General options

All managers understand the following options. An list of these options that can only be used for selected managers can be found in the manager-specific chapters. Options can be added to the available managers in the program configuration (see Administration of managers). In this chapter the options are described as they are shown in the command line interpreter of the operating system (with -help):

-help

This option shown all general and manager-specific options supported for a manager together with their arguments and a brief description in English. Via the WinCC OA console this option is only supported for the UI manager (WCCOAui) - opens the output window and stops the manager. For the other managers this option has to be executed in the command line interpreter of the operating system. Example for the archive manager:

<wincc_oa_path>\bin>WCCOAvalarch.exe -help

Description of the general options

The following table describes the general options that can be used for each manager.

Option <argument> Description
-autofreg Deletes a possibly existing registration and registers a project newly.
-autoreg Registers a project if the project is not registered yet. Therefore, the environment variable PVSS_II must be set and the option must be used in connection with the -config option in order to register projects on the fly. For more information see chapter register project.
-config <file>

Specifies the project via the project configuration file. This can be set global via the environment variable PVSS_II_PROJ. The -config option takes priority. When the -config option is specified it overwrites the environment variable PVSS_II_PROJ.

The file name has to have the following format:

"<Project root>/<Project name>/config/config" for example, start

WCCOAui -m para -config C:\Projekte\myGettingStarted\config\config

and has to be assigned exactly to one LOCAL registered project name.

Local projects can also be registered on the fly in connection with the -config option. The option -autoreg registers the project if it is not registered yet and -autofreg deletes an existing registration and registers the project newly. For more information on these options see chapter Register project.

Note:
The -config option can only be used for registered projects! The +config option loads the specified config file in addition to the standard config file.
CAUTION:
-config as well as +config can only be used once. A multiple use of the options leads to a failure of the behavior of WinCC OA.
CAUTION:
The environment variable PVSS_II was set system-wide by the console. Beginning from the version 3.0 it is not set anymore. See option -currentproj.
-connectToRedundantHosts Connects to Data and Event of both redundant computers in a redundant project. This option is useful if you want to run CONTROL redundant. You can also use the config entry connectToRedundantHosts = 1. Use the manager number of the CONTROL manager in the config file so that the option is set for the right manager.
-coveragereportfile <filename> Specifies the file where the coverage reports are written (/log directory). Here the same keywords can be used as for the -reportfile option.
-currentproj

Specifies the project that was started last. The project that was started last is noted in the registry by the Pmon when one manager (or all managers are started)of the console is started. The project that was started last can be started with the manager option -currentproj as follows:

 WCCOAui -currentproj -p vision/login.pnl
CAUTION:
The environment variable PVSS_II was set system-wide by the console for a similar purpose up to now. Beginning from the version 3.0 this concept is replaced by the option -currentproj.

The environment variable PVSS_II can, however, also be set to the value -currentproj. Thus, each manager is started with the project that was started last. If the project that was started last is not found the installation is used as project. This is relevant if a single manager or the Pmon is started explicit, for example, via a command line or via a link and none of the options -config, -proj or -currentproj is specified and neither the environment variable PVSS_II nor PVSS_II_PROJ is set. In this case the manager would not start at all since it would not know with which project to start. Thus you can always specify the option -currentproj. In order to avoid the specification of the option each time the environment variable PVSS_II or PVSS_II_PROJ can be set to -currentproj. Thus, you do not have to specify the project when starting a project via a command line. If another project is started in the console the manager in the command line dynamically switches to the other project without having to specify an extra option.

