Getting Results Guide. Doc ID TSTENT-GR001A-EN-P

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1 Getting Results Guide Doc ID TSTENT-GR001A-EN-P

2 RSTestStand.book Page ii Friday, September 10, :22 PM Contacting Rockwell Software Copyright Notice Trademark Notice Warranty Technical Support Telephone Technical Support Fax World Wide Web Rockwell Software Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. This manual and any accompanying Rockwell Software products are copyrighted by Rockwell Software Inc. Any reproduction and/or distribution without prior written consent from Rockwell Software Inc. is strictly prohibited. Please refer to the license agreement for details. The Rockwell Software logo, RSTestSTand Enterprise, RSTestStand, PLC, PLC-2, PLC-3, PLC-5, PLC-5/250, PLC-5/20E, PLC-5/40E, PLC-5/80E, SLC, SLC 5/01, SLC 5/02, SLC 5/03, SLC 5/04, SLC 5/05, and SLC 500 are registered trademarks of Rockwell Automation. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows NT, Visual Basic, and Visual SourceSafe are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. ControlNet is a registered trademark of ControlNet International. DeviceNet is a registered trademark of the Open DeviceNet Vendors Association. Ethernet is a registered trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel, and Xerox Corporation. SolidWorks 3D Modeling Software is a trademark of SolidWorks. Pentium is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation. Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. AIX, PowerPC, Power Series, RISC System/6000 are trademarks and IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged. This Rockwell Software product is warranted in accord with the product license. The product s performance will be affected by system configuration, the application being performed, operator control, and other related factors. This product s implementation may vary among users. This manual is as up-to-date as possible at the time of printing; however, the accompanying software may have changed since that time. Rockwell Software reserves the right to change any information contained in this manual or the software at anytime without prior notice. The instructions in this manual do not claim to cover all the details or variations in the equipment, procedure, or process described, nor to provide directions for meeting every possible contingency during installation, operation, or maintenance.

3 RSTestStand.book Page i Friday, September 10, :22 PM New features of RSTestStand Enterprise version 3.10 Control Planner/Simulator (CPS) has been renamed RSTestStand Enterprise. Extending the proven value of RSTestStand as a control modeling and simulation software, RSTestStand Enterprise offers these additional solutions to your process and discrete applications: System-level simulation that provides the ability to import individual RSTestStand projects and to design a macro model of the smaller cells. Process and/or application modeling tools to provide the ability to develop the model of the actual physical process. These tools increase the fidelity and scope of the control systems model. Debugging and optimization tools to aid in the validation process. Upstream connectivity to 3D modeling systems, such as SolidWorks. RSTestStand Enterprise has these new features: The Data Scope allows you to graph Boolean and analog data values in a variety of formats. The functionality of the Data Scope is similar to a digital storage oscilloscope. RSTestStand Enterprise can now coordinate and control time among multiple RSEmulate 5000 controllers in a single virtual backplane. See Controlling execution speeds of an RSEmulate 5000 processor on page 110. Conveyors, multiplexers, and buffers have been added to the Part Flow diagram. See Part Flow objects on page 103. i

4 RSTestStand.book Page ii Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Features introduced in version 2.10: Arrays are now supported as data types for variables. Integration into RSAutomation Desktop. A new graphics subsystem that makes developing 3D animations simpler and faster. See Creating 3D models on page 43. Graphic libraries in which you can save and reuse your animation elements. See Graphics Library on page 92. Expanded search and replace so that you can find instances throughout the system. You can also search and replace variables from within a flowchart or its variables list. See Searching your Project Model on page 16. Library elements can now be parameterized to create multiple copies when they are dragged into a project. You can now use the Multiple instantiation feature to greatly increase the flexibility of your libraries by allowing you to have a single parent and a user requested number of children (including zero). By developing library elements that take advantage of this feature, you can selectively add and remove features when you build your project. See Parameterizing your library resource definitions on page 96. Addition of a code module editor with a Visual Basic Script Editor look and feel. Import and export to an ASCII delimited file. See Importing and exporting your project variables on page 17. New functions in the System Procedures for the Flowchart editor: DoWhile and DoUntil functions that allow you to reset a flowchart on a change of condition. GetPercentComplete returns the current value of the capability referenced. New WaitUntil function blocks the execution of a flowchart until the specified condition goes true. Selection, on a resource by resource basis, of whether a duplex variable s initial value is written to the OPC link during the power-up scan. ii

5 RSTestStand.book Page iii Friday, September 10, :22 PM Contents 1 Welcome to RSTestStand Enterprise 1 Audience How does this document fit with other Rockwell Software product documentation?.. 2 Document conventions Installing RSTestStand Enterprise 3 System requirements Hardware requirements Software requirements Installing RSTestStand Enterprise software Starting the RSTestStand Enterprise software Creating the Project Model 7 Developing your project Analyze your application Test the model Develop your system logic Run the logic, any electronic HMI, and your RSTestStand Enterprise application concurrently About the Project Model Creating a new Project Model Populating your Project Model Modifying your Project Model Searching your Project Model Importing and exporting your project variables Importing project variables Exporting data Field descriptions for csv file Resources 21 Adding user-defined resources to the Project Model Setting attributes, variables, and capabilities for resources Setting resource attributes Setting resource variables Initial Value Connecting an array variable to an OPC array Setting resource capabilities iii

6 RSTestStand.book Page iv Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 5 Operator Consoles 35 Adding an Operator Console Configuring Operator Consoles device resource properties Merging Operator Consoles Operator Console devices Emergency stop Indicator lamp LED display Message display Meter Push button Selector switch Slider Strip chart Text box Thumb wheel Toggle switch state feedback Creating 3D models 43 Building a 3D animation Adding an object to the scene Adding paths and frames Working with multiple assemblies Connecting resource variables to animation Importing animations Working with scenes Helpful hints for working with components and assemblies Using the Data Scope feature 57 Setting up a data source Setting up a view Setting up a Trace View Using the Trace View Setting up a Rule View and Histogram Setting up individual rules Using the Rule View Viewing a Histogram Recording normal values Save Data to File iv

7 RSTestStand.book Page v Friday, September 10, :22 PM CONTENTS 8 Simulation 73 Starting a simulation Simulation modes Interacting with a simulation Placing a Watch Window on a resource, component, or assembly Forcing resource variable values Using the Output Message Window Hints for setting up and running simulation Exporting and importing runtime simulation data Exporting runtime simulation data Importing runtime simulation data Using the Run-Only option Flowchart Editor 81 Opening the Flowchart Editor Flowchart Editor elements Start Block Decision Block Process Block End Block Comment Block Local VBScript Module Block Connection Tool Visual Basic Script operator syntax Printing a flowchart Connection Diagrams 87 Creating a Connection Diagram Adding resources to a Connection Diagram OPC tag connections Printing a Connection Diagram Connection Diagram palette Options tab Connecting variables Connection Diagram context menu v

8 RSTestStand.book Page vi Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 11 Creating and using libraries 91 Standard Resource library Op Console Devices library Graphics Library Creating your own library Adding a resource definition to a Resource Library Parameterizing your library resource definitions Removing a resource definition from a library Using a library resource definition Attaching or detaching a library Attaching a Resource Library to a project Detaching a Resource Library from a project Saving a library file Part flow models 99 About the part flow model Creating a part flow model Laying out a part flow model diagram Adding behavior to the diagram Controlling the action using capabilities and set points Running the Part Model Part Flow objects Generators, parts, and part names Locations Part Movers Multiplexer Buffer Conveyor Part Disposer Part sensor switch Controllers 109 Using a controller in your project Controlling execution speeds of an RSEmulate 5000 processor Controlling the execution speed of multiple RSEmulate 5000 processors Controller Property dialog box Attribute tab vi

9 RSTestStand.book Page vii Friday, September 10, :22 PM CONTENTS Variables tab Name Type Connections Mode Public Initial Value Tag Add Variables using OPC Browser button Local VBScript Modules 119 Creating a Local VBScript Module Subroutines Functions Importing and exporting projects 121 Importing and merging XML files Exporting files using XML Importing and merging RSTestStand projects Developing and using TestScripts 123 Creating a new TestScript Editing TestScripts using Visual Basic Script Setting up and using a manual TestScript Running TestScripts The Log File for TestScripts Configuration of standard Forms Manual Form Random Fault Form Snapshot Form Interlock Form Communications using OPC 131 Connecting to another server Topic names Groups and items Poll rates Variable updates Initial or powerup scan using OPC connections Search and replace OPC tag addresses and variable names vii

10 RSTestStand.book Page viii Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 18 Troubleshooting 135 Debugging flowchart logic Communication problems No error codes, but variables are not updating No topic configured in RSLinx Controller problems Incorrect update rates Polled Messages is not selected Time to expand the Tag Browser is too long Interacting with the PLC logic Problems with 3D graphics and OpenGL compatibility Getting the information you need 141 Online help Technical support services When you call Training A Activation 143 Protecting your activation files Activating RSTestStand Enterprise software Running the activation utilities Finding more information about activation Some common questions My activation files were damaged. What should I do? I accidentally deleted the software directory on my hard drive. Do I need to call Rockwell Software for replacement activation files? Why can t I move activation to a new floppy disk on a Windows NT system? 146 B Output Window messages and error codes 147 C System procedures for the Flowchart Editor 153 D Built-in procedures for the TestScript Editor 159 TestScript Editor and Flowchart Editor procedures TestScript Editor procedures Class forms Class controls Class form Class control E Glossary 165 viii

11 RSTestStand.book Page 1 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 1 Welcome to RSTestStand Enterprise RSTestStand Enterprise is a design tool that lets you describe the process to be controlled, test pieces of it, and run an acceptance test using automated test procedures. It is part of the Design Automation product family from Rockwell Software Inc. RSTestStand, also part of the Design Automation suite, supports a unit, or module, testing philosophy. As such, it provides the controls engineer with an interactive development environment for his or her logic. RSTestStand Enterprise, on the other hand, provides you with a much broader set of capabilities that both allows incrementally larger and more complex projects to be tested and brings automation to the testing process. RSTestStand Enterprise lets you import and concatenate multiple RSTestStand files. The large amount of reuse from unit testing allows you to focus on what is important: the verification of your system design. 1 Welcome to RSTestStand Enterprise RSTestStand Enterprise includes these features: Data Scope, which lets you analyze existing applications, synthesize important operational parameters, and use them in your model. Import and merge of RSTestStand files to reuse unit, or module, testing. TestScripts to automate scripting your test procedures and recording the results. Connection Diagrams to better visualize more complex models. Controller resources to allow you to build models that can be incrementally substituted with real components. 1

12 RSTestStand.book Page 2 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Audience XML import and export to create Project Models from upstream design systems. 3D graphics to allow connection to visually sophisticated representations. Part Flow Model to let you build line simulations. Integration into RSAutomation Desktop. We assume that you are familiar with: IBM-compliant personal computers Microsoft Windows operating systems OLE for Process Control (OPC) communications Allen-Bradley programmable logic controllers (PLC ) Rockwell Software s PLC programming tools How does this document fit with other Rockwell Software product documentation? This guide is intended to be the entry point into our documentation set, which includes the RSTestStand Enterprise Getting Results Guide and online help. The online help includes all overview, procedure, screen, and reference information for the software. It contains overview topics, tutorial topics, step-by-step procedures, and screen element descriptions (for example, text boxes, drop-down lists, and option buttons). Help is context-sensitive and provides you with immediate access to application and screen element descriptions. Document conventions The conventions used throughout this document comply with those recommended by Microsoft. If you are not familiar with the Microsoft Windows user interface, we recommend that you read the documentation supplied with the operating system you are using before attempting to use this software. 2

13 RSTestStand.book Page 3 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 2 Installing RSTestStand Enterprise This chapter describes: The minimum system requirements How to install the software System requirements To effectively use the software, your personal computer must meet the following hardware and software requirements. Hardware requirements A Pentium III compatible or better personal computer rated at least 800 MHz (1 GHz preferred) 256 MB of RAM minimum (512 MB of RAM preferred) 20 MB of available hard drive space CD-ROM drive 3.5-inch 1.44 MB diskette drive Video graphics adapter (VGA) with OpenGL support (recommended for 3D animations) Monitor that supports 1024x768 resolution. Use of lower resolutions might impact the size of dialog boxes so that they will not fit on the screen 2 Installing RSTestStand Enterprise Software requirements Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (or higher) Drivers to support the OpenGL card RSLinx 2.40 or higher (if you will be using the high speed data source in the RSTestStand Enterprise Data Scope, you must use RSLinx ) 3

14 RSTestStand.book Page 4 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Installing RSTestStand Enterprise software Be sure to read the RSTestStand Enterprise_RelNotes.html file included on the CD-ROM. It may contain specific information relating to the installation of the latest release of this software. To install the software: 1. Insert the CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. If autorun is: Then: enabled The Installer program starts automatically. Go to step 2. disabled a. Click Start. b. Click Run. The Run dialog box is displayed. c. In the Open field, type x:\autorun.exe. d. Click OK. The Installer dialog box is displayed. Go to step Select Install RSTestStand Enterprise. If the Program Maintenance dialog box is displayed, a previous version of RSTestStand Enterprise is installed. To uninstall: 1. Open RSTestStand Enterprise. 2. Close all windows and toolbars. 3. Close RSTestStand Enterprise. 4. Return to Control Panel. Select Remove and click Next to uninstall the previous version. 3. Follow the instructions on the screen. a. On the Welcome dialog box: Read the information, and then click Next. b. On the Software License Agreement dialog box: Read the entire Software License Agreement. Click to accept and continue installation, or click to decline and exit installation. c. On the Customer Information dialog box: Type your name, the name of your company, and the serial number of your RSTestStand Enterprise software. Click Next. The serial number is on the product box label or on the Master Diskette. d. On the Choose Setup Type dialog box: Choose Standard or Custom. Click Next. 4

15 RSTestStand.book Page 5 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 2 Installing RSTestStand Enterprise e. On the Ready to Install dialog box: Click Install. The program features you selected will be installed on your system. f. On the Install Activation dialog box: Leave Yes, install Activation now selected and insert the Master disk into the drive. Click Finish. If you do not install your activation, you will get a message warning you that you will not be able to save. For more information on activation, see Activation on page 143. g. On the EvMove Select Drives dialog box: Click OK to install the activation files to the default settings or use the list to install the activation files to another drive. h. On the EvMove dialog box: Click Move to install your activation files. Follow the instructions on the screen to activate the software. i. On the EvMove Move Summary dialog box: Click OK to move the activation files. j. On the Setup Installation Complete dialog box: Installation is complete. Click Finish. 4. If Show Release Notes was selected, the Release Notes are launched. 5. When you are finished installing the software, remove the CD-ROM from the CD-ROM drive and the Master disk from the disk drive. Store them in a safe place. 6. Click Exit to exit from the Installation Menu. 2 Installing RSTestStand Enterprise Starting the RSTestStand Enterprise software To start the software: 1. Open the Windows Start Menu. 2. Select Program Files > Rockwell Software > RSTestStand Enterprise > RSTestStand Enterprise. The software starts. 3. You can open a sample application by selecting File > Open. Select the Sample Applications directory. Open one of the sample files. When the software starts, the Library and the Project Model windows are displayed in the main window, along with the main toolbar and the status bar. These items can be detached, moved, or closed at any time during your session. You can reopen editor windows by choosing the View menu and selecting the window that you want to display. 5

16 RSTestStand.book Page 6 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 6

17 RSTestStand.book Page 7 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 3 Creating the Project Model The Project Model is a model of the machinery or process being described through RSTestStand Enterprise. In the Project Model, the machinery and processes are represented through resources. The Project Model is organized in a project tree that consists of folders that contain resources, operator consoles, and data scope sources and views. It also contains connection diagrams, part flow models, and Testscripts. These features are described in separate chapters later in this manual. This chapter describes some background material about developing your project, followed by detail about the Project Model, including how to populate it with folders, resources, and operator consoles, and how to import information into and out of the Project Model. Developing your project This RSTestStand Enterprise Getting Results Guide leads you through developing your application. Before you begin, though, you might want to consider how to approach your problem. Some suggestions for developing your project are presented in the following. Analyze your application You need to perform this step to develop the control system. In fact, in many ways, building a dynamic model of the process to be controlled is simpler and faster than developing extensive documentation. You can use the model to unambiguously define the process and get early customer agreement. Use the visualization tools to refine the presentation of the model so that the design is obvious. You should be able to draw on the set of elements supplied in the libraries or in the various applications examples. Typically, you will find that your model can be decomposed into chunks of functionality. Resources can then be applied to implement those chunks. We recommend that you keep the amount of interaction among chunks to a minimum. You should connect or wire variables between chunks, rather than try to reference a variable directly from another chunk in a flowchart. Pay particular attention to implementing the boundary conditions for your application. If a tank can only hold 1000 gallons, you want to make sure your model has limits that test for 1000 gallons. You can use a Halt instruction to stop the simulation at that point and check what happened in the logic to cause the condition to occur. 3 Creating the Project Model 7

18 RSTestStand.book Page 8 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Test the model The model will have a series of connection points to the PLC inputs and outputs to and from the model. Build a temporary Operator Console that can provide input into the model. For example, if you expect a Boolean value from the PLC to cause some motion in the model so that the PLC gets the appropriate feedback, you can use an Op Console button to manually stimulate the model. You can observe the model response using Watch Windows. You should try and test each chunk of functionality separately. Typically, the PLC logic implements the overall sequencing of the application. If you want to fully develop the application offline, you should consider using the Controllers feature. It allows incremental development and replacement of modular units of your process as broken down by areas of control. You may also want to implement a unit testing philosophy. If so, you will find that a cost-effective solution is to use RSTestStand as your unit test environment and then use RSTestStand Enterprise to fully test the integrated system. Develop your system logic Return to your model and disconnect any manual debug devices that you used to test the model. Using the OPC tag browser, wire the model to your PLC logic or other devices. You can also import large segments of the OPC tag database using the Add Variables from the OPC link functionality. Run the logic, any electronic HMI, and your RSTestStand Enterprise application concurrently Run through whatever checkout procedures you do normally to test for various error conditions and system responses. While you cannot solve wiring or other hardware problems, you can catch many programming errors, especially ones that involve interaction between the PLC and other systems such as the HMI. Test for system error response by forcing values using the Watch Windows. 8

