Welcome to NI LabVIEW Ladder Diagram Editor

[gjshannon]

I'm trying to use LabVIEW for an advanced application that imports PLC logic from rsLogix.  The intent is to use native capabilities in LabVIEW to debug control systems.

I'm prototyping this in Java right now.

I contacted the sales guys to see if it made sense to do this in LabVIEW rather than reinventing it in Java.  Of course I get the usual sales pitch that in essense LabVIEW can do everything' (standard sales stuff) not to mention it can solve world hunger.

But realistically since we do network-based logic it makes a certain amount of sense to try doing this in LabVIEW so I say, sure why not.

I install LV2009 evaluation and am put in contact with the support guys to get into the PLC details and lo and behold there is this great tool to view ladder logic.  Hurray!

But, I need LabVIEW 8.6 because this wonderful tool won't work with LV2009.  But, sales won't provide a 8.6 evaluation version.

I'm a small business.  A while back I was trying to raise money from a venture capital guy and he said to me "I never work with anyone who isn't serious".

OK National Instruments, are you serious or not? 

NI needs to decide they are in this game and get in it seriously, or quit screwing around.

Because I've been downloading LabVIEW and trying to learn it and talking on the phone with support guys and trying to figure how to make this work with LabView and WASTING MY TIME.

I was serious in my intent to prototype with LabVIEW.  NI is not serious about supporting ladder logic.  Drop this product and don't tell potential or current customers that you have anything to do with ladder logic until you are serious.

[mjo]

Actually, I do think that Ladder is dead in the water, and not supported for any other release than 8.6 (it doesnt work with 8.6.1 either...) and not intended for further development (search through the posts)...If a sales rep told you, it could do ladder you certainly have grounds being a touch cranky.  But before burning all your bridges check out the ethernet/IP Labs, this allows direct communication with AB PLC's (not all breeds but) via the ethernet, i have thrown this into use a couple of times and it is pretty neat. and seems to have plenty of support.

For using Labviews "native capabilities" to debug control systems without knowing what your precise intent is it seems fair to say Labview certainly can be of use (i say this as i have certainly used it for exactly that), But i dont think Labview Ladder was ever intended for what you wanted to achieve with it...it seems to have been more of a 'express VI kind of thing' for hiding labview code behind a ladder front end to make labview more accessable to Maintenence guys...still there is always Java...

[gjshannon]

Thanks for the reply mjo.

I should clarify that it was the support guys who pointed me to the ladder product, not sales.  But sales of course was pretty much doing what sales does ("We walk on water").

Unfortunately we need to import xml files from rsLogix to display ladder logic, so connecting to hardware is not an option.

[Vincent_Carpentier]

gjshannon,

Like mjo mentioned, the Ladder Diagram Editor is a tool that will give you the look and feel of programming in Ladder logic but will be LabVIEW code underneth it.  I don't think this editor would help you in the application that you are describing.

It seems that you want to show and debug the Ladder Diagram comming from an xlm file that is generated by rsLogix.  I don't think you will be successful for the debug portion because that would mean that you need to run the code on the PLC but you mentioned not being connected to the PLC.

Please let me know if I misunderstood your application.

Vincent Carpentier

NI Field Sales - Eastern Canada  

[GerardoG]

Thanks to all who have provided feedback on this forum - your input was very helpful in shaping our ongoing development plans. The feedback was consistent that a ladder diagram editor would be most beneficial if it included functionality such as online logic updates, support for other 1131 languages, full 1131 compliance, etc. At this time we have chosen to invest our development efforts elsewhere, so we have removed the ladder diagram editor from our website.

Gerardo Garcia

Group Manager 

Real-Time Software

National Instruments 

[juangilsan]

Thanks Gerardo for an honest-straight response. That way we won't be wasting people's time providing feedback on something it seemed obvious it was going nowhere as well as misleading other's. I did my part, but I saw the writing on the wall by Darren's last response.

Thank you also gjshannon  for being a cause in the matter.