FT View SE Recipe Configuration

Happy Thursday everyone,
I am working on a "Proof of Concept" for a Asphalt Blending System using a CompactLogix L32E, Red Lion G306 (For Protocol Conversion), Batch Loading Controller and FT View SE for the HMI.

The Issue I am having now is with the FT View SE Recipes. I would like to use the RecipePlus object but that doesn't seem to be available in SE. Is that right?

I have been looking at other "Recipe" ideas in SE but I am confused on how to implement them. I placed the Recipe box (Objects-Advanced-Recipe) on a display and when I test the display I can create a new one by entering the name and clicking SAVE. How do I enter the 20 items into the recipe file? How do I get the recipe data downloaded to the PLC? If I want to have that data written to a DB file or even a .txt file how do I do that?

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!!

**UPDATE**
I have figured out how to enter data, save a recipe file and get it downloaded to the PLC at runtime.

Now where I need to get to next is how can I do this for 50 recipes that download to a 50 element array of UDT data type. I have done it with one recipe just stuck on how to do it with multiple recipes. Would I have to create 50 different screens to do that??? That would make the FTV SE cost go way up. Anybody know how to do this using only one screen?

I am also playing with the idea of just writing the recipe data to a .txt or excel file that another piece of software would pick up to do the download to the Batch Controller. Any ideas how I would write the recipe data to a separate file that is stored on the same computer?

Thanks!!

Not sure how much help I can be as I'm still learning the ropes of SE and haven't used the recipe object. However, I think that Parameter files could be what you're looking for.

In our plant's current setup, there are places where one single screen is used but called by numerous buttons. Each button has its own parameter file associated with it. So the button's action would be something like:
Display screenname /P parameterfilename

Hope this helps

The best solution is to roll your own in VBA, using SQL server as a front end. Bonus with that, is that it is easy to modify the recipes externally with something like Excel.

Rockwell hasn't figured out yet that Recipes are important, they are about 25 years behind, well, everyone else with recipes. Maybe if they every get around to fixing the 20 year old bugs in FTView SE (some of which came from RSView32, and are STILL bugs), they will think about recipes, but don't count on it.

The recipe support in SE is horrible. The way to go is using SQL Server and VBA. Although my local RA sales rep. says that FTView SE ver. 9.0 ( available in the fall?) is supposed to have a much improved recipe system. Well, the only direction for the SE recipe system is up. :nodi:

Thanks for the advice Guys!! Yea I have found it to be way lacking. I figured that they would at least put the RecipePlus object in the SE Software. The way it works now just SUCKS!!

I am not married to SE for this application would Ignition or some other package work better? I know FTV but would be interested in looking at something else.

rdast - I haven't done any VBA code before so I was wondering if you have an example of what you are talking about that you would be willing to share with me?

Thanks everyone.

@Bullzi:
I believe there are a number of examples, quite a few from me on this forum from a while ago; no offense, but I have pretty much stopped posting any solutions for Rockwell FTView problems at all any more since that just causes a flood of emails.

rdast,
I total understand and will look for the examples you have provided on previous post.
Thanks again.