19 RSTestStand.book Page 9 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 3 Creating the Project Model About the Project Model Once components have been added to a Project Model, the Project Model window provides you with a hierarchic representation of all the elements in your system (except for Project Properties). The Project Model window displays these types of elements organized in a tree structure: Folders Resources Operator Consoles Data Scope folder Connection Diagrams TestScripts Controllers You can print a listing of the Project Model and its resources, the resource variables, capabilities, connections, and what their connections are by selecting File > Print XREF and using the standard print dialog box. Folders graphically organize your project and act as a placeholders for part flows in the project tree (if the part flow folder contains object, the folder has a P on it). Folders can only be added below other folders (they cannot be added below resources). Your Project Model initially contains a root folder called Equipment. Although you cannot delete the Equipment folder, you can rename it by right-clicking it and selecting Rename. 3 Creating the Project Model Resources define the characteristics of the equipment or process. The Standard Resource Library contains resources you can use to start your project. You can also create your own resources (see Adding user-defined resources to the Project Model on page 22). Resources in the Project Model can be dragged anywhere in the tree. Children of the resource move with the parent. If you delete a parent resource, all children will be deleted. Note that you cannot move folders. Operator Consoles model physical panels and allow you to interact with your Project Model during simulation. The devices you can place on the Operator Console have properties such as variables and capabilities and can have flowcharts associated with them to set their behavior. The Data Scope folder contains the data sources and views that you set up for the Data Scope. See Using the Data Scope feature on page 57 for more information. 9

20 RSTestStand.book Page 10 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Connection Diagrams provide another method of viewing Project Model data. Instead of a hierarchic view, they allow you to view the behavioral relationship among the various resources. Once you have created a connection diagram, you can drag resources into it and add or delete connections. The connection diagram is live when RSTestStand Enterprise is running its simulation, so it is a good way to demonstrate the data flow in the system. See Connection Diagrams on page 87 for more information. The Part Flow Model provides realistic feedback to the control system for part-in-place detection and is also useful for conceptualizing the initial control system design, where different types of resources work together to accomplish some task. See Part flow models on page 99 for information. TestScripts are a method of checking out your control system in an organized and repeatable way. See Developing and using TestScripts on page 123 for information. The New Inactive Resources features allows you to add placeholders in the project tree. Inactive Resources only contain Attribute properties, and therefore cannot have any behavior (logic or variables). They are typically used when you import an XML file and you want to preserve the structure of the file without impacting performance or memory. Inactive resources are marked with the structural icon ( ). View > Hide Inactive Resources allows you to collapse the Project Model tree by hiding inactive resources. However, if a project tree branch has active resources at the end of the branch, all resources will be displayed along that branch. Creating a new Project Model To create a new project: 1. Start RSTestStand Enterprise. 2. Select File > New. The Create New Workspace dialog box is displayed. 3. Type a name for your project file. 10

21 RSTestStand.book Page 11 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 3 Creating the Project Model 4. Click Save. The Project Properties dialog box is displayed. Project Properties dialog box 5. Complete the boxes in this dialog box. Note that the version number is simply a text box. RSTestStand Enterprise does not update this field automatically. The defaults for the other tabs are acceptable for most applications. If you need to change them, see the online help for detail. 6. Click OK when changes are complete. The Project Model, Resource Libraries, and the Scenes panes open. 3 Creating the Project Model To change your project properties later, select View > Project Properties from the menu. 11

22 RSTestStand.book Page 12 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Populating your Project Model You build your Project Model by adding folders, resources, and operator consoles, and connecting these components. This section takes you through the basic steps of creating your Project Model. For more detail, see the chapters on the specific components and the online help. The online help also provides a Tutorial using a detailed example. To populate your Project Model: 1. Right-click and select New Folder. 2. Type in a name for the folder. 3. Add resources to the folder by dragging resources from the Standard Resource Library into a folder. Operator Console devices cannot be used in standard resource folders. Resources from the Standard Resource Library cannot be used in Operator Consoles. Drag resources from the library to a folder in the Project Model 12

23 RSTestStand.book Page 13 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 3 Creating the Project Model 4. The User Input dialog box might be displayed. Rename the resource and check the values of the variables in this dialog box. Check values of the variables in this dialog box 3 Creating the Project Model 5. Click Done. 6. Add an Operator Console by selecting the folder or resource under which the Operator Console will be placed, right-clicking, and selecting New Operator Console. New Operator Console Add a new Operator Console 13

24 RSTestStand.book Page 14 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 7. Rename the Operator Console as needed. Right-click and select Rename. 8. Double-click the operator console to open the Operator Console Editor. A dialog box is displayed that says you are not using hardware acceleration. If you have OpenGL hardware acceleration, use the View Menu > 3D Rendering Properties menu to turn on hardware acceleration. You can select the option to stop displaying the dialog box if you are using software emulation for OpenGL. 9. Add devices to the operator console by dragging them from the Op Console Devices folder of the Resource Library onto the Operator Console editor. As devices are added in the editor, they are also added in the Project Model under the Op Console. Operator Console Editor Resource library showing Op Console devices Adding a device to an Operator Console 10. To wire an Operator Console device to an appropriate variable, double-click a device. The Properties dialog box is displayed. 14

25 RSTestStand.book Page 15 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 3 Creating the Project Model 11. Select the Variables tab. Operator Console devices have pre-defined variables as appropriate for the device. Resource Properties dialog box for Operator Console device 12. Double-click the Connections cell of the variable you want to wire. 13. The Browse Resources dialog box is displayed. Select the variable to be connected to the Operator Console variable. 14. Click OK. 15. Click OK on the Property dialog box. You have now wired one internal variable to the state of another. Modifying your Project Model Right-click a Project Model resource to modify or to save your Project Model resources using these options: Remove and Rename: Remove or rename the selected folder or resource. Properties: Displays the Properties dialog box for the selected folder, resource, or Operator Console. Communications Properties: Displays the OPC Server Information dialog box. If you want to make communications settings that are specific to this resource, click Communications button on the Attributes tab of the Resource Properties screen. The Resource Properties dialog box is shown on Page 23. Disable Resource Flowchart: Turns off the execution of the flowchart for the selected resource. This feature is typically used for troubleshooting. Save to Library: Opens a dialog box that allows you to choose a target library for the selected resource and name the resource for use in the resource library. 3 Creating the Project Model 15

26 RSTestStand.book Page 16 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Searching your Project Model Depending on your filter selection, Search allows you to find and replace strings as they are used in a variety of contexts, such as resource names, variable names, and other uses throughout the project. To search: 1. Right-click an item in the Project Model and select Search. The Project Search/Replace Tool dialog box is displayed. The Project Search/Replace Tool dialog box 2. Select the Search Filters. These are the objects that will be searched. 3. Enter a string in the Search Text box. 16

27 RSTestStand.book Page 17 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 3 Creating the Project Model 4. Click Search. Any items that are found are shown in the Search Results box. Select these boxes to choose the instances that should be replaced. Click Replace With to enter the replacement text Double-click an item to open the Properties dialog box for that item Using the Search/Replace feature Importing and exporting your project variables Click Select All if you want to replace all instances RSTestStand Enterprise uses a configuration tool that allows you to import text data from a delimited file and export the project variables to a comma separated variable (csv) file. You can also import and export Project Models using XML. See Importing and exporting projects on page 121. The source of imported data can be programs such as Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word that can export text-based data. This allows you to easily develop your Project Model from sources such as a bill of materials spreadsheet or a CAD project tree. For example, by exporting and re-importing, you can add OPC addresses while the table of variables is in Microsoft Excel. 3 Creating the Project Model 17

28 RSTestStand.book Page 18 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Importing project variables Save a backup of your existing Project Model before importing. Imports cannot be undone. 1. Select File > Import. The Import Formatted Text File dialog box is displayed. 2. Select the file to be imported. 3. Click Open. An exported RSTestStand Enterprise project uses a record identifier in its first column. Three types of records are used: ( ) for the Header record, (V) for the variable record, and (F) for a folder record. If you want the importer to use these identifiers, make sure the Use 1st Column to Autodetect Component option is selected. Right-click to set header definitions Click an item in the tree and see its values here Import dialog box 4. Right-click the headers and select the appropriate field definitions. See the table below for header descriptions. Fields that are set to Ignore will not be imported. 5. Parent and Name must be selected in order to merge with existing variables. They identify the specific target resource and its path in the project tree. 18

29 RSTestStand.book Page 19 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 3 Creating the Project Model 6. Review which records (rows) you want to import. To skip an individual record, right-click the record and select Ignore. (Note that Ignore is only available if the Use 1st Column to Autodetect Component option is cleared.) 7. You can review the effect of your choices in the Pending Workspace box. Click an item in the tree to display the details for that item in the table below the tree. 8. Click OK to complete the import. For more detail on the merge process, see the online help. Exporting data Exporting data generates a comma separated variable (csv) file. To export a file: 1. Select File > Export. 2. Select a file or enter the name of the file. 3. Click Save. 4. When the export is complete, the message Export Successful is displayed. Click OK to close the dialog box. The first row of the export is a header that contains descriptions of the fields. See the table that follows for field descriptions. 3 Creating the Project Model 19

30 RSTestStand.book Page 20 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Field descriptions for csv file Field Record type Template type Parent Name Variable type Description V: The record is keyed as a variable. F: The record is a folder. : A header row. The name of the library element that will create the instance in the Project Model. Import only. The name of the resource to which the variable belongs (if the record is a variable.) The name of the resource can be the full path, which identifies the path of the resource in the project tree, or a truncated name. In general, keep the full path. For import, the full path must be selected to merge with existing variables. The name of the variable as it appears in the resource property dialog box. Selected by default. For import, this must be selected to merge with existing variables. Boolean, real, integer, double integer, or string. Is there connection True indicates there are connections; False indicates there are not. to this variable? Is this variable True is yes. Public? Initial value 1 for a Boolean-typed variable means that the initial state is true. Mode Source, duplex, or sink. Tag The OPC tag address. Force present True means that a force is applied to this variable. Force value If a force is applied, this is the value that the variable will take when it goes into run mode. 20

31 RSTestStand.book Page 21 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 4 Resources In the RSTestStand Enterprise Project Model, the machinery and processes are represented through resources. Resources define the characteristics of the equipment or process and consist of: A logic view, which contains a group of flowcharts that control the way a resource behaves. See Flowchart Editor on page 81 for more information. Variables that interact with the flowchart, other resources, and the PLC Capabilities, which define the actions that resources can do After creating a Project Model, you need to populate the model s folders with resources. You can add resources to the model by: Creating new user-defined resources Dragging resources from the Standard Resource libraries or user libraries After they have been added to the Project Model, you can set attributes, variables, and capabilities for the resources. You also need to connect the resource to another resource or to a PLC, which is referred to as wiring resources. Resources can be inserted into folders or grouped together to form parent-child orderings. A parent-child ordering is an aggregation of resources, or a resource assembly. They are created by dragging a resource from the Resource Library onto another resource, which creates the parent-child relationship. Resources and groups of resources can be saved as library elements and reused in other places in your current Project Model or in other projects. See Creating and using libraries on page Resources 21

32 RSTestStand.book Page 22 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Adding user-defined resources to the Project Model User-defined resources are resources that have no pre-defined attributes, such as variables, capabilities, or flowchart logic. The simplest way to add resources to the Project Model is by dragging resource definitions from Standard Resource libraries into your Project Model. See Populating your Project Model on page 12 for detail on this method. To create a new user-defined resource: 1. In the Project Model, right-click the folder or resource where you want the resource to be stored. 2. Select New Resource. 3. The new resource is completely empty. Use the resource s property dialog box to add variables and capabilities and flowchart logic where necessary. Resources can inherit behavior from a library element. Hold down the Ctrl key and drag a library element onto a resource. The target resource keeps its name, but all other properties, such as variables, flowchart, and capabilities, are replaced by the source library element. Setting attributes, variables, and capabilities for resources After you have added a resource to the Project model, you can change its attributes, variables, and behavior to customize its behavior or better model a component. Setting resource attributes Attributes are general information about the resource. You can also change communications options through this tab. To change a resource: 1. Right-click the resource in the Project Model 22

33 RSTestStand.book Page 23 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 4 Resources 2. Select Properties. The Resource Properties dialog box is displayed. Resource Properties dialog box with the Attributes tab displayed 3. Type a Resource Name. This is the name that will be in the Project Model. 4. Select a Category. This is the icon that is displayed for the resource in the Project model. Resource categories are also used to populate the Role field in the EDX schema. Icons are shown here. Generic Mechanical Continuous Process Structural Control 4 Resources 5. Type a Description. This is a 250-character descriptor that allows you to document your resource. 23

34 RSTestStand.book Page 24 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 6. If you want to make communications settings that are specific to this resource, click Communications. The Communications dialog box is displayed. Communications dialog box Communications dialog box options are described in the following table: Option Server Name Is Using Server Desired Update Rate (ms) Description The value you set in the View > Project Properties dialog box. Select this if you select any OPC tag addresses in the Variable tab Tag box. To disable connections for this resource only, clear this. The value that you set in the View > Project Propertiesdialog box (if no value was set, the default is 50 msec). If you want to tune system performance by allowing some tag groups to scan faster than others for reads, change the update time. The allowed range is 1 to 10,000 msec, but values less than what the communications link can support might not be practical and will be increased as necessary by the OPC server. 24

35 RSTestStand.book Page 25 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 4 Resources Option Description Send duplex variables initial values to server during startup Update server information in child resources too By default, the initial value of duplex variables is not written to the PLC at startup. In general, you should use source variables to control the initial value in the PLC logic. However, if you want to have the initial value of the duplex variable written during the pre-scan of the software, select this option. If a source variable is connected to a duplex variable that has an OPC tag address, the second scan causes the source variable value to be written to the PLC. Since the software will always write a source value to a connected duplex variable if it is different than the connected variable, the connected source value will always be enforced in the PLC. This allows you to selectively disable portions of the Project Model from a particular resource down. Update Server Allows you to update the communication properties of all resources Information in all other in the Project Model. Use this to turn the OPC connections on or off resources (project wide) in an entire project. Setting resource variables Variables store values during program execution and are used in a resource flowchart. The Variables tab is also used to wire resources. There are two types of variable connections that you can make to wire your model in RSTestStand Enterprise. You can connect resource variables to other resource variables in your model (internal variable connections) or connect resource variables to tags through OLE for Process Controls (OPC). OPC connections are made using tags. Tags can represent anything that can be connected through OPC, including PLC data tables. For OPC connections, you must have release 2.4 or greater of RSLinx for integration into your software. Open RSLinx and make sure the appropriate drivers are configured. For RSEmulate 5, the PLC5 (DH+) Emulator Driver must be selected. Create a topic for your project and link it to your controller. For detail on how to configure RSLinx, see the RSLinx documentation. 4 Resources 25

36 RSTestStand.book Page 26 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE To set variables for your resources: 1. Click the Variables tab. The dialog box shown here is displayed. Variables tab of the Resource Properties dialog box 2. The Name column contains name of the variable. Names must start with a letter and can be alphanumeric. They must be less than 80 characters long with no spaces. Underscores are allowed. 3. Select a Type from the list in the Type column. This defines how the variable is represented when it is connected to a PLC using OPC. For variables that will be connected to a PLC, make sure they match the type of the variable to which they are connected. 26

37 RSTestStand.book Page 27 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 4 Resources The types are: bool: 0 or 1, true or false dint: 32-bit integer int: 16-bit integer double: 8-byte floating point real number real: 4-byte floating point real number string: text arrays: bool, int, double int, real, double (real), and string. See Initial Value for dimensioning the arrays. 4. If you are connecting this variable to another internal variable (including Operator Console variables): a. Double-click the Connections column. The Browse Resources dialog box is displayed. b. Select the variables you want to connect to. When variables are connected, it is as if there is a wire transferring the contents of one variable to the other variables. Multiple variables can be connected using the browser tree (fan out). If a variable is connected to the one you are looking at, the field is filled in with the name of the variable. If multiple variables are connected, the outline of the field is changed from black to red dashes. Variables do not have to be the same type to be able to transfer values, but we recommend that you keep the types the same for troubleshooting purposes. 5. In the Mode column, select how the variable value should be resolved if there are competing points of connection. For example, if a variable is connected to another variable, whether internally or through OPC, and both connections can modify the variable, you can select Source to tell the system that this variable is write-only. 4 Resources 27

38 RSTestStand.book Page 28 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE The choices are: Source: The variable and its tag are write only. It is controlled only by the initial value and the flowchart. When a source mode variable is connected to a duplex variable, and the value of the duplex variable is different than the source, the source mode variable will always write its value to the duplex variable. Use Source when the tag is a PLC input and you do not want any other variable to influence it. Duplex: The variable and its tag are read and write. The OPC link updates the value in the variable by reading from the tag address, as well as writing to the tag address. If a duplex variable is connected to other variables, and the values of these variables are changing, and you are also controlling the value locally through a flowchart, the value of the duplex variable is determined by the last update from whatever location. For this reason, be careful of how you connect duplex variables. Sink: The variable and its tag are read only. If the variable is connected through OPC to a PLC, Sink means that the initial value of the variable will not be written to the PLC at startup. There are some unique considerations regarding source and duplex variables when the variables are using the OPC link. For additional information, see the online help topic Application Considerations using OPC. 6. Select Public to have the variable be displayed in the Variable browser list. 7. In the Initial Value column, select the value that will be loaded into the variable when the system goes into Run mode. See Initial Value on page 30 for more detail. 28

39 RSTestStand.book Page 29 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 4 Resources 8. To connect variables to OPC tags, click the button to the right of the Tag column. Click here to display the Browse Tags dialog box Opening the Browse Tags dialog box The OPC tag is the address the system uses to communicate to a PLC. If you cannot find your target address in this list, be sure that the Topic is configured in RSLinx. You can also type in tag addresses. The format is: [Topic_name]File:Word.bit 4 Resources Browse Tags dialog box 29

40 RSTestStand.book Page 30 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 9. The first time you select a value for the Tag field, the message Using OPC tag is off turn it on? is displayed. Generally, you should select Yes. If it is off, the OPC connection client does not create a group. If you want to selectively disable communications for troubleshooting purposes, select No. To turn this flag on or off later, select the Attributes tab, click the Communications button, and select or clear the Is Using Server option. 10. Select the tags and click OK. 11. Click OK. The Add Variables using OPC Browser button lets you import the name of a variable and its OPC tag address from the OPC tag browser. You can multi-select as many tags as you want to import. This allows you to both quickly populate the variable name field and easily switch over control of the simulation from an internal flowchart to a live controller. The RSTestStand Enterprise controller is now a proxy to the live controller. INITIAL VALUE Initial values can be used to determine the state of the model at startup. For example, you may want to set the Returned limit switch to True on an axis so that it appears that the mechanism is retracted when power is turned on. If your variable has an OPC tag address, this value will be written to the PLC on the first scan unless Sink is selected. By default, the initial value of duplex variables is not written to the PLC at startup. In general, you should use source variables to control the initial value in the PLC logic. However, under certain circumstances, you may want to have the initial value of the duplex variable written during the pre-scan of the software. You can change the default by going to the Resource Property Communication dialog and selecting Send Duplex variables initial value to server during startup. If you have selected an array data type in the Type column: 1. Right-click the Initial Value field and select Configure Array. 2. Click Resize to set the size of the array. The array defaults to eight elements. You cannot directly connect array elements to other variables in the system. If you wish to make array elements available to other resources, you must equate an array element in the flowchart to another defined variable in the variable table. 30

