Post by cmj-icsys on Custom configure tab in device editor ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
Hi everyone, I’m developing a custom CODESYS I/O driver for my company’s device, and I’ve been studying the example projects in CODESYS V3.5 SP20 Patch 5. In the IOMappingExample.project, I noticed that EtherCAT devices provide additional configuration tabs in the Device Editor, such as General, Process Data, etc. However, for custom I/O driver examples (based on IoDrv), the Device Editor only shows the default tabs like <devicename> I/O Mapping or <devicename> Parameters.</devicename></devicename> I’d like to create custom tabs or configuration pages in the Device Editor (e.g., “General Settings”, “Communication”, etc.) to allow users to configure parameters in a more structured way. Could anyone explain: How to define and register custom tabs or UI pages in the Device Editor? What tools or SDKs are needed to create UI elements such as combo boxes or check boxes? How to bind those UI controls to device parameters defined in the XML (device description)? Any example, SDK reference, or documentation link would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!
Last updated: 2025-10-20

Post by tcarlbom on Read tag values using external program ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
This is my first time posting in this forum and I am new to codesys. I am a fullstack developer and I am trying to figure out how the following. What would be the best approach to create a own/custom tag browser? Either directly in codesys ide or using a separate custom program (perhaps a winforms application). 1.a. Shall I parse the .project xml file to get a list of all tags in the project? 1b. Shall I use python scripting in codesys ide to get a list of tags? Once one have selected some tags. These tags shall be exposed to a python program which will be acting as a edge computer. It’s fine to be able to import a file. 2a. I found a library called codesys plchandler which (as I understand) acts a rest api server. Is this correct? If so, can I query the api from a custom python script, ie can query what tags exist in project and or read tag values? My research so far. From earlier projects I know that using opc ua would be perfect for this but from my opinion it’s bloating the plc since it’s resource intensive. So opc ua is not an option. Codesys automation server is neat. But I don’t want to rely on some cloud services and subscription based pricing. There seem to be several interesting codesys libraries like mqtt, tcp server and NVL sender which would help me expose plc tags. But all have a common problem. One have to manually write what tags which will be used in these function blocks. I want a similar experience like “selecting” tags in the opc ua or the codesys tracing, ie a tag browser.
Last updated: 2024-06-28

Post by s1ack on Wago PFC200 Ethernet / IoDrvEthernet Issue? ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
CODESYS Control for PFC200 4.13.00 CODESYS IIoT Libraries SL 1.11.0.0 Application Based License: CODESYS Control Standard M I have (2) projects with similar code base and both using Wago PFC200. On the second project I am seeing 2 things that I have not been able to resolve: 1) Errors in the log under the Ethernet Item: IoDrvEthernet: [PCI\E1Q51CE62] Could not be found on target! Please check the Ethernet settings. 2) Exception for CPU Load. "Processorload watchdog: plcload=100, maxplcload=95" I have slowed down cyclic tasks on this project, even though on the first project there is actually more code - and it does not exhibit this behavior. In looking at the CPU loading via Linux 'TOP' command there appears to be 20% idle. So plenty of headroom (my opinion). In an effort to troubleshoot I have duplicated the target hardware on my bench. It ran overnight without a CPU load exception. On the test system, I have tried (3) version of the ethernet device. 3.5.16.0 3.5.17.0 and 4.2.0.0 Presently the log does not show the error, but status says the module reports an error. I really do not know if this issue is related to the CPU load exception. The issue does not appear to effect ethernet communications (ModbusTCP or SNMP or Webvisu or PuTTy into Linux Shell). On my test bench I have ModbusTCP slave simulators for all ModbusTCP slaves, but only (1) of the (5) SNMP devices present.
Last updated: 2025-01-21

Post by artplc on 3.5 P20 hangs - no response ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
Subject: Solution: CODESYS Freezes Linked to Large Symbol Configuration (OPC UA) Hello everyone, I was experiencing the same problem as many here: CODESYS (v3.5 SP20+) freezing during compilation and download, especially on projects that use OPC UA for SCADA. The only workaround was to run Build > Clean all before every download. I believe I have found the root cause and a permanent solution. The Problem: The issue is directly related to a large Symbol Configuration. In my project, I only need about 700 tags for OPC UA, but the Symbol Configuration list was showing over 250,000 tags. This is because it automatically includes all variables from Global Variable Lists (GVLs) and other memory areas. When any static variable is changed, the IDE tries to rebuild this enormous list, causing it to freeze for several minutes. The Solution: Instead of letting CODESYS export every variable by default, you can use a pragma to tell it which variables or GVLs to exclude from the symbol export process. Place the following pragma at the top of any GVL or data structure that you do not want to be part of the symbol configuration: 1 {attribute 'symbol' := 'none'} 2 VAR_GLOBAL 3 // All variables in this GVL will now be excluded from the 4 // Symbol Configuration by default. 5 InternalVariable1 : INT; 6 InternalVariable2 : BOOL; 7 END_VAR After adding this pragma to all the GVLs that were not needed for OPC UA, the number of tags in my Symbol Configuration dropped to the correct amount. The compilation and download process is now fast again, with no freezing. This method is much more efficient than manually managing the symbol list in the editor. I hope this helps others who are facing this frustrating issue. Best regards.
Last updated: 2025-08-10

