connections. The local dataFEED OPC Suite
application still supports direct database connections as well, so the converter
actually lets the user choose if the database configuration should be converted
or not.
If Yes is selected the database definitions and actions will be converted and only
one task file and one subscription file will be created containing all the merged
information from all old tasks and subscriptions:
If No is selected the old database definition will not be changed. A new task file
and a new subscription file with IDs different from the default ones will be
created in addition to the default task and subscription files. The two new files
will contain the unconverted database definitions and actions.
Example of an unconverted task file. It will be saved as Tasks_Unconverted.txt
under the Tasks folder:
LOCALE<TAB>1031
#<TAB>Database Add-on - configuration
#
SQL_COMMANDSTORE<TAB>100
#
DB<TAB>MyDB1<TAB>MySQL ODBC 5.1 Driver<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB>opc_test<TAB>roo
INIT<TAB>MyDB1<TAB>USE opctablett
#
DB<TAB>MyDB2<TAB>SQL Server Native Client 10.0<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB>Osf_test
INIT<TAB>MyDB2<TAB>USE Osf_tests
#
DB<TAB>MyDB3<TAB>Oracle in OraClient11g_home1<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB><TAB>TEST
INIT<TAB>MyDB3<TAB>USE Table_complex
#
DB<TAB>ODBC_DSN_00<TAB>MySQL ODBC 5.1 Driver<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB>opc_test<T
#
DB<TAB>ODBC_DSN_01<TAB>SQL Server Native Client 10.0<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB>Os
#s
DB<TAB>ODBC_DSN_02<TAB>Oracle in OraClient11g_home1<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB>Tab
#
This chapter of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes in detail the
changes between V1.x and V2.x configurations.
General Information
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator can now also load ASCII
configuration files. However the corresponding files are always automatically
converted to UTF-8 encoded files.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator stores all tasks and subscriptions in
two single configuration files with the IDs TaskId_Default and
SubscriptionId_Default, respectively. Only tasks and subscriptions from
these two files will be displayed in the Configurator.
You still have the possibility to manually add additional task and subscription
files to the configuration, however the corresponding tasks and subscriptions
are not displayed (or altered) in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator.
In V2.x configuration files, file paths are always relative to the path of the
main configuration file OSF_RunTime.xml.
Info="ALL" Info="All"
Debug="NOTHING"> Debug="Nothing">
<TraceFile <TraceFile
Enable="true" Enable="true"
Name1="C:\OCT MaxBackups="10"
\Trace1.txt" Name="OSF_Runtime.log"
Name2="C:\OCT MaxSize="10485760"/>
\Trace2.txt" </Trace>
MaxSize="10000000"/
>
</Trace> One trace file name (actually,
2 files are generated with the
Current_A and Current_B
Just two trace files and the
suffixes at run time).
trace levels are accepted in
English and in German. All trace levels are in English.
New MaxBackups attribute
added.
Only the file name can be set
(the path is the path of the
instance)
Settings Default values are hard Default values are now always
element coded in the local written to the XML configuration
dataFEED OPC Suite file.
application and not written New attributes added under
to the XML configuration Identity element:
file.
<ActiveOPC="true">
<TunnelSyncTimeout="500"
>
<ActiveTunnel="true">
<ActiveXML="true">
<Providedyscovery=true
>
<NotifyAllChanges="true"
>
<EnableOPCBuffering="tru
e>"
<ActiveWWW="true">
RootDirectory="C:
\Programme\Softing\data
FEED OPC Suite\"
AdministratorPassword="Y
WQ="
OperatorPassword="b3A="
Servers Contains global filter file Global filter file is not supported
element element: anymore.
<FilterFile Path="C:
\GlobalFilter.txt"/>
Default values are written to the
Default values are not
<ActiveSyncOperations="f
alse" >
<DoInitialRead="false">
<BrowseProperties="false
">
Tasks element Support for multiple task Multiple task files are not
files. supported by the Configurator.
They will not be loaded or
Support for multiple altered by the Configurator, but
subscription files for each they are still supported by the
task. run time.
Multiple subscription files for
each task are not supported by
Folder and file names for the Configurator. They will not
add-on DLLs can be be loaded or altered by the
arbitrarily defined. Configurator, but they are still
supported by the run time.
Folder and file names for add-on
DLLs are fixed.
Local Items
Task Files
Name Task configuration file name Task file name and path are
and path can be arbitrarily always relative to the main
defined: configuration file.
Multiple tasks Support for multiple task files. Multiple task files are not
supported by the
Configurator. They will not
be loaded or altered by the
Configurator, but they are
still supported by the run
time.
File add-on Header and Footer with ANSI Header and Footer with
encoding. UTF-8 encoding.
Subscription Files
ITEM<TAB>increment_I1<TA ITEM<TAB>increment_I1<TA
B>increment.I1 B>increment.I1<TAB>S1
TIMER<TAB>INTERVAL<TAB>5 TIMER<TAB>timeId_0<TAB>I
000 NTERVAL<TAB>5000
SQL<TAB>COND002<TAB>MyDB SQL<TAB>COND002<TAB>MyDB
<TAB>INSERT INTO <TAB>INSERT INTO
Test_Table values Test_Table values
('#%-ItemValue%sin% ('#%-ItemValue%sin%
Current-%#', Current-%#',
'#%-ItemQuality%sin% '#%-ItemQuality%sin%
Current-%#') Current-%#') timeId_0
CONDITION<TAB>AllGoodQua
lity<TAB>AllGoodQuality
Default condition ID is
<empty>: Example:
CONDITION<TAB><TAB>Alway
s
ITEM<TAB>Demo.increment.
R8_Subscription_2000<TAB
>
Demo.increment.R8<TAB>Su
bscription_2000
Filter files
Name Filter configuration file name Filter file name and path are
and path can be arbitrarily always relative to the main
defined: configuration file.
dataFEED OPC Suite provides an easy way to import already configured PLC
connections from the Softing Multiprotocol OPC Server.
The import will have as a result the automatically addition to the current
dataFEED OPC Suite configuration of the selected PLC connections identified in
the specified Multiprotocol OPC Server configuration, together with the
connections settings and the available symbols, if specified so.
Note: The import will NOT create a new configuration, but merge the items
selected for the import into the currently opened dataFEED OPC Suite
configuration.
Note: The configuration may need additional user adjustments for the PLC
specific settings.
You can start the dataFEED OPC Suite Import Multiprotocol OPC Server
Configuration wizard by selecting Configuration / Import Multiprotocol OPC
Server Configuration in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator main menu.
Attention: If no PLC families are selected for usage in the Feature Selection
Dialog, the Import Multiprotocol OPC Server Configuration will not be present in
the Configuration menu.
This chapter of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the usage of
the Multiprotocol OPC Server Configuration Import Wizard:
The first page of the Multiprotocol OPC Server Import wizard allows you to
choose a Multiprotocol OPC Server configuration to be imported. The
configuration is chosen by specifying its main file, usually named TCPIPH1.NET.
The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input box or by
clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a standard file
selection dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When you press the Next button, the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist, an error message is
displayed.
The second page in the Multiprotocol OPC Server Import wizard allows you to
choose one ore more PLC connections to be imported, from the list with the
connections identified in the specified Multiprotocol OPC Server configuration.
A list with all available PLC connections is presented and you must select the
desired connections within it.
For user comfort, a select/unselect all check-box is offered in the header of the
list.
Note: The current configuration may already have defined connections with the
names selected for the import from the Multiprotocol OPC Server configuration.
In this case, the user is notified with a dialog box and asked for confirmation of
some adjustments to the connection names to be imported. In order to ensure
the uniqueness of the connection names, the newly imported connections names
which already exist will be added with the _imported suffix (and a numeric ID, if
necessary).
Note: At least one PLC connection must be selected in order to continue the
wizard.
The third page in the Multiprotocol OPC Server Import wizard allows you to
choose whether the symbols are to be also imported for the selected PLC
connections in the previous page.
A list is shown. It contains those PLC connections selected for import which also
have symbols defined. You can select one ore more connections within this list.
Note: The PLC connections which were selected in the previous page but don't
have defined symbols are displayed as grayed-out and non-selectable.
Note: The wizard can be continued even with nothing selected in this page. In
this case, a notification message box will be displayed.
The fourth page of the Multiprotocol OPC Server Import wizard displays relevant
information for examining the import result.
This page is the final page of the Multiprotocol OPC Server Import wizard. A
back button is not provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import
can be successful or it can fail (totally or partially).
The information presented in the import results covers the following:
This chapter of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the following
topics:
Display the default identity settings for dataFEED OPC Suite V4.10 @
Identity Settings in Softing dataFEED OPC Suite V4.10 118 .
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite V4.10 uses the following default identity settings.
When a new configuration is created, the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
always creates a new set of unique identity values.
Attention: All of the following identity values must be unique over all
configurations running on one computer. If they are manually changed, the
corresponding uniqueness must also be ensured manually.
configuration.
Note: The default XML-DA port number is incremented by one for each new
configuration.
Note: This TCP/IP port number is also used as the port number for the
integrated web server.
Note: The default Tunnel port number is incremented by one for each new
configuration.
Note: The default OPC UA port number is incremented by one for each new
configuration, starting with port number 4980.
Windows Service
If the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is configured to be executed as a
Windows service, the following settings are used to register the corresponding
server in the Windows Service Manager. The identity settings can be modified in
the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator as described in detail under
Configuration: Settings - Advanced 649 .
This chapter of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the
differences in the default identity settings between V2.x/V3.x configurations and
V4.x dataFEED OPC Suite configurations.
Note: All the different default identity settings have been changed with version
V4.x.
Windows Service
If the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is configured to be executed as a
Windows service, the following settings are used to register the corresponding
server in the Windows Service Manager. The identity settings can be modified in
the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator as described in detail under
Configuration: Settings - Advanced 649 .
This chapter of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the
differences in the default identity settings between V1.x configurations and V2.x
dataFEED OPC Suite configurations.
Note: All the different default identity settings have been changed with version
V2.x in order to enable a parallel installation and operation of V1.x and V2.x
local dataFEED OPC Suite applications on a single computer.
Note: The default XML-DA port number is incremented by one for each new
configuration.
Note: This TCP/IP port number is also used as the port number for the
integrated web server.
Note: The default Tunnel port number is incremented by one for each new
configuration. For each newly defined configuration the Configurator
automatically suggests new values for the Tunnel IP Port and the XML-DA IP
Port. You can either use the suggested values or specify user defined values.
Attention: Be sure that there are no two running configurations which have the
same values for Tunnel IP Port and XML-DA IP Port because, in that case, only
the first one will have the Tunnel or XML-DA functionality enabled.
Windows Service
If the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is configured to be executed as a
Windows service, the following settings are used to register the corresponding
server in the Windows Service Manager. The identity settings can be modified in
the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator as described in detail under
Configuration: Settings - Advanced 649 .
The local dataFEED OPC Suite application provides a set of system items
providing information about the internal states of some dataFEED OPC Suite
functionalities.
The provision of the different system items can be enabled or disabled in the
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and is described in detail in Configuration:
Settings - Advanced 650 .
_System.Gene UI4 read With this item, a client can determine via the
ral.Heartbeat OPC notification mechanism whether the
corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite
application is still running.
The value of this item is incremented by one
after each read access. It is initialized with 0
when the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application is started.
_System.Gene UI4 read From this value, a client can determine that the
ral.SessionID local dataFEED OPC Suite application has
been restarted.
_System.Gene DATE read This item provides the local current date-time
ral.LocalTime using the operating system time.
_System.Data UI4 read The item returns the connection status between
_Source.<Dat dataFEED OPC Suite and corresponding
aSource>.<Co configured PLC.
nnectionName The following values are allowed to be
>.Status returned:
Connec Description
tion
Status
0 Connection successfully
established.
reached.
8 Internal error.
17 No memory available.
19 Data error.
21 Timeout.
25 Forbidden IP Port.
_System.Data UI4 read The special item Poll Interval is used to access
_Source.<Dat the current poll interval. The current poll interval
aSource>.<Co is indicated in milliseconds. A negative value
nnectionName indicates that polling was disabled. In this case,
>.PollingInterv the last entered positive value remains on the
al display.
PLC Description
Status
8 Running.
all Stopped.
others
BAD
(Communication
Failure).
Watchdog
monitoring can be
enabled in the
Local Items -
Advanced
Settings 239 with
the Activate Local
Items Watchdog
configuration
attribute. Without
having this
configuration
attribute set, the
watchdog is
disabled.
if the overwriting
of older values
has been started.
The Store And Forward system items are only enabled if the Store And Forward
functionality is enabled for the corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
The OPC Tunnel Discovery Service is part of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite
suite. The purpose of this service is to keep track of all local dataFEED OPC
Suite applications currently running on the computer and to provide this
information to all dataFEED OPC Suite Configurators in the network for
configuring a corresponding OPC Tunnel server connection.
The communication between the Configurator and the discovery service is done
over TCP/UDP. The Discovery Service reports all running local dataFEED OPC
Suite applications to the computer the request originally came from. No
response is sent if there are no running local dataFEED OPC Suite applications.
Note: For configurations running on the local machine the IP address 127.0.0.1
is reported.
Attention: Please make sure that no other application interferes with TCP/UDP
port 53842 on the machine where the OPC Tunnel Discovery Service is running
or the service may not receive the corresponding discovery requests.
Attention: Please make sure that no other application interferes with TCP/UDP
port 53843 on the machine where the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator is
running or the Configurator may not receive the corresponding discovery
responses.
The OPC UA Local Discovery Service is part of the Softing dataFEED OPC
Suite Suite. The purpose of this service is to keep track of all local dataFEED
OPC Suite applications currently running on the computer and to provide this
information to all OPC UA Clients in the network for the configuration of an OPC
UA communication.
Each dataFEED OPC Suite configuration, which communicates via OPC UA,
has to register at the Local Discovery Service. OPC UA Clients can get access
to the corresponding dataFEED OPC Suite configuration via the Local Discovery
Service. Therefore the previously configured security settings have to be
considered.
7 Configuration
Within this chapter of the online help the configuration of Softing dataFEED
OPC Suite is described:
Note: Data Source and Data Destination do not define a data flow direction.
These terms only serve to indicate who is responsible for defining data items and
who uses these already defined data items. In fact, the actual data flow is
normally bidirectional, i.e. an OPC client would be a typical data destination
using data items from the local namespace however it generally can read from
and write to these data items.
Data source entities are typically external entities like OPC or OPC Tunnel
servers or external hardware devices. However, internal modules of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application, like Local Items, can also act as a data source
entity. See dataFEED OPC Suite Data Sources 138 for details.
Data destination entities are typically external entities like OPC or OPC Tunnel
clients, SQL databases or data files. See dataFEED OPC Suite Data
Destinations 141 for details.
In addition, there are so called data processing functionalities which like data
destination functionalities just use already defined data items from the local
namespace and do some computations with the corresponding data values.
Data processing entities are typically internal modules of the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application like Exchange or Store And Forward. See dataFEED OPC
Suite Data Processing 139 for details.
Version V4.10 of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite supports the following data
sources, data processing and data destination units:
The different data source functionalities are responsible for building up the local
namespace of the corresponding local dataFEED OPC Suite applications. This
local namespace is organized in the form of an item tree with nodes, tags and
properties as elements.
Note: Data Source and Data Destination do not define a data flow direction.
These terms only serve to indicate who is responsible for defining data items and
who uses these already defined data items. In fact, the actual data flow is
normally bidirectional, i.e. an OPC client would be a typical data destination
using data items from the local namespace however it generally can read from
and write to these data items.
Data source entities are typically external entities like OPC or OPC Tunnel
servers or external hardware devices. However, internal modules of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application, like Local Items, can also act as a data source
entity.
Additionally there are so called data processing functionalities which like data
destination functionalities just use already defined data items from the local
namespace and do some computations with the corresponding data values.
Data processing entities are typically internal modules of the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application like Exchange or Store And Forward.
The different data destination functionalities use already existing data items from
the local namespace they do not introduce any data items to the local
namespace.
Note: Data Source and Data Destination do not define a data flow direction.
These terms only serve to indicate who is responsible for defining data items and
who uses these already defined data items. In fact, the actual data flow is
normally bidirectional, i.e. an OPC client would be a typical data destination
using data items from the local namespace however it generally can read from
and write to these data items.
Data destination entities are typically external entities like OPC or OPC Tunnel
clients, SQL databases or data files.
This section of the dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the general
handling of the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator.
Start and stop the local dataFEED OPC Suite application @ Local
Application Access 154 .
Manage data items within the tree controls of the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator @ Tree Handling 156.
7.2.1 General
Main Window
The title bar of the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator shows the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite icon.
This icon can have four different colors, reflecting the current local dataFEED
OPC Suite application running state:
Icon Green/Yellow: The local dataFEED OPC Suite application for the
loaded configuration is running but the UA Server is in "initializing" state .
Menu Bar
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator main window shows a menu bar. The
menu entries displayed in the menu bar and the corresponding submenus
depend on whether the Configurator is configured to handle multiple or single
dataFEED OPC Suite configurations.
For some menu entries, specific icons typically used within common Windows
applications are displayed next to the corresponding menu entries (actions).
Also, for the menu entries corresponding to common Windows actions,
straightforward shortcuts are displayed and supported (e.g. New, Save, Copy,
Paste etc).
All the menu entries (main menu bar, menu actions) display and implement
unambiguous accelerators. The corresponding shortcut letters are highlighted
when pressing the ALT modifier key.
The main menu contains the following entries:
Configuration
View
Local Application
Help
The following section provides a short description of each of the above menu
entries.
Configuration
The Configuration menu entry contains actions for managing the configurations.
The Configuration Handling 148 page offers a detailed description of this menu.
View
The View menu entry allows quick-configuring the following:
have the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator show the present Online Help at
startup.
select the display language for the entire dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
user interface.
Note: The chosen language is applied immediately without the need to restart
the application.
Local Application
The Local Application menu entry contains actions which can be performed on
the local dataFEED OPC Suite application instance for the current configuration.
The Local Application Access 154 page offers a detailed description of the
available actions.
Help
The Help menu entry allows quick access to this help file, which can also be
accessed at any time by pressing the F1 key (the F1 key usually opens the help
page associated with the active page). In addition, this menu also contains
useful links to the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite website.
The corresponding menu actions are presented below:
Action Description
Softing Online Opens the Softing web page in the default web browser.
About dataFEED Shows the About dialog where the current application
OPC Suite version number can be found.
Navigator
The navigator control on the left side of the Configurator main window displays
the different configuration groups for the currently loaded Softing dataFEED
OPC Suite configuration. The navigator can have up to four sections providing
group related configuration options.
The Configuration Concepts 136 chapter comprises more details on all the
configuration groups.
Configuration Section
The main part of the main window represents the configuration page for the
selected navigator add-on. This section is the most used one when configuring
various settings for different configurations.
Status Bar
The main window includes a status bar where relevant information is displayed.
The status bar is divided into two sections, one for each part of the main window:
the navigator section (left side) and the configuration section (center and right
side). The navigator status bar provides information related to the currently
selected configuration section. The configuration status bar offers different
information depending on the selected controls and items in the configuration
section.
Feature selection dialog allows a user to enable or disable plugins from the
Configurator.
This dialog is automatically shown only when starting the Configurator for the
first time. At a later point of time you can access this dialog from main menu/
Local Application/Feature selection.
Note: Please note that your modifications will take effect only after restarting the
Configurator application.
The first entry "dataFEED OPC Organizer Classic" refers to OPC classic Client
and Server plugins. This entry and some other core functionalities can not be
disabled. These options are read-only and thus always enabled.
"dataFEED OPC Tunnel" includes both client and server tunnel interfaces.
"dataFEED OPC Organizer UA" is part of the "dataFEED OPC Data Handler"
feature so it can not be disabled unless "dataFEED OPC Data Handler" is
disabled first.
"dataFEED OPC Data Handler", besides OPC UA interface includes add-on's
like: exchange, store and forward, to file, to database.
Attention: The licensed features will still be shown in Configurator even when
they are unselected.
Attention: By unselecting some plugins the user can lose some information from
the old configurations that are loaded. E.g. "dataFEED OPC Data Handler" is
unselected so that all the add-on's are disabled. Then a configuration containing
store and forward is loaded and finally saved. After that, all the information
regarding store and forward is deleted from the configuration files.
The Configuration main menu entry provides actions for handling Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite configurations.
Through this main menu the following actions can be accomplished: creating,
opening, closing or saving configurations, renaming or deleting configurations,
backing up and restoring configurations, importing older configurations or exiting
the application.
Various entries in the Configuration main menu may also be disabled depending
on whether a configuration is loaded in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator.
An example of both menus can be found below (left-side: no configuration is
loaded; right-side: configuration loaded):
New
The New menu entry allows creating new configurations. When this entry is
selected the New dataFEED OPC Suite Configuration dialog is displayed:
Attention: The configuration name must not contain the following characters:
blank characters (e.g. the space character), slash / (also known as solidus),
backslash \ (also known as reverse solidus), colon :, asterisk *, quotation marks '
and " (first sign also known as apostrophe), angular brackets < and > (also
known as less-than-sign and greater-than-sign), vertical line | (also known as
binary or sign).
Open
The Open menu entry allows loading existing configurations. When this entry is
selected, the Open dataFEED OPC Suite Configuration dialog is displayed:
The name of the configuration to be opened can either be selected from the list
in the Configurations area or typed in the Configuration input box under Selected
Configuration.
Recent
The Recent menu entry allows quick access to the last used configurations. A
maximum number of 10 configurations is displayed in this list. These
configurations are sorted by the time the configuration was loaded, with the most
recently loaded configuration at the top.
This menu entry can be used as a convenient way to open a recently used
configuration by just clicking the corresponding entry in the list, without the need
to browse through all the existing configurations.
Close
The Close menu entry closes the currently loaded configuration. If the loaded
configuration has been modified and not saved, a message box will appear
asking whether to save the changes.
Rename
The Rename menu entry allows changing the name of the currently loaded
configuration. When this entry is selected, the Rename dataFEED OPC Suite
Configuration dialog is displayed:
The dialog provides a list of already existing configurations, but does not allow
overwriting any of them. The current configuration name is automatically
populated in the Configuration input box under Selected Configuration and can
be manually modified.
Attention: The configuration name must not contain the following characters:
blank characters (e.g. the space character), slash / (also known as solidus),
backslash \ (also known as reverse solidus), colon :, asterisk *, quotation marks '
and " (first sign also known as apostrophe), angular brackets < and > (also
known as less-than-sign and greater-than-sign), vertical line | (also known as
binary or sign).
Delete
The Delete menu entry allows deleting the currently loaded configuration.
Attention: The delete operation will fail if the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application is running for the currently loaded configuration. An error message
will be displayed informing you that the delete operation failed.
Attention: The Delete action always has to be confirmed by the user. Once
deleted a configuration cannot be recovered any longer (it will not be disabled /
unloaded / archived / etc., but physically deleted from the disk).
Save
The Save menu entry allows saving all the changes made to the currently loaded
configuration.
Attention: If the local dataFEED OPC Suite application for the current
configuration is running during the save operation, it must be restarted in order
to apply the recent changes.
Backup
The Backup menu entry allows performing a complete export of the currently
loaded configuration into a single backup file.
The Backup & Restore 152 page offers a detailed description of this feature.
Restore
The Restore menu entry allows importing a previously exported configuration
from a backup file.
The Backup & Restore 153 chapter provides more details about this feature.
V1.x Import
The V1.x Import menu entry allows converting older configurations created in
dataFEED OPC Suite version 1.x.
The V1.x Configuration Convertor 154 page offers a detailed description of this
feature.
Exit
The Exit menu entry allows quitting the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator. Should there be any unsaved changes in the currently loaded
configuration, a dialog box will appear asking whether to commit the changes.
The Backup and Restore features allow exporting and importing different
configurations in order to migrate the server and all of its settings from one
machine to another.
Backup
The Backup menu functionality performs a complete export of the currently
loaded configuration into a single backup file.
The backup process can be started by clicking the corresponding entry on the
Configuration main menu. The action is only available if a configuration is
currently loaded. The procedure is very simple as the path where to save the file
and the file name are the only details to be provided in a user-friendly file save
dialog:
The resulting backup file will be a binary file containing all the data relevant to
the configuration.
Restore
The Restore feature allows importing a previously exported configuration from a
backup file.
The restore process can be started by clicking the corresponding entry on the
Configuration main menu. A file open dialog appears where you can select the
backup file:
If the selected file is a valid backup file, the restore procedure will start and the
resulting configuration will be opened on completion.
The Import Multiprotocol OPC Server Configuration menu item from the
Configuration main menu allows importing configurations created with Softing
Multiprotocol OPC Server into the current configuration.
See the Import Multiprotocol OPC Server Configuration 112 chapter for more
details about this feature.
The V1.x Import menu item from the Configuration main menu allows converting
and importing old V1.x configurations into the current format.
See the Project Convertor 102 chapter for more details about this feature.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator interacts with the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application for monitoring the running state of the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application corresponding to the current configuration and for performing
basic control operations on it.
The Configurator always displays the running state of the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application corresponding to the current configuration. This is done by
updating the following:
A detailed description of the running states and associated icons can be found in
the Main Window section of the General 143 page.
The Local Application main menu entry provides various actions to access the
local dataFEED OPC Suite application corresponding to the currently loaded
configuration. The available entries on the Local Application menu differ
depending on whether the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is running
(right side) or not (left side):
Action Description
Start Starts/restarts the local dataFEED OPC Suite application for the
currently loaded configuration.
Stop Stops the local dataFEED OPC Suite application for the
currently loaded configuration.
Show Web Opens the web pages of the currently loaded and running
Pages configuration. For more details about the Web Pages
functionality see the Web Pages 80 chapter in the Operations
section of this help file.
Run Mode Allows configuring how the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application will run and whether it should start with Windows or
not.
Run Mode menu item allows changing the run mode settings for the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application. When the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application is running all the following menu items are disabled. A description of
each Run Mode menu item is provided in the table below:
Action Description
Note: Application and Service run modes are mutually exclusive; only one of the
entries can be selected at a time.
The local dataFEED OPC Suite application can also be accessed through the
Tray Application menu as described under Tray Application 74 in the Operations
section of this help file.
This chapter covers the tree handling through the entire dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator application:
Observe how the node state and icon change @ Tree Handling - Tree
Node States and Icons 163
Read about the tree view when the server connections are established @
Tree Handling - Online Mode 166
Inspect the tree view when the server connections are down @ Tree
Handling - Offline Mode 166
Get details on where the tree items can be checked or unchecked inside
the Store And Forward or filter pages @ Tree Handling - Checked States
167
7.2.8.1 General
The dataFEED OPC Suite tree refers to the OPC namespace tree structure
visible from multiple pages of the Configurator: Filter Items 222 , Configuration:
Data Processing - Exchange 434 , Configuration: Data Processing - Store And
Forward 400, the Data Item 518 page of the Data Value Placeholder Wizard and
others. A similar tree is also provided by the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application for the clients connected to it. The tree is referred to as "similar"
because there are some exceptions in the local dataFEED OPC Suite application
regarding the items under a specific server having the Item Prefix 125 value set to:
EmptyDA, EmptyAE or EmptyLI. These exceptions will be further discussed.
Namespace Structure
The namespace structure from the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is the
same as the one on the Configurator page. It is structured as follows:
Note: The _System node is only displayed if the Activate System Items
checkbox is enabled in the Global Application Settings group box on the
Configuration: Settings - Advanced 651 page.
The following image shows an example of an expanded tree from the Data Item
518 page:
The buttons on the right side of the tree list vary depending on the page where
the tree is located. The buttons allow performing the following actions:
Change the properties of the tree item selected in the local namespace by
using the Properties button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or
selecting the Properties action from the context sensitive menu (where
available). The properties dialog is available depending on the selected item:
Local Namespace root node - the Properties action is disabled for this
item.
Add a new item to the local namespace by using the Add button,
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the
context sensitive menu (where available).
Refresh the local tree namespace by using the Refresh button, pressing
the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the Refresh action from the
context sensitive menu (where available). The entire namespace is recreated
by browsing all defined server connections. If non-referred user-defined
items exist in the configuration then the respective items are deleted from
the namespace.
Delete an item by using the Delete button, pressing the DEL / DELETE
key or selecting the Delete action from the context sensitive menu (where
available). If an item is used in other add-ons it cannot be deleted.
These items do not provide a context menu and the buttons on the right are
disabled. Read is the only allowed Data Access right for each of them. A detailed
description of the _System items can be found on the dataFEED OPC Suite
System Items 125 page.
The context sensitive menu also contains the actions Copy and Paste. The
Paste action will only be active if something was previously copied. The paste
operation will only be available for the Local Items node if the clipboard contains
data copied from the same place. If the clipboard data does not belong to the
Local Items node an error message will be displayed.
The Server Connection root node name will always be the Item Prefix of that
server connection. For the above example the root node name is OPC_1 and it
contains:
The Connect and Refresh action will browse the server namespace and retrieve
the latest structure. The Local Namespace tree will be updated accordingly. After
the refresh operation, the corresponding sub-tree collapses and the internally
cached data is destroyed.
The Tag
The Tag nodes represent the items of a server namespace and can be located
at the last level of the Local Namespace tree. These nodes represent the leaves
of the Local Namespace tree and contain values and access rights. A tag may
have certain properties 161 which are represented as child nodes (this particular
case prevents the tag nodes to be the leaves of the namespace tree). The
picture below shows the tags of the IOP.dynamic node of the Demo Server:
The Property
The property nodes are the leaves of the Local Namespace tree, as they are the
child nodes of the tag items.The following picture shows the properties of the
child nodes under the IOP.dynamic node of the Demo Server:
There are no context menus for the Local Namespace root node, for the
Alarms and Events server connections and for the _System items nodes.
The Local Items root node context menu has two entries, one for adding a
new element to the Local Items tree and one that will open the Properties
dialog for renaming the Local Items root node:
The context sensitive menu that is displayed for other elements of the Local
Items namespace (e.g. nodes or tags) initially contains four actions. The fifth
action, Paste, is only displayed if something was previously copied to the
clipboard. The Delete action will remove the selected element and all of its
children after the delete action is confirmed. The Copy action will copy the
element and its entire sub-tree to the clipboard while the Properties action
will display the Local Items properties dialog, which allows changing the
Name, the Data Type or the Comment attribute of the selected element:
Note: The Type element cannot be changed. A node cannot be turned into a
tag, or vice-versa.
The Server Connections root node context menu has the following two
entries: Connect and Refresh Data which executes a browse operation on
the server connection, and Add which allows adding a new element to the
namespace of the selected server connection. After the refresh operation,
the corresponding server connection sub-tree collapses and the internally
cached data is destroyed.
Note: The Copy action is disabled for items of the Property type. This is because
a property cannot be copied separately, but only along with the parent node.
It is not possible to copy data from the Local Items and paste it under a
server connection. Although the Paste action will be enabled an error
message will be displayed as the data does not have the required format.
The same applies vice-versa: data copied from server connection nodes
cannot be pasted under a Local Items node.
It is not possible to copy from a dynamic server connection and paste the
copied contents under a static server connection. The Paste context menu
action will not be disabled but an error message will be shown if the rule is
not obeyed.
It is possible to copy data from a static server connection and paste it under
a dynamic server connection.
This page explains how the state of a node and its attached icon change
depending on various factors. These factors only influence the server
connections, and not the _System and Local Items nodes. There are two types
of server connections:
Items for which no corresponding item exists in the connected server appear
with a red exclamation mark. This state only applies to the tags and properties of
an external server connection. The role of this item state is to notify that the
respective item is not consistent as it differs from the one on the server side, or
that the server side item does not exist anymore. The red exclamation mark is
used to invalidate items from the dataFEED OPC Suite namespace in
accordance with the items found in the server namespaces. An image with
invalidated items is shown below:
Modified State
Items which have been modified are marked with a small overlay pencil icon.
This modified state applies to tags and properties. The state can only be applied
to the tags and properties of an external server connection. The role of this item
state is to notify that the respective item differs from the associated server-side
item. An image with modified items is shown below:
Icon Types
There are different types of icons for nodes, tags, properties, Local Items,
_System nodes and server connection nodes. These icon types also depend on
the state of the connection where the item is defined: online, offline, modified or
invalid. The following table describes the classification of the icon types:
Ic Description Comments
on
Local Namespace root This icon represents the root node of the
node icon dataFEED OPC Suite tree and it never changes.
_System root node icon This icon represents the _System root node and
it never changes. This node is not always
displayed.
_System items node icon General icon for a node below the _System
node.
_System items tag icon General icon for a tag below the _System node.
Local Items root node This icon represents the Local Items root node
icon and it never changes. This node is always
displayed even if no items are defined in the
Local Items namespace.
Local Items node icon General icon for a node below the Local Items
node.
Local Items tag icon General icon for a tag below the Local Items
node.
Online server connection This icon represents the root node of an online
root node icon server connection (the connection type is
irrelevant).
Online server connection General icon for a node below an online server
node icon connection node.
Online server connection General icon for a tag below an online server
tag icon connection node.
Online server connection General icon for an invalid tag below an online
invalidated tag icon server connection node.
Offline server connection This icon represents the root node of an offline
root node icon server connection (the connection type is
irrelevant).
Offline server connection General icon for a node below an offline server
node icon connection node.
Offline server connection General icon for a tag below an offline server
tag icon connection node.
Offline server connection General icon for an invalid tag below an offline
invalidated tag icon server connection node.
The online mode is one of the states of the Local Namespace tree when the
server connection is established and the server namespace is correctly
retrieved. It can be easily identified by the colored item icons. Additionally the
root node for the corresponding online server connection is marked with a green
check mark: . The image below shows various icons representing the online
state of the server connection:
Note: The online state is only applicable for external server connections as the
_System node and the Local Items node only have an online state (these items
cannot be offline).
The offline mode is one of the states of the Local Namespace tree when the
server connection is disconnected. It can be easily identified by the grayed item
icons. Additionally the root node for the corresponding server connection is
either marked with a red x or grayed out . The image below shows various
icons representing the offline state of the server connection:
Note: The online state is only applicable for external server connections as the
_System node and the Local Items node only have an online state (these items
cannot be offline).
The Checked States page describes the complete Local Namespace tree from
the Configuration: Data Processing - Store And Forward 400 page, from the Store
And Forward Wizard - Storage Items 411 wizard page and a partial server
namespace displayed on the OPC Server Wizard - Filter Items 222 wizard page.
The namespace from the Store And Forward add-on is similar to the one in
Local Namespace described so far. As an extra it has a checkbox to the left of
each tree item, which allows marking the respective item for monitoring. The
checkboxes next to each item can be seen in the image below:
Attention: All other states discussed so far: online, offline, modified and invalid
still apply without further restrictions.
The OPC Server Wizard - Filter Items 222 wizard page displays a similar tree
which follows the same rules as the Store And Forward tree. The only difference
is that the previously mentioned page displays only a partial sub-tree of the Local
Namespace: the corresponding server connection namespace part:
More information about the buttons on the right side in the above image can be
found on the OPC Server Wizard - Filter Items 222 wizard page.
In this section of the online help the user interface and the different configuration
settings of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator are described.
Discover the currently installed licenses and the license items used @
Configuration: Settings - Licenses 656
Maintain global initial and alias values for actions of the local application
@ Configuration: Global Initial and Alias Values 657
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the
different dataFEED OPC Suite data sources.
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure the Tunnel server data source functionality of Softing dataFEED OPC
Suite.
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite can connect to several Tunnel servers, thus
avoiding DCOM. The OPC Tunnel provides you with a secure and
straightforward cross-network OPC communication. The namespace elements of
the servers to be addressed are integrated into the namespace of the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite application.
A general description of the Softing OPC Tunnel can be found under Introduction
- OPC Tunnel 30 . To see the necessary steps to configure a Tunnel server
connection, start at the Configuration 173 page.
7.3.1.1.1 Configuration
To start configuring the Tunnel Server select Tunnel Server from Data Source
group in the navigator on the left. The Tunnel server main user interface is
displayed. The main element of this page is the External Tunnel Servers list.
Each entry shown in the list of the configuration section represents a connection
to a Tunnel server.
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each Tunnel server connection has a unique name within the configuration,
which is given in the Name column.
The name of the server will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Note: The name can also be an empty string, but it has to be unique. If the
name of the Tunnel server is empty, the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator tree
will expose the Tunnel server's namespace under a node named <empty>, but
the local dataFEED OPC Suite application will expose it to other clients directly
in the root.
The Type of each Tunnel server is displayed in the second column and the
server Address in the third. The type of each server can be either Tunnel DA
Server or Tunnel AE Server.
Operation
From the Tunnel Server main user interface certain operations can be performed
over the selected Tunnel server by using the buttons on the right, by accessing
the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts. The following
actions are available:
Change the properties 184 of the selected data source by using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting Properties
from the context menu.
Add a new data source 184 by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Change advanced settings 175 for the selected data source by using the
Advanced settings button or selecting Advanced from the context menu.
Filter data items 192 for the selected data source by using the Filter button ,
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+F or selecting Filter from the context
menu.
Perform a connection test 178 for the selected data source by using the
Connection test button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+T or
selecting Test from the context menu.
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no Tunnel server connection is selected, the Add a new data source
button is the only one available.
The Delete button will remove the selected server connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of CTRL or
SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
All these actions are also provided in the context menu of the External Tunnel
Servers list. Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the
list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The Advanced Settings button shows a dialog that allows the user modify some
default advanced settings. Depending of the Tunnel server connection type,
different configuration options are available. For a Tunnel DA server connection
the configuration options are organized in two different tabs, Advanced Settings
and Connection Monitoring, as shown below:
For a Tunnel AE server connection, the Advanced Settings dialog looks like this:
The following tables depict all the configuration options, each with a brief
description.