41 RSTestStand.book Page 31 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 4 Resources CONNECTING AN ARRAY VARIABLE TO AN OPC ARRAY You can connect an array variable to an OPC array using the following syntax: [topic]base_address<,l##> You can browse for the base address and then type the comma, L, and a number to indicate the number of elements to be transferred. A valid OPC address would be: [mytopic]n7:0,l5, which would read five words of data starting at N7:0. RSTestStand Enterprise does not require the variable array to match the length of the OPC tag array. Setting resource capabilities Capabilities represent a time-based function that a resource can perform. Capabilities interact with the resource program through the system functions for the Flowchart Editor, and are invoked from the flowchart of the resource. Resources from the Standard Library use a variable to point to the resource capability, so you do not have to configure a capability if you are using Standard Library resources. For an example of using Variables in the Duration field of a capability, see the capability Time_On in the Duty Cycle Timer under FC Program Examples of the Standard Resource Library. Capabilities are integral to how the Part Flow model works. Setpoints of actions that are bound to capabilities can also be modified. You can monitor the values of capabilities during runtime using the Output Message Window. If you remove a capability, make sure all references to it in the resource s flowchart are also removed. If the flowchart tries to execute a non-defined capability while running, it will display an error message. You can use the Find feature to do this. See Searching your Project Model on page 16 for more information. 4 Resources 31

42 RSTestStand.book Page 32 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE To set up capabilities for a resource: 1. Select the Capabilities tab. This dialog box is displayed. Resource Properties dialog box with Capabilities tab displayed 2. Click Add to add a new capability. 3. Enter a name for the capability. This is the name that is used in the flowchart. 4. Set the duration for the capability in seconds. Duration can be a constant, a variable that stores a number, or a VBS expression. The resultant value in this field is passed to the functions that use Capabilities as a parameter to indicate the length of time to traverse a hundred units of distance. We recommend that durations be more than 0.25 seconds (250 msec) for performance considerations. 32

43 RSTestStand.book Page 33 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 4 Resources You can enter a value, or right-click the Duration field and select the Function Picker, which replaces the constant in the field with a VBS expression. The options available through Function Picker are: Function Description EXPO NORM TRIA UNIF VAR VBS Exponential Distribution function. The function only needs a mean value. Each time it is evaluated, it returns a new random value based on the mean. Normal. Requires a mean and a standard distribution. Each time it is evaluated, it returns a value that fits the bell curve pattern. Triangular. Requires minimum and maximum values and a mode value. Mode is the value that is most likely to occur in the pattern. Use this distribution to emulate most mechanical processes. Uniform. Requires minimum and maximum values. Each occurrence of the event will have an equal probability of occurring in this range. Use this distribution to simulate processes that have statistical independence from previous events. Variable. Lets you reference a variable in the resource s variable list so you can dynamically change the duration value through the flowchart or connection to other variables. More information on the statistical functions above can be found in the Visual Basic reference guide. You can also type in your own expression in the field. 5. Set when the function is evaluated. Operation of the selected function depends on when the function is evaluated. Set Evaluation by selecting an option from the Evaluate list: Every scan: The duration changes while the move is happening. Select this if your duration field references a variable in the resource s variable list and you want the duration to change depending on flowchart logic. At zero: Distribution is random and every cycle should be different, according to the selected function. The expression is evaluated when the capability returns to zero. At Startup: The capability s duration is seeded with a different number when you begin simulating, and does not change thereafter. 4 Resources If you enter a fixed number in the duration field, leave the selection at the default. 33

44 RSTestStand.book Page 34 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 34

45 RSTestStand.book Page 35 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 5 Operator Consoles RSTestStand Enterprise lets you create operator consoles as your primary runtime interface to the application. An operator console is a model of a physical panel equipped with buttons, selector switches, and pilot lights that is used by an operator to initiate motion, change operational modes, or receive notification of important conditions. In RSTestStand Enterprise, Operator Consoles are treated as a special type of resource. Like other resources, they can have properties such as variables and capabilities that interact with a flowchart and can be saved to user-defined libraries. They are associated with an Operator Console View, which invokes the Operator Console Editor. The Operator Console Editor let you configure the look and feel of the Operator Console and the position of the devices used on the Operator Console. RSTestStand Enterprise provides a variety of different devices with which you can create your console. The devices on the Operator Console are child resources that are obtained from the Op Console Devices library. They mimic typical user interface devices, such as pushbuttons, toggle switches, and indicator lamps. Note that Operator Console devices can only be used on Operator Consoles. Operator Console child resources cannot have children. Operator Console devices can be configured like any other resources, and you can change their behavior by writing a flowchart program that uses the resource variables and conditions them through your program. Devices are usually coupled to the application through PLC I/O, although they may have indirect behavior, such as an emergency stop, that only connect to internal parts of the model. For example, if you want a flashing hardware light, you can add a variable for an input, create a capability with a one-second duration, and write a flowchart that uses the capability in an Invoke function to periodically turn the Coil variable on and off. You can merge an existing Op Console with another Op Console. The target Op Console will contain all of the children of the source. See Merging Operator Consoles on page Operator Consoles 35

46 RSTestStand.book Page 36 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Adding an Operator Console To create an Operator Console: 1. In the Project Model window, select the folder or resource under which the console will be placed. 2. Right-click. 3. Select New Operator Console. An operator console resource is created under the folder or resource. New Operator Console New Operator Console in the Project Model 4. Rename the resource (the default is Op Console). 5. Double-click the operator console to open the Operator Console Editor. 36

47 RSTestStand.book Page 37 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 5 Operator Consoles 6. Add devices to the operator console by dragging them from the Op Console Devices folder of the Resource Library onto the Operator Console view. Drag devices from the Op Console Devices Library to the Op Console Editor Adding devices to the Operator Console Editor 7. To automatically arrange the console devices, select Layout > Auto Arrange. After using Auto Arrange, you might need to resize the view to see all of the devices. 8. Add wallpaper to the Operator Console by dragging a bitmap from the Textures folder of the Graphics Library to the Operator Console. To remove the wallpaper, open the Resource property dialog box of the Operator Console and click Remove Wallpaper. To add new textures to your Project Model, right-click the Textures folder in the Graphics Library and select Import Textures. You can import a variety of file formats, including.bmp and.jpg. The new texture will appear under the Texture folder. The file that was selected is now part of the project file (.rsm) and is automatically included in any save or restore operation. You can move or delete the original file. 5 Operator Consoles 37

48 RSTestStand.book Page 38 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Operator Console with devices Configuring Operator Consoles device resource properties To display the resource properties for a device, double-click the device. You can add and remove variables through the property dialog box. Note that you cannot access the special purpose functionality of Operator Console devices if you modify or delete variables that are created when the resource is created. For example, all push buttons have normally open contacts and normally closed contacts modeled as variables. Deleting the normally open contact variable means that you can no longer use that function in your project. Devices and Op Consoles can be renamed or removed from the project through the Resource dialog box or from the Project Model window. See Resources on page 21 for more information on working with resource properties. 38

49 RSTestStand.book Page 39 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 5 Operator Consoles Merging Operator Consoles You can merge an existing Op Console with another Op Console. The target Op Console will contain all of the children of the source. Existing attributes of the target remain unchanged, including the wallpaper. The source Op Console is deleted when the consoles are merged. 1. Select an Op Console with its children. 2. Identify the target Op Console. 3. Drag the selected Op Console onto the target. The cursor changes to an M when it is on top of a possible Op Console target. 4. Release the selection. A confirmation dialog box is displayed. 5. Select Yes. Operator Console devices The Operator Console lets you mimic the behavior of operator console devices that might be assembled onto a panel next to a machine. The operator console devices provided in the Op Console Devices library are described below. Emergency stop The Emergency Stop device behaves like a maintained push button, except that the contacts are wired such that they open when the button is pushed. The button illuminates whenever it is pushed. Clicking the button restores normal operation. Indicator lamp Created with a single variable called Coil. When Coil is true, the lamp lights. Color can be selected on the Style tab of the resource property dialog box. LED display The corresponding output operator console device for integer and real values. You select the number of digits and the number of decimal places from the Style tab. (The Style tab choices change based on whether the Value variable is typed as a real or as an integer.) The decimal point counts as a digit when you specify the number of digits. The device displays whatever value is connected to its Value variable. 5 Operator Consoles 39

50 RSTestStand.book Page 40 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Message display The message display has one variable, a string called Msg, that works as follows: By default, it has 20 columns (characters across) and 2 lines (rows). This can be modified by going to the Style tab of the Resource Property dialog box. The value of Msg is displayed when simulating. If the length of a line is greater than the columns, line breaks are added. You can insert the characters \n into the display string to force new lines. In Edit mode, each line is filled with the text X: Line, where X is the line number. This is to aid the designer when sizing the device. Meter The output display device for reals. The bar moves based on default values between the low and high range. Change the meter orientation and the scale range on the Style tab. You can also change the style to a needle or a bar. Push button Mimics either a momentary or maintained pushbutton. To use a maintained pushbutton: 1. Right-click the pushbutton. 2. Choose Properties from the menu. 3. Select the Style tab. 4. Select Maintain State. You can also select the color of the lens from the Style tab. The operator console device now works at runtime. Click the button once to hold it down, and click again to release it. Open the Variables tab to set the variables for the push button. Variables include: Normally open and normally closed Boolean variables that are automatically created. A coil variable that is automatically created to mimic an illuminated pushbutton. To mimic illumination, wire the variable so its state is controlled through the simulation. Click Add to create additional contacts. Write a corresponding flowchart to control them. Since you will typically be using pushbuttons as inputs to the PLC, we recommend that you select Is Source (producer) when you create your connection to the PLC through the OPC Browse Tags dialog box. You can also emulate buttons that require an operator to press two buttons at a time to activate machinery. At runtime, press Ctrl while pushing a momentary button to make it temporarily behave as if it is a maintained button. Click the button again to release it and return it to momentary action. 40

51 RSTestStand.book Page 41 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 5 Operator Consoles Selector switch A multi-state operator console device that allows you to mimic behavior such as mode control on the operator station. You can configure the number of states the switch has through the Style tab. The default number of switch positions is four. Nine variables are created for the switch based on the four positions: one integer variable that returns a 0-3 corresponding to the position, and four pairs of contacts, one pair per position. When you change the number of switch positions on the Style tab, the software modifies the number of variables. For example, a 3-position setting changes the number of variables to seven: one integer with a 0-2 range, and three pairs of Boolean contact variables. Positions can be labeled by populating the description field on the Attributes tab and selecting Use Description as Label. Slider The input device for reals. You can change the operating range and orientation of the slider on the Style tab. The default range is 0 to 100. Strip chart Mimics a panel-mounted strip chart recorder. It can display up to four pens moving across the viewing area at a user-defined speed. It is typically used for comparing relative signal values over time, either analog or digital. Unlike a strip chart recorder, there is no logging capability, so once the signal moves off the viewing area, you can no longer retrieve it. If you need logging, we recommend you use RSView32 s trend feature. The strip chart has four variables, one for each pen. By connecting a variable, either to other variables in the system or directly to a PLC, you can control the action of the respective pen on the screen. On the Style tab, you can set: Low and High Range: The full travel of the pens vertically corresponds to these low and high values. Most ranges in the software use a 0 to 100 scale, which is the default. Scroll Rate: Determines how quickly the graph moves across the screen. Update Rate: Determines how often a new point is graphed on the display. The more frequently a point is graphed, the more computer resources RSTestStand Enterprise is using. Boolean: The display is reconfigured so that the pens are mapped on separate spaces on the display. This lets you see the relationship of one Boolean value to another, similar to a logic scope. Since Boolean values usually change rapidly, we recommend a more frequent Update Rate. The default Update Rate is changed to 0.1 sec when Boolean is selected. 5 Operator Consoles 41

52 RSTestStand.book Page 42 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Text box Allows you to comment operations on your operator console and create custom labels for devices. The field auto-sizes to amount of text in the box, up to a maximum of 255 characters. The type face is not adjustable. To configure a text box: 1. Drag the Text Box from the Op Console library to your Op Console. 2. Double-click the box to begin editing the text. Press Enter to stop the line and start a new one. 3. Click anywhere outside the box to end the editing session. Thumb wheel Allows you to enter an integer value into your simulation or directly to the PLC. The number of digits for a thumb wheel is configured on the Style tab. You can change values at runtime by clicking individual digits. Similar to a real thumb wheel, changes in digits are entered immediately. To strobe a value into your PLC program, use a combination of a thumb wheel and pushbutton. Toggle switch Mimics a SPST switch. Its Normally Open variable (Contact_NO) is true when the switch is toggled in the up position. 2-state feedback A simple model of valves, cylinders, and other two-state devices. Enable is the input to the device. State 0 and State 1 are controlled by the device. Delay time is configured by you in seconds. Enable State_0 State_1 Amber Red Green When Enable turns on, State_0 turns off, and State_1 turns on some Delay_time later. Turning Enable off reverses the action. You can modify the logic of the device by changing the flowchart of the device resource. Right-click the 2-State Feedback device and select Edit Logic. 42

53 RSTestStand.book Page 43 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 6 Creating 3D models RSTestStand Enterprise provides the Animation Editor for adding 3D models. These animations are 3D graphic representations of underlying dynamic data components in your model. They help you visualize the behavior of many different model elements. Through the Animation Editor, you can create, animate, and control 3D models, or scenes. Each scene is a collection of assemblies with an associated view and 3D coordinate system. This chapter provides information on building and working with scenes. Building a 3D animation To develop an animation, you need to: Create an object in the 3D view, or scene Give it some animation behavior, such as linear movement, by adding paths and frames Bind the animation property to a variable in your project model Adding an object to the scene 1. Maximize RSTestStand Enterprise to make it easier to see the Scene View. 2. Select Scenes > New Scene. 3. Type the name of the scene and press Enter. 6 Creating 3D models 43

54 RSTestStand.book Page 44 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 4. Double-click the name of the new scene. A blank Scene View is displayed. Blank Scene View 5. Open the Graphics Library by selecting View > Library Palette and selecting GraphicsLib. 44

55 RSTestStand.book Page 45 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 6 Creating 3D models 6. Drag an assembly from the Graphics Library onto the Scene View. Whenever an assembly is dragged into a scene, it is placed at the current center of the view. You can change the center by panning with the Pan Floor button,. 6 Creating 3D models Drag assembly from the Graphics Library onto the Scene View The new object is also added to the Scenes window Adding an object to the Scene View 45

56 RSTestStand.book Page 46 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 7. If necessary, move the assembly to the appropriate location. To: Move the assembly: Click the Move button,, from the toolbar. Rotate: Click the Rotate button,, and rotate the assembly relative to its position in the scene. Click an arrow and drag to move along an axis (Move selected) Click and drag vertically to rotate around the axis (Rotate selected) Click an angle and drag to move along two axes Scale: Click one of the Scale buttons, or, and size the assembly as needed. Asymmetric scale changes the size along the selected axis. Uniform scale changes the size proportionately along all three axes. Change the Pivot point: Click the Move Pivot button,, and drag the pivot point to the new location. Align objects: Open the Animation Controls dialog boxes for the object you want to align. Select the objects using Ctrl+click, then click. You can also manually set the location using the Properties dialog box. Right-click the assembly and select Properties. The rotation and the scale options are always up or down (not side-to-side) for single axes. 8. Add texture by dragging a texture from the Graphics Library to the selected object. The texture is displayed when you click another object. 46

57 RSTestStand.book Page 47 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 6 Creating 3D models Adding paths and frames A path is any kind of motion, or transformation, that an object can have. Components and assemblies can have multiple paths. A path is made up of beginning and end points, or key frames, that record the position, orientation, and size of an object at that point. At each key frame, the object can move to a new position, rotate, or be scaled. RSTestStand Enterprise analyzes the key frames and determines the best path to take to move from one key frame to the next. If you need a different path, you can add additional key frames to force movement in a particular direction. Note that when rotation is added, RSTestStand Enterprise will automatically add additional key frames to accomplish rotation. 6 Creating 3D models To add paths and frames: 1. Select the assembly or component. 2. From the toolbar, select. The Animation Controls dialog box is displayed for the selected object. Animation Control dialog box 3. Click Add Path. Once a path is added, one frame is automatically created at the 100 percent marker (the end of the path). The beginning frame is automatically created at the location of the component when it was first put into record mode. It is not shown in the Controls box. 4. Assign a name to the path. 5. Click OK. Frame added Animation Controls dialog box after path selected 47

58 RSTestStand.book Page 48 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 6. Click the green slider on the scale. This turns on record mode and displays a red box around the scene. Any position, rotation, or sizing commands will be recorded. 7. Drag the animation along a path. You can change the type of motion using the buttons on the toolbar (for example, Move or Rotate ). 8. Click the red slider to stop recording. 9. Test the motion by sliding the yellow slider. You can also use this slider to position a component anywhere along the animation path. 10. You can refine movement by adding segments to the path: a. Add another key frame by clicking a location on the scale. Right-click and select Insert frame at xx.xx. b. Click the new key frame to start record mode. c. Drag the object to the next position. d. Click the red slider to stop recording. e. Test the path with the slider. 11. To adjust the speed or re-order frames, click the square above the green slider to move the frame location. The closer frames are to each other, or the closer they are to zero, the faster the motion. When you click an existing frame and enter record mode, the object moves to the location and orientation of what was recorded at that frame. This allows you to adjust the contents of that frame by recording a new position or orientation for the frame. 12. To add additional frames to this path, right-click the scale and select Insert Frame. Click the slider for the new frame and record motion as needed. 13. Test the animation by selecting Test Animation,. Test Animation tests the first path for each object. To test another path, select the path you want to test from the list in the Animation Controls dialog box. To use one Animation Controls dialog box for several objects, click the object in the Scene View and then click Set Caret on the Animation Controls dialog box. Check the title bar of the Animation Controls dialog box to make sure the correct object is selected. 48

59 RSTestStand.book Page 49 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 6 Creating 3D models Working with multiple assemblies You can open multiple Animation Controls dialog boxes. This allows you to set up multiple assemblies to work with one another. 1. Select the assemblies and set up paths and frames as described above. Leave the Animation Controls dialog boxes open. 2. Use the yellow slider to place the animations at the locations where they need to be for correct operation of another assembly s animation. 3. Record frames for the assemblies as needed. 4. Continue adjusting the yellow sliders for each assembly and recording actions as needed. 6 Creating 3D models Connecting resource variables to animation You create a 3D model to represent the behavior of the equipment you are simulating. To do this, you must connect the behaviors of the components and assemblies with the resource that the component or assembly represents. For example, the Output variable of a resource may represent the position of that resource along an axis of motion. For an animation to move according to how the resource is moving, you would connect the Output variable to the behavior of the assembly. Components and assemblies can have variables connected to their animation attributes. In the Scenes list, these behaviors are listed under the Attributes folder of the animation object. To connect image behavior to a resource variable: 1. Right-click an assembly or component. 49

