PLC Code versioning software for Rockwell?

[cardosocea]

Hello Gents,



I'm now tasked with implementing source control in our projects and although I have more challenges to deal with, a big one to tackle is a centralised source control location/platform.

Our stuff has both AOI's that will be code versioned and controlled as well as programs. One way I considered was Application Code Manager, but am not quite sure how the management of it works to keep track of different versions (I need to spend some time on it).

I have thought about Git based platforms, but feel like the team won't adhere to them and instead will copy blocks from the previous project thus going back to what we have now. Plus, Git won't be part of the development of a new project as ACM would be.



Do you guys have any suggestions or caveats in what I've considered already to be aware of?

 

[theColonel26]

What you seem to be really after is library Management. Which is not git. Git will help with it after you have it though.


I couldn't find any documentation on ACM and I even paid for it for a year a while back and I could not figure out how it was supposed to be used. Usually I am fast learner on software, at least compared to other people but the combination of no documentation and a very un-intiutive UI I finally gave up.

Now I just Use C*O*P*I*A/Git and keep a Library Repo, with my AOIs and other code "Templates" and then import them in to each machine project with Studio 5000, and make a note in the commit as to what version of the library Imported.

Really the answer is use Codesys. it has library managment built in.

Just inform your customers that they are morons for wanting to use Rockwell and that you are just gonna use codesys now....

That was a Joke... I obviously have moron customers that still want Rockwell too, but I am using Codesys for all new products.

 

[dwoodlock]

What you seem to be really after is library Management. Which is not git. Git will help with it after you have it though.


I couldn't find any documentation on ACM and I even paid for it for a year a while back and I could not figure out how it was supposed to be used. Usually I am fast learner on software, at least compared to other people but the combination of no documentation and a very un-intiutive UI I finally gave up.

Now I just Use C*O*P*I*A/Git and keep a Library Repo, with my AOIs and other code "Templates" and then import them in to each machine project with Studio 5000, and make a note in the commit as to what version of the library Imported.

Really the answer is use Codesys. it has library managment built in.

Just inform your customers that they are morons for wanting to use Rockwell and that you are just gonna use codesys now....

That was a Joke... I obviously have moron customers that still want Rockwell too, but I am using Codesys for all new products.

LMAO, Those rockwell cuffs are plush though!

 

[the_msp]

I don't use it myself, but another vote for c0p1a here:

https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/*****-automation/64576

 

[PreLC]

As theColonel26 mentioned, library management is where you should start.
It's very important to first lay out code properly in space(Example, a windows directory with good nomenclature and hierarchy. Then you can move onto layout of code in TIME, with technologies like Git.

I am a big proponent of using .git with a local repo on each engineering terminal and a fileserver as a shared global repo. Here's a guide on how to use .git, and even integrate it with rockwell's own difftool, for 0 cost:
https://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showpost.php?p=817131&postcount=10

This has also been running for the past 4 years with a relatively large team at the plant I deployed it at.

 

[cardosocea]

Thanks for the help, guys. I think I should have been a bit clearer and state that I'm looking for both solutions, though ACM is mostly library management. I do need to keep track of a library, but would also want to keep track of what is deployed in other sites to keep track of what we did and what changes the site may have done.



I can use ACM to create a project out of existing libraries like the PlantPAX. It's straightforward and quite nice once you move it into Excel and start filling in what you need. Creating a library on the other hand seems like a daunting prospect.

 

[dwoodlock]

After looking today it seems their software package is being reinvented after an acquisition of another company, but I have seen versiondog by auvesy used effectively in a large plant.

Looks like their new tool will be Octoplant, but anyway versiondog was really good, so maybe it will be as well.

 

[Randomdev81]

You can check out Software Defined Automation, seems like they have exactly the functionality that you need. I liked it personally more then Versiondog.