Building and loading application onto PLC

Use the command Build and Load Application in the Instances view, if you want to create the application for one →PLC and load it onto this PLC. If the PLC is not available, you might want to use the command Build Application.

Conditions for Build and Load Application:

• You have already assigned a program within the PLC-object (see "Assigning program type within PLC-object"). (This is given, after you have created a project and you are using the existing →resources.)

• You have configured the PLC within the PLC-object and are connected to the PLC. 

• The objects with the application must contain correct ST-code, FBD-logic or ladder diagrams.
  See "Highlighting the errors and warnings in the ST-editor", "Highlighting the errors and warnings in the FBD-editor" or "Highlighting the errors and warnings in the LD-editor". 

• External variables must reference global variables correctly (name and type must match). Details: see "Declaration of external variables in ST".

• The PLC-object with the configured PLC must contain correct definitions (see under "Errors while editing PLC-object in editor" for the correct syntax within the editor for a PLC-object).

• A connection to the PLC has been established.

How to load your application in ST, application in FBD and/or application in LD-editor onto a PLC (the necessary binary files are automatically built in the process):

1. In the Instance view: Select the requested PLC (= appertaining IEC-resource with icon ) or one of the children.
   Result: Above the toolbar for the view, the selected PLC incl. the project name is displayed. 

2. Before loading, check the state information of the PLC to make sure that you have selected the correct PLC and that it is available.

3. Click  in order to load the programs assigned in the PLC-object (i.e. the binary files) onto the PLC.
   Result: The Build Log view informs you whether the application has been built successfully or not. If the application has been built successfully, the fingerprint for line Code identification below of PLC Information within the Instances view is updated so that it matches the fingerprint for the IEC-resource.
   If  is not avalable, see "Disabled button "Build and Load Application"" for causes and solutions.

After loading, Neuron Power Engineer starts the application on the PLC. Mind the following:

• If you have assigned more programs within the PLC-object (see "Assigning more program types (= creating new instances)"), the different programs are executed successively on the PLC – execution is in the same order as the program instances have been entered in the PLC-object. The Instance view shows updated state information of the PLC.

• If you have declared more resources within a configuration (see "Declaring more resources within a configuration of the PLC-object"), only the resource that you have loaded onto the PLC is executed on this PLC.

Good to know
The Resource Manager view provides the possibility to build the application for several PLCs in one go and to load them afterwards.

More useful information:

FAQ articles

• When is the application loaded onto PLC out-of-date?

• When is the fingerprint for an application not changed and when is it changed?

• Can the loading of the application onto the PLC be time-limited?

• When to update the version of the runtime system on the PLC?

Troubleshooting articles

• Cannot build or load application

• Functions blocks with VAR_IN_OUT from version < 3.1.0 prevent the building of the application

• An installation path too long prevents the building/loading of the application

• Unknown error 130 while trying to load the application onto Controllino

• Disabled button "Build and Load Application"

• Special characters in path prevent loading of application

• Unable to create target directory.