Technical data

Creating Blocks and Libraries
9.4 Working with Libraries
Programming with STEP 7
Manual, 05/2010, A5E02789666-01 235
9.4 Working with Libraries
Libraries serve to store reusable program components for SIMATIC S7/M7. The program
components can be copied to the library from existing projects or created directly in the library
independently of other projects.
You can save yourself a lot of programming time and effort if you store blocks which you want to
use many times in a library in an S7 program. You can copy them from there to the user program
where they are required.
To create S7/M7 programs in a library, the same functions apply as for projects – with the
exception of debugging.
Creating Libraries
You can create libraries just like projects using the menu command File > New. The new library is
created in the directory you set for libraries in the "General" tab when you selected the menu
command Options > Customize.
Note
The SIMATIC Manager allows names that are longer than eight characters. The name of the library
directory is, however, cut off to eight characters. Library names must therefore differ in their first eight
characters. The names are not case-sensitive. When this directory is opened in the Browser, the full
name is displayed again, but when browsing for the directory, only the shortened name appears.
Note that you cannot use blocks from libraries of a new STEP 7 version in projects of an older
STEP 7 version.
Opening Libraries
To open an existing library, enter the menu command File > Open. Then select a library in the
dialog boxes that follow. The library window is then opened.
Note
If you cannot find the library you require in the library list, click the "Browse" button in the "Open"
dialog box. The standard Windows browser then displays the directory structure in which you can
search for the library.
Note that the name of the file always corresponds to the original name of the library when it was
created, meaning any name changes made in the SIMATIC Manager are not made at file level.
When you select a library it is added to the library list. You can change the entries in the library list
using the menu command File > Manage.