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Version: 26.1 (stable)

Import PLC Variables

Setting up Recipe Management requires just a few clicks since you can build upon all the data and variables that you've set up for our HMI in the Connect & Control Your PLC section. However, as you're are starting from scratch here, you must first create a PLC connection and import some variables.

1. Create a PLC Connection​

An Actual PLC and the PLC Mode Are Required

It is not possible to save recipes using Placeholders for Offline Editing. You actually need to be connected to a PLC.

  1. Download & Start the HELIO Playground PLC

Setting up a PLC that we can connect to sounds pretty complex, right?

The HELIO Playground PLC Has Got Your Back

It's a software-based demo PLC that you can download for free and run on your development computer right away. A handy tool when you want to learn how to connect HELIO to an industrial machine that communicates using OPC-UA.

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→ Download the latest version and start it.

  1. Add the Connection

Good job on getting the PLC set up and running. Let's keep going:

The Right Name Is Important!

It is important to name the connection correctly and not to use the default name, since the template — and thus all the variables it uses — was created with HELIO Playground PLC as the connection name.

  1. Explore the Structure

Once you've got the connection all set up, feel free to take a look and explore the data tree of the HELIO Playground PLC.

2. Import Variables​

Next we need to import the variables we want to use in our recipe types. For this example we are going to use variables that already exist on our on our HELIO Playground PLC.

  1. Locate the ForEveryone Folder

Locate the folder in the Data Source Explorer. You should find it under:
Objects > Examples > Abstract > ReadWrite > ForEveryone.

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  1. Import the Variables

Let's import the variables into your project so that we can use them in our recipes. Let's import the Boolean and Integer > WithEnumeration variables.

  1. Loosen Restrictions

To be able to write these variables, make sure that you relax the restrictions on the variables so that we can read and write them. Your Data Source Explorer should look something like this:

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Mission accomplished!

Now that you've got your data ready, it's time to define some recipe types.