MED File Conversion Help Request

I believe RSView creates the panelview plus file with a MED extension. How would I convert this so I can use Factory Talk? And would I use Factory Talk Studio to modify/download the changed panelview screens back to the PV+?

Oh, and my laptop is running W7 64bit if that makes any difference.

ME creates the runtime file as .mer. The MED file is in the app itself. ME apps can be converted to SE. If it's Windows 7 x64, then you must be using Version 6.1.

A little more detail....

RSView Studio was renamed to FactoryTalk View Studio when it went to revision 5.0. Studio allows you to create an modify applications for the PanelView Plus. Those applications are referred to as Machine Edition (or ME) apps.

When you are working in Studio, you are using the development application that has a .MED extension. Think Machine Edition Development.

Before the application can be loaded into the PanelView Plus terminal you must create a runtime application. This is done through Studio as well. That runtime application has an extension of .MER. Think Machine Edition Runtime.

There is also a tool to allow you to backup and restore applications. This is especially useful for transferring applications from one computer to another. When this tool creates a backup it has an extension of .APA. Think APplication Archive.

OG

Another concept that is important is that the development information for a project as it exists on your computer is a large folder with lots of sub-folders. The major file is the MED but there is a lot of other stuff also.

Included are also a lot of entries in the registry concerning this one project. The whole thing is kind of unwieldy. The Application Manager in creating a 'backup' (named the APA file) gathers all this information into one file.

ONLY THIS FILE can be transferred from one computer to another then 'restored' on that computer. The APA file is also the proper file for long term/archival storage. Do not depend solely on being able to retrieve the development image from the MER as stored in the display.

OK, I'm slow today.
A customer wants some minor, cosmetic changes to his PV+. He hands me a laptop with a folder called "OVEN" under the users\public....\hmi. There are several subfolders like bernie describes.
How do I open the right file(s) to modify the screen and download it to the PV+?
He has Factory Talk loaded on the laptop. I've never dealt with PV+ and FT but I suspect once I can open the project, I'll be golden.

Thanks for your patience.

Wait! the folder called "OVEN" was not on this laptop originally. It was copied there from a memory stick. This may make a difference per bernie.

I suspect that he has a "bootleg archive" of the project, where it's not in the proper directory and wasn't compressed as a *.APA file by the FactoryTalk Application Manager.

Open FactoryTalk View Studio, select "Machine Edition" if necessary, and see if the Oven project is in the list of existing applications.

If it is, just open it up and you should have editing access to the project.

If not, you're going to have to carefully import it into the FactoryTalk environment.

On my XP computer with FactoryTalk View Studio ME 6.10, the project directory is

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\RSView Enterprise\ME\HMI Projects

If your project file is not in that diretory, DO NOT just copy the project file and subdirectories into that folder. Everything's carefully registered and logged and directed through FactoryTalk, rather than simply browsed and found in the directory.

Importation is straightforward; you create a New project, select Import, then browse to the *.MED file (which, again, must not be in the HMI Project directory yet).

Once you open Factorytalk Studio you can load the application (named, as you say 'Oven'). Once loaded you will be able to view the various screens and make the needed changes (though this part probably will require some handholding). After that a new runtime (MER) file will be created by using 'Application' - 'Create Runtime Application'. It will be sent to the display by using 'Tools' - 'Transfer Utility'.

This would be better done if you had a class first but good luck.

Edit - I note your changes. Follow Ken's advice carefully.

Thanks Ken/Bernie. I run FT Studio and find the folder "oven" is not in the ...\hmi folder, it is on the desktop.

I go to new and click on import and then browse the desktop where i see "oven". When I click on import, the directory changes to the subdirectory with all of its folder. It seems the import window is looking for a particular file???

Look for the file with the .MED extension.

OG

thanks for your patience guys. evidently i was looking in the wrong directory, believe it or not.

now i'm getting dangerous for i have something to play with!