I bought LogixPro Simulator from the Learning Pit, and made a poor assumption that since the ladder logic appeance in LogixPro simulator was so, well, simular to the RSLogix ladder that the files could be interchangable. WHY I though that I don't know, since for the longest time Word vs WordPerfect or Mac vs PC files were incompatible! :-P Anyway, part of my goal was to be able to write the code at home (at least in part) and then take it to school and test it on the PLC trainers (lights, switches, motors and stuff). So far LogixPro does not not read RSLogix; I'll confirm the converse tomorrow. Does anyone know how or it is possible to write the code at home an run in on RSLogix latter? Can LogixPro be used for this purpose at all? I can still use it to write and test the logic, I would just have to rekey it at school. Any other suggestions? I don't suppose there is a way to do this in text and open it in RSLogix?

You can use any word processor to write code and then paste it into a ladder.
If you copy a ladder rung, or group of rungs, and then paste into word, you will see how it looks e.g.
SOR XIC I:0.0/2 OTL O:0.0/2 EOR SOR XIC I:0.0/3 OTL O:0.0/3 EOR SOR XIC I:0.0/4 OTL O:0.0/4 EOR SOR XIC S:1/15 BST OTU O:0.0/4 NXB OTU O:0.0/3 BND EOR
I don't think your comments will follow.
Also I am not sure if your simulator works the same way but you may as well try it.

BTW I went through three macs before realizing I couldn't afford to upgrade every time they came out with a new OS.
It probably wasn't that bad, but I do miss them though.
Good luck!
George Bradley

Thanks! I was able to open a LogixPro file as text in Word. It looks about the way you posted, with the exception of adding 6 pages of zero+Returns (see below). Unfortunately the RSLogix file opened as 155 pages of gibberish! Neither Notepad or WordPad were any better, although I could see addresses scattered about the junk in WordPad. However, I'll check tonight at school and see if there is a way around this or if RSLogix can Save As a text file. Even if this turns out to be a 'one way street' I'm still okay as I can write at home, then at school open in Word and paste into RSLogix. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

As to the Mac comment, I've been pretty lucky with hardware/Mac OS compatiblity. I have stayed current on my Performa 6300 (100 MHz PPC 603e/64MB RAM)loading OS's 7.5.1 to 9.1 (currently), although OS 9 is pushing it and I may drop back to OS 8.6. Thats about 5 years worth of OS upgrades, so I really can't complain. My mother inlaw's Performa 6200, however has a slightly different processor (75 MHz PPC 603)and I darn near killed it trying to run OS 8 on it! I dropped in OS 7.6 and it was fine. My main Mac machine is an iMac 400 MHz G3 and I've been playing with the new OS X (10.1.2 and 9.2 for 'Classic') lately and am threatening to become a 'nix head!

FILE,LAD 2
SOR,0 END,0
RCM,
FILE,SBR 3:
SOR,0 XIC,I:1/0 OTE,O:2/0 EOR,0
RCM,
SOR,1 XIO,I:1/1 OTE,O:2/1 EOR,1
RCM,
SOR,2 XIC,I:1/2 OTL,O:2/2 EOR,2
RCM,
SOR,3 XIC,I:1/3 OTU,O:2/2 EOR,3
RCM,
.
.(etc...)
.
0
0
0
0
.(etc...)

Well, I need more specific information. Not only could I not get it to work, my instructor didn't know how to do it either. He showed me how to type in textual code one rung at a time but he had no idea how to cut and past an entire program. Is there a way to change the display of RSLogix 5 from a GUI to a text window only? There must be a way to use a text editor to write PLC code and make RSLogix 5 read it!

Well -All I know is that if you double click on a rung you get a text field.
Now you can then paste the text. This should work.
I believe SOR stands for start of rung and EOR stands for End Of Rung (not pooh's friend).
Hope this helps!
George Bradley

That is exactly what my Prof. showed me last night. I was hoping that I could paste the entire program somehow to avoid entering text one rung at a time (hence the Text editor thread). Although, cut/paste one rung at a time is probably faster than rekeying by the GUI. Thanks for your help.

Steve 'MacUser' Wilson

I am an Instructor at Joliet Junior College, I teach PLC classes. I have contacted the person involved with creating the LogixPro software with the same question. The answer is that the LogixPro can in no way be used with the RSlogix software. If it could, it would be an infringement of the copyright. The only way the guy could create the LogixPro is if he guaranteed that it couldn't be used with the RSLogix software or downloaded to a PLC.

You should be able to import large chunks (entire subroutines).
First write a single rung in RSLogix (SOR OTE B3/0 EOR)
Select that rung, right click, and select 'Save to Library File'.
If you open that library file up (the one with the .SLC extention (for SLC) or .PC5 (for PLC-5), you will see the the code under the %LADDER heading

Copy all the ASCII from LogixPro (for the one subroutine only) into that file. If you have to, put hard carriage returns ('Carriage returns'? - when was the last time a computer had a carriage? Some of the TTYs maybe...) for each rung of logic. Each line should start SOR and end EOR.

Save the file.

In RSLogix, right click on the rung again, and select 'Paste from Library File'. Presto - all your code will be imported.

It is theoretcally possible to import the entire code that way - Do a File - SaveAs Library file to see the format. I usually do my importing in smaller chunks though - it's a bit more manageable.

©¿©¬

Allen: Thanks I'll give that a try as soon as I can; school is playing second string to work at the moment!

All: Thanks for your input. I do wish Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley would release an educational version of their software, similar to the MS Visual Studio student edition that comes bundled with C++ text books. It would make taking classes a heck of alot more convenient and would support RSLogix as the dominate interface for PLC (get a little MS monopoly action there)!