60 RSTestStand.book Page 50 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 2. Select Object > Variable Controls. The Connect Resource Variables To Image Behavior dialog box is displayed. You can also open this dialog box by dragging a resource from the Project Model tree to a component or assembly on the Scenes tree or Scenes list. Drag resource variables onto image behaviors Connect Variables to Image Behavior dialog box 3. Drag resource variables onto image behaviors or to the Path Selector. If a variable is not connected to the Path Selector, the last path in the list will control the animation. If there are multiple paths available for the same assembly, connect to the Path Selector. The value of the variable connected to the Path Selector determines which path is active during simulation. Paths are indexed, starting with 0, in the order in which they appear in the Connect Resource Variables To Image Behavior dialog box. 4. If you want to set the variable for all components of a parent assembly, select Parent Mode. Note that there will be only one path selector and it will be assigned to all children of the parent. You can display all of the components that belong to the original component together using Parent Mode. When in Parent Mode, only one set of additional behaviors are displayed. If a variable is connected to a behavior in Parent Mode, the variable is connected to this behavior for every component in the assembly. 50

61 RSTestStand.book Page 51 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 6 Creating 3D models Importing animations In RSTestStand Enterprise, you can import graphic elements from certain 3D CAD packages. To import: 1. Select Import Model. 2. Select which.mgs file you want to use. 6 Creating 3D models A file with the.mgs extension is not the CAD file itself but one that is generated by the plug-in to the CAD package. Working with scenes To display the tree, select View > Scenes. Double-click the icon for a Scene to display that scene in the Scene View. You can display multiple scenes. Use the Window menu on the menu bar to switch between them. Note that if the Scene View is not open, you cannot edit items in the Scene Tree. During simulation, you can add Watch Windows to scene to monitor behaviors and the state of variables associated with a specific component or assembly. See Placing a Watch Window on a resource, component, or assembly on page 75. The toolbar buttons for working with the Scene View are listed here and on the next page. Button Tool Description Select Selects assemblies and components in the view. Rotate Scene Rotates the view of the scene. Pan Floor Pans along the floor. Click and drag the visible floor area to pan. Vertical Pan Pans the view vertically. Zoom Zooms in and out Reset to Origin Resets the view to the original viewing location. 51

62 RSTestStand.book Page 52 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Button Tool Description Zoom to Fit Walk Mode Assembly Select Mode Wireframe Moves and zooms to the assembly selected in the Animation Controls dialog box so that it best fits in the viewing area. If nothing is selected, all the assemblies are fit into the viewing area. Changes the perspective of the view so that the point of view is the view target center. Causes an assembly to be selected when any component of the assembly is selected. This allows you to manipulate all items in the assembly as a group. Renders all components in wire frame. This is the fastest rendering. Shadows Hide Selected Renders components with shadows. Rendering will be slower than with wire frames. Hides selected objects. Show Hidden Shows all objects. You can also use hot keys to switch between navigational tools more quickly. Assign hot keys using Scenes > Preferences. To use a hot key, hold down the key assigned to a navigational tool and use the mouse as you normally would with this tool. 52

63 RSTestStand.book Page 53 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 6 Creating 3D models Additional right-click menu options for working with assemblies and components are described in the following table. Right-click Object Menu Watch Window Animation Controls Variable Controls Hide Auto Lightweight Lightweight Show Paths Move To Floor Bring to Front Send to Back Locate in Scenes Window Cut, Copy, Paste Save in Graphics Library Remove Description During Simulation, opens a Watch Window for the object. Opens the Animation Controls dialog box. Opens the Connect Resource Variables To Image Behavior dialog box. Hides the selected object. Items that are a defined distance from the point of view are rendered using a basic representation of the object. This speeds up rendering. Renders the selected object as its bounding box. This allows the system to draw the object with the fewest numbers of vertices, increasing rendering speed. Turns the show path options on or off. Resets the object to Y=0. Changes the order of objects so that the selected object is moved to the front of the view. Changes the order of objects so that the selected object is moved to the back of the view. Opens the path in the Scenes tree for the selected object and highlights it. The Scenes tree must be open. Standard cut, copy, and paste options for the selected object. Saves the selected component or assembly to the Graphics Library so you can re-use the graphics object. Removes the selected object. 6 Creating 3D models 53

64 RSTestStand.book Page 54 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Right-click Object Handles Menu Move Rotate Scale Asymmetric Scale Uniform Move Pivot Preferences Right-Click Navigation Menu Pan Floor Rotate Select Vertical Pan Zoom Fit Selected Reset to Origin View Settings View Settings Description These options select the same action as the corresponding toolbar button. Opens the Scene View Preferences dialog box. Description Select the same action as the corresponding toolbar button. Opens the Scene Properties dialog box. 54

65 RSTestStand.book Page 55 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 6 Creating 3D models Helpful hints for working with components and assemblies You can work with either components or assemblies in the Scene View when the Select tool,, is active. To work with assemblies, click Assembly Select Mode,, then click the items. When Assembly Select Mode is on, any settings you make for the assembly will be set for all components of that assembly. 6 Creating 3D models Whenever you select an object, the object s Object Handles appear at the object s pivot location. The Object Handles form the 3D axis (X,Y,Z) and the corners of a box. To use the object handles, click and drag with the mouse on either an axis handle or one of the box corners. When an axis is selected, editing takes place along the selected axis. When a box corner is selected, editing takes place along the two axes represented at that corner. Objects often overlap. To make it easier to select objects that overlap on the screen, click the objects to toggle through all overlapping objects each time you click. You can select multiple objects by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key while clicking objects. Note that only one object can be the caret for an Animation Controls dialog box at one time. You can manually enter values for location, orientation, and style options for components and assemblies. Right-click a component or assembly and select Properties. See the online help for detail on the options in this dialog box. The high fidelity graphics in the Sample folder of the Graphics Library have been imported from Solidworks using a plug-in module developed by Rockwell Software. You can import your own graphics from Solidworks using RSTestStand Enterprise, which include the plug-in module. 55

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67 RSTestStand.book Page 57 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature The Data Scope feature provides functions similar to a digital oscilloscope, allowing you to graph both Boolean and analog data values in a variety of formats. It gives you a dynamic view into your process by graphing multiple variables on the same timebase, or scale, with a high degree of accuracy. Timebases can be continuous, time periodic, or event periodic. With the Data Scope, you can also do X-Y plots where the values on the X axis are selected to illustrate specific functional relationships. For example, you might want to see pressure as a function of position rather than time for systems that make decisions based on position information. To use the data scope feature, you need to set up a data source and a view. Setting up a data source You can have either a simulation or high speed data source. A simulation data source allows you to use data that are generally available from the rest of the application, including live data from an OPC server such as RSLinx. A high-speed data source is a special connection to a ControlLogix-family controller that allows highly accurate sampling at up to 1 KHz (one sample per millisecond). To use the high speed data source, you must use RSLinx version or above. It is also recommended that you use version 12 or better of the ControlLogix controller firmware. To set up a data source: 1. In the Project Model, open the Data Source folder. 2. Right-click the Data Source folder and select either New High Speed Data Source or New Simulation Data Source. The Data Source Properties dialog box is displayed. 7 Using the Data Scope feature 57

68 RSTestStand.book Page 58 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 3. Type a Name for the data source. Names cannot contain spaces or special characters. Data Source Properties dialog box 4. In the Sample Rate box, enter an update rate in milliseconds. This update rate will be common to all items created under this data source. Care should be taken in choosing update rates that affect system performance including the ability of the target controller to properly control the process. High speed data sources have restrictions on how many items can be entered at certain update rates. For every msec, eight items are allowed. For example, with an update rate of 4 msec, 32 items are allowed. Above 50 msec, an unlimited number of items is allowed. However, this check is performed only on a given data source. You can set up multiple data sources that exceed these values. Bypassing this check is not recommended. The High Speed Data Source uses the Trend Object in the ControlLogix firmware. The Trend Object runs as the second highest priority task in the ControlLogix controller s operating system (after the Motion Planner). If too many Trend Objects are configured, your application task s bandwidth could be reduced and the control application could perform poorly. Keep this in mind if you are running RSLogix 5000 and Trend Objects in addition to RSTestStand Enterprise. 5. The Wrap Buffer option allows you to choose how the buffer wraps. If you: Select Wrap Buffer: The buffer continues to collect data when the buffer fills up, overwriting the oldest data. Clear Wrap Buffer: Data collection stops when the buffer is filled up. The buffer clears every time the data source transitions from not running to running. 6. Select the Items tab. 58

69 RSTestStand.book Page 59 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature 7. Click Add Item. 8. Name the item. 9. Right-click on the Address field and select Pick Variable or Pick OPC Tag. Browse for the variable or tag. 10. Click OK. 11. Right-click the data source and select Validate Items. Although the software will validate items after going into run mode, it typically takes 5 to 10 seconds during which time data can be lost, it is better to check them before running. Setting up a view You can select one of two views for your Data Source: Trace or Rule. The Trace view is modeled on the functionality of a digital storage oscilloscope. By definition, all traces used in this view share a common timebase and therefore can be graphed on a common X axis. This allows you to compare the behavior of a variety of signals, whether they are analog or digital. You can change the timebase parameters (see online topic Trace View Timebase ). The Rule view is a unique presentation of action-reaction data so that you can easily see timing relationships and potential variations in them. The Rule view gives you a way of monitoring elapsed time between two events and, by reporting through a histogram, the historic variation in time as the events occur repetitively in a machine cycle. This information can be used for machine analysis and diagnostics. Each view is defined primarily by its common timebase. You can organize a variety of different signals into a specific view, but each signal will be displayed by how the timebase draws or redraws the signal. Once the views are configured, they can operate independently of the state of the simulation. In general, if your view data use the Simulation Source, you will want to slave the view off the Simulation states. Operation of each view type is covered independently. If your data source is the high speed data source, there is no interaction with the rest of the system and the view can operate separately from the state of the simulation. 7 Using the Data Scope feature 59

70 RSTestStand.book Page 60 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Data sources are started and stopped automatically by the views. You can examine a data source while it is running by double-clicking the data source to bring up its Watch Window. Running data sources are bolded in the Project Tree. Data, regardless of which type of Data Source generates the data, is timestamped in the system. If a High Speed Data Source is combined with a Simulation Source, and since a Simulation Source derives its clock from the Simulation time, it is possible that the presentation of the data in a single view could look like the high speed data is running considerably slower than you would expect. Views are updated at the rate of the slowest data source. This might occur if the simulation is heavily burdened with graphics or a large tag count ( >2000 tags). It is good practice to use views that have similar data sources. Setting up a Trace View To set up a Trace View: 1. In the Project Model, right-click the RTD Views folder. 2. Select New Trace View. The Trace View Setup dialog box is displayed. Trace View Setup dialog box 60

71 RSTestStand.book Page 61 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature 3. Type a name for the view. 4. Select the Time Control Data Source. The view synchronizes with this Data Source. 5. Select a Trigger. The options are: Continuous: The view behaves like a strip chart recorder, displaying data moving across the screen. If you click Pause, you can examine historic data by scrolling or paging back. Periodic: The view executes similar to an oscilloscope. By entering a number in the box (in milliseconds), you are telling the software to redraw the screen at a rate of 1/T. You can use this mode to determine the frequency of a repetitive waveform. You can dynamically adjust this value from the view itself by selecting the blue box at the bottom of the screen and moving it right or left until your signal stabilizes. Event: The trace turns on and off based on evaluation of the expressions in the respective expression boxes. You must enter expressions that evaluate to true or false, as shown here: 7 Using the Data Scope feature Expression in Expr box evaluates: Trace in the display: On Expr box evaluates false to true Off Expr box evaluates false to true On Expr box evaluates false to true (no entry in Off Expr box) turns on turns off redraws As with other settings on this dialog box, this on and off control applies to all traces configured in the view. 61

72 RSTestStand.book Page 62 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 6. Select the Traces tab. The individual traces on a view represent the Y values on the graph. Traces can be digital or analog, and they can be combined on the same view by using partitions. The number of traces is limited by the effective viewing area of the screen. Trace View Setup dialog box with Traces tab selected 7. Click New Partition and enter a name (spaces are not allowed). You must configure at least one partition to run a Trace view. The configuration of a partition sets up a common Y axis for the individual traces in a partition. 8. Select whether the data displayed in the partition will be digital or analog. 9. Analog only: Enter the Y axis range values and the increment size of the display. 62

73 RSTestStand.book Page 63 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature 10. Click New and enter a name (no spaces allowed). Each trace represents a signal or a combination of signals. You must configure at least one trace to have a graph display data on the view. 11. Right-click in the Expression box and select Pick Item. Browse for the signal from the items configured in your Data Sources. You can build an expression out of multiple items using standard operators, as long as the result evaluates to a number for an analog partition and to a Boolean for a digital expression. 12. Select the appropriate pen color. 13. You can modify pre-recorded Normal values or you can enter them manually by clicking Configure Normal Values. The values that are displayed are based on the timebase selections you have made for the view. Normal values are based on individual traces. For additional detail about the options for the Trace View, see the online help. Using the Trace View 1. Double-click the view name in the Project Tree. 2. Start simulation. 7 Using the Data Scope feature 3. Click. Once a data source is stopped and restarted, historic data are lost because the buffer is cleared. A data source will stop if all views that use that data source are closed or put in Stop mode. When data sources are running, their names in the project tree are in bold. Toolbar commands for the Trace view are described in the following table. Icon Name Operation Record Normal Start from File Records the Normal values for the selected trace. This option is not available if Continuous is selected for the timebase. See Recording normal values on page 69. Opens a file as the Data Source for the View. Start Display Runs the view and starts the respective Data Sources. Pause Display Pauses the view without shutting down the Data Source. 63

74 RSTestStand.book Page 64 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Icon Name Operation Stop Display Stops the View. Value Table Displays the value table for the active Trace View. Pause has a special function in Continuous mode: If you Pause while running a Trace view in Continuous mode, a slider will appear at the bottom of the screen and you can move the slider back to view historical data (as far back as the buffer allows.) You can also view a Value Table to see Y values from a common scroll point on the X axis. Use the Value Table to examine relative data at a common point in time. To display the value table, right-click the view and select Show Value Table. The Start/Stop With Simulation option allows you to slave the Run mode off the Simulation mode. This choice is active only when you are not running the view. Right-click the view to see this option. You can adjust the X and Y axes while the Trace View is running by either bringing up the properties or by clicking in the bottom right or the upper left corner (when the hand cursor is visible). In Periodic mode, you can adjust the timebase by sliding the blue button along the time axis, as shown here. Timebase adjustment Periodic mode timebase adjustment Moving the button lets you see dynamically the effect of changing the timebase. You can use this to visually calculate the size of the period of a time repetitive signal. Note that this option is not available if a variable value is used for the X axis values. 64

75 RSTestStand.book Page 65 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature Setting up a Rule View and Histogram When you set up a Rule View, you also set up the Histogram for the Rule View. The Histogram graphs the occurrence of an event in relation to its target time. The X axis of the Histogram is a display of the possible elapsed time of a given rule. The time domain is divided into intervals. The values displayed on the Histogram are saved if you change from Run to Stop to Run. However, they are discarded when you close the project. Although there are individual histograms for each rule, these settings apply to the collection of rules in the Rule View. To set up an individual rule, see Setting up individual rules on page 66. To set up a Rule View and Histogram: 1. In the Project Model, right-click the RTD Views folder. 2. Select New Rule View. The Rule View Properties dialog box is displayed. 7 Using the Data Scope feature Rule View Properties dialog box 3. Type in the name. Names cannot contain spaces. 4. In the Sample Rate MS box, enter a sample rate in milliseconds. Note that the Sample rate should not be any faster than the update rate of your data sources. Make sure the sample rate is long enough to catch the events of interest. 5. Enter the Screen Update rate. Most applications need an update that is faster than 100 to 200 milliseconds. 6. Select the Time Control Data Source. 65

76 RSTestStand.book Page 66 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 7. Set the Histogram span. This is the total number of units that will be displayed in the Histogram. 8. Set the Histogram intervals. This is the number of intervals per unit span. The total number of intervals equals the Span value times the Interval value. For example, if you entered a span of 6, you will have three major units graphed from 3 to +3 around the zero marker. If you entered 2 for the interval field (2 per unit span), each major unit will be subdivided into two. 9. Click OK. Setting up individual rules A rule is a way of measuring and visualizing the time between an action and a reaction. You can use it monitor everything from the repeatability of a cylinder firing on a packaging line to cycle times on a milling machine. To set up individual rules: 1. In the Project Model, double-click the Rule View to display the blank Rules page. 2. Click Create Rule from the toolbar. The Rule Properties dialog box is displayed. 3. Type in a name. Rule Properties dialog box 4. Right-click the Start Expression box and select Pick Items. You can build a Boolean expression by using different items and Boolean operators. The expression must evaluate to true or false. 5. Repeat the process for the Done Expression. 66

77 RSTestStand.book Page 67 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature 6. Enter a nominal Delay and Tolerance value in milliseconds. Tolerance is size of the window in which the target delay is centered. 7. Click OK. Using the Rule View To use the Rule View: 1. Run the simulation. 2. Click to start the Rule View. 3. As soon as the next start event goes true, the Rule will update. You will notice that it turns red, indicating that the done event occurred outside the target window (which is originally set using the Rule property). An individual rule provides you with the following information: Name Previous is the outcome of the last rule. The rule target window. Click for Properties 7 Using the Data Scope feature The time delay ± the tolerance determines the rule s target window The current time in the Rule. If 0, the Rule is waiting for the Start event. The time holds after the Done event and resets at the next Start event. Click for Histogram Iterations are the number of times the rule has executed since entering run mode. The address of the Start event is at the bottom left; the address of the Done event is at the bottom right. 67

78 RSTestStand.book Page 68 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE When the rule view is running, each rule waits for its Start event. Once a Start event occurs, the rule bar moves across the screen in green. It turns red and the rule is marked as over or under the target value if the rule Done event occurs outside the target window. Note that a double trigger (two or more Start events before the rule sees a Done event) aborts the rule. This is also captured on the Histogram dialog box. Rule bar when start event has occurred Rule bar when Done event is outside the target window Rule View while running You can change the Rule target window by double-clicking the rule, which opens the Rule Property dialog box. Toolbar commands for the Rule View are described in the following table. Icon Name Operation Create Rule Adds a new Rule to the view. Remove Rule Record Normal Start from File Deletes the selected Rule. Records the Normal values for the selected Rule. See Recording normal values on page 69. Opens a file as the Data Source for the View. Run Rule View Pause Display Stop Display Runs the view and starts the respective Data Sources. Pauses the view without shutting down the Data Source. Stops the Rule View. 68

79 RSTestStand.book Page 69 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature Viewing a Histogram To view a Histogram: 1. From the Rule View, click. A histogram of the timing distribution for previous occurrences of the rule is displayed. Each time of occurrence is mapped to the X axis. 7 Using the Data Scope feature Histogram window 2. Click Clear to clear the display. The values displayed on the Histogram are kept until the project is closed. Recording normal values The Normal graph is an average value of each data point (as seen from the Trace or Rule View) taken over a number of iterations of the function being observed. If taken over a sufficiently large number of samples, the display of the normal graph gives you a diagnostic indicator of what is expected, and allows you to dynamically compare the known good with the current actual value. You control how many samples are taken by when you stop the recording process. You can only record normals for periodic or event based views. You can record more than one normal at a time by repeating the process described below for a different trace. To record normals: 1. Make sure the view is running. 2. Select the partition from which to record. 3. Select the trace or rule to record. Select traces from the list. Select a rule by clicking it, or select multiple rules using Shift+select. 69

