Conversion

FactoryLink
Version 8.0
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Conversion Guide
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Disclaimer of Liability
The information contained in this document (and other media provided
herewith) constitutes confidential information of Siemens AG and is
protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well
as other intellectual property laws and treaties. Such information is not to
be disclosed, used or copied by, or transferred to, any individual,
corporation, company or other entity, in any form, by any means or for
any purpose, without the express written permission of Siemens AG.
The information contained in this document and related media
constitutes documentation relating to a software product and is being
provided solely for use with such software product. The software product
was provided pursuant to a separate license or other agreement and
such information is subject to the restrictions and other terms and
conditions of such license or other agreement.
The information contained in this document and related media is subject
to change without notice and does not represent a commitment and does
not constitute any warranty on the part of Siemens AG. Except for
warranties, if any, set forth in the separate license or other agreement
relating to the applicable software product, Siemens AG makes no
warranty, express or implied, with respect to such information or such
software product.
Trademarks
Siemens AG and FactoryLink are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Siemens AG in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand
or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.
Siemens AG Copyright © Siemens AG 2007.

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Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started.............................................................................................. 1

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1
Getting Help ................................................................................................................. 1
Converting FactoryLink 7.0 or Later to 8.0 ......................................................................... 2
Converting FactoryLink 6.6 or Earlier to 8.0 ....................................................................... 3
Conversion Process .............................................................................................................. 4
Conversion Utility ........................................................................................................ 4
Running ECS Graphics ................................................................................................ 5
Using .BMP Files ......................................................................................................... 5
Running New Features ................................................................................................. 6
Password Encryption ................................................................................................... 9
Operator Event Logging ............................................................................................ 10
Modifying OperLog Table in SQL Database ............................................................. 12
Cluster Management .................................................................................................. 13
Chapter 2 Converting Graphics .................................................................................. 15

FactoryLink Graphic Tools ................................................................................................. 15
Conversion Considerations ................................................................................................. 16
ECSConvert.exe ......................................................................................................... 16
Bitmap Files ............................................................................................................... 18
Converted Object Types ............................................................................................. 19
Converted Animation Types ....................................................................................... 20
Conversion Procedure ........................................................................................................ 21
Chapter 3 Converting Alarm ....................................................................................... 23

Architecture Comparison .................................................................................................... 23
Distributed Alarm Logging Task (Pre-7.0) ................................................................ 23
Distributed Alarm Logging Task (Current) ............................................................... 24
FactoryLink Conversion Guide / iii

Chapter 4 Converting Trend ....................................................................................... 27
Converting Historical Trend ............................................................................................... 28
Converting Real-Time Trend .............................................................................................. 34
Chapter 5 Converting Database Browser ................................................................... 37

Browser Control and Browser Task Comparison ............................................................... 37
Conversion Considerations ................................................................................................. 39
Chapter 6 Miscellaneous Conversion Issues .............................................................. 43

Converting an Application with Existing Data .................................................................. 43
NetDTL .............................................................................................................................. 43
ODBC Historian ................................................................................................................. 43
Converting Third-Party Driver or PAK Task (pre-6.0.4) ................................................... 43
Converting Alarm Logger to Distributed Alarm Logger ................................................... 44
Banner and Output Lines ........................................................................................... 44
Multiple Invocations .................................................................................................. 44
Limitations ................................................................................................................. 45
Converting Your Applications ................................................................................... 46
Possible Changes to Improve Performance .............................................................. 49
Distributed Alarm Logger Supersedes Alarm Supervisor .................................................. 50
PowerSPC Supersedes SPC ................................................................................................ 50
PowerVB ............................................................................................................................ 50
Access to User-Domain Tags ............................................................................................. 51
Set Up Services File ................................................................................................... 51
Configuration Explorer Settings ................................................................................ 51
Run-Time Behavior .................................................................................................... 52
iv / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

Chapter 1
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Getting Started
I NTRODUCTION
The guide presents the basic concepts on how FactoryLink conversion works. It provides the
technical information to users of FactoryLink systems who need to convert their applications
from earlier versions to version 8.0.
The FactoryLink conversion utilities cover applications built using standard FactoryLink tasks
and functionality, starting with 4.4. You can upgrade applications built on different operating
systems, such as Windows, VMS, OS/2, or UNIX, to the current version running on Windows
2000, XP, or Vista (for One-Click Client only).
Applications using custom tasks with large amounts of PowerVB or using PowerSPC may
require additional work. Applications built on versions older than 4.4 can be partially or fully
converted to the latest release. Depending on the version, tasks uses, and operating system of
the existing application, this process may require intermediate steps and manual conversions to
complete the conversion of the application and associated data. An experienced FactoryLink
professional can usually perform the conversion in a fraction of the time it would take to build
a new application. Siemens and its partners offer services to perform conversions of this type if
you need assistance.
This guide assumes the person converting the FactoryLink application has a detailed
understanding of using the FactoryLink application, has knowledge of a previous version of
FactoryLink, and has received training for this version. For a description of the new features in
this release, see the Fundamentals Guide.
Getting Help
If you have questions, contact your authorized Siemens reseller or representative.
FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 1

• 1 | GETTING STARTED
Converting FactoryLink 7.0 or Later to 8.0
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C ONVERTING F ACTORY L INK 7.0 OR L ATER TO 8.0
Very little work is required to convert a FactoryLink 7.0 or later application to FactoryLink
8.0.
1 Convert the application in Configuration Explorer. For a detailed discussion of the conversion
process, see the “Conversion Process” on page 4.
2 Pay special attention to the following sections:
• Conversion Utility
• Password Encryption
• Operator Event Logging
• Modifying OperLog Table in SQL Database
• Cluster Management
3 Open the client application in Client Builder. No additional actions are necessary, unless you
need to modify the CSConfig.dat file. The client application is now converted.
2 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

GETTING STARTED | 1
Converting FactoryLink 6.6 or Earlier to 8.0
C ONVERTING F ACTORY L INK 6.6 OR E ARLIER TO 8.0

You can convert a FactoryLink 4.4 to 6.6 application to a FactoryLink 8.0 application and
continue using it just as before. However, to take advantage of the current features, you need to
make further modifications. You must determine how much to convert. Consider your options
listed in Table 1-1.
Table 1-1 Conversion Options
What to Your Options

convert
Graphics • Use the graphics screens in ECS graphics mode.
• Use the WebClient ActiveX Control to display ECS graphics screens
inside of Client Builder. You can add new screens to the application in
Client Builder to take advantage of the new features it provides.
• Convert all drawings to Client Builder mimics.
Alarms • Continue using your alarm screen in ECS graphics mode.
• Convert your alarm screen to a Client Builder mimic and continue using
it as before.
• Use the Alarm ActiveX control in Client Builder. (See the Client Builder
Help for instructions.)
Trends • Continue using your trends charts in ECS graphics mode.
• Convert your graphics screens to Client Builder mimics and convert the
trend charts to one of the Trend ActiveX controls.
• Create new trend charts using the Trend ActiveX controls. (See the
Client Builder Help for instructions.)
Database • Continue using your browsing functionality and screens in ECS graphics
Browser mode.
• Convert your graphics screens to Client Builder mimics and use them as
you did in the ECS graphics mode.
• Create new browser using the Browse ActiveX control. (See the Client
Builder Help for instructions.)

