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CODESYS

AnyAutomation Studio can open a CODESYS project, show the objects inside it as a tree, and export them to and import them back from PLCopenXML files – the open, vendor-neutral exchange format for IEC 61131-3 code. This lets you get CODESYS blocks out as standard files you can archive, compare, or bring into another tool, and later bring them back into the project.

CODESYS support opens in the side bar, on the left. Open it in any of these ways:

  • Click the CODESYS icon in the Activity Bar (left edge).
  • Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run CODESYS.
  • Click the CODESYS entry in the status bar (bottom left).

Requirements

  • A Pro plan or higher. CODESYS is available on Pro, Pro+ and Enterprise. On the free tier or the Basic plan, opening CODESYS shows an upgrade prompt instead.
  • CODESYS installed on your machine. AnyAutomation Studio works with your own local CODESYS Development System (3.5). If CODESYS is not installed, the view shows a "CODESYS is not installed on this computer" message and the rest of Studio keeps working normally.

Connecting

When the CODESYS side bar opens it shows a Connect button. Click it (on the welcome screen, or in the toolbar at the top of the view) to connect to your local CODESYS installation. Connecting starts CODESYS in the background and takes a few seconds; while it runs, a progress indicator appears with a Cancel option.

If the connection is ever lost, click Connect again.

Opening a Project

  1. Click Open Project in the toolbar at the top of the CODESYS side bar.
  2. Pick a CODESYS project file (.project) in the file dialog.

The project's objects load into a tree below.

A project that is already open in another CODESYS session cannot be opened at the same time – you will see a clear "already open in another session" message. Close it in the other session and try again.

Browsing Objects

The tree shows the objects in the open project – applications, devices, folders, and program blocks (POUs) – each with an icon for its kind, nested the same way as in CODESYS. Expand and collapse the branches to navigate, and start typing to filter the tree to matching names.

Select one or several program blocks (hold Ctrl or Shift for a multi-selection). Use Refresh (the toolbar button at the top of the view, or F5 while the view is focused) to reload the tree from CODESYS after the project has changed.

Opening a Block's Code

Click a program block (a POU) in the tree to open its Structured Text code in the editor, with syntax highlighting. The code opens read-only, for viewing rather than editing, and shows the block's declaration and implementation together. Folders, devices, and applications do not open, only blocks that hold textual code do.

Editing a block and writing your changes back to CODESYS is not part of this version yet.

Exporting Objects

Export and import share a single Import / Export area in the CODESYS side bar. When you export, Studio writes one PLCopenXML file per object into your export folder.

There are two ways to export:

  • Tick objects in the project tree. Every object in the tree has a checkbox. Tick the objects you want – tick a folder to select all of its objects at once – and click Export Selected.
  • From the right-click menu. Select the program blocks you want in the tree, right-click, and choose Export Selected.

You can also drag objects from the project tree onto the export folder tree to export them there. A dragged folder contributes every object beneath it.

If you have not set a default export folder, a folder picker opens each time. After the export a message tells you how many objects were written and where, for example Exported 12 object(s) to C:\Exports.

Default Export Folder

To skip the folder prompt, set a default export folder once: open Settings (Ctrl+,), search for CODESYS, and enter a folder path. Exports then go straight to that folder. Leave it empty to be asked for a folder each time.

The Export Folder Tree

Below the export folder path, the Import / Export area shows the files and subfolders already in that folder as a tree – each row with expand arrows, an icon for its kind, and a checkbox. This lets you see at a glance what is in the folder and pick files to import.

At the top of the area there are three small buttons:

  • Filter – type part of a name to narrow the folder tree to matching files and folders.
  • Refresh – re-reads the export folder so files added or changed outside Studio also show up.
  • Reveal in File Explorer – opens the export folder in Windows Explorer.

Managing Files in the Export Folder Tree

Right-click a row in the folder tree for a file-management menu: Open and Open to the Side to view a file, Reveal in File Explorer, Copy Path, and New File, New Folder, Rename, Delete, Cut, Copy, and Paste. This lets you organize the export folder right in Studio, without switching to Windows Explorer.

Importing Objects

You bring exported files back into the open project from the same Import / Export area:

  • Tick the files you want in the export folder tree and click Import Selected.
  • Use Import All to import every file in the folder.

An object that already exists in the project under the same name is replaced.

You can also drag files from the export folder tree onto the project tree to import them the same way.

Closing a Project

Use Close Project in the toolbar at the top of the CODESYS side bar to close the current project. You can then open a different one.

Working with the AI

The AI in the chat can work with your connected CODESYS project. Just describe what you need in plain language and the AI carries out the right steps for you. For example, you can ask the AI to:

  • Check the status – whether CODESYS is connected and whether a project is currently open.
  • List the objects – the AI reads the object tree of the open project and tells you the applications, devices, folders, and program blocks in it.
  • Read a block's code – the AI fetches a block's Structured Text code so it can explain it, summarize it, or answer your questions about it.
  • Open a block in the editor – the AI opens an object's source in an editor tab so you have it right in front of you.
  • Export objects and import files – the AI writes selected objects as files into your export folder and brings files back into the project.

Confirmation for Changing Actions

Four actions change something, so they ask for your confirmation before the AI runs them: opening a project, closing the project, importing, and exporting. Allow one once, for the session, or for good and it runs without asking from then on; decline the prompt and that call is cancelled. If an action should never run at all, switch its tool off in the chat tool picker. Read-only requests, such as checking status, listing objects, and viewing code, run without a prompt.

The CODESYS Structured Text Specialist

For detailed Structured Text work, the AI hands the task to a dedicated CODESYS Structured Text specialist. It focuses on IEC 61131-3 and the CODESYS style rather than Siemens, so its answers fit your CODESYS project.

What the AI Cannot Do Yet

  • Change a block's code in place. The AI cannot edit a block's code directly. To change a block with the AI's help, export it to a file, edit that file, and then import it back into the project.
  • Compile. The AI cannot compile a project or a block.
  • Read live values. The AI cannot read online or live values from a PLC.

What Is Not Supported Yet

  • Editing a block and saving it back. You can open a block's code for viewing, but changing it and writing your changes back to CODESYS is planned for a later version.
  • Password-protected projects. If a project needs a password to open, CODESYS support shows a "this project is password-protected, protected projects are not supported yet" message. Open such a project in CODESYS itself for now.
  • Compile, download, and compare are not part of CODESYS support yet – this version opens a project, browses its objects, opens a block's code for viewing, and exports and imports objects.

Notes

  • CODESYS support connects only to the CODESYS installation on your own machine; it never reaches out to any PLC on its own.
  • Object names in CODESYS use plain ASCII identifiers; accented characters in names are rejected by CODESYS itself, while accented characters inside code content are preserved.
  • Siemens-specific surfaces (Safety, HMI, Software Units) do not appear in the CODESYS view – they apply only to TIA Portal.
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