Attribute Description
Use data Checked if the OPC notification mechanism should be used for
change a Tunnel DA server connection. If unchecked, the values
should be updated by synchronously reading the item cache.
Attribute Description
Data item The data item which shall be used for the heartbeat monitoring.
This data item will be monitored for all data changes. If an
empty string is specified here the heartbeat connection
monitoring will be turned off.
Data item path The data item path (relevant for XML-DA only) corresponding
to the data item which shall be used for the heartbeat
monitoring.
Delay before The maximum delay in milliseconds which is allowed for the
reconnect heartbeat item.
The Test Connection button checks the Tunnel server connection. The
Configurator tries to connect to the Tunnel server. A status dialog is shown with
the test results. If the connection was successful, various information about the
server is displayed:
The properties of the Filter Item can be set when adding Filter Items and can be
modified when editing previously added Filter Items.
Note: When you select items of type Node for which no Access Rights
parameter has been set (empty value), the only configurable parameters are the
Name and the Access Rights.
The available configuration options in this dialog are described in the table
below:
Attribute Description
Path The full Tunnel item path for the data item inside the
dataFEED OPC Suite namespace.
Server path - data item The OPC path for the data item on the external
Tunnel server.
Server path - browsing The OPC browse path for the data item, describing
the individual browse steps for the data item in the
namespace of the external Tunnel server.
Note: Items of type Node may have child items of any existing type.
Note: Items of type Tag may have child items of type Property.
Note: Items of type Property cannot have any children. Therefore, Add is not
available for properties.
The Tunnel filter data items of the namespace may be of any data type covered
by the OPC Specifications. The following table describes the available data
types mapped to the corresponding VARIANT types from the OPC Specification.
Note: Arrays of fixed and variable length are also supported for these data
types.
The configuration options are the same as in the above described Add a New
Filter Item dialog.
Note: The Modify action is also triggered by double-clicking on tree items without
children.
Each of the Tunnel server connections configured to use a filter file will produce
a file containing the definition of the filter data items when the configuration is
saved.
The files are stored in the Filter subfolder of the configuration folder. The filter
file is named after the server connection name. The filter files are plain text files,
encoded in UTF-8 (thus providing full UNICODE compatibility) and they have a
line-oriented structure. The elements of a line are tab-separated. For each filter
data item a line is added to the file.
The following line types can be found in the Tunnel server connection filter file:
Filter item line, defining a filter data item as described in the table below.
Empty line.
Comment line, starting with #; such a line is ignored during evaluation.
<TAB>Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Server ID<TAB>Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Item I
The different elements of the line are described in the following table:
Element Description
Softing dataFEED OPC The Tunnel item name identifying the corresponding
Suite Item ID data item inside the dataFEED OPC Suite
namespace.
Server item ID The OPC item ID for the data item in the external
Tunnel server namespace.
Server item path The OPC path for the data item on the external
Tunnel server.
Server browse path The OPC browse path for the data item, describing
the individual browse steps for the data item in the
namespace of the external Tunnel server.
Data type The data type of the data item. The possible values
are described in the Filter Item Properties 180 page.
Access Rights The access rights for the data item. The possible
values are: r, w, rw corresponding to read, write,
read and write, respectively.
Object Type The type of the data item. The possible types are:
Node, Tag and Property.
Example:
#<TAB>Softing dataFEED OPC Suite server ID<TAB>Softing dataFEED OPC Suite item
#
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB><TA
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB><
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>maths.cos<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>C
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>maths.cos#102<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>maths.cos#103<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>maths.cos#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>maths.sin<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>S
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>maths.sin#102<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>maths.sin#103<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>maths.tan<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>maths.tan#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
With the Tunnel Server Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external Tunnel server:
Specify the name and the type of the Tunnel Server @ Tunnel Server
Wizard - Settings 186
Select the address of the external Tunnel server @ Tunnel Server Wizard -
Server 187
Specify the user name and the password for the external Tunnel server @
Tunnel Server Wizard - Authentication 188
Select the corresponding filter data items @ Tunnel Server Wizard - Filter
Items 175
7.3.1.1.6.1 Welcome
Specifying the name and type of the external Tunnel server connection.
Specifying the address of the external Tunnel server.
Choosing the filter data items for the selected Tunnel server.
Press the Next button to proceed with the wizard or abort the operation with the
Cancel button.
7.3.1.1.6.2 Settings
On the Settings wizard page the Tunnel server connection name is defined,
which is the server's branch in the global namespace.
If you try to proceed to the next page and the Tunnel server connection name is
a duplicate, an error dialog will ask you to enter a different item prefix. When
adding a new Tunnel server connection, you can choose the type of the Tunnel
server: DA Tunnel or AE Tunnel server connection. When modifying an existing
Tunnel server connection, the type of the server cannot be changed and is
therefore disabled (grayed).
Note: If the data source name is left empty, the root item for this data source
connection will be shown in the configurator namespace tree as <EmptyDA> or
as <EmptyAE> depending on the corresponding OPC Tunnel Server type.
However, in the real namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application
the corresponding data items will be added directly under the root node of the
namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Continue to the next wizard page by pressing the Next button, return to the
previous one by using the Back button, or cancel the wizard by clicking the
Cancel button.
7.3.1.1.6.3 Server
This wizard page allows choosing the external Tunnel server to connect to.
There are two ways to specify a Tunnel server. The simplest way is to choose a
Tunnel server registered on the local computer or on another computer from the
network, using the tree control provided in the page.
The second option is to manually type the server address in the provided
Address input control at the bottom of the page. The address must use a specific
format as described in the Tunnel Server Address Format 187 section below.
<ConnectionType>://[<HostName>|<IPAddress>][:<IPPort>]
<ConnectionType> Description
Note: To connect to a Tunnel server running on the same PC, the host name
localhost or the IP address 127.0.0.1 should be used as host name or IP
address.
Examples:
tpda://localhost:56567
tpda://192.168.150.101:9950
tpae://WKSTA02:56766
Continue to the next wizard page by pressing the Next button, return to the
previous one by using the Back button, or discard the changes made so far by
clicking the Cancel button.
7.3.1.1.6.4 Authentication
This wizard page prompts for credentials to access the selected server if
necessary. If the credentials are necessary, the Activate Authentication
checkbox should be checked to enable the User name and Password fields for
editing.
Activate Authentication
By checking or unchecking the Activate Authentication checkbox the user
authentication for the external Tunnel server can be activated or deactivated and
a corresponding user name and password can be specified.
Connection Test
This page also offers the possibility to test the connection to the current external
Tunnel server. For the actual test the specified user name and password are
used.
To start the connection test, use the Test button in the Connection Test
section. A new dialog will appear on screen showing the connection test results.
The Connection Test dialog is described on the Connection Test 208 page of the
Tunnel Server chapter under Data Sources.
<<< Tunnel Server Wizard - Server 187 Tunnel Server Wizard - Store
And Forward >>> 190
On this wizard page you can configure the selected server connection as Store
And Forward client:
By checking the Use As Forward Client checkbox, the Tunnel server connection
is configured to act as a forward client.
In the Forward client name input field you can specify the name of the forward
client which the corresponding Tunnel server (storage side) will use to identify
the client as the forward client.
The corresponding connection monitoring on the server/storage side can only be
used for a single, special OPC or Tunnel client. Depending on the configuration
on the server side this special client is either identified by the client name or as
the first connected client.
Please note that the forward client can only access the data items explicitly
defined as monitoring items on the server side. Here in the configurator of the
local dataFEED OPC Suite application (forward client) all the data items from the
server are always visible, but only the actual monitoring items can be used from
the local dataFEED OPC Suite application during run time.
Attention: The forward client can only access the data items explicitly defined as
monitoring items on the server side. If the forward client tries to access data
items which are not defined as monitoring items it will always receive the
corresponding value with the OPC quality BAD (Configuration Error).
For more details on how to configure Store And Forward see the Configuration:
Data Processing - Store And Forward 400 page in the Store And Forward chapter
under Data Processing.
7.3.1.1.6.6 Filter
This wizard page allows the activation or deactivation of the filter functionality for
the selected Tunnel server connection.
Filter Definition
For the Filter Definition there are two possible configuration settings:
Activate Filter Only filtered items from the external server will be
available in the namespace of the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application. You can specify the filter
items on the next wizard page 192 .
Another option of this wizard page allows enabling or disabling the display of
data items of Property type in the namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Attention: This setting does not have any effect on the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application during run time, it is only used to optimize the display and the
handling of the namespace tree in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator.
Depending on the Filter Definition selection the Next button will be available to
continue the Tunnel Server Wizard with the Filter Items page (when the filter
functionality was activated) or the Finish button will be available allowing you to
finish the Tunnel Server Wizard and save the changes.
<<< Tunnel Server Wizard - Store And Forward 190 Tunnel Server Wizard
- Filter Items >>> 192
On this wizard page the filter data items for the connection to the actual external
Tunnel server can be defined. Select the server data items you want to introduce
into the namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application from the
corresponding tree control (external server must be running) or import the filter
definition from an external file.
If the external Tunnel server is running, the namespace of the external Tunnel
server is shown in the tree under the root node named after the actual
connection. The tree is expandable and each item can be selected to be
included in the filter file or not. The selection is downward recursive, which
means that when you include a node all subsequent nodes, tags and properties
in that particular branch of the namespace tree will automatically be included.
If the connection to the Tunnel server failed, the namespace tree will only
contain the server root node. However, it is possible at any time to try
reconnecting to the external server and refreshing the data by using the Refresh
data items button .
Operation
Depending on the current selection in the External Server Items tree, the
following operations are possible using the buttons on the right, the context
sensitive menu or the corresponding shortcuts:
Two more operations are supported, which are only accessible from the
contextual menu:
An example of the contextual menu available on Data Items tree nodes is shown
below:
Refresh data items (Ctrl+R) operation (or the corresponding Connect and
Refresh Data context menu action) will try to reconnect to the Tunnel server to
Triggering Delete data items action with the corresponding button on the
right wizard side or Delete from the context menu will remove the currently
selected node from the Data Items namespace tree. The action has to be
confirmed in the information dialog box which shows up.
Attention: The root node of the namespace tree can not be deleted.
Copy
The Copy action is provided in the context menu of the External Server Items
tree. Triggering this action will copy the selected node to the local clipboard. All
the properties of the node are copied. Also, if the node contains children, the
entire branch is copied.
Note: The root node of the namespace tree does not provide a Copy action.
Paste
The Paste action is provided in the context menu of the External Server
Items tree. This action will add the node currently stored in the local clipboard as
a a child of the currently selected node. Whether the action is available in the
context menu depends on the type of the currently selected node and the type of
the node in the clipboard.
Note: The Paste action is only available if a node was previously copied to the
clipboard.
If the Paste action is performed on a node which already has a child of the same
name as the node in the clipboard, the pasted node is renamed automatically by
adding a numerical suffix to the original name.
E.g. NodeA, NodeA01, NodeA02, ...
The Softing Configurator allows the import of Tunnel filter items from an external
file.
The external file should be a plain text tab-separated file with the specific Tunnel
filter file format 195 .
The import action can be triggered by using the Import from file button , by
pressing the keyboard shortcut sequence CTRL+I or by selecting the Import
action in the context sensitive menu.
Note: The import action is available for the root of the Tunnel server connection
namespace and for items of type Node from the namespace.
Attention: The import action is not available for items of type Tag and Property.
Note: The names conflicts between the old and new data items are solved by
renaming the newly imported items. They are renamed by appending a two-digit
number at the end of the name of the first duplicated item.
When the import action is triggered the Filter Import Wizard is started.
Select the file to be imported @ Import Wizard - Import File Selection 197
Each of the Tunnel server connections configured to use a filter file will produce
a file containing the definition of the filter data items when the configuration is
saved. The files are stored in the Filter subfolder of the configuration folder. The
filter file is named after the server connection name. The filter files are plain text
files, encoded in UTF-8 (thus providing full UNICODE compatibility) and they
have a line-oriented structure. The elements of a line are tab-separated. For
each filter data item a line is added to the file.
The following line types can be found in the Tunnel server connection filter file:
Filter item line, defining a filter data item as described in the table below.
Empty line.
Comment line, starting with #; such a line is ignored during evaluation.
The different elements of the line are described in the following table:
Element Description
dataFEED OPC Suite The OPC item name identifying the corresponding
item ID data item inside the dataFEED OPC Suite
namespace.
Server item ID The OPC item ID for the data item on the external
OPC server namespace.
Server item path The OPC path for the data item in the external OPC
server.
Server browse path The OPC browse path for the data item, describing
the individual browse steps for the data item in the
namespace of the external OPC server.
Data type The data type of the data item. The possible values
are described in the Filter Item Properties 210 page.
Access rights The access rights for the data item. The possible
values are: r, w, rw corresponding to read, write,
read and write, respectively.
Object type The type of the data item. The possible types are:
Node, Tag and Property.
Example:
#<TAB>Softing server ID<TAB>Softing item ID<TAB>Server item ID<TAB>Server item
#
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB><TA
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB><
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>maths.cos<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>C
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>maths.cos#102<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>maths.cos#103<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>maths.cos#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>maths.sin<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>S
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>maths.sin#102<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>maths.sin#103<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>maths.tan<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>maths.tan#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
The Import File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file to be
imported. The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input
box or by clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a
standard file opening dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When you press the Next button the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist an error message is
displayed. The actual import begins if the selected file is valid. If the import takes
longer to complete a waiting dialog is displayed. When the import operation is
finished the Import Results page is displayed.
This page is the final page of the Filter Import Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be successful
or it can fail:
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
2. After a failed import the results page contains the following information:
When the import wizard is closed after a successful import, the new items are
added to the current Tunnel server connection tree as a branch of the currently
selected node item.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows exporting the filter items
belonging to a Tunnel server connection. The entire namespace tree or just a
sub-branch of the Tunnel server connection can be exported.
The resulting external file will be a tab-separated file with the specific Tunnel
filter file format 195 .
Attention: The export action is not available for nodes of type Tag or Property.
The exported file will contain all the filter items from the branch of the selected
node.
Note: The exported file will contain only the selected (checked) data items.
When the export action is triggered the Filter Export Wizard is started.
Select the file the data items are to be exported to @ Export Wizard -
Export File Selection 200
The Export File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file name and
location for the exported file. The file can be selected by manually typing its path
and name in the File input box or by clicking the browse button located to the
right of the input box (a standard file saving dialog will open).
When the Next button is pressed the file path is verified and if the path does not
exist, an error message is displayed (invalid path). If the specified file path is
valid and a file with the specified name already exists, a message box will ask
whether to overwrite the existing file or not (select another file). The actual filter
export operation begins if the path to the file is valid and either a file with the
specified name does not exist or it exists and overwrite has been chosen.
When the export operation is finished the Export Results page is displayed.
The Export Results wizard page displays the export results as shown in the
image below:
This page is the final page of the Filter Export Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the export action cannot be undone. The export can be successful
or it can fail:
1. After a successful export the results page contains the following information:
2. After a failed export the results page contains the following information:
See the Import Wizard 195 chapter for a description of the import operation.
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure the OPC server data source functionality of Softing dataFEED OPC
Suite.
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite can access and capture data from any OPC DA or
OPC XML-DA server. Data can be then processed, saved, analyzed or
transferred by using the Data Processing and/or Data Destination functionalities
of dataFEED OPC Suite. The way dataFEED OPC Suite handles this is by
opening individual OPC server connections to the external OPC servers. The
namespace elements of the servers to be addressed are integrated into the
namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
To see the necessary steps to configure an OPC server connection, start at the
Configuration: Data Source - OPC Server 203 page.
7.3.1.2.1 Configuration
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each OPC server connection has a unique name within the configuration, which
is given in the Name column.
The name of the server will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Note: The name can also be an empty string, but it has to be unique. If the
name of the OPC server is empty, the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator tree
will expose the OPC server's namespace under a node named <empty>, but the
local dataFEED OPC Suite application will expose it to other clients directly in
the root.
The type of each OPC server is displayed in the second column, and the server
Address in the third. The type of each server can be either OPC DA Server or
OPC AE Server.
Operation
From the OPC Server main user interface certain operations can be performed
over the selected OPC server by using the buttons on the right, by accessing the
context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts. The following
actions are available:
Change the properties 214 of the selected data source by using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting Properties
from the context menu.
Add a new data source 214 by using the Add button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Change advanced settings 205 for the selected data source by using the
Advanced settings button or selecting Advanced from the context menu.
Filter data items 222 for the selected data source by using the Filter button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+F or selecting Filter from the context
menu.
Perform a connection test 208 for the selected data source by using the
Connection test button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+T or
selecting Test from the context menu.
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no OPC server connection is selected, the Add a new data source
button is the only one available.
The Delete button will remove the selected server connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of the CTRL
or SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
Attention: An OPC server connection cannot be deleted if at least one data item
defined in its namespace is used in a Processing or Data Destination action.
All these actions are also provided in the context menu of the External OPC
Server list. Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the
list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The Advanced Settings button shows a dialog that allows the user to modify
some advanced settings for the selected server connection. Depending on the
external OPC server connection type, different configuration options are
available. For an OPC DA and XML-DA server connection the configuration
options are organized in two different tabs, Advanced Settings and Connection
Monitoring, as shown below:
For an OPC AE server connection the Advanced Settings dialog looks like this:
The following tables depict all the configuration options, each with a brief
description.
Attribute Description
Attribute Description
Data item The data item which shall be used for the heartbeat
monitoring. This data item will be monitored for all
data changes. If an empty string is specified here the
heartbeat connection monitoring will be turned off.
Data item path The data item path (relevant for XML-DA only)
corresponding to the data item which shall be used
for the heartbeat monitoring.
Monitoring cycle time Specifies the time interval in milliseconds used by the
connection monitoring. The heartbeat data item has
to change at least once within this time interval.
The Test Connection button checks the OPC server connection. The
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator tries to connect to the external OPC server.
A dialog is shown with the test results. If the connection was successful, various
information about the server is also displayed:
The properties of the Filter Item can be set when adding Filter Items and can be
modified when editing previously added Filter Items.
The add operation is triggered by selecting the parent node and then pressing
the Add a new item button , using the shortcut or selecting the Add action
from the context menu. When adding a new Filter Item the following two-tabbed
dialog is displayed:
Note: When you select items of type Node for which no Access Rights
parameter has been set (empty value), the only configurable parameters are the
Name and the Access Rights.
The available configuration options in this dialog are described in the table
below:
Attribute Description
Server ID The full OPC item path for the data item inside the
dataFEED OPC Suite namespace.
Server item path The OPC path for the data item on the external OPC
server.
Server browse path The OPC browse path for the data item, describing
the individual browse steps for the data item in the
namespace of the external OPC server.
Note: Items of type Node may have child items of any existing type.
Note: Items of type Tag may have child items of type Property.
Note: Items of type Property cannot have any children. Therefore, Add is not
available for properties.
The OPC filter data items of the namespace may be of any data type covered by
the OPC Specifications. The following table describes the available data types
mapped to the corresponding VARIANT types from the OPC Specification.
Note: Arrays of fixed and variable length are also supported for these data
types.
The configuration options are the same as in the above described Add a New
Filter Item dialog.
Note: The Modify action is also triggered by double-clicking on tree items without
children.
Each of the OPC server connections configured to use a filter file will produce a
file containing the definition of the filter data items when the configuration is
saved.
The files are stored in the Filter subfolder of the configuration folder. The filter
file is named after the server connection name. The filter files are plain text files,
encoded in UTF-8 (thus providing full UNICODE compatibility) and they have a
line-oriented structure. The elements of a line are tab-separated. For each filter
data item a line is added to the file.
The following line types can be found in the OPC server connection filter file:
Filter item line, defining a filter data item as described in the table below.
Empty line.
Comment line, starting with #; such a line is ignored during evaluation.
The different elements of the line are described in the following table:
Element Description
dataFEED OPC Suite The OPC item name identifying the corresponding
item ID data item inside the dataFEED OPC Suite
namespace.
Server item ID The OPC item ID for the data item in the external
OPC server namespace.
Server item path The OPC path for the data item on the external OPC
server.
Server browse path The OPC browse path for the data item, describing
the individual browse steps for the data item in the
namespace of the external OPC server.
Data type The data type of the data item. The possible values
are described in the Filter Item Properties 210 page.
Access rights The access rights for the data item. The possible
values are: r, w, rw corresponding to read, write, read
and write, respectively.
Object type The type of the data item. The possible types are:
Node, Tag and Property.
Example:
#<TAB>Softing server ID<TAB>Softing item ID<TAB>Server item ID<TAB>Server item
#
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB><TA
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB><
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>maths.cos<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>C
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>maths.cos#102<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>maths.cos#103<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>maths.cos#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>maths.sin<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>S
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>maths.sin#102<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>maths.sin#103<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>maths.tan<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>maths.tan#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
With the OPC Server Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external OPC server:
Obtain general information about the OPC Server Wizard @ OPC Server
Wizard - Welcome 214
Specify the name and the type of the OPC Server connection @ OPC
Server Wizard - Settings 216
Select the address of the external OPC server @ OPC Server Wizard -
Server 217
Specify the user name and the password for the external OPC server @
OPC Server Wizard - Authentication 219
Select the corresponding filter data items @ OPC Server Wizard - Filter
Items 222
7.3.1.2.6.1 Welcome
With the OPC Server Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external OPC server:
Specify the name and type of the external OPC server connection.
Specify the address of the external OPC server.
Select the filter data items for the selected data source.
Press the Next button to proceed with the wizard or abort the operation with the
Cancel button.
7.3.1.2.6.2 Settings
On this wizard page the basic settings of the data source connection to an
external OPC server are configured:
Attention: The data source name must be unique throughout the whole
configuration and must not contain any namespace or property delimiter
characters like '.' or '|'.
Server Type
In the Server Type field you can select the type of the external OPC server for
the specified data source. The following OPC Server types are possible:
Note: If the data source name is left empty, the root item for this data source
connection will be shown in the configurator namespace tree as <EmptyDA> or
as <EmptyAE> depending on the selected OPC server type. However, in the real
namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application the corresponding data
items will be added directly under the root node of the namespace of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application.
<<< OPC Server Wizard - Welcome 214 OPC Server Wizard - Server
>>> 217
7.3.1.2.6.3 Server
On this wizard page the external OPC server is defined for the selected data
source connection:
OPC Server
Select one of the discovered OPC servers from the Found OPC Servers list or
manually specify the corresponding server address in the Address input field at
the bottom of this wizard page. The OPC server discovery supports only OPC
DA and OPC AE servers, however. For OPC XML-DA servers the address
always needs to be entered manually in the corresponding field.
OPC server connection. The address must always be specified in one of the
address formats described below in the OPC Server Address Format 187 section.
or
<ConnectionType>://<IPAddress>/<ProgramID>/{ClassID}
<ConnectionType> Description
Note: To connect to an OPC server running on the same PC, the host name
localhost or the IP address 127.0.0.1 should be used as host name or IP
address.
Examples:
opcda:///Softing.OPCToolboxCSmpl.Namespace.DA/{3E0289BA-34CA-445b-9EC1-B59F3F48
opcda://172.17.3.157/Softing.OPC.S7.DA/{6F17505C-4351-46AC-BC1E-CDE34BB53FAA}
opcda://WRT3-2KPRO/Softing.OPCToolboxDemo_ServerDA/{2e565242-b238-11d3-842d-000
opcae:///Softing.OPCToolboxDemo_ServerAE.1/{2E565243-B238-11D3-842D-0008C779D77
or
http://<IPAddress>:<PortNumber>[/<AddressSuffix>]
The <HostName> and <IPAddress> placeholders specify the host name and the
IP address of the PC on which the external OPC server is running. The
<AddressSuffix> placeholder is optional and depends on the configuration of the
external OPC server.
Note: To connect to an OPC server running on the same PC, the host name
localhost or the IP address 127.0.0.1 should be used as host name or IP
address.
Examples:
http://localhost:8080/DA
http://172.0.0.1:8079/OPC/DA
http://172.17.3.155:8090
7.3.1.2.6.4 Authentication
On this wizard page the user authentication for the external OPC server can be
activated and configured by providing a corresponding user name and password.
Activate Authentication
By checking or unchecking the Activate Authentication checkbox the user
authentication for the external OPC server can be activated or deactivated and a
corresponding user name and password can be specified.
Connection Test
This page also offers the possibility to test the connection to the current external
OPC server. For the actual test the specified user name and password are
used.
To start the connection test, use the Test button in the Connection Test
section. A new dialog will appear on screen showing the connection test results.
The Connection Test dialog is described on the Connection Test 208 page of the
OPC Server chapter under Data Sources.
<<< OPC Server Wizard - Server 217 OPC Server Wizard - Store And
Forward >>> 220
On this wizard page you can configure the selected server connection as Store
And Forward client:
By checking the Use As Forward Client checkbox, the OPC server connection is
configured to act as a forward client.
In the Forward client name input field you can specify the name of the forward
client which the corresponding OPC server (storage side) will use to identify the
client as the forward client.
Attention: The forward client can only access the data items explicitly defined as
monitoring items on the server side. If the forward client tries to access data
items which are not defined as monitoring items it will always receive the
corresponding value with the OPC quality BAD (Configuration Error).
For more details on how to configure Store And Forward see the Configuration:
Data Processing - Store And Forward 400 page in the Store And Forward chapter
under Data Processing.
<<< OPC Server Wizard - Authentication 219 OPC Server Wizard - Filter
>>> 221
7.3.1.2.6.6 Filter
On this wizard page you can activate or deactivate the filter functionality for the
selected data source.
Filter Definition
For the Filter Definition there are two possible configuration settings:
Activate Filter Only filtered items from the external server will be
available in the namespace of the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application. You can specify the filter
items on the next wizard page 192 .
Another option of this wizard page allows enabling or disabling the display of
data items of the Property type in the namespace of the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application.
Attention: This setting does not have any effect on the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application during run time, it is only used to optimize the display and the
handling of the namespace tree in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator.
Depending on the Filter Definition selection the Next button will be available to
continue the OPC Server Wizard with the Filter Items page (when the filter
functionality was activated) or the Finish button will be available allowing you to
finish the OPC Server Wizard and save the changes.
<<< OPC Server Wizard - Store And Forward 220 OPC Server Wizard -
Filter Items >>> 222
On this wizard page the filter data items for the connection to the actual external
OPC server can be defined. Select the server data items you want to introduce
into the namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application from the
corresponding tree control (external server must be running) or import the filter
definition from an external file.
If the external OPC server is running, the namespace of the external OPC server
is shown in the tree under the root node named after the actual connection. The
tree is expandable and each item can be selected to be included in the filter file
or not. The selection is downward recursive, which means that when you include
a node all subsequent nodes, tags and properties in that particular branch of the
namespace tree will automatically be included.
If the connection to the OPC server failed, the namespace tree will only contain
the server root node. However, it is possible at any time to try reconnecting to
the external server and refreshing the data by using the Refresh data items
button .
Operation
Depending on the current selection in the External Server Items tree, the
following operations are possible using the buttons on the right, the context
sensitive menu or the corresponding shortcuts:
Two more operations are supported, which are only accessible from the
contextual menu:
An example of the contextual menu available on Data Items tree nodes is shown
below:
The Refresh data items (Ctrl+R) operation (or the corresponding Connect
and Refresh Data context menu action) will try to reconnect to the OPC server to
refresh the data items tree.
If the action succeeds the namespace tree will be refreshed in order to reflect
possible changes to the external OPC server namespace. If the connection to
the remote OPC server fails, an error message box will be displayed:
Triggering the Delete data items action with the corresponding button on the
right wizard side or Delete from the context menu will remove the currently
selected node from the Data Items namespace tree.
Attention: The root node of the namespace tree can not be deleted.
Copy
The Copy action is provided in the context menu of the External Server Items
tree. Triggering this action will copy the selected node to the local clipboard. All
the properties of the node are copied. Also, if the node contains children, the
entire branch is copied.
Note: The root node of the namespace tree does not provide a Copy action.
Paste
The Paste action is provided in the context menu of the External Server Items
tree. This action will add the node currently stored in the local clipboard as a a
child of the currently selected node. Whether the action is available in the
context menu depends on the type of the currently selected node and the type of
the node in the clipboard.
Note: The Paste action is only available if a node was previously copied to the
clipboard.
If the Paste action is performed on a node which already has a child of the same
name as the node in the clipboard, the pasted node is renamed automatically by
adding a numerical suffix to the original name.
E.g. NodeA, NodeA01, NodeA02, ...
The Softing Configurator allows the import of OPC filter items from an external
file.
The external file should be a plain text tab-separated file with the specific OPC
filter file format 226 .
The import action can be triggered by using the Import from file button , by
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+I or by selecting the Import action in the
context sensitive menu.
Note: The import action is available for the root of the OPC server connection
namespace and for items of type Node from the namespace.
Attention: The import action is not available for items of type Tag and Property.
Note: Name conflicts between the old and new data items are solved by
renaming the newly imported items. They are renamed by appending a two-digit
number at the end of the name of the first duplicated item.
When the import action is triggered the Filter Import Wizard is started.
Select the file to be imported @ Import Wizard - Import File Selection 227
Each of the OPC server connections configured to use a filter file will produce a
file containing the definition of the filter data items when the configuration is
saved.
The files are stored in the Filter subfolder of the configuration folder. The filter
file is named after the server connection name. The filter files are plain text files,
encoded in UTF-8 (thus providing full UNICODE compatibility) and they have a
line-oriented structure. The elements of a line are tab-separated. For each filter
data item a line is added to the file.
The following line types can be found in the OPC server connection filter file:
Filter item line, defining a filter data item as described in the table below.
Empty line.
Comment line, starting with #; such a line is ignored during evaluation.
The different elements of the line are described in the following table:
Element Description
dataFEED OPC Suite The OPC item name identifying the corresponding
item ID data item inside the dataFEED OPC Suite
namespace.
Server item ID The OPC item ID for the data item in the external
OPC server namespace.
Server item path The OPC path for the data item on the external OPC
server.
Server browse path The OPC browse path for the data item, describing
the individual browse steps for the data item in the
namespace of the external OPC server.
Data type The data type of the data item. The possible values
are described in the Filter Item Properties 210 page.
Access rights The access rights for the data item.The possible
values are: r, w, rw corresponding to read, write, read
and write, respectively.
Object type The type of the data item. The possible types are:
Node, Tag and Property.
Example:
#<TAB>Softing server ID<TAB>Softing item ID<TAB>Server item ID<TAB>Server item
#
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB>maths.automatic angle change<TAB><TA
<TAB><TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB>maths.automatic change period<TAB><
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>maths.cos<TAB><TAB>maths.cos<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>C
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>maths.cos#102<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|102<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>maths.cos#103<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|103<TAB>R8<TAB>rw<
<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>maths.cos#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.cos|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>maths.sin<TAB><TAB>maths.sin<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>S
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>maths.sin#102<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|102<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>maths.sin#103<TAB><TAB>maths.sin|103<TAB>R8<TAB>r<T
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>maths.tan<TAB><TAB>maths.tan<TAB>R8<TAB>r<TAB>Tag<TAB>
<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>maths.tan#6020<TAB><TAB>maths.tan|6020<TAB>UI2<TAB
The Import File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file to be imported.
The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input box or by
clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a standard file
selection dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When you press the Next button the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist an error message is
displayed. The actual import begins if the selected file is valid. If the import takes
longer to complete a waiting dialog is displayed. When the import operation is
finished the Filter Import Results page is displayed.
This page is the final page of the Filter Import Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be successful
or it can fail:
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
When the import wizard is closed after a successful import, the new items are
added to the current OPC server connection tree as a branch of the currently
selected node item.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows exporting the filter items
belonging to an OPC server connection. The entire namespace tree or just a
sub-branch of the OPC server connection can be exported.
The resulting external file will be a tab-separated file with the specific OPC filter
file format 226 .
Attention: The export action is not available for nodes of type Tag or Property.
The exported file will contain all the filter items from the branch of the selected
node.
Note: The exported file will contain only the selected (checked) data items.
When the export action is triggered the Filter Export Wizard is started.
Select the file the data items are to be exported to @ Export Wizard -
Export File Selection 230
The Export File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file name and
location for the exported file. The file can be selected by manually typing its path
and name in the File input box or by clicking the browse button located to the
right of the input box (a standard file saving dialog will open).
When the Next button is pressed the file path is verified and if the path does not
exist, an error message is displayed (invalid path). If the specified file path is
valid and a file with the specified name already exists, a message box will ask
whether to overwrite the existing file or not (select another file). The actual filter
export operation begins if the path to the file is valid and either a file with the
specified name does not exist or it exists and overwrite has been chosen.
When the export operation is finished the Export Results page is displayed.
The Export Results wizard page displays the export results as shown in the
image below:
This page is the final page of the Filter Export Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the export action cannot be undone. The export can be successful
or it can fail:
1. After a successful export the results page contains the following information:
2. After a failed export the results page contains the following information:
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure Local Items within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
Local Items are used to build up a static namespace for the OPC Client2Client
functionality of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite, which allows direct communication
between different OPC Clients without direct access to an OPC Server. See
Introduction - OPC Client2Client 39 for a detailed introduction to the OPC
Client2Client functionality.
A detailed description of how to configure the OPC Client data destination
functionality can be found in the Configuration: Data Source - Local Items 233
section.
7.3.1.3.1 Configuration
The Local Items namespace is configured in the Local Items main user interface.
The configuration page can be reached by selecting Local Items from the Data
Source section of the left navigation panel. The Local Items main configuration
page will be displayed. For more details about the OPC Local Items see the
Local Items 232 page.
Change the properties of the selected item 235 (or change the properties of
the root node 238 ) by using the Properties button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties action from the context menu.
Add a new item 235 under the selected node by using the Add button ,
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the
context menu.
Copy and paste the local item and all of its children by selecting the Copy
and Paste actions from the context menu.
Import from file 241 by using the Import from file button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+I or selecting the Import action from the root node's
context menu.
Export to file 244 by using the Export to file button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+E or selecting the Export action from any node's context
menu.
Delete the selected local item using the Delete data item button ,
pressing the DELETE key or selecting the Delete action from the context
menu.
The available context menu options depend on the current selection in the tree.
Multiple item selection is not allowed. An example of the root node context menu
can be seen below:
An example of the context menu available for items of the Node type can be
seen below:
Attention: The Local Items root node cannot be deleted. A local item which is
being used in any consumer cannot be deleted, either.
Note: The copy/paste actions work on the selected node or on the whole
selected branch. The copy action is not available for the Local Items root node,
and the paste action is not available for items of type Tag because they cannot
have any children.
Note: The Export action is not available for items of type Tag, and the Import
action is only available for the Local Items root node.
Attribut Description
e
ID The fully qualified item ID (Local Item ID). This is the full path in the
namespace of the Local Items tree.
Note: All local items have the access rights "Read and Write" by default.
The status bar contains information about the selected local item: the item type,
the item ID and for items of type Tag also the item data type.
For a detailed description of how to add or modify local items see the Properties
235 page.
7.3.1.3.2 Properties
The Local Items list allows adding new local items and modifying the existing
ones.
Note: A tag cannot have any children, so Add is not available for tags.
Note: The items of type Node represent intermediate nodes in the tree, they are
used for hierarchy purposes. The items of type Tag represent actual local items.
Attention: The local items of type Node which do not have any children are not
saved in the file. When you reopen the configuration they will disappear.
The local items of the namespace can be of any data type covered by the OPC
Specifications. The following table describes the available data types mapped to
the corresponding VARIANT types from the OPC Specification.
Note: Arrays of fixed and variable length are also supported for these data
types.
This dialog allows provides the same properties as the add item dialog.
Note: The local item class cannot be modified as the hierarchy of the items
relies on it.
Modifying of the Local Items root node is described in the Local Items Root 238
page.
The Local Items root node is created by default. This item cannot be deleted and
the only available action for the Local Items root node is renaming it.
Its name can be changed using the Properties of the selected item button ,
by using the CTRL+P keyboard shortcut, or by selecting the Properties context
menu action. By triggering the properties action over the root node a dialog is
displayed:
Attention: The root node name should be unique throughout all configured data
sources.
Note: The root node name can also be empty as long as it is unique.
Note: If the root name is empty and has only one child node (which may have
any hierarchy below itself), the root node's unique child node becomes the new
Local Items root node when you save and reopen the configuration.
See the Advanced Settings 239 page for a description of general settings.
The Advanced settings page allows changing advanced properties of the Local
Items. The action can be performed by clicking the Advanced Settings button
. The following dialog will be displayed:
Attributes Description
Support If this option is checked the OPC clients are allowed to create
dynamic items dynamic items during the run time of the local application in
the local items tree. If it is unchecked the dynamic items
creation is disabled.
A dynamic item can be created by an OPC client that
supports this feature. The syntax is the following:
<ItemName>%<DataType>
The Local Items tree hierarchy can be exported or imported. See the Import
Wizard 241 and Export Wizard 244 pages for details.
The Local Items tree is saved in a plain text file called LocalItems.txt which can
be found in the LocalItems folder under the current configuration folder.
Note: The path and the name of the local items configuration file cannot be
configured.
The filter files are plain text files, encoded in UTF-8 (thus providing full
UNICODE compatibility) and they have a line-oriented structure. The elements of
a line are tab-separated. For each OPC local item a line is added to the file.
The following line types can be found in the local items file:
Local item line, defining a local item as described in the table below.
Empty line.
Comment line, starting with #; such a line is ignored during evaluation
The different elements of the line are described in the following table:
Element Description
Local item ID The full local item path from the Local Items root node,
including the root node name.
Data type The data type of the data item. The possible values are
described in the Filter Item Properties 236 page.
