Technical requirements
This book is designed to have a very low bar to get started. The only items that are needed to get started on your journey to mastering advanced PLC programming are a Windows computer and a free program called CODESYS. CODESYS is an all-in-one PLC development environment that contains a built-in simulator that can run PLC code without the need for physical hardware. CODESYS can be downloaded for free here: https://www.codesys.com/download.htmlhttps://us.store.codesys.com/.
To get CODESYS up and running, it is recommended to have the following specs:
- Windows 8 or later (32/64 bit)
- 12 GB free hard drive space
- 8 GB of RAM
Installation of CODESYS is quite simple. All you have to do is follow the link, create an account, and follow the installation wizard. We’ll explore CODESYS a bit more later, but for now, all you need to worry about is downloading and installing the software.
All code examples for this book will be housed on GitHub. Although you don’t need a GitHub account to get the code down, it is recommended that you do create an account and download the GitHub desktop tool. As you’re working on examples throughout this book, you will be encouraged to put your spin on them. As such, GitHub will allow you to commit the code without fear of losing past iterations of it. The source code for this project can be found here: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-PLC-programming/tree/master/Chapter%201.