Conversion Process
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C ONVERSION P ROCESS
To successfully convert your existing application, you must determine if the new version has
all of the same modules you have in your version. If the application used third-party drivers or
tasks, you must obtain newer versions of those modules before you perform any restore or
convert actions on the application. If the tables for the third-party modules do not exist in the
newer system, the data in those tables will be lost in the restore process.
If you do no know whether the new system has the same modules, open the Configuration
Explorer and browse the Examples Application to determine if the same tables exist in the
installed system. If you find that one or more tables is missing from the install, contact your
authorized Siemens reseller or representative to obtain the missing modules.
Conversion Utility
The FLCONV utility manages the conversion; it converts your tables to match the version of
the software loaded. Most applications can be converted by restoring a “compressed backup”
identified as a .mps file. This single file is expanded into the application configuration tables
and ECS graphics from the previous version. Some unique cases exist where the application is
moved as a directory structure to the new system without using the .mps file.
Restoring an application using the Configuration Explorer is easy. (See the Configuration
Explorer Help for detailed information.) During the installation process, the Examples
Application was restored, so you have one application in the Configuration Explorer
environment already.
To restore another application to this same server, do these steps:
1 In Configuration Explorer, expand FactoryLink Servers and your “server computer name”. You
will see the Examples Application icon.
2 Right-click your “server computer name” and select Restore Application (or select Add Existing
Application if you moved the directory from the previous system).
3 Once the application is restored or added to the Configuration Explorer environment,
right-click the application icon and select Convert. The FLCONV utility starts to run.
After this conversion finishes, you can run the application.
Caution: Do not stop the conversion while it is processing. Stopping the conversion
may corrupt the application. The conversion process is complete when the
Output box reads: FLCONV successfully completed.

GETTING STARTED | 1
Conversion Process
Running ECS Graphics

To run the ECS Graphics created in the FactoryLink 6.6 or earlier application, you must
change some of the startup parameters for your newly converted application.
1 Right-click the application icon and select Properties.
2 In the server application properties dialog box, verify these settings:

• To run the Persistence task, FLRunArgs needs the -w parameter.
• To run the old ECS Graphics, remove -nshared parameter from FLRunArgs. (-nshared starts
only the Shared domain at run time).
3 Once the startup parameters are correct, right-click the application icon and select Start/Stop >
Start. Your application starts.
4 Look at the Run-Time Manager and ensure the tasks you require for your application started
properly. Correct any problems by reviewing the error messages on the screen.
5 To stop your application, right-click the application icon and select Start/Stop > Stop.
Using .BMP Files

If you are converting an application that uses .bmp graphic files, you need to restore the default
.bmp files to the Client Builder shared libraries.
Unzip the Shared Libraries (BMP).zip found on the first CD in the Bitmaps & Icons directory and
place them in the Shared Libraries directory in the location where you installed FactoryLink.
The default location is:
C:\Program Files\Siemens\FactoryLink\Common\Client Builder\Shared Libraries\

Conversion Process
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Running New Features
After you finish converting your FactoryLink 6.6 or earlier application to 8.0 using the
“Conversion Process” on page 4, you can run your system just as you did before. No additional
steps are needed unless you want to take advantage of the new features. To use the new
features, perform the actions in Table 1-2.
Table 1-2 Required Changes for New Features
Your Choices What you must do

1 Take advantage of the On-Line 1. Add the FLUTILITYLAUNCHER and
Restart feature and/or remote ONLINMGR tasks to your system configuration
configuration of the application table.
using Configuration Explorer 2. Share the directory where the application is
with client computer on a
located or its parent directory so that the
network application can be configured remotely.
2 Migrate the ECS graphics to 1. Add the TAGSERVER and ALARMSRV tasks to
Client Builder graphics your system configuration table.
2. Configure Distributed Alarm Server table.
3. Add timer tags for Alarm Viewer Control.
4. Convert graphics using ECSConvert utility.
5. Replace alarm banners and alarm overview with
Alarm Control.
6. Replace trend charts with Trend Control.
7. Replace database interactions with Browser
Control.
8. Analyze graphics scripting for replacement.
9. Design drawing navigation for use with templates.
10. Assess security requirements and add where
necessary using the new security model.
11. Replace runmgrs1 and runmgrs2 with the same
mimics from the Examples Application.
3 Make your system redundant by 1. Add the VRN task to the system configuration
adding a second identical server table.
2. Configure the basic VRN tables for redundancy.
Choices 1 and 3 involve the Server and the task configuration. Choice 2 is primarily a graphics
client effort.

GETTING STARTED | 1
Conversion Process
Choice 1: On-Line Restart Feature and Remote Configuration
Choice 1 is highly suggested and is easily done by copying the System Configuration rows
from the Examples Application to your converted application. It is recommended that you
leave them at the 29th and 30th array positions in the display tags and just append them to the
bottom of the existing task list in the Shared Domain.
Choice 2: ECS Graphics to Client Builder Graphics Migration
Choice 2 is more involved than the rest of the other choices because it is a new graphics
package with many expanded features and abilities. It is recommended that the graphic
conversion be a project after receiving training for using the Client Builder tools. An important
consideration about migrating the graphics to Client Builder is that besides the few server-side
task additions and simple table configurations, all of the Client Builder development can be
done with the existing ECS Graphics still running and the system performing the original
functions. Your primary goal is to get your system converted and running in the FactoryLink
8.0 environment, and then look at the graphics conversion.
Client Builder graphics is a separate project from the server application. This functionality
allows the Client Builder projects to be designed for different viewing requirements, based on
job function. Client Builder projects can be uniquely designed for the Operators, Managers,
and QA personnel. Each organization can have a different set of graphics, and the Client
Builder project can be developed and revised independently from the server configuration.
Unless the Client Builder projects reside within the FLAPP, they are not part of an FLSAVE,
and therefore need to be managed separately.
If you choose not to take advantage of the new Client Builder tools, it is recommended that you
make the server-side changes so that you can use Client Builder in the future. The easiest way
to make the application changes is to drag and drop the configuration that is already done in the
Examples Application to your application.
To copy the configuration of the Distributed Alarm Server information, do these steps:
1 In Configuration Explorer, expand the Examples Application to the Distributed Alarm Server
folder. Right-click the Distributed Alarm Server table and select Copy.
2 Expand your application to the same folder. Right-click and select Paste. The configuration
with the defined tags is copied.
3 Copy the timer tags from the Examples Application to your converted application:
In the Examples Application, open the Timers > Interval Timer > Interval Timer Information
folder to see the timer tags. Copy the FLLANSIG and ALARMSRV_POLL items to your
application Interval Timer Information folder.
4 Add the TAGSERVER and ALARMSRV tasks:
Go to the System > System Configuration > System Configuration Information folder and
double-click. Find a task to replace (one not used in your application) or insert each task into
your system table.

