App Manager in Factory Talk ME 7.0

godfrey

Member
Join Date
Apr 2002
Location
Charlotte, NC
Posts
412
Is there a way to keep the Application Manager opened after choosing a function? I find that I often need to do several things in a row via the App Manager. For example, if I back up a program and then want to back up something else, I have to open the Manager again. Is this the only way?
 
Not in V7, but as jkerekes points out, they keep it open in V8. Do they tell you that anything is done? No. I cannot stress enough how much that piece of software upsets me. First and foremost that it even exists. But then by how bad of a piece of software it is. And the only improvements that have been made to it is to simply keep it open after it completes a task, and to restore a MER.

Rockwell came to my company a while back to get feedback on their products and I chewed up most of the time on just the Application Manager. A few of my problems with it: Why can't I delete multiple applications, why can't I overwrite one when it already exists, why can't I just save as from Factory Talk if I want another copy of one, why can't I just copy a program from one machine to another, why can't I just delete the applications from from my machine the old fashion way, why can't it just tell me when it completed the task I asked it to do when it was done, why would you bury the projects in such horrible place (their answer was because it's a Windows standard, but they didn't follow that with default Logix project directory). I understand that several of my complaints are related to the whole "Factory Talk Directory" sub structure and to that I say, why does that exist? Why make it so complicated? It seems like really poor software design to me to make it so difficult for your end users. Just make it work like every other Windows program. To have a separate program to manage this **** is just silly.

I tell myself that they made the change to keep it open in V8 after my complaints just to get back at me for complaining. I say if they were going to do anything to it, just let me delete multiple programs. It looks like we got one improvement, comment out the one line of code that closes the program when it's done.

Some time ago I wrote a VB app to alert me when it closed so that I knew what I asked it to do was finished. Then I had a button to open it again, or open Factory Talk. I'd share it here, but it's changed enough to where it will only function properly on my companies work machines.

Sorry, I don't usually rant about stuff like this because it doesn't really help much but that software gets me going sometimes.
 
All software has its quirks and limitations, but the FactoryTalk Application Manager is more limiting than most.

I've been using Indusoft Web Studio for my HMI for the past couple of years, so I can't help but contrast it with my long and deep experience with FactoryTalk.

It's got quirks, and I just deleted a list of the top five that I've frowned at today. Not germane to the topic.

But it really takes a little distance and contrast to give you perspective on the things that FTV does well, and does poorly. Application Manager is there for a reason, but it's not pleasant.
 

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