RSView Studio - how to get list of all tags from certain graplhics display?

Hi All,

Does anyone know (RSView Studio - ME edition) how to get list of all tags which are belong to certain graphic_display?

I would like somehow to see which tags are used, where are they used and in which object/animation are used.

(I know to use “Object explorer” and “Highlight Settings dialog box” object_explorer -> settings -> highlight settings ( by tags name / by object type / by animation type ))

Any suggest would be appreciated.

Thanks all

I suppose you could export the grahpic display into XML. This would give you a somewhat 'text' based version of everything on that display. You can then use another program to do a search/find for certain tags.

Just an idea...

There is no table-dump equivilant of RSView32 in RSView Studio. There is also no cross-reference of tags.

The closest that you might find, would be the Tag Import-Export utility program, but that only operates on the tag database, not on any direct referenced tags.

Dumping and parsing the XML files are the only way I know of to try to find tag-usage by display, which is definately somewhat unfortunate. I suppose one hideously ugly way, would be to open up a display in Studio, select all objects, group them, then pull up the 'Tag Substitution' dialog, and take a screenshot. Unfortunately (again), I don't believe that box is resizable, so you'd end up with multiple bitmaps.

3guest said:

thanks abwiz,
I tried before, that function "Select a graphic display- import or export operation", and I took quick look to generated xml file. What I was looking is there some options inside RSView32 Studio which will give me some table with used tags...

Click to expand...

Thanks rdrast,

I suspected that there is no cross-reference of tags in RSView Studio, but I was no sure. That "hideously ugly way" with 'Tag Substitution' dialog and taking a screenshot is good if there is nothing else. Btw I am using FastStone Capture - which has one good option to make 'Capture Scrolling Window' so I don't need to make multiple screenshot.

I really don't know why such basic functionality was left out, I suppose it's because things became a bit more complicated with direct-references and the parameter substitution, but it is still a sorely needed feature.

I keep thinking about seeing if I can write a utility to extract tag references from the .gfx files at least, but frankly, at work i've been too busy, and at home I'm too lazy.

I'm going to be busy for a week but after that, if no one else has come up with an easy way, I'll look into doing a modification of my program which extracted the images on each page from the XML files to one which extracts the screen-control-tags from those files. The info is there. It just takes a bit of text massaging.

Searching for Unused Tags

I've run into this same issue many times with RSView Studio, and cannot understand how they can leave out such a fundamental tool in their software. Well, I finally could not stand it anymore. After unsuccessfully searching the web for a solution, I decided to create my own. It is somewhat crude, but using the Graphics Import/Export & Tag Import/Export wizards to get data into Excel, I am able to determine which tags are unused in the RSView Studio application. Here's the method I used:

1. Open the application in RSView Studio.

2. Export each Display in the application using the 'Graphics Import Export Wizard' by right-clicking in the Explorer Tree on 'Displays'(under Graphics) and selecting 'Import and Export...'. This creates an .xml file for each display.

3. Export all tags in the application using the 'Tag Import and Export Wizard' under the 'Tools' menu. This creates a .csv file.

4. Copy and Paste all the text in each .xml file into Excel (one set directly under the previous set). I ended up with over 9000 rows of text across 11 columns.

5. Copy and Paste all the Tag names from the 'Tag Name' column in the .csv file into the same Excel spreadsheet from step 4. (The .csv file can be opened in Excel)

6. Use the following formula in the cell next to each Tag Name (I had 450 tags). This will search through all the Display Text for each Tag Name. If it finds the Tag Name it places a row number in the cell. If it does not find the Tag Name it places a '#N/A' in the cell.

=MATCH("*"&$CA3&"*",A$3:A$9162,0)

$CA3 is the cell location for the Tag Name
A$3:A$9162 is the range of cells for the first column of Display Text
The dollar signs($) are important, so is the zero at the end of the formula

This formula only searches through the first column of Display Text. I had 11 columns of Display Text. So I copied these formulas across 11 columns to the right. I ended up with these formulas in 240 rows high by 11 columns wide. So, basically, if there is a number in any of these cells then that Tag Name is being used in the application.

7. You could leave it like this, but I also added the following formula to make it slightly easier to read. I placed it into the cell to the right of the formulas in step 6 (one for each Tag Name).

=IF(OR(ISNUMBER(CB3),ISNUMBER(CC3),ISNUMBER(CD3),ISNUMBER(CE3),ISNUMBER(CF3),ISNUMBER(CG3),ISNUMBER(CH3),ISNUMBER(CI3),ISNUMBER(CJ3),ISNUMBER(CK3),ISNUMBER(CL3)),0,1)

Sorry for the long formula. This checks each of the formula results from step 6 (11 of them per Tag Name, for me) to see if it is a number. If any one of the formula results is a number then it places a 0 in the cell. If none of the formula results are numbers then it places a 1 in the cell. So now each cell with a 1 indicates an UNUSED tag.


Anyway, I hope this helps you guys. It solved my problem half way. Now I had to go delete all my unused tags in RSView Studio. This, by the way, is also not as easy as it should be. But I've become accustomed to disappointment with Rockwell Software.

I imagine this procedure may not be as clear to you as I'd hoped. So, send me an email if you have questions (kmwisskirchen[at]dramcotech[dot]com). I'll try to help you.

I don't know if any of you are monitoring this thread any more, but I just found it today on 30 July 2014, when looking to find if you could export the cross reference that Rockwell has since implemented in at least their Version 7 of FactoryTalk Studio. The Cross Reference is everything you could hope for, except a method to export that spreadsheet. My use for the results of the cross reference is to document in open form the parameter lists that are passed with all of the GoToDisplay buttons, quite a nasty hierarchy is possible that is difficult to keep in your head as you modify the various screens for multiple re-use.
Right now, I'll take a screen shot and hand type it in, as I have no patience for passing it through an OCR application, which I might do if it was more than 25 lines.

Yes, the cross-reference was added in version 7.

In version 5.0 a separate tool called the Project Documenter was made available for download which provided a method for generating exactly what the OP had asked for. In earlier versions (where it was named RSView Studio) there was no tool available. Thus the complaints, and the home-brew solutions.

In version 5.1 that tool was built-in and renamed the Application Documenter.

OG

widelto said:

My approach:
Open your display, then pick everything in your display with mouse, then under edit TAB choose tag substitution and all tags appear in a window, then you can copy all tag names to wherever you want.

Click to expand...

Yep CTRL + A + R

Crude but workable.

Is there still no better way to find unused tags in FT View Studio Version 10?

Use the Project Documenter.