This CSV File import wizard simplifies the process of importing tags from a CSV file into your solution.
The core of the import process involves selecting a source file that contains the information to be imported. During the import process, the system automatically creates tags or other necessary solution components based on the source file data.
It's important to note that the system remembers your import settings. When you use the import tool for the first time, it saves the settings, transforming the import button into a "Sync" button. This feature ensures that subsequent import operations are even more efficient, as the system can automatically check previously imported addresses against new ones. Ultimately, the import procedure is designed to increase your productivity and make the setup of your solution as seamless as possible.
On this page:
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Importing procedure
CSV Columns
The CSV allow tags, points, alarms and historian to be imported everything in the same CSV. The columns available to import are:
About tags:
"TagName"
"Type"
"Member"
"Array"
"Parameters"
"StartValue"
"Min"
"Max"
"Units"
"DisplayText"
"Format"
"Retentive"
"Category"
"Domain"
"ReadSecurity"
"WriteSecurity"
"Visibility"
"Description"
About Devices:
"Node"
"Address"
"AccessType"
"Modifiers"
"DataType"
"Scaling"
About the Node column, if the name configured in the Node column not exist the system will search a Protocol with the same name configured in this column, if found a channel and a node will be created with this name, and the PrimaryStation will not be configured. If the node string already exist the system will use this node in the configuration.
About Alarms:
"Limit"
"Group"
"Area"
"Message"
"Priority"
"Setpoint"
"SetpointDeadband"
"Deadband", typeof(string)
"AuxValue"
"DisplayText"
"AuxValue2"
"AuxValue3"
"Disable"
About Historian:
"HistorianTable"
"DeadBand"
"Deviation"
"DeviationDeadBandType"
"DeviationDeadBandLimit"
"RateOfChange"
Importing Tag and PLC Addresses
You can copy and paste the contents of an Excel table. As long you include the title of the columns when you copy and paste the contents of the table, the tables in your solution can have different columns or can be ordered differently. The system will put the data in the expected columns, even if the order is different in the source.
To create and import Tags:
- In Excel, make a table with the columns that are shown below.
To successfully import the tags, you need the TagName, Type, and Address columns.
- After you chose the device protocol and create a new node, click the Import button. Then, choose the .CSV file that contains the tag's information and click the Ok button.
The Tags and Points will be created automatically in Edit > Tags.
Devices > Points
After you use the Import tool for the first time, the system will save whatever settings you used. The import button switches to now be called the "Sync" button. This make the button execute a synchronization that verifies the previously imported addresses and the new ones.
Import from CSV Files
Individual CSV File
In this scenario, we are importing items for each individual table that is available throughout the Engineering Environment.
In your Engineering Environment, you should find a toolbar located on the top of the display with green arrow in it.
In Tabs that do not contain a table, the import icon is unfocused and is unable to be selected.
For Tabs that do contain grids, the import button is available when the grid is on focus (selected). When the import button is clicked, a dialog window will open.
Browse for the csv file and click Open.
Examples
To better understand how to use this feature, we are going to add Alarm Items into our sample solution.
Assuming we have two Tags, Tag1 and Tag2, in our solution. Each tag must have an alarm configured to it.
1. Tag1 - Belongs to ’Critical’ Alarm Group and triggers an alarm when its value is lower than 20.
2. Tag2 - Belongs to ’Warning’ Alarm Group and triggers an alarm when its value is higher than 80.
The import steps are:
- Go to Alarms → Items, create a dummy row, and copy it (Ctrl + C).
- On your external Table Editor (e.g. Excel, Google Docs, Notepad, etc), paste the copied content.
3. Fill your table with the required information.
4. Save the file as a ‘.csv’.
5. Go back to the Alarms → Items page and click the Import CSV File Button.
If you used a text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, etc), you need to add the comma separator (‘ , ’) between each column.
Extended CSV Files
In this scenario, we are using a single .csv table to import information on Tags, Devices, Alarms and historian items.
In your Engineering Environment, navigate to Solution → Import Tags. You should see many supported files that can be imported into a solution.
Select the CSV file and browse for your Table File.
The table must obey a certain format. The required columns can be obtained by following the same method as in the previous section; copy from solution and paste on Sheet Editor.
The difference in this method is that the final table is a concatenation of the various grids from the solution.
Examples
To illustrate the usage of this feature, we will add a couple of items to our sample solution. The following items will be added:
Tags:
- MyTag1: Integer DataType and StartValue = 0.
- MyTag2: Digital DataType.
Alarm Items:
- MyTag1:
- HiHi alarm limit (configured for ‘Critical’ alarm group) set to 95
- Lo alarm limit (configured for ‘Warning’ alarm group) set to 10
- MyTag2:
- Hi alarm limit (configured for ‘Critical’ alarm group) set to 1 and Message ’Tag Alarm is Hi’.
- LoLo alarm limit (configured for ‘Warning’ alarm group) set to 0, Priority set to 1 and Message ’Tag Alarm is LoLo’.
Historian:
- MyTag1: Added to default Historian Table ‘Table1’.
- MyTag2: Added to default Historian Table ‘Table1’.
The table that contains all the columns and rows required to import the items described above can be found in the pictures below (with additional columns):
Following the importation procedure in Solution → Import Tags, select the CSV option, browse for the filled csv file, and click Import.
In this section:
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