Post by xcqt on Oop best practice ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
Hi all, I’m currently trying to improve my OOP structure in CODESYS and I’m looking for some input on how others approach this. I understand the basics like inheritance, interfaces, abstract FBs, methods, and properties, but I still struggle a bit with the overall architecture and what’s considered clean or scalable in bigger projects. As an example, I’m working on two different energy meter function blocks: FB_EnergyMeter_MQTT reads data from MQTT (strings) FB_EnergyMeter_Modbus reads data from Modbus (words) Both have their own Update() method and implement the same interface (something like IF_EnergyMeter). Later on, I’ll probably add more meter types, but they should all behave the same from the controller’s point of view. Now, there’s a FB_GridControl block that needs power data from these meters. I see two options here: Define the meter blocks inside FB_GridControl and call them directly (for example fbModbusMeter.UpdateModbus()). Keep the meter blocks outside and pass them into FB_GridControl as interface references, so the control block doesn’t know which specific type of meter it’s dealing with. Option 2 feels cleaner and more flexible to me, but I’m not entirely sure how to handle the data flow in that case. Should I pass the meter instance through an interface reference (REFERENCE TO IF_EnergyMeter)? Or is there a better way to link the external FBs to the control block? I’d like to hear how you structure this kind of setup or see an example from someone who has done something similar. EDIT: I think i need to do something like this fbModbusUpdateInput(wInput:= wWordValue); fbMqttUpdateInput(strInput:= strStringValue); IF bUseMqtt THEN Meter REF = fbMqttUpdateInput; ELSE Meter REF = fbModbusUpdateInput; END_IF fbControl.SetMeter(UsedMeter := Meter); Or am i thinking wrong? Thanks, Thomas
Last updated: 2025-10-16

Post by t-probst on Strong Private Key Protection for Encryption Certificates ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
Hello, We are trying to implement an automated method of adding of a certificate and private key to the Windows certificate store for encrypting CODESYS projects. We want to do this so that users do not have to deal with details of certificates at all and to prevent user error. We are keen on enforcing strong private key protection since it ensures that a password is required for the certificate to be used to decrypt a CODESYS project. When we add a certificate to the certificate store and enable strong key protection using the Microsoft Management Console Certificates snap-in, it works as expected. However, through this method the user may mistakenly not enable strong private key protection. For the certificates we create programmatically (using Microsoft’s Cryptography Next Generation API in .Net 7) bag attributes are added to the certificate and key by the API. These bag attributes are as follows: Bag Attributes localKeyID: 01 00 00 00 subject=C = xx, ST = xxx, O = xxx, OU = xxx, CN = xxx issuer=C = xx, ST = xxx, L = xxx, O = xxx, OU = xxx, CN = xxx -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- [encoded certificate] -----END CERTIFICATE----- After using this certificate with bag attributes to encrypt a CODESYS project, it can’t be decrypted, showing this error: "The specified project could not be loaded. Possible reasons might be: - The project file is corrupted or invalid - The project has been saved with a newer version of the programming system. If this is the case, you can open the project in the corresponding version. Choose "Save as..." with the appropriate storage version, and retry again. - You may not have the necessary permissions to lad the project" We know that the bag attributes are causing the issue because if we manually edit the certificate file to remove them before using the certificate to encrypt a project, the project can be decrypted as expected. However, we are unable to automatically enforce strong key protection using this method. Here is a link to a StackOverFlow question that we have posted recently for this issue: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/76922355/enforcing-strong-private-key-protection-for-x509certificate2-objects-in-net-mod Any help is greatly appreciated.
Last updated: 2023-08-22