80 RSTestStand.book Page 70 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 4. Click to start recording values. Select the partition from which you want to record Select the trace to record Options when recording Normal values The number of recorded observations is shown next to the trace or rule being recorded. 5. Click to stop recording. The normals are immediately displayed on the graph. To turn the Normals on or off on the graph, right-click the graph and select or clear Show Normals. 6. Click the button again after 10 cycles. A dialog box is displayed that asks you to either accept or modify the recorded values. 7. Once you accept them, they become the new values for the trace or rule. Save Data to File You can save data to a file from the Trace View or Rule View. RSTestStand Enterprise does not automatically save data from the Data Scope views. You must do it manually. The buffer is cleared whenever the Data Source transitions from not running to running. Save Data to File lets you save the contents of the buffer to a file for replay at some later time. It will not save the actual data stream simultaneous to viewing to replay the data, you must save the view. To save data to file: 1. Right-click the view (Rule or Trace). 2. Select Data to File. 3. Enter the start and end times for the data. 70

81 RSTestStand.book Page 71 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 7 Using the Data Scope feature 4. Select or create a file using the browse button. If you select an existing file, the data in the file will be overwritten. You can specify a new file name in the dialog box and the file will be created. The file uses the.dat extension. To replay the data saved to a file, select Start from File, opened, you can run the file as if it is live data., on the toolbar. Once 7 Using the Data Scope feature 71

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83 RSTestStand.book Page 73 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 8 Simulation Simulation allows you to test and verify your program s behavior without having to connect your program to physical machinery of any kind. There are sample applications provided in the directory Program Files > Rockwell Software > RSTestStand Enterprise > Sample Applications. The simulation model is a reactive system that responds primarily to external events to provide feedback to the originating system (typically your PLC). It also works in continuous time, allowing the system to use fixed time intervals as part of rate-of-change equations. This chapter describes how to: Start and interact with a simulation Use output message windows to monitor the simulation Export and import runtime simulation data Starting a simulation Once you have created a Project Model and made the appropriate variable connections, you can start simulating. To start a simulation: 8 Simulation 1. Select Start or Start Paused from the toolbar. (If you do not see these buttons, select View > Toolbar to display the toolbar.) Using the Start Paused button is a good way to get RSTestStand Enterprise into simulation mode without starting the simulation clock. This allows you to force variable values, set up monitor windows, and position Op Consoles before the action begins. 2. If you selected Start Paused, click Pause to toggle Pause off. 3. The Operator Console is displayed, the simulation clock in the status bar turns green, and your flowcharts start executing. The communication link becomes active and new data are acquired from the PLC and written back to it. 4. Use the Operator Console to activate the equipment. 5. Select Stop to stop the simulation. 73

84 RSTestStand.book Page 74 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Simulation modes Option Start Pause Start Pause Stop Description Runs the current project without advancing any time on the simulation clock. This lets you position items on the screen such as Operator Consoles and Watch Windows that appear only when the simulation is in Run mode. You can also set up Force values before the simulation clock starts. Click Pause to run the simulation. Runs the current project. Once a project is started: The selected Operator Console appears as a floating window and can be positioned anywhere on the screen. The animation changes to a 3D view and starts running. All variables are initialized according to their Initial State. The Output Window is displayed at the bottom of the screen and can be sized to fit your needs. It will display whatever you select on the tabs. You can use the Output Window to display and force variables. The current simulation time is displayed in the status bar at the bottom right of the screen. This simulation time is elapsed time and represents the internal clock of your software and does not necessarily equal wall time. Freezes the simulation without changing any stored or executing value. Flowchart execution is stopped wherever it was in its execution cycle. Clicking Pause again continues execution from where it left off. Pause can also happen with the flowchart verb Halt. Clicking Pause will cause the simulation to start running again after a Halt command is encountered. Halts the simulation and restores all the windows that are open to their edit modes. It also resets the simulation clock and all part counters to their zero positions. On the next Start, all variables are reinitialized. 74

85 RSTestStand.book Page 75 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 8 Simulation Interacting with a simulation RSTestStand Enterprise offers a variety of ways to interact with your model during simulation. You can: Change OPC tags to affect the resources if your resources are connected to OPC tags via their variables. Use the RSTestStand Enterprise operator consoles to affect your model and to receive feedback in the form of lights, strip charts, meters, and gauges. Place a Watch Window on any type of resource or on any animation component or assembly. Force variable values using Watch Windows. Use 3D animated models of your simulations to provide valuable information for diagnosing potential problems in your program. Use the Output Message Window. Check the status bar for runtime information. Placing a Watch Window on a resource, component, or assembly The Watch Window is a way to monitor and force the state of variables associated with a specific resource, component, or assembly. It shows you the variables for the item and their current values during simulation. For 3D animations, they also will display the behaviors. Multiple Watch Windows can be placed anywhere on the screen during simulation or for running 3D animation objects. You can right-click a Watch Window to configure the display. Watch Windows are only displayed while running the simulation. Watch Windows also display the address of the OPC tag, if one is entered for the variable. If the tag is red, the address could not be created. The tag is also red if the Is Using Server flag is turned off. Note that it does not guarantee the health of the data. Data is only checked when going into run mode, not while the system is running. 8 Simulation Resource Watch Window 75

86 RSTestStand.book Page 76 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Assembly Watch Window Component Watch Window To display a Watch Window: 1. Run the simulation. 2. Right-click the resource, component, or assembly you want to monitor from the Project Model, Operator Console, or Scene View. To select an assembly, make sure Assembly Select mode is selected first ( ). 3. Select Watch Window or Object > Watch Window from the menu. 4. To limit the number of variables displayed, right-click the title bar and select Add/Remove Variables. To close a Watch Window, right-click the title bar and select Close. You can also resize the Watch Window to display all or some of the variables. Forcing resource variable values Watch Windows allow you to force the value of variables for resources. This is useful if you are trying to check out system response to error conditions or process upsets. For example, you might want to see what the diagnostic response is to a stuck level sensor. By selecting the level sensor variable in a tank resource and clicking the force box, control over the value of the variable is now entirely manual. You can enter new values or leave it as is. To force the value of a variable, in the Watch Window, select the Force checkbox in the table of variables. The force is active in the simulation and the Forces box on the status bar turns red. 76

87 RSTestStand.book Page 77 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 8 Simulation If a variable is forced, the value that you enter in the Current Value field in the Watch Window will override any value coming from other parts of the Project Model. A change of value takes place when you exit the box you are typing in, either by pressing Enter or selecting a new field with the mouse. To clear a force, do one of the following: Clear the Force checkbox. Right-click the Force status box on the status bar and select Clear All Forces. Select Simulate > Clear All Forces from the menu. Using the Output Message Window The Output Message Window gives you feedback from the running simulation about components that are not resource-based. The Messages tab displays: Normal operating status: Items such as (Simulation clock time) Simulation Started. Error Codes: All error codes are fully described in the text of the window. In addition, if the error originated with the Visual Basic Script interpreter, RSTestStand Enterprise will highlight in red the source of the error in your flowchart as well as giving the location in the text. A typical error message will relate to the OPC subsystem and tell you an item cannot be created. This is a message that is being returned from RSLinx and means that the software cannot find the tag address that you specified in the Variables tab of the Resource properties. For more information on error messages, see Output Window messages and error codes on page 147. OutputMsg: Text that originated from your flowchart application because you used the system-defined function OutputMsg. The Parts tab allows you to view the type and change the number of parts at any location or mover. To view an item, select the location or mover in the diagram and click the Parts tab in the Output Message Window. To change the part count of the selected item to zero, click the Drop button. Using the Image Variables button on the Output Message Window, you can display relevant data about an animation object and the state of things that are controlling it. From a connected, running animation: 1. Click Image Variables in the Output Message Window. 2. Click the animation object. You will see the animation behavior associated with that object. The remaining fields show which variable of a connected resource is controlling a given behavior and the state of that variable. 8 Simulation 77

88 RSTestStand.book Page 78 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE You can use the Capabilities tab on the Output Message Window to monitor the progress of capabilities of a selected resource. To display a capability: 1. Click Capabilities. 2. Go to the Project Model tree and click a resource. If capabilities are used in that resource, you will see the name of the capability, its maximum value (or duration), the current value, and the percent done. Hints for setting up and running simulation Sizing Operator Consoles. The primary runtime windows will be one or more Operator Consoles. Typically, you will always want an Operator Console to be visible, regardless of what application is on top. We recommend that you size and position the Operator Console for optimal viewing while the simulation is running. Turn off Float Window for multiple Operator Consoles. The default is for Operator Consoles to float. However, if you have multiple Operator Consoles, it might be useful to have only one float during simulation. To turn float off, right-click the green pointer in the upper left corner of the Operator Console and clear Float Window when Simulating. Use Watch Windows. Watch Windows contain a list of variables of a resource and their current values. They only appear when running the simulation and can be sized and positioned according to your needs. To display a Watch Window, right-click a resource in the Project Model and select Watch Window. Disable external communications. To disable the OPC scan during runtime, stop the simulation, right-click a resource, and select Communication Properties. Clear the Is Using Server box. If child resources are selected, you can selectively disable portions of the Project Model from a particular resource on down. To turn OPC communications on or off for an entire branch of the tree, select Update Children Resources. Disable flowcharts for resources when debugging. Right-click in the flowchart window and select Disable Resource Flowchart. Disabling flowcharts allows you to isolate certain sections of logic by restricting what is being executed at any given time. Reposition or close the Output Message Window. The Output Message Window is displayed at the bottom of the application when starting the simulation, but it can be detached, resized, moved, or closed at any time during the simulation. The window control buttons are in the upper left corner of the Output Message Window. To re-open an Output Message Window, select View > Output Window from the menu. Reposition or close the Project Model and Library windows. You can detach, resize, move, or close the Project Model and Library windows. To re-open the Project Model, select View > Project Model. To re-open the Library window, select View > Library Palette. 78

89 RSTestStand.book Page 79 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 8 Simulation Control the execution speed of an RSEmulate 5000 process. You can do this by setting up a controller in the RSTestStand Enterprise project tree. Once the system is properly configured, the Emulate processor will stay in sync with the RSTestStand application, including running, pausing, and running at a percentage of simulation time. See Controlling the execution speed of multiple RSEmulate 5000 processors on page 112. Use Scan Once. This option allows you to closely monitor the evolution of your model by limiting the interpreter to a single scan and then pausing. Typically, Scan Once is used to debug the model so that you can follow the flowchart logic as control is moved from block to block. To use scan once: 1. Click Pause to pause, or use Start Paused when starting the simulation. 2. Select Simulate > Scan Once. The Simulation scans once and returns to Pause mode. 3. Continue this procedure until you are satisfied with your results. 4. Click Pause again to return the simulation to Run mode. Exporting and importing runtime simulation data If you are interested in events that take place in a simulation some time after the simulation is started, you can take a snapshot of your model during simulation. You can then restore the runtime data so that the simulation begins from the point at which the data was captured. This lets you run a model once, capture all its relevant data, including variable values and the simulation time clock, and start future runs from that point. When you capture data, they are exported to a CSV file (comma separated variables, which is a Microsoft Excel compatible format) so you can also manipulate the data to create unique runtime scenarios. The following data are exported. Each record has an identifier so that you can identify its function in the model. P (Project name). T (Simulation clock time in seconds). The value that is exported is accurate to a tenth of a second. V (Variable Name). The long name that uniquely identifies it in the application. The value is exported as Unicode. S (Script position). The first number identifies the flowchart in a resource. The second number identifies the block that was active at the time of the snapshot. B (Basic values). This record type is used with two system-defined functions: Resource_Export and Resource_Import. Certain Standard Resources use them to save VBScript array variables so that you can accurately restart your model with array variables correctly populated. 8 Simulation 79

90 RSTestStand.book Page 80 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Exporting runtime simulation data To export runtime simulation data: 1. From a running simulation, click Pause to pause the simulation at the point at which you want to export. 2. Select Simulate > Export Simulation Data. 3. You are prompted to enter a file name to save this data. You can also select a previously created file. 4. Press Enter to export the data. 5. Release Pause to continue the simulation. Importing runtime simulation data The software does not compatibility check the imported data to the structure of the existing model. It discards any values that do not match a variable in an existing resource. If resources are added from the time of the snapshot, their variable values will be unchanged by the import. To import runtime simulation data: 1. Select Simulate > Use Imported Simulation Data from the menu. When this option is selected, the File Open dialog box is displayed every time you go into Run mode. 2. Select the appropriate file to import. Once the data are imported, the simulation is placed in Pause mode. If an error is encountered during the import, RSTestStand Enterprise halts the simulation. 3. Click Pause to allow the software to run. The model will continue from the point of the imported simulation data. Using the Run-Only option When the application is final, the run-only option is ideal for creating training applications for the plant floor operator. The run-only file cannot be edited again and all edit features are blocked. To set up a project as run-only: 1. Select File > Save As. 2. Select RSM_RO from the list in the Save File dialog box. A new file is created with a.rsm_ro file extension. This file cannot be edited again. Opening the run-only file brings the application up in run mode. 80

91 RSTestStand.book Page 81 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 9 Flowchart Editor The Flowchart Editor provides a graphic interface for developing flowchart logic. The Flowchart Editor has six basic elements that you can assemble on a workspace. Each resource and controller has a logic workspace you can open from a context menu. Each resource has only one logic workspace, but multiple flowcharts can be created in a given workspace. This chapter tells you how to open the Flowchart Editor and provides descriptions of the Flowchart Editor elements. It allows tells you how to print a flowchart. For sample flowcharts, see the online help topic Flow Chart Program examples. Opening the Flowchart Editor To open the Flowchart Editor: 1. Right-click a resource in the Project Model. 2. Select Logic View to display the Flowchart Editor. 3. Click an element icon from the Flowchart Editor toolbar. The cursor changes to a cross-hair. 4. Click in the logic workspace to place one or more of the items. Each of the boxes is created with a default value that can be edited. Note that you cannot edit the End Block element. A sample flowchart is shown here. 9 Flowchart Editor Sample Flowchart in the Flowchart Editor 81

92 RSTestStand.book Page 82 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE You can select and copy boxes and entire charts to replicate operations. All variables that are defined through the resource properties, or are defined using the Local VBScript Module, are scoped locally. To use a variable from another resource: 1. Right-click the resource on the flowchart. 2. Select Pick Variable. 3. Click Global. The variable will be inserted with its full path name. Flowchart Editor elements The Flowchart Editor elements are: Start Block Decision Block Process Block End Block Comment Block Local VBScript Module Block You can understand in detail the behavior of a resource by examining its resource logic and reviewing the comments included on the logic workspace. Dimensioning arrays is not directly supported in the flowchart process block. However, you can dimension an array in a Local VBScript Module. Array variables then can be freely used in the local flowchart. Resources can be saved and reused by creating your own libraries. See Creating your own library on page 94. Start Block Contains a condition expression that must be able to be evaluated as True or False. If the statement evaluates to True, the rest of the chart is scanned. Every scan evaluates the next block until an End statement is encountered and control is returned to the Start Block. The default expression of the Start Block is True, which means that the rest of the chart will be continuously evaluated. The MoveLinear function depends on correct use of the Start Block. 82

93 RSTestStand.book Page 83 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 9 Flowchart Editor Decision Block Contains a condition expression with two exit points one for the statement evaluating True, the other for the statement evaluating False. You use Decision Blocks to test variable values in your program. As with any other VBScript condition expressions, you can build compound expressions using Boolean operators. You can loop either a No branch or Yes branch back to the block by clicking once inside the block and a second time inside the block while using the connection tool. The effect of this construction is to block the evolution of the flowchart until the expression inside the Decision block evaluates to either True or False (depending on whether you use a Yes or No loop). Process Block Holds the statements of the program. Any allowable VBScript statement can be executed in a Process Block. You can choose to have it contain as many lines of program code as you wish. For example, you might create your own For Next loop to iterate on a variable, or embed a conditional statement such as If Then Else. Remember that the flowchart controls program flow and Process Blocks only get executed based on the logic of the flowchart. For example, if you indicate that ProxSwitch101= True, the value will stay True until you say ProxSwitch101=False. You can also change the value by: linking an external variable to the value using OPC setting the initial value through the Variable property configuration controlling the value by forcing it using Watch Windows Do not use iterative loops to block evolution of the flowcharts. Doing so blocks the simulation thread, and overall performance will decline dramatically. Instead, use either Invoke or WaitUntil. Invoke blocks the flowchart for the time specified by the referenced capability, and WaitUntil blocks for the time based on an expression evaluating to True. 9 Flowchart Editor 83

94 RSTestStand.book Page 84 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE To add variables to a process block: 1. Right-click the expression field of the box. 2. Select Pick Variables. A hierarchical tree appears that displays variables for the current resource and all its children. 3. Select a variable from the tree to copy it into the expression field. There is no syntax checking at this point so be careful that the correct syntax is maintained on the paste action. Variables that have spaces in them will automatically be bracketed by quote-marks. To add capabilities to a process block: 1. Right-click the expression field. 2. Select Pick Capabilities. End Block Automatically loops control back to the Start Block. There is no user entry for an End Block (it cannot be edited). Comment Block Lets you enter comments on the flowchart workspace. There is a limit of 255 characters per comment. There are no restrictions on the character types. You can use as many Comment Blocks as you need. 84

95 RSTestStand.book Page 85 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 9 Flowchart Editor Local VBScript Module Block Lets you build subroutines and functions that are locally scoped to the resource in which you are working. This is particularly useful if you intend to place that resource in a library and reuse multiple copies of it in your application. Because each copy of the resource maintains its own local variables, the subroutine or function you wrote will not interfere with others in the system, even though they use the same names as instances of the same parent. It is also useful to declare VBScript variables in a Local VBScript Module, especially declaring arrays using a DIM statement. You will also need to declare variables that are set as objects. For an example of a Local VBScript Module, see the Excel Data Example resource in the StdResources Library (under Wave Form Generators). Connection Tool Connects blocks. After your blocks are entered on the workspace, click the Connection Tool to connect them. Click the first point and drag the line to the next point. You can select and copy boxes and entire charts to replicate operations. Visual Basic Script operator syntax The following table provides some of the commonly used Visual Basic Script Operator Syntax. For a detailed list of operators and other elements, see the Microsoft Visual Basic Script reference guide (available from Microsoft). See also System procedures for the Flowchart Editor on page 153 for a list of additional functions available in RSTestStand Enterprise. Common compare and arithmetic operators + Addition <> Not Equal Subtraction < Less Than * Multiplication > Greater Than / Division <= Less Than or Equal To ^ Exponentiation >= Greater Than or Equal To = Equal & String Concatenation 9 Flowchart Editor 85