Conversion Process
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5 After you finish inserting or replacing the tasks, right-click the System Configuration
Information folder and select Open in Grid to review your changes. See “Converting Alarm” on
page 23 for more information.
Choice 3: Redundant System
Choice 3 requires that you have a redundant FactoryLink 8.0 license on a separate computer.
This redundant pair will run the same application and use the VRN task to ensure that both
server applications are synchronized. The new Client Builder graphics system is redundant
with the proper configuration; it automatically switches servers when one is unavailable.
The quickest way to begin using this feature is to copy the configuration from a New
Application into your converted application, and then add the task to the System Configuration
Information table. You may need to generate a new application by right-clicking your “server
computer name” and choosing Create New Application. Save the application in a new directory.
When using the VRN task, you can use the DBX tag debugger. You can use this powerful,
graphical tag debugger by adding the VRN task and configuration to the system. (You do not
need a redundant pair.) For more information, see the Task Configuration Reference Guide.
Detailed procedures for each of these steps are explained in this guide. Remember, the goal is
to get your existing system application converted and running with FactoryLink 8.0. You can
convert the graphics later.

GETTING STARTED | 1
Conversion Process
Password Encryption
Passwords are encrypted automatically in a new Client Builder project. If you are converting to
this current version and you want to use password encryption, you must do these steps:
1 Open the security.dat file using a text editor, such as Notepad.
The security.dat file resides under the install directory. For example: D:\Program
Files\Siemens\FactoryLink\Applications\Examples App\CBPROJ\Config Files.
2 In the file, add a line under [General] and type FileVersion=2.
3 Search for every instance of Password=“text” and change to Password=“blank”, where “text” is
the assigned password and “blank” is a space. Do not type the quotation marks.
4 Configure all passwords of the users already set up.

Conversion Process
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Operator Event Logging
If you are upgrading from a version prior to version 7.5 and you intend to use operator event
logging in Client Builder, you must add new columns to the security schema.
You also need to perform a configuration based on your decision to use or not use operator
event logging. If the configuration is not done correctly, the Tag Server (or Graph if it is
running with SECURITYMBX defined) continues to dump event messages into the
SECURITYBMX tag with no receiving task to pick up the messages, thus eventually causing
the FactoryLink system to fail due to mailbox exhaustion.
Modifying the Security Schema
1 In Configuration Explorer, expand the Examples Application to the Database Schema Creation
folder. Right-click the Security Event Logging Schema table and select Copy.
2 Expand your application to the same folder. Right-click and select Paste. The configuration
with the defined tags is copied.
Your table resembles the following graphic.

GETTING STARTED | 1
Conversion Process
Enabling Operator Event Logging
If you intend to use operator event logging, you need to modify the Tag Server options and
then add the mailbox and database alias names to your historian to prevent exhausting the
mailbox space.
1 In Configuration Explorer, open the Graphics > Tag Server > Tag Server Options table and set
values for the following fields:
Default values:
Historian Mailbox Tag: SECURITYMBX
Database Alias Name: SECURITY
Table Name: OPERLOG
2 Open the Historian Information table and add the database alias name (SECURITY).
3 Open the Historian Mailbox Information table and add the mailbox name (SECURITYMBX).
Disabling Operator Event Logging
If you do not plan to use operator event logging, open the Tag Server Options table and change
the Log Actions field to NO to disable operator event logging.

Conversion Process
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Modifying OperLog Table in SQL Database
If you are upgrading from a version prior to version 7.5, it is necessary to replace or update the
table in SQL Server due to the new columns in the Operator Log (OperLog) table.
• If you do not have an OperLog table that you want to keep, delete (drop) the table and
FactoryLink will recreate it with the new columns as defined in the Security Event Logging
Schema table.
• If you have data that you want to preserve, perform the following steps using the Microsoft
SQL Server Management Studio to add the new columns to your table:
a Open the SQL Server Management Studio and then expand the tree to your database
tables.
b In the right pane, right-click your OperLog table and select Design.
c Enter the information and properties for a new column.
d Enter the column name, data type, and length specified in the new Security Event
Logging Schema table shown on page 10. Select Allow Null to enable it.
e If you want the existing data to populate with a default value, enter a value in the Default
Value or Binding field in the list of properties at the bottom of the screen.
f Repeat steps c to e to define other new columns.
g Press SAVE and close the Management Studio window.

GETTING STARTED | 1
Conversion Process
Cluster Management
All Client Builder projects that directly modify the Servers.dat or ClusterMgr.dat file require a
modification. These files are obsolete and were replaced by the CSConfig.dat file. The first
time you open the project you are converting, the Servers.dat and ClusterMgr.dat files are read
and the CSConfig.dat file is created. Only the clusters listed in the Servers.dat file at that time
will be converted automatically to the new format.
If a cluster was not defined in the application you are converting, the default cluster name
(FLCluster) is defined automatically.
Complex cluster definitions may not convert into the CSConfig.dat file. Users may choose to
edit this file directly to define alias that did not convert. The final CSConfig.dat file should
contain only one cluster.
[ALIASES]
OPCCluster=FLCluster
FactoryLinkCluster=FLCluster
AlarmCluster=FLCluster
TrendCluster=FLCluster
TableDatacluster=FLCluster
[CLUSTERS]
Name1=FLCluster
Default=FLCluster
[FLCluster]
Type=FL
UpdateRate=1000
Keepalive=5000
IdleTimeout=11000
FailbackMode=1
Node1Machine=SCADA2
Node1Desc=Primary
Node2Machine=SCADA5
Node2Desc=Secondary

Conversion Process
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Chapter 2
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Converting Graphics
This chapter presents general information on graphics within the Client Builder environment.
It provides instructions to convert the drawing files used for the FactoryLink ECS graphics to
the drawing files used with the Client Builder project in FactoryLink 7.0 or later. It also
discusses other issues you need to consider during the conversion process.
F ACTORY L INK G RAPHIC TOOLS

Operators access data in the real-time database through graphical user interface screens. To
illustrate these screens, the FactoryLink pre-7.0 versions used Application Editor drawing
tools. For more information, see the ECS Graphics and WebClient Reference Guide.
FactoryLink 7.0 introduced the Client Builder graphics function for the configuration of the
graphical user interface. FactoryLink 7.0 or later versions still support the ECS graphics tasks:
Application Editor, WebClient, and Graph. In addition, these graphical environments can be
installed on the same FactoryLink client machine.
Client Builder has a standard Microsoft look and feel. It provides an integrated design and
run-time environment so graphic screens can be developed and viewed in run-time mode
concurrently. In addition to all the graphic-animation capabilities supported by the ECS
graphics tools, Client Builder includes ActiveX controls for viewing alarm and trend data and
for browsing database information. It can host third-party ActiveX controls, including the
WebClient control. For more information on Client Builder, see the Client Builder Help.

