Blue Arrows

[TheWaterboy]

What is the significance of the blue arrows on some dialog selections in Logix?
I see them on the clock and MSG dialogs. Why are they there?

 

[Nova5]

In/Out AOI Parameters cause those to show up.

 

[plvlce]

Hovering the mouse over the arrow yields a tool-tip 'Editing changes the tag value'.

In other words, it indicates that if you change the value displayed you will be changing the value of a tag (that may be used elsewhere).

 

[Operaghost]

Those indicate a field that is changing/changeable. For the MSG I see it on the Timed Out bit which allows you to force a timeout on the MSG. For the Data/Time the options with blue arrows are all selections where you can change the date/time.

You also see it everywhere in ladder logic. This MOV below shows that the Destination is a changeable field. Click on the value and type in a new value. Whereas the Source cannot be changed without editing the logic. The blue arrows let me know this.

OG

 

[TheWaterboy]

But you can change a lot of things, why are just some blessed with the arrow?

Bonus Oddity: In a MSG configured for a PLC5 Typed Read you get the blue arrow on a greyed out dialog box for cached connection. and its not changeable. "Large connection" should be a changeable value but does not warrant a blue arrow.

I don't get a tooltip when hovering over these arrows.

 

[Operaghost]

But you can change a lot of things, why are just some blessed with the arrow?

Bonus Oddity: In a MSG configured for a PLC5 Typed Read you get the blue arrow on a greyed out dialog box for cached connection. and its not changeable. "Large connection" should be a changeable value but does not warrant a blue arrow.

I don't get a tooltip when hovering over these arrows.

This is my interpretation... The items with blue arrows are tied to tags or directly impact the controller memory (like the date/time). The Cache connection is tied to a status tag (.EN_CC). The other options you mentioned are not tags. They are functions of the instruction itself.

The Large Connection is only for CIP Generic messages when Connected is selected.

OG

EDIT: As for seeing the tooltips, I see them when I hover over them in the logic. I don't see them in the pop-up configuration windows.

 

[TheWaterboy]

OK. I follow.

Have you ever found that arrow to be of any benefit that would be worthy of the developers at rockwell going through the effort to create it? I mean with the list of things they could improve, why did that choose that?

 

[plvlce]

If I'm in a hurry it might save me a couple seconds on occasion trying to change a hardcoded value without online editing. I can't say I feel it was a particularly worthwhile use of the developers' time though.

 

[Operaghost]

It's not exactly a new feature. It's been there since day 1. RSLogix 5/500 had this too. Only it was a "<" symbol there. Only there, they showed you the symbol even for constants. So if you tried to change those they would just revert back to the constant.

OG

 

[TheWaterboy]

ok, but for some reason today my brain said it needed to be solved

 

[plvlce]

Only there, they showed you the symbol even for constants. So if you tried to change those they would just revert back to the constant.

OG

Hmm, yes I remember getting caught by that a couple times back when I was learning.