Post by rkohser on Scripted Git clone / checkout being blocked by "Project Environment" popup ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
Hi, I am trying to build a CI/CD pipeline around our codesys projects. The only entry point if the git url and branch, as we do not put our project file under source control, so we needed to find a way to git clone from the python scripting engine. This is currently how we do this : system.commands["Git", "Clone"].execute( "ProjectLocation=" + project_dir, "ProjectName=" + project_file_name, "RemoteUrl=" + project_git_remote_url, "GitProjectStoragePath=" + project_git_local_dir, ) system.commands["Git", "Checkout", "Branch"].execute( "PrimaryProjectHandle=0", "BranchName=origin/" + project_git_branch ) This works fine, except that, depending on the environment and the project, the "Project Environment" popup gets displayed to suggest for some updates, and waits for a user interaction, even with the "--noUI" flag injected as parameter. I investigated the VersionUpdateFlags, but the problem is that the git clone is an atomic operation that clones and directly opens the generated project without the possibility to inject any updateFlags argument (only used in the ScripProjects.open() function. I also tried to simulate some keyboard events acknowledge the window from script but I did not find the right location for the SendKeys statement, I think before the git clone call is too early and after is too late. So I am wondering if there would be some other way to do that. Is there some more proper scripting api for the git add on ? Is there a global configuration of the VersionUpdateFlags that would allow the popup to be disabled outside from any project context ? Is there some way to automatically acknowledge this kind of messages in a "--noUI" mode ? What do you suggest ? Thanks for your help, Roland Edit : I managed to solve my problem by following these steps in my pipeline : - create a template of a project and opt file preconfigured not to open the popup - open this project - initialize an empty git repo - add the remote, fetch and checkout the needed branch -> no popup is displayed, hourra Edit2 : The initial question was raised on a CODESYS V3.5 SP18 Patch 2 profile. Since CODESYS 3.5.19.30 a scripting API is available for Codesys Git that allows cloning a project with the support of VersionUpdateFlags https://content.helpme-codesys.com/en/CODESYS%20Git/_git_using_scripting.html
Last updated: 2024-01-19

Post by ofey on EtherCAT fieldbus ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
Hi, everyone! I'm trying to set up a PLC controller and a connection to an EtherCAT slave device in Codesys. I want to create a flexible program that I can upload to multiple controllers with different remote IO connected (same program). On one plant i may have 5 AI-cards and 3 DO-cards, and on another I may have 4 AI-cards and 2 DO-cards. For not needing to maintain several different programs wih different devices defined in the program (one for each set up) I thought that using a remote IO would make it easier having a single program. That way I could refer to different memory addresses instead of predefined slots/channels and IO's, that would give me errors if there was a different IO on the plant than what the program expected. When I tried setting up the etherCAT master, I saw that I had to define the etherCAT slave devices with the different IO'cards for me to be able to refer to the memory addresses in a PRG. Exactly what I was trying to avoid. My setup is something like a program that can handle 16 separate pump controls. In a year maybe 6 plans get deployed, and depending on how large the project is, the number of pumps can vary between 4 and 16. And the managers dont want to have IO's for all 16 pumps on every cabinet, and I dont want to maintain 16 separate projects files in case of updates etc. I thought the best way to tackle this was having a single project that read/write data to the different pump IO's by remote IO (fieldbus ethercat) addresses. And the number of pump controls are activated by an external GUI. If pump 1-6 is activated by the GUI, then the PLC-program tries to read/write input/outputs from predefined addresses for the expected IO's. My test setup is a PFC200 WAGO controller and a EtherCAT fieldbus coupler (750-354) with some IO. I hope I didn't explain this too horrible, and if there is a more easy and elegant solution for this challenge I appreciate a feedback on this.
Last updated: 2024-04-08

