Managine multiple online edits RSLogix 5000

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to better manage multiple users online editing the same program at once, specifically concerning maintaining the comments and descriptions? Obviously if two copies of the program are online, logic changes in one copy are viewable in the other, however this is not true of comments or tag descriptions.

The “best” option I can think is to maintain a master/gateway keeper program and use the import/export functionality to export changes from the other program and import to the master. However for multiple minor changes, especially that could be done online, this is a bit cumbersome. This only works if everyone is on board though.


Exporting all tags and comments and comparing would be another option but is a potentially tedious process to compare and merge changes.

Part of the problem I’m running into is having someone come after I’ve left for the day and making online edits. My copy is no longer up to date, and I can do an upload to get the changes, but then if there were comments or descriptions added they are lost in the upload process. Or I may be online during the day to make a change, and someone else goes online to make another change that I may not be aware of this occurring. Right now I am working on a startup/debug project on a large PLC project where there are multiple people with access to make changes as they "see fit" unfortunately.



Thanks,
Bill

bknight said:

Part of the problem I’m running into is having someone come after I’ve left for the day and making online edits. My copy is no longer up to date

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My advice is to always save to a shared drive at the end of the day, as well as your laptop or PC. You rely on others (including you) to start the day from that same source, but it costs nothing and can be implemented easily and immediately.

If you share a domain or network drive, storing them there is often ideal. I use the built in revision notes, and there is a thread somewhere how to gain similar functionality in older versions of RSLogix5000. I think the newest hardware and software can support downloading of the comment database to the controller, but I would not invest too much in that if you still must support older controllers, have only one easy procedure even if it is just a company thumbdrive.

My file name conventions are short and sweet, machine name or nickname and placement number or name followed by r000 or r001 for the 1st tested version, and increment from there for any significant changes that warrant a note. Any wire or hardware changes get a new filename (increment the r number) and a new rev. note (paragraph).

I have had revisions get well past 400 with larger edits in ever evolving control systems.

Paul

I just had RA Tech support tell me that the comments and tag descriptions are NOT downloaded to the controllogix controller.

My company uses the Import/Export tool, where one person keeps the master copy and everybody begins their shift or day by getting a fresh copy.

You can Export the rung comments from just the one Routine or Program that you are working on, and send them to the person keeping the master copy.

It definitely requires organization and making sure everyone is onboard. We stubbed our toes with it more than once.

But it's the only mechanism we found to keep up with the changes being made to different parts of the system.

It got especially fun when we had contributions from different continents; we finally agreed that all file name timestamps had to be in the local timezone of the machine, and thus the local timezone of the lead programmer.

TheWaterboy said:

I just had RA Tech support tell me that the comments and tag descriptions are NOT downloaded to the controllogix controller.

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Version 21 now supports this.

@Waterboy; Studio 5000 and v21 firmware for the 1756-L7x family ControlLogix and the 5370-family CompactLogix do some saving of documentation into the controller memory itself (there is a very large non-user memory in the L7), but I have not used it yet and am not familiar with its exact benefits or drawbacks.

I just had RA Tech support tell me that the comments and tag descriptions are NOT downloaded to the controllogix controller.

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How antiquated! I have been saving all this stuff to shoe box PLCs for years. Glad they seem to have addressed it with the latest revision though.
Using the same file on a server is the best way to go - unless there are two of you changing software at the same time!!! How dangerous! Don't do it! One person with their fingers in at once - two or more - one can only imagine what would happen!

Ken Roach said:

@Waterboy; Studio 5000 and v21 firmware for the 1756-L7x family ControlLogix and the 5370-family CompactLogix do some saving of documentation into the controller memory itself (there is a very large non-user memory in the L7), but I have not used it yet and am not familiar with its exact benefits or drawbacks.

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I have been replacing L5 and L6 with L7 just for this feature. It works great. I wish they would have buried the option to turn it off a little deeper but maybe later.

It does not save trends, watch windows / Quick watch or Bookmarks though. Hopefully they will add these things