ANY//DOCS
DEBack to site ↗

Project Explorer

Code Display

When you select a block in the project tree, its source code is displayed in the code editor.

Supported Languages:

  • SCL (Structured Control Language)
  • STL (Statement List)
  • LAD/FBD (rendered inline as networks)

Editing data types (UDTs)

Open a PLC data type (UDT) from a connected project and it appears as compact, editable source (TYPE … END_TYPE) with syntax highlighting — instead of long XML. Edit its members and press Ctrl+S to write the data type back into the project and recompile the PLC — the same flow as saving an SCL block, confirmation dialog included.

If source cannot be generated for a data type — for example because it is know-how-protected — it opens read-only instead. A data type shown from a project opened offline is read-only as well.

If you prefer the XML view, turn off Open UDTs as .udt under Editor in the Settings — data types then always open as read-only XML.

Editing data blocks

Open a data block from a connected project and its source view shows compact, editable source (DATA_BLOCK … END_DATA_BLOCK) with syntax highlighting. Edit it and press Ctrl+S to write the data block back into the project and recompile the PLC — the same flow as saving an SCL block, confirmation dialog included.

If source cannot be generated for a data block — for example because it is know-how-protected or a safety block — it opens as read-only XML instead, without error squiggles.

To work with the XML representation of a data block, right-click it in the project tree and choose Open as XML — the block opens as XML in a separate tab. Edit the XML and press Ctrl+S to write the block back into the project and recompile the PLC, with the same confirmation as any other block save.

Technology objects

With TIA Portal V18 or newer, technology objects (Motion Control axes, PID controllers, counters and the like) can be opened, created, edited and deleted straight from the project tree, under the Technology objects folder.

Open and edit. Double-click a technology object to open it as an editable XML tab. Edit the XML and press Ctrl+S to write it back into the project and recompile the PLC — the same confirmation as saving a block, and any compile problems are offered for you to open. A technology object can only be opened while you are connected to TIA Portal. Some types, such as Motion Control axes, cannot be shown as a source file; opening one shows a short read-only note instead, and you can still view and change its parameters through the AI assistant.

Create. Right-click the Technology objects folder and choose New Technology Object. Pick a type from the list (PID controllers, Motion Control axes, counters) — or choose Custom… to enter a type identifier yourself — confirm the version, then enter a name. The object is created and compiled and appears in the tree. The version you enter must match a technology-object version installed with your TIA Portal (for example PID_Compact version 2.4).

Delete. Right-click a technology object and choose Delete; confirm the prompt to remove it from the project.

AI chat. You can also ask the AI assistant to create, list, read, edit (change parameter values) or delete technology objects. Every change the assistant makes is shown for you to confirm first.

Import. Technology objects are edited one at a time, not through Import All or importing selected files. A technology-object file in your export folder is listed as skipped during a bulk import; to change a technology object, open it and edit it or use the AI assistant.

Autocomplete

While editing SCL, the editor suggests blocks, variables and members as you type. Type a . after a block or data-block name — for example "MyDb". — and the suggestions for that block's members appear right away. The editor is ready to use the moment you connect to a project, and project actions such as exporting blocks or HMI start immediately — even on large projects, nothing has to finish loading first.

Editing graphical blocks

On TIA Portal V20 or newer, graphical blocks (LAD, FBD and GRAPH) open as editable source — you type in them like in any other block. A button in the block editor toolbar switches between Show Graphical View (the read-only network or sequence rendering) and Show Source; your choice is remembered for that editor. Press Ctrl+S to write the change back into the project and compile the PLC — after the same confirmation dialog as a text block; errors and warnings appear right in the editor.

In the graphical view the networks render directly in AnyAutomation Studio — no external Compare or Visualizer tool is required, and no separate Siemens utility needs to be installed. Each network shows its title, comment and the layout as it appears in TIA Portal. Ladder blocks render as ladder networks, FBD blocks as function-block diagrams (with their gates, set/reset and assignment outputs, comparators and the called blocks, and inverted inputs marked), and GRAPH blocks as the full sequence chart with steps, transitions, branches and actions.

Before TIA Portal V20 the block opens in the read-only graphical view and the source toggle is not offered. For know-how-protected or safety blocks the toggle is still available, but the source view opens read-only — there is no editable source to write back. Text-source blocks (SCL/STL) open in the code editor as usual.

You can also open an exported block file as a graphical view without a live TIA Portal connection. Open the block's .xml (from Windows Explorer, the Desktop or the workspace), then choose Reopen Editor With… → TIA Graphical View (or right-click the file and pick Open With → TIA Graphical View). The ladder diagram is rendered straight from the file's contents, so you can review an exported block on any machine — even offline.

Interface and Tag-Table view

Block interfaces can be shown as a table above the code, like in TIA Portal. Use the Show Block Interface toggle in the block editor toolbar (or turn on the tiaPortal.editor.showBlockInterface setting, which is off by default) to switch it on. The table shows one row per member with its Name, Data type, Start value / Default value, Retain, the HMI/OPC UA/Web API access flags (Accessible, Writable, Visible in HMI engineering), Setpoint, Supervision and Comment columns.

PLC tag tables get an equivalent tag-table view (Name, Data type, Address, Retain, the HMI access flags, Supervision and Comment). With Show Block Interface off, blocks open as plain source. You can still read or edit interfaces and tag tables through the SCL/STL source in the code editor, or in TIA Portal directly.

HMI tag tables

Double-click an HMI tag table in the project tree (under an HMI device's HMI Tags) to open it in the HMI Tags editor — a table with one row per tag showing its Name, Data Type, Connection, PLC Tag, Acquisition Mode, Acquisition Cycle and Comment. A tag table on a WinCC Unified device is marked with a UNIFIED badge.

