Book Image

Mastering PLC Programming

By : Mason White
Book Image

Mastering PLC Programming

By: Mason White

Overview of this book

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a new feature of PLC programming that has taken the automation world by storm. This book provides you with the necessary skills to succeed in the modern automation programming environment. The book is designed in a way to take you through advanced topics such as OOP design, SOLID programming, the software development lifecycle (SDLC), library design, HMI development, general software engineering practices, and more. To hone your programming skills, each chapter has a simulated real-world project that’ll enable you to apply the skills you’ve learned. In all, this book not only covers complex PLC programming topics, but it also removes the financial barrier that comes with most books as all examples utilize free software. This means that to follow along, you DO NOT need to purchase any PLC hardware or software. By the end of this PLC book, you will have what it takes to create long-lasting codebases for any modern automation project.
Table of Contents (25 chapters)
1
Part 1 – An Introduction to Advanced PLC Programming
6
Part 2 – Modularity and Objects
10
Part 3 – Software Engineering for PLCs
14
Part 4 – HMIs and Alarms
19
Part 5 – Final Project and Thoughts

Complex Variable Declaration — Using Variables to Their Fullest

Variables are the backbone of any program. As you can guess, any program of significant size and functionality will use variables. Thus far, we have used variables extensively. However, in terms of the raw power of variables, what we have explored so far has hardly scratched the surface. For systems such as CODESYS, variables are a very rich concept, and unlike traditional languages such as C++ or Java, there are many tools available to help you easily implement variables.

If you’ve ever programmed in a traditional programming language, such as C++, C#, Java, or the like, you’ll notice many similarities between those languages and the concepts in this chapter. Though we have used variables till now, we have not taken full advantage of all the attributes that are offered by variables. As we transition into object-oriented programming in the coming chapters, it is important to understand how to organize...