Once you have defined your devices, you can use the Workbench to access the variables that reside in those devices.
- From the Workbench left pane, select the
Variables icon. The
Variables window appears as the right
pane.
The Variables window provides a tree format that lists the started devices in the node. The devices must be in the Started state to be included in the Variables window.
Each device can be expanded to show the variables that reside in that device. - You can expand or collapse the tree format to zoom
in or out on a device’s variables.
When you get to an individual data element, you have access to the Read and Write functions to read a device’s data element or write a device’s data element.
For information on data types and data conversion supported by the Siemens driver, see Siemens S7 supported access. - You must ensure that the appropriate levels of security access privileges are in place to restrict the access to data elements to those personnel who have the proper knowledge and understanding when reading or writing device data elements. For more information, see System administration > Security.
Some of the data elements may also be configured to be read only within the device using the device’s programming tools.