Pairing Variables

A variable group in a plugin connection is used to pair simulation variables with server variables. This means the value of a property or signal in a component can be linked to the value of a variable available in a connected PLC or server.

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Click the Connectivity tab, and then in the Connectivity Configuration panel, find and expand your connection, and then right-click the desired variable group, and then click Add Variables.
    • Click the Connectivity tab, and then in the Connectivity Configuration panel, find and expand your connection, and then click the desired variable group. Finally, on the Connectivity tab, in the Variable Group, click Add Variables.
    • In the Connected Variables panel, Structure column, find and expand your connection, and then click the desired variable group, and then click Add Variables.
  2. In the Create Variable Pairs editor, do one or more of the following:
    • To only show variables of selected components, select the Only selected components check box.
    • To show the properties of a component, select the Component properties check box.
    • To show the properties of behaviors in a component, select the Behaviour properties check box.
    • To show the signals of a component, select the Signals check box.
    • To sort simulation and/or server variables, click a column header name.
    • To filter simulation variables and/or server variables, directly below a column header name, use the filtering options.
  3. Next, use the left-/simulation-side table to select a simulation variable, and then use the right-/server-side table to select a server variable that is compatible with the selected simulation variable or vice versa.
  4. Finally, click Pair Selected to pair the selected simulation and server variables. If you want to want to pair one simulation variable with many server variables, you would need to add each pair one by one.

Notes:

  • In the server-side table, you can verify the data type of a server variable based on its icon or refer to its Data Type and Server Type fields. The icon would indicate a match to one of four supported data types in the simulation. The Data Type field would show the closest match to a .NET built-in type, excluding objects, for the PLC/server connection. The Server Type field would show the concrete data type using PLC or OPC UA terminology.
  • See Supported data types for more information.