Post by r-niedermayer on OPC UA subscriber not operational ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
Hi. As far as projects in "old version"s are concerned, these can be upgraded to newer versions at any time. To do this, the device must be updated accordingly and the copilers and library versions must be adapted. You can find instructions on how to proceed in the online help/FAQ: https://content.helpme-codesys.com/en/CODESYS%20Development%20System/_cds_changing_compiler_version.html https://content.helpme-codesys.com/en/CODESYS%20Development%20System/_cds_cmd_update_device.html See also 4.3.22.4 "How to open an Example Project" within the following pdf for more details on the single steps: https://forge.codesys.com/lib/counit/tickets/_discuss/thread/3e991befbc/ca97/attachment/Public%20FAQ-v13-20240610_075228.pdf Regaring your OPCUA connection state always showing just "DISABLED", without knowing both sides of the assembly in detail, one can only approach the problem theoretically. We can give a chekclist on how to proceed: Fist, please recheck the communication settings in the OPC UA connection function block to ensure that the server URL, endpoint URL, and other settings are correct and match the configuration of the OPC UA server. Verify that the OPC UA server is running and accessible. -You can try to connect to the OPC UA server using a separate client, such as UAExpert, to ensure that the issue is not related to the OPC UA server itself. Test the security settings in the OPC UA connection function block to ensure that the correct security policy and certificate are selected. If you are using a dynamic connection to the OPC UA server, probe that the connection settings are correctly configured and that the OPC UA client is able to establish a connection to the OPC UA server. Also, please loock into the log files for any errors related to the OPC UA connection function block, these should be listet there. The log files may also provide additional information about the issue and help you to further troubleshoot the problem. FYI - Please see https://content.helpme-codesys.com/en/CODESYS%20Communication/_cds_obj_data_source_communication_opc_ua_server.html: Her you can finde the Communication settings via OPC UA Server -> layout Browse Live Server: The client connects to the server and detects the existing variables and types. From Information Model The client reads the data structure (layout) of the OPC UA Server from the information model set here and as a result receives the information about available variables and types. A connection to the server is not required. The list contains the information models installed in the OPC UA Information Model Repository. "Read Connection" Settings from IEC Variable (option set): - The connection settings used by the device are not read here from the dialog, but at runtime from the IEC variable specified here. - For this possibility, please see the Using a Dynamic Connection to an OPC UA Server (https://content.helpme-codesys.com/en/CODESYS%20Communication/_comm_use_dynamic_opc_ua_server_comm_settings.html) The settings for the communication of a Client-data source to an OPC UA Server can also be dynamically configured from the IEC code and can also be changed at runtime. For such a purpose, a structure is available in the DatasourceOpcUAServer library (For a description of the OPC UA Server, there is one included in the standard installation of CODESYS, https://content.helpme-codesys.com/en/CODESYS%20Communication/_cds_encrypt_communication_data_sources_opc_ua_client.html)
Last updated: 2024-11-04

Post by darko7417 on When running as a service, CodesysControl doesn't write log files to the disk (and other CmpLog related issuess) ^{CODESYS Forge talk (Post)}
I run CODESYS runtime as a service and use CmpLog (the LogAdd2 function) to log different events to a file. I have done this many times before on various projects and hardware, and it works fine. On this particular system, I have CODESYS 3.5.20.40 running on a Windows 11 PC. The CODESYSControlService autostarts (with Local System credentials, the default), and the application runs fine. However, the configuration file is not read (or at least not the one that should be, or not the CmpLog section), and log files are not written to the disk. I would be thankful if anyone knew why this is happening and how to fix it. A note to CODESYS people: you must provide more information on the codesys configuration file, CODESYSControlService.exe and other major components and system behaviour. You created the service and various features (i.e. logging), but haven't explained how they work, which, in my opinion, is below standard for industrial automation software. These are my observations: - When running as a service, the config file is not read (none of them), or at least the CmpLog section is not read. I checked the log using Codesys IDE, and the CmpLog parameters are not the ones I have set in any of the config files. Which CmpLog config values does the service use, and where does it read them from? I have no idea, but it's not the config files. Here are the codesys config files I located on the PC's disk: o C:\Program Files (x86)\CODESYS 3.5.20.40\GatewayPLC\CODESYSControl.cfg (only 2 lines in this config) o C:\Program Files (x86)\CODESYS 3.5.20.40\GatewayPLC\AppDataFiles\CODESYSControlWinV3\CODESYSControl.cfg o C:\Users\SRV\AppData\Roaming\CODESYS\CODESYSControlWinV3\C4DBB537\CODESYSControl.cfg o C:\Program Files (x86)\CODESYS 3.5.20.40\GatewayPLC\tempCFG\CODESYSControl.cfg - When I run codesys as an app (e.g. by clicking the icon), this config file is read C:\Users\SRV\AppData\Roaming\CODESYS\CODESYSControlWinV3\C4DBB537\CODESYSControl.cfg and log files are written ok. The icon target is "C:\Program Files (x86)\CODESYS 3.5.20.40\GatewayPLC\CODESYSControlService.exe" -d o the -d option, I think, starts a cmd-like window showing service debug output (the output shown in log in the IDE) o the -i option, again I think, means install the service - I tried adding -d to service start parameters in the registry, but it started only once and after that it refused to start. Knowing what -d does and which other options are available would be great (e.g. can I make the service read a different config file). - Syslog UDP logging works fine in any case. - These are my CmpLog parameters ~~~ [CmpLog] Logger.0.Name=PlcLog3 Logger.0.Filter=0xFFFFFFFF Logger.0.Enable=1 Logger.0.MaxEntries=10003 Logger.0.MaxFileSize=50003 Logger.0.MaxFiles=33 Logger.0.Backend.0.ClassId=0x0000010B ;sends logger messages to SysOut Logger.0.Backend.1.ClassId=0x00000104 ;writes logger messages in a file Logger.0.Backend.2.ClassId=0x00000135 ;sends logger messages as UDP syslog Logger.0.Type=0x314 ;Set the timestamp to RTC ~~~
Last updated: 2025-02-27

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