Advanced Programming Languages

[AutomatedOne]

Hello everyone!
I am trying to determine the most commonly used advanced controls languages in PLC and HMI programming in order to determine my next step in education. Structured text, Java Script, Visual Basic, C are some that have been suggested to me previously but my concern is learning a language seldom used or understood or one that is becoming obsolete.

Thank you,
AutomatedOne

 

[Paullys50]

Visual Basic while dated is extremely good to know due to VBA being embedded in Excel and taking various forms in HMIs as a scripting language.

VBA + Excel, that just makes your workflow that much more powerful. Build tools to increase your efficiency.

Python is another good one to start learning, again allowing you to build tools to increase your efficiency and in the case of Ignition it's their scripting language (well, technically jython).

C/javascript, worry about those if/when you need to. However, learning these will certainly increase your overall programming awareness and will be beneficial, however the likely hood of putting either of these to work in the world of industrial automation are family slim. It's out there, but not common.

Structure Text is easy to pick up after-the-fact.

 

[shooter]

see 61131
they will stay for the next 10 years, until we are all graphically, so i would also have a look at scratch and labview.

 

[ganutenator]

learn all you can.

Don't worry about them becoming obsolete.

They are nearly identical anyways w/ dif. syntax and dif. gotchas.

 

[Codeblue]

C# is quickly becoming our leading language for higher level PC controls in our automation systems.

Java is a good to know as well as it can run on almost any hardware with little to no changes, I would mainly use it for simplistic stat / display systems.

 

[AutomatedOne]

Thanks to all who responded. Since I already have an understanding of Structured Text I have decided to focus on VB. I have downloaded free from Microsoft, Visual Basic Community and Visual Basic Code. Should I be using something else? Don't know if I am on the right track but learning is always a good thing!

 

[gclshortt]

Your on the right track.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/advancedhmi/
I would also look at AdvancedHMI. It is written in Visual Studio. You can include your own code to communicate to databases, excel, etc.

Regards,

 

[paul alting]

AutomatedOne wrote:

Don't know if I am on the right track but learning is always a good thing!

So true, though it depends if you have any care for open source ideologies or whether you want simply to learn so that you might make a few extra pesos from propriety closed sourced that uses mostly everything Microsoft represents ?

I unfortunately can't help but shudder at the thought of VBA (Basically, Basic) being used in modern applications that demand critical concepts and methods, such as Rockwell Automation's HMI, FactoryTalk View ME/SE.
I know there are a lot of people who love it for what it is and use it very well I suspect, far better than I could these days.

I guess a few words from an old wise man, maybe try not to become too fixated and invest too much into one thing, but rather, try to gain skills that allow you to become flexible and adaptable to learning as you need, to what ever that might be at that time in this ever changing world.

 

[AutomatedOne]

appreciate your words of wisdom and fortunately I have had the ability to remain flexible and embrace progress as I am no longer a young man so to speak. I can remember when DOS based programs were the norm. I also share your concern about Mother Microsoft and open source code.