S7 - Identify current screen in ProTool

I know and use job 51 to change screens in ProTool, but now I have a case where I want to be able to identify which screen/picture is currently active. In the help files of ProTool I can't find an appropriate command. Does anybody know if this functionality is available, perhaps non-documented. It would make my life much easier!

Hi
You can create an Area Pointer as 'Screen Number'. It's 5 words long. The second word is the screen number.
It's updated automatically, so you don't need any code.

pp

Hi PP,

do you mean that the same DB I've created for use with Job 51 automatically gets updated with the current screen number? Presumably this happens during the house-keeping period before the cycle restarts.

It makes sense, it would just be nice if Siemens told you such useful information. There's no mention of it the description of job 15.

Hi
The Job number uses the 'Job Mailbox'. The screen number is a different area altogether. On my version of ProTool (V6.0), from the tree on the left I select 'Area Pointers' and then I can insert a 'Screen Number' area pointer. I seem to remember on earlier versions of ProTool, it was selected from somewhere on the top menu bar.
Hope this helps

PP

The "Job Mailbox" and "Screen Number" area pointers are two different area pointers.
The addresses for each area pointer must be unique.

The "Screen Number" area pointer gets updated by each screen change, not depending on who changed the screen (the operator with a key, or the PLC via the PLC Job).

Here we go again, unfortunately my version of ProTool Pro V6.0 is in German. If I double click on "Bereichszeiger", which I reckon must be "Area Pointers", the only type on offer relating to screens or pictures is "Bildnummer", i.e. "Picture Number" and this is the one I use to pass over the Picture Number to jump to with job 51.



PS funny thing, after loading one of the English ProTool sample projects, when I was struggling a bit with my alarms a few weeks ago the Simatic Manager on my Internet PC suddenly switched over to the English menu. Unfortunately, for reason best known to itself, ProTool didn't follow suit.

Edit: I've just checked the FB where I call up the Fault pictures and I see I've been getting myself confused again - nothing new there I guess. As Jesper says, they are two different DBs the "Auftragsfach" is the one for Jobs and that is indeed the one I'm using to call up the pictures. The confusion probably arose because I have already created the "Picture Number" DB, but as far as I can see, I don't use it anywhere yet. The funny thing is, it doesn't show up anywhere in X-ref (and before you ask, no I don't have any filters selected, I always show everything), neither in X-ref itself nor in "Unused Symbols" - curious.

Screen Number area pointer is 5 words for windows panel, but it is 2 words only for old OPs.

With this the screen number is always displayed in MW202.

paraffin power said:

It's 5 words long. The second word is the screen number.

Click to expand...

What are the other words for? I can't seem to find it in the help file or manual..

I found it on the site from Siemens:

1st Word, current screen type (1 for basic screen, 4 for fixed window)
2nd Word, current screen number (1 to 65535)
3th Word, reserved
4th Word, Current field number (1 to 65535)
5th Word, reserved