Developing the logic
Developing a typical control program includes the following procedures:
 
To begin a control program
- Start EIKON for WebCTRL.
- Select File > Save as.
- Name the file, type a description for the file (optional), then save it in the webroot/<system_name>/programs folder.
NOTES
File names must begin with a letter.
File names may not contain spaces or periods.
File names must be unique throughout the system.
All .eiw files are saved with lowercase letters for compatibility with case-sensitive operating systems.
- Turn on Magnetism (press M) so that objects will snap to the grid.
- Save your work regularly as you develop the logic.
NOTES
- The workspace size has no limit.
- If you want to use °C for a control program, select Options > Edit Options, then select Metric. If you change the Metric option for an existing control program, you must delete and reinsert all temperature-specific microblocks.
To place microblocks
- Select Mblocks, then select a microblock family.
TIP You can click the microblock family name to scroll forward through the families; right-click to scroll backward. If the microblock library is not visible, select Options > Mblocks.

- Click the icon of the microblock you want to use.
- Click and drag in the workspace to place the microblock.
NOTES
- Place all input microblocks on the left side of the workspace and all output microblocks on the right.
- Arrange microblocks so that logic flows from left to right and the sequence of operation can be easily followed.
- Terminate all microblock outputs, even if only to labels. A control program can be created if microblock outputs are not terminated, but it is not a recommended practice.
- Text microblocks placed in a control program in EIKON for WebCTRL are not visible on Logic pages in WebCTRL.
- The order of items on the Properties page is determined by the order in which microblocks are placed when developing the control program in EIKON for WebCTRL. Select a microblock, then use the Reorder menu to reorder microblocks.
To draw wires and labels
Wires are special lines in a control program that transmit values from one microblock to another. Solid gray wires transmit analog data; dashed gray wires transmit binary data. Wires connect microblock inputs and outputs. They can also connect to other wires.
Output and input labels connect items just as wires do. Use labels when a value is needed in several places within a control program or when wires would clutter or complicate the control program.

To draw wires
- Select the binary (dashed) or analog (solid) wire tool.
- Click the output nib of the sending microblock, then drag in the direction you want the wire to go.
NOTE A wire automatically makes a 90° turn if you drag away from a straight line. To create additional 90° turns, right-click while continuing to hold down the left mouse button.
- Release the left mouse button on the input nib of the receiving microblock.
TIPS
- To change the shape of an existing wire, enter the Edit Shape mode (Ctrl+F5). Click and hold the left mouse button on the wire to change the last segment. Or press Backspace to delete one or more segments, then redraw new segments if necessary.
- Select Reorder > Wires Last to put the wires on top of the microblocks while you are developing the logic. Select Reorder > Wires First to put the wires behind the microblocks when you are finished. Reordering wires is an aesthetic choice and has no effect on the control program
To add labels
- Click the Label tool.

- Click and drag a label to the nib of the microblock or to the end of a wire.
- Press F5 to enter Edit mode, then click the label.
- Click input or output depending on whether the label is connected to a microblock input or a microblock output. This option determines the direction the label faces.
- Type a name in the Label name.
- Click Accept.
NOTES
- Wires and labels must connect directly to a microblock's nib in order to complete the connection.
- Do not connect analog wires or labels to binary wires or labels, or vice versa.
- Labels can be used in place of either analog or binary wires but cannot connect dissimilar wires.
- Microblock inputs cannot be connected to other microblock inputs unless they are also connected to a microblock output.
- Do not connect a microblock output to another microblock output.
- Wires and labels can connect to any point on a wire.
- Each wire must end at a microblock, a label, or another wire that ends at a microblock.
- Each label must end at a microblock input or output or at a wire.
To check for connection errors
After you have placed and connected the microblocks, check for wiring errors.
- Select Control Program > Check for errors.
- Select Normal, UNI (Zone), or ZN depending on the control module that will be used. See Planning a control program.
- Correct any errors that are indicated by small pink icons. See table below.