• 2 | CONVERTING GRAPHICS
Conversion Considerations
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C ONVERSION C ONSIDERATIONS
This section provides information you need to consider before converting the graphics.
ECSConvert.exe
ECSConvert.exe is a command-line utility that converts ECS graphics to Client Builder
graphics. It is designed to be used one time only on an application to provide an initial base
client configuration. After the initial conversion, any new change must be made within Client
Builder. Modifying the base application and reconverting will cause the client configuration to
lose all changes, and therefore needs to be avoided.
Although ECSConvert.exe can handle most conversion issues, some features of ECS graphics
cannot convert completely. As a result, you may need to use features in Client Builder to
modify the converted graphics.
A few animations in ECS Graphics do not convert into any native Client Builder animations,
so ESConvert uses Cypress Enable Scripting to create these animations into your Client
Builder project. The following animations are converted using Enable Scripting:
• Button/Fkey animation that assigns a value of one tag to another.
• Button/Fkey animation that toggles a value for analog, longana, and float tags.
• Button/Fkey animation that assigns a string constant value.
• Button/Fkey animation that processes momentary on/off.
• Any screen navigation animations.
If no drawing files are specified, ECSConvert converts all application graphics (.g) files. If
some drawing files are specified and some are not, ECSConvert converts only the specified
ones. Be sure to include symbols.g file in the list of drawing files to be converted.
PowerVB
ECSConvert does not convert PowerVB scripts. The -D switch documents the PowerVB code
into the PowerVB subdirectory of the destination directory. The documented PowerVB code
can be used to form the basis of script animation in the Client Builder graphics.

CONVERTING GRAPHICS | 2
Switches
Conversion switches take the form of command-line parameters. Table 2-1 lists the conversion
switches. The switches are not case-sensitive.
Table 2-1 Conversion Switches
Switch Description
-Adirectory Sets the ECS application directory (uses %FLAPP% if -A is not
specified).
-Cclustername Sets the cluster name prefixed to the tag name (defaults to FLCluster).
-D Documents the PowerVB. The documentation files are created in the
powervb subdirectory in the Client Builder Project folder.
-U Converts User-domain animation (includes the User domain tags when
ECS drawings are converted to Client Builder mimics).
-V Verbose
-W2 Converts the Draw animations in ECS Graphics to Link Open
animations in Client Builder mimics.
? Displays command syntax help.
For example, the following syntax will convert the Shared Run Manager, plant and symbols
drawings, including User-domain animation, from the application D:\OldFLAPP.
ECSConvert -U -AD:\OldFLAPP dest_dir runmgrs.g plant.g symbols.g
Note: If you use more than one option, be sure to leave a space between the options.

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Syntax
Simple syntax ECSConvert directory
For example, ECSConvert “D:MyFLAPP\CBProj” converts the application
specified by the FLAPP environment variable, but it does not document the
PowerVB code or convert User-domain animation or Draw animation
functions.
* If the directory name includes a space (spaces), you must use double
quotes. If not, double quotes are not necessary.
Complete syntax ECSConvert [switches] directory [filename1.g [filename2.g...]]
where
[] indicates optional parameters.
For example, ECSConvert -D “D:MyFLAPP\CBProj” draw1.g draw2.g...
converts the draw1.g and draw2.g graphics in the D:\MyFLAPP\user\drw
directory, while documenting the PowerVB code.
* If the directory name includes a space (spaces), you must use double
quotes. If not, double quotes are not necessary.
Note: For the conversion to work properly, be sure to put the options before the
directory and file name(s) in the syntax.
Conversion Log
All conversion errors or problems are kept in the ECSConvert.log conversion log in
D:\MyFLAPP\CBProj.
Bitmap Files
Bitmap files within FactoryLink are not converted. Therefore, you need to copy them manually
from your old %FLAPP%\USER\DRW directory to the \Bitmap Files folder in your new Client
Builder project.

Converted Object Types

Table 2-2 lists the converted object types.
Table 2-2 Converted Object Types
Object Types Conversion Results

Connected objects Converted, but with the following limitation:
Connected objects become combined objects and may appear
closed or solid, instead of transparent as they did before the
conversion.
Composite objects Converted
Ellipses Converted
Floats Converted, but with the following limitation:
Fields without decimal points converted as integers.
Layered objects Converted, but with the following limitation:
Users may need to rearrange the layers in Client Builder after
conversion.
Legends Not converted. They are provided by other controls, such as the
Trend Control.
Lines Converted
Parabolas Not converted
Polygons (both closed and Converted
open)
Rectangles Converted
Splines Not converted
Text Converted

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Converted Animation Types
Most animation types can be converted without any problem. Each FactoryLink ECS
animation type is converted into multiple Client Builder animation types because Client
Builder treats animation differently for digital tags (which use bit animation), analog/long
analog/float tags (which use register animation), and message tags (which use text animation).
As a result, some animation types or unusual combination of tag types may not convert as
expected. Table 2-3 lists all the converted animated types.
Table 2-3 Converted Animated Types
Animation Types Conversion Result

Bar charts Converted
Button animation Converted, but with the following limitations:
• Only certain button actions are converted; for example, set,
toggle, add, subtract, on, off, top, drw.
• Unlike ECS, Client Builder buttons function only when they are
not obscured by another object. Therefore, stacking buttons does
not work. If a button fails to operate, check to see if any objects
are layered over it.
Button momentary Not converted
actions
Button set animation Converted, but with the following limitation:
Only for settings for fixed values, not to a source tag. Setting a
register value to another requires selecting a new tag with cluster in
the new application.
Color fill and Converted, but with the following limitation:
symbol animation
If more than eight values are specified in the ECS animation, only the
first eight are used in the Client Builder animation. Also applies to
colors used in text animation.
Text input Converted, but with the following limitation:
Converted correctly for only message and numeric (analog / longana/
float) tags, but not for digital tags, because Client Builder does not
have “sent bit” text animation.
Text output Converted, but with the following limitation:
Text output fields with no decimal points tied to float tags behave
differently under Client Builder. They display as fixed (no decimal
points).
X-Y positioning on Converted
buttons and symbols

Conversion Procedure
C ONVERSION P ROCEDURE
Converting the FactoryLink graphics is a one-time operation. After you convert the ECS
application, it is recommended that you not convert again because a second conversion will
overwrite all the changes and fixes that you made to the first one. However, if you discover
immediately after the conversion that you can make some changes to improve the conversion,
such as converting tags from User to Shared domain, then you can make the changes in the
Application Editor and convert again, before editing the drawings with Client Builder.
Once the graphics are converted, treat them as Client Builder projects and maintain them
within Client Builder. If you are satisfied with the conversion results, make all subsequent
changes with Client Builder and do not use ECSConvert again on those graphics.
Perform the following steps to convert the graphics:
1 Convert your FactoryLink application from an earlier version to 8.0 as described in
“Conversion Process” on page 4.
2 Create a Client Builder project.
It is recommended that you create a new project for imported ECS graphics. If you import the
graphics into an existing Client Builder project, the existing window and symbol definitions
will be overridden by the ECS drawings and symbols with the same names.
3 Configure the Tag Server.
A quick way to configure the Tag Server is to copy the CSConfig.dat file from the
Siemens\FactoryLink\Common\Client Builder\Template Project\Config Files directory (or the
Examples Application Config Files directory) to your Client Application’s Config Files
directory. Once the CSConfig.dat file is in place, you do not need to manually configure the
Alarm parameters in Client Builder. For more information about setting up the Tag Server, see
the Client Builder Help.
Note:
• Be sure to close the Client Builder file so that next time you open it, it can read
from the copied CSConfig.dat file.
• The FactoryLink server must be running for the Client Builder animation to
attach to it. If you set up your servers and clusters and develop graphics without
the FactoryLink server running, you are not able to browse the list of tags to
apply to animation.
4 Convert your FactoryLink application using the following method:
a Open a Command Prompt window.
b Type the syntax for conversion and press Enter. (Table 2-1 defines the switches.
{destination} is the location of the new Client Builder project you just created.)
ecsconvert -D -W2 -C{clustername} -U -A{oldFLAPP} {destination}

•
•
•
5 Verify the converted drawings for both appearance and animation behavior:
a Start the newly converted FactoryLink application in Configuration Explorer and keep it
running (see the Configuration Explorer Help).
b In Client Builder, open the newly converted project.
c Open a mimic and verify that the animation behaves correctly.
In design mode, you can double-click the animated object and view its animation tab,
compare the animation with the ECS animation (in Application Editor) on the same
object, and then make modifications to the object within Client Builder.
Note: It is recommended that you thoroughly test the converted graphics to ensure
that no features are lost or changed.

