ControlLogix Download without changing tag values or upload only tag values.

I'm newish to Rockwell and I have a situation where a lot of setup parameters have been entered and I've made a lot of code changes offline. I don't want to screw up the parameters and I don't want to upload the old project either.

Is there a way to download and not transfer tag values? Is there a way to upload only the current tag values?

Start>All Programs>RSlogix 5000 Tools>Tag Upload Download Tool. This was an option to select during installation of the software. It will not work with RSLINX Lite. Requires OPC Topic and fully Licensed RSLinx Version.

You can export your subroutines from your offline project and import into online PLC project. This will not change existing register values.

Under Main Task Right Click on your Program Name. There you will see the import Routine Command also an option to export the whole program.

To Export a subroutine just select and right click you'll see the command.

I'm looking at the Tag Upload Download Tool and I have no idea how to connect it to my PLC. I chose RSLinx OPC Server and clicked connect and my PLC name did not appear in the Step 3 box. I assume I have to do some kind of OPC stuff in RS Linx or whatever and I don't feel like doing that.

Instead, I uploaded the project and got online and then opened the updated code next to it in offline mode. I deleted the major tags from the updated version and copy/pasted them in from the online version. This copied their value over as well.

This is a very weird issue to have. It's neat that Rockwell saves the tag values in the project for duplicating machines, but it should really be an option, not the default.

Hey Capin, how does your system work now? Did you ever figure out a better way?

Our plant is going through a PLC version upgrade process, and this would be immensely helpful.

Please let me know if the system ever worked. Especially if you ever had a well defined UDT working in conjunction of your system.

Thanks!
-PreLC

I actually did get the tag upload/download tool working. If you are connected to the PLC, you can open RSLinx and select `DDE/OPC -> Topic Configuration` and browse to the PLC in the familiar device tree on the right and create a new "topic" or apply the path to an existing "topic" in the list on the left. After that, you can use the Tag Upload Download Tool to connect to `RSLinx OPC Server` and then select the previously configured "Topic". You can up the number of items read from 250 to a 1000 to speed things up and `Browse Online Tags` will let you check whatever you want to upload and save.

After you do your download, just reconnect with the Tag Upload Download Tool and restore the values you uploaded.

As to if this is actually faster than simply uploading a temporary copy and copy/pasting the tags you want to keep the values for to your offline copy before you download, I'm not sure. I've finally nailed down a pretty decent way of using git for version control of Rockwell stuff and I now include the tag value backups I periodically generate which makes it a lot less likely that I'll loses stuff.


The whole git setup is pretty involved, but the gist of it is that I have a remote working tree repository for the HMI that points to the project FTVstudio hides in the public documents folder, then I include this repository as a subtree in my main repository. You can't do any differencing/comparing/merging of the FTV projects, but you can make git launch the Logix Compare Tool for the PLC projects. The compare tool is garbage, but its something and it can actually output a merged project.