Source and Destination

The Source and Destination section allows you to select a source to connect to the PLC, and also select a destination where the templates and instances should be built.

1. Select a source to run Auto-Build.

   • Online Mode: Online mode allows you to connect to the specific PLC,which is currently selected and from which the current session of Auto-Build has been activated. It requires the PLC to be connected and the OI Server to be activated.

   • Offline Mode: Offline mode allows you to use a file that has been exported from the PLC programming software.

2. Select a destination Galaxy to upload the new objects.

   1. Galaxy Name: Select the Galaxy Name from the list. As a best practice, select a newly created, unpopulated Galaxy. You must have a valid IDE_Runtime license for the galaxy list to be populated.

   2. Device Group: Select the Device Group from the list. This list is populated from the topics created in the Device Groups section. Select the device groups that adhere to the the following naming conventions:

      • The length of the device group name must be less than 255 characters.

      • The device group name can contain only alphanumeric or special characters like $,#,_.

        For more details about managing device group, see Manage device groups.

   3. Prefix: For multiple PLC programs that are identical or contain common data structures, enter the Prefix of the Object being uploaded.

      For more details about using prefix, and the prefix syntax validation rules, see Prefix syntax validation rules.

      Note: Entering a prefix is optional, and not mandatory during the Auto-Build operation.

3. Select the forward arrow to proceed to the next page.

   Note: Once the next page loads, the previous page number in the header frame is marked with a check mark, indicating that the step has been completed.

Information Icons

Hover the mouse pointer over the information icon to see the additional information about the respective field.

• Online Mode: Hover over the information icon next to Online Mode to display the limitations of online mode.

  • Online mode excludes tag descriptions.

  • Online mode exposes tags that have been configured in the PLC program as "External Access=None" or "Usage=Local".

  • Online mode creates all the attributes as Read/Write.

• Prefix: Hover over the information icon next to the Prefix for more information about the usage of prefix.

  • Using a prefix is highly recommended, especially if the project connects to more than one PLC controller, where naming of templates and instances may overlap.

  • If updating an existing Auto-Build based project, ensure to use the same Prefix and Device Group used before.