GE Proficy iFIX 5.8

Hello guys,

I’m doing some new programming for our WWTP in town. I need to utilize existing SCADA tags for my new programming. I’m used to wonderware or RSView where there is an offline editor where you can choose which page you want to look at and click on the graphics and look at the PLC address associated with the graphics and HMI tag. It’s usually a lot faster than sifting through the PLC program.

The problem is I can only see the IFIX workspace run mode where it’s the online version for the operators. Looking for help on finding an offline version of each SCADA page so I can pull PLC addresses from them. Any help is greatly appreciated.

- Tex

I'm not completely certain what you need to see but you can start iFix with the -t option which will put it demo mode preventing networking from working. or just pull the network cable I suppose.
Other option is that you export the DB to CSV that will show the tags and the PLC (or intermediate driver if applicable) address.

I happened to find this:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/8-shortcut-keys-ifix-slawek-wolski/

Try control + w to switch to work space (aka enable the menubar)

Also, check out this old thread of mine:
http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=97639

At the bottom you can do Start-->Run-->cmd then cd into the ifix program directory and do fix.exe /t which will start it in trial mode and allow you to access the work space and make changes. This can also be accomplished by removing the dongle and starting ifix.


There is a database that holds all the tags, and if I recall you can export that database as a spread sheet or csv with the tags and their values. I'm sure you can find it if you poke around. At the least this should get you to enough stuff that you can figure out how to get the info you need out. Good luck!

We're all assuming you have a developer license. Knowing GE, you don't.

To see the tags, run databasemanager in the Windows search, but on the server not on the client. (iFix is picky and at times will corrupt or simply delete the database when opened from a client and not closed properly).

The images will, usually, be in a folder called PIC in the iFix installation directory. If you don't have the developer license, demo mode will let you open them when iFix is running.

Basically what I was looking top try to do was change an existing HMI tag PLC address or reassign a new PLC address to an existing graphic. Their addressing is like nothing I've seen before, it doesn't display actual PLC address. The tag name is:

P2D_10210
I/O Address - Ethernet.PortHardy.P2D_10210

I'm used to the actual PLC address being displayed, so I'm a bit confused.

There is an intermediate driver like Kepware or IDS in between iFix and the PLC, the real PLC addresses are in that drivers GUI.

On the server, open System Configuration (type SCU in the run box) - Click Configure, then SCADA. You will see the I/O drivers listed there. Tell me what you see there and I might be able to point you safely. Don't save the config when you exit the system config, just exit.

sparkytex said:

Basically what I was looking top try to do was change an existing HMI tag PLC address or reassign a new PLC address to an existing graphic. Their addressing is like nothing I've seen before, it doesn't display actual PLC address. The tag name is:

P2D_10210
I/O Address - Ethernet.PortHardy.P2D_10210

I'm used to the actual PLC address being displayed, so I'm a bit confused.

Click to expand...

The IGS address is device.channel.tag. (I may have swapped the device and channel).
You create the device and channel in IGS. In the address in the PDB you then use device.channel.tag name. So as long as your channel and device names match your PLC, you can cross reference this in the PDB.
This is par for the course with most if not all the comms drivers I worked.

IGS does let you create a tag and then reference said tag in iFix PDB, but the only time I've seen it used was when people didn't know how to force a data type inside the PDB (which is adding @short or whichever data type you need in front of the address).

Do you want to get screenshots?

IGS is just rebranded Kepware. The address format is the same as all other OPC. Channel.Device.PLCTag

You do not need to create the tag in IGS. Once you created Channel and Device, you can just reference address in the PLC in your OPC client program, which in this case, is the iFix HMI.

If Ctrl-W doesn't work then you do not have the development key. You can, however, remove the key (may need a reboot) and get 2 hour of development time.

Regarding iFix tag. iFix keep it's own tag that reference either PLC tag or it's own "memory" tag. To change an existing iFix tag to reference a differenent PLC address, you need to run "databasemanager". same with creating a new iFix tag. You can only do this in development mode.

Thanks Everyone,

CTRL+W allowed me to get into the offline edit version and I was able to figure out how to change the PLC address on an existing tag in the IGS settings!

- Tex

sparkytex said:

Thanks Everyone,

CTRL+W allowed me to get into the offline edit version and I was able to figure out how to change the PLC address on an existing tag in the IGS settings!

- Tex

Click to expand...

Glad you got 'er whipped. Thanks for the update.