Connection of PLC data
You have already read how to connect PLCs in the first chapter. In the graphics environment, objects are always connected via the Object menu. In the Station area, select the port and the station number of the participant. As the ports support RS485, serial networks can be set up, the station indicates the subscriber. In this case, we have connected an S7 via the download port. We then select the memory area that we want to access, in this case DB2 Index null. In Data Type, I can also select the data type, usually Byte, Word or DWord.
That is all. The "Indirect" option allows indirect indexing of the address via any register.
In addition to PLC variables, internal variables are available for data objects. More on this in the next section.
Internal variables
Three memory areas are available in the touch panel for internal variables, calculations, recipes, data logging and other applications. PSW are words in RAM, normally 4096 are available, but the size of the variable memory can be adjusted. In addition to the registers in RAM, there is an area for flash variables withPFWand an area for bits with PSB. PFW is preset to a size of 4096 and PSB to 1024, this setting can be changed under "File" then "Setting" then "Panel" then "Set Parameter". Attention: in the PSW, PFW and PSB area there are system variables on Pxx 0 to Pxx 256. Therefore, please only use the variables freely from Pxx 257. A list of the system variables can be found in chapter 8 of the manual.
The PSW, PFW and PSB areas can be selected as variables in the "Object" menu. They are located in the selection under the PLC data areas.
Settings that apply to most objects
Color
You can make color settings for objects in the Color menu. On the left, there is a list of components whose colors can be changed.
Position
You can set the position and size in the Position tab. The option very funny translation error "Animal" lets you animate the X and Y position. Select an external or internal variable that specifies the deviation (positive or negative) from the start position. You can use Lock to anchor an object and protect it from accidental movement.
Aspect
Many objects have a property called Aspect. This is the representation as a standard object. You can use Change to select from a gallery to change the display. TouchWin has very extensive galleries of graphic templates. Sometimes you will have to adjust the size of the object so that it fits the new display. Some objects allow you to freely design the display using your own bitmaps.
We will look at the standard elements in the next chapter.