Note:
The -currentproj option is not user specific when there are several users on one computer. When, for example, the user X starts the project A and user Y starts the project B and user X starts afterwards with the option -currentproj not the current project of user X (project A) but the project that was started last (project B) is started. This can be prevented under Linux when each user sets an own PVSS_II_ROOT.
-data <[hostname][:portnumber]> Connects managers to the event Managers which run on the computers that were specified under [hostname] or [portnumber]. Host name and port number are different types to communicate with the computers. You have to define either the host name or the port number of the desired computer. The default computer is the own computer eiwnt105:4897.
-dbg {all | neg | none | number | number-number | name}

Enables a specific or multiple debug-flags.

all: Enables all debug-flags for the manager. The "noReconnect" flag is also activated by the debug flag -dbg all.

none: Disables all debug-flags for the manager

neg: Inverts all debug-flags for the manager

number: Enables the debug-flag with the specific number

number-number: Enables all debug-flags of the specific number range

name: Enables the debug-flag with the specific name

CAUTION:
By inverting the debug-flags with the parameterneg, the value ALL changes to "NONE" and vice versa. Debug-flags like e.g. CTRL_TRACE will be changed to the state UNKNOWN (0), so a correct invert can not be performed.

For the list with all supported debug-flags for a manager execute the following command in the command line interpreter of the operating system:

<wincc_oa_path>\bin>WCCOA<manager>.exe -helpdbg
-event [hostname][:portnumber] Connects managers to the event Managers which run on the computers that were specified under [hostname] or [portnumber]. Host name and port number are different types to communicate with the computers. You have to define either the host name or the port number of the desired computer. The default computer is the own computer eiwnt105:4998.
-extend

With this option the manager starts with extended functions. In connection with the UI manager also the PARA module and GEDI can be started multiple times.

WCCOAui -m gedi -extend

The GEDI is available. The option -m para is used to open the configuration module.

CAUTION:
If a user interface is opened with the -extend option and you start the GEDI afterwards in another UI, new colors cannot be created in the GEDI. The creation of new colors is forbidden because a GEDI could also be opened using the first user interface and inconsistencies could be the result.
-helpdbg

Prints a list with the supported debug flags for a specific manager with a brief description. This option is supported only in the command line interpreter of the operating system.

Note:
It may happen that some debug flags will not be printed although they are registered.
-helpreport Prints Information about how to use the -report option.
-lang <LangName>

This extension allows to start the manager in the defined language. In case of a multilingual project the manager can be started with another project (not the current) language as follows:

WCCOAui -extend -lang en_US.utf8

This option starts the extended UI in English. For details see chapter Multilingual projects.
-LoadAllCtrlLibs

There is a config.level file in the <proj_path>/config or <wincc_oa_path>/config. In this file the definition of the CTRL libraries for each manager is determined (which CTRL libraries the manager should load). These entries are ignored by the option -LoadAllCtrlLibs. A manager loads all files from the directory scripts/libs. See chapter Load a control library for more information.

CAUTION:
Scripts that are empty or begin with "." are not loaded!
-log [+-][file|stderr|stdout]

Turns selected log flags on (+) or off (-).

file

The output to log files.

Allows to define if the log messages are written to the stanadard log files or only to the LogViewer.

Using the parameter -log -file the manager will not write to the PVSS_II.log file.

stderr
The standard error stream that is used for error messages.
Note:
Log output created by Control Debug* functions is written to the standard output stream!
stdout

The standard output stream that is used for general messages.

Enabling this flag will tell the ErrHdl to write its output to standard output stream. In this case the standard output stream information will not be redirected to the separate manager log files.

Only actual stderr information, e.g. debug flags, will be forward to the manager log files.

Note:
If this flag is enabled, the Control Debug* functions will write the output to the standard error stream instead of standard output stream to reduce the number of debug information within the log.
Note:
If the log flag is set within the PMON, than it will pass the settings to all managers that are started without an explicit log flag command line argument.
Note:
Using -log +stderr without -log +stdout will not redirect stdout or stderr into the manager log files.
-noUserCtrlExt Incorrect CTRL extensions, which are loaded in the UI or CTRL manager and are stored outside of the \bin WinCC OA directory, may cause a crash of the corresponding manager. The information on the concerned CTRL extension is shown in the WinCC OA log viewer. This must be corrected accordingly. With the command line option -noUserCtrlExt for every manager the loading of the CTRL extension, which is stored outside of the \bin directory, can be blocked.
-num <managerNumber>

If several managers of a type should be started the following this option can be used to mark the manager unique. <managerNumber> stands for an arbitrary integer. The manager number is assigned automatically via the Data Manager to the following managers:

  • WCCOAui
  • WCCOActrl

For other managers this option has to be defined when starting a manager.

