FactoryTalk View offline tag file??

dginbuffalo

Member
Join Date
Dec 2010
Location
Buffalo,NY
Posts
630
First go with a PV+ here. I've followed the instruction to "offline tag browsing". i added a device shortcut and pointed to an offline .acd file. I can see the PLC and i can see the offline tags-problem is, the names show up but the columns for the description are blank. Just wondering why it wouldn't be displaying the tag descriptions-any idea? thanks.
 
I don't know why there's a column for "Descriptions" at all; RSLinx Enterprise has never shown anything in that column, and I've used it since the beginning.

I think it's a feature that the development team planned to use years ago and they never took it out of the basic Tag Browser display.
 
A few more questions-- I can't see the individual outputs for module 2 in the tag browser either? i have a 16 channel output card-but the tag browser doesn't give me 16 points to select from?

Maybe i'm going about this all wrong. What's the best way to create a project on the bench and assign tags from a .ACD file? i can't even create a runtime file and send it anymore since i created the device shorcut and offline file.
 
You've identified another shortcoming of the FTView Tag Browser; it doesn't allow you to "browse" directly to a Bit of a DINT/INT/SINT tag. There is no "bit picker" like there is in the RSLogix 5000 tag database browser.

You can browse right to a BOOL Tag, but to address a ".BIT" of an integer type tag you have to choose the main Tag and manually type in ".xx" for the Bit number.

Some folks prefer to save the RSLogix 5000 file as a *.L5K then import it wholesale and create a big HMI Tag Database. I prefer to use the offline tag browse just as you're doing.

Generally I create both a Development and a Runtime communications path for the Shortcut when I'm defining communications. Even if you have to create them manually, you need to create them so that the Runtime builder knows there's a valid communications setup.

What sort of errors or failures are preventing you from compiling a *.MER file ?
 
Well- i decided just to delete the shortcut to the offline file and when i go to create a runtime file, i immediately get a pop up that says "inable to save tag database" when i hit ok i get another one that says "unable to save project blah,blah,blah.mer" Looks like i did it now!!
 
I am no FactoryTalk View expert by any means, but I often run into buggy problems when running FactoryTalk View and other associated PLC software.

True, you will not see the 'bits' of an associated output or input card... but I have found that you can select the base card that you want to use, then manually type in the bit ".0" or ".4" or whatever bit you wanted to use into the connection you wanted to display. Seems to work for me.

Also, with the unable to save tag database error when creating a runtime program, I have found that a reboot of the laptop fixes that problem.

I haven't been using this software forever, but I have been since version 3... and it has always been particularly buggy.. especially with its RSLinx Enterprise / RSLinx Classic relationship... can be painful at times.
 
Question- when i address a bit level input, would i write {::[Toro]Local:1:I.01}?? It comes up like this normally- {::[Toro]Local:1:I.Data}
 
Yes, you'll have to add the "dot number" manually

eg {::[Toro]Local:1:I.Data} -> {::[Toro]Local:1:I.Data.01}

Of course if there's an alias to this bit position then refer to it instead of the direct address.
 
This had me pulling my hair out.

The tag in RS View to a ML 1400 to see i:0/18 good old input 18. {::[RS]I:1/2}

The tag browser would never give you a clue. Well not that I could see.
 

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