To change tags, click Edit and edit any cell. Click Save to TIA to write your changes back to the HMI device, or Discard to drop them. If a tag table cannot be loaded, the editor shows a message with a Show Details link for more information.

Other HMI items (scripts, connections, alarms) cannot be opened in the editor yet.

HMI screens

Double-click a WinCC Unified screen in the project tree (under an HMI device's Screens) to open it in the Screen editor — a canvas showing each screen item as a positioned, colored box with its label. Drag an empty area to pan the canvas, and use the mouse wheel to zoom (or Reset Zoom).

Select an item — on the canvas or in the object list on the left — to edit it in the property panel on the right: its Name, Text, position (Left, Top), size (Width, Height) and Visible flag. Drag an item on the canvas to move it, and press Delete to remove the selected item.

Click Save to TIA to write the screen back — you are asked to confirm first, because saving replaces the entire screen in TIA Portal. Click Pull to reload the screen from TIA (you are asked to confirm if you have unsaved changes). If a screen cannot be loaded or saved, a message with a Show Details link gives more information.

Only WinCC Unified screens can be opened — classic-panel screens are not supported.

Saving and closing

  • Ctrl+S saves the file or block currently shown in the editor. For files this writes to disk. For text-source TIA Portal blocks (SCL/STL), Ctrl+S asks for confirmation ("Upload '<block>' to TIA Portal?") before uploading the change back to the project and recompiling the PLC. Graphical and know-how-protected blocks open read-only and cannot be uploaded.
  • Closing an editor with unsaved changes shows a confirmation dialog before you lose any edits.
  • Disconnecting from TIA Portal closes any editors that were opened from TIA. If those editors have unsaved changes you are prompted to save (upload), discard, or cancel the disconnect.

Opening blocks and drag & drop

To open a block's source in the editor, double-click it in the project tree, or use Quick Open (the tia prefix) to jump to any block by name.

Drag & drop works between the Project Explorer and the Export Folder view in both directions:

  • Project → Export Folder (export): drag any node(s) — blocks, folders or a whole PLC — onto the Export Folder to export every exportable block underneath.
  • Export Folder → Project (import): drag file or folder rows from the Export Folder onto a PLC (or its Blocks / data-types / tags folder) to import them.

You can also drop external .xml / .scl / .awl / .db / .udt / .s7dcl files straight onto a PLC node (or its category folders) in the tree to import them.

Block details

Each block's type and number are shown in the project tree (for example OB1, FB10), and its programming language — as reported by TIA Portal (SCL, STL, LAD, FBD, GRAPH, F_LAD, …) — is reflected by the syntax highlighting and the editor's language indicator. A dedicated metadata panel (author, last-modified timestamp) is planned.

Finding where a block is used

When a block's SCL source is open in the code editor, you can see everywhere a block, function block or data block is used across the whole project. Place the cursor on the name, then press Shift+F12 — or right-click it and choose Go to References.

A list opens directly over the code showing every place that name is used in the project: the blocks that call it, and the places it is read or written. Each entry shows the block it appears in and a preview of the matching line. Click an entry to jump straight to that block and line; double-click it to open the block in its own editor tab.

This is handy for tracing where a function block is instanced, finding every caller of a function before you change its interface, or checking which blocks still reference a data block you want to delete.

Names that contain hyphens — such as a quoted instance name like "idb_8-Segment" — are now treated as a single word. A double-click selects the whole name in one step, so you can copy it or run Go to References on it without having to drag across the hyphen by hand.

Inline Chat (Ctrl+I)

The Inline Chat lets you ask the AI questions or request code changes directly in the code editor — without switching to the AI Chat sidebar.

How to use:

  1. Open a block in the editor from the Project Explorer (or use an empty editor)
  2. Optionally select the code you want to modify or ask about
  3. Press Ctrl+I — a small chat input appears at the top of the editor
  4. Type your question or instruction (e.g., "add error handling", "what does this section do?")
  5. Press Enter to send

Handling AI responses:

  • The AI streams its response directly in the inline chat widget
  • If the AI proposes a code change, Accept/Reject buttons appear:
    • Press Tab or click Accept to apply the change
    • Press Escape or click Reject to discard it
  • Press Escape at any time to close the inline chat

Tip: The inline chat works even without a block loaded — useful for asking general SCL questions.

Search the project tree

To quickly find something in the Project Explorer, click the filter icon (funnel) at the top of the view — or press Ctrl+Alt+F (or F3). A search box appears. Type part of a name — the tree narrows to just the matching blocks, folders, tags and hardware together with their parent folder, and a counter shows how many matches were found.

The search covers the whole project, including collapsed folders. Click the filter icon again (or press Esc) to close the search and restore the tree's previous state.

In the search box you can switch between Filter (show only matches, the default) and Highlight (mark matches, keep the rest visible, with ↓ / ↑ to step between them), and between fuzzy and contiguous matching.

This searches the project tree you are looking at. To jump straight to a block by name without opening the tree, use Quick Open instead:

Finding blocks by name (Quick Open)

To jump to any block, data type or tag by name, open Quick Open and type the tia prefix followed by part of the name. The list filters as you type:

  • Fuzzy match — fbmtr finds FB_Motor by matching the characters in order. The matching characters are highlighted in each result.
  • Case-insensitive — MOTOR and motor behave identically.

Each entry shows the item's kind (FB, FC, DB, OB, UDT, Tags …) and its path. Press Enter to open the block and reveal it in the project tree.

← Previous
Import / Export
Next →
Protected Items