Example:
#<TAB>Local item ID<TAB>Data type<TAB>Comment
#
<TAB>Local Items.Node1.Tag1<TAB>I1<TAB>
<TAB>Local Items.Node1.Tag2<TAB>I1<TAB>
The configuration file can be managed with the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator or it can be manually edited.
Note: The recommendation is to use only the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
to edit these files. This ensures that all the definitions will be valid.
If the local items configuration file is manually edited try loading the entire
configuration in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator as all the configuration
files are automatically validated at load-time and, if there are any mistakes, an
error message will be displayed. The dialog will contain an appropriate
description and will point to the first invalid line of the local items configuration
file.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows the import of Local Items from an
external file.
The external import file must be a plain text tab-separated file with the specific
Local Items file format 241.
The import action can be triggered by using the Import from file button , by
pressing the keyboard shortcut sequence CTRL+I or by selecting the Import
action in the context sensitive menu.
Note: The import action is only available for the Local Items root node.
Note: The names conflicts between the old and new items are automatically
solved by renaming the newly imported items. They are renamed by appending
a two-digit number at the end of the name of the first duplicated item.
When the import action is triggered the Local Items Import Wizard is started.
Select the file to be imported @ Import Wizard - Import File Selection 242
The Local Items can be imported from a text file with a specific structure. The file
should have a line-oriented structure. The elements of a line must be tab-
separated. For each line in the file a new OPC local item is created.
The following line types can be found in the local items file:
Local item line, defining a local item as described in the below table.
Empty line.
Comment line, starting with #; such a line is ignored during evaluation
A local item line has the following format:
The different elements of the line are described in the following table:
Element Description
Local item ID The full local item path from the Local Items root node,
including the root node name.
Data type The data type of the data item. The possible values are
described in the Filter Item Properties 236 page.
Example:
#<TAB>Local item ID<TAB>Data type<TAB>Comment
#
<TAB>Local Items.Node1.Tag1<TAB>I1<TAB>
<TAB>Local Items.Node1.Tag2<TAB>I1<TAB>
The Import File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file to be imported.
The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input box or by
clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a standard file
opening dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When you press the Next button the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist an error message is
displayed. The actual import begins if the selected file is valid. If the import takes
longer to complete a waiting dialog is displayed.
This page is the final page of the Filter Import Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be successful
or it can fail:
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
2. After a failed import the results page contains the following information:
When the import wizard is closed after a successful import, the new items are
added to the current Local Items tree as a branch of the root node item.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows the export of full branches from
the Local Items tree. The entire Local Items tree or just a sub-branch of it can be
exported.
The resulting external file will be a tab-separated file with the specific Local Items
file format 241 .
Note: The export action is available for the Local Items root and for items of type
Node.
The exported file will contain all the items from the selected node's branch.
Note: The exported file will contain only the tags of the selected node with the
complete node structure from the selected node to each of the tags.
Note: If the entire Local Items root was exported the resulting file should be
identical with the configuration's Local Items file.
When the export action is triggered the Local Items Export Wizard is started.
Select the file the local items are to be exported to @ Export Wizard -
Export File Selection 245
The Export File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file name and
location for the exported file. The file can be selected by manually typing its path
and name in the File input box or by clicking the browse button located to the
right of the input box (a standard file saving dialog will open).
When the Next button is pressed the file path is verified and if the path does not
exist, an error message is displayed (invalid path). If the specified file path is
valid and a file with the specified name already exists, a message box will ask
whether to overwrite the existing file or not (select another file). The actual local
items export operation begins if the path to the file is valid and either a file with
the specified name does not exist or it exists and overwrite has been chosen.
When the export operation is finished the Export Results page is displayed.
The Export Results wizard page displays the export results as shown in the
image below:
This page is the final page of the Local Items Export Wizard. A back button is
not provided as the export action cannot be undone. The export can be
successful or it can fail:
1. After a successful export the results page contains the following information:
2. After a failed export the results page contains the following information:
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure Siemens devices within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
7.3.1.4.1 Configuration
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each Device connection has a unique name within the configuration, which is
given in the Name column.
The name of the device will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Note: Device name must be unique string within a dataFEED OPC Suite
configuration. Also the name could not contain address space delimiters, multi-
byte characters, empty spaces.
The device type (second column) can be one of: S7, S5, Send/Receive or
Netlink.
Third column: address represents the actual device address which can be ipv4,
hostname or ipv6.
Parameters column contains various attributes of the connection like: plc header
type, write allowed, ports, communication protocol.
Operation
From the Siemens Devices main user interface certain operations can be
performed over the selected connection by using the buttons on the right, by
accessing the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts.
The following actions are available:
Change the properties 250 of the selected data source by using the Properties
Add a new connection 250 by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Change global settings 351 for the selected data source by using the Global
settings button .
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no controller / device connection is selected, the Add a new data source
button is the only one available.
The Delete button will remove the selected device connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of the CTRL
or SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
All these actions are also provided in the context menu of the External device
list. Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The proposed name is the original connection's name post fixed with "_Copy"
and the default address will be "localhost".
Note: The connection name should be unique among all device connections
names.
Note: The device address should a valid host name, ipv4 or ipv6.
With the Siemens Device Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external PLC device:
On this page the connection name that will uniquely identify the data source and
some generic connection settings can be provided.
Connection Name
An unique identifier for the current connection. In case the provided name is
already used by other connection, the user use is not allowed to go into the next
wizard page.
Connection active
This flag specifies if the current connection will be enabled or not.
Simulation
This flag specifies if the current connection will be simulated by the server or it
will represent a real device connection.
Application protocol
Currently supported protocols are:
Siemens S7
Siemens S5
Netlink
Send/Receive
On this wizard page various parameters for the current TCP/IP connection are
configured.
Address Format
Read-Only field; automatically detects the format of destination address.
Advanced:
Read-Only field; this is a summary for TCP/IP Communication advanced
settings. These settings can be changed using Modify button that lead to
following dialogs:
No Header
"No header" is used for connections to stations which only support the pure TCP/
IP protocol. In this case, the application program is responsible for monitoring on
both sides.
PLC Header
"PLC header" is used for communication to the INAT components (S5-TCP/IP,
echolink, echocollect)
RFC1006
When RFC1006 is activated, H1 frames are packed into a TCP/IP frame for
transportation.
Acks
When you select "Acks", connection monitoring of the socket libraries is enabled.
If this option is disabled, the connection is considered as concluded after the
KeepAliveTime but the communication partner is not told. We recommend
enabling this option.
Note: The port must be identical on both sides of the connection before you can
set up the connection.
Read, write and event ports should be addressed differently. Port numbers 1 to
1023 should not be used since these are already being used by well-known
services (so-called well-known ports).
RFC 1006 Settings:
Service
Contains device identifiers for those that are provided in S7 resources.
01: PG or PC
02: OS (operator or monitoring device)
03: Other (e.g., OPC server, Simatic S7 PLC)
Rack
The number of the rack in which the CPU resides, a number from 0 to 7.
Slot
Slot number in which the CPU resides, a number from 0 to 31.
For S7-300 the slot 2 is used always.
Attention: The TSAPs must coincide crosswise before the connection can be
established!
The local TSAP of the one system must correspond to the remote TSAP of the
other system.
More
The button "More" opens entry fields for the TSAPs.
For further information on the TSAPs 390
TSAPs for S7 connections 391
No Header
"No header" is used for connections to stations which only support the pure TCP/
IP protocol. In this case, the application program is responsible for monitoring on
both sides.
PLC Header
"PLC header" is used for communication to the INAT components (S5-TCP/IP,
echolink, echocollect)
RFC1006
When RFC1006 is activated, H1 frames are packed into a TCP/IP frame for
transportation.
Acks
When you select "Acks", connection monitoring of the socket libraries is enabled.
If this option is disabled, the connection is considered as concluded after the
KeepAliveTime but the communication partner is not told. We recommend
enabling this option.
When you select "Life Data Acks", user data telegrams are transmitted with no
data content in order to keep a connection alive which is not used cyclically. Both
communication partners must support this functionality. With communication to
S7 PLCs, we recommend switching this option off.
Use Events
Events from the PLC are only possible with S5 connections.
In addition to cyclic read (fetch active) and write (write active) accesses, the
server also supports events from the PLC. A channel is reserved which is used
to deliver the spontaneous data from the PLC. The event channel is its own
connection. Accordingly, a separate port for events (for TCP/IP connections) or
a separate (remote) TSAP for events (for RFC1006 connections) is defined.
The port numbers/TSAPs for read, write accesses and events may never be the
same!
Note: The port must be identical on both sides of the connection before you can
set up the connection.
Read, write and event ports should be addressed differently. Port numbers 1 to
1023 should not be used since these are already being used by well-known
services (so-called well-known ports).
TCP/UDP protocol
The TCP is a secure protocol with checksum and confirmation. UDP is not
secure and is handled via datagram services. The TCP protocol should be
selected for normal data transmission.
No Header
"No header" is used for connections to stations which only support the pure TCP/
IP protocol. In this case, the application program is responsible for monitoring on
both sides. Keep attention to have a fix length of frames when using no header.
PLC Header
"PLC header" is used for communication to the INAT components (S5-TCP/IP,
echolink, echocollect)
RFC1006
When RFC1006 is activated, H1 frames are packed into a TCP/IP frame for
transportation.
Acks
When you select "Acks", connection monitoring of the socket libraries is enabled,
acknowledgement frames are sent. If this option is disabled, the connection is
considered as concluded after the KeepAliveTime but the communication partner
is not told. We recommend enabling this option.
Write to Device
Data could only be written into the device (Write).
Note: The port must be identical on both sides of the connection before you can
set up the connection.
Read, write and event ports should be addressed differently. Port numbers 1 to
1023 should not be used since these are already being used by well-known
services (so-called well-known ports).
RFC 1006 Settings:
Local TSAP, remote TSAP
TSAPs (Transport Service Access Points) are addresses which are used within
the transport layer to address applications. TSAPs are required for RFC1006
connections. To set up a connection, both the local TSAP and the TSAP of the
communication partner must be specified. The following must be adhered to.
The local TSAP of the one system must correspond to the remote TSAP of the
other system.
TCP Port
Port numbers are addresses which are used within the transport layer to address
applications. Port numbers are required for TCP connections. The port is parallel
to the TSAPs for RFC1006 and H1 connections. The port number is a 16-bit
number from 1 to 65535. Keep the following in mind when you set up the
connection.
Read, write and event ports should be addressed differently. Port numbers 1 to
1023 should not be used since these are already being used by well-known
services (so-called well-known ports).
MPI/PROFIBUS Address
If this is an MPI network, the MPI address of the PLC is entered here. If this is a
PROFIBUS network, the PROFIBUS address is entered here.
Slot of the CPU
The slot number of the CPU is entered here.
Service
The 3 service is provided for OPC connections.
On this wizard page the extended settings for the current data source connection
can be configured.
Read optimization
Reading from the controller can be optimized here. If several variables are
requested which are located in the same operand area (e.g., in a data block or in
the flag area), the complete area is read from the first variable to the last
variable without read optimization. Gaps between the individual block areas are
also read no matter how large these gaps are. The maximum size of the gaps (in
bytes) between the requested individual items within a data block without a new
block being created is entered. If the gap equals the specified value, a new block
is created.
On this wizard page the data items for the actual PLC connection can be
defined. The address space can be defined by manually adding items, by
importing the address space from an external file or by importing a device
symbol file (for connections of type S7 and Modbus).
There are three categories of items that may be used in the tree:
- root node (having the name of the current connection). This node is read only,
the user has just the possibility to add or delete children of this.
- nodes: these elements are associated with branches in tree. They can have
children but they are typeless and do not carry any syntax.
Note: The items of type Node represent intermediate nodes in the tree. They are
used for hierarchy purposes.
Note: A tag cannot have any children, so Add is not available for tags.
Operation
Depending on the current selection in the Plc Connection Items tree, the
following operations are possible using the buttons on the right, the context
menu or the corresponding shortcuts:
Two more operations are supported, which are only accessible from the context
menu:
Triggering the Delete data items action with the corresponding button on the
right wizard side or Delete from the context menu will remove the currently
selected node from the Data Items namespace tree.
Attention: The root node of the namespace tree can not be deleted.
Copy
The Copy action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. Triggering this action will copy the selected node to the local clipboard. All
the properties of the node are copied. Also, if the node contains children, the
entire branch is copied.
Note: The root node of the namespace tree does not provide a Copy action.
Paste
The Paste action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. This action will add the node currently stored in the local clipboard as a a
child of the currently selected node. Whether the action is available in the
context menu depends on the type of the currently selected node and the type of
the node in the clipboard.
Note: The Paste action is only available if a node was previously copied to the
clipboard.
If the Paste action is performed on a node which already has a child of the same
name as the node in the clipboard, the pasted node is renamed automatically by
adding a numerical suffix to the original name.
E.g. NodeA, NodeA01, NodeA02, ...
The Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows the import of S7 PLC
connection items from an external STEP 7 symbol file or from a TIA symbol file
generated with the Softing dataFEED Exporter 274 .
Note: Make sure the Softing dataFEED Exporter application is installed on that
PC where you have installed your Siemens Totally Integrated Automtation
The import action can be triggered by using the Import S7 symbol file button
.
Attention: The import from S7 symbol file action applies on the entire address
space of the current S7 PLC connection. Any existing items will be automatically
removed from the address space prior to performing the import.
When this import action is triggered, the Symbol File Import Wizard is started.
The Symbol File Import Wizard allows importing different data items:
Select the PLC Program to use for import @ S7 Project Import Wizard -
PLC Program Selection 270
Select the Device to use for import @ S7 Project Import Wizard - Device
Selection 270
Select the PLC Blocks to import @ S7 Project Import Wizard - PLC Blocks
Selection 271
Note: Symbol Import for NetLINK connections is not implemented. To get these
symbols, please configure first a S7 Connection, import the symbols and switch
to NetLINK.
The Symbol File Import wizard page allows you to choose a file to be imported.
The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input box or by
clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a standard file
selection dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
Note: When importing an *.sdfi file from a TIA project, all symbols are imported
but without their device definitions and settings.
When you press the Next button the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist, an error message is
displayed.
The import from a STEP 7 project file can be parameterized with some
advanced options. For this, additional controls are presented to the user by
pressing the More button, as shown in the picture below:
The available additional options in this wizard page are described in the table
below:
Attribute Description
Resolve arrays in Every single element of an array is given its own icon
addition name. Default value is switched off.
Note: The usage of the hierarchical separator character in the Prefix and Postfix
fields is allowed and can be used to change/adapt the hierarchy of the imported
data items.
Note: These parameters only apply when importing from a STEP 7 project file.
Attention: The usage of Resolve arrays in addition option may greatly enlarge
the size of the resulting address space and this takes more time during program
start.
The second page in the STEP 7 Symbol File Import wizard allows you to choose
a program inside the S7 project to be used for import.
A list with all available programs is displayed. Select the desired program within
this list.
<<< Import - File Selection 267 Import - PLC Blocks Selection >>> 271
The second page in the TIA Symbol File Import wizard allows you to choose a
program inside the TIA project to be used for import.
A list with all available devices is displayed. Select the desired device within this
list.
<<< Import - File Selection 267 Import - PLC Blocks Selection >>> 271
The third page in the S7 Symbol File Import wizard allows the selection of
individual data blocks that will be imported.
Note: We only support data blocks which are not running in the optimized
mode.
With large PLC projects, we recommend only importing those symbols that are
really required on the server.
Multiple selection is allowed, as well as Select All feature by using the checkbox
in the table header or keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+A).
It is possible to filter the content of the table by using the Only DBs checkbox in
the right side of the page. If this option is activated, only the data blocks are
shown in the table. If not, all symbols are displayed.
This page is the final page of the Import S7 Symbol File Wizard. A back button is
not provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be
successful or it can fail:
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
Softing's dataFEED Exporter allows to convert TIA symbol files into Softing *.sdfi
files.
You can find the dataFEED Exporter application on your product CD-ROM or
you can download the current version from the download area on the Softing
website.
For detailed information about file conversion and export/import functionality
refer to the online help of the dataFEED Exporter application.
Note: Make sure you have copied the *.sdfi file to a location that can be
accessed by the dataFEED Configurator application.
Note: When importing an *.sdfi file from a TIA project, all symbols are imported
but without their device definitions and settings.
1. Start the import process as described in S7 Symbol File Import Wizard 266 .
2. Locate and import 267 the *.sdfi file.
3. Pass all steps from the Import Wizard.
When importing TIA projects, the data types and their corresponding OPC data
types listed in the table below are supported.
The Struct or UDT types are supported as nodes with children sub-trees having
the scalar leaves displayed as items of the corresponding data types.
Note: We only support data blocks which are not running in the optimized
mode.
Byte DB1,Byte5
Char DB1,Char5
Word DB1,Word5
Int DB1,Int5
Dword DB1,Dword5
DI DB1,DI5
DInt DB1,Dint5
Real DB1,Real5
Word
Dword DW1,Dword5T
OD
Dword DW5,Dword5T
Word DW1,Word5S5
T
Word DW1,Word5D
T
String DB1,S1.2
DB1,String1
DB1,String1.2
Word DB1,Word5
Dword DB1,Dword5
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This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure Rockwell devices within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
7.3.1.5.1 Configuration
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each Device connection has a unique name within the configuration, which is
given in the Name column.
The name of the device will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Note: Device name must be unique string within a dataFEED OPC Suite
configuration. Also the name could not contain address space delimiters, multi-
byte characters, empty spaces.
The device type (second column) can be one of: CLX or SLC/PLC5
Third column: address represents the actual device address which can be ipv4,
hostname or ipv6.
Parameters column contains various attributes of the connection like: plc header
type, write allowed, ports, communication protocol.
Operation
From the Siemens Devices main user interface certain operations can be
performed over the selected connection by using the buttons on the right, by
accessing the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts.
The following actions are available:
Change the properties 279 of the selected data source by using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting Properties
from the context menu.
Add a new connection 279 by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Change global settings 351 for the selected data source by using the Global
settings button .
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no controller / device connection is selected, the Add a new data source
button is the only one available.
The Delete button will remove the selected device connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of the CTRL
or SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
All these actions are also provided in the context menu of the External device
list. Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The proposed name is the original connection's name post fixed with "_Copy"
and the default address will be "localhost".
Note: The connection name should be unique among all device connections
names.
Note: The device address should a valid host name, ipv4 or ipv6.
With the Rockwell Device Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external PLC device:
On this page the connection name that will uniquely identify the data source and
some generic connection settings can be provided.
Connection Name
An unique identifier for the current connection. In case the provided name is
already used by other connection, the user use is not allowed to go into the next
wizard page.
Connection active
This flag specifies if the current connection will be enabled or not.
Simulation
This flag specifies if the current connection will be simulated by the server or it
will represent a real device connection.
Application protocol
Currently supported protocols are:
CompactLogix / ControlLogix
SLC / PLC-5
On this wizard page various parameters for the current TCP/IP connection are
configured.
Address Format
Read-Only field; automatically detects the format of destination address.
Advanced:
Read-Only field; this is a summary for TCP/IP Communication advanced
settings. These settings can be changed using Modify button that lead to
Advanced Communication Settings 282
are written with values (each write access is preceded by a read access).
CPU slot
The slot of the ControlLogiX CPU is specified here.
CPU Architecture
Here you can choose, whether you are connected to a 32 Bit CPU (default
setting) or a 64 Bit CPU.
browsing list can take a very long time if there are many variables. This is
particularly true when the Ethernet module of the PLC is not integrated in the
CPU.
Setting the browser filter:
The CLX browser filters are entered in the input fields Inclusive browser mask
and Exclusive browser mask. A combination is possible. The inclusive screen is
evaluated first followed by the exclusive.
Inclusive browser mask:
Only the specified values are shown and available for OPC browsing.
Exclusive browser mask:
The specified variables are not shown.
If a mask is blank, it will be ignored.
A mask is a text which consists of one or more entries.
An entry without a dot . refers to the variables in controller tags.
Example: Variable1.
An asterisk * can be used at the end of the entry as the placeholder for any
character string.
Example: Var*
This determines all variables which begin with the text Var. These would also
be: Variable1, variable2, VAR3, variance.
If program tags are to be addressed, an entry contains a dot (.). The name of
the subprogram is specified in front of the dot. The asterisk * can be used as a
placeholder at the end. The variable name is specified after the dot. The asterisk
* can also be used behind that.
Example: Program:MainProgram.Var*
Example: Program:A*.*
A program name without a dot is ignored.
Individual entries are separated by a semicolon (;).
Upper case and lower case letters are ignored.
Blanks are not allowed.
Variable names may not contain a dot (.), a semicolon (;) or an asterisk (*).
If such characters are included anyway, a search cannot be made for them.
The maximum number of characters for a filter is 300 characters.
On this wizard page the extended settings for the current data source connection
can be configured.
Read optimization
Reading from the controller can be optimized here. If several variables are
requested which are located in the same operand area (e.g., in a data block or in
the flag area), the complete area is read from the first variable to the last
variable without read optimization. Gaps between the individual block areas are
also read no matter how large these gaps are. The maximum size of the gaps (in
bytes) between the requested individual items within a data block without a new
block being created is entered. If the gap equals the specified value, a new block
is created.
Optionally by checking this flag, the user can define the alias file for the current
connection now. Although this step may be postponed to a later time.
On this wizard page the data items for the actual PLC connection can be
defined. The address space can be defined by manually adding items, by
importing the address space from an external file or by importing a device
symbol file (for connections of tyoe S7 and Modbus).
Note: The items of type Node represent intermediate nodes in the tree, they are
Note: A tag cannot have any children, so Add is not available for tags.
Operation
Depending on the current selection in the Plc Connection Items tree, the
following operations are possible using the buttons on the right, the context
sensitive menu or the corresponding shortcuts:
Triggering the Delete data items action with the corresponding button on the
right wizard side or Delete from the context menu will remove the currently
selected node from the Data Items namespace tree.
Attention: The root node of the namespace tree can not be deleted.
Copy
The Copy action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. Triggering this action will copy the selected node to the local clipboard. All
the properties of the node are copied. Also, if the node contains children, the
entire branch is copied.
Note: The root node of the namespace tree does not provide a Copy action.
Paste
The Paste action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. This action will add the node currently stored in the local clipboard as a a
child of the currently selected node. Whether the action is available in the
context menu depends on the type of the currently selected node and the type of
the node in the clipboard.
Note: The Paste action is only available if a node was previously copied to the
clipboard.
If the Paste action is performed on a node which already has a child of the same
name as the node in the clipboard, the pasted node is renamed automatically by
adding a numerical suffix to the original name.
E.g. NodeA, NodeA01, NodeA02, ...
Triggering the Refresh data items action with the corresponding button on
the right wizard will perform a device query to retrieve the actual items.
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure Modbus devices within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
7.3.1.6.1 Configuration
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each Device connection has a unique name within the configuration, which is
given in the Name column.
The name of the device will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Operation
From the Siemens Devices main user interface certain operations can be
performed over the selected connection by using the buttons on the right, by
accessing the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts.
The following actions are available:
Change the properties 292 of the selected data source by using the Properties
Add a new connection 292 by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Change global settings 351 for the selected data source by using the Global
settings button .
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no controller / device connection is selected, the Add a new data source
button is the only one available.
The Delete button will remove the selected device connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of the CTRL
or SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
All these actions are also provided in the context menu of the External device
list. Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The proposed name is the original connection's name post fixed with "_Copy"
and the default address will be "localhost".
Note: The connection name should be unique among all device connections
names.
Note: The device address should a valid host name, ipv4 or ipv6.
With the Modbus Device Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external PLC device:
On this page the connection name that will uniquely identify the data source and
some generic connection settings can be provided.
Connection Name
An unique identifier for the current connection. In case the provided name is
already used by other connection, the user use is not allowed to go into the next
wizard page.
Connection active
This flag specifies if the current connection will be enabled or not.
Simulation
This flag specifies if the current connection will be simulated by the server or it
will represent a real device connection.
Application protocol
Currently supported protocol is:
Modbus TCP
On this wizard page various parameters for the current TCP/IP connection are
configured.
Address Format
Read-Only field; automatically detects the format of destination address.
Advanced:
Read-Only field; this is a summary for TCP/IP Communication advanced
settings. These settings can be changed using Modify button that lead to
Advanced Communication Settings 295
enter the same value on both sides of the connection. Usually, the PC with OPC
server is parameterized as active. This is also used here as the default value.
TCP/UDP protocol
The TCP is a secure protocol with checksum and confirmation. UDP is not
secure and is handled via datagram services. The TCP protocol should be
selected for normal data transmission.
Slave address
- The slave address that is set is transmitted in the Modbus frame.
Start address 0
- The start address is transmitted as specified in the frame.
Start address 1
- Some Modbus devices expect a start address in the frame which is 1 less than
the entered address. The first address is 1.
IO Address is Octal
- The start address of certain devices is octal. This means that the numbers 8
and 9 are invalid characters. This applies to the inputs and outputs. In addition, J
is specified for inputs and P is specified for outputs in the item syntax.
On this wizard page the extended settings for the current data source connection
can be configured.
Read optimization
Reading from the controller can be optimized here. If several variables are
requested which are located in the same operand area (e.g., in a data block or in
the flag area), the complete area is read from the first variable to the last
variable without read optimization. Gaps between the individual block areas are
also read no matter how large these gaps are. The maximum size of the gaps (in
bytes) between the requested individual items within a data block without a new
block being created is entered. If the gap equals the specified value, a new block
is created.
On this wizard page the data items for the actual PLC connection can be
defined. The address space can be defined by manually adding items, by
importing the address space from an external file or by importing a device
symbol file (for connections of tyoe S7 and Modbus).
Note: The items of type Node represent intermediate nodes in the tree, they are
used for hierarchy purposes.
Note: A tag cannot have any children, so Add is not available for tags.
Operation
Depending on the current selection in the Plc Connection Items tree, the
following operations are possible using the buttons on the right, the context
sensitive menu or the corresponding shortcuts:
Two more operations are supported, which are only accessible from the
contextual menu:
Triggering the Delete data items action with the corresponding button on the
right wizard side or Delete from the context menu will remove the currently
selected node from the Data Items namespace tree.
Attention: The root node of the namespace tree can not be deleted.
Copy
The Copy action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. Triggering this action will copy the selected node to the local clipboard. All
the properties of the node are copied. Also, if the node contains children, the
entire branch is copied.
Note: The root node of the namespace tree does not provide a Copy action.
Paste
The Paste action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. This action will add the node currently stored in the local clipboard as a a
child of the currently selected node. Whether the action is available in the
context menu depends on the type of the currently selected node and the type of
the node in the clipboard.
Note: The Paste action is only available if a node was previously copied to the
clipboard.
If the Paste action is performed on a node which already has a child of the same
name as the node in the clipboard, the pasted node is renamed automatically by
adding a numerical suffix to the original name.
E.g. NodeA, NodeA01, NodeA02, ...
The Softing Configurator allows the import of Modbus PLC connection items
from an external Wago symbol file .
The import action can be triggered by using the Import Wago symbol file button
.
Attention: The import from Wago symbol file action applies on the entire
address space of the current Modbus PLC connection. Any existing items will be
automatically removed from the address space prior to performing the import.
When this import action is triggered the Symbol File Import Wizard is started.
The Symbol File Import Wizard allows importing different data items:
Examine the import results @ Modbus Import Wizard - Import Results 304
The Symbol File Import wizard page allows you to choose a file to be imported.
The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input box or by
clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a standard file
selection dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When you press the Next button the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist an error message is
displayed. The actual import begins if the selected file is valid. If the import takes
longer to complete a waiting dialog is displayed. When the import operation is
finished the Import Results page is displayed.
The import action can be parameterized with some advanced options. For this,
additional controls are presented to the user by pressing the More button, as
shown in the picture below:
The available additional options in this wizard page are described in the table
below:
Attribute Description
Resolve arrays in Every single element of an array is given its own icon
addition name. Default value is switched off.
Note: The usage of the hierarchical separator character in the Prefix and Postfix
fields is allowed and can be used to change/adapt the hierarchy of the imported
data items.
Attention: The usage of Resolve arrays in addition option may greatly enlarge
the size of the resulting address space and this takes more time during program
start.
This page is the final page of the Import Wago Symbol File Wizard. A back
button is not provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be
successful or it can fail:
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
When the import wizard is closed after a successful import, the new items are
added to the current PLC connection tree and all the previous data items are
removed.
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure Mitsubishi devices within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
7.3.1.7.1 Configuration
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each Device connection has a unique name within the configuration, which is
given in the Name column.
The name of the device will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Note: Device name must be unique string within a dataFEED OPC Suite
configuration. Also the name could not contain address space delimiters, multi-
byte characters, empty spaces.
Operation
From the Mitsubishi Devices main user interface certain operations can be
performed over the selected connection by using the buttons on the right, by
accessing the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts.
The following actions are available:
Change the properties 308 of the selected data source by using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting Properties
from the context menu.
Add a new connection 308 by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Change global settings 351 for the selected data source by using the Global
settings button .
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no controller / device connection is selected, the Add a new data source
button is the only one available.
The Delete button will remove the selected device connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of the CTRL
or SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
All these actions are also provided in the context menu of the External device
list. Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The proposed name is the original connection's name post fixed with "_Copy"
and the default address will be "localhost".
Note: The connection name should be unique among all device connections
names.
Note: The device address should a valid host name, ipv4 or ipv6.
With the Mitsubishi Device Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external PLC device:
On this page the connection name that will uniquely identify the data source and
some generic connection settings can be provided.
Connection Name
An unique identifier for the current connection. In case the provided name is
already used by other connection, the user use is not allowed to go into the next
wizard page.
Connection active
This flag specifies if the current connection will be enabled or not.
Simulation
This flag specifies if the current connection will be simulated by the server or it
will represent a real device connection.
Application protocol
Currently supported protocol is
Mitsubishi Melsec-Q
On this wizard page various parameters for the current TCP/IP connection are
configured.
Address Format
Read-Only field; automatically detects the for of destination address.
Advanced:
Read-Only field; this is a summary for TCP/IP Communication advanced
settings. These settings can be changed using Modify button that lead to
Advanced Communication Settings 311
are written with values (each write access is preceded by a read access).
Destination Module
- Network address
Monitor Timer
- Time monitoring during which the answer should have been received.
Network number
Network number in the hardware configuration of the programming software.
PLC Number
- An additional intermediate PLC number.
PC Number
- Is only applicable when rights management is set up. Access of the PC can be
permitted or prohibited with this.
Destination Station
- The module address of an additional module in a PLC.
The effects of these values depend on the hardware that is being used.
On this wizard page the extended settings for the current data source connection
can be configured.
Read optimization
Reading from the controller can be optimized here. If several variables are
requested which are located in the same operand area (e.g., in a data block or in
the flag area), the complete area is read from the first variable to the last
variable without read optimization. Gaps between the individual block areas are
also read no matter how large these gaps are. The maximum size of the gaps (in
bytes) between the requested individual items within a data block without a new
block being created is entered. If the gap equals the specified value, a new block
is created.
On this wizard page the data items for the actual PLC connection can be
defined. The address space can be defined by manually adding items, by
importing the address space from an external file or by importing a device
symbol file (for connections of type S7 and Mitsubishi).
Note: The items of type Node represent intermediate nodes in the tree, they are
used for hierarchy purposes.
Note: A tag cannot have any children, so Add is not available for tags.
Operation
Depending on the current selection in the Plc Connection Items tree, the
following operations are possible using the buttons on the right, the context
sensitive menu or the corresponding shortcuts:
Two more operations are supported, which are only accessible from the
contextual menu:
Triggering the Delete data items action with the corresponding button on the
right wizard side or Delete from the context menu will remove the currently
selected node from the Data Items namespace tree.
Attention: The root node of the namespace tree can not be deleted.
Copy
The Copy action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. Triggering this action will copy the selected node to the local clipboard. All
the properties of the node are copied. Also, if the node contains children, the
entire branch is copied.
Note: The root node of the namespace tree does not provide a Copy action.
Paste
The Paste action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. This action will add the node currently stored in the local clipboard as a a
child of the currently selected node. Whether the action is available in the
context menu depends on the type of the currently selected node and the type of
the node in the clipboard.
Note: The Paste action is only available if a node was previously copied to the
clipboard.
If the Paste action is performed on a node which already has a child of the same
name as the node in the clipboard, the pasted node is renamed automatically by
adding a numerical suffix to the original name.
E.g. NodeA, NodeA01, NodeA02, ...
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure B&R devices within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
7.3.1.8.1 Configuration
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each Device connection has a unique name within the configuration, which is
given in the Name column.
The name of the device will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Note: Device name must be unique string within a dataFEED OPC Suite
configuration. Also the name could not contain address space delimiters, multi-
byte characters, empty spaces.
Operation
From the Siemens Devices main user interface certain operations can be
performed over the selected connection by using the buttons on the right, by
accessing the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts.
The following actions are available:
Change the properties 320 of the selected data source by using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting Properties
from the context menu.
Add a new connection 320 by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no controller / device connection is selected, the Add a new data source
button is the only one available.
The Delete button will remove the selected device connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of the CTRL
or SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
All these actions are also provided in the context menu of the External device
list. Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The proposed name is the original connection's name post fixed with "_Copy"
and the default address will be "localhost".
Note: The connection name should be unique among all device connections
names.
Note: The device address should a valid host name, ipv4 or ipv6.
With the B&R Device Wizard you can create and modify a data source
connection to an external PLC device:
Definition 327
On this page the connection name that will uniquely identify the data source and
some generic connection settings can be provided.
Connection Name
An unique identifier for the current connection. In case the provided name is
already used by other connection, the user use is not allowed to go into the next
wizard page.
Connection active
This flag specifies if the current connection will be enabled or not.
Simulation
This flag specifies if the current connection will be simulated by the server or it
will represent a real device connection.
Application protocol
Currently supported protocol is
INA2000
On this wizard page various parameters for the current TCP/IP connection are
configured.
Address Format
Read-Only field; automatically detects the format of destination address.
Advanced:
Read-Only field; this is a summary for Communication advanced settings. These
settings can be changed using Modify button that lead to Advanced
<<< B&R Device Wizard - Connection Settings 321 B&R Device Wizard -
PVI Manager Settings >>> 325
DA) is unique.
UDEV
This parameter determines how the parameters /LOPO and /SA function.
With "/UDEV=0" (default) all process objects with the type "device object" are
grouped together as one service object and transferred over an INA2000
connection. If the process objects have different values for /LOPO and /SA, the
object created first always wins. This setting corresponds to the behavior of PVI
Versions <= 3.0.0.
With "/UDEV=1", process objects with different values for /LOPO and /SA are
transferred using separate service objects. INA2000 communication therefore
also takes place via separate INA2000 connections. This setting allows multiple
INA2000 connections to be established to one PLC with different port numbers
or station numbers (source station).
On this wizard page the extended settings for the current data source connection
can be configured.
Destination address.
If the IP initialization parameter is specified, then the Remote communication
type is used for PVICOM communication. Either the TCP/IP address (e.g.
"IP=10.43.50.62") or the host name ("IP=SystemPC1") of the server (PVI
Manager) is specified with this parameter. If the host name is given, then the IP
address assigned to the name is determined by the system.
Read/Write port
TCP/IP port number. Default: "PN=20000".
This parameter is only required in conjunction with the IP parameter. Value:
1024 - 32767.
Communication timeout.
Communication timeout for the client/server (application/PVI Manager)
communication in seconds.
The timeout also defines the time for the life sign monitor. An additional period is
needed to detect a disruption in the client/server connection. To determine the
total time where a communication disruption would be detected (at the latest),
the timeout value specified here has to be doubled. If the timeout is 5, then an
On this wizard page the data items for the actual PLC connection can be
defined. The address space can be defined by manually adding items, by
importing the address space from an external file or by importing a device
symbol file (for connections of tyoe S7 and B&R).
Note: The items of type Node represent intermediate nodes in the tree, they are
used for hierarchy purposes.
Note: A tag cannot have any children, so Add is not available for tags.
Operation
Depending on the current selection in the Plc Connection Items tree, the
following operations are possible using the buttons on the right, the context
sensitive menu or the corresponding shortcuts:
Two more operations are supported, which are only accessible from the
contextual menu:
Triggering the Delete data items action with the corresponding button on the
right wizard side or Delete from the context menu will remove the currently
selected node from the Data Items namespace tree.
Attention: The root node of the namespace tree can not be deleted.
Copy
The Copy action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. Triggering this action will copy the selected node to the local clipboard. All
the properties of the node are copied. Also, if the node contains children, the
entire branch is copied.
Note: The root node of the namespace tree does not provide a Copy action.
Paste
The Paste action is provided in the context menu of the Plc Connection Items
tree. This action will add the node currently stored in the local clipboard as a a
child of the currently selected node. Whether the action is available in the
context menu depends on the type of the currently selected node and the type of
the node in the clipboard.
Note: The Paste action is only available if a node was previously copied to the
clipboard.
If the Paste action is performed on a node which already has a child of the same
name as the node in the clipboard, the pasted node is renamed automatically by
adding a numerical suffix to the original name.
E.g. NodeA, NodeA01, NodeA02, ...
Triggering the Refresh data items action with the corresponding button on
the right wizard will perform a device query to retrieve the actual items.
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure OPC UA Server connections within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
OPC UA Server data source makes it possible to exchange data between the
field devices (PLCs) of a wide variety of manufacturers and OPC UA clients.
A detailed description on how to configure access to OPC UA Server
connections can be found in the Configuration 330 section.
7.3.1.9.1 Configuration
Note: The list is only shown and editable if a configuration has been loaded.
Each OPC UA Server connection has a unique name within the configuration,
which is given in the Name column.
