Equivalent Functions to the Area Pointers

My frustration with WinCC Unified is not unique to WinCC Unified, and indeed is pretty much commonplace – the something close to total uselessness of the helpfile.

So here is the particular issue I would like help with. How do you do the equivalent functions in WinCC Unified that you used to use the area pointers for in both Basic panels and Comfort panels?

So, I have found this document:

Guide for switching from Comfort Panels to Unified Comfort Panels

https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/109768002

It has a section that you might think covers the topic (section 3.6.1 on page 49). But all it actually does is refers you to the online version of the helpfile. And if this point is properly explained there then it completely defeats me as to exactly where.

So the questions I need to resolve are about the following functions:

• Page forcing from PLC code
• Date and time synchronisation
• The co-ordination word (as the document calls it ‘sign-of-life monitoring’)

All of these were achieved using the area pointers in Comfort Panels. How do you do the equivalent functions in WinCC Unified?

If anyone can point me to a better document or explain to me how to do these things, I would appreciate it.

Hi KenNatton,

Maybe this helps...

For Page control I tried to use Text List, Index tag and system function LookUpText. I works fine, if i use it within screen:

Btn has name CatXX, where XX is index of screen. Event "Click Left mouse button" of this Btn will start script:

I have root screen with Screen window element and Property "Screen" is set as a tag  "ScreenName_Req" (WString). When you click the Btn, XX value is transfer to the number and by function LookUpText system will set Screen name to the control Tag and screen with this name is displayed.

No problem....

I have tried to use this function by PLC tag to force screen externally. By Scheduled tasks I created function LookUpText with tag GlobalData_ScreenID_Req but it didnt work.

By TraceViewer application i found this msg:

FUNCTION_CALL Invoke failed (id=1, function='HMIRuntime->Resources->SysFct->LookUpText', error=80000021)

In my point of view there is a way for forcing screen by PLC, but its not working properly. Maybe in full version of WinCC Unified (not WinCC Unified Beta)...

Many thanks for engaging KozzyM. Actually, it was while pondering what you wrote that the penny suddenly dropped for me. And I have to confess that I have had this point explained to me but it wasn’t coming back to me until I read and was thinking about your post. And I still say this point is not explained in the help file. Anyway.

You are right, it is all about the scheduled tasks, there is now a whole bunch of new triggers that you can use under scheduled tasks, and all of the things you used to use the area pointers for you can now do with the scheduled task triggers. So, page forcing, you can set a scheduled task to execute on a tag. Obviously you use the PLC to control the trigger tag and then run a script that will read a PLC register with the required page number (or even page name) and activate that page. I understand that you are saying that it didn’t work exactly as you meant it to, but I am certain that you are right about the basic technique. I’ll have a play with it and let you know how I get on.

Many thanks again.

Hi KenNatton,

there is an example for better explanation. For simulation you have to use physical PLC, because PLCSIM doesn't work for me.