How to

[a_scratch]

Hi,
Currently, when we have something new (not a conventional SCADA fonctionality), the WinCC OA developments are too difficult, and therefore too much time consuming .
Much of these difficulties is due to:
• the lack of code samples in the help or labs on the web site.
• the difficulty to choose the best technical solution among all solutions that WinCC OA allows to use

For example, there are no code samples for control extensions in labs (all we can find there are only binary files).

We have a Inhouse development contract : should we have access to some code samples and a knowledge.
For example, for our Microsoft developments, we use the MSDN contract, and Microsoft provide us lots of code samples.
We actually need the same kind of thing with WinCC OA.
Best regards

[leoknipp]

Hello,

most of the solutions which are developed by our solution partners and for our customers are very specific and cannot be used therefore in other applications. Due to the complexity and different demands in every project it is not easy to get code examples which can be used in all projects.

If you need assistance when developing a specific solution you can get in contact with the WinCC OA support. We can also offer you a customer specific training where your topics can be discussed. Also it is possible to sign a consulting contract (consulting via phone or e-mail) or to get on-site support.
For details please get in contact with the ETM sales department.

You can also ask your questions in the ETM Portal where it can be discussed with the other WinCC OA users.

Best Regards
Leopold Knipp
Senior Support Specialist

[a_scratch]

I understand that some specific project code could not be used in all projects.
We just need some code samples that can help us to understand how to do it the first time we have to do something.
That's exactly this way we use MSDN. We never find exactly what we need. Our developpers always need to create the code we need.
But we can save a lot of time if we add some examples to help us to start.

[mkoller]

What example for a Ctrl extension are you looking for ?
There is a shellscript (newWCCILCtrlExt.sh) in the api directory in your setup which creates a fully compile and runable sample CTRL extension.
Also, I posted another CTRL extension not so long ago regarding a TCP server ("TCP Listener in CTRL")

[a_scratch]

We try to make a ControlExtension to add some informations in the AES panel. So we use the LibTabUtil Sample and the dll. We have previously registered the fonction we want to use in the AES setting panel.
It doesn't work : We got this line in the log "Unexpected state, SharedLib, userDefFunc, Error when calling tabUtilBar in : Le module sp?cifi? est introuvable".
We try to add the LibTabUtil in the config file and it doesn't work neither

We also try to create a new Ctrl Extension manager with the CtrlExt sample and it works correctly oth with the #uses at the beginning of the ctl file, or the CtrlExt defined in the config file.
So that's not a problem with the Visual C++ compiler because CtrlExt works and TabUtil does noty work

[fmulder]

When you want to implement a new column in the AES screen then this is not an Control Extension. The APi holds a smaple DLL called 'SampleTabUtil'
C:\\Siemens\\Automation\\WinCC_OA\\3.10\\api\\SampleTabUtil. It shoulc ompile into a dll called 'TabUtilEx.dll'

Search your help file for the word tabutilex. You'll find a page that says 'Example of how to adsd a column'.

Hope this helps

Godo luck

Frenk

And yes : WinCC OA can be complex..... but it can also be extreme powerfull.
Working on a ferrari can be a lot of work. But driving it is soo much fun !

[a_scratch]

I've made a mistake with the names (Control Extension instead of API). We use the sampleTabUtil dd and we have already found the sections in the help file.
I agree that WinCC OA is powerful, it also works very well and that's why we use WinCC OA.
Actually the problem we have with the SampleTabUtil is that the dll functions are not found by the AES panel. we have registered the functions and done all the requests we've read in the help.
When I add and register one function in the AES settings panel, i got this message in the log when I click on the "validation" button.

WCCOAui (1), 2014.02.04 15:42:28.033, CTRL, SEVERE, 176, Uncaught exception in thread started at main:
WCCOAui (1), 2014.02.04 15:42:28.033, CTRL, SEVERE, 79, Index out of range,
Module: Vision_3
Panel: C:\\Siemens\\Automation\\WinCC_OA\\3.12\\panels\\vision\\aes\\AESFuncBrowser.pnl []
Object: 1 named: "sl_functions" of type: SELECTION_LIST
Script: Changed
Library: C:\\Siemens\\Automation\\WinCC_OA\\3.12\\scripts\\libs\\aec.ctl
Line: 933, items, -1
Stacktrace:
1: aec_setFuncSelected(string object = "sl_functions", int pos = -1, bool setPos = FALSE) at aec.ctl:933
2: main() at [Module: Vision_3 Panel: vision\\aes\\AESFuncBrowser.pnl Object: sl_functions Script: Changed]:4

We're actually in the the aec.ctl because we don't know the reason why we have theses messages.
The functions we try are the original functions in the SampleTabUtil. We just compile it.
We try to compile another sample dll (a control extension sample) and it works correctly in a CtrlExt manager. So our compiler works.
Best regards

We've tried

[fmulder]

I have not tried an AESTabUtil in 3.12. I'd advise you to look further into the scripting bug. Add some DebugN() to find out what is wrong.

Sorry. I'm not yet using 3.12 and can't help.

Frenk

[aorange]

This is why I quite liked the X-Files, but I'd tend to agree with Lagreze; there isn't much help out there as soon as you step outside the day-to-day scripting in a UI or CTRL manager.