Icon
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Error
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Description
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D
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Duplicate microblock reference name
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If you cannot change a microblock's RefName property to eliminate duplicate reference names, delete duplicates, then add the required microblocks one at a time.
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L
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Label not connected
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Label is not precisely connected to the wire or microblock nib.
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M
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Mismatching wires
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An analog wire is connected to a binary microblock or binary wire, or vice versa.
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O
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Overlapping microblocks
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2 or more microblocks are placed directly on top of each other.
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S
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Shorted wire
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2 outputs are connected. Or an output label has been duplicated.
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U
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Unconnected input
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A microblock input is not connected to a wire or label. Or the input is connected to a label that is not connected to a microblock output.
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W
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Wire not connected
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A wire is not precisely connected to a microblock's nib.

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To add comments
Use the Text tool to add clarifying comments or notes to the control program.
- Click the Text tool.

- Select the Text menu, then select one text options from each category.
NOTE Comments in Standard Application Library control programs use the default settings: Small, All Available, Horizontal, and Align Left.
- Click the place in the workspace where you want the text to begin.
- Type in the Text String field, then click OK.
NOTES
- To edit the text, press F5, then click the text you want change.
- To change the text attributes, press Alt+F5, click the text you want to change, then select options from the Text menu.
- To change the color of the text, press Alt+F5, click the text you want to change, then click the desired color on the palette. (If the palette is not visible, select Options > Palette.) Right-click a color, usually black, to create a background for text used to label lines and boxes.
- To change the attributes of several text objects at once, select the objects (F9), then press Shift+F5 to make changes.
To add lines and rectangles
You may want to organize the control program by adding lines between sequences of logic or by drawing rectangles around them.
- Select Mblocks > Figure.
- Click a color in the Palette. (If the palette is not visible, select Options > Palette.)
- Click the Line or Rectangle tool.

- Click and drag to draw a rectangle.
TIP Draw a 1-pixel high rectangle to make a horizontal line.
- Add a text label using the Text tool.
Editing microblock properties
Setting the properties of microblocks in EIKON for WebCTRL will save time when you are ready to transfer the control program to the control module.
To change the default properties of a microblock, press F5, then click the microblock. Click Help in the dialog box for details about that microblock.

Use one of the following techniques to change a property in a microblock dialog box:
- Click an underscored inactive field to edit the text in that field.
- Click an inactive text field, then click and hold the mouse button to scroll through predefined options for that property. Right-click and hold to scroll backward.
- Click to select or deselect option buttons.
- Click an underscored number field, then click a digit that you want to change. (Notice the small gray dot that indicates which digit you are going to change.) Click and hold the mouse to increase that digit. Right-click and hold to decrease that digit. You can click to place the gray dot to the left of the value to increase decimal places.
NOTE Preset, the default Editing Privilege, indicates that each property in a microblock has an appropriate privilege assigned to it. If you change the Editing Privilege, all the properties in that microblock are assigned to one editing privilege. Setting a single editing privilege for all properties is not usually desirable.
Editing Properties page text
Use one of the following procedures to edit text that appears on Properties pages in WebCTRL.
To edit Properties page text in a microblock dialog box

- Enter Edit mode (F5).
- Click a microblock to open its dialog box.
- Click below the Property Page Text label to activate the field for editing.
- Type in this field or right-click the field, then select Edit to open an editing window.
NOTE If you do not want text to appear on the Properties page for a particular microblock, type ^## in this field.
To edit Properties page text in the Edit Order window

- Select Reorder > Edit Order.
- Right-double-click the Property page text in the right column that you want to edit.
- Right-click the active text field, then select Edit.
- Make changes in the Property Page Text field.
- Click Accept to save your changes.
- Press Esc.
- Repeat steps 2 through 6 if necessary.
- Click Accept to close the Edit Order window.
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