Open the properties dialog box for the step.

Result: The step properties dialog box is opened, see also Steps properties dialog box.

Select the Actions tab.

Result: The dialog box for defining actions is opened.

Example:

In the Action area, define an action as

• action variable

  or

• action section

If necessary, define an Qualifier in the Qualifier symbol list box.

Confirm the definitions for the action with the New action button.

Result: The action is enabled in the action list box.

Example:

Confirm the entries with OK.

Result: The actions are accepted, the properties dialog box is closed, and a syntax and semantics check is performed.

Open the properties dialog box for the step.

Result: The step properties dialog box is opened, see also Steps properties dialog box.

Select the Actions tab.

Result: The dialog box for defining actions is opened.

Select the action to modify from the actions list box.

Result: The properties of the selected action are enabled in the Qualifier , Time and Action areas.

Example:

If necessary, modify in the Action area

• action variable

  or

• action section

  Note: When modifying action sections you are asked to confirm whether the current action section should be deleted. Please note that deleted sections cannot be undone usingEdit > Undo .

If necessary, define an Qualifier in the Qualifier symbol list box.

Confirm the changes for the action with the Accept action button.

Result: The definitions of the selected action in the action list box are replaced with the changed definitions.

Confirm the entries with OK.

Result: The actions are accepted, the properties dialog box is closed, and a syntax and semantics check is performed.

Select the Actions tab from the step properties dialog box, if it isn't already activated.

In the Action area, activate the Variable option button, if it isn't already activated.

Enter a Boolean variable/address, or a Boolean element of a multi-element variable in the data selection box, see also section Action variables in the Reference manual.

You have the following options to enter variables:

• You can enter the name of the variable.

• You can select the name of the variable from the list of recently used names using the symbol.

  or

• Using the button... you can open a variable selection dialog box and confirm the selected variables there with OK.

Example:

If necessary, define an qualifier for the action.

If you do not define an qualifier, the action section is automatically assigned the qualifier N (no qualifier).

Click the New action button to insert a new action, or the Accept action button to modify an existing action.

Result: The action is enabled in the action list box.

If the action variable has not been declared, declare it as BOOL data type, see also Creation of EDT instances.

Select the Actions tab from the step properties dialog box, if it isn't already activated.

In the Action area, activate the Section option button.

Enter the name of the action section in the list box, see also section Action sections in the Reference manual.

If necessary, define an qualifier for the action section.

If you do not define an qualifier, the action section is automatically assigned the qualifier N (no qualifier).

Click the New action button to insert a new action, or the Accept action button to modify an existing action.

Result: The action is enabled in the action list box.

Example:

Click the Edit Action section button to create the action section logic.

Result: A dialog box is opened for defining the programming language for the action section.

Example:

Select the desired programming language for the action section and confirm the selection with OK.

Information for creating LD sections: An LD section contains 11-63 columns and 17-3998 lines. The number of columns is defined using the Tools > Project Settings...dialog box, in the Editors tab, in the Number of columns text box. These settings are only valid for new sections and not for existing sections. Always define the number of columns before you create a new LD section. (The number of lines can be increased or reduced during the creation of section contents.)

Result: The step properties dialog box is closed and the action section is opened.

Create the action section logic, see also section Action sections in the Reference manual.

Note: If the action sections subprograms are called in the Tools > Project settings... > Language extensions dialog box, the options Subprograms allowed and Multi Token allowed must be activated.

Please note that the subroutine called from the action section do not affect the sequence string control, i.e.

• the qualifier assigned to the action section has no effect on the subroutine,

• the subroutine remains active when the calling step is deactivated.

Select the Actions tab from the step properties dialog box, if it isn't already activated.

Select the desired qualifier from the Qualifier list box, see also section Qualifiers in the Reference manual.

If you select an qualifier of type L (time limited), D (time delayed) or DS (delayed and saved), you are assigning a time period for the qualifier.

You can define the time period as a literal or as a variable of the TIME data type:

• Literal

  1. In the Time area, activate the Literal option button, if it isn't already activated.

  2. Enter a time period, e.g. 500 ms, 1 sec.

• Variable

  1. Activate the Variable option button in the Time area.

  2. You have the following options to enter variables:

     You can enter the name of the variable.

     You can select the name of the variable from the list of recently used names using the symbol.

     or

     Using the button... you can open a variable selection dialog box and confirm the selected variables there with OK.

  3. If the variable is not already declared, declare it as a variable of the TIME data type and assign the variables with the desired time period, see also Creation of EDT instances.

Define the action variable or the action section.

Click the New action button to insert a new action, or the Accept action button to modify an existing action.

Result: The action is enabled with the qualifier in the action list box.

Example:

Select the Actions tab from the step properties dialog box, if it isn't already activated.

Select the action from the action list box whose execution order you want to change.

Note: If several actions are assigned to a step, they are executed in the order they are listed in the action list box.

Exception: Regardless of their position in the action list box, actions with the qualifier P1 are always processed first and actions with the qualifier P0 are always processed last, see also section Qualifiers in the Reference manual.

Move the selected action to the target position using the Move up and Move down buttons.

Select the Actions tab from the step properties dialog box, if it isn't already activated.

Select the action to be deleted from the actions list box.

The following selection options are available:

• Selecting an action

  1. Click the action.

• Selecting several non-sequential actions

  1. Press the Shift key and keep it pressed.

  2. Click the first action to be selected.

  3. Click the last action to be selected.

• Selecting several sequential actions

  1. Press the Ctrl key and keep it pressed.

  2. Click the actions to be selected.

To delete the selected action(s), click the Delete action button.

Note: When deleting actions with action sections you are asked to confirm whether the action section should be deleted. Please note that deleted sections CANNOT be restored using Edit > Undo .