96 RSTestStand.book Page 86 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Logical operators AND OR NOT XOR EQV (Logical equivalence) IMP (Logical implication) Printing a flowchart 1. Right-click anywhere on flowchart. 2. Select Print Flowchart from the context menu. The flowchart of the current resource prints. Print Preview shows more pages than your flowchart printout will actually use. The print operation does not print blank pages. 86

97 RSTestStand.book Page 87 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 10 Connection Diagrams Connection Diagrams provide another method for looking at resources and how they work. They emphasize the data flow of an application rather than the hierarchic structure of the Project Model tree. They allow you to see the relationships among different resources during editing and runtime. You can place Connection Diagrams any place in the Project Model tree. The contents are not limited by where it is placed, although you should place a Connection Diagram where you might have a high degree of interaction among a group of resources. Connection Diagrams can act as documentation of the behavior of a set of resources. This chapter describes how to create a Connection Diagram, add resources to it, and print it, and describes the options on the Connection Diagrams palette and context menu. Creating a Connection Diagram To create a Connection Diagram: 1. Select any place in the project tree. 2. Right-click the resource or folder and select New Connection Diagram. A Connection Diagram is inserted immediately after, and as a child to, the resource or folder that you originally selected. Connection Diagrams can be removed or renamed in the same way as other items in the Project Model tree. Adding resources to a Connection Diagram You add resources to a Connection Diagram by selecting a resource, then dragging it onto the Connection Diagram. Any resource that is already connected to the one that has been added is also automatically inserted into the view. Any time a resource is removed from the Connection Diagram, all resources that are connected to it are also removed from the Connection Diagram. Removing a resource from a Connection Diagram does not delete the resource from the Project Model tree. When a resource is dragged into the Connection Diagram, its variables are automatically displayed in the block. During runtime, the Connection Diagram displays the current value of the variable. If you do not want to see the variables, click the close icon in the upper left corner of the resource in the Connection Diagram. Double-click the resource in the Connection Diagram to display the Resource Property dialog box. 10 Connection Diagrams 87

98 RSTestStand.book Page 88 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE OPC tag connections OPC tag connections is a separate box on the Connection Diagram. It displays the relationship between a variable and the OPC tag address for the variable. If a tag address has been selected for a variable, the OPC address is added to the box and a line is drawn between the address and its resource variable. Only variables marked public are displayed in the resource box. Printing a Connection Diagram To print a Connection Diagram: 1. Select the print icon from the Connection Diagram toolbar. 2. Follow the standard print dialog box. The connection diagram will automatically paginate according to the size of the diagram. The printed copy will print as it appears on your screen. Connection Diagram palette The Connection Diagram Palette contains tools for working with Connections Diagrams. All choices on the palette apply to every resource in a particular Connection Diagram. There are two tabs on the palette: Options and Variables. Options tab The choices on the Options tab are described in the following table. Option Insert Child Resources Automatically Show Connected Variables Show Only Marked Variables Hide OPC Tag Connections Description When selected, copies any child resources of the one just added into the Connection Diagram view. See Encapsulate Children, below. Displays only connected variables. This is useful during runtime. Displays only marked variables so you can customize your application view at runtime. Marked variables are displayed in blue. To mark a variable, right-click the variable and select Mark Variable. Hides the connection lines between resources and the OPC Tag box. 88

99 RSTestStand.book Page 89 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 10 Connection Diagrams Option Hide Resource Connections Encapsulate Children Show Variable Values Description Hides the connection lines between resources, but leaves the connection lines to the OPC tag box. Makes the parent resource and any child resources look like a single resource, with a single list of variables. Variables that belong to a child are shown with their path names. Displays the actual value of a variable during runtime. Connecting variables The Variables tab provides another way to connect a variable to another variable. To connect a variable: 1. Select the Variable tab. 2. Select a variable in a resource. 3. Expand the variable browser tree to find your connection target. 4. Select the check box. A line appears between the selected variable and its target. If the target variable and its parent resource were not originally on the Connection Diagram view, they will now appear. 10 Connection Diagrams 89

100 RSTestStand.book Page 90 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Connection Diagram context menu When you select a resource and right-click, a context menu is displayed. This menu relates only to the selected resource. For certain operations, choices made from the context menu will override the choices made from the Connection Diagram Palette. For operations that involve a specific variable, the selected variable s text will be in red type. Context menu options are described in the following table. Option Description Show Variable Mark All Variables Communications Sort Ascending Sort Descending Bring to Front Send to Back Remove Item Mark Variable Disconnect Variable Connect Variable to OPC tag Logic View Watch Window Properties Only the variable values for that resource are shown. Marks all the variables for that resource only. Once marked, they will be displayed in the list regardless of other settings. Displays the Communications dialog box, which can also be accessed from the Resource Property dialog box. It allows you to selectively disable OPC tag connections for troubleshooting purposes. Clear Is Using Server to turn off communications to that resource. Sorts the variable list alphabetically. The list is only sorted locally. It does not change the order in the resource property dialog box. Layout commands. Removes the selected resource and all connect items from the Connection Diagram view. It does not delete the resource from the Project Model tree. Turns the text of the selected variable blue and puts its visibility under the control of the palette selection for marked variables. Removes connections from the selected variable. If there is more than one connection, it will bring up a dialog box asking you which ones to disconnect. Displays the OPC tag browser. Displays the selected resources s flowchart. Displays the selected variable s Watch Window. Displays the selected resource s property dialog box. This dialog box is also displayed when you double-click a resource. 90

101 RSTestStand.book Page 91 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 11 Creating and using libraries RSTestStand Enterprise Libraries provide you with a method of saving elements to and reusing elements from your Project Model. Libraries are displayed in the library palette, which contains two tabs: Standard Resources and Graphics. The Standard Resource tab contains reusable elements that can be dropped into your project tree. The Graphics tab contains reusable elements that can be dropped into your Scene window. User libraries are in the Standard Resources tab. Updates to a library do not update or change the element configurations in a Project Model. When a library element is used in a project, it no longer has any relationship to the source library. The libraries that are distributed with RSTestStand Enterprise are: Standard Resource library Op Console Devices library Graphic Library This chapter describes the libraries and tells you how to: Create a user-defined library Add and remove a resource definition Parameterize a library resource definition Use a library resource definition Attach and detach a library to your Project Model Save a library file 11 Creating and using libraries 91

102 RSTestStand.book Page 92 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Standard Resource library The standard Resource Library contains a flexible set of library elements you can use to develop your project. It is made up of resources that are useful starting points in building your application. You cannot modify the data for the resource definitions in the Standard Resource library. However, you can create instances of them, modify them, and save them to your own library. See the online help for detail on the items available in this library. Typically, resources contain behavior in the form of flowcharts and variable definitions, internal connections, and initial values. These resources can be hierarchic that is, you can build and save a resource made up of a parent and any number of child resources. Connections between a parent resource and its children are preserved in the Resource Library, which lets you build complex reusable elements out of much simpler ones. Each element represents some physical behavior that you might want to control. Typically they provide an output back to the PLC based on some control input. The output is influenced by factors that you configure when you drag the element into the project tree. The standard Resource Library is on the ResourceLibs tab of the Library Palette window. Resource Library files use the extension.rsl and can be networked to a file server. Op Console Devices library The elements in the Op Console library are made up of devices that have a combination of behaviors. Most have special graphics that execute only in the RSTestStand Enterprise environment and some control behavior. When an element is dragged into your project tree, its drop target must be an Op Console. When it appears on the Op Console, there is a set of variables that is created at the same time. These variables relate to the behavior of the device. You can interact with these variables by connecting them to other devices or to your controller through an OPC link. The behavior of an Op Console device can be modified by writing your own flowchart and adding additional variables to the device. The Op Console Library is on the ResourceLibs tab of the Library Palette window. Graphics Library The Graphics Library is a collection of assemblies, their components, and textures for use in RSTestStand Enterprise scenes. The Graphics Library is in the same docking dialog box as the Resource Library. Click GraphicsLib to open the Graphics Library. 92

103 RSTestStand.book Page 93 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 11 Creating and using libraries The main components of the Graphics Library are the Graphics Library and the Project Library. The Graphics Library is a collection of items that can be used in scenes (Assemblies, Components, and Textures). It exists as a file (GraphicsLib.glb) on the computer in the folder where the application is installed. This area is designated by the Graphics Library item in the Graphics Library tree everything that exists in the Graphics Library is a child of this item. The Graphics Library is a container for graphic elements that exist on the computer you are working on. The Graphics Library contents are independent of any specific project. If you transfer a project to a different user on a different computer, and that user wants to reuse graphic elements from the project, these elements can be moved from the Project Library to the Graphics Library. When this happens, they become available to be put into other projects on the new machine. The Project Library is a container for all animation objects used in a given project. When a new project is created, a new folder in the Graphics Library is created with the name of the project. This folder will contain all Graphics Library items that are inserted into the scenes for this project. Changes to these items affect only the item in the project, not the original. You cannot add items directly to the Project Graphics Library its primary purpose is to allow you to share projects without concern for where a graphic lives. Project Library items can be imported into the Graphics Library and then reused in other applications. Items that have been inserted in the Project Graphics Library but are no longer referenced are removed from the Project Graphics Library when you save the project. You cannot directly manipulate items in the Project Graphics Library. It is a visual aid to show you which components and assemblies are being used in your project. Items that can be in the Graphics Library include: Folders: There are several standard folders. The Graphics Library and the Project Graphics Library include an Assemblies and Textures folder. You can create sub folders that exist as children of the Graphics Library s Assemblies and Textures folder. Components: An object that can be inserted into a scene. Components can have parent/child relationships, animations, and attributes such as position, rotation, scale, color, and texture. Components can exist at the root level of the Graphics Library (they do not need to be associated with an assembly). There are several standard components that come with RSTestStand Enterprise. These items (box, cylinder, and so on) cannot be deleted from the graphics library. Assemblies: Collections of components. Assemblies can have attributes such as position, rotation, scale, and pivot, but do not have color or texture. The New Assembly item can be inserted into a scene. You can then group components (as well as other assemblies) beneath it to create custom assemblies. Textures: Images that can be used to add color and texture to a component. 11 Creating and using libraries 93

104 RSTestStand.book Page 94 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE The commands that can be used in the Graphics Library include the options shown in this table. Right-click in the Graphics Library to access these options. Command Import to Graphics Library > Import Textures Import From Project New Folder Rename Remove Properties Description Imports image files that can be used as textures for components and operator console wallpaper. Allowed formats for textures are bmp, jpg, and tga. Only bmp files can be used for Operator Console wallpaper. Imports Graphics Library items from a Project Library to the general Graphics Library. It makes an exact copy of the item in the project library. Only objects that do not exist in the general Graphics Library can be imported. You can select which elements from the project library you wish to import. Note: If no items are available to import, it is because all the elements in the Project Library already exist in the Graphics Library. Creates a new folder in the Graphics Library area. If the cursor is in the Assemblies area, a new folder for assemblies and components is created. If the menu is invoked in the Textures area, a new menu for textures is created. Renames an item in the Graphics Library. Items in the project Graphic Library and some other items (such as the standard folders) cannot be renamed. Removes the selected item from the Graphics Library area. Note that items cannot be deleted from the Project Graphics Library. Opens the properties dialog box for the selected item. Creating your own library You can create your own libraries and attach them to your project. Building a set of libraries lets you distribute work that you have done for one project to other projects and other developers. User Resource Library files use the extension.rsl and can be networked to a file server. Connections between a parent resource and its children are preserved in the library, which lets you build complex reusable elements out of much simpler ones. 94

105 RSTestStand.book Page 95 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 11 Creating and using libraries The Multiple Instantiation feature greatly increases the flexibility of your libraries by allowing you to have a single parent and a user-requested number of children (including zero). By developing library elements that take advantage of this feature, you can selectively add and remove features when you build your project. If you use Multiple Instantiation to create an Operator Console from a library, right-click the Operator Console and select Auto Arrange to lay out the various devices. To create a library: 1. Select Library > Create from the main menu. 2. Enter a name for your Library using standard Windows naming conventions. You can also go to different directory, including a network-based directory. 3. Click OK. The new Library is placed in the Resource Libraries window. Adding a resource definition to a Resource Library To add a resource definition to a Resource Library, the library must first be attached to a project. To add a new resource definition to a Resource Library: 1. Right-click a resource in the Project Model. RSTestStand Enterprise assumes you mean the selected resource and all its child resources. It copies the parent and children into the library and preserves all the information in those resources, except for the variable connections made outside the parent and its child resources. OPC tag information is preserved. Entire Operator Consoles can also be saved to a library. 2. Select Save to Library from the menu. The Save Resource as Resource Definition dialog box is displayed. 3. Type the name and select the library that you want to save the resource definition to. 4. Click OK. You can drag a resource directly from the Project Model tree to the resource library where you want it saved. The cursor will change to a + when it is over a legitimate drop target. 11 Creating and using libraries 95

106 RSTestStand.book Page 96 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Parameterizing your library resource definitions RSTestStand Enterprise provides a means to parameterize your resource libraries. Parameterizing is the process of making resources generic enough to be used as library items. It allows you and other users to create flexible library elements, so that you define a resource once for use in multiple applications. An example of a parameterized library is provided in the Resource Library folder in the library Example Library.rsl. When you use a parameterized library resource definition in your Project Model, an initialization, or user input, dialog box is displayed. This dialog box can: Request information, including initial values of selected variables or capabilities and text substitution for your OPC tag names Walk you through the configuration Rename the resource if you choose to initialize variables or capabilities Provide text that gives the Resource Library user some guidance Provide a wizard-like interface to lead users through the settings (if multiple tabs have been configured) Once the Resource Definitions dialog box is completed for a resource, any time you drag a library element from your library, the initialization dialog box will appear and walk you through the configuration. To create a user input, or initialization, dialog box: 1. Select an element in the Resource Library and right-click. 2. Select Definition Properties from the menu. 3. To add a description or instructions to the User Input dialog box, select Attributes and fill in the Description box. The description box is limited to 250 characters. 4. The Resource Definition Category selects the icon that appears with the resource in the Resource Library. The options and corresponding icons are: Generic Mechanical Continuous Process Structural Control 5. You can select the prompt to create multiple copies. When selected, the initialization dialog box first asks how many copies of this element to make. 6. On the Variables tab, select the variables that should appear on the User Input dialog box as initialized variables when this resource is dragged to the Project Model tree. 96

107 RSTestStand.book Page 97 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 11 Creating and using libraries 7. To create a wild card substitution for portions of an OPC address, enclose portions of the OPC tag address with < >. You will be prompted to replace the enclosed string with a new one when this resource is dragged to the Project Model tree. This allows you to map resources to program structures in your control program. You can use multiple wild cards in an OPC address. If you do use the wild card substitution, select the Is Using Server check box in the Resource Properties Attributes tab for the library element. 8. You can initialize the duration of the Capability to change the timing behavior of the library element when you instantiate the library element. Click the Capabilities tab. Select the Initialize box for the Capability that you want to appear on the initialization dialog box. Look in the Resource Library folder for an example of the OPC tag substitution. You can also manually enter a function in the resource. Note that the Function Picker is not available through the resource. Removing a resource definition from a library You can only remove top-most elements from the Resource Library tree and their associated children. You cannot remove child elements. To remove a resource definition from a Resource Library: 1. In the Library window, right-click the parent resource definition you want to remove. 2. Choose Remove Definition from the menu. 3. A confirmation message is displayed. Click OK. 11 Creating and using libraries 97

108 RSTestStand.book Page 98 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Using a library resource definition To use an existing library resource definition: 1. Select the resource definition in the Resource Library window. 2. Drag the resource definition into the Project Model window. 3. Some of the individual resource definitions may prompt you to enter initial values. You can change the values as needed. When changes are complete, or to accept the initial values, click OK. 4. You may be prompted to substitute part of an OPC tag address with a structure name. You can merge library elements with target resources in the tree. To do this, hold down the Ctrl key as you drag. All behavior (variables, capabilities, and logic) in the target is replaced by the dragged element. The name and position in the tree of the target is kept. This feature is useful if you have imported a skeleton tree from a bill of materials and you want to quickly populate it with behavior. Attaching or detaching a library When a library is opened for a project, the project remembers that a given library was attached and reopens the same library the next time you open the project. If a library is moved to a different directory, you will have to use the browse button to locate and open the library. Attaching a Resource Library to a project To attach a library to a project: 1. Open a project. 2. Select Library > Attach Library from the menu. 3. Select the library that you want to attach to from the file dialog box. After you select the library, it appears in the library window. Detaching a Resource Library from a project To detach a library from a project, select Library > Detach Library from the Library menu. There is no dependency on the library at runtime, so when you use a resource definition from the library, you can detach the library without affecting the simulation. Saving a library file To update or save an.rsl file, select Library > Save Library from the menu. When you close your project, you are prompted to save any changes you have made. 98

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110 RSTestStand.book Page 99 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 12 Part flow models The part flow model provides realistic feedback to the control system for part-in-place detection. Since most discrete applications depend on the detection of a part for the initiation of their work sequence, the modeling of a full-scale process requires a way of providing that type of feedback. The part flow model is also useful for conceptualizing the initial control system design, where different types of resources work together to accomplish some task. These resources can be coordinated at a high level through the use of the Controller model, or they can be controlled directly through external connections to PLCs or other devices. This chapter describes the part flow model and tells you how to: Create a part flow model Lay out a part flow model diagram Add behavior Control the action using capabilities Run the part flow model Descriptions of the part flow objects are described at the end of this chapter. 12 Part flow models About the part flow model The primary paradigm used in the part flow model is that of a resource doing some type of work. Similar to the real world, the ability of a resource to do certain tasks is defined by its capabilities. Therefore, all actions in the part flow model are controlled by the capabilities defined and programmed in a resource. A resource is bound to a particular location or mover by dragging it to the object where you want to apply control. Once it is there, a dialog box asks you to select which capability of the resource will do the work and what actions you want the resource to do. From these selections, a sentence is constructed that reflects your choices: resource, action, and part are bound together to perform some task. Any object other than a Generator or Disposer has an action that occurs at it. The configuration of an object results in an explicit sentence being built on the Binding tab of the Property dialog box. The sentence conforms to the following syntax: Resource s capability Action on Part at (or from-to) Object For example, once a Mover is fully configured, the sentence might read: Operator Carry Move Piston Ring from Bin to Conveyor_Loc_0 99