The name of the device will be shown in the namespace tree in the Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and in the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application, and its entire namespace will be under this name.
Note: Device name must be a unique string within a dataFEED OPC Suite
configuration. In addition the name could not contain address space delimiters,
multi-byte characters or empty spaces.
Operation
From the OPC UA Server main user interface certain operations can be
performed over the selected connection by using the buttons on the right, by
accessing the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard shortcuts.
The following actions are available:
Change the properties 337 of the selected data source by using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting Properties
from the context menu.
Add a new connection 337 by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting Add from the context menu.
Change advanced settings 334 for the selected data source by using the
Advanced settings button .
Change global settings 336 for the selected data source by using the Global
settings button .
Use test connection 332 button to check the availability of specified server
or the correctness of the authentication and security settings.
Delete the selected data source by using the Delete button , pressing the
DEL / DELETE key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the context
menu.
Note: If no connection is selected, the Add a new data source button and Global
settings are the only options enabled.
The Delete button will remove the selected device connections from the list.
The user can select more than one server connection with the help of the CTRL
or SHIFT keys.
A dialog will then prompt the user to confirm the deletion.
These actions are also provided in the context menu of the External device list.
Which actions are available depends on the current selection in the list.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
The proposed name is the original connection's name post fixed with "_Copy".
The endpoint URL is copied from the source connection.
Note: The connection name should be unique among all device connections
names.
The Test Connection button checks the OPC UA Server connection. The
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator tries to connect to the external OPC UA
server. A dialog is shown with the test results. If the connection was successful,
information about the server is also displayed:
Note: The test connection dialog cannot be canceled. In some cases it may take
up to Network Timeout parameter (default 60 seconds).
In addition it is possible to
deactivate the timer by
setting value to 0 (Infinite).
2. Identity Settings
UA Server Name - Specifies the server name
3. Certificates Settings
ApplicationCertificate - Absolute file path to application certificate (der
format)
With the UA Server Connection Wizard you can create and modify a data
source connection to an external OPC UA Server:
On this page the connection name that will uniquely identify the data source and
state of the connection is specified.
Connection Name
An unique identifier for the current connection. In case the provided name is
already used by other connection, the user use is not allowed to go into the next
wizard page.
Connection active
This flag specifies if the current connection will be enabled or not. A disabled
connection will be ignored by runtime but the connection settings will be
persisted so it can be enabled again at a later time.
On this wizard page the external OPC UA Server endpoint URL is configured.
Note: The next button is not available as long as the Endpoint edit box is
empty.
Security Configuration.
None no security is applied. Messages can be read over the network. This is
the most insecure mode, but also the fastest one.
Sign messages are sign using a certificate. The message body is not
encrypted, but data integrity is assured.
Sign & Encrypt messages are signed and encrypted. All of them are private
and their integrity is assured.
Security Policy
Specifies the encryption algorithm applied for messages. Possible options are:
Accept trusted certificates only. In order to trust a server certificate the user
should access Certificate Management 342 by pressing the button.
Authentication settings.
Specifies the credentials which must be passed to the server for authentication.
Possible options are:
Connection test.
Use the connection test 332 button to check the availability of the server
specified or the correctness of the authentication and security settings.
By pressing the receive server certificate button the user initiates a server
connection and implicitly a certificate exchange. Once the server certificate is
obtained it is presented to the user into certificate validation 344 to be investigated
and then added to the trusted or rejected folder.
Export OPC UA Client Application certificate (Own Certificate)
By using the export button the user is prompted to select a destination folder
where to save dataFEED OPC Suite UA Client application certificate. This
functionality is particularly useful when the Message security mode is other than
"none".
Import OPC UA Server Application Certificate into the OPC UA Client
trusted folder
The retrieve server certificate button obtains external server's certificate and
stores it into the trusted folder. While dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator tries to
connect to the external OPC UA server a waiting dialog is shown:
- success case:
Certificate validation 344 is displayed allowing the user to inspect the incoming
certificate and trust it.
If the server's certificate is already trusted and valid, the following box is
displayed:
The Certificate validation dialog allows the user to briefly investigate a certificate
by checking details like Issuer details, expiration date etc.
Certificate view
Certificate view offers information regarding Subject, Issuer, Serial Number,
Validity dates and Thumbprint.
Subject and Issuer are composite fields. They can contain information about
Domain Component, Email, Common Name, Organization Unit, Organization,
Locality, State and Country.
Certificate Approval
A user can trust this incoming certificate or reject the certificate.
Note: adding a certificate to the rejected store does not mean the connection to
server is prohibited (do not confound rejected with revocation list). Rejected
store is a folder where certificates are kept to be investigated by an administrator
at a later time, then moved to trusted, revocation or ignored.
7.3.1.10 Appendix
This section contains general information that applies to all or multiple controllers
or device families.
Main sections are:
The Softing Configurator allows the import of PLC connection items from an
external file.
The import action can be triggered by using the Import from file button , by
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+I or by selecting the Import action in the
context sensitive menu.
Note: The import action is available for the root item and for items of type Node
from the namespace.
Attention: The import action is not available for items of type Tag.
Note: Name conflicts between the old and new data items are solved by
renaming the newly imported items. They are renamed by appending a two-digit
number at the end of the name of the first duplicated item.
When the import action is triggered, the Filter Import Wizard is started.
Select the file to be imported @ Import Wizard - Import File Selection 346
The Import File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file to be imported.
The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input box or by
clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a standard file
selection dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When you press Next, the file path and name are verified. If the file identified by
the specified file path and name does not exist, an error message is displayed.
The actual import begins if the selected file is valid.
After pressing Next, the file is analyzed and there are two paths to continue the
import operation:
1. If the specified file contains only one single set of symbols, the wizard is
continued with the import operation itself. If the import takes longer to
complete, a waiting dialog is displayed. When the import operation is finished,
the Import Results page is displayed.
2. If the specified file contains definitions of symbols for multiple connections (i.e.
a Multiprotocol OPC Server symbols file was specified for import), the wizard
is continued with the Symbols Selection page.
The Symbols Selection wizard page allows you to choose a connection to import
symbols from.
A list with all available PLC connections defining symbols in the selected file is
presented and you must select the desired connections within it.
The actual import begins after pressing Next. If the import takes longer to
complete, a waiting dialog is displayed. When the import operation is finished,
the Import Results page is displayed.
7.3.1.10.1.3Import Results
This page is the final page of the Filter Export Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be successful
or it can fail:</t2>
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
The number items imported. This number includes only the items of type
Tag, the items of type Node are not counted.
The confirmation message that the import was successful.
2. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
When the import wizard is closed after a successful import, the new items are
added to the current PLC connection tree as a branch of the currently selected
node item.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows exporting the PLC connection
items. The entire namespace tree or just a sub-branch of the PLC connection
can be exported.
Attention: The export action is not available for nodes of type Tag or Property.
The exported file will contain all the items from the branch of the selected node.
When the export action is triggered the Filter Export Wizard is started.
Select the file the data items are to be exported to @ Export Wizard -
Export File Selection 349
The Export File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file name and
location for the exported file. The file can be selected by manually typing its path
and name in the File input box or by clicking the browse button located to the
right of the input box (a standard file saving dialog will open).
When the Next button is pressed the file path is verified and if the path does not
exist, an error message is displayed (invalid path). If the specified file path is
valid and a file with the specified name already exists, a message box will ask
whether to overwrite the existing file or not (select another file). The actual filter
export operation begins if the path to the file is valid and either a file with the
specified name does not exist or it exists and overwrite has been chosen.
When the export operation is finished the Export Results page is displayed.
7.3.1.10.2.2Export Results
The Export Results wizard page displays the export results as shown in the
image below:
This page is the final page of the Filter Export Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the export action cannot be undone. The export can be successful
or it can fail:
1. After a successful export the results page contains the following information:
2. After a failed export the results page contains the following information:
With the Gloabal Settings Wizard you can modify connection settings that will
be applied to all device connections:
7.3.1.10.3.1Basic
In this page you can change settings related with the connections timeouts and
symbols case sensitivity:
no). The part of the symbol that addresses the connection is case sensitive
anyway.
Press the Advanced button to proceed with the next page or Finish button to exit
the wizard at this point. You can abort the operation with the Cancel button.
7.3.1.10.3.2Advanced
In this page you can change more advanced settings that will affect all or some
specific device connections.
Attention: If the utilization load is very high, this can be reduced by assigning a
greater value in the timer protocol.
written.
The following tables depict all the optimization for write related configuration
options, each with a brief description.
Attribute Description
Write with Priority, Write accesses are handled with a high priority.
Chronological Order is A read access that is currently running is finished
Preserved first, however. Afterwards, the write access is then
initiated immediately. If several items of a block are to
be write-accessed, these are written one after the
other in the order that they were received.
The block is then read back so that the user receives
an immediate response message.
If items of another block are still to be written, the
write procedure is initiated without delay and
continued as described above.
String format
S5 and S7 strings are organized differently. S5 strings do not have length
information while the first two bytes of an S7 string contain this information.
Since the item syntax for S5 and S7 strings is identical (DBxSy.z), you set here
whether the string format is to be interpreted as an S7 string or an S5 string.
It is standard to interpret the string as an S5 string with an S5 access path and
an S7 string with an S7 access path. This setting can be changed to interpret
every string as an S5 string.
Tag Browsing
When an OPC server has a great number of data points in the icon table, these
are transmitted to the OPC client on request. This requires working storage
space and computing time. When the commissioning of OPC communication is
concluded and this functionality is no longer needed, it can be switched off. This
reduces the time that the server requires to boot after a new start.
This chapter describes the item syntax which can be used to set up
items (tags) for the corresponding connection.
S7 Item Syntax 357
S5 Item Syntax 365
Modbus Item Syntax 372
PLC-5 / SLC Item Syntax 376
MELSEC-Q Item Syntax 378
Send/Receive Item Syntax 384
General aspects.
Arrays
The word array means a series of equal elements (field, row, data area). An
array combines several units of one data tpye in a field. To create an array, the
length of the array is added to the standard syntax, separated by a period.
Arrays are NOT possible for: BOOL, DATE AND TIME, DATE, TIME, TIME OF
DAY, STRINGS (is already an array of characters);
as well as for all suffixes which are string or bool to the client: BA (already an
array of bits), KA, S5T, KT, D, T, DT, DU, TOD
Suffixes 394
Bit Masking
With a bit mask several bits of a data type can be read or written, by combining
them to one decimal value. Bit maskign of arrays is possible as well.
Syntax
8 bits of data word 0 of data block 5 shall be read beginning with bit 2. Therefore
the following syntax is used:
- db5.w0#2.8 oder
- db5.w0#2,8 oder
- db5.w0#2#8
Examples
DB10.W03.4
DB10.DWord2#20.10
DB10.DWord6#20.10KF
DB10.DInt10#20#10
Note: Does not work with Left Byte or Right Byte (DL, DR) and Suffix BA
PQ
U
W s
S I/ P
D F it ef
y O E
B ( h ul
Type nt (E / C/T OPC Data type
/ M Ar S
a / P
DI ) ra uf
x A) A
y fi
x
BIT X D M --- --- ------- --- --- -------
B X --- --- --- ---
VT_BOOL 5. 1. - - - -
X 3
4.
3
yt F IB 4 B U
e B 4 yt
2 4 PI e
IB B 2.
F yt 4 4
B e
yt 4 PI M
e B B
4 A yt 4.
B e 3
5 4
M
A P B
B A yt
yt B e
e 5 4.
5 3
P
O A F
B B B
5 yt 4.
e 4
O 5
B F
yt P B
e O yt
5 B e
5 4.
4
P
O P
B O
yt B
e 5.
5 3
et
c.
d d W M K VT_BSTR
4 4 or W T
d 4. VT_UI2
A 4 2 RI
W VT_R4
5 P E R
A W U
A W or
W or S
d
or d 5
4.
d 5 T
2
5
S
P P
O A W
A
W W A
W
5 or B
or
d d T
O
5 5. R
W
3
or P
d O C
5 W 5.
5 3
Q
W P Z
or O 5.
d W 1
5 or 0
d
5 T
5.
2
et
c.
OI P 3 S
5 AI 5
nt AI T
OI 5 nt
nt 5. S
5 P 3 W
OI A
5 OI B
5.
P 2 T
OI R
nt OI
5 nt
5.
5
P
OI
nt
5.
4
et
c.
O R L
R E 4.
4 A 5
L
O 4 P
R E
E P R
A O 4.
L R 2
4 4
P
P A
O R
R 4.
E 7
A
L P
4 O
R
4.
3
et
c.
d 3 D D P 3 K VT_R4
W W E F
D or or D M VT_R4
B d d W D K
5. 4 4 or W G VT_R4
D d 4.
VT_BSTR
w F ID 4 2 RI
or D W VT_R4
d W 4 PI F
3 4 D D R VT_BSTR
ID W W U
F W 4 4. VT_BSTR
S
D or 2
5
W d PI
or 4 D E T
d W D
S
4 A or W
W
D d 4.
A
W 4 4
B
5
P A
T
A A D
D D W T
W W or O
or 5 d D
d 5.
5 P 8
A
O D P
D W E
W or D
5 d W
5 4.
O 8
D P
W O P
or D A
d W D
5 5 W
5.
Q P 4
D O
W D P
5 W O
or D
d W
5 5.
4
et
c.
DI D M E 4 D C VT_R4
nt 3 DI DI 3. D
2 nt nt P 2 VT_R4
4 4 E K
D DI D G VT_R4
B F ID nt B
VT_I4
5. DI I4 4 5. RI
DI 4 DI
ID PI R VT_BSTR
3 3.
F In DI U
2 VT_BSTR
D DI t4 4
S
B nt D
A PI W
5. 4 B
DI DI A
DI 5.
5 nt B
nt DI
3 4 nt T
A
3.
DI P
4 T
nt A
O
5 DI M D
5 DI
O
4.
DI P
5
5 A
DI E
O nt
DI
DI 5
4.
nt
5
5 P
O A
Q DI
DI
DI 5
5.
5
2
P
O P
DI E
nt DI
5 4.
5
P
A
DI
nt
5.
2
et
c.
The gap is skipped. The data points are accessed separately and not combined.
<Area>
SWAB VT_I4
T VT_BSTR
TOD VT_BSTR
5
A
B
5.
2
Q
B
5.
5
P
B
4.
2
O
B
4.
3
O
W
2.
3
C
5.
5
T5
.3
R
S
4.
2
B
S
4.
7
A
S
5.
2
ID T VT_BSTR
4. TOD VT_BSTR
2
A
D
5.
6
Q
D
5.
2
P
D
5.
4
O
D
5.
9
[Suffix]
A value can be represented in another format with the aid of a suffix. The S5
syntax without suffix a data type without a sign. A data type with a sign requires
a suffix.
Example: DB10DW3.4BCD.
If the connection "UnitID individual with item syntax" is selected, the following
applies:
dot (Unitidname.Itemname).
The Unitidname is made up of the Id and the number.
The area: 0 - 255
When a group is specified, the area of the group numbers is reduced to 0 - 255.
If the UnitID is missing in the Itemsyntax, the parameterized UnitID is transferred
to the PLC.
Example:
Id1.40001
Id2.R2
Id3.S20.30
Id1.G2.R3 UnitId + Group
<Area>
1 BIT-oriented means that one bit is addressed for each physical address.
WORD-oriented means that one word (16 bits) is addressed for each physical
address.
2 Entry of the start address is octal and the numbers 8 and 9 are invalid
characters. Internally, the address is handled decimally and must be considered
for logger and status.
Discrete inputs and outputs occupy 1 bit on the PLC. With read and write
accesses they are processed as 8-bit values. This means that before the write
access, 8 bits are read. With High Performance Protocol enabled it is possible to
write a single bit.
Areas can either be addressed via the above stated alphabetic sequence or via
a number. This means that a discrete input can be addressed by the
abbreviation E the same as with the number 1.
<Data type>
3 With the suffix WDT (Wago Date and Time) 4 registers (8 bytes) are read.
<Start address>
The start address specifies the address starting at which read or write accesses
begin.
Example: ER120: input register 120
If the start address is a certain bit, the bit number must also be specified.
<.Bit number>
The bit number must always be specified when the data type is BOOL!
Example: HRX5.2: Bit 2 of holding register 5
[.Array size]
Arrays are created to combine several units of one data type together in one
field.
Example: HRD50.3
[Suffix]
A suffix is used to represent a value in another format.
Example: HRD50.3WDT (representation in Wago Date and Time format)
1BIT-oriented means that one bit is addressed for each physical address.
WORD-oriented means that one word (16 bits) is addressed for each physical
address.
DOUBLE WORD-oriented means that one double word (32 bits) is addressed for
each physical address.
[File numer]
Specification of the file number is optional. If it is not specified, the default file
number is used. See column marked Default File Number in the table.
<Start address>
The start address specifies the address starting at which read or write accesses
begin. The start address can consist of 2 pieces of information. Word (floating)
number and when a single bit is accessed, then the bit number. The word
number can be omitted with a bit. The word number or the floating number is
introduced by a colon (:). The bit number is then introduced with a slash (/)
<:word> or <:float> or </bit>. A format can be entered behind the colon. If a
format is not entered, the data format in the Orientation column is used.
High H WORD
Byte
Low L WORD
Byte
Byte B WORD
The address is octal for some areas. It is decimal for others. See column labeled
Address.
Either the word number, the float number or the bit number is specified as the
start address.
<:word> or <:float> or </bit>
The following syntax is used to address a certain bit within a word.
<:word/bit>
Syntax Explanation
O:0 Word 0 in output file 0
F8:0 Float 0
[.Array size]
Arrays are created to combine everal units of one data type in a field together.
Arrays are only possible for word areas and float areas.
Examples: N23:4.10
[Suffix]
A suffix can be used to represent a value in another format. If no suffix is
specified, the formats from the Orientation column are used.
2. Expanded version:
1 BIT-oriented means that one bit is addressed for each physical address.
WORD-oriented means that one word (16 bits) is addressed for each physical
address.
<.Type> <,Type>
I - Y. 3 KG VT_R4
N DI
T N Y. IEEE VT_R4
T DI
N TR VT_R4
10
T
RI VT_R4
1
0. RU VT_R4
3
T VT_BSTR
WDT 2 VT_BSTR
BA VT_BOOL|VT_ARRAY
2 For suffix WDT (Wago Date and Time) four registers (8 bytes) are read.
3 Careful: With HEX addresses, its better to select the version with the X.
[.Array size]
Arrays are created to combine several units of one data type into one field.
Examples:
D20.300
[Suffix]
Suffixes can be used to represent a value in another format.
Example: D20.300KF
If the data type is BOOL, this requires specification of the bit number.
Syntax
SEND S
RECEIV R
E
<Data type>
BYTE B SB RB SB BA VT_BOOL|VT_ARRAY
4 5 4.4
VT_UI1 BY BCD VT_I2
TE SB RB SB
YT YT YT RI VT_R4
E4 E5 E4. RU VT_R4
5
RB
5.1
0
RB
YT
E5.
3
CHAR C SC RC SC DT VT_BSTR
4 5 4.2
VT_BSTR CH BA VT_BOOL|VT_ARRAY
AR SC RC SC
HA HA HA
R4 R5 R4.
2
RC
5.4
RC
HA
R5.
4
WORD W SW RW SW BA VT_BOOL|VT_ARRAY
10 10 10.
VT_UI2 W 2 BCD VT_I2
OR SW RW
D OR OR SW D VT_BSTR
D1 D1 OR
KF VT_I2
0 0 D1
0.2 KT VT_BSTR
RW RI VT_R4
10.
4 RU VT_R4
RW S5T VT_BSTR
OR
D1 SWAB VT_UI2
0.4 TR VT_R4
RD T VT_BSTR
6.5
RD
W6
.5
RD
W
OR
D6.
5
RR
EA
L2.
5
<Start address>
The start address specifies the byte address starting at which sending and
receiving begins.
Example: SWORD10: Word 10 is the start address.
If the start address is a certain bit, specification of the bit number is also
required.
<.Bit number>
When the data type is BOOL, the bit number must be specified!
Example: SX1.2: Bit 2 of byte 1 is the start address.
[.Array size]
Arrays are created to combine several units of one data type into a field.
Example: RWORD10.4
[Suffix]
A suffix can be used to represent a value in another format.
The properties of the Filter Item can be set when adding Filter Items and can be
modified when editing previously added Filter Items.
The add operation is triggered by selecting the parent node and then pressing
the Add a new item button , using the shortcut or selecting the Add action
from the context menu. When adding a new Filter Item the following dialog is
displayed:
Note: When you select items of type Node, the only configurable parameter is
the Name.
Note: The Access rights and Data type parameters are read-only. The Access
Rights reflects the access right which are set on the connection, while the Data
type is automatically completed based on valid PLC data syntax which is
provided by the user in the field Syntax.
The available configuration options in this dialog are described in the table
below:
Attribute Description
Id The full OPC item path for the data item inside the
dataFEED OPC Suite namespace.
Note: Items of type Node may have child items of any existing type.
Note: Items of type Tag cannot have any children. Therefore, Add is not
available for tags.
The OPC filter data items of the namespace may be of any data type covered by
the OPC Specifications. The following table describes the available data types
mapped to the corresponding VARIANT types from the OPC Specification.
Note: Arrays of fixed and variable length are also supported for these data
types.
The configuration options are the same as in the above described Add a New
Plc Item dialog.
Note: The Modify action is also triggered by double-clicking on tree items without
children.
7.3.1.10.6 TSAP
Station A Station B
IP address A IP address B
The TSAPs for S7 connections have a special meaning. See TSAP for S7
connection. See TSAP for S7 connection 391.
The TSAPs for S5 connections have no special meaning. They are selected
at random.
First group
Contains device identifiers for those that are provided in S7 resources.
01: PG or PC
02: OS (operator or monitoring device)
03: Other (e.g., OPC server, Simatic S7 PLC)
Second group
Contains the addresses of these components
Left character (bit 7...4):
Rack number multiplied by 2
Right character (bit 3...0):
Slot (< 16) of the CPU. Slot 2 is always used for the S7-300.
The standard TSAPs MUST be used on the controller side (remote TSAP of the
OPC server station).
Although the own TSAP (local TSAP of the OPC server station) can be selected
as desired, its should have the same format. We recommend using TSAP 01 01
as the own TSAP.
Examples:
01 01 PC running on the server; direct addressing
03 43 OPC communication with the S7 CPU on rack 2, slot 3
03 02 OPC communication with the S7 CPU on rack 0, slot 2
03 2E OPC communication with the S7-CPU on rack 1, slot 14
NOTE: The binary standard TSAPs are entered in the HEX window (left).
S7-1200
7.3.1.10.8 IP Address
The basics
In order to establish communication between two technical devices, each of the
devices must be able to send data to the other device. To ensure that these data
arrive at the right place on the other station, this station must be named (i.e.,
addressed) unambiguously. In IP networks this is done with an IP address.
An OPC server can address a PLC directly via its IP address (e.g.,
192.168.1.20). A PLC can also be addressed via its name. This means that the
name of the PLC must be stored with the applicable IP address and the domain
server must be entered in the TCP/IP of the server. The server asks for a
domain name (e.g., PLC1, the IP address for a name server) and then
addresses the PLC directly via its IP address 192.168.1.20.
IP address
Every IP data package begins with an information area for transportation through
the IP layer the IP header. This header also contains two fields in which the IP
addresses of both the sender and the receiver are entered before the data
package is sent. Relaying occurs in layer 3 of the OSI model the relaying
layer.
Setup
IPV4
The IPv4 addresses predominantly used since the introduction of version 4 of
the Internet protocol consist of 32 bits (i.e., 4 octets bytes). This means that
232 (i.e., 4,294,967,296) addresses can be represented. In dotted decimal
notation, the 4 octets are written in decimal presentation as four whole numbers
separated from each other by dots from 0 to 255.
Example: 192.168.1.20.
IPV6 new version with larger address area
Due to the quickly increasing need for IP addresses, the day is coming when the
usable address area of IPv4 will be exhausted.
The IANA address pool was used up on February 3, 2011. IPv6 was primarily
developed for that reason. It uses 128 bits to store addresses which means that
2128 = 25616
(= 340.282.366.920.938.463.463.374.607.431.768.211.456 3,4 1038)
addresses can be represented. This number is sufficient to provide at least
665.570.793.348.866.944
(= 6,65 1017) IP addresses for every square millimeter of the earths surface.
7.3.1.10.9 Suffixes
Suffixes
Syntax
Can Area Data Variant Data
Comments
Type
Be type
Used
for
BitArray
BA No. of bits: With the BA suffix, the data
sotrage saved on the PLC are
Byte, Size in bytesBOOL
times 8VT_BOOLshown
| ARRAY
as an array of bits.
EAN
Word, Size in words times16 VT_BOOL | ARRAY
BOOL
Int, Size in Int times
EAN16 VT_BOOL | ARRAY
DWord Size in DWord timesVT_BOOL
BOOL 32 | ARRAY
, EAN
Size in DInt times 32VT_BOOL | ARRAY
DInt BOOL
EAN
BOOL
EAN
BCD BCDByte, Byte:0 to 99 SHOR VT_I1 With the BCD suffix, the data
T saved on the PLC are shown
Word, Word:0 to 9999 VT_I2 as non-signed, binary-coded
SHOR values. For example, the
Int, Int: 0 to 9999
T VT_I2
decimal value "65535" is
DWord DWord:0 to 9999999 VT_I4 shown as "9999".
,
DInt: 0 to 9999999 VT_I4
DInt
Date and
DT Time
Word, 1990-1-1- STRIN VT_BSTRThe DT suffix is used to show
Int 00:00:00.0 G the data saved on the PLC as
00 to combined data type
DATE_AND_TIME. The data
2089-12- type DATE_AND_TIME has 8
31- bytes (64 bits). The year, the
23:59:59.9 month, the day, the hour, the
99 minutes, the seconds and the
milliseconds are included.
Remember the separators
Date and
DU Time
Word,(SQL)
1990-01- STRIN VT_BSTRThe DU suffix is used to show
Int 01 G the data saved on the PLC as
00:00:00.0 combined data type
00 to DATE_AND_TIME in SQL-
compatible format. There is
2089-12- no hyphen in front of the time.
31
23:59:59.9
99
ASCIIKA
to Hex
String, HEX: 0 to STRIN VT_BSTRThe KA suffix is used to show
S7- 9, A to F G the data saved on the PLC in
String hex characters.
Signed
KF Byte Byte: -128 CHAR VT_I2 The KF suffix is used to show
(LByte, to 127 the data saved on the PLC as
RByte, SHOR VT_I2 a signed, fixed-point number.
S5), Word: - T
32768 to VT_I4
Word 32767 LONG
(S5),
DWord: -
DWord 21474836
(S5) 48 to
21474836
47
S5-KG
KG DWord 0,1469368 REAL VT_R4 The KG suffix is used to
, DInt E-38 to handle the data saved on the
0,1701412 PLC as a 4-byte, floating
E39 point number.
Caution:
The KG
area in the
PLC is
larger than
on the PC!
S5-KT-Format
KT Word, 000.0 to STRIN VT_BSTRThe KT suffix is used to show
Int 999.3 G the data saved on the PLC as
a 2-byte time constant. The
time basis is supplied in
addition to the time value.
The value range is from 000.0
to 999.3.
Signed
RIto Byte,
Real Converts REAL VT_R4 The RI suffix is used to show
Word, item into a the data saved on the PLC as
Int, real value a signed, REAL data type.
DWord and When writing to the PLC, the
, DInt rounds off value is rounded up.
Unsigned
RU Byte,
to Real Converts REAL VT_R4 The RU suffix is used to show
Word, an item the data saved on the PLC as
Int, into a real a non-signed, REAL data
DWord value and type. The value is rounded
, DInt rounds off when written to the PLC.
the value
during
write-
access
S5 Time
S5T Word, 0ms to STRIN VT_BSTRThe S5T suffix is used to
Int 2h46m30 G show the data saved on the
PLC as the Simatic time
S5TIME. The data type
S5TIME occupies a 16-bit
word and is the product of
time value and time frame.
The time duration is specified
in hours, minutes, seconds
and milliseconds. The internal
representation is a BCD
number. The value range is
from 0 ms to 2h46m30s. The
smallest value is 10ms.
SwabSWAB
Bytes
Word, Switches VT_I2, The SWAB suffix is used to
Int, high byte UI2, switch high byte and low byte
DWord and low VT_I4, of the date stored on the PLC.
, DInt byte VT_I4,
VT_I4
Time TODDWord
of Day 0:0:0.0 to VT_BSTRThe TOD suffix is used to
, DInt 23:59:59.9 show the data saved on the
99 PLC as data type
TIME_OF_DAY. The data
type TIME_OF_DAY occupies
one double word (32 bits).
The representation contains
the information for
hours:minutes:seconds and
.milliseconds. Milliseconds
can be omitted.
The value range goes from
0:0:0.0 to 23:59:59.999.
TimeReal
TR Word, 0.01 to REAL VT_R4 The TR suffix is used to show
Int 9990.0 the data saved on the PLC as
the data type TIME REAL.
The value range goes from
0.01 to 9990.0 (s).
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the
different dataFEED OPC Suite data processing modules.
Forward 400
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure Store And Forward within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
The Store And Forward functionality allows the data to be stored while a
connection is interrupted and to be transferred when the connection resumes.
The storage side of the Store And Forward functionality can be configured in the
Store And Forward plug-in.
The Store And Forward needs a server which monitors the connection to a
certain client and when this connection is offline it starts storing data with the
defined settings. When the connection is back on the server starts forwarding
the data to the client. The corresponding connection monitoring for Store And
Forward can only be used for one special OPC or Tunnel client. This special
monitoring client is, depending on the configuration, either identified by its name
or always the first connected client.
The special forward client can only access the data items explicitly defined as
monitoring items on the server side. In the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator all
the data items from the server are always visible, however only the actual
monitoring items can be used in the local dataFEED OPC Suite application
during run time.
Such a special forward client can be configured from the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator by activating the Use as forward Client option for the desired server
connection. This option is found in the OPC Server Wizard - Store And Forward
459 page.
The local dataFEED OPC Suite application ensures that no data is lost while the
connection between the server and client is interrupted. Through the Store
functionality dataFEED OPC Suite stores the values of included items, and
through the Forward functionality it ensures that the stored data will be available
for the client after the connection has been re-established.
Specific details about creating and handling the Store And Forward definitions
can be found on the Configuration: Data Processing - Store And Forward 400
page.
7.3.2.1.1 Configuration
To start configuring the Store And Forward functionality select Store And
Forward from the Data Processing group in the navigator on the left.
The Store And Forward main user interface will show up. The main elements of
this page are the Store And Forward Settings and the Monitoring Items.
The checked items from the tree shown under Monitoring Items are the items
selected for Store And Forward. When the connection to the name-identified
client is lost or when the last client disconnects if the name-identified client
option is not set only the selected items will be cached locally until the
maximum number of data changes is reached.
Note: The Monitoring Items tree list is only visible if there is a configuration
loaded.
Note: The Monitoring Items tree list is only editable if Store And Forward is
activated.
The Store And Forward main user interface is divided into the following areas:
The local storage path and file name, the file size at which a warning is
issued, the number of maximum data changes to be stored in the local data
storage and whether to overwrite the data changes or not (when the
maximum data changes has been reached).
The store and forward monitoring client which can be identified as the first
connecting client or a specific client identified by its name.
The forward settings which include the forward method and the forward cycle
time.
The monitored storage items.
Some of the wizard values have defaults but it is highly advisable to verify them
before proceeding to include items for monitoring in Store And Forward.
This wizard is opened when the Activate Store And Forward checkbox is
selected or by using the Modify the Store And Forward Settings button .
Operation
From the Store And Forward main user interface certain operations can be
performed on the selected checked/unchecked items using the buttons on the
right, accessing the context sensitive menu or pressing the keyboard shortcuts.
The following actions are available:
Include the selected item and all of its children in the Store And Forward
monitoring by pressing the SPACE key on the keyboard (when the
corresponding item checkbox is not checked) or by selecting Include from
the context menu.
Exclude the selected item and all of its children from the Store And Forward
monitoring by pressing the SPACE key on the keyboard (when the
corresponding item checkbox is checked) or by selecting Exclude from the
context menu.
Re-establish the server connection and refresh the data items using the
Refresh data items button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or
selecting the Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu.
Access the Store And Forward Settings 405 to modify tag update rate and
execution condition by selecting the Settings action from the context menu.
Add a new item under the selected node by using the Add button ,
pressing the CTRL+A keyboard shortcut or selecting the Add action from the
context menu. Depending on what node is selected a special Add Item
dialog opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Delete the selected Store And Forward item by using the Delete button ,
pressing the DEL / DELETE key or selecting the Delete action from the
context menu.
Copy and paste the selected Store And Forward item and all of its children
by selecting the Copy and Paste commands from the context menu. These
operations are only allowed between items of the same data source type.
Import Store And Forward items from an external file through the Import
Wizard 423 by selecting the Import action from the context menu. The
imported items should exist in the configuration to which they are imported,
or the data source should allow the creation of dynamic items.
Export Store And Forward items to an external file through the Export Wizard
430 by selecting the Export action from the context menu.
Open the item properties dialog by using the Properties button , pressing
the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties action from the
context menu. Depending on what item is selected a special Item Properties
dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Open the Global Alias Values 657 dialog to configure global alias and initial
values by using the Configure global alias and initial values button or
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+D. Each Store And Forward monitored
item is included with a default update rate and an execution condition. If
desired the default value and the alias value can be changed through this
dialog.
Delete the selected item and all of its children by clicking the Delete button
, pressing the DEL / DELETE key or selecting the Delete action from the
context menu.
Note: The available context menu options depend on the selection in the tree.
Multiple item selection is disabled in trees.
Note: The Settings context menu action is only available for items of type Tag.
Note: The Add action is only valid for items of type Node (including root node
items).
Note: The Import action is only allowed for items of type Node (including root
node items).
The following examples show the context menus for items of the Tag and Node
types under a server connection:
Note: The tool tips on the tree also display item attributes.
Status Bar
The status bar contains the properties of the selected tree item:
See the Store And Forward Wizard 406 page for details about how to generally
configure the Store And Forward add-on.
See the Store And Forward Items Settings 405 page for details about how to
The Store And Forward Settings dialog allows changing the item's properties
that are specific to Store And Forward.
This dialog can be accessed by selecting the Settings action from the context
menu. The Settings context menu action is only available for items monitored for
Store And Forward.
A dialog box is displayed:
In this dialog the specific Store And Forward item properties can be changed.
These properties only apply when the Store And Forward add-on begins storing
the data changes, that is when the last client disconnects (if client identification
by name is not set) or (if client identification by name is set) when the specific
client disconnects.
Attribute Description
Update rate The interval between the data polling for the specific item.
This may be the Global Alias Value or a specific interval value
in milliseconds.
Execution The condition which decides whether the polled item value is
condition stored or not. This value may be the Global Alias Value or one
of the following: AllGoodQuality, Always, ItemQualityChanged
or OneBadQuality.
By default the values of these attributes are the ones set in the Global Alias
Values 657 dialog. The Alias values represent global values for the entire
application. When you change the Global Alias Values 657, items with Alias
settings are automatically updated.
This wizard allows the server side and storage side configuration of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application's Store And Forward functionality.
The wizard starts automatically when Store And Forward is activated. It can also
be started using the Modify the Store And Forward Settings button . The first
time this wizard is displayed it adopts some default values.
This wizard allows the following:
With the Store And Forward Wizard you can configure the server respectively
the storage side of the Store And Forward functionality of the Local
Application:
Obtain general information about the Store And Forward Wizard @ Store
And Forward Wizard - Welcome 406
Configure the local data storage @ Store And Forward Wizard - Local
Storage 408
Define the storage items to be monitored and locally stored @ Store And
Forward Wizard - Storage Items 411
7.3.2.1.3.1 Welcome
This page provides a short overview of the Store And Forward Settings that can
be configured on the following pages. This page requests no input as it only
shows what the wizard allows:
Press the Next button to proceed with the wizard or abort the operation with the
Cancel button.
On the Local Storage wizard page the local storage settings can be configured:
the Local Storage File settings and the Stored Transactions settings.
The path where the storage file should be located. If the path does not point
to an existing folder then the corresponding path will be created either by the
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator when the Next button is pressed, or at
run time by the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
The file name identifying the storage file. The file is created at the run time of
the local dataFEED OPC Suite application. If the file exists it will be
overwritten.
Stored Transactions
In the Stored Transactions group box the following settings can be configured:
has been reached (this allows access to the latest stored transactions).
Continue to the next wizard page by pressing the Next button, return to the
previous one by using the Back button, or discard the changes made so far by
clicking the Cancel button.
<<< Store And Forward Wizard - Welcome 406 Store And Forward
Wizard - Monitoring Client >>> 409
On the Monitoring Client wizard page you can configure the client monitoring
settings for the local dataFEED OPC Suite application:
The monitoring client can be identified during the run time of the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application either as the first connected client or by its name.
If the First Connected Client option is selected, the stored data will be
forwarded to the first client that connects. When the connected client
disconnects from the server, the store mechanism is activated. The next
client that successfully connects to the server after the initial client
disconnected becomes the forward client, receiving the stored data. No
normal clients (non-forward) may be connected to the server in this case.
If the Identified By Client Name option is selected, the stored data will be
forwarded to the client bearing a specific Client name. The input field for the
client name must not be empty. When the name-identified forward client
disconnects from the server, the store mechanism is activated. The stored
data is forwarded to the next client of the specified name. Unlike the
previous case, clients that do not have the specified name can connect to
the server as normal clients (they will receive data for their subscriptions);
the forward client will still have to have the specified Client Name.
Note: In the First Connected Client mode only one client at a time can be
connected to the server; no other clients are allowed to connect to the server
after the first client has successfully connected.
