The Project
One project holds the whole application: the PLC source, the machine and channel configuration, the fieldbus devices and the operator screens. What the tree looks like is on your screen; what follows is what the screen does not say.
A build writes into the project
Section titled “A build writes into the project”Compiling adds its output to the project and replaces it on the next build. None of it is source, so it is not worth keeping or carrying anywhere: opening the project on another PC and building gives it back.
The device descriptions travel with the project
Section titled “The device descriptions travel with the project”The vendors’ descriptions of the drives and I/O are held inside the project rather than in the Development System’s own installation. A project carries the devices it was built against, so it builds the same way on a PC that has never seen those files.
The active target is part of the project
Section titled “The active target is part of the project”The project records which target is selected, simulation included. A project that arrives from someone else arrives with their selection, so it is worth reading before a deploy rather than after one.
Where to go next
Section titled “Where to go next”- PLC: the logic in the project, and how it is organised.
- I/O & EtherCAT: bringing devices in, and mapping them.
- Building & Deploying a Project: what compiling produces, and how it reaches a target.