Scanning the Network for a Controller (Empty Project)

The following exemplary procedure is based on an empty project.
The following is assumed:

The project was created by selecting the 'File > New Project' menu command. The PLANT is empty except the root node as shown below.
You have already configured the IP range for the project.

If you have selected a suitable project template on project creation, proceed as described in the topic "Scanning the Network for a Controller with a Controller-based Template".

Note
For a network scan as described below, it is not necessary to manually establish a communication connection using the 'Connect' command (controller context menu in the PLANT) before the scan. This is done automatically by PLCnext Engineer.

Double-click the 'Project' node to open its properties in the editors area.
In the editors area, open the 'Online Controllers' editor (see (1) in the figure below).
In the drop-down list (2), select the LAN adapter of your computer which is connected to the controller network to be scanned.
Click the 'Scan the network' button (3) on the 'Online Controllers' toolbar.
The network is scanned and found controller devices are listed in the table.
The columns to the left of the 'Status' column represent the configuration edited in the project. These columns are empty as you started with an empty project and the found controller has not yet been added to the project.
The icon in the 'Status' column indicates that the scanned device is not yet contained in the project.

Select the table line with a found controller and execute the command 'Add To Project' from the context menu or click the following toolbar button:

Note
If a scanned device cannot be uniquely identified because, for example, more than one matching device type is available in the COMPONENTS area ('Device' or 'References' category), the 'Station structure preview' dialog appears. In the dialog, select the 'Type' of the scanned device from the drop-down list and confirm to continue.

Note
If the controller device includes a Safety PLC and you are not logged on to the Safety-related Area, you first have to enter the password for accessing the Safety-related Area. If this is the first edit operation of safety-related data in the current project, you are now prompted to define a password.

The 'Online Controllers' table is updated on project side by the name and the communication settings are read from the controller. The 'Status' icon is set to 'OK' (green), i.e., the values of the project device and online device shown in the table columns are identical. See (1) in the figure below.

The controller is added as node in the PLANT using its configured Name of Station (2).
If the 'Function' property is set for the device, it is displayed in the PLANT. If 'Function' is empty, 'Location' is shown (if set).

Overview: status icons in the device table

Note
When you position the mouse pointer over an icon, a tooltip shows further information about the current status.

Icon

Meaning

Status 'OK'.

The project device and the online device are identical. All comparison values of the project and online device match.

Status 'Unassigned: Not in project'.

The discovered device is not in the PLCnext Engineer project, i.e., not assigned to a project device. It is only available "online" (online device).

To add the device to the project (PLANT), right-click the entry and select 'Add to project' from the context menu or click

on the editor's toolbar.

Status 'Unassigned: Not online'.

The device is only contained in the PLCnext Engineer project.

Status 'Warning'. (See the icon's tooltip for details.)

The project device and the online device are not identical. At least one comparison value of the project and online device does not match. The status is indicated, for example, if the values of the project device and the online device have changed after the last network scan.

Remedy: You can transfer the communication settings from the device into the project or vice versa:

Note
Project device settings that you modify in the 'Online Controllers'/'Online Devices' editor, such as the 'IP address', 'Subnet mask', 'Default gateway', etc. are immediately written to the online device by entering the value and confirming it with <Enter>.

Note
If the device settings cannot be synchronized, a corresponding warning is shown in the MESSAGES window.

Status 'Error'.

There is a critical error reported for the device.

Status 'Conflicted'.

Status symbols such as the 'OK' and 'Unassigned' statuses may have an exclamation mark overlay. An exclamation mark symbol is displayed on the status symbol if there is a conflict between devices listed in the device list (for example, several devices have the same IP address or the same name of station).

Status 'Outdated'.

The settings of the online device are possibly not up to date. This status is for example indicated if a new configuration file with different settings have been downloaded to the device after the last network scan.

Status 'Pending'.

A write/read operation, firmware update, etc. is currently in progress. The icon is also shown while an assignment is applied.

Status 'Unknown'.

Scanning is in progress and the comparison between project and online device is not yet completed.

Status 'Flashing'. After pressing the 'Flashing' button in the editor's toolbar, LEDs are flashing at the device for identification purposes.

Further Info
Continue with configuring and parameterizing new devices, e.g., for editing the controller IP address.

Further Info
The topic "Safety-Related Area with Password Protection" contains details on accessing the safety-related parts of the project.