Setup guide

OSx Migration Cookbook August 30, 2006

9 – Tags

Install.tag files

Migrating 505 tags from OSx to PCS 7 requires feeding DBA one

or more install.tag files. An install.tag file is a file that contains a

description of one or more OSx tags. Install.tag files have a specific

format that is used by OSx and PCS 7 505/OS DBA to import tags.

DBA does not have a way to manually create PCS 7 tag structures,

nor to create its member tags. Manual creation would have to be

done through WinCC Explorer and that is quite tedious. Therefore,

the preferred way to migrate tags from OSx to PCS 7 is via

install.tag files.

Install.tag files do not have to be called “install.tag.” Any DOS

format (8.3) name is valid. By convention the files end with the

extension “.tag” and the default name in some tools when none is

specified is “install.tag.” DBA does not have a default file name

and allows you to use any name. It will recognize that the file you

picked is invalid if you picked one whose internal structure is not

correct.

Because of the way the workflow is structured in DBA, the

assumption is made that all the tags in an install.tag file are for the

same PLC. As discussed in the section on PLCs, DBA uses the first

tag in the file to determine the PLC to configure. That means that

you should ensure that all tags in an install.tag file are from the

same PLC. You can configure multiple PLCs and associated 505

tags by using more than one install.tag file.

There are three ways to create an install.tag file: manually using a

text editor or a spreadsheet, via APT or from the OSx HMI if you

have OSx 4.1.0 and later. The table below describes this in detail.

There are two types of install.tag files. Tistar format and OSx/PCS

format. DBA only reads OSx/PCS format files. APT can create

either format. If you create your file from APT, make sure you are

using a version of APT that can do OSx/PCS format files and that

you choose either PCS 3.X or PCS 4.X before generating the file.