RSLogix5000 Tags

I’m a little confused with the searching of Local Tags in RSLogix 5000. When I select, Search - Find What: Local:2:I.Data1, I get “Complete – 0 occurrence (s) found”. I know that this input is used inside the program and it may have a tag assigned to it. I do see a Tag “Main_Input_Slot_2”, which when I expand I see the 16 data bits for this card. How is this link to “Local:2:I Data.

Randy

here are the two biggest problems ...

first ... make sure that you're using the Search in Routines search feature ... the other (Search in Tags) looks identical - but won't find anything in the routines (ladders, etc.) ...

next ... before you hit the Find All button, click the Find Within button - and make sure that all of the check boxes are turned on ...

also ... don't worry too much about what the Results window tells you ... many of the RSLogix5000 versions have bugs and the window isn't always correct ... instead, just close the window (and the search feature too) and then hit the F4 button - repeatedly ... each press of the F4 button will take you to the next "find" on the list - even if the list is closed (or wrong) ...

going further ... keep in mind that since RSLogix5000 supports more than one alias for each tag, no Find All search is guaranteed to "find all" of the places where a specific tag is controlled (or accessed) within your project ... the Cross Reference is the tool you need to use for that ...

friendly words of warning ... the same "tools" and procedures that many people have been using for years with RSLogix5 and RSLogix500 do NOT always work the same way for RSLogix5000 ... it can be very embarrassing to have a "guru" show up to help with a vexing problem - and find it quickly by doing an effective search that you've missed ...

I find the cross-reference function in RSLogix 5000 to be much more useful than the find all function. (In 500, I have the opposite experience.)

If I know the physical address, I'll browse the tag database with the Module filter set, then right click on it and bring up the cross-reference.

I think its funny that with the plc5 and slc platform cross-reference gave you a ton of junk you do not care about, and find is good. Now with CLX find gives you a ton of junk you don't care about and cross-reference is what you want to use.

I think you should always make alias tags for I/O.

Logix tags are easier to use than anything else, in your search criteria did you neglect to try to add global characters, was your search explicit?
Why you would "tool search" for a tag anyway is a loss to me, as they are listed in the tag view and you can search/cross reference by right clicking on the tag name.

Bitmore said:

Why you would "tool search" for a tag anyway is a loss to me, as they are listed in the tag view and you can search/cross reference by right clicking on the tag name.

Click to expand...

One place you need to use "find" is if the tag is used in indirect addressing.

Example: Cross ref for "ArrayIdex" DINT will not show you that it is used in the MOV command - "ShiftReg(ArrayIndex)"

Ok I too have my issues with the Search function, but let's explain exactly why you got the results you did. And more importantly how to search effectively.

Let's assume that you trace a wire back to a particular I/O module and determine that the tag name for that terminal point is Local:2:I.Data.5. So that defines in the Logix5000 system where that device connects. But it doesn't tell us anything about "what" it is. So the programmer creates a new tag that I will call "Start_Motor2" and the programmer defines that tag as an alias to Local:2:I.Data.5.

So now we have two tags pointing to the same device. But since "Start_Motor2" is a better more descriptive name, that is the name the programmer uses throughout the logic.

So when you go in and search for Local:2:I.Data.5 you don't find it, because that tag wasn't used anywhere in the logic. Had you searched for Start_Motor2 (even with the Find All, which I highly prefer over what I find to be a tedious Find Next option, sorry Ron) you likely would see that tag used several times.

Ron and others were steering you in the right direction but there was one thing missed. To search for Local:2:I.Data.5 you actually have to make a little change to the Limit To field as displayed below.

That option allows you to search for the Base tag when you don't know the name of the Alias tag.

Ok, so one last word of advice on searching effectively:

Use the search when you know part of a tag name but not the full name, or if you know a word that was used in the description. Use search when you need to find edits or forces as well. Use search to find a particular instruction also.

Use the Cross Reference when you know the tag name.

When you are looking at a rung of ladder logic and one of the conditions to make the rung true is a timer done bit, if you right click on that instruction you will see options to Find All and to Cross Reference. If you select Find All, it will search for all occurrences of the timer done bit but it will not find the timer itself. If you cross reference instead, you will get all occurrences of all parts of the timer. Much more useful.

So learn to use the cross reference, it is your friend. I often use Find to get me to a rung and then I use cross reference to trace back through the logic.

One final thought, take a look at bookmarks as well. They can be a great tool when searching.

OG

Wise words, Operaghost.

Thanks

Operaghost,

Thank you for clearing my search issues. Once I get use to the tag methods that RSLogix5000 uses I'm sure it will be easier.

Have a Great Day and again thanks for all the input.

Randy

I am not sure this will bring up all the tag types, anyway,

With the search tag in focus "Ctrl + E"

or "Ctrl + E" and key in the tag name in the tag window -> enter, this helped me, since then I never used the search option at all.

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