Siemens Step7 5.x

Overview

Copia provides support for Siemens Step7 5.x v5.6 SP2 - 5.7 SP1, with the following advanced features:

• Auto-Archive

• Graphical Display and Differences

• Code Commenting for Review

Configuration

General

To get set up, Copia will need your project data (in a folder, or an Archive zip format), as well as the add-ons or GSD files used in the project.

As explained below, Copia gives users the option of either saving the project folder or the archived zip of the project in the repository:

• Storing the Project Folder (recommended)

  Copia allows the user to store a project folder into the repository. We will auto-archive the project or library for the user, making for a more streamlined and user-friendly workflow.

  • Copia does not support Step7 Multiproject at this time. If you are using Multiprojects and would like to version control projects with Copia's Source Control, we recommend removing the projects from Multiproject and version control them as individual projects.

• Storing the Project Archive File

  Users can manually create and store their own project or library archive files in Copia. It will be required to manually create and extract the archives as needed.

Project Folder

When the Auto-Archive feature is enabled, Copia allows users to save a project folder in the repository. This will automatically archive the project for the user.

Auto-archive will create a Step7 5.x .zip file based on the folder name. See the Auto-Archive section below for more information about this feature and instructions for its setup.

All project or library contents must be placed inside a folder (directory).

Adding the contents of a project folder (the .s7p file and respective subfolders) at the repository root is not supported.

Project Archive

Users can also manually generate and place their project archives into Copia. It will be necessary to manually archive and extract the project files when working with the project.

Using the standard approach to generate a Step7 5.x .zip archive, save the file to your repository to store it in the Copia system. You can either create an archive and drop it into the repository folder using Windows.

Auto-Archive

General

Auto-Archive allows users to store project folders within a repository in the original .s7p file format. Prior to committing, Copia will automatically archive the data into the .zip format respectively. This allows a single file to be selected in the Copia client, which provides all display and difference details.

Auto-archive will create a .zip file based on the folder name, and not the .s7p file name. As such, Copia recommends the project folder be named the same as the project for consistency.

To enable this feature in the Desktop App, click on the Options button under the File dropdown. Choose the Advanced section and check the Enable Auto-Archiving feature. Press the Save button to exit.

With Auto-Archive enabled, any project folder added to a local repository will be auto-archived when the Desktop App is in a focus state (when it becomes the primary app open on the screen).

It is critical that your project folder is stored in the repository. To review this step, check out the Project Folder section above.

Renaming and Deleting a Project

• To rename a project, use the Save As function in Step7 5.x to save as another project in the repository. Then, delete the old project directory.

• When a project directory is deleted, the associated archived zip file will also be deleted from the repository.

Extra Considerations

There are a few things to understand when using Auto-Archive:

• When saving a project folder (which contains the .s7p file and subfolders) in a repository, Copia will automatically archive the project and store the .zip file. As a result, when either the Web App or Desktop App is selected, you will only see the resulting .zip file.

• The files created by Auto Archive are hidden from the Windows File Explorer by default to reduce confusion. If Windows is set to display hidden files, you will see these files appear in your repository folder.

• Cloning, pulling, or creating and switching branches will automatically extract the contents of the archive files in the repository.

• When utilizing Auto Archive, you might see a warning that the Step7 5.x project needs to be closed. This occurs when the project is open and you're attempting to do one of the following:

  • Switching branches

  • Pulling from a remote repository (app.copia.io)

  • Committing after adding or upgrading a new Step7 5.x project

    Subsequent commits can take place with the software open

Graphical Display and Differences

General

When the exported project file is selected in the Web App or Desktop App, Copia displays the project tree structure in a way that's familiar to users of the Siemens IDE. This way, you can easily navigate to a project item or identify differences.

Instead of the blocks listed on the right, as they are in SIMATIC Manager, the blocks are listed in a more familiar (and easier to navigate) Windows-like tree structure on the left.

Supported Types

The following types are currently supported for viewing and compare:

• OB, FB, and FC Blocks are supported in the following languages:

  • LAD (Ladder)

  • SCL (Structured Control Language)

  • STL (Statement List)

  • GRAPH (as text only)

  • FBD (Function Block Diagram, as text only)

• Data Blocks (DB)

• Data Types (UDT)

Code Commenting for Review

Copia supports code commenting for Siemens Step7 5.x files for both graphical Ladder and text formatted languages.

Code Commenting enhances the code review process once someone generates a Pull Request to merge a Branch. During the review process, users can add comments directly to the supported parts of the code.

You can watch an overview of code commenting in the video below.

The product version in the video may be older than the current release, but the process is still applicable.