Display ASCII In a Panelview Plus

Hi, I've imported a Panelview project for use in a new Panelview Plus (using RSView Studio) and I'm having trouble getting the Panelview Plus to display the ASCII data held in a PLC (SLC 5/04). The original Panelview tag "barcode" was a character array type and referenced an integer address in the PLC (i.e. N45:60) with a length of 30.

The Panelview Plus imported this as a string type tag with a length of 30 but displays (in a string display) the integer value of the first two digits/word in N45:60 (i.e. 21315 instead of "SC" (the beginning of the statement "SCANNING PLEASE WAIT").

I made progress by creating an ASCII data file type file and copying the data from the integer to the ASCII file and amending the Paneview Plus tag to point to the copied ASCII data file type with the same length of 30. It now displays the "decoded" ASCII code i.e. "SC" but even though the tag length is set to 30 (in the drop down option box for a string tag) it still displays only the first two characters.

I have created a string type data file in the PLC and tested displaying text via a test tag that points directly at the string file and that displays the information completely and correctly and amends the length of data displayed when I amend the length of the tag. So if there was a way to easily move the ASCII code (or original integer values) into a string file then I'd have a work around.

So can anyone out there tell me how to ether -

1. Get the string display to display ALL the ASCII code as text or,
2. How to EASILY convert it from ASCII or Integer values into a string file so I can display it.

Many thanks in advance.

There is probably something simple you can do to get the character array to properly display the N file information as ASCII, but my limited experience with FTViewStudio doesn't include experience with that.

69FIREBIRD said:

2. How to EASILY convert it from ASCII or Integer values into a string file so I can display it.

Click to expand...

You should be able to COPy the integers into an ST element, and perhaps the PV+ will behave better referencing that data type.

Make a new ST file, and COP Source: N45:60 Dest: STx:0 Length:1

Then address that as a string type in FTView Studio.

Not totally sure about SLC but in 5000 I use the following format

/*S:40 {[MyPLC]PV_DINT_Status[0],sc10}*/
This is Insert String 40 characters Tag ,sc10
it is the ",sc10" that matters - I think this means String character modifier of 10 elements (each element is 4 bytes long (DINT data type) so you get the 40 chars)
You will have to set unused characters to null yourself (\x00)

For you I would try N45:60,sc15 for the Tag for 30 characters

Found an error report - you may have to byte swap each INT depends on the RSView software Version ID 271424

I'm looking for the reference where I found this
* Edit *
Found it - C:\Program files\Common Files\Rockwell\Help\RSLinxEnterprise.chm
search for array

More information

For ControlLogix applications, the address of the item specified must be of the following form:

[address]<,L##>(,SC##) For example, myArray[0],L100
For Legacy applications, the address of the item specified must be of the following form:
[address]<,L##> For example, N:70,L100
L## indicates the total length (block size), or number of items to be read.
(SC##) indicates a special specifier used only ControlLogix integer data types.

Click to expand...

Legacy read PLC5 and SLC

Based on this AND you are using a SLC I would try N45:60,L15

I use the L modifier for bit based alarms - PV+ reads a block of say 10 words and you get 160 alarms (INT)


Tell us what works

Thanks for the feedback guys, but does not work when trying to do virtually (Emulate 500 and an OPC link in RSView Studio). Waiting to try onsite or via a physical test rig. let you know.

Is the object in the PanelView Plus a String Display, or a String variable embedded inside a Text or Label object ?

Hi Ken, I have tried both String Display and a String variable embedded inside Text. I have also tried using via a tag and directly creating a direct reference to the address in the PLC (i.e. {::[SLC]A10:0,L10}.

The String datatype is harder to manipulate in the SLC-500 controller than in others, but you can still make this work.

See the below screenshot: I'm copying from one-word-before the start of the ASCII data to account for the LENGTH word. Then I'm forcibly setting the LEN sub-element for this particular message.