Note:
If you change the settings of a manager online, the changes are immediately shown in the console. To a manager the settings are, however, assigned first after the restart of the manager.
-perf Collects statistical data about the executed paths.
-proj <name> Specifies the project via the project name the project was registered with. (beginning from the WinCC OA version 3.0 all projects have to be registered with a unique name). This can be set global via the environment variable PVSS_II_PROJ. The option -proj, however, takes priority. The specified -proj option overwrites also the environment variable PVSS_II. If neither -proj nor -config is specified the environment variable PVSS_II is read first. If it is not specified the environment variable PVSS_II_PROJ is read. When -proj and -config are specified a check whether they match is executed and the manager start is cancelled in case of errors.
-PROJ <name> Old notation for -proj <name>.
-rcv 0|1|2 The option rcv prints information about all received messages of the manager. Possible parameters are 0, 1 and 2. The parameter 2 prints more detailed information than 1. 0 means no output.

For more information about the different message categories - see chapter Message Diagnostics.
-rcvFilterMan all|ManagerList

Filters the messages of a specific manager. In addition, it filters also the manager which sent the message.

For example:

-rcvFilterMan "ui 2" -rcv 2

The option above shows only the messages of the UI manager with the number 2. Specify the option, for example, for the Event Manager and open a UI manager with the number 2 (e.g. a panel). The messages are shown in the log viewer.
-rcvFilterMsg all|MsgTypeList Restricts the output via -rcv (see above) to messages of specific type (as well as replies to this type). The argument (sendMsgTypeList) is a list of message types. For more information on the message types see chapter diagnostics panels. The message and DP statistics panel (which shows the messages) is opened via the Event Manager Connections button on the Diagnostics tab of the system management. See Message Filter Keywords
-report

Generates a diagnostic report, which can be used to analyze the system. Due to different influences the analysis can vary from system to system and so no generalization can be made.

Example: A overflowing message queue can be a signal for performance problems or a inefficient implementation of new features.

Usage:

 -report {all | neg | none | number | number-number | name},...

all: Enables all report flags for the manager

none: Disables all report flags for the manager

neg: Inverts all report flags for the manager

number: Enables the report flag with the specific number

number-number: Enables all report flags of the specific number range

name: Enables the report flag with the specific name

CAUTION:
By inverting the report flags with the parameter neg, the value ALL changes to NONE and vice versa. Report flags like e.g. CONFIGMANAGER will be changed to the state ALL!
Note:
-report all can only be set during run-time. Using the flag as start parameter for the manager is not allowed as it is only triggered once and returns the debug messages for the important debug flags.

Following types of reports can be generated:

