Factory Talk Studio problems

I uploaded a .mer file from a panelview 1000. I can only seem to open it in Factory Talk ME 6.0. Any idea how to open the file in Factory Talk Studio 6.0 to make changes to it? Also Can Panelbuilder be used and if so how can I change the .mer to .apa??

Thanks.

Welcome!
Is it a panelview classic [Black Bezel] or a panelview + [Gray Bezel]?
PanelView + requiers FactoryTalk View ME and PanelView Classic uses panelbuilder 32.
Both software packages have to be purchase.
Hope This Helps

Just read you post again..Look for Application Manager under FT Tool and select Machine Edition -> Restore runtime application.

This is a common issue that has been extensively discussed both here and on other forums and by Rockwell Software.

But it can't hurt to summarize.

PanelBuilder32 could readily convert *.PVA (PanelView Application) files into *.PBA (PanelBuilder Application) project files, so many folks assume that the FactoryTalk View Studio software for the PanelView Plus can do the same thing.

There were exceptions; if the PanelView was low on memory or if you were an OEM who wanted to protect some intellectual property, you could create non-reversible *.PVA files.

*.MER files are Runtime files for the PanelView Plus, analogous to *.PVA files. But they do not necessarily contain enough information for the entire FactoryTalk View project to be created out of them.

FactoryTalk View 5.0 introduced the ability to include the project data in the Runtime file, so that a *.MER file could be "extracted" into a FactoryTalk View Studio project. There was also an option to dis-allow that function (again, for OEMs).

*.APA files are APplication Archives. They gather and compress all of the necessary components (FT Users, Passwords, ActiveX components, RSLinx Enterprise drivers, Embedded graphics, Displays, Macros, Alarm configurations, KepServer configurations, etc) and put them into a single file that can be transported between FactoryTalk View Studio computers. *.APA files are the right way to archive a PanelView Plus application, and I always include them on the removable flash card when I ship a terminal.

To answer your question directly: if the *.MER was created with the functionality to be extracted into a Project, you should be able to use the Application Manager program to "Restore Runtime Application".

Because each version of FTView ME contains the ability to run earlier Runtime projects, the fact that the Runtime file opens in FTView ME 6.0 doesn't guarantee it was created in Version 6.

If you have a non-Recoverable runtime file, you can use the FTView ME Runtime application's project folders to manually extract many of the components. You'll lose the communication settings and the Alarms, at least. This method is not a lot of fun, but it does work and is described in the RA Knowledgebase (Answer ID 8913, TechConnect required) and on PLCTalk.net.