Chapter 3
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•
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•
Converting Alarm
This chapter compares the functionality between the Alarm task in FactoryLink pre-7.0
versions and the Alarm ActiveX Control in the current version. It provides the steps to migrate
the alarm information from pre-7.0 versions to 8.0.
A RCHITECTURE C OMPARISON
The most important change in the FactoryLink 7.0 and later architecture is its client/server
environment, where the Alarm ActiveX Control viewer is used to provide more flexibility in
displaying alarms. The Alarm ActiveX Control is configured using the Client Builder. Table
3-1 compares the alarm functionality.
Table 3-1 Functionality Comparison
Functionality FactoryLink Pre-7.0 Current FactoryLink

Alarm Definitions Yes Yes
Alarm Logging Yes Yes
Alarm Server No Yes
Alarm Viewer Yes in User Domain Yes, task replaced by the server-side
Alarm Server and Alarm ActiveX
Control in Client Builder
Distributed Alarm Logging Task (Pre-7.0)

The Distributed Alarm Logging task in pre-7.0 versions consists of two tasks: the Distributed
Alarm Logger task (AL_LOG) in the Shared domain and the Alarm Viewer task (AL_VIEW)
in the User domain. If an application has multiple users (through WebClient), multiple
instances of AL_VIEW will be running in the FactoryLink application.
The AL_LOG task is configured by filling in the information in the Alarm Definition
Information table. The AL_VIEW task presents alarms and alarm statuses through tags defined
in the Alarm View Output Information table. An alarm summary graphic uses these tags to
display the alarm information to the user.

• 3 | CONVERTING ALARM
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•
Distributed Alarm Logging Task (Current)
The current Distributed Alarm Logging task consists of two tasks: the Distributed Alarm
Logger task (AL_LOG) and the Alarm Server task (ALARM_SRV). The Distributed Alarm
Logger task remains the same: the alarms are still defined in the Alarm Definition Information
table. However, the Alarm Server task replaces the pre-7.0 Alarm Viewer task. It is configured
in the Distributed Alarm Server table.
The Alarm Server uses two mailbox tags (Send Mailbox and Receive Mailbox) to
communicate with the Alarm Logger. The poll trigger determines the time interval for
communications between the Alarm Server and the Alarm Logger. This trigger needs to be set
up in the Interval Timer Information table. For example, if 3 seconds is specified in this table,
the Alarm Server will poll the alarm logger every 3 seconds to check for alarms.
Viewing alarms is done through the Alarm ActiveX Control that is configured in Client
Builder. It gives you much more flexibility in displaying alarms in the system in the
client/server paradigm.
Perform these steps to convert the Alarm task:
2 In Configuration Explorer, expand the Alarms folder and review the Alarm Definitions and
Alarm Logger information.
Because FLConvert automatically converts the information from the original tables in
Configuration Manager to the tables in Configuration Explorer, you do not need to change any
information manually.
Note: If you use a different historian, such as SQL Server, you need to review your
logging options.
3 Configure the Alarm Server:
a In the Distributed Alarm Server - SHARED table, fill in the tag names for Send Mailbox,
Receive Mailbox, and Poll Trigger.
b Right-click each tag name and define its properties in the Tag Editor. (For more
information, see the Task Configuration Reference Guide.)
4 Open the Interval Timer Information table, add the poll tag to the Tag Name list, and set the poll
interval time.
5 Enter the Alarm Server information in the System Configuration table:
The conversion program makes all database structure changes required for compatibility, but it
does not automatically create any entries in the System Configuration table.

CONVERTING ALARM | 3
a Open the System Configuration Information table, and click the >> button to go to the end
of the task list. Then click the * button to insert a new task. (For more information, see the
Task Configuration Reference Guide.)
b Set the following parameters. (Sample values are listed.) Then click Apply.
Task Name ALARMSVR
Task Description Alarm Server
Task Group Run At Startup
Task Option Sort Order – 1
Start Priority – 201 (default)
Task Executable Executable File – bin/alarmsrv
c In the Insert new record dialog box, click Yes. Then close the System Configuration
Information dialog box.
6 Create a Client Builder project.
7 Create a mimic file.
8 Set up the alarm parameters.
A quick way to set up the alarm parameters (Server Types, Alarm Servers for the Server Types,
Alarm Clusters, and Alarm Servers for the Alarm Clusters) in Client Builder is to copy the
CSConfig.dat file from the Siemens\FactoryLink\Common\Client Builder\Template Project\Config
Files directory (or the Examples Application Config Files directory) to your Client
Application’s Config Files directory. Once the CSConfig.dat file is in place, you do not need to
manually configure the Alarm parameters in Client Builder.
Note: Be sure to close the Client Builder file so that next time you open it, it can read
9 In design mode, insert the Alarm Viewer Control to set up the Alarm View Display:
In pre-7.0 versions, alarms and their statuses are displayed by tags animated at an Alarm View
display in the User domain. In current versions, this is accomplished by the Alarm ActiveX
Control in Client Builder. Generally, the Alarm ActiveX Control provides the following
information:
Connected to Indicates whether or not you are connected to the Alarm Server that you set
Design Server up. The value defaults to No for first-time access.
(Yes/No)
Alarm Band Indicates whether this is an alarm band or not. An alarm band shows up to
(Yes/No) three alarms at a time and is used to focus on a particular type of alarm. The
value defaults to No for first-time access.

• 3 | CONVERTING ALARM
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•
Number of Items Indicates the number of lines to show in the Alarm Control box. The
Displayable at number is dependent on the size of the box and the font used to display the
Runtime alarm records.
Colors Available/ Indicates whether or not colors are available. Need to Reconnect appears
No Colors when No Colors Available displays. Color definitions depend on the
available connection of the Alarm Control to the server. The range of available colors
is determined by the server.
10 Right-click anywhere on the Alarm ActiveX Control and select Properties to set up the Alarm
Viewer properties:
a In the Aspect tab, define the viewer properties (appearance, locking, save as text, and
location of the chart attributes).
b In the General tab, select the alarm cluster defined earlier.
• To activate connection to the cluster, click the Connection button to the right. The red
x on the button disappears when the connection is successful. Connection to the
server is essential for design.
• Click and select the groups to appear in the group browser. All predefined alarm
groups are listed.
• Define the desired other parameters. (For detailed descriptions of these properties, see
the Client Builder Help.)
c In the Color/Font tab, define the parameters (font type, field blinking, and colors for all
alarms by Alarm Groups).
d In the Group Browser tab, define the properties (group fields, field attributes, and field
sequence, group field resizing at run time, relative size of the group display).
e In the Present tab, define the properties (fields, field size, field sequence, vertical scroll
bar, format of date fields, sort keys, and filtering options).
f After you set the properties on the tabs, click OK. The alarm conversion is now complete.

