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PI Interface for Siemens SIMATIC Batch

DCS Link templates

  • Last UpdatedMar 11, 2025
  • 2 minute read

To define event frame linking between event frames created by different interfaces, you can create DCS link templates. The WRITELINK and READLINK options on the appropriate interfaces must be configured for these templates to function.

The syntax for DCS link templates is:

DCSTEMPLATE[<index>].<setting> = <value>

The <index> is a unique identifier used to group the settings for a particular link template. To include data from the data source, specify placeholders.

For example, if you define the following template:

DCSTEMPLATE[1].Value=EF_Prefix[Pval]:1

and the interface applies it to the following incoming data:

[Pval]=BatchId

The triggering event frame is linked to the following event frame:

EF_PrefixBatchId:1

The following table describes the settings required to define DCS Link Templates.

Setting

Valid Placeholders

Description

VALUE

[AREA]
[BATCHID]
[COMMENT]
[DESCRIPT]
[EU]
[EVENT]
[OPERATION]
[PHASE]
[PHASEMODULE]
[PHASESTATE]
[PHASESTEP]
[PROCEDURE]
[PROCESSCELL]
[PVAL]
[TIME]
[UNIQUEID]
[UNIT]
[UNITPROCEDURE]
[USERID]

[*,value=”Exact Field”],
[*,value=”Field Mask”],
advanced parsing

(Required) Specifies the name of the event frame to be linked to by the triggering event frame. To compose the value, you can use free text plus valid placeholders.

Basic examples:

DCSTemplate[1].Value = [Pval]
DCSTemplate[1].Value = [BatchID] | event: <State*> | [Descript] | val: [Pval]

Advanced parsing:

DCSTemplate[1].Value = [BatchID] | event: [*,value=”State*”] | [Descript] | val: [Pval]

TRIGGER

[AREA]
[BATCHID]
[COMMENT]
[DESCRIPT]
[EU]
[EVENT]
[OPERATION]
[PHASE]
[PHASEMODULE]
[PHASESTATE]
[PHASESTEP]
[PROCEDURE]
[PROCESSCELL]
[PVAL]
[UNIQUEID]
[UNIT]
[UNITPROCEDURE]
[USERID]

[*,value=”Exact Field”],
[*,value=”Field Mask”],
advanced parsing

Specifies the event that causes the interface to generate the link. To define a trigger, specify an expression composed of a placeholder and value. When the interface detects the specified value in the placeholder, it generates the link. You can specify multiple triggers for a single link. If you specify the triggers on a single line, the link is generated only when all the conditions are met (logical AND). If you specify the trigger expressions on separate lines, the link is generated when any of the conditions is met (logical OR).

Examples:

DCSTemplate[1].Trigger = [Descript, value=”WorkflowID”]
DCSTemplate[1].Trigger = [Parameter, value=”State Ch*”]
DCSTemplate[1].Trigger = [Value, value=”tes*”]
DCSTemplate[1].Trigger=[Event, value=”State*] [Pval,value=RUNNING”]

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