Parameterization In Siemens Like Rockwell

Hello All,

I am relatively new to Siemens Software but have about 4 years of experience with Rockwell Software. I am currently working on a project in which I would use parameterization as a solution if I was working in with Rockwell's FactoryTalk View ME. Unfortunately I am working with Siemens WinCC which I have less experience with.

Question:

Is there a way to parameterize tags in WinCC just like FactoryTalk View ME?

For example:

In FactoryTalk View ME I can enter {#2} instead of a tag name for an object's tag value. Then I can fill out a parameter file that contains:

#2 = {[PLC]Motor5.VelocityOut}

When I display a given screen I then have the option to display that screen with a given parameter file. This allows me to use the same screen with different tags/parameter files for different situations.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I have discovered a solution to this issue. In Siemens you can do the following:

1. Create a internal tag in the HMI.
2. Go to the tag properties > Multiplexing.
3. Define a multiplexing tag and then define which PLC connection it represents for a given index value.

Hope this helps you All!

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for posting back with your solution! I'm sure this will help me in the future.

What you posted works, especially if you only have a few options that are all known, and there is no pattern in the tags.

Another way to do it is to have tags that point back to a variable address (I call it indirect addressing, the Siemens help unfortunately uses the same name as what you described, "multiplexing").

If you're using absolute addressing (DB7.DBX5.2) but you want part of that to be variable, you can define two tags and use one inside the other. If, for example, you want to access the same bit in a number of DBs, you could make a tag DBNO, and then have another tag that points to [DBNO].DBX5.2 (syntax might be different, maybe DB[DBNO].DBX5.2, it's been a while).

Thanks mk42! That will be a good method to know for for future siemens projects.