Project automation

In order to reduce the cost of solutions, applications for industrial control need to be built within short time. This can be achieved by reducing the time of programming and the time of configuration the industrial control project.

In order to reach this goal COPALP enhanced the straton product with the project automation tool.

Overview

This feature allows to create and modify a part or a complete project with standard development tool chains. It gives you the possibility to automate the import/export of actual information from your database (xml, MS Excel, SQL) or other tools directly into the straton application. Typical information can be variables definition and I/Os configurations but also some program generated automatically or copied from template.

 
 

 

 

Architecture

Project Automation is a new powerful tool to easily generate or modify application for industrial control. It offers a complete set of interfaces in order to:

  • Create new wizards to build the skeleton of a new project.
  • Create wizards that automate or import the I/O configuration.
  • Automatically generate documentation about project items.
  • Any import / export procedures

 

 

Straton IDE integration

The automation project can be developed using IEC61131-3 languages directly from the straton IDE without the necessity to use an external tool. This provides a very easy way to develop your automation project without the need to learn a new language and without the installation of an external tool.

  • Registering the script in straton as a "New project" wizard.
    Your script is intended to create the skeleton for a new project, you can register it so that straton proposes it in its standard procedure to create new project.
  • Registering the script in straton as a tool.
    Your script is intended to modify an open project, you can register it so that straton proposes it from the command menu and toolbar.
  • Running a script from other applications.

Scripts developed with straton can be run from external applications:

  • From the command line: Scripts can be executed directly from the Windows console or from .BAT files.
  • From "C / C++" applications: Your "C/C++" applications can run the automation project  directly by calling the dedicated interface.

 

 

COM interface

Several standard or proprietary tools are available on the market to generate or configurate industrial applications for process control. In order to integrate the automation project in these development tool chains, the automation library is delivered as a COM component.

Typical tools:

  • Visual Basic
  • zenon with the integrated Visual Basic runtime
  • Microsoft Excel
  • C#