111 RSTestStand.book Page 100 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE The action that you bind to a Mover or Location is invoked by the capability moving from 0 to 100. For example, a Mover that has a resource such as an Operator bound to it might have a capability called Carry. Carry has a duration, which is the defined time it takes to go from 0 to 100. If the Operator flowchart runs Invoke ( Carry ) with a duration of 10 seconds, the part will: Leave the source location as soon as the capability leaves 0 Be in transit for 10 seconds when it arrives at the destination location and the capability is 100 Other actions test for capabilities in the same way. The boundaries of the upper and lower values are adjustable as setpoints in the user interface. You can have multiple part flow models, each launched from a folder. A folder can contain only one model, although there can be as many models as there are folders in the Project Model window. Creating a part flow model To initiate a part flow model: 1. Right-click a folder and select Part Flow View. 2. The Part Flow Model Editor becomes the active view. Laying out a part flow model diagram Once you have opened the Part Flow Model Editor, you can click and place the various objects anywhere on the diagram. Double-click an object to display its properties dialog box. Certain types of objects will have actions embedded in them. When laying out a diagram: There must be at least one Part Generator on the diagram. When you are adding objects to the Part Flow View, the folder icon changes to a P to indicate an active Part Flow diagram. Although a Mover can hand off a part to another Mover, parts cannot change locations without an intervening Mover or Multiplexer. Parts can be sensed at Movers, Locations, Conveyors, and Buffers. Parts cannot be sensed at Multiplexers. You can create part names from any dialog box on the part flow diagram. Typically, you will create your first part name when you lay out your Part Generator. Double-click the Generator to bring up the dialog box. 100

112 RSTestStand.book Page 101 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 12 Part flow models The Connection Tool ( ) links objects together. It is directional you need to drag from the source object and to the target object. After clicking the tool, the cursor changes to +, meaning you are in connection mode. Once you are over a legitimate area to connect, the cursor changes to a circle. Click the source once and click again over the destination. Your flow direction is indicated by an arrowhead. You can see a list of parts in the system by right-clicking any free space on the diagram and selecting Part List. Parts are global to all diagrams in the application. Any part allows the part presence sense function to return a True whenever any type of part is present at the location specified. Adding behavior to the diagram To add behavior to the diagram, drag a resource from the Project Model tree onto the appropriate object. A dialog box is displayed. The tabs on the dialog box are: Attributes: Allow you to enter a description of the process. Bindings: Create and display the relationship of the resource and its capabilities to actions to parts. Depending on the object, you will get a different selection of possible actions. The Part Info tab appears on Locations but not Movers and displays a summary of actions associated with merges and splits at that location. 12 Part flow models Part Flow Properties dialog box with Select Parts dialog box 101

113 RSTestStand.book Page 102 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Once an action is selected as part of the binding process, the Select Parts dialog box is displayed and asks you which part to bind the action to. If you are merging or splitting, you can either use an existing part name to identify the output of the action or you can create a new part name or names. Each new action requires a previously unbound capability. A resource can have many capabilities, and can be bound to different (or the same) locations, but only one action is allowed per capability at that location. The binding tab shows what capabilities are present for a particular resource, and what actions (and where) have already been bound to the set of capabilities. You can bind the same resource s capability at different locations. After you close the dialog box, you can reopen it by double-clicking the location. The Bindings tab identifies the various actions you have previously selected. Controlling the action using capabilities and set points Actions are completed when the capability that the actions are bound to reach the set point of those actions. Capabilities always run from 0 to 100 (percent). They have to be controlled from your flowchart logic and must be reset to 0 if they are to be used again. The value of the capability can be manipulated one of three ways: MoveLinear: Can be interrupted. Invoke: Must run to completion. Position: Can arbitrarily set a value into a capability. One of these procedures must be present in the flowchart of the associated resource for parts to move in the model. See System procedures for the Flowchart Editor on page 153 for procedure descriptions. Set points can be modified by right-clicking the bindings sentence when the Part Location or Mover dialog box is displayed. The low set point determines when the part is released from its source. The high set point determines when the part arrives at its destination. Although most applications will execute properly with the set points at their default values (0 and 100), you may need to modify them based on timing considerations. Each capability has a duration, assigned from the resource property dialog box. The duration can either be a constant (a fixed number in seconds) or an expression. The Function Picker lets you select different types of distributions that VBS supports. 102

114 RSTestStand.book Page 103 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 12 Part flow models Running the Part Model The part model starts automatically once RSTestStand Enterprise goes into run mode. You can view the type and number of parts at any location or mover by selecting that item in the diagram and clicking the Parts tab in the Output Message Window. You can change the part count of a selected part to zero at a Location or Mover by clicking the Drop button on the Parts tab. Part Flow objects Generators, parts, and part names Part Generators create an unlimited supply of specified types. New part names a particular type of part can be added to the process any time you are asked to bind a part. In addition, you can add new part names (types) from the Part Generator. Part names are global to the project. The same part name can be used multiple times throughout the project, in a single part model or across multiple models, without undesirable interaction. This is because Part Generators make instances of parts with the same part name, and it is the instance that is moved in the system. A Part Generator can generate multiple part types. Multiple movers (or the same mover with multiple capabilities) can pull each of the part types from the same Generator. To configure a Part Generator: 1. Select the Part Generator icon. 2. Drag the shape to the location where you want it to be. 3. Double-click it to bring up the dialog box. 4. Rename it if appropriate and add any description as needed. 5. Select the Part Generation tab. (It will be empty.) 6. Click Add Part. The part name list is displayed containing any names (types) that have been created. 7. To add a part name, click New Part Type. 8. Add the name to the first line of the dialog box. Click OK. 12 Part flow models If you reopen the Add Part dialog box, you will see that the part type has been removed from the available part names. The Part Generator can only make a single stream of a given part. 9. The new part type you created is now on the Add Part list. Click it, and click OK. The Part Generator generates the part type that you have selected. 10. Repeat this procedure to generate other parts from the same generator. 103

115 RSTestStand.book Page 104 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Locations Parts at a location can have work done on them or be sensed as to type and number. Multiple part streams can flow into a single location, and multiple parts streams can leave a location. The location manages queues for each type of part. The concept of a location is that it is a workplace where some type of work is done on the part or parts. For work to be done, resources with the appropriate capabilities are bound to the location. The possible actions for a Part Location are: Sense Presence: Sensing requires a part present switch that uses a function called When to test if the sense action is complete. You can modify the part present from the Standard Resource library to meet your needs, but you must use When to interact with the Part Flow Model in order to set the necessary switch variables. The set points of the sense action can be adjusted to determine when the part is sensed as it is carried. Right-click the sense action after it is bound to access the setpoints. Lock and Unlock: Depending on the action of the bound resource, Lock prohibits the removal of a part from the Part Location. Unlock is the complementary action. If an attempt is made to remove a locked part, a warning message is displayed, the part will not move, and the part will not be removed. Merge and Split: Depending on the state of the capability of the bound resource, will either create two parts out of one or split a single part into two. The names of the various parts involved are identified on the Part Info tab. Batch: Groups all available parts of a selected part at a given location every time the action is called. You can either batch into the same part name or into a new part name. If a batch operation occurs with no parts available, a message is displayed in the output message window. Use GetPartCount( Sense ) from a sensor bound to that location to determine when a batch should occur. Transform: Changes one part type to another at a location. It is useful for modelling something that happens to a part, such as drilling or painting. The new part then should be labeled to identify the change (although there is no automatic relationship associated with the naming). This action works on only one part at a time. Locations have capacities for individual part types. To access a capacity, double-click the Location and select the Capacity tab. Note that the default is zero (0), which means infinite capacity. If a mover tries to move a part to a location with its capacity filled for that part type, the move will not occur and an error message is displayed in the output message window. 104

116 RSTestStand.book Page 105 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 12 Part flow models Part Movers The mover is used to move parts between locations. Movers, plus the resource bound to them, are models of entities like pick and place robots, where the motion is confined to grabbing a single part and transferring it from one location to another. Another resource that might be bound to a Mover is an operator with a Carry capability. Movers have to be interposed between Conveyors, Buffers, and Locations. Multiplexers can also be used in the same way as movers. The possible actions for a Mover are: Move: Associates an action that transfers a part (assuming there is one there to transfer) to a capability. Sense: Requires a Part Present switch that uses a function called When to test if the sense action is complete. (See System procedures for the Flowchart Editor on page 153 for a more complete description.) You can modify the Part Present from the Standard Resource library to meet your needs, but you must use When to interact with the part flow model to set the necessary switch variables. The set points of the sense action can be adjusted to determine when the part is sensed as it is carried. Right-click the sense action after it is bound to access the setpoints. 12 Part flow models Multiplexer The Multiplexer routes parts coming from different sources to different output paths. It is a model of a diverter, or routing station, where a part is diverted to one path versus another. The multiplexer is controlled by binding a resource s capability with an integer value to the multiplexer. The path is routed to the appropriate path as defined by the integer value on the Destinations tab. You can set the integer value by using the Position subroutine. An example of this is shown in the flowchart logic of the Selector Switch in the Op Console library. There are no placement restrictions on the Multiplexer. It can be used to connect to any object. The Sources tab defines where the Multiplexer pulls its parts. The Multiplexer has only one action: Selector. That action transfers a part from the input (defined in the source tab) to an output. You can specify the delay it takes to do this action on the Attributes tab. The default is 0.5 seconds. If the capability is out of range (greater than the number of positions allowed), or not an integer, it is ignored. 105

117 RSTestStand.book Page 106 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Buffer A Buffer stores and retrieves parts in a particular order. It is a part location that preserves the order of parts as they arrive. You can then remove parts using a Mover by requesting whether they are pulled off the buffer as a First In, First Out (FIFO) or Last In, First Out (LIFO). The only allowable action at a Buffer is Sense Presence. Buffers have capacities for individual part types. To access a capacity, double-click on the Buffer and select the Capacity tab. Note that the default is zero (0). Zero means infinite capacity. If a mover tries to move a part to a Buffer with its capacity filled for that part type, then the move will not occur and an error message is displayed in the output message window. You can use the Buffer to model part stackers or inline buffers. Conveyor The Conveyor is a model of a synchronous conveyor where all parts shift right or left on a single event. The conveyor object is based on synchronous conveying, such as a belt or other mechanisms that shift parts all at once. The underlying scheme is a shift register that can transfer parts from one internal location on the conveyor (backward or forward). The shift register maintains the order of part types as they are placed on the belt. Parts are shifted when the capability that is bound to the conveyor using either the Move Forward or Move Reverse action reaches the high setpoint. Position is also kept within an interval. For example, when running, it is possible that the display of the shift register will show , and a moment later, will show , then , for a six-position conveyor. No parts are lost and the conveyor is behaving normally. 106

118 RSTestStand.book Page 107 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 12 Part flow models Actions that can be performed by a conveyor are: Move Forward: Typically, Move Forward is bound to a Rotary Axis from the Standard Resource library. This element is a good model of a motor. When you bind a Move Forward or Move Reverse, the dialog box asks you to specify the ratio of the number of times the motor capability reaches its setpoint to the decision to shift the conveyor parts one position. The default is 10. Move Reverse: Allows you to reverse the direction of the conveyor. Sense Presence: Allows you to bind a sense function to a specific location on the conveyor. The other actions possible for a Location are also available to a conveyor. This allows you to use the conveyor object as synchronous assembly line and other more complex models. 12 Part flow models Part Disposer The Disposer prevents parts from accumulating on the page. This object disposes of parts after they arrive. There is no record kept of the number of parts disposed. Part sensor switch The part sensor switch interacts with the Part Flow diagram. The flowchart logic tests for the presence of a part at a part location (or mover) using the function When. When references the part sensor s Sense capability. Because this is a special application of a capability, leave the value set at its default of 1.0. Changing the value does not alter the behavior of the switch. Part in Place is true whenever there are one or more parts at a location or mover. You must use the part flow diagram to use the When function. 107

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120 RSTestStand.book Page 109 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 13 Controllers Controllers are special-purpose resources that appear in the Project Model tree under the Controller folder. Like other resources, they have variables and flowcharts, but they do not have capabilities. This reflects the idea that they direct work, but do not actually do it. They also do not have children; they direct resources through their variable connections. Controllers allow you to sketch out the behavior of a live controller, such as a PLC, using flowcharts and variables. When the project is ready, you can substitute the live controller. An important feature when using the controller is the ability to copy a block of OPC tags from an external controller and have them appear in the Controller properties page as variables. This makes the switchover almost transparent. Through controllers, you can also control the execution speed of an RSEmulate 5000 processor. Once the system is properly configured, the Emulate processor will stay in sync with the RSTestStand application, including running, pausing, and running at a percentage of simulation time.you can connect multiple controllers in the project tree to multiple Emulate sessions (one per controller). This chapter describes how to use controllers in your project and describes some of the settings that are available for controllers. 13 Controllers CP/S and controllers in a system 109

121 RSTestStand.book Page 110 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Using a controller in your project To use a controller in your project: 1. In the Project Model tree, right-click the Controller folder. 2. Select New Controller. 3. Open up the property dialog box by double-clicking the new controller. 4. Rename the controller as needed. 5. Make sure Using Flow Chart is selected. 6. Select the Variables tab. 7. Select Add Variables using OPC Browser. 8. Expand the OPC browser to either the word or bit level and check the desired tags. 9. Click OK. The software automatically creates variables with the selected tags. 10. Use the Connection Diagram to wire the variables to the appropriate resources. 11. Write the flowchart that determines the controller behavior. 12. Switch to Using OPC when you want to substitute the external controller for the flowchart behavior. By using Use OPC instead of Using Flow Charts, you disable the flowchart execution and the controller becomes a proxy to the external controller. Controlling execution speeds of an RSEmulate 5000 processor You can control the execution speed of an RSEmulate 5000 processor by setting up a controller in the RSTestStand Enterprise project tree. Once the system is properly configured, the Emulate processor will stay synchronized with the RSTestStand Enterprise application, including running, pausing, and running at a percentage of simulation time. For more detail on the synchronization process, see the online help topic External Model Time Control. To configure the link: 1. Create a Controller in the RSTestStand Enterprise project tree as described above. 2. Double-click the new controller to display its Property dialog box. 3. Click Communications to display the Communications dialog box. 4. Select Synchronize with Emulate. 110

122 RSTestStand.book Page 111 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 13 Controllers 5. In the Slot Number box, set the appropriate slot number in the Virtual Backplane. OPC Server Information dialog box for Controllers, showing RSEmulate synchronization option 13 Controllers Once you have set up the Emulate session, you can control the execution speed of the Simulation clock. To control the execution speed: 1. Select the Clock icon from the RSTestStand Enterprise toolbar, either during editing or while running. 2. Slide the scale from 1.00 to some percentage of simulation time when RSTestStand Enterprise is executing. RSEmulate 5000 will execute at the same percentage speed. If you pause during simulation, RSEmulate will halt its scan at the point at which it receives the command to halt. You can use the Halt instruction in RSTestStand Enterprise to programmatically control the pausing and restarting of the system clock. 111

123 RSTestStand.book Page 112 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Controlling the execution speed of multiple RSEmulate 5000 processors You can connect multiple controllers in the project tree to multiple Emulate sessions (one per controller). TimeSync controls the execution speed of RSTestStand Enterprise as a percentage of the simulation clock (in most cases, simulation time will equal wall clock time). If RSTestStand Enterprise is configured to control an RSEmulate 5000 session, it will also control the execution speed of the emulator. To coordinate multiple RSEmulate sessions: 1. In the project tree, create a controller for each RSEmulate 5000 session. 2. Double-click a Controller to display its Property dialog box. 3. Click Communications. The OPC Server Information dialog box is displayed. 4. Select Synchronize with RSEmulate In the Slot Number box, select an RSEmulate session slot number. 6. Click OK. 7. Repeat the process for each RSEmulate 5000 session. 8. To master all the Emulate sessions, click the TimeSync tool icon. The Set Time Factor dialog box is displayed. 9. Move the slider to set the time factor of the master clock to execute. The range is 0.1% to 100% of simulation time. The TimeSync factor is stored in the project, so the project can be closed and re-opened without losing this information. 112

124 RSTestStand.book Page 113 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 13 Controllers Controller Property dialog box Attribute tab Option Description Resource Name Lets you change the name as it appears on the Project Model tree. External Identifier A unique identifier that ties the resource to the imported source. Template Identifier Selects a type that matches library elements in other systems, such as Enterprise Controls. If no pre-defined categories are imported through the File > Import dialog box, the browse button is grayed out. See Importing and exporting projects on page 121. Description Allows you to enter a 255-character description of the Controller. Use Flow Chart Logic Only Allows you to pick whether the controller is being used as a proxy. Use OPC Data Only Communications Displays the standard OPC communications dialog box, where you can change the targeted server and its update rate. Variables tab Variables are how the system stores values during program execution. Values are typically communicated to other resources or controllers in the system using the connection browser. 13 Controllers At this time, there is no provision for checking whether variables used in the flowchart logic have been previously defined in the Resource Property dialog box. If RSTestStand Enterprise cannot find a variable name, it assumes you want to use it locally within a process block during a single scan (for example, the index counter for a For Next loop.) The variable is destroyed when the software exits the process block. For this reason, variables that are not defined in the software will not hold state from one scan to the next. NAME Can be any alphanumeric string that is less than 80 characters. It can only start with an alphabetic character (no numbers) and cannot contain spaces (use underscore instead). Any other characters, such as the minus sign, cannot be used. 113

125 RSTestStand.book Page 114 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE TYPE Lets you define the type of variable. Typing determines how the variable is represented when it is connected to a PLC using the OPC protocol. For variables that will be connected to a PLC, make sure they match the type of the variable to which they are connected. The types are: bool: 0 or 1, true or false dint: 32-bit integer int: 16-bit integer double: 8-byte floating point real number real: 4-byte floating point real number string: text arrays: bool, int, double int, real, double (real), and string. See Initial Value for dimensioning the arrays. CONNECTIONS Lets you create a link between the selected variable and other variables in the system. When variables are connected, it is as if there is a wire transferring the contents of one variable to the other variables. Multiple variables can be connected using the browser tree (fan out). If a variable is connected to the one you are looking at, the field is filled in with the name of the variable. If multiple variables are connected, the outline of the field is changed from black to red dashes. Variables do not have to be the same type to be able to transfer values, but we recommend that you keep the types the same for troubleshooting purposes. Mode Determines how a value in a variable in the system is resolved when there might be competing points of connection. For example, if a variable is connected to another variable, whether internally or through OPC, and both connections can modify the variable, you can select Source to tell the system that this variable is write only. 114

126 RSTestStand.book Page 115 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 13 Controllers The choices are: Source: Write only. Controlled only by the flowchart. When a source mode variable is connected to a duplex variable, and the value of the duplex variable is different than the source, the source mode variable will always write its value to the duplex variable. Duplex: Read and write. If a duplex variable is connected to other variables, and the values of these variables are changing, and you are also controlling the value locally through a flowchart, the value of the duplex variable is determined by the last update from whatever location. For this reason, be careful of how you connect duplex variables. Sink: Read only. If the variable is connected through OPC to a PLC, Sink means that the initial value of the variable will not be written to the PLC at startup. There are some unique considerations regarding source and duplex variables when the variables are using the OPC link. See the online help topics Application Considerations using OPC and Initial Value Considerations for additional information. PUBLIC Shows whether the variable will appear in the Variable browser list. INITIAL VALUE The values that are loaded into the variable when the system goes into Run mode. They can be used to determine the state of the model at startup. For example, you may want to set the Returned limit switch to True on an axis so that it appears that the mechanism is retracted when power is turned on. If your variable has an OPC tag address, this value will be written to the PLC on the first scan unless Sink is selected. By default, the initial value of duplex variables is not written to the PLC at startup. In general, you should use source variables to control the initial value in the PLC logic. However, under certain circumstances, you may want to have the initial value of the duplex variable written during the pre-scan of the software. You can change the default by going to the Resource Property Communication dialog and selecting Send Duplex variables initial value to server during startup. If you have selected an array data type in the Type column: 1. Right-click the Initial Value field and select Configure Array. 2. Click Resize to set the size of the array. The array defaults to eight elements. You cannot directly connect array elements to other variables in the system. If you wish to make array elements available to other resources, you must equate an array element in the flow chart to another defined variable in the variable table. 13 Controllers 115