Nr. Name Information
0 CPU Shows Information about the CPU usage.
1 HEAP Shows information about the memory usage.
2 DISPATCH Shows information about the connections and transmission states of the manager.
3 QUERY Shows PD query related information.
4 CALLBACKS Shows memory information about callbacks.
5 PDTYPE Shows memory information about the DP types.
6 DPIDENTIFICATION Shows memory information about DPs
7 CONFIGMANAGER Shows memory information about DP configs.
8 CTRL Shows CTRL related information, e.g. about scripts, events, etc.
9 DM_ACTION Shows information about the activities of the Data-Manager.
10 DM_STATUS Shows information about the state of the Data-Manager.
11 DM_TIMELIST Shows information about the time of the Data-Manager.
12 SUMMARY Shows only an information summary, instead of all informations.
13 ANSWERLIST Shows information about pending answers on messages.
14 HOTLINKLIST Shows information about DP connections.
15 CNS Shows memory information about the Common Name Service.
16 DPCONNECTS Shows information about all existing dpConnects.
17 DPCONNECTS_UI Shows information about all existing dpConnects. of the UI-Manager.
18 DPCONNECTS_CTRL Shows information about all existing dpConnects. of the CTRL-Manager.
19 DPCONNECTS_API Shows information about all existing dpConnects. of the API-Manager.
20 CONFIGS Shows information about the manager configs.
21 REQUESTS Shows information about the requests to the manager.
22 VALUECHANGES Shows information about value changes.
23 MSGQUEUE Shows information about the message queue.
24 REDU Shows information about the redundancy.
25 LICENSE Shows information about the license.
27 CTRL_COVERAGE Shows a CTRL script code coverage report.
Note:
Some report levels work only for selected managers.
-reportfile <filename>

Define here a file name for the report: stderr, stdout, filename. The file is saved under .../log.

The following keyword can be used in a filename:

  • $MAN$ - will be replaced by the manager name + manager number
  • $DATE$ - will be replaced by the current date in the format yyyymmdd
  • $TIME$ - will be replaced by the current time in the format hhmmss

Example:

-reportfile $MAN$-$DATE$T$TIME$.xml

Creates the file with, for example the name WCCOActrl0-20100415T122030.xml.

The same keywords are also allowed for the -coveragereportfile option.
-snd 0|1|2 The "snd" option informs about all send messages of the manager. Possible parameters are 0, 1 and 2. Thereby 2 results in a more detailed output than 1. 0 means no output.

For more information about the different message categories - see chapter Message Diagnostics.
-sndFilterMan all|ManagerList

Filters messages (messages that are sent to a manager) of a specific manager. In addition, it filters also the manager to which the message was sent.

For example:

 -sndFilterMan "ui 2" -snd 2

The option above shows only the messages of the UI manager with the number 2. Specify the option, for example, for the Event Manager and start a UI manager with the number 2 (e.g. a panel). The messages are shown in the log viewer.
-sndFilterMsg all|MsgTypeList

Restricts the output via -snd (see above) to messages of specific type (as well as replies to this type). The argument (sendMsgTypeList) is a list of message types.

Thus -sndFilterMsg DP_MSG_REQUEST prints only DP_MSG_REQUEST (dpGet) as well as replies to the DP_MSG_REQUEST. For more information on the message types see chapter diagnostics panels. The message and DP statistics panel (which shows the messages) is opened via the Event Manager Connections button on the Diagnostics tab of the system management. See Message Filter Keywords
-user <username[:password]>

Allows to use a user name and a password for the manager. All managers start as user "root" by default.

Note:
You can also use the $USER option , for example, WCCOActrl -user $user. If $USER is used, it is replaced by the current OS user. Note that under Linux you have to enter the $USER as follows: -user '$USER' since $[command] is interpreted as a shell variable. You can also use the config entry "userName"in the [general] section.
-version

Displays the information on the current WinCC OA and libBasics.dll versions as well as the GIT SHA1 commitID for the WinCC OA build and terminates the respective manager accordingly. For example:

WCCOAui (0), 2018.03.19 11:20:59.554: 3.16 platform Windows AMD64 linked at Mar 14 2018 21:11:13 (71c1cc8163ddaa14cfb5bd00af13a39d88e323cb)
WCCOAui (0), 2018.03.19 11:20:59.554: libBasics: $Revision: 3.16 $ (Mar 14 2018 21:11:55)
Options for a standalone UI Manager on the client which is running over the HTTP-server. Thus panels , which are available only on the server, can be displayed in a UI manager on the client. It is assumed that the client and server are connected via a WinCC OA web server.
-cacheDir <cacheBaseDir>

Defines the base cache directory in which the HTTP driven UI (-server or WebClient) creates the project subdirectories.