Note: In the Identified By Client Name mode, if a client bearing a specific name
connects to the server while another client with the same name is already
connected, the previously connected client will be disconnected and the newly
connected client will become the forward client. For a reliable functionality it is
recommended to use only one client with the specific name as forwarding client.
Advance in the wizard by using the Next button, return to the Local Storage page
by pressing the Back button or cancel the wizard with the Cancel button.
<<< Store And Forward Wizard - Local Storage 408 Store And Forward
Wizard - Forward Client >>> 410
On the Forward Settings wizard page the data forwarding settings can be
configured:
Forwarding Method
In the Forwarding Method group you can choose between the following options:
Advance to the next wizard page by pressing the Next button, return to the
previous one using the Back button or discard the changes made so far by
clicking the Cancel button.
<<< Store And Forward Wizard - Monitoring Client 409 Store And
Forward Wizard - Storage Items >>> 411
On the Storage Items wizard page you can select the items you want to monitor
using the Store And Forward functionality:
This page is similar to the Configuration: Data Processing - Store And Forward
400 page. There you will find a description of all the available actions.
Note: The expanded Local Namespace nodes will not maintain their folded/
unfolded structure from theStorage Items wizard page to the Data Processing -
Store And Forward main user interface page after pressing the Finish button.
The selection of monitoring items will be retained, however.
Press the Finish button to save all the changes made in this wizard or discard all
changes with the Cancel button.
The Store And Forward configuration settings are stored in two separate files:
Task file 412 which contains general descriptions for Store And Forward.
Subscription file 418 which contains all descriptions relating to the stored data:
which items are monitored for changes
the update rate and the execution condition for all the items.
Note: The file path and the file name of these configuration files are fixed and
not configurable.
The task and subscription files are stored in the Tasks folder under the current
configuration folder. Two files are created in the Tasks folder for the Store And
Forward add-on: the Tasks.txt file which will hold the tasks and the
Subscriptions.txt file which will contain the items selected for Store And Forward.
The configuration file can be managed with the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator or it can be manually edited.
Note: The recommendation is to use only the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
to edit these files. This ensures that all the definitions will be valid.
If the Store And Forward configuration files are manually edited try loading the
entire configuration in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator, as all the
configuration files are automatically validated at load-time and, if there are any
mistakes, an error message will be displayed. The dialog will contain an
appropriate description and will point to the first invalid line of the local items
configuration file.
The filter files are plain text files encoded in UTF-8 (thus providing full UNICODE
compatibility) and they have a line-oriented structure. The elements of a line are
tab-separated. Each line has the following format:
Store And Defines the Store And Forward task ID and eventually the
Forward 413 forward client name.
Store Max. File Defines the maximum size of the storage file which will raise
Size 414 an alarm if reached.
Store Folder 415 Defines the absolute path to the storage file.
Store Rollover Defines the behavior of the store mechanism when the
Values 415 maximum data changes limit is reached: whether to
overwrite the old data changes or whether to ignore the new
data changes when the maximum number of data changes
is reached and new data changes are available.
Forward Method Defines when the forward process starts after a client is
416 reconnected.
Forward Packed Defines the method used for forwarding the stored data to
Data Changes 416 the monitoring client.
Commented Any line that starts with the "#" character is considered a
Lines (#) comment line which is ignored during evaluation.
The Store And Forward line contains the following configurable parameters:
Parameter Description
Client name String defining the monitoring client name. If this value
is an empty string then the data forwarding will start for
the first connected client. The client name may contain
any Unicode characters.
The Max. Item Changes line contains the following configurable parameters:
Parameter Description
The Store Max. File Size line contains the following configurable parameters:
Parameter Description
File Size Number The number part of the maximum file size.
Example: 200 if the maximum desired file size is
200MB.
File Size Unit The unit part of the maximum file size. Allowed values
are: KB, MB and GB.
Example: MB if the maximum desired file size is 200MB.
Parameter Description
Folder Path The absolute path for the Store And Forward file (see
below).
The Store File Name line contains the following configurable parameters:
Parameter Description
File Name The Store And Forward file name (which will be created
in the above path).
The Store Rollover Values line contains the following configurable parameters:
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
The Forward Packed Data Changes line contains the following configurable
parameters:
Parameter Description
The Forward Max. Changes line contains the following configurable parameters:
Parameter Description
Max. Changes Value Defines the maximum number of item data changes
to be forwarded per transaction.
The Forward Cycle Time line contains the following configurable parameters:
Parameter Description
FORWARD_CYCLE_TI The type of the line, predefined keyword.
ME
common lines 418 for all consumer add-ons: conditions, subscriptions and
item trigger lines;
specific lines 422 for Store And Forward: STORE lines.
Common Lines:
The following lines are common lines and will be used to configure different
functionalities:
Subscription 419 Defines the update rate with which the current action will be
executed.
Condition 420 Defines the execution condition for the current action.
Item 421 This line defines a trigger which is fired if the item data has
changed.
The trigger data includes all other items which have changed
at the same time (were reported in the same data change
callback from the OPC server). An item data change consists
of a different value or quality of the respective item compared
to the previous one.
Commented Any line that starts with the "#" character is considered a
Lines (#) comment line which is ignored during evaluation.
Note: In the common lines section there will always be two lines (a subscription
line and a condition line) with empty IDs representing the global subscription and
the global condition, respectively. The values in these lines can be accessed
through the Global Alias And Initial Values 657 dialog of the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator.
Subscription Line
A subscription line has the following format:
Parameter Description
Update rate value Defines the update rate of the current subscription.
The subscription lines always contain the global subscription line as well as all
subscriptions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
subscription is represented by the subscription line with the empty Subscription
ID. The default update rate value for the global subscription is 1000 milliseconds.
The value of the update rate is saved in milliseconds. This value may not be set
to 0 inside the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator but it can be manually set by
editing the subscription file with an external text editor. An update rate value of 0
means as fast as possible but this is not recommended from a resource-related
point of view.
Setting a subscription to be active or inactive is an advanced feature which
cannot be configured from within the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator. By
default the active value is set to TRUE for every subscription (meaning that all
subscriptions are active since creation). If a subscription's active value is set to
FALSE then the data changes of the items configured to be part of that
subscription will be ignored.
Examples:
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATERATE 1000 ACTIVE TRUE
SUBSCRIPTION Subscription_300 UPDATERATE 300 ACTIVE TRUE
Condition Line
A condition line defines whether an action below an item trigger will be executed
or not (when the item trigger is fired). This can be used in other configuration
lines as well to condition the execution of an item action. A condition line has the
following format:
Parameter Description
Condition Description
AllGoodQuality The trigger actions are executed only if all items in the
transaction have the quality Good.
The condition lines always contain the global condition line as well as all
conditions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
condition is represented by the condition line with the empty Condition ID. The
default condition statement value for the global condition is Always. As a general
rule all the condition lines need to be declared in the global section of the
subscription file. If no condition is defined the Always condition is applied as
default.
Examples:
CONDITION Always
CONDITION AllGoodQuality AllGoodQuality
Item Line
An item line is used to add an item to a subscription. The associated actions are
executed each time the value or the quality of the specified data items changes
during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
An item line has the following format:
ITEM<TAB>Subscription Item ID<TAB>Server Item ID<TAB>Subscription Id
Parameter Description
Server Item ID Item identifier within the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application address namespace. This could be a server
connection item ID or a local item ID.
This trigger is fired if the item data or quality has changed (also referred to as
data change). The trigger data includes all other items which were included in
the data change (items which had their data change reported in the same
transaction).
Note: A single line consisting of the Server Item ID and Subscription ID is added
to the subscription file for an item used several times with the same update rate
in any consumer add-ons. This optimizes the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application throughput.
Example:
ITEM increment.I1_Subscription_300 increment.I1 Subscription_300
Note: The subscription item ID can be empty. In this case, however, only the
Specific Lines:
The following line is Store And Forward specific:
STORE The STORE line defines the Store And Forward action
related to the item trigger.
Parameter Description
The Softing Configurator allows the import of Store And Forward items from an
external file.
The external file should be a plain-text tab-separated file with the specific Store
And Forward File Format 423 .
The Store And Forward Import Wizard can be triggered by selecting the Import
action from the Monitoring Items tree context sensitive menu. Depending on
the current tree selection the import action may be allowed or not. After the
import file is successfully parsed the selected tree item sub-branch is verified
whether it contains the imported items or not. If the item sub-branch contains the
imported items then these items are marked for monitoring. If the imported items
do not exist in the current item's sub-branch they will be created and marked for
monitoring (if the current item's server connection supports dynamic items). If
the sub-branch of the selected item does not contain the imported items and the
selected item's server connection does not support dynamic items then the non-
existing items will not be created.
Note: If only part of the imported items are contained in the sub-branch of the
currently selected item and the item's server connection does not support
dynamic items then the import is done only partly: the existing items are marked
for monitoring and the non-existing items are ignored.
When the import action is triggered the Store And Forward Import Wizard is
started.
The Store And Forward Import Wizard allows importing different Store And
Forward items and actions:
Select the file to be imported @ Import Wizard - Import File Selection 428
The Store And Forward actions can be imported into the namespace of the Store
And Forward add-on from a text file with a specific format. The external filter files
should be plain text files and have a line-oriented structure. The elements of a
line must be tab-separated. For each Store And Forward data item a line is
added to the file. The number of elements of a specific line depends on the line
type. For each item that should be marked for monitoring a Store And Forward
action line (STORE) must exist in the file to be imported.
In an import file for Data Processing - Store And Forward, multiple line types can
be found:
common lines 424 for all consumer add-ons: conditions, subscriptions and
item trigger lines;
specific lines 427 for Store And Forward: STORE lines.
Common Lines:
The following lines are common lines and will be used to configure different
functionalities:
Subscription 424 Defines the update rate with which the current action will be
executed.
Condition 425 Defines the execution condition for the current action.
Item 426 This line defines a trigger which is fired if the item data has
changed.
An item data change consists of a different value or quality of
the respective item compared to the previous one.
Commented Any line that starts with the "#" character is considered a
Lines (#) comment line which is ignored during evaluation.
Note: In the common lines section there will always be two lines (a subscription
line and a condition line) with empty IDs representing the global subscription and
the global condition, respectively. The values in these lines can be accessed
through the Global Alias And Initial Values 657 dialog of the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator.
Subscription Line
A subscription line has the following format:
Parameter Description
Update rate value Defines the update rate of the current subscription.
The subscription lines always contain the global subscription line as well as all
subscriptions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
subscription is represented by the subscription line with the empty Subscription
ID. The default update rate value for the global subscription is 1000 milliseconds.
The value of the update rate is saved in milliseconds. This value may not be set
to 0 inside the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator but it can be manually set by
editing the subscription file with an external text editor. An update rate value of 0
means as fast as possible but this is not recommended from a resource-related
point of view.
Setting a subscription to be active or inactive is an advanced feature which
cannot be configured from within the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator. By
default the active value is set to TRUE for every subscription (meaning that all
subscriptions are active since creation). If a subscription's active value is set to
FALSE then the data changes of the items configured to be part of that
subscription will be ignored.
Examples:
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATERATE 1000 ACTIVE TRUE
SUBSCRIPTION Subscription_300 UPDATERATE 300 ACTIVE TRUE
Condition Line
A condition line defines whether an action below an item trigger will be executed
or not (when the item trigger is fired). This can be used in other configuration
lines as well to condition the execution of an item action. A condition line has the
following format:
Parameter Description
Condition Description
AllGoodQuality The trigger actions are executed only if all items in the
transaction have the quality Good.
The condition lines always contain the global condition line as well as all
conditions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
condition is represented by the condition line with the empty Condition ID. The
default condition statement value for the global condition is Always. As a general
rule all the condition lines need to be declared in the global section of the
subscription file. If no condition is defined the Always condition is applied as
default.
Examples:
CONDITION Always
CONDITION AllGoodQuality AllGoodQuality
Parameter Description
Server Item ID Item identifier within the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application address namespace. This could be a server
connection item ID or a local item ID.
This trigger is fired if the item data or quality has changed (also referred to as
data change). The trigger data includes all other items which were included in
the data change (items which had their data change reported in the same
transaction).
Note: A single line consisting of the Server Item ID and Subscription ID is added
to the subscription file for an item used several times with the same update rate
in any consumer add-ons. This optimizes the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application throughput.
Example:
ITEM increment.I1_Subscription_300 increment.I1 Subscription_300
Note: The subscription item ID can be empty. In this case, however, only the
Server Item ID can be used to identify the item.
Specific Lines:
The following line is Store And Forward specific:
STORE The STORE line defines the Store And Forward action
related to the item trigger.
Parameter Description
The Import File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file to be
imported. The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input
box or by clicking the browse button to the right of the input box (a standard file
selection dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When the Next button is pressed the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist an error message is
displayed. The actual import begins if the selected file is valid. If the import takes
longer to complete a waiting dialog is displayed. When the import operation is
finished the Import Results page is displayed.
This page is the final page of the Store And Forward Import Wizard. A back
button is not provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be
successful or it can fail:
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
An Import Results example for a failed import operation can be seen below:
When the import wizard is closed after a successful import, the new items are
marked (or, if the server connection supports dynamic items, they are added and
then marked) for monitoring in the Store And Forward item tree.
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows the export of Store And Forward
items and actions to an external file.
The external file will be a tab-separated file with the specific Store And Forward
file format 423 .
The export action can be triggered by selecting the Export action from the
Monitoring Items tree context sensitive menu. Depending on the current tree
selection the export action may be allowed or not.
The exported file will contain all the items marked for Store And Forward
monitoring, with all of the execution conditions, subscriptions and triggers.
When the export action is triggered the Store And Forward Export Wizard is
started.
The Store And Forward Export Wizard allows exporting Store And Forward
items and actions:
Select the file the Store And Forward items and actions are to be exported
to @ Export Wizard - Export File Selection 431
The Export File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file path and name
for the exported file. The file can be selected by manually typing its path and
name in the File input box or by clicking the browse button located to the right of
the input box (a standard file saving dialog will open).
When the Next button is pressed the file path is verified and if the path does not
exist, an error message is displayed (invalid path). If the specified file path is
valid and a file with the specified name already exists, a message box will ask
whether to overwrite the existing file or not (select another file). The actual Store
And Forward export operation begins when the path to the file is valid and either
a file with the specified name does not exist or it exists and overwrite has been
chosen.
When the export operation is finished the Export Results page is displayed.
This page is the final page of the Store And Forward Export Wizard. A back
button is not provided as the export action cannot be undone. The export can be
successful or it can fail:
1. After a successful export the results page contains the following information:
7.3.2.2 Exchange
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure the Exchange functionality within Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
The OPC Exchange add-on is used for exchanging data between two OPC
servers. The data change received from one item of the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application's namespace will be written into another item of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application namespace normally residing on another
server. It is also possible to exchange data within a single OPC server or
between distinct Local Items. An exchange action always comprises a source
item and a destination item. The source item value is written into the destination
item.
Note: The source item of an exchange action should allow reading and the
destination item should allow writing.
Exchange Action
An Exchange Action has the following attributes:
1. the source item
2. the destination item
3. the update rate
4. the condition
5. the exchange value(s)
An Exchange Action may be created simply by selecting items from the source
and destination trees and adding them to the exchange actions table. When a
new Exchange Action is created, it receives the default initial update rate,
execution condition and exchange value(s), parameters which can be easily
changed later. Specific details about how to create and handle the Exchange
actions can be found on the Configuration: Data Processing - Exchange 434 page.
A description of the Exchange file format can be found on the Exchange File
Format 442 page.
7.3.2.2.1 Configuration
The Exchange add-on main user interface allows configuring the Exchange
mechanism. This main user interface can be reached by selecting the Exchange
option from the Data Processing section in the navigation panel on the left.
Activate Exchange
The Exchange add-on has to be activated before you can use it. If the Exchange
add-on is not activated then the module is not loaded by the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application at run time. When Exchange is deactivated the configured
data is not deleted but only disabled. The data is available again when the
Exchange add-on is reactivated.
Note: Items of type Node can also be used as exchange sources or destinations
if they satisfy the access rights constraint.
The dataFEED OPC Suite root node and the data sources cannot be used as
exchange sources or destinations. Items of type Tag or Property which are not
valid cannot be used as exchange sources or destinations, therefore these items
are disabled (grayed out).
Note: The same item cannot be used as source and destination in the same
exchange action, therefore the Insert a new Exchange action button is disabled.
If such an exchange action is created nevertheless through the context menu
or by performing a drag and drop operation an error dialog will be displayed
and the respective item will not be transferred to the current exchange action.
In both the source and the destination trees the context menu is dependent on
the active tree selection. Multiple selection is disabled in both trees.
Operation
From the Exchange main user interface certain operations can be performed
over the selected exchange action as well as for the selected source and
destination items. The operations are easily accessible using the buttons on the
right, accessing the context sensitive menu or by pressing the keyboard
shortcuts. The following actions are available:
Insert a new exchange action for the selected source and destination items
437 using the Insert a new Exchange action button or pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+N.
Change the properties of the selected Exchange action 438 using the
Properties of the selected Exchange action button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties action from the
context menu.
Add a new Exchange action 437 using the Add a new Exchange action button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add a new
Exchange action action from the context menu.
Configure global alias and initial values 438 using the Configure global alias
and initial values button or pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+D.
Remove the selected Exchange action(s) 439 using the Delete button ,
pressing the DEL / DELETE key or selecting the Delete action from the
context menu.
Use the selected Source Item in the current Exchange action 437 by selecting
the Use As Source Item action from the Local Namespace - Source Items
tree context menu.
Use the selected Destination Item in the current Exchange action 437 by
selecting the Use As Destination Item action from the Local Namespace -
Destination Items tree context menu.
Use the selected Source Item in a new Exchange action 438 by selecting the
Insert New Source Item action from the Local Namespace - Source Items
tree context menu.
Use the selected Destination Item in a new Exchange action 438 by selecting
the Insert New Destination Item action from the Local Namespace -
Destination Items tree context menu.
Specific tree handling actions are available through the context menu for the
Source and Destination Selection trees. For more details see the Tree
Handling 156 chapter.
Import Exchange actions from an external file by selecting the Import action
from the context menu.
Export the selected Exchange actions to an external file by selecting the
Export action from the context menu.
An example of the Local Namespace - Source Items context menu over a Tag
item originating from a server connection can be seen below:
An example of the Exchange Data List context menu can be seen below:
Note: The item trees from the Source and Destination Selection section display
the item's attributes as tool tips.
Note: The Exchange Data List allows multiple selection therefore the available
actions depend on the active selection (empty line selected, single line selected
or multiple lines selected). An Exchange line contains all the attributes of the
respective Exchange action.
Update rate The rate at which the data values are polled from
the source item and written to the destination item.
The entries marked with Alias bear the global alias
value of the configuration. The alias value can be
changed through the Global Alias Values 657 dialog.
Performing drag and drop actions from the Source and Destination Selection
trees into an empty line of the Exchange Data List, targeting the Source Item
or Destination Item columns.
Using the Insert new Exchange action button when two valid items from
the Source Items and Destination Items trees under the Source and
Destination Selection section are selected.
Consecutively selecting the Insert New Source Item (or the Insert New
Destination Item) and the Use as Destination Item (or the Use as Source
Item) actions from the context menu of the Source Items and Destination
Items trees (no Exchange action must be selected).
Performing drag and drop actions from the Source and Destination Selection
trees into an existing line of the Exchange Data List, targeting the Source
Item or Destination Item columns.
Selecting either the Use as Source Item or the Use as Destination Item
action from the context menu of the Source Items and Destination Items
trees (an Exchange action must be selected).
Click on a selected line in the update rate cell. A spin box appears which
allows modifying the update rate .
Click on a selected line in the condition cell. A drop down box appears which
Click on a selected line in the exchange value(s) cell. A drop down box
appears which allows modifying the exchange value(s).
The Properties button on the right side of the table opens the Exchange
Action 440 dialog for the selected exchange action.
Double clicking on an Exchange action row in the data list opens the
Exchange Action 440 dialog for that selected exchange action.
"Properties" from the context sensitive menu opens the Exchange Action 440
dialog for that selected exchange action.
Status Bar
The status bar contains the properties of the selected item from the control that
has the focus.
If the focus is in one of the trees, the status bar contains the properties of the
selected item:
This page describes the process of adding and modifying an Exchange action.
Source item ID, destination item ID, update rate, execution condition and the
exchange value(s) can be edited in this dialog.
The source item ID and destination item ID should be valid hierarchical names
pointing to existing items in the dataFEED OPC Suite tree and must respect the
access rights restrictions (the source item should be at least readable and the
destination item should be at least writable). Items of the types Tag, Property or
Note: If the source or destination item has a valid path in the dataFEED OPC
Suite tree, but the item itself comes from a dynamic server connection and does
not exist then it can be created from this dialog.
Note: The source and destination items of an Exchange action must be different
items.
The dialog is populated with the attributes of the selected Exchange action.
The Exchange actions are stored in a single plain text configuration file called
Subscriptions.txt which resides in the Task folder under the current configuration
folder.
Note: The path and the name of the Exchange actions configuration cannot be
configured.
The configuration file can be managed with the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator or it can be manually edited.
Note: The recommendation is to use only the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
to edit these files. This ensures that all the definitions will be valid.
If the Subscriptions configuration file is manually edited try loading the entire
configuration in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator as all the configuration
files are automatically validated at load-time and, if there are any mistakes, an
error message will be displayed. The dialog will contain an appropriate
description and will point to the first invalid line of the subscription configuration
file.
The subscription file is a plain text file, encoded in UTF-8 (thus providing full
UNICODE compatibility) and having a line-oriented structure. The elements of a
line are tab-separated. The format of one line is the following:
Line Types
The Exchange add-on generates multiple line types:
common lines 442 which are specific to all the consumer add-ons: condition
lines, subscription lines and item lines;
specific lines 446 : modifier lines and copy lines.
Common Lines
The following lines are common lines and will be used to configure different
functionalities:
Subscription 443 Defines the update rate with which the current action will be
executed.
Condition 444 Defines the execution condition for the current action.
Item 445 This line defines a trigger which is fired if the item data has
changed.
An item data change consists of a different value or quality of
Commented Any line that starts with the "#" character is considered a
Lines (#) comment line which is ignored during evaluation.
Note: In the common lines section there will always be two lines (a subscription
line and a condition line) with empty IDs representing the global subscription and
the global condition, respectively. The values in these lines can be accessed
through the Global Alias And Initial Values 657 dialog of the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator.
Subscription Line
A subscription line has the following format:
Parameter Description
Update rate value Defines the update rate of the current subscription.
The subscription lines always contain the global subscription line as well as all
subscriptions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
subscription is represented by the subscription line with the empty Subscription
ID. The default update rate value for the global subscription is 1000 milliseconds.
The value of the update rate is saved in milliseconds. This value may not be set
to 0 inside the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator but it can be manually set by
editing the subscription file with an external text editor. An update rate value of 0
means as fast as possible but this is not recommended from a resource-related
point of view.
Setting a subscription to be active or inactive is an advanced feature which
cannot be configured from within the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator. By
default the active value for each and every subscription is set to TRUE (meaning
that all subscriptions are active since creation). If a subscription's active value is
set to FALSE then the data changes of the items configured to be part of that
subscription will be ignored.
Examples:
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATERATE 1000 ACTIVE TRUE
SUBSCRIPTION Subscription_300 UPDATERATE 300 ACTIVE TRUE
Condition Line
A condition line defines whether an action below an item trigger will be executed
or not (when the item trigger is fired). This can be used in other configuration
lines as well to condition the execution of an item action. A condition line has the
following format:
Parameter Description
Condition Description
AllGoodQuality The trigger actions are executed only if all items in the
transaction have the quality Good.
The condition lines always contain the global condition line as well as all
conditions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
condition is represented by the condition line with the empty Condition ID. The
default condition statement value for the global condition is Always. As a general
rule all the condition lines need to be declared in the global section of the
subscription file. If no condition is defined the Always condition is applied as
default.
Examples:
CONDITION Always
CONDITION AllGoodQuality AllGoodQuality
Item Line
An item line is used to add an item to a subscription. The associated actions are
executed each time the value or the quality of the specified data items changes
during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
An item line has the following format:
Parameter Description
Server Item ID Item identifier within the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application address namespace. This could be a server
connection item ID or a local item ID.
This trigger is fired if the item data or quality has changed (also referred to as
data change). The trigger data includes all other items which were included in
the data change (items which had their data change reported in the same
transaction).
Note: A single line consisting of the Server Item ID and Subscription ID is added
to the subscription file for an item used several times with the same update rate
in any consumer add-ons. This optimizes the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application throughput.
Example:
ITEM increment.I1_Subscription_300 increment.I1 Subscription_300
Note: The subscription item ID can be empty. In this case, however, only the
Server Item ID can be used to identify the item.
Specific Lines
The following lines are Exchange specific:
Copy line 442 Defines the items involved in the exchange process, denoting
the source and destination.
Modifier Line
The modifier line names the exchange value(s) used in an exchange action. The
modifier line has the following format:.
MODIFIER<TAB>Modifier ID<TAB>Modifier type
Paramete Description
r
Modifier The type of the data to be exchanged. It may have any of the
type following values: V, VQ, VQT.
Condition Description
Data Value This modifier denotes that only the value data attribute is
(V) exchanged.
Data Value This modifier denotes that the value and the quality data
and Quality attributes are exchanged.
(VQ)
Data Value, This modifier denotes that all of the data attributes (value,
Quality and quality and the timestamp) are exchanged.
Timestamp
(VQT)
The modifier lines always contain the global condition and besides that contain
all modifiers that are used at least once in exchange actions.
The default global modifier always has an empty Modifier ID. The default value
for this modifier is Value.
Copy Line
The copy line is the essential exchange action line in the subscription file. It joins
together the exchange condition, the source item along with its originating
subscription, the destination item along with its source subscription and the
modifier value. The copy line has the following format:.
COPY<TAB>Condition ID<TAB>Source Subscription Item ID<TAB>Destination Subscript
Parameter Description
Deactivated Exchange
When the Exchange add-on is deactivated all the Exchange specific lines are
pre-padded with the #! characters. This way the data remains saved in the
configuration file but will be ignored by the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application at run time.
#
ITEM Local Items.Node1.Tag1_ Local Items.Node1.Tag1
#
ITEM Local Items.Node1.Tag2_Subscription_900 Local Items.Node1.Tag2 Subscri
#
ITEM OPC_1.dynamic.myTag_Subscription_800 OPC_1.dynamic.myTag Subscri
#
ITEM OPC_1.increment.BOOL_ OPC_1.increment.BOOL
COPY OPC_1.increment.BOOL_ Local Items.Node1.Tag1_
#
ITEM OPC_1.increment.BOOL array_Subscription_900 OPC_1.increment.BOOL arra
COPY AllGoodQuality OPC_1.increment.BOOL array_Subscription_900 Local I
#
ITEM OPC_1.increment.CY_Subscription_800 OPC_1.increment.CY Subscription_
COPY OneBadQuality OPC_1.increment.CY_Subscription_800 OPC_1.dynamic.myTag
The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator allows the import of Exchange actions
from an external file. The external file should be a plain text tab-separated file
with the specific Exchange File Format 442 . The import action can be triggered by
selecting the Import action from the Exchange Data List context sensitive menu.
The import action is not dependent on the selection from the data list. The
imported actions are always appended to the existing Exchange Data List list.
When the import action is triggered the Exchange Import Wizard is started.
Select the file to be imported @ Import Wizard - Import File Selection 454
The Exchange actions can be imported into the namespace of the Exchange
add-on from a text file with a specific format. The external files should be plain
text files with line-oriented structure. The elements of each line must be tab-
separated. For each Copy line an Exchange action will be created.
Line Types
The Exchange add-on generates multiple line types:
common lines 449 which are specific to all the consumer add-ons: condition
lines, subscription lines and item lines;
Common Lines
The following lines are common lines and will be used to configure different
functionalities:
Subscription 449 Defines the update rate with which the current action will be
executed.
Condition 450 Defines the execution condition for the current action.
Item 451 This line defines a trigger which is fired if the item data has
changed.
An item data change consists of a different value or quality of
the respective item compared to the previous one.
Commented Any line that starts with the "#" character is considered a
Lines (#) comment line which is ignored during evaluation.
Note: In the common lines section there will always be two lines (a subscription
line and a condition one) with empty IDs representing the global subscription
respectively the global condition. The values in these lines can be accessed
through the Global Alias And Initial Values 657 dialog of the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator.
Subscription Line
A subscription line has the following format:
SUBSCRIPTION<TAB>Subscription ID<TAB>UPDATERATE<TAB>Update rate value<TAB>ACTIV
Parameter Description
Update rate value Defines the update rate of the current subscription.
The subscription lines always contain the global subscription line as well as all
subscriptions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
subscription is represented by the subscription line with the empty Subscription
ID. The default update rate value for the global subscription is 1000 milliseconds.
The value of the update rate is saved in milliseconds. This value may not be set
to 0 inside the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator but it can be manually set by
editing the subscription file with an external text editor. An update rate value of 0
means as fast as possible but this is not recommended from a resource-related
point of view.
Setting a subscription to be active or inactive is an advanced feature which
cannot be configured from within the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator. By
default the active value for each and every subscription is set to TRUE (meaning
that all subscriptions are active since creation). If a subscription's active value is
set to FALSE then the data changes of the items configured to be part of very
subscription will be ignored.
Examples:
Condition Line
A condition line defines whether an action below an item trigger will be executed
or not (when the item trigger is fired). This can be used in other configuration
lines as well to condition the execution of an item action. A condition line has the
following format:
CONDITION<TAB>Condition ID<TAB>Condition Statement
Parameter Description
Condition Description
AllGoodQuality The trigger actions are executed only if all items in the
transaction have the quality Good.
The condition lines always contain the global condition line as well as all
conditions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
condition is represented by the condition line with the empty Condition ID. The
default condition statement value for the global condition is Always. As a general
rule all the condition lines need to be declared in the global section of the
subscription file. If no condition is defined the Always condition is applied as
default.
Examples:
CONDITION Always
CONDITION AllGoodQuality AllGoodQuality
Item Line
An item line is used to add an item to a subscription. The associated actions are
executed each time the value or the quality of the specified data items changes
during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
An item line has the following format:
ITEM<TAB>Subscription Item ID<TAB>Server Item ID<TAB><Subscription Id>
Parameter Description
Server Item ID Item identifier within the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application address namespace. This could be a server
connection item ID or a local item ID.
This trigger is fired if the item data or quality has changed (also referred to as
data change). The trigger data includes all other items which were included in
the data change (items which had their data change reported in the same
transaction).
Note: A single line consisting of the Server Item ID and Subscription ID is added
to the subscription file for an item used several times with the same update rate
in any consumer add-ons. This optimizes the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application throughput.
Example:
ITEM increment.I1_Subscription_300 increment.I1 Subscription_300
Note: The subscription item ID can be empty. In this case, however, only the
Server Item ID can be used to identify the item.
Specific Lines
The following lines are Exchange specific:
Copy line 453 Defines the items involved in the exchange process, denoting
the source and destination.
Modifier Line
The modifier line names the exchange value(s) used in an exchange action. The
modifier line has the following format:.
MODIFIER<TAB>Modifier ID<TAB>Modifier type
Paramete Description
r
Modifier The type of the data to be exchanged. It may have any of the
Condition Description
Data Value This modifier denotes that only the value data attribute is
(V) exchanged.
Data Value This modifier denotes that the value and the quality data
and Quality attributes are exchanged.
(VQ)
Data Value, This modifier denotes that all of the data attributes (value,
Quality and quality and the timestamp) are exchanged.
Timestamp
(VQT)
The modifier lines always contain the global condition and besides that contain
all modifiers that are used at least once in exchange actions.
The default global modifier always has an empty Modifier ID. The default value
for this modifier is Value.
Copy Line
The copy line is the essential exchange action line in the subscription file. It joins
together the exchange condition, the source item along with its originating
subscription, the destination item along with its source subscription and the
modifier value. The copy line has the following format:.
COPY<TAB>Condition ID<TAB>Source Subscription Item ID<TAB>Destination Subscript
Parameter Description
The Import File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file to be
imported. The file can be selected by manually typing its name in the File input
box or by clicking the browse button located to the right of the input box (a
standard file opening dialog will open).
The file path and name should be valid (they should point to an existing file).
When the Next button is pressed the file path and name are verified. If the file
identified by the specified file path and name does not exist an error message is
displayed. The actual import begins if the selected file is valid. If the import takes
longer to complete a waiting dialog is displayed. When the import operation is
finished the Import Results page is displayed.
This page is the final page of the Exchange Import Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the import action cannot be undone. The import can be successfully
or it can fail.
1. After a successful import the results page contains the following information:
2. After a failed import the results page contains the following information:
The Export File Selection wizard page allows you to choose a file path and name
for the exported file. The file can be selected by manually typing its path and
name in the File input box or by clicking the browse button located to the right of
the input box (a standard file saving dialog will open).
When the Next button is pressed the file path is verified and if the path does not
exist, an error message is displayed (invalid path). If the specified file path is
valid and a file with the specified name already exists, a message box will ask
whether to overwrite the existing file or not (select another file). The actual filter
export operation begins if the path to the file is valid and either a file with the
specified name does not exist or it exists and overwrite has been chosen. When
the export operation is finished the Export Results page is displayed.
This page is the final page of the Exchange Export Wizard. A back button is not
provided as the export action cannot be undone. The export can be successful
or it can fail:
1. After a successful export the results page contains the following information:
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes the
different dataFEED OPC Suite data destinations.
This chapter explains, which settings can be done for the data destination "OPC
UA Client".
Enabling the OPC UA client data destination functionality allows external OPC
UA clients to access the data and alarm items of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application via the OPC UA protocol.
A more detailed description of how to configure the OPC client data destination
functionality can be found in the Configuration Data Destination - OPC UA Client
461 section.
7.3.3.1.1 Configuration
Note: The OPC UA functionality is enabled by default. If you don't want to have
OPC UA communication, disable the functionality.
Attribute Description
Server Identity Here, server name and endpoint are configured. There is
acertain format used by default (see picture above). The
server endpoint is the ID, with which the dataFEED OPC
Suite configuration registers at the Local Discovery Service.
There is more information under "More".
Server Identity
In this dialogue, you can see different Identity Settings, which can not be edited
here.
Server Name: The name of the dataFEED OPC Suite configuration is always
placed at the end.
Server URI: Globally unique identifier for the application instance. The server
URI should match with the URI in the application certificate.
Product URI: Globally unique identifier of the product
Server Endpoint: An endpoint defines a physical address by means of a URL
that clients may use to connect to the OPC UA Server. With the Server
Endpoint, dataFEED OPC Suite registers at the Discovery Server.
Security Configuration
At least one message security mode and one security policy have to be selected.
It is also possible, to have multiple security configurations. That means, that
more than one message security mode and security policy is selected. As
message security mode it can be chosen between none, a signed and a signed
and encrypted mode. The security policy can be not encrypted or two different
security algorithms can be chosen.
Authentication Settings
Certificates
The server and client certificates have to be stored in certain folders. The Local
Discovery Service accesses this folder, when an OPC UA Client is registering.
dataFEED OPC Suite also accesses this certificates when the authentication
mode "certificate policy" is enabled
dataFEED OPC Suite is registering at the Discovery Server by using the default
settings (see picture above) and the previously configured security and
authenticaton settings.
Furthermore, there is the possibility, to register dataFEED OPC Suite with its
endpoint URL at an existing Discovery Server.
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure the Tunnel client data destination functionality of Softing dataFEED
OPC Suite.
Enabling the Tunnel client data destination functionality allows external Tunnel
clients to access the data and alarm items of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application via the Softing OPC Tunnel protocol.
General information on the Softing OPC Tunnel is provided under Introduction -
OPC Tunnel 30 . A more detailed description of how to configure the Tunnel client
data destination functionality can be found in the Configuration: Data Destination
- Tunnel Client 465 section.
7.3.3.2.1 Configuration
Note: The OPC Tunnel functionality is enabled by default. You should only
disable it if you don't want to grant tunnel clients access to the namespace of the
local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
The Tunnel Client configuration window contains editable fields for the basic
settings needed by an OPC Tunnel client to access the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application namespace. The table below provides a short description of the
individual configuration options:
Attribute Description
Note: If no user is specified (although the Enable User Access Control checkbox
is enabled) or if the user access control is disabled, access will be granted to all
connecting Tunnel clients without any restrictions.
From the Tunnel Client main user interface certain operations can be performed
(on the selected user) by using the buttons on the right, accessing the context
sensitive menu or using the keyboard shortcuts. The following actions are
available:
Access the properties of the currently selected user (change the user
password) by using the Properties button , pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties action from the context menu.
Add a new user by using the Add button , pressing the keyboard shortcut
CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Delete the currently selected user by using the Delete button , pressing
the keyboard key DEL / DELETE or selecting the Delete action from the
context menu.
An example of the context sensitive menu can be seen below:
When modifying an existing user account, you can change the user name and
password. However, to do so you need to enter the old password as well.
In any of the above dialogs (add / modify user) the changes can be applied by
pressing the OK button or they can be discarded by pressing the Cancel
button.
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure the OPC client data destination functionality of Softing dataFEED OPC
Suite.
Enabling the OPC client data destination functionality allows external OPC
clients to access the data and alarm items of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application via one of the supported OPC protocols. It is possible to separately
activate, deactivate and configure the OPC Data Access, the OPC Alarms and
Events and the OPC XML Data Access protocols.
A more detailed description of how to configure the OPC client data destination
functionality can be found in the Configuration: Data Destination - OPC Client 469
section.
