Storing and Loading PML Files

PML files must be stored in directories pointed to by the PMLLIB environment variable.

When an AVEVA product is started up, PML scans each directory in the PMLLIB search path and creates a file named pml.index in each directory.

This index file contains a list of all the PML files in all the directories under the directory given in the PMLLIB search path. All the PML files listed in the pml.index files are loaded automatically when the product is started up.

When you are working on PML files, you should store them in their own PML working directory, and add the path of their PML working directory as the first entry in their PMLLIB search path. Then, when you add a new PML file (after you have started up an AVEVA product), you will need to tell PML to rebuild its file index by giving the command:

pml rehash

This command scans all the files under the first directory in your PMLLIB path, and updates the pml.index file.

Note:
Sometimes it is necessary to delete the pml.index file before preforming a rehash.

If other Users have added PML files and updated the appropriate pml.index files, you can access the new files by giving the command:

pml index

This command re-reads all the pml.index files in your search path without rebuilding them.

When you are not running an AVEVA product, you can update the pml.index file in a given directory by giving the command:

pmlscan directory_name

This command runs a utility supplied with AVEVA products.

Note:
The commands pml rehash and pml index are a type of command known as PML directives: they are used outside PML files to direct PML itself to take certain actions. More information about using PML directives with form definitions is given in PML Directives.