CitecSCADA 6.10

krm5z6 · Jul 29, 2015

Two questions...

#1:
I'm trying to import/export tags to a .csv file from the citec explorer, and it keeps giving me a message "Tag import/export failed." with no reason as to why. I'm working on a windows XP remote desktop. I have tried to restart my remote desktop, close out citec, save to a differently named .csv file, save to a .csv file in a different directory, but nothing seems to work. The client isn't actually running. Any suggestions?

#2:
Every time I edit a genie I get the expression "Variable tag not found". But when I look in the tags, it's in there. And, I can connect to a local PLC I have for testing and toggle that tag during runtime and see it on the screen. Why might this be happening?

This is my first CitecSCADA project. Any advice much appreciated!!

BobB · Jul 29, 2015

For a start that version is so old it is not funny. You would be better off upgrading it. Some of your issues may well be to do with the old version of Citect and a newish version of Windows - I do not know.
On the Citect website there is a database read and save add on for Excel - best to get this as it saves the dbf files properly for you. If you use a straight import/export you need to make absolutely certain the fields are the same length as required by Citect.
I cannot help with the genie thing.

scrambled · Jul 30, 2015

As BobB said, use the Excel add-on called ProjectDBFAddin to edit your DBF files outside of Citect. It should be included as part of the Citect installer as an optional component if you have Excel installed on your computer, although I am not sure about old versions of Citect.

Regarding your issue with the genie, are you saying that the genie works in the runtime and is able to reference that tag? If that is the case and you're getting that 'tag not found' error in Graphics Builder, it may be because of your tag count.

Go into your options and see what number is listed under 'Maximum List Box Items'. By default, it is 5000 but it may be set up differently in your case. This means that Graphics Builder will only be able to see the first 5000 tags. If the tag in question is not in the first 5000, Graphics Builder will not see it. If this is the case, increase the max to include your entire tag count and see if the error goes away.

krm5z6 · Jul 30, 2015

Cannot Find Variable Tags

As for the version, this is a client's software, and they do not want to upgrade at this time for this part of the project.

So, we figured out the export tag thing. I suppose our .csv file was too long or had a character that citec didn't like. Once we changed the .csv file to "TEST" it exported fine.

As for the genies, I increased the tag size to 25000 even though the amount of variable tags I have is only ~8200. This did not fix the issue. It still says variable tag not found.

Your comment makes me think that maybe it's a licensing issue. We do not currently have a key for the software, and we have been using demo mode to run it. I have it hooked up to a PLC and can toggle bits from the HMI demo mode and see the values appear in the controller tags, so I know that I am communicating and that the object must function to some point.

We are supposed to get some key today, so hopefully that just fixes it. I have also been told that the tag database might be corrupted? I know I've been warned about opening .dbf files in excel, so I just use the import and export with the .csv file if I need to do any large changes.

Any other ideas are appreciated!

tragically1969 · Jul 30, 2015

krm5z6 said:
As for the version, this is a client's software, and they do not want to upgrade at this time for this part of the project.

So, we figured out the export tag thing. I suppose our .csv file was too long or had a character that citec didn't like. Once we changed the .csv file to "TEST" it exported fine.

As for the genies, I increased the tag size to 25000 even though the amount of variable tags I have is only ~8200. This did not fix the issue. It still says variable tag not found.

Your comment makes me think that maybe it's a licensing issue. We do not currently have a key for the software, and we have been using demo mode to run it. I have it hooked up to a PLC and can toggle bits from the HMI demo mode and see the values appear in the controller tags, so I know that I am communicating and that the object must function to some point.

We are supposed to get some key today, so hopefully that just fixes it. I have also been told that the tag database might be corrupted? I know I've been warned about opening .dbf files in excel, so I just use the import and export with the .csv file if I need to do any large changes.

Any other ideas are appreciated!

Citect would not behave like that even if it didn't have a key, the development environment makes no allowance for licence or not.

Are the genies inside the master project or an include project, if you are working in an include and have the master project selected in the project explorer it would give you a tag not found warning.

You need to look very carefully at the tag name and cross reference, if the DBF was corrupt it wouldn't even begin to compile, what happens when you compile the project ?

krm5z6 · Jul 30, 2015

I hate Citec

So, we can compile the project. The project compiles with no problem.

In the Citec Explorer, I see the correct project name selected at in the top left corner, so I don't believe that is the issue.