Chapter 4
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Converting Trend
This chapter provides the instructions to convert Trend data from earlier versions of
FactoryLink. The Trending task consists of three components:
• Trend Control is a client of the client/server software architecture. It is an ActiveX control
contained in Client Builder. The Control’s properties are available for custom programming.
The Trend Control requests data from the Trend Server, which sends the requested data back
to the Trend Control, which then accepts the data.
• Relational Database is where all Trend data is stored. The data in a relational database,
which can come from sources other than FactoryLink’s Real-Time Data Base (RTDB), is
historical.
• Trend Server provides services to the Trend Control. It can query any relational database or
many databases simultaneously.
To show the data after the time or event has occurred, you create a Trend chart that fetches data
from a relational database to graphically show the numeric data. To show data in near real
time, you create a Trend chart that fetches data from a relational database as frequently as data
is logged to it.
The Trend ActiveX Control is used to configure and display trends. The Trend Control is
configured using Client Builder. For more information on trend functionality and
configuration, see the Client Builder Help.

• 4 | CONVERTING TREND
Converting Historical Trend
•
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•
C ONVERTING H ISTORICAL TREND
Perform these steps to convert the Historical Trend:
2 View the properties on your server application and delete -nShared for the FLRunArgs
parameter to show the User domain graphics.
Note: -nShared starts only the shared domain at run time. Deleting this value starts
both shared and user domains so you can use the Application Editor (ECS graphics).
3 Expand to the Schema Information folder and open your schema table. Review the logging
information that will be used for the Trend Control configuration and note the column name
and usage values. This information will be used later.
Looking at the information you noted, you now know whether you have a Time or Event-based
database that you will use in step 10 on page 32.
If Column
then you have
Usage is
TIME Time-based database
SEQUENCE Event-based database
DATA Actual data that displays
GROUP Actual data that displays
4 Document the existing Trending configuration in the Application Editor:

After the conversion process, you can use the Application Editor or the Client Builder to
display the graphics. If you use Client Builder, you need to document each trend chart that you
want to convert, because the trend charts do not convert automatically for Client Builder.
a In Configuration Explorer, open Application Editor and then open the file that contains
your trend drawings.
b Select the Historical Trending chart object and look at the chart animation (Animation >
Chart). Then, note your values for the following fields. (Sample values are listed.)
Data Source or TRENDMBX_U
Scroll Trigger Tag
Initial Chart 360 (Secs)
Duration
Chart Scroll 2 (Secs)
Frequency

CONVERTING TREND | 4
c Click Edit Pens. Select a pen and then note your pen attributes, such as scale, color
changes, line and marker styles, especially the Data Source for Pen. (Sample values are
listed.)
Tag trn_pen_column
Database TREND
Table TRENDTBL
Column/Tag FLSEC
5 Configure the database historian.
If you are using dBASE IV, you may need to convert your existing database files so they can
be read by the new trend control. The trend control needs a System Data Source Name (DSN)
to access the data to be trended. For information, see step 6 on page 31.
The DSN requires the use of Microsoft’s Visual Fox Pro driver, which is included in Windows
XP and 2000. To configure the System DSN, FactoryLink requires a Database Type of “Free
Table Directory.” The Visual Fox Pro driver expects to see database tables with a “.dbf”
extension.
Note: SQL Server 2000 is shipped with FactoryLink. If you are currently using dBASE
IV historian, it is recommended that you convert your historical data to SQL Server for
the best performance.
If your DB4_HIST task is currently configured with program arguments of -m -dbase, your log
files will have the “.dbf” extension. In this case, you do not need any file conversions to
visualize your historical data or to use the Historical and Real-Time Trend Control.
If your DB4_HIST task is not currently configured with program arguments of -m -dbase, your
log files will have the “.cdb” extension. In this case, you must perform the file conversions in
this step to visualize your historical data. Setting these program arguments results in
FactoryLink writing log files with the “.dbf” extension. If you do not need to view your
existing data, then you can delete the log files from the log directory; FactoryLink will create
the new log files the next time the application runs.
Perform the following steps to set up the DB4_HIST task:
a In Configuration Explorer, open the System Configuration Information table in form view.
b Click the > button to scroll forward to DB4_HIST. In the Program Arguments box, type -m
-dbase.
c Select an action on what you want do with your log files by evaluating your applicable
situation explained in Table 4-1.

•
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•
Table 4-1 Evaluate Your Database Files
If you have and if you want

then you need to
.cdb files to see the history
No No Do nothing; the historian appends your .dbf files. Skip
the remainder of this step.
No Yes Do nothing; the historian appends your .dbf files. The
trend control can read from your existing files. Skip
the remainder of this step.
Yes No Delete the log files associated with your trend schema.
If you do not need any of the log files, then delete
them all. The files are generated the next time you start
your application. You can now skip the remainder of
this step.
Yes Yes Convert your existing log files. For example, perform
these steps:
1. Make a backup of your log files in case the
conversion fails.
2. Read the batch file notes. Then, run the
DB4Trend.bat file in your log file directory.
To execute the file, type:
%flink%\bin\DB4Trend
or
CD /D %flink%\bin
DB4Trend
3. Delete the batch file.
Batch File Notes

Note the following issues before running the batch file:
• You must set the FLAPP environment variable of your current command-window to the
path of the application to be upgraded.
Example: SET FLAPP=D:\MyApplication
• The batch file will attempt to make a backup copy of your database files in a \log\backup
folder under the application.
If this backup folder already exists, you will be asked to rename it and try again.
• The batch file will rename all .cdb files in the application\log directory. Be sure only
FactoryLink Historian database files are in the directory before running this file.

6 Set up the System DSN: (The Trend Control requires that the data sources exist prior to the
configuration of a Trend pen.)
a In Configuration Explorer, open the Historians folder and double-click ODBC Data Source
Administrator.
b Click the System DSN tab and click Add. Select Microsoft Visual FoxPro Driver and click
Finish.
c In the ODBC Visual FoxPro Setup dialog box, provide the following information:
Data Source “your server application name”
Name
Description “description for data source”
Database type Free Table directory
Path Type a path or click the Browse button to select one.
If browsing, the Select Directory Containing Free Tables dialog box opens so
you can navigate to the directory where your database tables are located,
select your trend table database, and click OK.
d Click the Options button and change the default Collating sequence for the driver from
Machine to General. Click OK to close each of the open screens.
The System DSN is now set up for your “server application name”.
7 Create a mimic file in your Client Builder project.
8 Configure the Trend cluster/server parameters.
A quick way to set up the Trend parameters (Server Types, Trend Servers for the Server Types,
Trend Clusters, and Trend Servers for the Trend Clusters) in Client Builder is to copy the
manually configure the trend parameters in Client Builder. (For more information, see the
Client Builder Help.)
9 With the mimic file in design mode, insert a Historical and Real-time Trend Control.
The information at the bottom of the control provides the following information:
Connected Indicates whether you are connected to the Trend Server that you set up as
(Yes/No) described in the previous section.
Time Zone Indicates the time zone of the computer.
Online (Yes/No) Indicates whether the Trend Control has a connection to the specified
database.

