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  • Book Overview & Buying Mastering PLC Programming
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Mastering PLC Programming

Mastering PLC Programming

By : M. T. White
5 (6)
Buy this Book
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Mastering PLC Programming

Mastering PLC Programming

5 (6)
By: M. T. White
Buy this Book

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)
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Preface
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Preface
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Who this book is for
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What this book covers
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To get the most out of this book
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Download the example code files
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Download the color images
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Conventions used
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Get in touch
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Share Your Thoughts
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Download a free PDF copy of this book
1
Part 1 – An Introduction to Advanced PLC Programming
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Part 1 – An Introduction to Advanced PLC Programming
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2
Chapter 1: Software Engineering for PLCs
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Chapter 1: Software Engineering for PLCs
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Technical requirements
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Software engineering for PLCs
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Understanding the IEC 61131-3 standard
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Introducing CODESYS
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Testing CODESYS
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Summary
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Questions
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Chapter 2: Advanced Structured Text — Programming a PLC in Easy-to-Read English
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Chapter 2: Advanced Structured Text — Programming a PLC in Easy-to-Read English
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Technical requirements
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Understanding error handling
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Understanding pointers
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Understanding references
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Understanding documentation
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Understanding state machines
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 3: Debugging — Making Your Code Work
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Chapter 3: Debugging — Making Your Code Work
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Technical requirements
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What is debugging?
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Understanding debugging tools and techniques
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Troubleshooting – a practical example
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 4: Complex Variable Declaration — Using Variables to Their Fullest
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Chapter 4: Complex Variable Declaration — Using Variables to Their Fullest
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Technical requirements
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Auto declaring variables
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Understanding constants
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Investigating arrays
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Exploring global variable lists
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Understanding structs
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Getting to know enums
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Exploring persistent variables
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Final project – motor control program
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Part 2 – Modularity and Objects
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Part 2 – Modularity and Objects
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Chapter 5: Functions — Making Code Modular and Maintainable
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Chapter 5: Functions — Making Code Modular and Maintainable
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Technical requirements
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What is modular code?
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Why use modular code?
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Exploring functions
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Examining return types
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Understanding arguments
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Final project – temperature unit converter
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 6: Object-Oriented Programming — Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling Code
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Chapter 6: Object-Oriented Programming — Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling Code
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Technical requirements
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What is OOP?
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Why use OOP?
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Understanding function blocks
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Getting to know objects
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Getting to know methods
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Getting to know properties
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Understanding the purpose of a getter and setter
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Understanding recursion and the THIS keyword
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Final project – creating a unit converter
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 7: OOP — The Power of Objects
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Chapter 7: OOP — The Power of Objects
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Technical requirements
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Understanding access specifiers
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Exploring the pillars of OOP
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Inheritance versus composition
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Examining interfaces
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Getting to know design patterns
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Final project – creating a simulated assembly line
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Part 3 – Software Engineering for PLCs
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Part 3 – Software Engineering for PLCs
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Chapter 8: Libraries — Write Once, Use Anywhere
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Chapter 8: Libraries — Write Once, Use Anywhere
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Technical requirements
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Investigating libraries
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Guiding principles for library development
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Building custom libraries
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Final project – part computation library
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 9: The SDLC — Navigating the SDLC to Create Great Code
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Chapter 9: The SDLC — Navigating the SDLC to Create Great Code
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Technical requirements
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Understanding the SDLC
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Investigating the general steps of the SDLC
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Final project – creating a simple library
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 10: Advanced Coding — Using SOLID to Make Solid Code
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Chapter 10: Advanced Coding — Using SOLID to Make Solid Code
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Technical requirements
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Introducing SOLID programming
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Benefits of SOLID programming
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The governing principles of SOLID programming
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Final project – a painting machine
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Part 4 – HMIs and Alarms
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Part 4 – HMIs and Alarms
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Chapter 11: HMIs — UIs for PLCs
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Chapter 11: HMIs — UIs for PLCs
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Technical requirements
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Understanding HMIs
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HMIs versus SCADA
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How the SDLC applies to HMIs
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Exploring wireframing
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Final project – creating an HMI
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 12: Industrial Controls — User Inputs and Outputs
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Chapter 12: Industrial Controls — User Inputs and Outputs
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Technical requirements
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Exploring common HMI controls
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Final project – creating a simple HMI
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 13: Layouts — Making HMIs User-Friendly
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Chapter 13: Layouts — Making HMIs User-Friendly
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Technical requirements
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The importance of colors
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Understanding grouping/position
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Best practices for blinking
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Organizing the screen into multiple layouts
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Final project – creating a user-friendly HMI
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Chapter 14: Alarms — Avoiding Catastrophic Issues with Alarms
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Chapter 14: Alarms — Avoiding Catastrophic Issues with Alarms
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Technical requirements
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What are alarms?
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Alarm configuration – I, Warning, and Error setup
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Alarm HMI components
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PLC alarm logic
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Alarm acknowledgment
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Final project – motor alarm system
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Part 5 – Final Project and Thoughts
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Part 5 – Final Project and Thoughts
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Chapter 15: Putting It All Together — The Final Project
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Chapter 15: Putting It All Together — The Final Project
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Technical requirements
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Project overview
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Getting the requirements
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HMI design
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HMI implementation
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PLC code design
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Implementing the PLC code
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Testing the application
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Summary
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Questions
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Chapter 16: Distributed Control Systems, PLCs, and Networking
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Chapter 16: Distributed Control Systems, PLCs, and Networking
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Technical requirements
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What are computer networks?
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Common IT protocols
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PLC/automation device communication
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Understanding distributed control systems
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The differences between DCSs and PLCs
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Summary
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Questions
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Further reading
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Assessments
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Assessments
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Chapter 1: Software Engineering for PLCs
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Chapter 2: Advanced Structured Text — Programming a PLC in Easy-to-Read English
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Chapter 3: Debugging — Making Your Code Work
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Chapter 4: Complex Variable Declaration — Using Variables to Their Fullest
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Chapter 5: Functions — Making Code Modular and Maintainable
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Chapter 6: OOP — Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling Code
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Chapter 7: OOP — The Power of Objects
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Chapter 8: Libraries — Write Once, Use Anywhere
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Chapter 9: The SDLC — Navigating the SDLC to Create Great Code
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Chapter 10: Advanced Coding — Using SOLID to Make Solid Code
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Chapter 11: HMIs — UIs for PLCs
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Chapter 12: Industrial Controls — User Inputs and Outputs
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Chapter 13: Layouts — Making HMIs User Friendly
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Chapter 14: Alarms — Avoiding Catastrophic Issues with Alarms
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Chapter 15: Putting It All Together — The Final Project
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Chapter 16: Distributed Control Systems, PLCs, and Networking
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Index
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Index
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Why subscribe?
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Other Books You May Enjoy
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Other Books You May Enjoy
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Packt is searching for authors like you
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Share Your Thoughts
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Download a free PDF copy of this book

