TM172 built-in HMI variables watch

[otrotabi]

While debugging HMI pages and scripts under simulation, I know of two different methods to watch the value of a variable defined either local or global in the HMI.

1) Define a status variable, set the status with the Video_SetParam function and use the watch screen f the PLC debugger or

2) Display the variables on a screen. This last method is usually faster but it is prone to errors in the pages if you forget to delete them.

Is there any other way ?

[obscuresc · Accepted solution]

Hi @otrotabi,

You can use the debugging tool in the HMI tool. The button below will open it.

Otherwise, you could do a hidden page that displays debugging info, I have one that is protected from access using the preprocessor directives. You could also use the 'sysWriteDbgMsg' of the PLC side to push out logs from HMI. 

[otrotabi]

Thanks for your answer.  This opens a hidden world to me 🤓

So, this button opens a new interface that shows the underlying structured text that builds the pages. A couple of extra questions please:

1) Is it ok to mess with this code implementing extra features ? I can not think of anything particular right now but as of now just out of curiosity. And if that is possible, how do you avoid overwriting the changes you made next time you compile the HMI project ?

2) So, I can see the whole program structure is basically the same as the PLC program structure, so that means I could add extra function blocks and programs ? Maybe add some function blocks to a library in case I would like to reuse them in the future ? I can see that the HMIInterface library must be generated on the fly everytime I compile the HMI project because these represent the strings in the project.

Once again, thanks. 

Regards

[obscuresc]

You're welcome. It would be nice to be able to edit things here, but according to this post we can't; it only shows a generated ST from the GUI editor of HMI, so we can't edit it. There might be a way to create our own libraries through this section, to be used in the HMI. This is not something I've tried. If you have any success doing this, I would be keen to know.

The main things I use this for, other than debugging, is a reference to the constants like 'kACS_PRINT', or to be able to search for where I use variables in the Display. 

[FedericoM]

Hello,

I confirm that the main purpose of this view is debugging and learn how your script are managed, you can't edit it.

What you are asking for is possible with the display of TM173O, it allows to make much more than M171O, but if it is not enough:

[otrotabi]

Thanks @obscuresc and @FedericoM . It is good to know about this powerful tool. 

I hope I will receive TM173s soon.  In the meantime if I choose Expert mode, this message appears:

and "menu" folder is created. What you mean is that these function blocks maybe modified ?

[FedericoM]

Yes, the code you see is the one that implements the menu defined in the Configuration Perspective at the moment in which you enabled the expert mode.

The changes to folders in the Configuration Perspective has no effect until the Expert mode is enabled.

If it is really needed, I suggest to use as much as possible the Configuration definition and use the expert mode just in the final development phase