PanelView coding

Hello all I'm new here and to PLC work in general but I was wondering if anyone knew of a way to program an AB PanelView (right now curious about any of the models) using actual Code/Programming language rather than PanelBuilder. The company I work for has to configure different PLCs for each job but the PanelView screens are fairly similar between jobs so I'd like to make an app that can take the info from the job and build the screens to speed production time. This seems like it would be much easier to code (since I am a computer scientist by training) than to create new screens/modify old ones each time. If anyone has any experience or links about such code it would be most appreciated.
P.S. I know this isn't exactly about PLCs per se but seems like the best place to ask.

Welcome to the forum!

If you know that the PLC addressing will be the same, then why not just open the app in Panelbuilder and re-point it to the new PLC for each project and then save it under a new name? You can then retain all the screens, tagnames, etc. within the app, and customize as needed. If the PLC addressing is not the same, you can simply go into the tag editor and modify them as needed. It's not really that difficult, and you would be faced with these same issues even if you were able to write the utility you speak of, which I have never heard of.

Good Luck,
Jeff

I think what you really want to do is to standardize the interface between the PLC and the Panelview. I've done "standard" type machines where ever option is available and programmed in the Panelview but by setting the right bits in the machine's PLC, only the options installed are visible to the operator.

The panelview may contain 50 screens but only 20 of them are called for any one machine.

If the machines are in fact similar, you first find the common denominators that apply to every situation. Then start organizing groups of parameters that are found together (like making a program modular).

Once you work this out, you don't have to worry about the panelview at all. Just turn on the proper bits or call up the right screens from the PLC when you need them. Every machine goes out with the same panelview program and you only have one program to maintain.