127 RSTestStand.book Page 116 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE TAG The OPC tag is the address the system uses to communicate to a PLC. If you cannot find your target address in the browser, be sure that the Topic is configured in RSLinx. The first time you select a value for the Tag field, you will see a dialog box with the message The Is Using Server flag is off. Would you like to turn it on? Generally, when you are prompted with the message, you should select Yes. This message refers to the check box under the Communications button on the Attributes tab. If it is not turned on, the OPC connection client does not create a group. If you want to selectively disable communications for troubleshooting purposes, select No. To turn this flag on or off later, select the Attributes tab, click the Communications button, and select or clear the Is Using Server checkbox. To select OPC tag addresses in the Tag column: 1. Click the browse (...) button to the right of the Tag column. Browse Tags dialog box 2. Choose tags from the Browse Tags dialog box. Click OK. 116

128 RSTestStand.book Page 117 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 13 Controllers You can also type in a tag address. The format is: [Topic_name]File:Word.bit You can connect an array variable to an OPC array using the following syntax: [topic]base_address<,l##> You can browse for the base address and then type the comma, L, and a number to indicate the number of elements to be transferred. A valid OPC address would be: [mytopic]n7:0,l5, which would read five words of data starting at N7:0. RSTestStand Enterprise does not require the variable array to match the length of the OPC tag array. ADD VARIABLES USING OPC BROWSER BUTTON Lets you import the name of a variable and its OPC tag address from the OPC tag browser. You can multi-select as many tags as you want to import. This allows you to both quickly populate the variable name field and easily switch over control of the simulation from an internal flowchart to a live controller. The RSTestStand Enterprise controller is now a proxy to the live controller. 13 Controllers 117

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130 RSTestStand.book Page 119 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 14 Local VBScript Modules If you have some unique functions that cannot be done in a flowchart, you can use Local VBScript Modules for interacting directly with the Visual Basic Script interpreter. For an example of a Local VBScript Module, see the Excel Driven Generator resource of the Standard Resource library (under Wave Form Generators). Note that Local VBScript Modules do not directly support an import procedure from Visual Basic. This chapter tells you how to create a Local VBScript Module and describes subroutines and functions. Creating a Local VBScript Module To create a Local VBScript Module: 1. Select the Local VBScript Module icon from the toolbar. 2. Draw a Local VBScript Module box. 3. Double-click the text in the box. The VB Script Editor is displayed. 4. After you are finished, click OK. Local VBScript Modules are executed once during the first scan, and are not executed again unless the flowchart references them through function or subroutine calls. When they are called, they are executed before any other flowchart blocks. To execute a Local VBScript Module on every scan without having to write a flowchart script, create a Resource_Update subroutine in your Local VBScript Module. See System procedures for the Flowchart Editor on page 153 for more information on this subroutine. Variables that are defined in the resource (using the properties page) can be referenced in the VBScript MOdule using the syntax var.myvar. You can do this be first typing vars and then right-clicking to pick the variable name. See the online help topic Local VB Script Modules for an example of a simple count function. Variables that are declared using the DIM statement in a Local VBScript Module, but not defined on the resource property dialog box, are scoped locally to the resource and can be referenced in a flowchart of that resource. For example, an array element can be used in a flowchart. You can also DIM other variable types and use them in your flowchart. For example, if you are assigning an object to a variable using the Set command, you must declare them first in the Script Module. If you wanted to open a Microsoft Excel application, and referenced it as My_app, this line must be in a Script Module: 14 Local VBScript Modules Public My_App 119

131 RSTestStand.book Page 120 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE You would use My_app in a flowchart by first using this line in a process block to assign My_App to the CreateObject: Set My_App = CreateObject("Excel.Application") After the assignment, you can use My_App in any reference, such as: My_App.Visible = True where the property Visible is made True. Because of how the interpreter works, special structures such as Arrays must be declared by calling the Visual Basic Script interpreter directly using the DIM statement in a Local VBScript Module. Another example of special structures are Subroutines and Functions. Since they are executed as Visual Basic Script, they follow Microsoft Script syntax. Subroutines A Subroutine procedure is a series of VBScript statements, enclosed by Sub and End Sub statements, that perform actions but don t return a value. A Subroutine procedure can take arguments (constants, variables, or expressions that are passed by a calling procedure). If a Subroutine procedure has no arguments, its Subroutine statement must include an empty set of parentheses (). Example: Functions Sub Rando(ByRef val, ByVal Lo, ByVal Hi) val = (Rnd * Abs(Hi - Lo)) + Lo End Sub A Function procedure is a series of VBScript statements enclosed by the Function and End Function statements. A Function procedure is similar to a Sub procedure, but can also return a value. A Function procedure can take arguments (constants, variables, or expressions that are passed to it by a calling procedure). If a Function procedure has no arguments, its Function statement must include an empty set of parentheses. A Function returns a value by assigning a value to its name in one or more statements of the procedure. The return type of a Function is always a Variant. Example: Function Incr(ByVal val, ByVal offset) Incr = val + offset End Function The above information is from We recommend that you use this reference for additional information on Visual Basic Scripting. 120

132 RSTestStand.book Page 121 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 15 Importing and exporting projects RSTestStand Enterprise allows you to import all or part of your Project Model from other applications such as CAD modeling packages or data management systems. You can also import RSTestStand files. You can use multiple RSTestStand imports to build up your system test scenario out of unit test elements. Likewise, all or part of the Project Model can be exported to another package, be worked on there, and then re-imported. RSTestStand Enterprise imports and exports its Project Model in an industry standard data format XML (extended Markup Language). XML provides flexibility and portability to many different types of applications. But XML, unlike many earlier protocols, has explicit mechanisms that specify and validate the contents of an XML file. RSTestStand Enterprise has developed and documented an XML file format, or schema, called EDX. For more detail, see the online help topic The EDX Schema. You can also import and export comma separated values (csv) files. See Importing and exporting your project variables on page 17. A feature of RSTestStand Enterprise is that it will keep attribute data coming in from another system in its project file, even if it is not being used in the project. The data is stored in XMLets in such a way that it can be paired back up with its original resource on export. This chapter describes how to import, merge, and export XML files, and how to import and merge RSTestStand projects. Importing and merging XML files To import an EDX file: 1. Select File > Import. 2. Select Import from XML Source. 3. Use the Open File dialog box to find the appropriate file. Select the EDX filter on the file dialog box. An EDX file will have either an.edx or.xml file extension. 4. Select the file. If the file is not EDX compatible, the software will return an error message. The error message is also logged. 5. A dialog box is displayed. On the left side of the dialog box, under the Structure tab, is a window that displays the content of the XML file. On the right side is a copy of the Project Model. 15 Importing and exporting projects 121

133 RSTestStand.book Page 122 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 6. Click >> to transfer the contents of the XML file to the Project Model. The imported tree is traversed, resources are created based on matching Category/Type contents, the external ID is set, variables created, and so on. The import is done into a new workspace. 7. Click OK to complete the process. The import-workspace s root folder is merged into the root folder of the open project in RSTestStand Enterprise. External ID matching is limited based by structure in the workspace. Exporting files using XML To export to an XML file: 1. Select File > Export. 2. Select the appropriate filter on the dialog box to determine what schema to use during the export. 3. Name the file and its directory location. 4. Click OK. 5. A dialog box is displayed that allows you to select the level in the project hierarchy at which you want to export. Importing and merging RSTestStand projects You can import as many RSTestStand projects as you wish. However, if you import the same RSTestStand file multiple times, each import will create a new instance in the target project tree. There is no attempt to replace existing resources with newer versions of the same resource. If you try to import an RSTestSTand Enterprise project, you will get a warning message. All part flow models, TestScripts, and controllers will be stripped out on the import. 1. Select File > Import. 2. Select Import from RSTestStand. The File Open dialog box is displayed. 3. Select the appropriate RSTestStand file (.rsm extension). 4. The import function inserts the entire RSTestStand project under the Equipment (or root) folder in the target RSTestStand Enterprise project. 122

134 RSTestStand.book Page 123 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 16 Developing and using TestScripts TestScripts are a method of checking out your control system in an organized and repeatable way. Instead of using broomsticks to toggle switches and paper printouts to record results, TestScripts can control your testing environment by allowing you to create electronic forms that direct your tester each step of the way and dynamically interact with the control system through the process. You can create multiple TestScripts in a project and run them independently. Each TestScript consists of a collection of tests that are executed sequentially in the order in which they appear in the project tree. TestScripts, as independent entities, can be run concurrently so that you have different tests executing simultaneously. RSTestStand Enterprise continues to run when a Test form appears. This chapter describes how to: Create a TestScript Edit TestScripts Set up and use a manual TestScript Run TestScripts Log test results This chapter also provides descriptions of the standard forms that are included with RSTestStand Enterprise. Creating a new TestScript To create a new TestScript: 1. Go to the CheckList folder and right-click. 2. Select New TestScript. 3. Double-click the TestScript and modify the property dialog box as needed. 4. A new TestScript is displayed in the CheckList folder. Rename as required. 5. If you plan to use logging, go back to the CheckList folder and choose Select Log File. A blank log file is installed with the software called Test Log. It can be opened in NotePad or similar programs. All tests, if they log, can only log to this one file. You can change files from one session to the next. 6. Right-click the TestScript and select New Test. 7. Double-click the Test. A property dialog box is displayed. 8. Fill in the description, author, and other relevant information as needed. 9. Select the Form choice from the list. 10. Select Configure Form. See Configuration of standard Forms on page Developing and using TestScripts 123

135 RSTestStand.book Page 124 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Editing TestScripts using Visual Basic Script You can write your own TestScripts in Visual Basic Script. We have added special procedures to RSTestStand Enterprise that are available through the VBS interpreter and are documented in Built-in procedures for the TestScript Editor on page 159. You can edit the Visual Basic Script directly from a Test dialog box. If you want to edit the currently selected form (for example, to add or modify the layout of the form), select the Edit Form Code. To edit the entire script, choose Edit Script Code. This will allow you to change the sequence of execution and create new forms of your own design within the TestScript. Both of these choices bring up the Visual Basic Script Editor. Setting up and using a manual TestScript This section shows you how to configure a manual TestScript. 1. Stop the simulation. 2. Right-click the CheckList folder and select New TestScript. Rename. 3. Repeat the process and choose Select Log file. 4. Choose the default. 5. Right-click the TestScript you just created and select New Test. 6. Rename as appropriate. 7. Double-click New Test. The Test Properties dialog box is displayed. The default for Forms is FormManual. 8. Click Configure Form. This dialog box is displayed. 9. Enter the prompt for the test executor. For this example, type in Make sure parts are loading into Shuttle Bin. Leave both boxes selected. 10. Click OK twice. 11. Go back into Run mode. 12. Right-click the New Test and select Run Test. 124

136 RSTestStand.book Page 125 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 16 Developing and using TestScripts 13. The test dialog box is displayed and asks the Tester to perform the necessary action. The Tester will select Pass, Fail, or Incomplete. Depending on the state of selection, the icon of the test will change.the tester can also enter a comment, which will be logged as part of the results. 14. Add another manual Test or two. Repeat step 13 except select Run Script from the TestScript. Each form will appear sequentially. Running TestScripts TestScripts are written in Visual Basic Script and execute in their own environment, although they interact with the Project Model during runtime. Because they run as a separate thread, a TestScript form that appears on the screen does not block the execution of the real-time model. They can also be run concurrently. You can run either an individual Test independently of the TestScript, or you can run the TestScript itself. If you choose to run the TestScript, each Test under that TestScript will execute sequentially. If you want to have a background Test, make sure it is in its own TestScript. You might use this feature to run the Interlock Test during the simulation as a background Test while running a sequence of manual Tests. To run a TestScript: 1. Place the project in Run or Start Pause mode. 2. Right-click the appropriate TestScript and select Run TestScript. You can also run Tests individually by right-clicking the Test and selecting Run Test. If a Test has been marked Pass and you run the TestScript that contains it again, it will be skipped over. If you need to change it, it can be accessed by running the Test individually. All Tests in a TestScript can be reset to Incomplete by choosing Reset All Tests from the TestScript shortcut menu. Some of the Tests do not need to be present on the screen while they are running. Choose minimize to shrink them. Tests and TestScripts can run concurrently. Running any Test or TestScript will not block the execution of the main simulation program. The difference between running individual Tests and running a TestScript is that the Tests embedded in the TestScript will execute sequentially in the order they appear in the Project Model. You can reorder their execution by dragging and dropping the individual Test to wherever you want it. 16 Developing and using TestScripts 125

137 RSTestStand.book Page 126 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE The Log File for TestScripts To select the log file, right-click the folder CheckLists. The default log file is called Test Log. If you want to use this file, click it in the File Open dialog box. If you want to use another file, it must exist first and then you can select it. All tests, if they log, can only log to this one file. However, you can change files from one session to the next. When a TestScript is run and the logging selection is enabled, RSTestStand Enterprise writes a text string to the log file. Each field is separated by commas and can be imported into programs such as Microsoft Excel as a.csv file. The fields that are written out during a log event are dependent on which forms have been selected and any custom modifications you might have done to the TestScripts. You can change the format by editing the VBS code of the TestScript. Configuration of standard Forms The four forms that are included with the software are: Manual Form Random Fault Form Snapshot Form Interlock Form These forms can be used in any test and any test can be used in any TestScript as many times as you need, but you can only have one form per test. Forms are written in VB Script and can be modified. Manual Form A manual form is a procedural checklist, where a tester is directed to perform an action and record the results. To configure a manual form: 1. Double-click a Test in a TestScript. 2. Select FormManual from the list in the Forms portion of the dialog box. 3. Click Configure Form. 126

138 RSTestStand.book Page 127 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 16 Developing and using TestScripts 4. Type any instructions you might want to display to the tester in the top text box. 5. Select the Log on Completion box to log the name of the test, the time it was logged, and the results. 6. Select Require Tester Name Entry to log the name of the tester (as entered when the test is run). 7. Click OK when you are finished. 8. Click OK on the Test dialog box. You have now configured the Test. 16 Developing and using TestScripts Random Fault Form This form simulates faults in the system by forcing RSTestStand Enterprise variables either according to a sequential pattern or randomly. The contents of these variables then can be used to input fault conditions to your control system. Use this form to check diagnostics and other operating responses in your control system. This Test typically would be run in a separate TestScript as a single Test in the script. You would leave this test running and observe the results. Enabling logging in this case would only identify that the test has been run and completed. It will be up to you to determine whether the system passed or failed. Similar to other forms, when run, the tester would enter pass, fail, or incomplete. To configure a random fault form: 1. After bringing up the Test dialog box, select FormRndFaults from the list. 2. Click Configure Form. 127

139 RSTestStand.book Page 128 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE 3. Click the button next to Event Trigger to browse for a variable. 4. Enter the value you want to test the event against in the box next to the variable. The event trigger is an expression that tests the current value of the selected variable against the value in the box. If the expression is true, the event is enabled. If the box is left blank, it is assumed that the expression is testing to see if the variable s value is True. The event stays enabled until the event is reset, using the same expression evaluation mechanism. An event can be as simple as pushing a push button. The event is set through the button going on; the event is reset by the button going off. 5. The Pattern identifies how the table below is executed. The options are: All: Causes every variable to be forced to the target value listed next to it every time the event trigger is set. The force is removed when the event trigger is reset. Random: Forces values in the table randomly. Sequentially: Forces values one at a time moving down the table. At the end of the table, it restarts at the top. 6. Populate the table of variables using the variable browser. Enter the desired force value in the box next to the table. Enter True or False for Boolean variables. Enter numbers otherwise. 7. Select the Log On Completion box to log the name of the test, the time it was logged, and the results. 128

140 RSTestStand.book Page 129 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 16 Developing and using TestScripts 8. Select Require Tester Name Entry to log the name of the tester (as entered when the test is run). 9. The tester can complete the test by indicating whether it passes, fails, or is incomplete. You can write to the log, closing the test. Snapshot Form The Snapshot form allows you to create a test that snapshots a set of variable values and logs them any time the event expression evaluates true. Since the expression is any valid VBS expression using variables defined in your project, it is a powerful tool for logging the system response under a variety of conditions. Because it is grabbing a set of data points concurrently, you can build up a profile of an event using the data set as defined in the table. To configure a Snapshot Form: 1. Configure the Snapshot form by selecting FormSnapShot from the list. 2. Click Configure Form to display this dialog box. 16 Developing and using TestScripts 3. Use a valid VBS expression containing project variables to create the trigger expression. 4. Browse for the appropriate data points of the values you want to capture. Every time the trigger expression evaluates True, the values in the variables in the table will be logged. Similar to the Random Fault Test, you will probably want to run this Test as a single Test in a TestScript and leave it running during the testing cycle. The tester can complete the test by indicating whether it passes, fails, or is incomplete. You can write to the log, closing the test. 129

141 RSTestStand.book Page 130 Friday, September 10, :22 PM RSTESTSTAND ENTERPRISE GETTING RESULTS GUIDE Interlock Form The Interlock Form allows you to create a background test that checks for conditions that should not be allowed according to the physics of the model. By evaluating expressions that contain these statements about fault conditions, the Test then responds based on how you check off the various choices: Halt, Log, or Message. To configure an Interlock Form: 1. Configure the Interlock form by selecting FormInterlock from the list. 2. Click Configure Form to display this dialog box. 3. Use a valid VBS expression containing project variables to create the trigger expression. Typically, you would want to compare the value in a variable with some constant or the value in another variable. 4. Select the response of the system to the expression going true. Your check box choices are not exclusive. 5. Halt puts the system into Pause mode, where RSTestStand Enterprise is still running but the flowcharts are not being evaluated and variables are not being updated. The simulation clock is also frozen. 6. Make sure, if you halt the system, that whatever condition created the fault is removed. Otherwise it will scan once and return to the same Pause state. 130

142 RSTestStand.book Page 131 Friday, September 10, :22 PM 17 Communications using OPC RSTestStand Enterprise uses OLE for Process Control (OPC) as its communication protocol for external devices. It is a client application that requires a 2.0 compliant server to exchange data. RSLinx 2.40 or higher is the RSTestStand Enterprise default server. This chapter describes: How to connect to another server Topic names Groups and items How variables update Powerup scans How to search and replace OPC tag addresses and variable names 17 Communications using OPC 131