Technical Reference Manual - InduSoft

Tags and the Project Database
About tag integration
Tag integration allows you to directly integrate tags from a third-party control application or device into your
IWS project.
This is different from the other options to include third-party tags in your project, such as importing the tag
definitions or configuring a worksheet to associate project tags with external items. With tag integration, the
third-party tags are "live" — that is, they are continuously and bilaterally updated during runtime as long as
the third-party control application or device is also running — and they can be used anywhere in your project
that you would normally use project tags.
All tags from the source can be browsed in the Object Finder, but an individual tag is not added to your
project tags database nor counted against the project's tag limit until you actually use it somewhere in your
project.
Tag integration is part of the project settings.
Integrating tags from TwinCAT
More than simply importing the tags and interface from a TwinCAT program, you can fully integrate your
project database with a running TwinCAT PLC so that tags are synchronized between the systems, without
the extra configuration required by an OPC Client worksheet.
Before you begin this task, you must do the following:
• Configure your TwinCAT project to generate a new symbol file with the correct variables. The symbol file is
like an index of the TwinCAT tags that you want to integrate into your IWS project. For more infomation,
see Configuring your TwinCAT project.
• Rebuild your TwinCAT project and send it to the PLC.
• Make sure the PLC is running and available on your network, and note its AMS Net ID and runtime system
port number.
• Copy the new symbol file to your IWS project folder ([…]\Documents\InduSoft Web Studio v7.1
Projects\projectname).
1. On the Project tab of the ribbon, in the Settings group, click Communication.
The Project Settings dialog is displayed, with the Communication tab selected.
2. In the Tag Integration area, click Add.
The Tag Integration Source dialog is displayed.
Tag Integration Source dialog
3. In the Type list, select Integrated if it's not already selected.
4. In the Provider list, select TwinCAT if it's not already selected.
5. In the Name box, type a name for the source.
This name will be used as a prefix for all tags received from the source. For example, a TwinCAT PLC tag
named switch1 would subsequently be named DEV_switch1 in your project.
6. Click Add.
InduSoft Web Studio Page 151