If the database was corrupted, wouldn't the project not compile?

tragically1969 · Jul 30, 2015

If its compiling you are probably OK, the variable tag not found must be just something else failing, does the genie work OK when compiled and running ?

If the DBF's were corrupt it would not compile as it uses the contents of these to compile, if the column widths had changed it would give you a warning and a compile error too.

As above, safest way to use open DBF's is to use the Excel DBFAddIn, you can download this from the Citect website, or it comes with the installs of the later versions as a standalone install on the ISO/DVD

krm5z6 · Jul 30, 2015

We are compiling OK. I have this hooked up to a 1756-L71 Allen Bradley PLC and am running the code through ControlLogix. When in Demo mode, I can control the genie and experience no comm issues to my L71. I can send commands / values to the PLC and receive them.

I don't understand what you mean by .dbf file. I haven't used this (as far as I know). I'm new to Citec, so that's for bearing with me. I just export/import tags through the Citec explorer and then open that .csv file through excel. I have never changed the column widths and was very careful not to mess up anything in the file.

The error seems really odd considering we can compile.

tragically1969 · Jul 30, 2015

krm5z6 said:
We are compiling OK. I have this hooked up to a 1756-L71 Allen Bradley PLC and am running the code through ControlLogix. When in Demo mode, I can control the genie and experience no comm issues to my L71. I can send commands / values to the PLC and receive them.

I don't understand what you mean by .dbf file. I haven't used this (as far as I know). I'm new to Citec, so that's for bearing with me. I just export/import tags through the Citec explorer and then open that .csv file through excel. I have never changed the column widths and was very careful not to mess up anything in the file.

The error seems really odd considering we can compile.

When you create any object it is generally referenced in a series of DBF files, this is what you are editing when you are working in Citect, its just presented in a form in the Citect editor windows.

You can edit these DBF files directly by using the DBFAddIn in Excel so all your importing/exporting to CSV files is a step you would not need to carry out.

krm5z6 · Jul 30, 2015

So, any other thoughts as to why it can't find that variable tags? I have nothing...

But obviously it's annoying if it says "Cannot find variable tag" everytime you add a genie or edit anything associated with a variable tag. I can't present this to our client in this way...

tragically1969 · Jul 30, 2015

krm5z6 said:
So, any other thoughts as to why it can't find that variable tags? I have nothing...

But obviously it's annoying if it says "Cannot find variable tag" everytime you add a genie or edit anything associated with a variable tag. I can't present this to our client in this way...

Without seeing the project its impossible to say, sorry.

chelton · Jul 30, 2015

krm5z6 said:
So, any other thoughts as to why it can't find that variable tags? I have nothing...

But obviously it's annoying if it says "Cannot find variable tag" everytime you add a genie or edit anything associated with a variable tag. I can't present this to our client in this way...

Try opening the "instance" of the genie that is giving problems and see what tags are been substituted in. Hold "Ctrl" while opening the genie object, and look at the tag substitutions. You may not have all the required tags for the genie you have added.

Also just a side note, you can use OpenOffice 4.1.1 to edit citect .dbf files directly without causing any problems, just open edit and save, you do not need any add in like you do with excel.

Greg Fowlds · Jul 30, 2015

Use the "Pack" command from the drop down menu before compiling.

FLAengineer · Jul 31, 2015

First, I agree that the client should upgrade the version soon. V6.10 was released in Jan. 2006, so that makes it over 10 years old (equivalent to 95 people years old). Support lifecycle link that you can show them: http://www.citect.schneider-electric.com/documents/support/Support-Lifecycle-CitectSCADA-Oct2014.pdf

The "Cannot find variable tag" message means that some thing in the Genie is making a reference to a variable tag that does not exist in the database. The way to find it is to (backup the project first) open up the genie in the Graphics Builder, then "ungroup" it, pull all the components apart, and check every variable tag reference for every component of the Genie. If the Genie has other Genies included in it, you would need to open those separately and see what variable tags they need also. This can be a time consuming task, 'pulling apart' the components of the genie. It's also easy to miss one reference and the error is still there. If you could run the project in 'Demo' mode on a non-production system, you could delete components of the Genie until the error disappears, that would tell you where the reference to the missing tag is. Hope this helps.

brendan.buchan · Jul 31, 2015

Use OpenOffice for editing Citect DBF files, free and much easier than using the Excel add-in.

It also maintains the correct formatting for Citect.

I find that sometimes it is necessary to "Pack" then "Compile" after editing DBF files manually. Try this to see if it fixes your issue.

CitecSCADA 6.10

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