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•
10 Set up the properties for the Trend Control by right-clicking anywhere in the Trend Control
window and selecting Properties. Then configure the Trend ActiveX Control using the Drawing
Properties dialog box. (For detailed information, see the Task Configuration Reference Guide.)
Aspect Tab
a In the Aspect tab, define the properties (appearance, locking, save as text, and location of
the attributes on the viewer).
Graph Tab
b In the Graph tab, set the parameters (grid, color, axis, and caption attributes) Then click
Trend Server and select FLCluster from the Cluster Name list.
Note: For the Chart Type parameter, be sure to select the correct option, based on the
logging information you noted in step 3 on page 28.
Pens Tab
c In the Pens tab, click Add Pen and set the pen characteristics for the new pen.
d To add a data source, click the Pen Data Source browse button and click Configuration.
Right-click Historical Data Sources in the tree and click Add Data Source.
e In the Name field, type the name that you want to use to reference the database where you
are connecting. In the Description field, type information that helps to identify this
database.
f Click the Driver arrow and select the driver. Depending on the selected driver, complete
each required field in the Data Source Setup area. (See the Client Builder Help for more
information.)
g Click Test to test the connection to make sure you typed everything correctly. After you
see The test connection succeeded. message, click OK and then click Finish. You now
have a connection to the directory of your database.
h In the Customize Trend Data Sources dialog box, expand Historical Data Sources in the
tree. Right-click the desired data source and click Add Table.
i Click the Table arrow and select the table that you want to add for the pen configuration.
j In the Description field, type information that helps to identify this table. Click the Type
arrow and select either Single Point or Multi Point that corresponds to the table type.
Depending on the selected table, click the arrow field for each field and select a value
from the list. (See the Client Builder Help for detailed information.)
Key Column Uniquely identifies a row in the database. The value can be numeric or
time/date.
Time Column Contains the time stamp for the row. This field is required if you are
viewing a Trend Chart with time as the X axis.

Time Format Identifies the format of the Time column. Time format is either Sectime or
the normal database time.
Time is UTC Shows whether the time is stored in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Quality Column Specifies whether the value is of good quality.
Tag Name (For Single Point table only) Holds the tag name.
Column
Value Column (For Single Point table only) Represents the value.
k After you finishing adding the pens, choose the one that you want to associate to the pen
you are working on in the ActiveX Control. Click Finish.
Fonts Tab
l In the Fonts tab, define the font attributes (text font, style, size, type, color, and effects).
m After you set the properties on the tabs, click OK on the Drawing Properties dialog box.
11 View the Trend Control by going to the run mode FactoryLink must be running).

Converting Real-Time Trend
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C ONVERTING R EAL -T IME TREND
Perform these steps to convert the Real-Time Trend from an earlier version.
2 Document the existing Trend chart in Application Editor.
a In Configuration Explorer, open Application Editor and then open the file that contains
your trend drawings.
b Select the Real-time Trend chart object and look at the chart animation (Animation >
Chart). Then, note your values for the following fields. (Sample values are listed.)
Data Source or logtrig
Scroll Trigger Tag
Initial Chart 350 (secs)
Duration
Chart Scroll 2 (secs)
Frequency
c Click Edit Pens. Select the count and note your pen attributes. Then, note your pen
attributes for seconds.
3 Create a mimic file in your Client Builder project.
4 Configure the trend cluster/server parameters.
A quick way to set up the Trend parameters (Server Types, Trend Servers for the Server Types,
Trend Clusters, and Trend Servers for the Trend Clusters) in Client Builder is to copy the
manually configure the Trend parameters in Client Builder. (For more information, see Client
Builder Help.)
5 Create and configure a Real-Time Trend Display.
a In the mimic file, insert a Real-time Trend Control.
b In the Curves tab, click the Variable Selector button and select the tags you want to
trend.
Note: Before browsing for tags in Client Builder, start your FLAPP in Configuration
Explorer.

c In the Display tab, set how you want the features to display at runtime.
d In the Aspect tab, set your attributes (appearance, locking, save as text, and location on
the viewer).
e In the Execution tab, select the tools to make available to a user at runtime.
f In the Invalid Curves tab, set the appearance of a trace when the variable is invalid, so you
can easily identify problems with variables.
g In the Legend tab, set the properties to display in the legend below the chart area.
h In the Grid tab, set the properties for the horizontal and vertical grid.
i In the Print tab, set the number of copies and orientation for printing a Trend Display.
j In the Format tab, set the time scale and cursor mode for the Trend Display.
k After you set the properties on the tabs, click OK on the Trend Display dialog box.
6 View the converted Real-Time Trend charts by going to the run mode.
Note: The Real-Time Trend at this stage does not support the location of scale,
direction of the trends, or color ranges.
7 After you have converted both the Historical and Real-Time Trend, you can view the
converted trending charts.

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Chapter 5
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Converting Database
Browser
This chapter provides an introduction to the Database Browser Control and describes the
differences between using the Database Browser Control and the Database Browser task. It
gives the steps to convert an existing Database Browser task configuration to a Database
Browser Control configuration.
Note: It is not mandatory that you convert to the Database Browser Control. You
may continue using the Database Browser task functionality if it already exists in
your application.
B ROWSER C ONTROL AND B ROWSER TASK C OMPARISON

The Database Browser Control is an ActiveX Control that allows the user to view, add, modify,
and delete database records from any database with an ODBC Data Source Name (DSN). It is
a two-tiered control that can attach to any generic database. Configuration is intuitive and
geared towards a more user-friendly environment. In addition, it offers comprehensive
scripting abilities for a dynamic run-time environment.
The Database Browser Control is for Shared domain only. It has very similar client-side
functions as the Database Browser task in the FactoryLink pre-7.0 versions. Most applications
that used the Data Browser task were configured in the User domain.
For more information on the Database Browser Control and enabling user domain tags in
Client Builder, see the Task Configuration Reference Guide or the Client Builder Help.
Table 5-1 compares the functionality of the Browser task and the Browser Control.

