I've been developing a lot in InTouch the past few years as it's the company preferred SCADA package as we have a lot of development efforts put into it over the years, so naturally it's about getting some ROI. I think we deliver a good product, but InTouch is so archaic I want to gouge my eyes out.
Cost
I see people gripe about Rockwell, but Wonderware is just as bad. I did a project with InBatch and InTouch requiring server and client licensing. I got hit with required support at 18% of the total license cost. Come to find out later that it was only required for InBatch, but they applied it to each licenses. Then I get hassled a year later about getting the end user to renew the support contract at 12K/year. Ah, no. They don't have anyone capable of supporting InBatch or InTouch, they need something they are calling my company. You have their contact info, make that outrageous sale on your own!
InTouch Tag Editor
Or really lack-there-of. I recently had to delete over 2000 tags from a project one-by-one. You can't do any group select/delete. What a hassle! This was a smaller version of a previous project so I just tried to cut down the tag counts (I hate bloated applications). Sure I could have started a new project, did a DBDump/Load after I edited the CSV files, re-imported everything but what a time waster either way! GRRR!!!
Limited Export/Import
We use a lot of scripting, and yes it would be great if I could auto-generate scripts into a native file type (.csv) and simply import what I needed, so I could make a library of scripts. But nope, can't do that. GRRR!!!
Oh, it's a PITA to delete scripts too, again trying to reduce the size of a project I had to delete each script one-by-one.
Bindlists
I guess I can just edit the .DEF file in notepad, again so much for building a library of components. GRRR!
How is it that Notepad is the tool to make things efficient???
Resolution
YAY they finally gave an option to lock the application resolution!!!!! Still a poor effort.
Graphics
Still can't animate the color of a button. Really?? I understand the ways around this, but still a hassle. Come'on man! Oh, and when I double-click on a graphic, and my mouse makes a microscopic movement, it does not mean I want to move the graphic!!! Filter that out a bit please!
Wonderware's answer:
SYSTEM PLATFORM, IT'S THE CAT'S ***! IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!
Um, take your SCADA 101 reactor demo and shove it where the sun don't shine. Show me an application demo of a system capable of the complex requirments of a $250K control system. "Oh it's so easy to convert your exiting InTouch symbols to System Platform see, I'll demonstrate a SLIDER object" -- Mind.Blown?? Not quite.
What about my scripts that go with my complicated symbols? See they reference my custom QuickFunctions to populate my various device pop-up boxes with proper text and such (other features as well). Sure the symbol converts to a System Platform object, but all my scripts are broken and I have to re-write them in .NET! I have yet to see a native .NET script editor in the IDE (granted I am new to the IDE so I just may be overlooking it). Re-development time!!
SYSTEM PLATFORM IS COST EFFECTIVE, PAYS FOR ITSELF AFTER 2 CLINETS
Um....no, it does not.
WONDERWARE OFFERS CONSULTING SERVICES TO HELP MIGRATE YOUR INTOUCH APP TO SYSTEM PLATFORM....@$xxx.xx/hr.
Um....no, I will not pay you to implement your product.
Wonderware WDN
Credit for having online tech-support knowledge base of sorts, however the content is lacking and when I do find a reference to a problem with an answer, it's usually a vague 1-liner. At least with Rockwell I can count on a paragraph or two containing something I can chew on.
Licensing
WooooHoooo license files are EASY!
Think I can end there.
/rant
I know I'm not an expert at Wonderware InTouch, I can admit my ignorance if anyone can negate any of my comments. But man I want to try another solution but I know I'm not in a position to force a change.
Cost
I see people gripe about Rockwell, but Wonderware is just as bad. I did a project with InBatch and InTouch requiring server and client licensing. I got hit with required support at 18% of the total license cost. Come to find out later that it was only required for InBatch, but they applied it to each licenses. Then I get hassled a year later about getting the end user to renew the support contract at 12K/year. Ah, no. They don't have anyone capable of supporting InBatch or InTouch, they need something they are calling my company. You have their contact info, make that outrageous sale on your own!
InTouch Tag Editor
Or really lack-there-of. I recently had to delete over 2000 tags from a project one-by-one. You can't do any group select/delete. What a hassle! This was a smaller version of a previous project so I just tried to cut down the tag counts (I hate bloated applications). Sure I could have started a new project, did a DBDump/Load after I edited the CSV files, re-imported everything but what a time waster either way! GRRR!!!
Limited Export/Import
We use a lot of scripting, and yes it would be great if I could auto-generate scripts into a native file type (.csv) and simply import what I needed, so I could make a library of scripts. But nope, can't do that. GRRR!!!
Oh, it's a PITA to delete scripts too, again trying to reduce the size of a project I had to delete each script one-by-one.
Bindlists
I guess I can just edit the .DEF file in notepad, again so much for building a library of components. GRRR!
How is it that Notepad is the tool to make things efficient???
Resolution
YAY they finally gave an option to lock the application resolution!!!!! Still a poor effort.
Graphics
Still can't animate the color of a button. Really?? I understand the ways around this, but still a hassle. Come'on man! Oh, and when I double-click on a graphic, and my mouse makes a microscopic movement, it does not mean I want to move the graphic!!! Filter that out a bit please!
Wonderware's answer:
SYSTEM PLATFORM, IT'S THE CAT'S ***! IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!
Um, take your SCADA 101 reactor demo and shove it where the sun don't shine. Show me an application demo of a system capable of the complex requirments of a $250K control system. "Oh it's so easy to convert your exiting InTouch symbols to System Platform see, I'll demonstrate a SLIDER object" -- Mind.Blown?? Not quite.
What about my scripts that go with my complicated symbols? See they reference my custom QuickFunctions to populate my various device pop-up boxes with proper text and such (other features as well). Sure the symbol converts to a System Platform object, but all my scripts are broken and I have to re-write them in .NET! I have yet to see a native .NET script editor in the IDE (granted I am new to the IDE so I just may be overlooking it). Re-development time!!
SYSTEM PLATFORM IS COST EFFECTIVE, PAYS FOR ITSELF AFTER 2 CLINETS
Um....no, it does not.
WONDERWARE OFFERS CONSULTING SERVICES TO HELP MIGRATE YOUR INTOUCH APP TO SYSTEM PLATFORM....@$xxx.xx/hr.
Um....no, I will not pay you to implement your product.
Wonderware WDN
Credit for having online tech-support knowledge base of sorts, however the content is lacking and when I do find a reference to a problem with an answer, it's usually a vague 1-liner. At least with Rockwell I can count on a paragraph or two containing something I can chew on.
Licensing
WooooHoooo license files are EASY!
Think I can end there.
/rant
I know I'm not an expert at Wonderware InTouch, I can admit my ignorance if anyone can negate any of my comments. But man I want to try another solution but I know I'm not in a position to force a change.