Managing projects

To run the ISaGRAF project management tool, double click the mouse on the "Projects" icon, in the ISaGRAF group. The "Project Management" window is then opened.

The project list

Creating and working with projects

Working with several groups of projects

Options

Tools


The project list

A project corresponds to one PLC loop run on a target PLC. The upper window contains the list of the existing projects. The text descriptor of the selected project is displayed in the lower window.

Resizing windows

Inserting separators

 	Moving projects in the list


Resizing windows

Just click on the separator (splitter) between project list and descriptor to resize corresponding windows. The descriptor window cannot be completely hidden. It always contains at least one line of text.


Inserting separators

A separator line can be inserted before any project name. This allows to group some projects attached to the same application in the list layout. Use the "Edit / Toggle separator" command to insert or delete a separator before the selected project.


 	Moving projects in the list

To move a project in the list, you first have to select (highlight) it. Then click on its name and drag it to a ew location in the list. When dragging the project, a small arrow on the left margin indicates where it will be placed. You can also use the "Move" commands of the "Edit" menu to move the selected project line by line. Note that if a separator is placed before the selected project, it is moved with the project.


Creating and working with projects

The commands of the project manager menu are used to create new projects, edit them and manage existing projects.

Creating a new project

Editing the project descriptor

Editing project

The history of modifications

Printing a complete document

Password protection


Creating a new project

To create a new project, first enter its name. An empty project is then created, with no object in it. An I/O configuration can be attached to the new created project. This I/O configuration must be defined in library. If a configuration is chosen, ISaGRAF will automatically setup the I/O connection and declare the corresponding I/O variables in the new project dictionary. When creating or renaming a project, you have to conform the following naming rules:

•	name cannot exceed 8 characters

•	the first character must be a letter

•	the following characters can be letters, digits or underscore character

•	the project's name is case insensitive

When a project is created, use the "Edit / Set comment text" command to enter the text to be displayed with the project name in the list..


Editing the project descriptor

The "Project / Project descriptor" command is used to edit the project text descriptor. This document fully identifies the project from the others on the project list. The project descriptor can also be used to record any remarks during the project lifetime.


Editing project

The "File / Open" command opens the Program Management window for the selected project. From this window, all the contents (programs, application parameters...) of the project, can be managed. It is also possible to double click on a project name, to edit it.


The history of modifications

The ISaGRAF system stores any modification relative to a component of a project in a history file. Each modification is identified in the history by a title, a date and a time. The history file contains the last 500 modifications. There is one history file for each project. The history of modifications for the project is the complement of the "diary" files attached to the programs of the project. The "Project / History" command allows the user to view or print the history of modifications for the selected project. The user can select one or more items in the main list, and press the following buttons:

OK	closes this window

Print	sends the contents of the list to the printer

Help	displays help about this dialog box

[erase] Selected	removes (deletes) the selected lines from the list

[erase] All	clears the complete list

Find	find a pattern in the list

The input box above the "Find" button is used to enter a search pattern. This function is case insensitive. When the search reaches the bottom of the list, it continues from the top of the list to the starting position.


Printing a complete document

The "Project / Print" command allows the user to build and print a complete document about the selected project. This document can group any component (program, variable, parameters...) of the selected project. To build a specific (non-complete) document, the user only has to define its table of contents.


Password protection

The "Project / Set password" command enables the user to define password protection for tools and data of the selected project. Refer to the "Password protection" section, at the end of the first part in this manual for further information about password levels and data protection. Passwords are only relative to the selected project. They have no influence on other projects and ISaGRAF libraries.


Working with several groups of projects

An ISaGRAF project corresponds to one directory on the disk, where all the project files are store. A "Project Group" corresponds to a list of project directories grouped together under the same root directory. A project group is identified by a name. As a default, ISaGRAF creates two project groups:

"Default"	on "\ISAWIN\APL"	your working area

"Samples"	on "\ISAWIN\SMP"	sample applications delivered with ISaGRAF workbench

The name of the currently selected project group is written in the toolbar, close to the button used to select a project group:

You can also run the "File / Select project group" to select an existing group or create a new one. The following dialog box is open:

Select a group in the list and press "Select" to activate it in the project management list. You can also double click on its name to select it. Use the "New group" command to create a new group. This command can be used either to assign a group name to an existing directory, or to create a new group with a new directory.

No group can be selected or created when other ISaGRAF windows (program manager, editors...) are open.


Options

The commands of the "Options" menu are used to display or hide the toolbar, select the character font for text, and set the Project Manager "auto close" mode. The character font selected is the one used to display the project descriptor, and is also used by all ISaGRAF text editors.

When the "Keep Project Manager open" option is removed, the Project Manager window is automatically closed when a project is entered.


Tools

The commands of the "Tools" menu are used to run other ISaGRAF applications. The "Tools / Archive Projects" command runs the ISaGRAF archive manager to save or restore projects. The "Tools / Archive Common data" command is used to save or restore files used by all projects (such as common defined words).

The "Tools / Libraries" command runs the ISaGRAF library manager in a separate window.

The "Tools / Import IL program" can be used to import a project described as a single IL program in a text file, according to PLC Open file exchange format.