7.3.3.3.1 Configuration
Enabling the data destination client functionality allows external OPC clients to
access the data and alarm items of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application
via one of the supported OPC protocols. It is possible to separately activate,
deactivate and configure the OPC Data Access, the OPC Alarms and Events
and the OPC XML Data Access protocols. This configuration page contains all
the OPC identity settings for the three different OPC protocols.
Attention: All the identity settings (Class ID, Program ID and TCP/IP port
number) of the current configuration must be unique within all configured local
dataFEED OPC Suite applications on the computer.
Attention: Two instances of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application for
different configurations must not run on the same TCP/IP port.
Note: It is not recommended to manually modify the Class IDs or Program IDs of
the current local dataFEED OPC Suite application configuration.
Note: This section is disabled when the corresponding local dataFEED OPC
Suite application is running.
or
<ConnectionType>://<IPAddress>/<ProgramID>/{ClassID}
<ConnectionType> Description
The <ProgramID> and <ClassID> placeholders are the OPC / DCOM identities
of the corresponding internal OPC server of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application. The <HostName> and <IPAddress> placeholders specify the host
name and the IP address of the PC on which the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application is running.
Note: The OPC Data Access and OPC Alarms and Events functionalities are
enabled by default. You should only disable them if you don't want to grant OPC
clients access to the namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
or
http://<IPAddress>:<PortNumber>/<AddressSuffix>
The <HostName> and <IPAddress> placeholders specify the host name and the
IP address of the PC on which the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is
running. The <AddressSuffix> placeholder is mandatory.
Attention: This section is only available if the integrated Settings - Web Server
646 is enabled; otherwise, it is disabled and cannot be edited. See the
Configuration: Settings - Web Server 647 page to find out how to enable or adjust
Web Server options.
Note: The TCP/IP port number for OPC XML-DA client access is the same as
the TCP/IP port number for the integrated web server, which can be configured
on the Configuration: Settings - Web Server 647 page.
Note: Each local dataFEED OPC Suite application running on the same machine
must use a unique TCP/IP port number. This port number should not be used by
other applications running on the same machine.
Some additional options of the Data Destination OPC Client can be configured
under Configuration: Settings - Advanced 649 .
7.3.3.4 Database
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure the database data destination functionality of Softing dataFEED OPC
Suite.
OPC2Database
OPC to Database stores OPC data from any Data Access or XML DA server in
databases. It supports any type of database to which an ODBC connection can
be established through a Data Service Name (DSN). The data read by Softing
dataFEED OPC Suite is stored into databases via simple SQL statements.
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite allows the following operations to be done:
Database tree
The main control of the Database add-on is the Databases tree. This tree
contains database actions grouped under database connections which are
displayed below the root node Databases.
Various operations are allowed on the tree items based on their type:
for the root node Database the following operations are allowed: Add
Database Definition, Properties.
for database definitions the following operations are allowed: Add Database
Action, Delete Database Definition, Properties.
for database actions the following operations are allowed: Delete Database
Action, Modify Trigger Type, Modify Trigger Settings, Properties.
Each database connection contains a list of database actions which, when
selected, will populate the Database Action section of the add-on main page with
the respective expanded action (so that it will be editable).
Specific details about how to create and handle items in the Database tree can
be found on the Configuration: Data Destination - Database 539 page.
A description of the configuration file format can be found on the Configuration
Files 552 page.
7.3.3.4.1 Configuration
INSERT INTO SQL statement which defines an Insert Into action in a user
friendly way.
Stored Procedure is an action editor which allows typing calls to SQL stored
procedures.
General SQL Statement is an action editor which allows typing any SQL
query code.
The image below illustrates the main user interface of the Database add-on
(Insert Into database action selected):
The image below represents a general SQL statement database action (the
Stored Procedure action appears in an action editor as well):
For more details about the OPC2Database functionalities see the Database 472
page.
The entire Database add-on functionality can be activated or deactivated by
selecting / deselecting the Activate Database checkbox.
Note: If database definitions or database actions are defined and the add-on
functionality is deactivated, these definitions will not be deleted from the
configuration files (task and subscription files). Instead they are marked as
deactivated - prefixed with the deactivated mark: #! These lines are then
ignored by the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
The Activate Database checkbox which allows enabling / disabling this add-
on.
A tree displaying the database definitions and database actions related to
them.
An action editor which offers support in editing the selected database action.
Change the properties of the selected database definition 480 using the
Properties button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting
the Properties action from the context menu.
Change the properties of the selected database action 485 using the
Properties button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting
the Properties action from the context menu.
Add a new database definition 480 selecting the Databases root element and
using the Add button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or
selecting the Add action from the root element context menu.
Add a new action 485 for the selected database definition using the Add
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add
action from the database definition context menu.
Remove the selected database definition / database action using the Delete
button , pressing the DELETE / DEL keyboard key or selecting the
Delete action from the context menu.
Modify the trigger type 523 for the selected database action by selecting the
Modify Trigger Type action from the context menu.
Modify the trigger settings for the selected database action by selecting the
Modify Trigger Settings action from the context menu. If the trigger type is
Data Change this context menu action is disabled. For more information see
the Item Trigger Wizard 535 or the Timer Trigger Wizard 539 .
Specify the global alias values 657 for the entire configuration using the
Configure global alias and initial values button or pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+D.
The context menu of the Databases root node looks like this:
For database action definitions in the Database tree the trigger type, the update
rate and the execution condition can be defined. These values can be edited by
clicking in the corresponding cell.
Used - column which determines whether the respective column will receive
any data from the incoming transaction. When you select the checkbox in
this cell the Data Value Placeholder Wizard 594 will open. In this wizard you
can associate the table column name with a placeholder. When the
checkbox is unchecked this association will be lost and the defined
placeholder will automatically be deleted.
Column - column name in the selected database definition for storing the
item/placeholder value.
Mandatory - indicates whether the respective table column is compulsory or
not. It can contain two values - Yes or No - denoting whether an insert action
will fail or not. When the Used column for the respective row is not selected
and the value of this column is Yes, the background color of the Database
Action row will be red, emphasizing that an insert into action will fail if the
respective table column is not included in the transaction. The background
color will not be altered if the value of this field is No thus proving that the
table column is not necessary. The row's background color will not be
altered, either, if the field is mandatory and the Used column is selected.
Data Type - column displaying the data type of the database table column.
Data Value - column in the interactive table which displays the user defined
placeholder. If the column Used is not checked this column will contain no
placeholder reference.
An example of a complex action editor containing selected and unselected rows
of both mandatory and non-mandatory types can be seen below:
For more details see the Database Action Wizard - Table Columns 491 page.
Note: dataFEED OPC Suite displays texts encoded in UTF-8. The Unicode
characters are thus fully supported for Database names or table column names.
For more details see the Database Action Wizard - SQL Statement 495 page.
Note: Configuration files are encoded in UTF-8, thus providing full support of
Unicode characters.
When the Databases root node is selected, invoking the properties action by any
means (button, context menu or keyboard shortcut) displays a dialog that allows
the user to activate or modify some advanced settings. The General Database
Properties dialog can be opened by using the Properties button , by pressing
the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or by selecting the Properties action from the
context menu.
Note: The General Database Properties dialog will not open unless the
Databases root node is selected.
Note: If Activate SQL Command Buffer is not activated or if the value for Max.
number of stored commands is too small, several values could be lost.
The second section, Time And Date Format, handles the time and date formats
that are to be used when the timestamp placeholders are expanded and their
values written to the database. The default values are HH:MM:SS pp for the
Time format and mm/dd/YYYY for the Date format. Other defined values for
Time and Date format are:
When the Time,Date Format and Time Zone option is not selected the default
values are used.
Note: Settings that are modified in this section apply to all database definitions
and their corresponding actions. This could cause some limitation when using
different database types or different settings for the same database type.
With the Database Wizard you can create and modify an ODBC connection to
an external SQL database server:
Select the ODBC data source for the database connection @ Database
Wizard - ODBC Data Source 482
Specify the user name and the password for the database connection @
Database Wizard - Authentication 483
7.3.3.4.3.1 Welcome
The Overview wizard page describes the basic steps for completing the
database definition:
From this wizard page, you can continue with the database definition by pressing
the Next button, or quit the wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
The role of the ODBC Data Source wizard page is to provide an intuitive and
simple way for configuring the database connections. It contains two sections:
ODBC Data Sources and Selected Data Source:
The first section allows selecting an already defined ODBC connection from the
System DSN. If the desired connection does not exist in the list, a new ODBC
connection can be defined by using the Open the Windows ODBC data source
manager button .
Note: Only the System DSN data sources are displayed in the ODBC Data
Sources table.
Using the Reload ODBC data sources button or pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+R updates the available data source list. After a new ODBC
database definition is added to the Windows System DSN, an update needs to
be done in order to see the latest addition(s). The ODBC Data Source table
contains 2 columns:
Data Source - contains the ODBC Data Source name. This name will also be
used as the database connection name in the Databases tree.
Driver - contains the name of ODBC data source driver used for connecting
to the database.
The second section contains an editable text box that is automatically populated
with the selected DSN name. The name of the data source can also be manually
written in case of an offline configuration when the DSN will be created later.
Note: It is mandatory to provide an ODBC data source name through which the
database connection will be established, therefore it is not possible to continue
the wizard without providing one.
7.3.3.4.3.3 Authentication
The next step in configuring a database definition is to provide (if necessary) the
authentication information for connecting to the ODBC. This is done in the
Authentication page, which is organized as follows:
Various information about the server is also displayed in this window. If the test
connection failed, the database connection test result will look like this:
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the database initialization
statement press the Next button. To go back to the previous page (to change the
DSN) use the Back button. Quit the Database Wizard by pressing the Cancel
button.
The last page of the database definition wizard is the initialization page which
allows defining an initialization statement for the external SQL database. It
consists of a single section with an associated checkbox: Activate SQL
Initialization Statement. By default this checkbox is not selected, therefore no
SQL initialization command will be executed. The wizard page is shown below:
When the Activate SQL Initialization Statement ckeckbox is selected, the free
form SQL text editor is enabled where you can define a SQL statement:
ALTER SESSION SET NLS_LANG = JAPANESE_JAPAN.JA16EUC;
Note: This SQL initialization statement will be executed each time the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application connects to the database, that is when the
local dataFEED OPC Suite application starts and also when the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application reconnects to the database. It will not be executed when
adding new Database Actions in the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator. The
default database specified in the ODBC manager will be used in the Configurator
and tables from that database will be automatically displayed in the Database
Action Wizard - Database Table 489 page.
Press Finish to complete the wizard or quit the wizard by pressing the Cancel
button.
With the Database Action Wizard you can create a new Database Action
definition or modify an existing one:
Define the database action type @ Database Action Wizard - Action Type
488
Pick the database action trigger item @ Database Action Wizard - Trigger
Item 499
Select the timer trigger @ Database Action Wizard - Timer Selection 502
Configure the execution condition and the update rate @ Database Action
Wizard - Action Settings 508
Note: A Database Action Wizard flow will not include all the pages listed above.
A specific branch will be followed during the wizard, according to the selections
performed in some of the pages.
7.3.3.4.4.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the procedure for creating a new Database
Action definition.
The steps to be performed in the following pages are:
select one of three possible actions that can be defined for a database:
Insert Into, SQL Stored Procedure and General SQL Statement.
specify the statements of the entire action using free texts and placeholders
547 for SQL Stored Procedures and General SQL Statements or associations
between placeholders 547 and table columns for Insert Into actions.
define the trigger type 497 and trigger settings for the current action.
specify the subscription update rate and the execution condition of the
current action on the action settings 508 page.
To continue with the database definition use the Next button or abort the
operation by pressing the Cancel button.
The Action Type wizard page describes the different actions you can choose
when defining a new Database Action. It contains three radio buttons for the
three types of database actions: Insert Into, SQL Store Statement and General
SQL Statement plus a short description of each.
Insert Into - only SQL Insert Into statements can be created if this option is
selected. It offers a two-step interactive method for setting up all the
necessary configuration. The first step allows selecting the table name and
the second step offers the possibility to associate the OPC data placeholders
with column names inside database tables. When you press the Next button,
a database connection will be initiated to read the table columns; a waiting
dialog will be displayed until the database query completes:
Stored Procedure - allows executing the created stored SQL procedures with
some parameters which can be defined as placeholders. For this purpose a
free form SQL text editor is provided.
SQL Statement - allows defining a specific SQL statement by adding specific
SQL text in the above-mentioned free form SQL text editor.
Note: It is possible that some of the defined database actions might appear as
different ones after the configuration is reloaded into dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator (for example a General SQL action acting as an insert into
statement will appear as an Insert Into statement).
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the selected type of database
action use the Next button, to go back to the previous wizard page use the Back
button, or quit the wizard and discard the changes by pressing the Cancel
button.
Depending on the selected Action Type the next wizard page will be:
Database Action Wizard - Database Table 489 - if the selected action is Insert
Into Statement,
Database Action Wizard - Stored Procedure 493 - if the selected action is
Stored Procedure,
Database Action Wizard - SQL Statement 495 - if the selected action is SQL
Statement.
The description of the Database Action Wizard will continue with the wizard
pages for defining an Insert Into Statement.
The Database Table page allows selecting the desired database table in order to
create the new Insert Into action. When this page is shown a Refresh operation
is automatically performed on the database for updating the Table Name list with
the latest information from the database.
the Table Name list containing the tables queried from the database
the Database table editable text field which is automatically populated with
the selected table name. The desired table name can also be manually
typed. The typed table name will be automatically selected in the above list.
Before the next page is displayed after the Next button is pressed, the
selected database table will be queried for its column names, data types and
whether they are mandatory or not.
the Reconnect button re-queries the database for retrieving the latest
modifications regarding the existing tables.
Note: dataFEED OPC Suite displays the table names encoded in UTF-8. The
Unicode characters are thus fully supported for Database table names.
To advance in the wizard and define the association between OPC data
placeholders and the corresponding table columns press the Next button. A
database query will be performed to retrieve the selected table's column names:
To go back to previous wizard page and select a different database action type
use the Back button. To quit the wizard and discard all the changes press the
Cancel button.
The Table Column wizard page allows selecting the desired table columns that
compose the Insert Into SQL statement action. A database query will be
performed to retrieve the selected table's column names, data types and
whether they are mandatory or not.
The INSERT INTO action editor offers a convenient way to edit an insert into
SQL statement. It displays an interactive table grid containing the table column
names as rows with their respective data associations. The insert into action
editor table has the following fields:
Used - column which determines whether the respective column will receive
any data from the incoming transaction. When you select the checkbox in
this cell the Data Value Placeholder Wizard 594 will open. In this wizard you
can associate the table column name with a placeholder. When the
checkbox is unchecked this association will be lost and the defined
placeholder will automatically be deleted.
Column - column name in the selected database definition for storing the
item/placeholder value.
Mandatory - indicates whether the respective table column is compulsory or
not. It can contain two values - Yes or No - denoting whether an insert action
will fail or not. When the Used column for the respective row is not selected
and the value of this column is Yes, the background color of the Database
Action row will be red, emphasizing that an insert into action will fail if the
respective table column is not included in the transaction. The background
color will not be altered if the value of this field is No thus proving that the
table column is not necessary. The row's background color will not be
altered, either, if the field is mandatory and the Used column is selected.
Data Type - column displaying the data type of the database table column.
Data Value - column in the interactive table which displays the user defined
placeholder. If the Used column is not checked this column will contain no
placeholder reference.
The following operations can be performed on the Table Columns by using the
buttons on the right, the keyboard shortcuts or the context sensitive menu:
Properties of the selected column 509 using the Properties of the selected
database column button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or
selecting the Properties action from the context menu.
Add a new table column 509 using the Add Database Column button ,
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the
context menu.
Retrieve the latest column names from the database table by pressing the
Refresh Database Columns button , pressing the keyboard shortcut
CTRL+R or selecting the Refresh action from the context menu.
Remove the selected table column using the Delete Selected Database
Column button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu.
Enable the desired table column by checking the checkbox in the Used
column of the respective Database Action row or selecting Enable action
from the context menu.
Disable the desired table column by unchecking the checkbox in the Used
column of the respective Database Action row or selecting Disable action
from the context menu.
Modify the data placeholder by selecting the Modify Data Placeholder action
from the context menu.
The available context menu is shown below:
The text and background colors for Database Action rows comply the following
rules:
This wizard page allows defining a SQL Stored Procedure call statement using
the action editor. Certain operations are available using the buttons on the right,
the context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Insert a data value placeholder 517 using the Insert Data Value Placeholder
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+I or selecting the Insert
Data Placeholder action from the context menu.
Modify an existing data value placeholder 517 using the Modify Data Value
Placeholder button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+M or
selecting the Edit Data Placeholder action from the context menu.
Cut, copy, paste or delete text with or without placeholders by selecting the
Cut, Copy, Paste or Delete actions from the context menu or using the
respective keyboard shortcuts CTRL+X, CTRL+C, CTRL+V and the
DELETE / DEL key.
Free text blocks can be added in the action editor, including special characters.
The database-specific action editor does not support new line and tab
characters, however. The above screenshot shows a stored procedure call
where the parameters @param1 and @param2 each have a placeholder as their
value:
exec Procedure_update_on @param1=<<R8> / <Value>>, @param2=NULL, @param3=
Note: The Cut, Copy and Paste actions use the Windows Clipboard for data
transfer, thus allowing data to be transferred to/from other applications (e.g. the
textual representation of the action editor content can be used in external
applications and text from external application can be used in the action editor).
Attention: The placeholders visible in the action editor are aliases used only for
displaying the placeholders. The real placeholder form is visible in the
subscription file. Example: <<R8> / <Value>> placeholder from the action editor
To proceed forward and define the trigger type use the Next button, to go back
to the previous wizard page and select a different type of database action use
the Back button. To exit the wizard click the Cancel button.
This wizard page allows defining the SQL statement text for the current
database action with the help of the action editor. Certain operations are
available using the buttons on the right, the context sensitive menu or the
keyboard shortcuts:
Insert a data value placeholder 517 using the Insert Data Value Placeholder
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+I or selecting the Insert
Data Placeholder action from the context menu.
Modify an existing data value placeholder 517 using the Modify Data Value
Placeholder button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+M or
selecting the Edit Data Placeholder action from the context menu.
Cut, copy, paste or delete text with or without placeholders by selecting the
Cut, Copy, Paste or Delete actions from the context menu or using the
respective keyboard shortcuts CTRL+X, CTRL+C, CTRL+V and the
DELETE / DEL key.
Free text blocks can be added in the action editor, including special characters.
The database-specific action editor does not support new line and tab
characters, however. The above example shows a call to an initialization
statement followed by an Insert Into and then by a SQL stored procedure call:
use Osf_tests GO INSERT INTO Test_Table (itemId,itemValue) VALUES (<<R8> / <It
GO exec Insert_ok @param1=<<R8> / <Value>>; GO
Note: The Cut, Copy and Paste actions use the Windows Clipboard for data
transfer, thus allowing data to be transferred to/from other applications (e.g. the
textual representation of the action editor content can be used in external
applications and text from external application can be used in the action editor).
Attention: The placeholders visible in the action editor are aliases used only for
displaying the placeholders. The real placeholder form is visible in the
subscription file. Example: <<R8> / <Value>> placeholder from the action editor
is serialized in the subscription file as: #%-ItemValue-%increment.R8_%Current-
%#. Do not manually modify the subscription file by inserting placeholders in the
action editor template.
To proceed forward and define the trigger type use the Next button, to go back
to the previous wizard page and select a different type of database action use
the Back button. To exit the wizard click the Cancel button.
The Trigger Type wizard page provides the possibility to select the trigger type
for the actual action. The following trigger types are available:
Item Trigger - This trigger is fired when a data change for the selected item
occurred. A data change means that the value or the quality of the item
changed.
Timer Trigger - This trigger is fired at a specified time or interval.
Data Change - This trigger is fired when a data change occurred in at least
one of the items used in any of the consumer add-ons.
Attention: The trigger only initiates the database action execution. The action
will be subsequently validated, however, and might not be executed after all.
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the selected type of trigger (or
to advance to the last wizard page when the Data Change trigger type is
selected) use the Next button, to go back to the previous wizard page use the
Back button, or discard the wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
Depending on the selected Trigger Type the next wizard page will be:
Database Action Wizard - Trigger Item 499 - if the selected trigger type is Item
Trigger,
Database Action Wizard - Timer Selection 502 - if the selected trigger type is
Timer Trigger,
Database Action Wizard - Action Settings 508 - if the selected trigger type is
Data Change (unlike the above options, no other parameters need to be
configured here).
The description of the Database Action Wizard will continue with the wizard
pages for configuring an Item Trigger.
The Trigger Item wizard page is shown if the selected trigger type is Item
Trigger. Here you can configure the actual trigger item:
Trigger Items section, which allows selecting an item trigger or managing the
Local Namespace tree.
Selected Trigger Item section, which shows the item ID of the selected
trigger item and also allows typing an item ID, thereby selecting this item in
the above list.
A node for each server connection, named by the server connection items
prefix.
A node for System Items.
A node for Local Items.
The local namespace tree offers the possibility to explore the entire namespace
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application in order to select a trigger item.
After the selection is made, the Trigger item edit box is populated with the
selected item ID.
The entire namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can be
managed through this wizard page by performing certain operations using the
buttons on the right, the context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard by selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
the selected server connection is recreated; if manually added items not
referenced in the actual configuration exist, those items are deleted from the
namespace.
Delete the selected item and all of its child items by using the Delete data
items button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu. Items which are included in any Data
Processing / Data Destination add-ons will not be deleted but an error
message will be displayed instead.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
Note: If the item ID is typed and the specified item exists in the Local
Namespace, it will be used as the trigger item. The item will only be created if it
could not be localized in the Local Namespace. In that case the newly created
item will be used as the trigger item.
Note: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID could not be created, an
error message will be displayed requesting the input of a new, valid item.
Attention: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID is valid and resides
under a static server connection, the respective item will be created in the filter
file definition.
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the action settings use the
Next button. To go back to the previous wizard page use the Back button, or exit
the wizard and discard all the changes by clicking the Cancel button.
The Timer Selection wizard page is shown only if the selected trigger type is
Timer Trigger. Here you can configure the actual timer trigger.
The current page allows selecting a previously defined timer trigger and
managing the timer list by using the buttons on the right, the context sensitive
menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Change the properties of the selected timer by using the Properties button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties
action from the context menu.
Add a new timer by using the Add timer trigger button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context
menu.
Delete the selected timer trigger by using the Delete selected timer trigger
button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete action
from the context menu.
Note: Information about the selected timer is shown in the Selected Timer
Trigger area at the bottom of the page.
7.3.3.4.4.10Timer Identity
The Timer Identity wizard page provides the possibility to assign a name and a
comment to the timer trigger.
Note: When adding a new timer trigger, the timer name will be automatically
generated according to the format: Timer_number, where the number part is an
auto-incremented integer.
When editing an existing timer, the timer's defined name and comment will be
filled in the two edit boxes allowing you to modify these attributes.
Attention: The name of the Timer Trigger must be unique among all triggers
and cannot be empty.
If the newly added timer trigger has the same name as an existing trigger, an
error message box will be displayed and a new trigger name must be provided:
The Comment field of the Timer Identity wizard page is optional; a Timer Trigger
can also be added without any comment.
Continue to the next wizard page to choose the timer type by using the Next
button, go back to the previous wizard page to select another timer trigger by
pressing the Back button, or cancel the entire Database Action Wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
7.3.3.4.4.11Timer Type
This wizard page allows choosing the type of the timer trigger. The following
types of timer are available:
Interval Timer
Schedule Timer
Interval Timer
The Interval Timer type allows defining a specific interval of time (in milliseconds)
between the timer fire events. The time interval can be configured on the
Database Action Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 506 wizard page.
Schedule Timer
The Schedule Timer type allows defining a specific date and time when the timer
should fire. The schedule can be configured on the Database Action Wizard -
Schedule Timer Settings 507 wizard page.
To continue defining the specific timer properties press the Next button, to return
to the Timer Identity wizard page use the Back button, or exit this sub-wizard
(thereby aborting the Database Action Wizard) by pressing the Cancel button.
The description of the Database Action Wizard will continue with the wizard
pages for configuring a Schedule Timer.
The Interval Timer Settings wizard page allows configuring the time interval at
which the current action should be (periodically) executed.
The time interval value is measured in milliseconds and ensures that the action
will be triggered at the time interval defined in the spin-box.
Press the Next button to proceed to the Timer Selection wizard page, return to
the previous one using the Back button or exit the wizard pressing the Cancel
button.
The Schedule Timer Settings wizard page is a more complex page compared to
the Interval Timer Settings wizard page and allows defining the corresponding
schedule for the execution of the trigger action:
Time Range: Provides the possibility to choose one of the following schedule
ranges: month, week, day, hour or minute. When the month or the week
ranges are selected the panel below the selection is populated with the
month and week days, respectively.
Execution Rate: Sets the execution rate of the current action in the
previously-defined Time Range (e.g. every X day(s), every Y hour(s), every
Z minute(s), every T second(s)).
Begin Time: Sets the time the current action should begin execution.
End Time: Sets the time the current action should stop execution.
According to the Time Range the Begin Time and the End Time fields will allow
typing:
Note: A short review of the configured timer schedule is shown at the bottom of
this wizard page.
If the defined schedule is not valid, an error message dialog will appear naming
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page using the Next button, return to the
previous wizard page using the Back button or exit the wizard pressing the
Cancel button.
7.3.3.4.4.14Action Settings
The Action Settings wizard page allows defining the execution condition and the
subscription update rate for the current database action.
The wizard page is divided into two sections: Execution Condition and Update
Rate.
Execution Condition
Each statement has an execution condition which is evaluated by the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application. The action is only performed when the
Update Rate
The Update Rate specifies the execution rate of the current database action.
The update rate can be typed or selected from the spin box. The initial value is
the global alias one. Changing the global default update rate can be done using
the Configure global alias and initial values 657 button or pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+D.
Complete the Database Action Wizard pressing the Finish button, review the
past wizard pages using the Back button, or cancel the wizard thus discarding all
the changes by pressing the Cancel button.
An offline table column can be added through the Table Column Wizard:
Define a new table column @ Table Column Wizard - Column Name 511
Associate a server item with the newly created table column @ Table
Column Wizard - Data Item 512
Select the data value and source @ Table Column Wizard - Data Value 515
7.3.3.4.5.1 Welcome
The individual steps in this wizard are described in the Welcome page:
Provide a name for the new table column in the Column Name 511 page.
Associate an item or a valid wildcard from the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application namespace in the Data Item 512 page.
Select the data value and the data source for the selected item in the Data
Value 515 page.
Proceed to the next page by pressing the Next button or exit the wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
The Column Name page allows selecting the name of the table column that will
be added as part of the Insert Into action. No default value is available for the
column name.
The column name must be manually typed. After adding this column, it will be
displayed like an online column if it exists in the database table.
Note: dataFEED OPC Suite supports column names encoded in UTF-8, thus
supporting any possible column name. However, this does not guarantee that
the column name will also be supported by the ODBC driver or by the database
itself. Additional changes might be necessary on the ODBC or database side to
support unicode.
Continue to the next wizard page to associate a data placeholder using the Next
button, go back to the previous wizard page using the Back button or quit the
wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
<<< Table Column Wizard - Welcome 510 Table Column Wizard - Data
Item >>> 512
The Data Item wizard page provides the possibility to select the placeholder to
be associated with the new table column. The placeholder item can be:
Any item originating from a Server Connection, from the Local Items or from
the System Items can be selected, choosing a tag from the Local
Namespace.
A valid wildcard can be manually created by typing its regular expression in
the Data Item edit box.
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard by selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
the selected server connection is recreated; if manually added items not
referenced in the actual configuration exist, those items are deleted from the
namespace.
Delete the selected item and all of its child items by using the Delete data
items button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu. Items which are included in any Data
Processing / Data Destination add-ons will not be deleted but an error
message will be displayed instead.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
Attention: The Local Namespace root node, the Local Items root node and the
server connection root nodes cannot be deleted. An item that is used in
consumers or a system item cannot be deleted either.
Note: The copy/paste actions work on the selected tag/property or on the whole
selected branch. The copy action is not available for the Local Namespace root
or for the server connection root nodes; the paste action is not available for
items of type property (as they cannot have any children).
The entire namespace of the local Softing dataFEED OPC Suite application is
exposed in this wizard page. The tree root node name is composed of the Local
Namespace keyword followed by the instance name.
Note: Only tag and property items are allowed to be used in placeholder. If a
node item is selected, an error message dialog will appear when the Next button
is pressed.
Note: The Data Item edit box in the Selected Data Item section of this wizard
page is editable. The text typed in this text area is considered a wildcard.
SID* - replaces any string of at least 3 characters that starts with SID
S*D replaces a string of at least 2 characters that starts with S and ends
with D
The question mark wildcard ( ? ) substitutes a single character:
S[A-Z]D replaces any string of 3 characters that starts with S, ends with D
and contains any character in the range A to Z.
SID[0-9] replaces any string of 4 characters that starts with SID and ends
with any number in the range 0 to 9.
Proceed to the next page to set the item data value and source by using the
Next button, return to the previous wizard page by using Back button, or quit the
wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
<<< Table Column Wizard - Column Name 511 Table Column Wizard
- Data Value >>> 515
The Data Value wizard page provides the possibility to set the properties of the
placeholder:
Data Value - select the actual data value for the associated data item which
will be replaced during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Data Source - select the source for data value which will be replaced during
the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Data Value
The following data value attributes may be used:
Attribute Description
Timestamp (without The data source server item timestamp as date time
milliseconds) without milliseconds.
Timestamp (with The data source server item timestamp as date time
milliseconds) including milliseconds.
Data Source
The following data sources may be selected:
Current The value used is the current one. This means that if
the item is included in the transaction, the received
value is used. If the item is not included, the cached
value is used.
Attention: If the action trigger is set to Data Change and the corresponding
action contains at least one placeholder having Changed as the Data Source,
that specific item must exist in the incoming transaction in order for the action to
be executed. When the item is not present in the transaction, the action is
invalidated.
Complete the wizard using the Finish button, go back to the previous wizard
page using the Back button, or discard any changes made in this wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
With the Data Value Placeholder Wizard you can create a placeholder from a
configured data source or from a valid wildcard:
Select a placeholder item @ Data Value Placeholder Wizard - Data Item 518
Select the data value and source @ Data Value Placeholder Wizard - Data
Value 521
7.3.3.4.6.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the individual steps for defining the
placeholder:
Select an item from the local dataFEED OPC Suite application namespace
or provide a valid wildcard.
Choose the data value and the data source for the selected item.
Continue to the next wizard page using the Next button or quit the wizard
pressing the Cancel button.
The Data Item wizard page allows selecting the placeholder item. The
placeholder item can be:
Any item originating from a Server Connection, from the Local Items or from
the System Items can be selected, choosing a tag from the Local
Namespace.
A valid wildcard can be manually created by typing its regular expression in
the Data Item edit box.
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard by selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
the selected server connection is recreated; if manually added items not
referenced in the actual configuration exist, those items are deleted from the
namespace.
Delete the selected item and all of its child items by using the Delete data
items button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu. Items which are included in any Data
Processing / Data Destination add-ons will not be deleted but an error
message will be displayed instead.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
Attention: The Local Namespace root node, the Local Items root node and the
server connection root nodes cannot be deleted. An item that is used in
consumers or a system item cannot be deleted either.
Note: The copy/paste actions work on the selected tag/property or on the whole
selected branch. The copy action is not available for the Local Namespace root
or for the server connection root nodes; the paste action is not available for
items of type property (as they cannot have any children).
The entire namespace of the local Softing dataFEED OPC Suite application is
exposed in this wizard page. The tree root node name is composed of the Local
Namespace keyword followed by the instance name.
Note: Only tag and property items are allowed to be used in placeholder. If a
node item is selected, an error message dialog will appear when the Next button
is pressed.
Note: The Data Item edit box in the Selected Data Item section of this wizard
page is editable. The text typed in this text area is considered as wildcard.
SID* - replaces any string of at least 3 characters that starts with SID
S*D replaces a string of at least 2 characters that starts with S and ends
with D
The question mark wildcard ( ? ) substitutes a single character:
S?D replaces any string of 3 characters that starts with S and ends with D.
The range wildcard ( [ ] ) substitutes any single character in the range specified
between the square brackets:
S[A-Z]D replaces any string of 3 characters that starts with S, ends with D
and contains any character in the range A to Z.
SID[0-9] replaces any string of 4 characters that starts with SID and ends
with any number in the range 0 to 9.
Proceed to the next page to set the item data value and source by using the
Next button, return to the previous wizard page by using Back button or quit the
wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
The Data Value wizard page provides the possibility to set the properties of the
placeholder:
Data Value - select the actual data value for the associated data item which
will be replaced during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Data Source - select the source for data value which will be replaced during
the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Data Value
The following data value attributes may be used:
Attribute Description
Timestamp (without The data source server item timestamp as date time
milliseconds) without milliseconds.
Timestamp (with The data source server item timestamp as date time
milliseconds) including milliseconds.
Data Source
The following data sources may be selected:
Current The value used is the current one. This means that if
the item is included in the transaction, the received
value is used. If the item is not included, the cached
value is used.
Attention: If the action trigger is set to Data Change and the corresponding
action contains at least one placeholder having Changed as the Data Source,
that specific item must exist in the incoming transaction in order for the action to
be executed. When the item is not present in the transaction, the action is
invalidated.
Complete the wizard using the Finish button, go back to the previous wizard
page using the Back button, or discard any changes made in this wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
The Trigger Wizard allows modifying the trigger for the current action:
Name the newly created timer trigger @ Trigger Wizard - Timer Identity 530
Define the timer interval @ Trigger Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 534
Note: A Trigger Wizard flow will not include all the pages listed above. A specific
branch will be followed during the wizard according to the selections performed
in some of the pages.
7.3.3.4.7.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the main steps for defining a trigger:
To proceed with the trigger creation use the Next button, or quit the wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
The Trigger Type wizard page provides the possibility to select the trigger type
for the actual action. The following trigger types are available:
Item Trigger - This trigger is fired when a data change for the selected item
occurred. A data change means that the value or the quality of the item
changed.
Timer Trigger - This trigger is fired at a specified time or interval.
Data Change - This trigger is fired when a data change occurred in at least
one of the items used in any of the consumer add-ons.
Attention: The trigger only initiates the database action execution. The action
will be subsequently validated, however, and might not be executed after all.
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the selected type of trigger (or
to advance to the last wizard page when the Data Change trigger type is
selected) use the Next button, to go back to the previous wizard page use the
Back button, or discard the wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
Depending on the selected Trigger Type the next wizard page will be:
Trigger Wizard - Trigger Item 526 - if the selected trigger type is Item Trigger,
Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection 529 - if the selected trigger type is Timer
Trigger,
If the selected action is Data Change this will be the last wizard page,
therefore the Next button will become Finish.
The description of the Trigger Wizard will continue with the wizard pages for
configuring an Item Trigger.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Welcome 524 Trigger Wizard - Trigger Item >>> 526
The Trigger Item wizard page is shown if the selected trigger type is Item
Trigger. Here you can configure the actual trigger item.
Trigger Items section, which allows selecting an item trigger or managing the
Local Namespace tree.
Selected Trigger Item section, which shows the item ID of the selected
trigger item and also allows typing an item ID, thereby selecting this item in
the above list.
A node for each server connection, named by the server connection items
prefix.
A node for System Items.
A node for Local Items.
The local namespace tree offers the possibility to explore the entire namespace
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application in order to select a trigger item.
After the selection is made, the Trigger item edit box is populated with the
selected item ID.
The entire namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can be
managed through this wizard page by performing certain operations using the
buttons on the right, the context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard by selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
the selected server connection is recreated; if manually added items not
referenced in the actual configuration exist, those items are deleted from the
namespace.
Delete the selected item and all of its child items by using the Delete data
items button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu. Items which are included in any Data
Processing / Data Destination add-ons will not be deleted but an error
message will be displayed instead.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
Note: If the item ID is typed and the specified item exists in the Local
Namespace, it will be used as the trigger item. The item will only be created if it
could not be localized in the Local Namespace. In that case the newly created
item will be used as the trigger item.
Note: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID could not be created, an
error message will be displayed requesting the input of a new, valid item.
Attention: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID is valid and resides
under a static server connection, the respective item will be created in the filter
file definition.
Complete the wizard using the Finish button or return to the previous wizard
page by using the Back button. To exit the wizard and discard all the changes
click the Cancel button.
The Timer Selection wizard page is shown only if the selected trigger type is
Timer Trigger. Here you can configure the actual timer trigger.
The current page allows selecting a previously defined timer trigger and
managing the timer list by using the buttons on the right, the context sensitive
menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Change the properties of the selected timer by using the Properties button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties
action from the context menu.
Add a new timer by using the Add timer trigger button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context
menu.
Delete the selected timer trigger by using the Delete selected timer trigger
button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete action
from the context menu.
Note: Information about the selected timer is shown in the Selected Timer
Trigger area at the bottom of the page.
The Timer Identity wizard page provides the possibility to assign a name and a
comment to the timer trigger.
Note: When adding a new timer trigger, the timer name will be automatically
generated according to the format: Timer_number, where the number part is an
auto-incremented integer.
When editing an existing timer, the timer's defined name and comment will be
filled in the two edit boxes allowing you to modify these attributes.
Attention: The name of the Timer Trigger must be unique among all triggers
and cannot be empty.
If the newly added timer trigger has the same name as an existing trigger, an
error message box will be displayed and a new trigger name must be provided:
The Comment field of the Timer Identity wizard page is optional; a Timer Trigger
can also be added without any comment.
