Data types in the TIA portal

The TIA Portal for S7 1200 or S7-1500 PLCs defines a large number of data types and data formats. These pertain to how the S7 1200 or S7-1500 PLC handles data transfer internally. Data types, data formats, structural elements, suffixes, and value ranges for items using symbolic addressing in S7 1200 or S7-1500 PLCs are described in the following sections.

Data types can be divided into three categories:

• General data types: all basic data types defined in the controller for general purpose usage.

• Counter/timer data types: all structures and parameters provided by the system for counters and timers.

• Special data types: used for special purposes through specific instructions built into the controller.