RSLogix5000 V21+ Add Comments Online Without having to download

JaxGTO

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Join Date
Apr 2009
Location
Kalieefornia
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I usually do not share my Excel macros but in this case I feel the need to help others who got screwed by Rockwell Software.
Unknown to me at the time, when you create a new Version 21 and up project, the check box to store comments in the PLC is on by default. Now here is the MAJOR problem with this, You want to add a new Rack of IO online. OK, no problem. Simply drop it in and it starts scanning the new IO, great. Now you want to add comments? Now you have a problem. Because as most of you know you cant import comments online (why I have no idea). So you go offline and import them. Well now the offline program has changed. So you try to go online, and now you have to upload. So you upload, and you guessed it, all of your offline comments are gone. So now how to get comments in the program? You may very well have 500 or more new points. That's a lot of online typing. And if the PLC is running a factory that runs 24/7 you are going to have to wait a long time before you can download the PLC. All of my future project won't use this online comment feature because of this, but I sometimes go into a plant where I didn't do the original program and this feature is turned on, but I have to add comments to what I have done. Sometimes this is adding a rack of IO or even just commenting many new words or bits.

So I made this macro that simply uses sendkeys to take an Excel sheet and punch them into the comments online. Works well for IO points and/or consecutive word that are in a row.
Column A=Address (not sent. just for your document)
Column B=Symbol like ISA name.
Columns C-G five lines of comments.
Highlight from column A-G and down, up to as far as your consecutive bits/words go online. Then call macro, making sure if you alt-tab that it goes right to the first field in Logix.

This macro writes the Five lines then the Symbol on the last line. but you of course can arrange them any way you want.

I just wanted to give everybody a place to start. I suppose this could even be used to send data online, so be careful. I take no responsibility for any problem this may cause, so TEST TEST TEST! I used emulator to get it working before I tried it online.
-----------------------------
Sub WriteRSLogix5000AddressCommentOnline()
'use sendkeys to alt tab to RSlogix5000 and start coping address then move down
'select block of address, symbol, 5 line descriptions then down up to fields available in RSLogix going down
'in logix put cursor on first address field
Dim posd As Integer
Dim L(10) As String
'switch to logix
SendKeys "%{TAB}", True
pos = 1

For Each a In Selection
'Debug.Print a
L(pos) = a
If L(pos) = "" Then
L(pos) = " "
End If
If pos < 8 Then
pos = pos + 1
End If

If pos = 8 Then
'Debug.Print "'" + L(3) + "'"; "'" + L(4) + "'"; "'" + L(5) + "'"; "'" + L(6) + "'"; "'" + L(7) + "'"; "'" + L(2) + "'"
SendKeys "{F2}" + L(3) + "{Enter}" + L(4) + "{Enter}" + L(5) + "{Enter}" + L(6) + "{Enter}" + L(7) + "{Enter}" + L(2) + "^{Enter}{DOWN}", True
pos = 1
End If
Next
 
I'm pretty sure that if you import a routine or program it will import documentation. So, if you added IO you had to have had code to go with it. I'm just not following your problem. And... of course if you change offline then there will be differences between offline and online.
 

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