Technical data

Programming with STEP 7
Manual, 05/2010, A5E02789666-01 153
6 Setting Up and Editing the Project
6.1 Project Structure
Projects are used to store the data and programs which are created when you put together an
automation solution. The data collected together in a project include:
• Configuration data on the hardware structure and parameters for modules,
• Configuration data for communication in networks, and
• Programs for programmable modules.
The main task when you create a project is preparing these data for programming.
Data are stored in a project in object form. The objects in a project are arranged in a tree structure
(project hierarchy). The display of the hierarchy in the project window is similar to that of the
Windows Explorer. Only the object icons have a different appearance.
The top end of the project hierarchy is structured as follows:
1. 1st Level: Project
2. 2nd Level: Subnets, stations, or S7/M7 programs
3. 3rd Level: depends on the object in level 2.