Continue to the next wizard page to choose the timer type by using the Next
button, go back to the previous wizard page to select another timer trigger by
pressing the Back button, or cancel the entire Trigger Wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection 529 Trigger Wizard - Timer Type
>>> 531
This wizard page allows choosing the type of the timer trigger. The following
types of timer are available:
Interval Timer
Schedule Timer
Interval Timer
The Interval Timer type allows defining a specific interval of time (in milliseconds)
between the timer fire events. The time interval can be configured on the Trigger
Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 534 wizard page.
Schedule Timer
The Schedule Timer type allows defining a specific date and time when the timer
should fire. The schedule can be configured on the Trigger Wizard - Schedule
Timer Settings 533 wizard page.
To continue defining the specific timer properties press the Next button, to return
to the Timer Identity wizard page use the Back button, or exit this sub-wizard
(thereby aborting the Trigger Wizard) by pressing the Cancel button.
The description of the Trigger Wizard will continue with the wizard pages for
configuring a Schedule Timer.
The Schedule Timer Settings wizard page is a more complex page compared to
the Interval Timer Settings wizard page and allows defining the corresponding
schedule for the execution of the trigger action:
Time Range: Provides the possibility to choose one of the following schedule
ranges: month, week, day, hour or minute. When the month or the week
ranges are selected the panel below the selection is populated with the
month and week days, respectively.
Execution Rate: Sets the execution rate of the current action in the
previously-defined Time Range (e.g. every X day(s), every Y hour(s), every
Z minute(s), every T second(s)).
Begin Time: Sets the time the current action should begin execution.
End Time: Sets the time the current action should stop execution.
According to the Time Range the Begin Time and the End Time fields will allow
typing:
Note: A short review of the configured timer schedule is shown at the bottom of
this wizard page.
If the defined schedule is not valid, an error message dialog will appear naming
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page using the Next button, return to the
previous wizard page using the Back button or exit the wizard pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 531 Trigger Wizard - Interval Timer
Settings >>> 529
The Interval Timer Settings wizard page allows configuring the time interval at
which the current action should be (periodically) executed.
The time interval value is measured in milliseconds and ensures that the action
will be triggered at the time interval defined in the spin-box.
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page by pressing the Next button, return
to the previous one by using the Back button, or exit the wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 531 Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection
>>> 529
The Item Trigger Wizard allows modifying the item trigger for the current
action:
Obtain general information about the Item Trigger Wizard @ Item Trigger
Wizard - Welcome 535
Configure the trigger item @ Item Trigger Wizard - Trigger Item 536
7.3.3.4.8.1 Welcome
The Welcome page describes the basic steps for completing the Item Trigger
definition.
Proceed to the next page by pressing the Next button or exit the wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
On the Trigger Item wizard page you can configure the trigger item you want to
use.
Trigger Items section, which allows selecting an item trigger or managing the
Local Namespace tree.
Selected Trigger Item section, which shows the item id of the selected trigger
item and also typing an item id thus selecting the respective item in the
above list.
A node for each server connection, named by the server connection items
prefix.
A node for System Items.
A node for Local Items.
The local namespace tree offers the possibility to explore the entire namespace
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application in order to select a trigger item.
After the selection is made, the Trigger item edit box is populated with the
selected item ID.
The entire namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can be
managed through this wizard page by performing certain operations using the
buttons on the right, the context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard by selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
the selected server connection is recreated; if manually added items not
referenced in the actual configuration exist, those items are deleted from the
namespace.
Delete the selected item and all of its child items by using the Delete data
items button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu. Items which are included in any Data
Note: If the item ID is typed and the specified item exists in the Local
Namespace, it will be used as the trigger item. The item will only be created if it
could not be localized in the Local Namespace. In that case the newly created
item will be used as the trigger item.
Note: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID could not be created, an
error message will be displayed requesting the input of a new, valid item.
Attention: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID is valid and resides
under a static server connection, the respective item will be created in the filter
file definition.
Complete the wizard using the Finish button or return to the previous wizard
page using the Back button. To exit the wizard and discard all the changes click
the Cancel button.
The Timer Trigger Wizard allows modifying the timer trigger for the current
action:
Name the newly created timer trigger @ Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer
Identity 542
Choose the timer type @ Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 543
Define the timer interval @ Timer Trigger Wizard - Interval Timer Settings
546
Note: A Timer Trigger Wizard flow will not include all the pages listed above. A
specific branch will be followed during the wizard according to the selections
performed in some of the pages.
7.3.3.4.9.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the basic steps for completing the timer
definition.
Continue to the next wizard page using the Next button or quit the wizard
pressing the Cancel button.
The Timer Selection wizard page allows configuring the actual timer trigger.
The current page allows selecting a previously defined timer trigger and
managing the timer list by using the buttons on the right, the context sensitive
menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Change the properties of the selected timer by using the Properties button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties
action from the context menu.
Add a new timer by using the Add timer trigger button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context
menu.
Delete the selected timer trigger by using the Delete selected timer trigger
button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete action
from the context menu.
Note: Information about the selected timer is shown in the Selected Timer
The Timer Identity wizard page provides the possibility to assign a name and a
comment to the timer trigger.
Note: When adding a new timer trigger, the timer name will be automatically
generated according to the format: Timer_number, where the number part is an
auto-incremented integer.
When editing an existing timer, the timer's defined name and comment will be
filled in the two edit boxes allowing you to modify these attributes.
Attention: The name of the Timer Trigger must be unique among all triggers
and cannot be empty.
If the newly added timer trigger has the same name as an existing trigger, an
error message box will be displayed and a new trigger name must be provided:
The Comment field of the Timer Identity wizard page is optional; a Timer Trigger
can also be added without any comment.
Continue to the next wizard page to choose the timer type by using the Next
button, go back to the previous wizard page to select another timer trigger by
pressing the Back button, or cancel the entire Timer Trigger Wizard by pressing
the Cancel button.
<<< Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection 541 Timer Trigger Wizard
- Timer Type >>> 543
This wizard page allows choosing the type of the timer trigger. The following
types of timer are available:
Interval Timer
Schedule Timer
Interval Timer
The Interval Timer type allows defining a specific interval of time (in milliseconds)
between the timer fire events. The time interval can be configured on the Timer
Trigger Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 546 wizard page.
Schedule Timer
The Schedule Timer type allows defining a specific date and time when the timer
should fire. The schedule can be configured on the Timer Trigger Wizard -
Schedule Timer Settings 545 wizard page.
To continue defining the specific timer properties press the Next button, to return
to the Timer Identity wizard page use the Back button, or exit this sub-wizard
(thereby aborting the Timer Trigger Wizard) by pressing the Cancel button.
The description of the Timer Trigger Wizard will continue with the wizard pages
for configuring a Schedule Timer.
<<< Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Identity 542 Timer Trigger Wizard
- Schedule Timer Settings >>> 545
The Schedule Timer Settings wizard page is a more complex page compared to
the Interval Timer Settings wizard page and allows defining the corresponding
schedule for the execution of the trigger action:
Time Range: Provides the possibility to choose one of the following schedule
ranges: month, week, day, hour or minute. When the month or the week
ranges are selected the panel below the selection is populated with the
month and week days, respectively.
Execution Rate: Sets the execution rate of the current action in the
previously-defined Time Range (e.g. every X day(s), every Y hour(s), every
Z minute(s), every T second(s)).
Begin Time: Sets the time the current action should begin execution.
End Time: Sets the time the current action should stop execution.
According to the Time Range the Begin Time and the End Time fields will allow
typing:
Note: A short review of the configured timer schedule is shown at the bottom of
this wizard page.
If the defined schedule is not valid, an error message dialog will appear naming
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page using the Next button, return to the
previous wizard page using the Back button or exit the wizard pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 543 Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer
Selection >>> 541
The Interval Timer Settings wizard page allows configuring the time interval at
which the current action should be (periodically) executed.
The time interval value is measured in milliseconds and ensures that the action
will be triggered at the time interval defined in the spin-box.
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page by pressing the Next button, return
to the previous one by using the Back button, or exit the wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 543 Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer
Selection >>> 541
Placeholders can be used when configuring various actions (SQL, TEXT and
other statements). These placeholders can be defined in the Database Action
Wizard, File Action Wizard, Database or File main user interface and are saved
in the Subscription file 556 . A placeholder is determined by the following attributes:
Data Item - an item (tag, property or node with value) originating from a
Server Connection, from the Local Items or from the System Items, or a valid
wildcard.
Data Value 548 - the actual data value for the associated data item which will
be replaced during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Data Source 550 - the source for the data value which will be replaced during
the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
The other placeholder editor is the one implemented in the Table Columns 491
wizard page and also in the Configuration: Data Destination - Database 473 main
user interface page of the Database add-on (when an Insert Into Statement
action is selected):
The placeholders are saved in the subscription files between a pair of simple
quote marks to fix possible SQL issues:
'#%-ItemTimestampOCT%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Current-%#'
where:
Attribute Description
Example:
#%-ItemValue%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Current-%#
Data value:
The following data value attributes can be used (they are supported by both
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and local dataFEED OPC Suite application):
file form
The following data value attributes can be used (only supported by the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application):
Examples:
'#%-ItemTimestampOCTMSPart%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Current-%#'
'#%-ItemTimestampOCTMS%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Changed-%#'
'#%-ItemTimestampOCT%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Cache-%#'
Wildcards
A placeholder can also contain a wildcard 559 at the position of
ItemID_SubscriptionID, which is matched by the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application against the items defined in the subscription file:
#%-ItemValue%Wildcard_02%Current-%#
#%-ItemQualityString%Wildcard_02%Cache-%#
#%-ItemTimestamp%Wildcard_02%Changed-%#
#%-ItemItemID%Wildcard_02%Current-%#
All the OPC2Database configuration settings are stored in two separated files:
Note: The path and file name of these configuration files are fixed and not
configurable.
The task and subscription files are stored in the Tasks folder under the instance
path. For task configuration a text file called Tasks.txt and for subscription
configuration a text file called Subscriptions.txt will be created in the Tasks
configuration folder. Although these files can be manually edited, using the
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator is advisable.
Note: The recommendation is to use only the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
to edit these files. This ensures that all the definitions will be valid.
Commented Lines (#) Any line that starts with the "#" character is
considered a comment line which is ignored
during evaluation.
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
The DB line
The DB line describes the DSN parameters used in the ODBC connection. The
DB line has the following format:
DB<TAB>Database ID<TAB>DSN<TAB>IP Address or Host name<TAB>ODBC connection name
Parameter Description
Examples:
DB MyDatabase_0 DSN localhost ODBC to MSSQL sa sa
DB MyDatabase_1 DSN localhost ODBC to MySQL
DB MyDatabase_2 DSN localhost ODBC to Oracle TESTADMIN TESTADM
DB MyDatabase_3 DSN localhost ODBC to PostgreSQL postgres p
DB MyDatabase_4 DSN localhost ODBC to Oracle SYSADMIN SYSADMI
Note: If the SQL_COMMANDSTORE value is not null, then SQL files are
created for each DB line from the Tasks file at the start-up of the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application.
The INIT line can be used to specify an initialization SQL command for any of
Parameter Description
common lines 556 which are specific to all the consumer add-ons: condition
lines, subscription lines and item lines;
specific lines 556 : modifier lines and copy lines.
Common Lines:
The following line types are common lines and will be used to configure different
functionalities:
Subscription 557 Defines the update rate with which the current
action will be executed.
Commented Lines (#) Any line that starts with the "#" character is
considered a comment line which is ignored
during evaluation.
Subscription Line
Parameter Description
Update rate value Defines the update-rate with which the current
action will be executed.
The subscription lines always contain the global subscription line as well as all
subscriptions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
subscription is represented by the subscription line with the empty Subscription
ID. The default update rate value for the global subscription is 1000 milliseconds.
The value of the update rate is saved in milliseconds. This value may not be set
to 0 inside the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator but it can be manually set by
editing the subscription file with an external text editor. An update rate value of 0
means as fast as possible but this is not recommended from a resource-related
point of view.
Setting a subscription to be active or inactive is an advanced feature which
cannot be configured from within the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator. By
default the active value for each and every subscription is set to TRUE (meaning
that all subscriptions are active since creation). If a subscription's active value is
set to FALSE then the data changes of the items configured to be part of that
subscription will be ignored.
Examples:
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATERATE 1000 ACTIVE TRUE
SUBSCRIPTION Subscription_300 UPDATERATE 300 ACTIVE TRUE
Condition Line
A condition line defines whether an action below an item trigger will be executed
or not (when the item trigger is fired). This can be used in other configuration
lines as well to condition the execution of an item action. One example of this is
the conditional execution of a SQL statement in the Database add-on. A
Parameter Description
Condition Description
The condition lines always contain the global condition line as well as all
conditions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
condition is represented by the condition line with the empty Condition ID. The
default condition statement value for the global condition is Always. As a general
rule all the condition lines need to be declared in the global section of the
subscription file. If no condition is defined the Always condition is applied as
default.
Examples:
CONDITION Always
CONDITION AllGoodQuality AllGoodQuality
Wildcard Line
The Subscription Item ID, Item ID and Event Source strings can include
wildcards (* .? and []) as parts of the string.
Parameter Description
Note: The data value defined for wildcards in the wildcard lines overrides the
functionality of the data value defined in the item placeholders found in the
subscription file.
SID* - replaces any string of at least 3 characters that starts with SID
S*D replaces a string of at least 2 characters that starts with S and ends
with D
The question mark wildcard ( ? ) substitutes a single character:
S[A-Z]D replaces any string of 3 characters that starts with S, ends with D
and contains any character in the range A to Z.
SID[0-9] replaces any string of 4 characters that starts with SID and ends
with any number in the range 0 to 9.
Example:
WILDCARD All_Integer_Increments Current Increment.I*
Attention: The wildcard can only replace the items defined in the subscription
file.
Item Line
An item line is used to add an item to a subscription. The associated actions are
executed each time the value or the quality of the specified data items changes
during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
An item line has the following format:
ITEM<TAB>Subscription Item ID<TAB>Server Item ID<TAB>Subscription ID
Parameter Description
This trigger is fired if the item data or quality has changed (also referred to as
data change). The trigger data includes all other items which were included in
the data change (items which had their data change reported in the same
transaction).
Note: A single line consisting of the Server Item ID and Subscription ID is added
to the subscription file for an item used several times with the same update rate
in any consumer add-ons. This optimizes the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application throughput.
Example:
ITEM increment.I1_Subscription_300 increment.I1 Subscription_300
Note: The subscription item ID can be empty. In this case, however, only the
Server Item ID can be used to identify the item.
Timer Line
This trigger is fired at a specified time and date or at specific intervals. The
associated actions are executed on a specific schedule or periodically during the
run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
The format of the Timer Line is:
TIMER<TAB>Timer ID<TAB>INTERVAL<TAB>Rate in milliseconds
or
TIMER<TAB>Timer ID<TAB>SCHEDULE<TAB>Schedule range<TAB>First execution<TAB>Rate
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
First execution Defines the time the timer should begin firing
events (see below the table).
Last execution Defines the time the timer should stop firing
events (see below the table).
List Of Days Should be used only with the Week and Month
schedule. It must contain the days on which the
execution is desired. If the list of days is not
present, the obtained functionality is the same
as by using the day marker in every day of the
week/month.
The timer's Schedule range may have one of the following values:
MINUTE
HOUR
DAY
WEEK - List of days: 1d = Monday, 2d = Tuesday, , 7d = Sunday.
MONTH - List of days: 1d = First day of month, 2d = Second day of month,
, 30d = Thirtieth day of month, 31d = Thirty-first day of the month.
The First execution defines the time the timer should begin firing events.
Example:
1d13h10m15s
Note: If parts of the execution time are 0, they do not have to be in the string,
e.g. 1d0h10m0s = 1d10m
The timer Rate defines the event firing rate. An empty timer Rate means a single
execution.
Last Execution: The last execution time of the schedule. Could be empty.
List of Days: Shall be used only with the Week and Month schedule. It should
contain the days on which execution is desired. If the list is not specified the
same functionality can be achieved by using the day marker in the first and last
execution time.
Note: If the List of Days and the day marker in first and last execution time are
used in the same timer trigger the two setting types should match the marked
days!
Examples:
# Following timer fires events every 250 milliseconds (4 times a second):
TIMER INTERVAL 250
# Following timer fires events every 20 seconds of a minute starting at second
TIMER SCHEDULE MINUTE 10s 20s
# Following timer fires events every 4 hours of a day starting at 6:30, ending
# (e.g. 6:30, 10:30, 14:30, 18:30).
TIMER SCHEDULE DAY 6h30m 4h 20h
# Following timer fires events every 4 hours of a day starting at 6:30, ending
# Friday (e.g. 6:30, 10:30, 14:30, 18:30 of each day).
TIMER SCHEDULE WEEK 6h30m 4h 20h 1d2d3d4d5d
# Following timer fires events every 4 hours starting at 6:30, ending at 22:45
# 18:30, 22:30), on the 1th, 2th, 10th, 20th of every month.
TIMER SCHEDULE MONTH 6h30m 4h 22h45m 1d2d10d20d
# Following timer fires events every 1 hours, 3 minutes and 3 seconds starting
# 23:59:59 (e.g. 00:00:01, 01:03:04, 02:06:07 etc), on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th,
TIMER Timer_02 SCHEDULE MONTH 1s 1h3m3s 23h59m59s 3d6d9d12d15d1
Datachange Line
This trigger is fired on every data change of an item, regardless of the
subscription the incoming transaction belongs to. The format of a Datachange
line is the following:
DATACHANGE
The associated actions are executed if the value or the quality of one of the
currently used data processing or destination data items changes during the run
time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Attention: The Datachange trigger will be fired for each configured subscription
rate (when an incoming transaction of at least one item arrives).
Note: Make sure that only used subscription definitions are present in the
configuration file (resource-related point of view).
Specific Lines:
The following line types are Database specific lines and will be used to configure
different functionalities:
Parameter Description
The SQL statement parameter defines the SQL instruction which will be
executed on the associated database when the trigger fires the event. It may
contain plain text and also data placeholders (see the Data Values Placeholder
547 chapter for mode details).
When executed, these statements will insert the ID, the value and the quality of
the subscription item increment.R8 from a OPC_3 prefixed server connection
into the configured database.
In order to offer a flexible configuration for SQL statements, placeholders can
also be used. The placeholders are syntactical entities that are replaced with
their associated values each time the statement is evaluated during the run time
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application (before the instruction is sent to the
database).
Note: The Condition ID used in SQL line definition must be defined in the
current Subscription File 556 ; the default condition may also be used.
Note: The Database ID used in a SQL line definition must be defined in the
associated Task File 553 .
The SQL statements will be executed on every data change event, however their
execution will also depend on both the defined conditions and the type of the
fired trigger.
If the statements are associated with triggers of type Datachange, the respective
statements are evaluated on every data change and are only executed if all of
the following conditions are satisfied:
and the database lines will not be ignored anymore by the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application.
Example:
CONDITION Always
CONDITION AllGoodQuality AllGoodQuality
#
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATERATE 1000 ACTIVE TRUE
#!SUBSCRIPTION Subscription_222 UPDATERATE 222 ACTIVE TRUE
#
WILDCARD Wildcard_01 Current OPC_1.increment.*
#
CONDITION Always
CONDITION AllGoodQuality AllGoodQuality
#
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATERATE 1000 ACTIVE TRUE
#!SUBSCRIPTION Subscription_222 UPDATERATE 222 ACTIVE TRUE
#
MODIFIER V
#
#
#!ITEM OPC_3.increment.R8_Subscription_222 OPC_3.increment.R8 Subscri
#!SQL AllGoodQuality MyDatabase_0 INSERT INTO Test_Table1 (itemId,itemV
('#%-ItemItemID%OPC_3.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Current-%#','#%-ItemValue%O
'#%-ItemValue%Wildcard_01%Current-%#') OPC_3.increment.R8_Subscription_222
#
#!SQL MyDatabase_0 use Osf_tests GO INSERT INTO Test_Table (itemId,i
(#%-ItemItemID%OPC_3.increment.R8_%Current-%#, #%-ItemValue%OPC_3.increment.R8_
#
#!TIMER Timer_01 INTERVAL 1000
#
#!TIMER Timer_02 SCHEDULE MONTH 1s 1h3m3s 23h59m59s 3d6d9d1
#!SQL MyDatabase_0 exec Procedure_update_on @param1=#%-ItemValue%OPC
@param3=#%-ItemTimestampMS%OPC_3.increment.R8_%Current-%#; Timer_02
When loading such a configuration file into the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator a specific warning message will be displayed. This is not a load
failure but informs you that the unloaded tasks and subscriptions will not be
configured by the configurator:
Note: When multiple tasks and subscriptions exist in one configuration file,
proper measures must be taken so that the default task and subscription are
valid in the default context and can be executed correctly by the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application.
Parameter Description
Database ID Unique database identifier within the task file (used for
matching the INIT line and the statements in the
corresponding subscription file).
User Name Specifies what user name to use for connecting to the
database server.
Examples:
DB<TAB>MySQL_DB<TAB>MySQL ODBC 5.1 Driver<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB>Opc_test<TAB>
DB<TAB>MMSQL_DB<TAB>SQL Server Native Client 10.0<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB>Osf_t
DB<TAB>Oracle_DB<TAB>Oracle in OraClient11g_home1<TAB>192.168.150.110<TAB><TAB>
7.3.3.5 File
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes how to
configure the file data destination functionality of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite.
OPC2File
OPC to File stores OPC data from any Data Access or XML DA server in text
files (.txt, .xml or .html). The data read by Softing dataFEED OPC Suite is
archived in files via simple TEXT statements.
The OPC2File has the following functionalities:
Note: This add-on retrieves the values of items from OPC servers originating
from server connections and writes them to a text file using standard streaming
(currently the plain text, xml and html syntaxes are supported). For each data
change received the file task performs the configured text statements.
7.3.3.5.1 Configuration
For more details about the OPC2File functionalities see the File 570 page.
The entire File add-on functionality can be activated or deactivated by selecting
respectively deselecting the Activate File checkbox.
Note: If file definitions or file actions are defined and the add-on functionality is
deactivated, this definitions will not be deleted from the configuration files (task
and subscription files). Instead they are marked as deactivated - prefixed with
the deactivated mark: #! - which lines are ignored by the local dataFEED OPC
Suite application.
main UI page in order to use it. When this add-on is enabled the File Wizard 574
will be shown.
The Data Destination - File main view consists of:
The Activate File checkbox which allows enabling / disabling this add-on.
A tree displaying the file definitions and file actions related to them.
An action editor which offers support in editing the selected file action.
Change the properties of the selected file definition 574 using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu.
Change the properties of the selected file action 580 using the Properties
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu.
Add a new file definition 574 selecting the Files root element and using the
Add button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the
Add action from the root element context menu.
Add a new action 580 for the selected file definition using the Add button ,
pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the
file definition context menu.
Remove the selected file definition / file action using the Delete button ,
pressing the DELETE / DEL keyboard key or selecting the Delete action
from the context menu.
Modify the trigger type 600 for the selected file action selecting the Modify
Trigger Type action from the context menu.
Modify the trigger settings for the selected file action selecting the Modify
Trigger Settings action from the context menu. If the trigger type is
Datachange this context menu action is disabled. For more information see
the Item Trigger wizard 612 or the Timer Trigger wizard 616 page.
Specify the global alias values 657 for the entire configuration using the
Configure global alias and initial values button or pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+D.
The Files root node's context menu can be seen below:
For file action definitions in the File tree the trigger type, the update rate and the
execution condition can be defined. These values can be edited by clicking in the
corresponding cell.
For more details see the File Action Wizard - Output Data 581 page.
Note: This add-on offers the possibility to include a header 577 file and a footer 579
file at the beginning and end of the output files. The full paths to these two files
must be specified or the corresponding text must be provided.
Note: Configuration files are encoded in UTF-8, thus providing full support of
Unicode characters.
With the File Wizard you can create new file definitions and modify the existing
ones:
Select the data file and decide whether to use multiple files or not @ File
Wizard - Data File 576
7.3.3.5.2.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the basic steps for completing the file
definition:
Continue to the next wizard page by pressing the Next button, or quit the wizard
by clicking the Cancel button.
The Data File wizard page allows you to provide the file path and name for the
output data file as well as specify whether multiple data files should be used or
not.
Data File
The path and name of the file can be typed in the provided text box. The data file
can also be selected by clicking the browse button located to the right of the File
text box.
If the typed path does not exist, it will be automatically created by the dataFEED
OPC Suite Configurator. If an existing file is chosen with the help of the browse
button, a confirmation message will be shown asking whether to overwrite the
file or not.
Attention: Make sure that the location path is valid and that you have writing
rights on it.
Note: The path and the file name are mandatory; the wizard cannot be continued
without providing this data.
Note: Make sure the operating system supports large files when this option is
not active or when the created output is large enough.
Note: Make sure that there is enough free space available on the target drive to
write the output files. If there is not enough free space the OPC2File functionality
will not add any data to the corresponding file (when the drive is full).
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the file's header press the
Next button. To go to the previous wizard pages use the Back button. Exit the
wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
<<< File Wizard - Welcome 575 File Wizard - File Header >>> 577
The File Header wizard page allows defining the optional file header. The file
header is inserted in each output file created by this add-on. The header may be
an existing file but it may also be manually typed in.
By default this option is disabled but it can be enabled by marking the Add File
Header checkbox.
select an existing file and use the file contents as the file header.
manually type the file header in the provided text area.
From File
When the File option is selected, the path and file name pointing to an external
file can be typed into the corresponding text box. The file can also be selected by
clicking the browse button to the right of the file input box.
Note: If this option is selected, it is mandatory to provide a valid path and file
name wherefrom the header will be imported. It is not possible to continue the
wizard without properly providing/selecting this file.
Manually
When this option is selected, it is possible to add a file header by manually
typing the text in the provided text area.
To proceed forward and define the file footer use the Next button, to go back
and modify the Data File options use the Back button. Exit the wizard using the
Cancel button.
<<< File Wizard - Data File 576 File Wizard - File Footer >>> 579
The File Footer wizard page allows defining the optional file footer. The file
footer is inserted in each output file created by this add-on. The footer may be an
existing file but it may also be manually typed in.
By default this option is disabled but it can be enabled by marking the Add File
Footer checkbox.
When enabled, the footer can be defined in two ways:
select an existing file and use the file contents as the file footer.
manually type the file footer in the provided text area.
From File
When the File option is selected, the path and file name pointing to an external
file can be typed into the corresponding text box. The file can also be selected by
clicking the browse button to the right of the file input box.
Note: If this option is selected, it is mandatory to provide a valid path and file
name wherefrom the footer will be imported. It is not possible to continue the
wizard without properly providing/selecting this file.
Manually
When this option is selected, it is possible to add a file footer by manually typing
the text in the provided text area.
Note: If this option is selected, it is mandatory to provide the footer otherwise the
wizard cannot continue.
To complete the File Wizard use the Finish button, to go back and modify the file
header use the Back button. Exit the wizard using the Cancel button.
With the File Action Wizard you can create a new File Action definition or
modify an existing one:
Obtain general information about the File Action Wizard @ File Action
Wizard - Welcome 581
Define the text output for the actual file action @ File Action Wizard -
Output Data 581
Choose the file action trigger type @ File Action Wizard - Trigger Type 583
Pick the item trigger @ File Action Wizard - Trigger Item 584
Select the timer trigger @ File Action Wizard - Timer Selection 587
Define the timer identity @ File Action Wizard - Timer Identity 588
Choose the timer type @ File Action Wizard - Timer Type 589
Set the timer interval @ File Action Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 592
Configure the execution condition and the update rate @ File Action
Wizard - Action Settings 593
Note: A File Action Wizard flow will not include all the pages listed above. A
specific branch will be followed during the wizard according to the selections
performed in some of the pages.
7.3.3.5.3.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the basic steps for completing the file
action definition:
specify the text statement of the current action using text and placeholders 624
.
define the trigger settings of the current action.
specify the subscription update rate and the execution condition of the
current action.
Proceed to the next wizard page pressing the Next button, exit the wizard
pressing the Cancel button.
This wizard page allows defining the text for the current action using the action
editor. Certain operations can be performed using the buttons on the right, the
context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Insert a data value placeholder 594 using the Insert Data Value Placeholder
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut: CTRL+I or selecting the Insert
Data Value Placeholder action from the context menu.
Modify an existing data value placeholder 594 using the Modify Data Value
Cut, copy, paste or delete text with or without placeholders selecting the Cut,
Copy, Paste or Delete actions from the context menu or using the keyboard
shortcuts associated with these actions CTRL+X, CTRL+C, CTRL+V
respectively the DELETE / DEL keyboard key.
Note: The Cut, Copy and Paste actions use the Windows Clipboard for data
transfer thus allowing data to be transferred to/from other applications (e.g. the
textual representation of the action editor content can be used in external
applications and text from external application can be used in the action editor).
Attention: The placeholders visible in the action editor are aliases used only for
To proceed forward and define the trigger type use the Next button, to go back
to the previous wizard page use the Back button. Exit the wizard using the
Cancel button.
<<< File Action Wizard - Welcome 581 File Action Wizard - Trigger
Type >>> 583
The Trigger Type wizard page provides the possibility to select the trigger type
for the actual action. The following trigger types are available:
Item Trigger - This trigger is fired when a data change for the selected item
occurred. A data change means that the value or the quality of the item
changed.
Timer Trigger - This trigger is fired at a specified time or interval.
Data Change - This trigger is fired when a data change occurred in at least
one of the items used in any of the consumer add-ons.
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the selected type of trigger (or
to advance to the last wizard page when the Data Change trigger type is
selected) use the Next button, to go back to the previous wizard page use the
Back button, or discard the wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
Depending on the selected Trigger Type the next wizard page will be:
File Action Wizard - Trigger Item 584 - if the selected trigger type is Item
Trigger,
File Action Wizard - Timer Selection 587 - if the selected trigger type is Timer
Trigger,
File Action Wizard - Action Settings 593 - if the selected trigger type is Data
Change (unlike the above options, no other parameters need to be
configured here).
The description of the File Action Wizard will continue with the wizard pages for
configuring an Item Trigger.
<<< File Action Wizard - Output Data 581 File Action Wizard - Trigger
Item >>> 584
The Trigger Item wizard page is shown if the selected trigger type is Item
Trigger. Here you can configure the actual trigger item.
Trigger Items section, which allows selecting an item trigger or managing the
Local Namespace tree.
Selected Trigger Item section, which shows the item ID of the selected
trigger item and also allows typing an item ID, thereby selecting this item in
the above list.
A node for each server connection, named by the server connection items
prefix.
A node for System Items.
A node for Local Items.
The local namespace tree offers the possibility to explore the entire namespace
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application in order to select a trigger item.
After the selection is made, the Trigger item edit box is populated with the
selected item ID.
The entire namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can be
managed through this wizard page by performing certain operations using the
buttons on the right, the context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard by selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
Note: If the item ID is typed and the specified item exists in the Local
Namespace, it will be used as the trigger item. The item will only be created if it
could not be localized in the Local Namespace. In that case the newly created
item will be used as the trigger item.
Note: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID could not be created, an
error message will be displayed requesting the input of a new, valid item.
Attention: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID is valid and resides
under a static server connection, the respective item will be created in the filter
file definition.
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the action settings use the
Next button. To go back to the previous wizard page use the Back button, or exit
the wizard and discard all the changes by clicking the Cancel button.
<<< File Action Wizard - Trigger Type 583 File Action Wizard - Action
Settings >>> 593
The Timer Selection wizard page is shown only if the selected trigger type is
Timer Trigger. Here you can configure the actual timer trigger.
The current page allows selecting a previously defined timer trigger and
managing the timer list by using the buttons on the right, the context sensitive
menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Change the properties of the selected timer by using the Properties button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties
action from the context menu.
Add a new timer by using the Add timer trigger button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context
menu.
Delete the selected timer trigger by using the Delete selected timer trigger
button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete action
from the context menu.
Note: Information about the selected timer is shown in the Selected Timer
Trigger area at the bottom of the page.
<<< File Action Wizard - Trigger Type 583 File Action Wizard - Action
Settings >>> 593
The Timer Identity wizard page provides the possibility to assign a name and a
comment to the timer trigger.
Note: When adding a new timer trigger, the timer name will be automatically
generated according to the format: Timer_number, where the number part is an
auto-incremented integer.
When editing an existing timer, the timer's defined name and comment will be
filled in the two edit boxes allowing you to modify these attributes.
Attention: The name of the Timer Trigger must be unique among all triggers
and cannot be empty.
If the newly added timer trigger has the same name as an existing trigger, an
error message box will be displayed and a new trigger name must be provided:
The Comment field of the Timer Identity wizard page is optional; a Timer Trigger
can also be added without any comment.
Continue to the next wizard page to choose the timer type by using the Next
button, go back to the previous wizard page to select another timer trigger by
pressing the Back button, or cancel the entire File Action Wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< File Action Wizard - Timer Selection 587 File Action Wizard - Timer
Type >>> 589
This wizard page allows choosing the type of the timer trigger. The following
types of timer are available:
Interval Timer
Schedule Timer
Interval Timer
The Interval Timer type allows defining a specific interval of time (in milliseconds)
between the timer fire events. The time interval can be configured on the File
Action Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 592 wizard page.
Schedule Timer
The Schedule Timer type allows defining a specific date and time when the timer
should fire. The schedule can be configured on the File Action Wizard -
Schedule Timer Settings 591 wizard page.
To continue defining the specific timer properties press the Next button, to return
to the Timer Identity wizard page use the Back button, or exit this sub-wizard
(thereby aborting the File Action Wizard) by pressing the Cancel button.
The description of the File Action Wizard will continue with the wizard pages for
configuring a Schedule Timer.
<<< File Action Wizard - Timer Identity 588 File Action Wizard -
Schedule Timer Settings >>> 591
The Schedule Timer Settings wizard page is a more complex page compared to
the Interval Timer Settings wizard page and allows defining the corresponding
schedule for the execution of the trigger action:
Time Range: Provides the possibility to choose one of the following schedule
ranges: month, week, day, hour or minute. When the month or the week
ranges are selected the panel below the selection is populated with the
month and week days, respectively.
Execution Rate: Sets the execution rate of the current action in the
previously-defined Time Range (e.g. every X day(s), every Y hour(s), every
Z minute(s), every T second(s)).
Begin Time: Sets the time the current action should begin execution.
End Time: Sets the time the current action should stop execution.
According to the Time Range the Begin Time and the End Time fields will allow
typing:
Note: A short review of the configured timer schedule is shown at the bottom of
this wizard page.
If the defined schedule is not valid, an error message dialog will appear naming
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page using the Next button, return to the
previous wizard page using the Back button or exit the wizard pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< File Action Wizard - Timer Type 589 File Action Wizard - Timer
Selection >>> 587
The Interval Timer Settings wizard page allows configuring the time interval at
which the current action should be (periodically) executed.
The time interval value is measured in milliseconds and ensures that the action
will be triggered at the time interval defined in the spin-box.
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page by pressing the Next button, return
to the previous one by using the Back button, or exit the wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< File Action Wizard - Timer Type 589 File Action Wizard - Timer
Selection >>> 587
7.3.3.5.3.10Action Settings
The Action Settings wizard page allows defining the execution condition and the
subscription update rate for the current file action.
The wizard page is divided into two sections: Execution Condition and Update
Rate.
Execution Condition
Each statement has an execution condition which is evaluated by the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application. The action is only performed when the
evaluation is successful. If the evaluation fails then the statement is ignored.
The execution conditions allow reacting to server communication errors,
executing special statements or preventing the execution of other statements.
The execution condition can be selected directly from the drop down combo box.
The initial value is the global alias one. Changing the global default execution
condition can be done using the Configure global alias and initial values 657 button
or pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+D.
Update Rate
The Update Rate specifies the execution rate of the current file action.
The update rate can be typed or selected from the spin box. The initial value is
the global alias one. Changing the global default update rate can be done using
the Configure global alias and initial values 657 button or pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+D.
Complete the File Action Wizard pressing the Finish button, review the past
wizard pages using the Back button, or cancel the wizard thus discarding all the
changes by pressing the Cancel button.
With the Data Value Placeholder Wizard you can create a placeholder from a
configured data source or from a valid wildcard:
Select a placeholder item @ Data Value Placeholder Wizard - Data Item 595
Select the data value and source @ Data Value Placeholder Wizard - Data
Value 598
7.3.3.5.4.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the individual steps for defining the
placeholder:
Select an item from the local dataFEED OPC Suite application namespace
or provide a valid wildcard.
Choose the data value and the data source for the selected item.
Continue to the next wizard page using the Next button or quit the wizard
pressing the Cancel button.
The Data Item wizard page allows selecting the placeholder item. The
placeholder item can be:
Any item originating from a Server Connection, from the Local Items or from
the System Items can be selected, choosing a tag from the Local
Namespace.
A valid wildcard can be manually created by typing its regular expression in
the Data Item edit box.
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Copy the selected item to clipboard by selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
the selected server connection is recreated; if manually added items not
referenced in the actual configuration exist, those items are deleted from the
namespace.
Delete the selected item and all of its child items by using the Delete data
items button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu. Items which are included in any Data
Processing / Data Destination add-ons will not be deleted but an error
message will be displayed instead.
An example of the context menu can be seen below:
Attention: The Local Namespace root node, the Local Items root node and the
server connection root nodes cannot be deleted. An item that is used in
consumers or a system item cannot be deleted either.
Note: The copy/paste actions work on the selected tag/property or on the whole
selected branch. The copy action is not available for the Local Namespace root
or for the server connection root nodes; the paste action is not available for
items of type property (as they cannot have any children).
The entire namespace of the local Softing dataFEED OPC Suite application is
exposed in this wizard page. The tree root node name is composed of the Local
Namespace keyword followed by the instance name.