For example: 
WCCOAui -server http://localhost -cacheDir c:/temp

Message Filter Keywords

The listed message filter keywords can be used with the -rcvFilterMsg and -sndFilterMsg options to selectively filter the output of received or sent messages by type. The table provides an overview of all supported message types and their meanings, helping to analyze and diagnose system and datapoint communication.
Name Description
PVSS_MSG General PVSS system message.
NO_MSG No message available.
SYS_MSG General system message.
SYS_MSG_START_DPINIT Message for starting datapoint initialization.
SYS_MSG_NAMESERVER Message related to the name server.
SYS_MSG_LICENSE Message about license status or license issues.
SYS_MSG_INIT Message during the system initialization process.
SYS_MSG_FILE_TRANSFER Message during file transfer within the system.
DP_MSG General datapoint message.
DP_MSG_INITCONFIG Message for configuration initialization.
DP_MSG_IDENTIFICATION Message for datapoint identification.
DP_MSG_TYPECONTAINER Message regarding the data type container.
DP_MSG_DPTYPE_REQ Request for a datapoint type.
DP_MSG_MANIP_DPTYPE Message for manipulation of a datapoint type.
DP_MSG_DP_REQ Request for a datapoint.
DP_MSG_MANIP_DP Message for manipulation of a datapoint.
DP_MSG_DPALIAS_REQ Request for a datapoint alias.
DP_MSG_MANIP_DPALIAS Message for manipulation of a datapoint alias.
DP_MSG_CNS_REQ Request to the configuration system (CNS).
DP_MSG_MANIP_CNS Message for manipulation of the configuration system (CNS).
DP_MSG_CONNECTION Message for establishing a connection.
DP_MSG_CONNECT Connecting to a datapoint.
DP_MSG_CONNECT_RET Return message after connection establishment.
DP_MSG_CONNECT_NOSOURCE Connection error – no source available.
DP_MSG_DISCONNECT Message for disconnecting a connection.
DP_MSG_HOTLINK Message for an active datapoint hotlink.
DP_MSG_VALUECHANGE Message about a value change.
DP_MSG_DRIVER_VC Value change triggered by a driver.
DP_MSG_COMPLEX_VC Complex value change message.
DP_MSG_REQUEST General request message.
DP_MSG_ANSWER Answer to a request.
DP_MSG_SIMPLE_REQUEST Simple request message.
DP_MSG_ASYNCH_REQUEST Asynchronous request message.
DP_MSG_SYNCH_REQUEST Synchronous request message.
DP_MSG_PERIOD_REQUEST Periodic request message.
DP_MSG_ALERT General alert message.
DP_MSG_ALERT_VC Alert message due to value change.
DP_MSG_ALERT_CONNECT Alert message on connect.
DP_MSG_ALERT_CONNECT_VISIBLE Visible alert message on connect.
DP_MSG_ALERT_DISCONNECT Alert message on disconnect.
DP_MSG_ALERT_HL Alert message for hotlink.
DP_MSG_ALERT_TIME_REQUEST Alert time request message.
DP_MSG_ALERT_PERIOD_REQUEST Periodic alert request message.
DP_MSG_FILTER_REQUEST Request for applying a filter.
DP_MSG_FILTER_CONNECT Filter connection message.
DP_MSG_FILTER_DISCONNECT Message for disconnecting a filter.
DP_MSG_FILTER_HL Filter message for hotlink.
DP_MSG_DISCONNECT_ALL Message to disconnect all connections.
DP_MSG_ABORT_REQUEST Abort of an ongoing request.
DP_MSG_MAXAGE_REQUEST Request with maximum data age limit.
DP_MSG_DPNAME_REQ Request for a datapoint name.
DP_MSG_MANIP_DPNAME Message for manipulation of a datapoint name.