Software Engineering for PLCs

Software engineering is a pivotal, yet often overlooked aspect of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming. There is a core problem with automation engineering that stems from most PLC projects usually being viewed as hardware first. Many books, workshops, and so on are focused on PLC projects as hardware-first systems. Usually, programming is secondary to the overall hardware design of the system. In other words, the software is there to operate the hardware.

Many PLC programmers are not formally trained software developers and have backgrounds ranging from electricians to electrical and mechanical engineers. Though there is nothing wrong with a PLC developer not being a formally trained programmer, there are techniques that are usually taught in programming classes that are often lost when a non-formally trained programmer tries to program a PLC. This book aims to teach and apply software engineering practices to PLC programming. By learning these techniques, PLC developers can utilize the full gamut of the IEC 61131-3 standard and create advanced software faster and cleaner.

The hot topic in today’s fast-paced industrial world is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. In short, machines are getting smart, and a major component of that is the software that controls the systems. The first PLC was introduced around the late 1960s and early 1970s; as such, PLCs (and by extension, automation) are nothing new. However, what has changed is the complexity of the systems that PLCs control. With the lower costs and rising computing power of PLCs, the applications that PLCs control are now becoming more complex seemingly by the day. The days of PLC programmers getting through the day with basic programming techniques and ladder logic are quickly becoming a thing of the past. To survive and be competitive in today’s market, a new way of thinking about PLC code is needed. Today’s world now needs PLC programmers that can function as software engineers.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following topics:

  • Software engineering for PLCs
  • The IEC 61131-3 standard
  • Ways of programming a PLC
  • CODESYS
  • A ladder logic Hello, World! program to test the installation of CODESYS
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Tech Concepts
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Programming languages
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Mastering PLC Programming
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