Note: Only tag and property items are allowed to be used in placeholder. If a
node item is selected, an error message dialog will appear when the Next button
is pressed.
Note: The Data Item edit box in the Selected Data Item section of this wizard
page is editable. The text typed in this text area is considered as wildcard.
SID* - replaces any string of at least 3 characters that starts with SID
S*D replaces a string of at least 2 characters that starts with S and ends
with D
The question mark wildcard ( ? ) substitutes a single character:
S[A-Z]D replaces any string of 3 characters that starts with S, ends with D
and contains any character in the range A to Z.
SID[0-9] replaces any string of 4 characters that starts with SID and ends
with any number in the range 0 to 9.
Proceed to the next page to set the item data value and source by using the
Next button, return to the previous wizard page by using Back button, or quit the
wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
The Data Value wizard page provides the possibility to set the properties of the
placeholder:
Data Value - select the actual data value for the associated data item which
will be replaced during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Data Source - select the source for data value which will be replaced during
the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Data Value
The following data value attributes may be used:
Attribute Description
Timestamp (without The data source server item timestamp as date time
milliseconds) without milliseconds.
Timestamp (with The data source server item timestamp as date time
milliseconds) including milliseconds.
Data Source
The following data sources can be selected:
Current The value used is the current one. This means that if
the item is included in the transaction, the received
value is used. If the item is not included, the cached
value is used.
Attention: If the action trigger is set to Data Change and the corresponding
action contains at least one placeholder having Changed as the Data Source,
that specific item must exist in the incoming transaction in order for the action to
be executed. When the item is not present in the transaction, the action is
invalidated.
Complete the wizard using the Finish button, go back to the previous wizard
page using the Back button or discard any changes made in this wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
The Trigger Wizard allows modifying the trigger for the current action:
Name the newly created timer trigger @ Trigger Wizard - Timer Identity 607
Define the timer interval @ Trigger Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 611
Note: A Trigger Wizard flow will not include all the pages listed above. A specific
branch will be followed during the wizard according to the selections performed
in some of the pages.
7.3.3.5.5.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the main steps for defining a trigger:
To proceed with the trigger creation use the Next button, or quit the wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
The Trigger Type wizard page provides the possibility to select the trigger type
for the actual action. The following trigger types are available:
Item Trigger - This trigger is fired when a data change for the selected item
occurred. A data change means that the value or the quality of the item
changed.
Timer Trigger - This trigger is fired at a specified time or interval.
Data Change - This trigger is fired when a data change occurred in at least
one of the items used in any of the consumer add-ons.
Attention: The trigger only initiates the file action execution. The action will be
subsequently validated, however, and might not be executed after all.
To proceed with the wizard and continue to define the selected type of trigger (or
to advance to the last wizard page when the Data Change trigger type is
selected) use the Next button, to go back to the previous wizard page use the
Back button, or discard the wizard by pressing the Cancel button.
Depending on the selected Trigger Type the next wizard page will be:
Trigger Wizard - Trigger Item 603 - if the selected trigger type is Item Trigger,
Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection 606 - if the selected trigger type is Timer
Trigger,
If the selected action is Data Change this will be the last wizard page,
therefore the Next button will become Finish.
The description of the Trigger Wizard will continue with the wizard pages for
configuring an Item Trigger.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Welcome 601 Trigger Wizard - Trigger Item >>> 603
The Trigger Item wizard page is shown if the selected trigger type is Item
Trigger. Here you can configure the actual trigger item.
Trigger Items section, which allows selecting an item trigger or managing the
Local Namespace tree.
Selected Trigger Item section, which shows the item ID of the selected
trigger item and also allows typing an item ID, thereby selecting this item in
the above list.
to the Local Namespace keyword. The first level of the namespace contains:
A node for each server connection, named by the server connection items
prefix.
A node for System Items.
A node for Local Items.
The local namespace tree offers the possibility to explore the entire namespace
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application in order to select a trigger item.
After the selection is made, the Trigger item edit box is populated with the
selected item ID.
The entire namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can be
managed through this wizard page by performing certain operations using the
buttons on the right, the context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
Note: If the item ID is typed and the specified item exists in the Local
Namespace, it will be used as the trigger item. The item will only be created if it
could not be localized in the Local Namespace. In that case the newly created
item will be used as the trigger item.
Note: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID could not be created, an
error message will be displayed requesting the input of a new, valid item.
Attention: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID is valid and resides
under a static server connection, the respective item will be created in the filter
file definition.
Complete the wizard using the Finish button or return to the previous wizard
page using the Back button. To exit the wizard and discard all the changes click
the Cancel button.
The Timer Selection wizard page is shown only if the selected trigger type is
Timer Trigger. Here you can configure the actual timer trigger.
The current page allows selecting a previously defined timer trigger and
managing the timer list by using using the buttons on the right, the context
sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Change the properties of the selected timer by using the Properties button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties
action from the context menu.
Add a new timer by using the Add timer trigger button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context
menu.
Delete the selected timer trigger by using the Delete selected timer trigger
button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete action
from the context menu.
Note: Information about the selected timer is shown in the Selected Timer
Trigger area at the bottom of the page.
The Timer Identity wizard page provides the possibility to assign a name and a
comment to the timer trigger.
Note: When adding a new timer trigger, the timer name will be automatically
generated according to the format: Timer_number, where the number part is an
auto-incremented integer.
When editing an existing timer, the timer's defined name and comment will be
filled in the two edit boxes allowing you to modify these attributes.
Attention: The name of the Timer Trigger must be unique among all triggers
and cannot be empty.
If the newly added timer trigger has the same name as an existing trigger, an
error message box will be displayed and a new trigger name must be provided:
The Comment field of the Timer Identity wizard page is optional; a Timer Trigger
can also be added without any comment.
Continue to the next wizard page to choose the timer type by using the Next
button, go back to the previous wizard page to select another timer trigger by
pressing the Back button, or cancel the entire Trigger Wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection 606 Trigger Wizard - Timer Type
>>> 608
This wizard page allows choosing the type of the timer trigger. The following
types of timer are available:
Interval Timer
Schedule Timer
Interval Timer
The Interval Timer type allows defining a specific interval of time (in milliseconds)
between the timer fire events. The time interval can be configured on the Trigger
Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 611 wizard page.
Schedule Timer
The Schedule Timer type allows defining a specific date and time when the timer
should fire. The schedule can be configured on the Trigger Wizard - Schedule
Timer Settings 610 wizard page.
To continue defining the specific timer properties press the Next button, to return
to the Timer Identity wizard page use the Back button, or exit this sub-wizard
(thereby aborting the Trigger Wizard) by pressing the Cancel button.
The description of the Trigger Wizard will continue with the wizard pages for
configuring a Schedule Timer.
The Schedule Timer Settings wizard page is a more complex page compared to
the Interval Timer Settings wizard page and allows defining the corresponding
schedule for the execution of the trigger action:
Time Range: Provides the possibility to choose one of the following schedule
ranges: month, week, day, hour or minute. When the month or the week
ranges are selected the panel below the selection is populated with the
month and week days, respectively.
Execution Rate: Sets the execution rate of the current action in the
previously-defined Time Range (e.g. every X day(s), every Y hour(s), every
Z minute(s), every T second(s)).
Begin Time: Sets the time the current action should begin execution.
End Time: Sets the time the current action should stop execution.
According to the Time Range the Begin Time and the End Time fields will allow
typing:
Note: A short review of the configured timer schedule is shown at the bottom of
this wizard page.
If the defined schedule is not valid, an error message dialog will appear naming
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page using the Next button, return to the
previous wizard page using the Back button or exit the wizard pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 608 Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection
>>> 606
The Interval Timer Settings wizard page allows configuring the time interval at
which the current action should be (periodically) executed.
The time interval value is measured in milliseconds and ensures that the action
will be triggered at the time interval defined in the spin-box.
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page by pressing the Next button, return
to the previous one by using the Back button, or exit the wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 608 Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection
>>> 606
The Item Trigger Wizard allows modifying the item trigger for the current
action:
Obtain general information about the Item Trigger Wizard @ Item Trigger
Wizard - Welcome 612
Configure the trigger item @ Item Trigger Wizard - Trigger Item 613
7.3.3.5.6.1 Welcome
The Welcome page describes the basic steps for completing the Item Trigger
definition.
Proceed to the next page by pressing the Next button or exit the wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
On the Trigger Item wizard page you can configure the trigger item you want to
use.
Trigger Items section, which allows selecting an item trigger or managing the
Local Namespace tree.
Selected Trigger Item section, which shows the item ID of the selected
trigger item and also allows typing an item ID, thereby selecting this item in
the above list.
A node for each server connection, named by the server connection items
prefix.
A node for System Items.
A node for Local Items.
The local namespace tree offers the possibility to explore the entire namespace
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application in order to select a trigger item.
After the selection is made, the Trigger item edit box is populated with the
selected item ID.
The entire namespace of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application can be
managed through this wizard page by performing certain operations using the
buttons on the right, the context sensitive menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Open the item properties dialog using the Properties of the selected item
button , pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the
Properties action from the context menu. Depending on the type of the
selected item, a special Item Properties dialog opens:
If the selected item is under Local Items the Modify Local Item 237
dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a dynamic server connection the Modify
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected item is under a static server connection the Modify
Static Server Item 211 dialog is opened.
Add a new item using the Add a new item button, pressing the keyboard
shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context menu.
Depending on the type of the selected node, a special Add Item dialog
opens:
If the selected node is under Local Items the Add Local Item 235
dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a dynamic server connection the Add
Dynamic Server Item 158 dialog is opened.
If the selected node is under a static server connection the Add
Static Server Item 208 dialog is opened.
Copy the selected item to clipboard selecting the Copy action from the
context menu.
Paste the previously copied item from clipboard by selecting the Paste action
from the context menu. Items originating from the Local Items cannot be
pasted under server connections, and vice-versa; an error message will be
displayed in both cases. If an item is pasted in a static (filtered) server
connection and the item does not exist on the server an error message is
displayed.
Connect to the server and refresh the data items by using the Refresh data
items button, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+R or selecting the
Connect and Refresh Data action from the context menu. The namespace of
the selected server connection is recreated; if manually added items not
referenced in the actual configuration exist, those items are deleted from the
namespace.
Delete the selected item and all of its child items by using the Delete data
items button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete
action from the context menu. Items which are included in any Data
Note: If the item ID is typed and the specified item exists in the Local
Namespace, it will be used as the trigger item. The item will only be created if it
could not be localized in the Local Namespace. In that case the newly created
item will be used as the trigger item.
Note: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID could not be created, an
error message will be displayed requesting the input of a new, valid item.
Attention: If the item corresponding to the typed item ID is valid and resides
under a static server connection, the respective item will be created in the filter
file definition.
Complete the wizard using the Finish button or return to the previous wizard
page using the Back button. To exit the wizard and discard all the changes click
the Cancel button.
The Timer Trigger Wizard allows modifying the timer trigger for the current
action:
Name the newly created timer trigger @ Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer
Identity 619
Choose the timer type @ Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 620
Define the timer interval @ Timer Trigger Wizard - Interval Timer Settings
623
Note: A Timer Trigger Wizard flow will not include all the pages listed above. A
specific branch will be followed during the wizard according to the selections
performed in some of the pages.
7.3.3.5.7.1 Welcome
The Welcome wizard page describes the basic steps for completing the timer
definition.
Continue to the next wizard page by using the Next button or quit the wizard by
pressing the Cancel button.
The Timer Selection wizard page allows configuring the actual timer trigger.
The current page allows selecting a previously defined timer trigger and
managing the timer list by using the buttons on the right, the context sensitive
menu or the keyboard shortcuts:
Change the properties of the selected timer by using the Properties button
, pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P or selecting the Properties
action from the context menu.
Add a new timer by using the Add timer trigger button , pressing the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+A or selecting the Add action from the context
menu.
Delete the selected timer trigger by using the Delete selected timer trigger
button , pressing the DELETE / DEL key or selecting the Delete action
from the context menu.
Note: Information about the selected timer is shown in the Selected Timer
The Timer Identity wizard page provides the possibility to assign a name and a
comment to the timer trigger.
Note: When adding a new timer trigger, the timer name will be automatically
generated according to the format: Timer_number, where the number part is an
auto-incremented integer.
When editing an existing timer, the timer's defined name and comment will be
filled in the two edit boxes allowing you to modify these attributes.
Attention: The name of the Timer Trigger must be unique among all triggers
and cannot be empty.
If the newly added timer trigger has the same name as an existing trigger, an
error message box will be displayed and a new trigger name must be provided:
The Comment field of the Timer Identity wizard page is optional; a Timer Trigger
can also be added without any comment.
Continue to the next wizard page to choose the timer type by using the Next
button, go back to the previous wizard page to select another timer trigger by
pressing the Back button, or cancel the entire Timer Trigger Wizard by pressing
the Cancel button.
<<< Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Selection 618 Timer Trigger Wizard
- Timer Type >>> 620
This wizard page allows choosing the type of the timer trigger. The following
types of timer are available:
Interval Timer
Schedule Timer
Interval Timer
The Interval Timer type allows defining a specific interval of time (in milliseconds)
between the timer fire events. The time interval can be configured on the Timer
Trigger Wizard - Interval Timer Settings 623 wizard page.
Schedule Timer
The Schedule Timer type allows defining a specific date and time when the timer
should fire. The schedule can be configured on the Timer Trigger Wizard -
Schedule Timer Settings 622 wizard page.
To continue defining the specific timer properties press the Next button, to return
to the Timer Identity wizard page use the Back button, or exit this sub-wizard
(thereby aborting the Timer Trigger Wizard) by pressing the Cancel button.
The description of the Timer Trigger Wizard will continue with the wizard pages
for configuring a Schedule Timer.
<<< Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Identity 619 Timer Trigger Wizard
- Schedule Timer Settings >>> 622
The Schedule Timer Settings wizard page is a more complex page compared to
the Interval Timer Settings wizard page and allows defining the corresponding
schedule for the execution of the trigger action:
Time Range: Provides the possibility to choose one of the following schedule
ranges: month, week, day, hour or minute. When the month or the week
ranges are selected the panel below the selection is populated with the
month and week days, respectively.
Execution Rate: Sets the execution rate of the current action in the
previously-defined Time Range (e.g. every X day(s), every Y hour(s), every
Z minute(s), every T second(s)).
Begin Time: Sets the time the current action should begin execution.
End Time: Sets the time the current action should stop execution.
According to the Time Range the Begin Time and the End Time fields will allow
typing:
Note: A short review of the configured timer schedule is shown at the bottom of
this wizard page.
If the defined schedule is not valid, an error message dialog will appear naming
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page using the Next button, return to the
previous wizard page using the Back button or exit the wizard pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 620 Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer
Selection >>> 618
The Interval Timer Settings wizard page allows configuring the time interval at
which the current action should be (periodically) executed.
The time interval value is measured in milliseconds and ensures that the action
will be triggered at the time interval defined in the spin-box.
Continue to the Timer Selection wizard page by pressing the Next button, return
to the previous one by using the Back button, or exit the wizard by pressing the
Cancel button.
<<< Trigger Wizard - Timer Type 620 Timer Trigger Wizard - Timer
Selection >>> 618
Placeholders can be used when configuring various actions (SQL, TEXT and
other statements). These placeholders can be defined in the File Action Wizard,
Database Action Wizard, File or Database main user interface and are saved in
the Subscription file 632. A placeholder is determined by the following attributes:
Data Item - an item (tag, property or node with value) originating from a
Server Connection, from the Local Items or from the System Items, or a valid
wildcard.
Data Value 625 - the actual data value for the associated data item which will
be replaced during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application.
Data Source 626 - the source for the data value which will be replaced during
the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
where:
Attribute Description
Example:
#%-ItemValue%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Current-%#
Data value:
The following data value attributes can be used (they are supported by both
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator and local dataFEED OPC Suite application):
The following data value attributes can be used (only supported by the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application):
Examples:
'#%-ItemTimestampOCTMSPart%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Current-%#'
'#%-ItemTimestampOCTMS%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Changed-%#'
'#%-ItemTimestampOCT%OPC_1.increment.R8_Subscription_222%Cache-%#'
Wildcards
A placeholder can also contain a wildcard 635 at the position of
ItemID_SubscriptionID, which is matched by the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application against the items defined in the subscription file:
#%-ItemValue%Wildcard_02%Current-%#
#%-ItemQualityString%Wildcard_02%Cache-%#
#%-ItemTimestamp%Wildcard_02%Changed-%#
#%-ItemItemID%Wildcard_02%Current-%#
DATACHANGE
TEXT<TAB>Always<TAB>File_01<TAB>The value of #%-ItemItemID%increment.I4_Subscri
#
TIMER<TAB>Timer_02<TAB>INTERVAL<TAB>1000
TEXT<TAB>ItemQualityChanged<TAB>File_01<TAB>The value of #%-ItemItemID%incremen
All the OPC2File configuration settings are stored in two separated files:
Note: The path and file name of these configuration files are fixed and not
configurable.
The task and subscription files are stored in the Tasks folder under the instance
path. For task configuration a text file called Tasks.txt and for subscription
configuration a text file called Subscriptions.txt will be created in the Tasks
configuration folder. Although these files can be manually edited, using the
dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator is advisable.
Note: The recommendation is to use only the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
to edit these files. This ensures that all the definitions will be valid.
Commented Lines (#) Any line that starts with the "#" character is
considered a comment line which is ignored
during evaluation.
The FILE line allows defining all the parameters needed by the File add-on to
write in a file:
FILE<TAB>File ID<TAB>Absolute File Path<TAB>File Options
Parameter Description
Absolute File Path Absolute file path, including drive letter, path
and file name.
File Options File options used to specify how often data files
are to be created: every hour, every day etc.
Example:
FILE<TAB>File_01<TAB>C:\Documents and settings\user\My Documents\opcfile1.txt<T
FILE<TAB>File_02<TAB>C:\Documents and settings\user\My Documents\opcfile2.txt<T
FILE<TAB>File_03<TAB>C:\Documents and settings\user\My Documents\opcfile3.xml<T
FILE<TAB>File_04<TAB>C:\Documents and settings\user\My Documents\opcfile4.txt<T
OneFilePerHour
OneFilePerDay
OneFilePerWeek
If any of the above File Options is specified, the OPC2File add-on will generate a
new file for each hour, day and week, respectively. The date and time of the file
creation will be added to the file name with the format: <Absolute file path>-
YYMMDD-HH. If the file specified in the task file already exists, the OPC2File
add-on will append the new data to the file.
Note: If no File Options are specified, the file is created without the suffix -
YYMMDD-HH.
Note: If the output files already exist, they will be overwritten. Backup or rename
the output files of the previous session if this data is still needed.
The FILEHEADER line can be used to specify a text block that is to be inserted
at the beginning of each output file. The syntax of this line is the following:
FILEHEADER<TAB>File ID<TAB>Absolute File Path
Parameter Description
Example:
FILEHEADER<TAB>File_01<TAB>C:\Documents and settings\user\My Documents\headerfi
The FILEFOOTER line can be used to specify a text block that is to be inserted
at the end of each output file. The syntax of this line is the following:
FILEFOOTER<TAB>File ID<TAB>Absolute File Path
Parameter Description
Example:
FILEFOOTER File_01 C:\Documents and settings\user\My Documents\footerfile.txt
common lines 632 which are specific to all the consumer add-ons: condition
lines, subscription lines and item lines;
specific lines 632 : modifier lines and copy lines.
Common Lines:
The following line types are common lines and will be used to configure different
functionalities:
Subscription 557 Defines the update rate with which the current
action will be executed.
Commented Lines (#) Any line that starts with the "#" character is
considered a comment line which is ignored
during evaluation.
Subscription Line
A subscription line has the following format:
SUBSCRIPTION<TAB>Subscription ID<TAB>UPDATERATE<TAB>Update rate value<TAB>ACTIV
Parameter Description
Update rate value Defines the update rate with which the current
action will be executed.
The subscription lines always contain the global subscription line as well as all
subscriptions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
subscription is represented by the subscription line with the empty Subscription
ID. The default update rate value for the global subscription is 1000 milliseconds.
The value of the update rate is saved in milliseconds. This value may not be set
to 0 inside the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator but it can be manually set by
editing the subscription file with an external text editor. An update rate value of 0
means as fast as possible but this is not recommended from a resource-related
point of view.
Setting a subscription to be active or inactive is an advanced feature which
cannot be configured from within the dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator. By
default the active value for each and every subscription is set to TRUE (meaning
that all subscriptions are active since creation). If a subscription's active value is
set to FALSE then the data changes of the items configured to be part of that
subscription will be ignored.
Examples:
SUBSCRIPTION<TAB><TAB>UPDATERATE<TAB>1000<TAB>ACTIVE<TAB>TRUE
SUBSCRIPTION<TAB>Subscription_300<TAB>UPDATERATE<TAB>300<TAB>ACTIVE<TAB>TRUE
Condition Line
A condition line defines whether an action below an item trigger will be executed
or not (when the item trigger is fired). This can be used in other configuration
lines as well to condition the execution of an item action. One example of this is
the conditional execution of a SQL statement in the Database add-on. A
condition line has the following format:
CONDITION<TAB>Condition ID<TAB>Condition Statement
Parameter Description
Condition Description
The condition lines always contain the global condition line as well as all
conditions which are used at least once in consumer actions. The global
condition is represented by the condition line with the empty Condition ID. The
default condition statement value for the global condition is Always. As a general
rule all the condition lines need to be declared in the global section of the
subscription file. If no condition is defined the Always condition is applied as
default.
Examples:
CONDITION<TAB><TAB>Always
CONDITION<TAB>AllGoodQuality<TAB>AllGoodQuality
Wildcard Line
The Subscription Item ID, Item ID and Event Source strings can include
wildcards (* .? and []) as parts of the string.
A wildcard must be previously defined in a Wildcard Line before it can be used in
the Action.
A wildcard line has the following format:
WILDCARD<TAB>Wildcard ID<TAB>Item type<TAB>Wildcard string
Parameter Description
Note: The data value defined for wildcards in the wildcard lines overrides the
functionality of the data value defined in the item placeholders found in the
subscription file.
SID* - replaces any string of at least 3 characters that starts with SID
S*D replaces a string of at least 2 characters that starts with S and ends
with D
The question mark wildcard ( ? ) substitutes a single character:
S[A-Z]D replaces any string of 3 characters that starts with S, ends with D
and contains any character in the range A to Z.
SID[0-9] replaces any string of 4 characters that starts with SID and ends
with any number in the range 0 to 9.
Example:
WILDCARD<TAB>All_Integer_Increments<TAB>Current<TAB>Increment.I*
Attention: The wildcard can only replace the items defined in the subscription
file.
Item Line
An item line is used to add an item to a subscription. The associated actions are
executed each time the value or the quality of the specified data items changes
during the run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
An item line has the following format:
ITEM<TAB>Subscription Item ID<TAB>Server Item ID<TAB>Subscription ID
Parameter Description
This trigger is fired if the item data or quality has changed (also referred to as
data change). The trigger data includes all other items which were included in
the data change (items which had their data change reported in the same
transaction).
Note: A single line consisting of the Server Item ID and Subscription ID is added
to the subscription file for an item used several times with the same update rate
in any consumer add-ons. This optimizes the local dataFEED OPC Suite
application throughput.
Example:
ITEM<TAB>increment.I1_Subscription_300<TAB>increment.I1<TAB>Subscription_300
Note: The subscription item ID can be empty. In this case, however, only the
Server Item ID can be used to identify the item.
Timer Line
This trigger is fired at a specified time and date or at specific intervals. The
associated actions are executed on a specific schedule or periodically during the
run time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
or
TIMER<TAB>Timer ID<TAB>SCHEDULE<TAB>Schedule range<TAB>First execution<TAB>Rate
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
First execution Defines the time the timer should begin firing
events (see below the table).
Last execution Defines the time the timer should stop firing
events (see below the table).
List Of Days Should be used only with the Week and Month
schedule. It must contain the days on which the
execution is desired. If the list of days is not
present, the obtained functionality is the same
as by using the day marker in every day of the
week/month.
The timer's Schedule range may have one of the following values:
MINUTE
HOUR
DAY
WEEK - List of days: 1d = Monday, 2d = Tuesday, , 7d = Sunday.
MONTH - List of days: 1d = First day of month, 2d = Second day of month,
, 30d = Thirtieth day of month, 31d = Thirty-first day of the month.
The First execution defines the time the timer should begin firing events.
Example:
1d13h10m15s
Note: If parts of the execution time are 0, they do not have to be in the string,
e.g. 1d0h10m0s = 1d10m
The timer Rate defines the event firing rate. An empty timer Rate means a single
execution.
Last Execution: The last execution time of the schedule. Could be empty.
List of Days: Shall be used only with the Week and Month schedule. It should
contain the days on which execution is desired. If the list is not specified the
same functionality can be achieved by using the day marker in the first and last
execution time.
Note: If the List of Days and the day marker in first and last execution time are
used in the same timer trigger the two setting types should match the marked
days!
Examples:
# Following timer fires events every 250 milliseconds (4 times a second):
TIMER<TAB><TAB>INTERVAL<TAB>250
# Following timer fires events every 20 seconds of a minute starting at second
TIMER<TAB><TAB>SCHEDULE<TAB>MINUTE<TAB>10s<TAB>20s
# Following timer fires events every 4 hours of a day starting at 6:30, ending
# (e.g. 6:30, 10:30, 14:30, 18:30).
TIMER<TAB><TAB>SCHEDULE<TAB>DAY<TAB>6h30m<TAB>4h<TAB>20h
# Following timer fires events every 4 hours of a day starting at 6:30, ending
# Friday (e.g. 6:30, 10:30, 14:30, 18:30 of each day).
TIMER<TAB><TAB>SCHEDULE<TAB>WEEK<TAB>6h30m<TAB>4h<TAB>20h<TAB>1d2d3d4d5d
# Following timer fires events every 4 hours starting at 6:30, ending at 22:45
# 18:30, 22:30), on the 1th, 2th, 10th, 20th of every month.
TIMER<TAB><TAB>SCHEDULE<TAB>MONTH<TAB>6h30m<TAB>4h<TAB>22h45m<TAB>1d2d10d20d
# Following timer fires events every 1 hours, 3 minutes and 3 seconds starting
# 23:59:59 (e.g. 00:00:01, 01:03:04, 02:06:07 etc), on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th,
TIMER<TAB>Timer_02<TAB>SCHEDULE<TAB>MONTH<TAB>1s<TAB>1h3m3s<TAB>23h59m59s<TAB>3
Datachange Line
This trigger is fired on every data change of an item, regardless of the
subscription the incoming transaction belongs to. The format of a Datachange
line is the following:
DATACHANGE
The associated actions are executed if the value or the quality of one of the
currently used data processing or destination data items changes during the run
time of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Attention: The Datachange trigger will be fired for each configured subscription
rate (when an incoming transaction of at least one item arrives).
Note: Make sure that only used subscription definitions are present in the
configuration file (resource-related point of view).
Specific Lines:
The following line types are OPC2File specific and will be used to configure
different functionalities:
Parameter Description
The text statement parameter configures the text which will be inserted in the
specified file when the corresponding action is executed. It contains free text
and data placeholders 624.
Example of TEXT configuration lines and the appropriate ITEM lines:
# Insert statement without condition (i.e. default condition considered)
#
ITEM<TAB>increment.I1_<TAB>increment.I1<TAB>
When executed, these statements will add the value and quality of the
subscription item "increment.I1" from an empty prefixed server connection to the
configured file: File_TEXT, File_XML and File_TAB, respectively.
In order to offer a flexible configuration for TEXT statements, placeholders can
also be used. The placeholders are syntactical entities that are replaced with
their associated values each time the statement is evaluated during the run time
of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application (before the text is written to the
file).
Note: The Condition ID used in TEXT line definition must be defined in the
current Subscription File 632 ; the default condition may also be used.
Note: The File ID used in a TEXT line definition must be defined in the
associated Task File 629 .
The TEXT statements will be executed on every data change event, however
their execution will also depend on both the defined conditions and the type of
the fired trigger.
If the statements are associated with triggers of type Datachange, the respective
statements are evaluated on every data change and are only executed if all of
the following conditions are satisfied:
configuration.
The action condition is true.
The placeholders in the statement can be replaced by their respective values
(the changed data source may invalidate the action).
As a general rule, if a statement includes placeholders with wildcards, at least
one of the wildcards must match one of the items that changed. If a statement
that includes items which are not in the data changed list should be executed,
the values of these items are retrieved from the cache.
7.3.4 Settings
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes some
global settings for the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Discover the currently installed licenses and the license items used @
Configuration: Settings - Licenses 656
7.3.4.1 Diagnostics
This section allows defining the trace output to be written for each of the four
trace groups. The section allows:
7.3.4.1.1 Configuration
This section describes how to configure the diagnostics output of the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Trace Levels
In the Trace Levels group box the different trace levels (the amount of data to be
traced) can be defined for each of the four trace groups. The following trace
groups are available:
The modules for each of the above trace groups can be selected from the drop
down list. The drop-down list can also be manually edited providing a way for
All: All trace messages will be logged (OPC, Server, Client, OCT).
Nothing: No trace messages will be logged for the selected group.
OPC: Trace messages from the OPC side will be logged.
Server: Trace messages from the server side will be logged.
Client: Trace messages from the client side will be logged.
OCT: Trace messages from Softing dataFEED OPC Suite will be logged.
Trace To File
In the bottom group box, you can enable the logging of trace data and specify
the trace file you want to use.
To enable tracing to a file the Trace to File checkbox must be checked.
If the checkbox is not checked, the section requesting input of the name and
size of the trace files will be disabled (grayed out).
Attribute Description
Maximum file size [MB] Maximum size (in Megabytes) of each of the trace
files.
Note: When the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is restarted the contents
of the trace files are backed up. The backup is only performed for the previous
log files when a new session of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application is
started and not when the log files reach their maximum size during the
application runtime.
If asked for the trace files in a support case, you can find them in the following
folder:
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Softing\dataFEED OPC Suite
\<ConfigurationName>\
Please note that this folder can vary depending on the Microsoft Windows
operating system and the language version used.
The backed up trace files have the following names:
OSF_Runtime_backup#<number>A.log
OSF_Runtime_backup#<number>B.log
Note: The tracing mechanism is circular meaning that it writes data to two
separate files. When the first file reaches the Maximum file size the trace
mechanism overwrites the second file and so on.
Note: When the local dataFEED OPC Suite application starts it automatically
renames the two trace files from the previous session as the most recent backup
files. If Number of backup files is set to 0 then the trace files from the last
session will not be backed up.
Attention: Please make sure that you have enough free space for the ongoing
trace files (e.g. twice the Maximum File Size) plus additional space for the
backup files (if Number of backup files is greater than 0).
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite features an integrated web server, which also
allows you to provide your own web pages for displaying and setting values. The
architecture and performance of the web server have been designed for small-
scale visualizations.
The web pages of the local dataFEED OPC Suite application provide run time
information about the current licenses and license items, version information,
diagnostics information and contact data for requesting technical support for
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite. They are described in detail under dataFEED
OPC Suite Web Pages 80 .
More detailed information on the dataFEED OPC Suite web server configuration
can be found on the Configuration: Settings - Web Server 647 page.
Attention: When the 72-hours demonstration mode expires, the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application is generally stopped. As a result, the corresponding web
pages will not be available anymore, either.
7.3.4.2.1 Configuration
In this configuration section the integrated web server for the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application can be activated and configured.
Attention: If the integrated web server is deactivated, the data destination OPC
XML-DA Client functionality (the integrated OPC XML-DA server) will be
deactivated as well.
The TCP/IP port number used for the data destination OPC XML-DA
functionality and the integrated web server is always the same.
Note: Each dataFEED OPC Suite configuration running on the same workstation
must use a unique TCP/IP port number. This port number must not be used by
other applications running on the same PC.
Attribute Description
Web pages root The directory where the web pages are located on
directory the local host. The default value is the installation
path. The path must be updated if the web pages are
moved from the installation path.
TCP/IP port number The web server and OPC XML-DA server TCP/IP
port number.
The administrator and the operator users have the following default passwords:
User Password
Operator op
Administrator ad
7.3.4.3 Advanced
Advanced global settings which affect the entire local dataFEED OPC Suite
application can be configured in this section.
There are two settings groups, which are displayed in the following group boxes:
7.3.4.3.1 Configuration
This configuration section allows configuring advanced global settings for the
local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Attribute Description
Windows service name Service name used to register the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application with the Windows Service
Manager. This name must be unique for all local
dataFEED OPC Suite application configurations
running on the computer.
Windows class name Name of the Windows class used for the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application. This name must be
unique for all local dataFEED OPC Suite application
configurations running on the computer.
Force demo mode With this setting, you can force Softing dataFEED
OPC Suite to run in demo mode. This is very useful if
you have licensed individual features on a computer
and want to test other tools later. When a feature has
been licensed, the demo functionality is disabled for
Attribute Description
Minimal update rate This attribute can be used to set the minimum refresh
rate granted to an OPC client. This reduces the
communication load generated by an OPC client for
an OPC server.
Tunnel sync. timeout This property is specific to the Softing OPC Tunnel
protocol. It defines the maximum time which the
client/server will wait for a request acknowledgement
from the other party before declaring the respective
tunnel connection as disconnected. This value should
be adjusted to suit the communication medium.
Validate items Decides whether the item IDs from a dynamic server
connection subscription should be validated or not. If
no validation is performed all item IDs from the
subscription file will be accepted by the local
dataFEED OPC Suite application for a dynamic
source. Leaving out validation increases the item
adding speed. See the Tunnel Server Wizard - Filter
191 page and the OPC Server Wizard - Filter 221 page
Harmonize update rate Decides whether the groups with similar refresh rates
should be combined in one group for the server
connection. If this attribute is checked, two groups
with a refresh rate of e.g. 520 ms and 490 ms will be
combined in one with 500 ms, for instance.
Optimize throughput This feature allows data throughput through the local
time dataFEED OPC Suite application to be as fast as
possible. If groups containing items from multiple
server connections are defined in an OPC client,
multiple data changes can be transmitted in one
update cycle.
Force interactive user This feature allows the classical DA/AE dataFEED
OPC Suite interface to be registered under the
Windows "Interactive User". This is applicable only
while running in Application Mode and OPC data
destination is activated.
Use Item Path This feature allows a special usage of the Item Path
attribute when accessing items via the classical OPC
DA interfaces: if this option is enabled, an external
client can use the Item Path when accessing an item
to specify the connection name the item is linked to.
In this case the Item ID will provide only the
remaining part of the fully qualified Item ID. Providing
the fully qualified Item ID without the usage of the
Access Path is supported in parallel.
The feature can be used by the following interfaces:
OPC-DA, Tunnel-DA and XML-DA.
It can be used with any item in the address space,
independent of the data source the item is retrieved
through: Controller and Devices connections, OPC
Server connections, Tunnel Server connections,
Local Items or system items.
7.3.4.4 Licenses
Softing OPC products and their scalable features are licensed and managed
following a uniform concept. The scaling is done via product features, e.g.
number of devices, number of connections or number of data items.
More details about the different licenses and the corresponding license activation
can be found in the Licensing of Softing dataFEED OPC Suite 66 chapter.
A more detailed description of the currently installed licenses can be found on
the Configuration: Settings - Licenses 656 page.
7.3.4.4.1 Configuration
The installed licenses and the license items currently used are exposed through
the Settings - License add-on. Licenses can be installed and activated with the
help of the external Softing License Manager.
Attention: The computation of the actual license items here in the dataFEED
OPC Suite Configurator only considers the license items of the corresponding
configuration. The real number of license items is verified by the local dataFEED
OPC Suite application during run time by computing the overall number of
license items of all currently running local dataFEED OPC Suite applications.
For more details regarding the different licenses see the License Model of
Softing dataFEED OPC Suite 66 chapter.
7.3.5 General
This section of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Online Help describes some
global general settings for the local dataFEED OPC Suite application.
Maintain global initial and alias values for actions of the local application
@ Configuration: Global Initial and Alias Values 657
The Global Alias And Initial Values dialog allows changing the global alias values
and the initial values for update rates, execution conditions and Exchange data
values.
It can be triggered by the Configure global alias and initial values button on
several configuration pages of the Softing dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator:
In the Global Alias And Initial Values dialog the following settings can be
changed:
Global Alias Values: The alias values are special placeholders commonly used
for all actions in the Local Application. The dataFEED OPC Suite Configurator
properties bearing these alias values are marked with the Alias keyword next
to the value in the corresponding edit control. By changing the Global Alias
Values in this window all the items bearing alias values will have their
corresponding values updated.
Global Initial Values: The initial values are practically the default values for all
new actions and triggers created within the dataFEED OPC Suite
Configurator. The Global Initial Values initially point to the Global Alias Values.
The following values can be changed for the global alias and global initial values:
Attribute Description
Update rate Specifies the update rate for the corresponding action.
The default value is 1000 milliseconds.
Data value(s) This value is only used for Exchange actions. It defines the
OPC data values that should be transferred from the
associated source to the associated destination data item
by the corresponding Exchange action.
The following data values can be selected:
Data Value: Only the current data value is transferred
from the source to the destination data item.
Data Value and Quality: The current data value and the
current quality are transferred from the source to the
destination data item.
Data Value, Quality and Timestamp: The current data
value, the current quality and the current timestamp are
transferred from the source to the destination data item.
The default setting is Data Value, Quality and Timestamp.
Richard-Reitzner-Allee 6
85540 Haar / Germany
Tel: + 49 89 4 56 56-0
Fax: + 49 89 4 56 56-488
Internet: http://industrial.softing.com
Email: info.automation@softing.com
Support: support.automation@softing.com