New features wanted!! Apply here!

[marksji]

Just found this forum, sorry if I'm late 

I agree with most of what's here so I don't have much to add, but... 

I've always wanted to be able to expand/collapse stages in the ladder view; seems like that would be one way to have the multiple ladder concept easily within the current PLC hardware design.

[Jackk7]

I would like to see an additional option on the XRef View. I would like to be able to set it so it would display anything I have supplied a nickname for, even if it has not yet been used for anything. Also, if I'm using XRef in its usage mode, I would like to see an item's location as being used in every case where I have given it a nickname.

I would also like a search function so if I thought that what I was looking for was around V2310, I could jump to it and see what's in the neighborhood. Browz will let me see V2310, but it doesn't show what's around it, and I have to exit from it and close its window before I can do anything else.

I would also like the usage mode to pick up on ranges that have been defined. If I set aside V2000 - V2025 for input from a CTRIO, the usage table says they're free to use however I want. I need to be able to provide nicknames for the individual registers, but they should be marked to let me know they're in a range that's not totally free. Maybe color could be used. If a range is defined, that range will show up in yellow on the usage chart.

[b_carlton]

Documentation - Nicknames. Being able to assign a nickname to a block of locations with a specified method for incrementing a part of the nickname.

For example - I want to reserve V2000 through V2007 for "Reading". I select the group of locations in the documentation wihdow specify then nickname as "Reading_[0-7]". It  then automatically assigns V2000 = "Reading_0", V2001 = "Reading_1", V2002 = "Reading_2" etc.

Though I guess we can always export, modify and reimport the nicknames.

[franji1]

Though I guess we can always export, modify and reimport the nicknames.

One of the options in the Import Element Documentation dialog is to merge with the existing database, so you only need to create the Nicknames you need, e.g. V2000 - V2007.

There are actually 2 Merge options based on if any collisions occur (e.g. a nickname already exists for V2003 AND the input file has a nickname for V2003).  One gives priority to the existing Project's nickname (.PRJ priority), the other gives priority to the input text file (.CSV priority).

[JohnB]

One new feature that I would like to see in NetEdit would be the ability to change the Ethernet Timeout setting the way that you can in Directsoft under the advanced settings for the link setup. NetEdit works OK for most of the PLC's we have connected, but we have some that it cannot see because the timeout period is too short. I assume that if you made the timeout period too long that it could take a long time to finish the network scan, but it would be useful to have this ability. If you could change the program so that the timeout period was adjustable, and the program was set up so it did not do a network scan when it was first launched, then you could run the program, change the timeout to whatever you needed, and then manually press the network scan button. Alternately, the network scan could be set up with a check box to pick whether you wanted to run it automatically when the program launched.

[JohnB]

Here is a feature that I would like to see in Directsoft. A lot of the outputs that I program are to V-memory locations, and it is inconvenient to have to bring up the instruction box before typing OUT to get an OUT output box for a V-memory location. If you just type OUT over a NOP instruction, it always programs a binary output - single bit coil. I would like to see an instruction added like OUTV that would enter the V-memory output box over the NOP instruction just by typing it.

 

[franji1]

Here is a feature that I would like to see in Directsoft. A lot of the outputs that I program are to V-memory locations, and it is inconvenient to have to bring up the instruction box before typing OUT to get an OUT output box for a V-memory location. If you just type OUT over a NOP instruction, it always programs a binary output - single bit coil. I would like to see an instruction added like OUTV that would enter the V-memory output box over the NOP instruction just by typing it.

This was one of the reasons why we added Tip-of-the-Day in Rel 5 (lots of hidden stuff people don't know about).  Hit the slash key with the OUT coil.  It changes it to the OUT box, then slash again takes you back to the OUT coil.  So just type
O U T <enter> /
and you're there!

This is tip #23 To place a new OUT Box quickly, place your cursor over the NOP or an empty location, type "OUT" (without the quotes), hit Enter. This will give you an Out Coil. Then hit the forward slash key "/" to "toggle" between the OUT Coil and an OUT Box.
They're actually NOT numbered, but it makes it sound more cool 

There are actually a BUNCH of goodies in the Tip O' The Day.  If you don't want to read them in the DirectSOFT TOD dialog, someone actually posted them on the web: http://www.plcdev.com/directsoft_5_tips.  There's actually a few more with Rel 5.1 and Rel 5.2 that are not listed there (Rel 5.2 is a free maintenance upgrade to all Rel 5 users).  Here's the link for that http://www.hosteng.com/TheDownloadPage.htm.

Like Math IBoxes display their results when status is turned ON.  DirectSOFT On The Web.  Support for serial ports COM1 thru COM199 (not just COM1 thru COM8).  Oh, and a few bug fixes 

[MikeS]

there's another way to get there : hit f7 then type o u t <cr>. f7 brings up the box browser which defaults to creating an out box.

f7
out
<cr>

boom, you're ready to enter the memory location. it's no fewer keystrokes than using the "/", it's just what i got used to doing.

[rgweber]

Suggestion from a Forum newbie - Directsoft - Unless this is a current feature that I don't know how to enable, I would highly recommend adding the cross-reference for addresses used within the calculations of an Math I-Box.

[franji1]

I would highly recommend adding the cross-reference for addresses used within the calculations of an Math I-Box.

I wish it currently worked as you desired, but it doesn't     Excellent recommendation, one that we're addressing for Rel 6.

[Paulyo]

I just wanted to add my two cents. I think that having a way to separate the logic in to sections or subroutines would be a very nice feature. Having everything in one extremely long ladder diagram is cumbersome to look at. I have one program that has over 1000 rungs in it and sometimes its hard to find a certain routine because it is in the middle someplace.

A DeviceNET scanner would be really nice. It would expand the compatibility to many more suppliers.

Binary counters are another good suggestion that I will second. In RSLogix5000 (its not in 5 or 500) there is only 1 time base (ms) and a 32bit binary accumulator good for 4294967295ms (49.7 days). I have had to cascade timers to get the value I needed.  this is not very efficient.

Keep up the good work.

[ATU]

I think that having a way to separate the logic in to sections or subroutines would be a very nice feature

Several AD Plc's have subroutines and you should look at the Stage Programming feature.

Binary counters are another good suggestion that I will second. In RSLogix5000 (its not in 5 or 500) there is only 1 time base (ms) and a 32bit binary accumulator good for 4294967295ms (49.7 days). I have had to cascade timers to get the value I needed.  this is not very efficient.

Are you refering to Timers or Counters?  If you are looking for large Minute, hour or day counters. The UD Counters are double word capable to 8 digits and you can trigger those with the system timing bits.

The RSLOGIX5000 software is quite powerful, but you are paying for it in multiple 1000's of dollars for a system. I think the AD line can be equally as powerful in certain circumstances if you become familiar enough with its capabilities.

[Joe]

This is a small thing, but in DSLaunch under the projects, I would like the files to show up alphabetically rather than the order they are created.

[MikeS]

we're going to completely revamp dslaunch for directsoft v6.

one of the many changes will be to let you sort the list of projects alphabetically, by date, by plc type, by connection type and by any other criterion we can come up with (that makes sense).

[b_carlton]

While this can be done in DS500.INI I would like to be able to select a group of the projects in the launch window to remove them (from the window only - don't even present an option to remove them from the disk!).