• 5 | CONVERTING DATABASE BROWSER
Browser Control and Browser Task Comparison
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•
Table 5-1 Comparison of Functionality
Functionality Browser Task Browser Control

SELECT record(s) Yes Yes
Positional update Yes Yes
Positional delete Yes Yes
Logical update Yes Yes
Logical delete Yes Yes
Insert record Yes, indirect Yes, direct through scripting
Result set displayed on display Yes, through tags and Yes, through the ActiveX
links to tags on the Control display grid.
display.
Absolute move in display to Yes Not available
highlight record
Relative move in display to Yes Yes, replaced by scroll bar
highlight record
Select/Update/Delete can be Yes Yes
activated via scripting.
Result set can be written to tags. Yes Yes, through scripting
You can use the Database Browser task for other server-side functions:
• Trigger select from the server
• Trigger update from the server
• Trigger delete from the server
• Support stored procedures

CONVERTING DATABASE BROWSER | 5
C ONVERSION C ONSIDERATIONS
The properties of the Database Browser Control differ from those of the Database Browser in
pre-7.0 versions. Table 5-2 lists the properties of both. Be sure to refer to the values in this
table when converting from an existing Database Browser task configuration to a Database
Browser Control configuration.
Table 5-2 Comparison of Properties
Database Browser
Database Browser Control Properties
Properties
Browse Name Not applicable
Select Trigger Executed at startup and refresh at run time
Update Trigger (Positional At run time, positional update is done by overwriting a
and Logical Update) selected record field and tabbing to another field.
Logical update is done by executing an update query in the
SQL text window.
Delete Trigger (Positional and At run time, positional delete is done by selecting the record
Logical Delete) and pressing the Delete button.
Logical delete is done by executing a delete query in the
SQL text window at run time.
Move Trigger (Relative Use scroll bars
Move)
Position Trigger Use scroll bars
Historian Mailbox Not applicable
Database.Table Name In Data Source Properties
Current Row Tag Active Row Property (run time only)
Auto Create Record (Yes/No) At run time, you can insert record interactively in the last
line of the grid, or execute an insert query in the SQL text
window.
Browse Table Size Not applicable
Internal Table Size Not applicable
External Table Size Not applicable
Completion Trigger Not applicable
Completion Status Not applicable

•
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Table 5-2 Comparison of Properties (continued)
Database Browser
Database Browser Control Properties
Properties
Tag Name Not applicable
Logical Operator/Column Select Statement Property
Name/Logical Expression
Column Name in Display Column Properties
(Graphics)
Perform the following steps to convert the Database Browser to the Database Browser Control
so you can view the browsed data on screen.
1 In Configuration Manager, review the information in the existing Database Browser Control
table.
This table shows the Select Trigger, Move Trigger, which table is connected, and the Browse
Table Size.
2 Review the information in the existing Database Browser Information table.
The Database Browser Information table contains the logical statement for the WHERE clause
of the database select statement and the tags and columns associated with the data. Whatever
size (number of rows) is specified for the Browse Table Size, you need to define an tag array
for the minimum rows specified.
To see the data in the original application, animate all the tags in a graphics screen and set up
animation to use the Move Trigger or Position trigger in order to scroll up and down.
3 Open your Client Builder project.
4 Create a mimic and insert a Database Browser Control. Resize the grid window to the number
of data rows and columns you want to see.
5 Right-click anywhere in the Database Browser Control object and select Properties to set up
the properties:
Note: Permanent changes to property values must be made in the design mode.
a In the Aspect tab, define the properties (border appearance, locking, save as text, and
location of the database table).
b In the General tab, use this information to define the properties (data access abilities, grid
appearance, and run-time security options):

CONVERTING DATABASE BROWSER | 5
Data Access
Allow database Allows or disallows users to update database records.
updates
Confirm database If checked, enables a pop-up confirmation window for database updates
updates during run time.
Automatic refresh Allows or disallows the grid to be updated (automatically or periodically)
from the data in the database. When you select this option, you may specify
how often the grid refreshes in the Interval field (seconds).
Grid Properties
Foreground Color Defines the foreground color to be used within the grid.
Background Color Defines the background color to be used within the grid.
Font Color Defines the text font to be used within the grid.
c In the Data Source Properties tab, use this information to define the connection values
(the access to and configuration of the database and table you will browse through the
entry of a DSN):
DSN Defines the name of the data source pointing to a database. (To set up a
DSN, see step 6 on page 31.)
UID Specifies the user identification, if required, by the database server.
Password Specifies the user password, if required, by the database server.
Database Identifies the name of the database.
Tables Identifies the names of the tables available in this database.
SQL Statement Executes actions performed by the Database Browser Control. For example,
to select all records from a table, type in select* from table_name; for sort
order, type in select* from table_name order by column_name desc.
Note: You can configure the DSN in Configuration Explorer. In your server
application, open the Historians folder and double-click ODBC Data Source
Administrator.
d In the Column Properties tab, either accept the defaults or define them as options
(appearance, availability, and caption of database table columns).
6 After you finish defining each property, click OK and then Apply. The values appear in the
Database Browser Control object grid view.
In the Database Browser Control, you do not need to set any trigger for the initial browse as in
the Database Browser task. For more information, see the Task Configuration Reference
Guide.

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Chapter 6
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•
Miscellaneous Conversion
Issues
This chapter contains conversion-related information for previous versions of FactoryLink.

Exercise caution when using this information because it may apply only to certain releases.
C ONVERTING AN A PPLICATION WITH E XISTING D ATA

If you convert an application from a version of FactoryLink ECS prior to 6.0.0 that contains
existing data, you must run a BH_SQL repair to correct index problems. To do this, run
BH_SQL. Then, connect to the database and enter REPAIR.
If your databases include PowerSPC data or multicolumn indexed data, the repair may report
success when it is not actually successful. Then when you are running the application, errors
may occur. For additional help with this problem, contact your support representative.
N ET DTL
Starting with FactoryLink ECS 6.0.3, the NetDTL task was enhanced to support more than 40
PLCs. This required the addition of a new configuration table for the Logical Station
configuration. The 6.5.0 release provided a conversion utility, although 6.0.3 and 6.0.4 did not.
If your application is not already converted to this configuration, then run FLCONV directly
against the NetDTL configuration, or a restore of a platform-specific save. Do not perform a
multiplatform (compressed) restore of the application before converting the application.
ODBC H ISTORIAN
If you are converting an application that has the ODBC Historian configured, the conversion to
the multi-instance ODBC Historian requires that you run FLCONV directly against the
pre-6.6.0 ODBC Historian configuration or a restore of a platform-specific save. Do not
perform a multiplatform (compressed) restore of the application before converting the
application.
C ONVERTING T HIRD -P ARTY D RIVER OR PAK TASK ( PRE -6.0.4)

For conversion from FactoryLink pre-6.0.4, the installation may fail if the previous FLINK
directory structure is expected. This directory would be in the form {FLINK}\msg\<language> as
in {FLINK}\msg\English. If the installation fails, create this directory manually and reinstall.
Run the FactoryLink mv_pak utility. The mv_pak utility copies your driver and/or PAK files in
the correct directory structure and renames the initial *.txt files to *.bkt, *.hlp files to *.bkh,
and *.key files to *.bkk. If you created an English subdirectory, delete it now.

• 6 | MISCELLANEOUS CONVERSION ISSUES
Converting Alarm Logger to Distributed Alarm Logger
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•
•
C ONVERTING A LARM L OGGER TO D ISTRIBUTED A LARM L OGGER
Earlier versions of FactoryLink used a different Alarm Logger function than the Distributed
Alarm Logger currently used. If your application was developed using the Alarm Logger
function, contact your support representative for assistance with converting your Alarm
Logging application.
Converting to the Distributed Alarm Logger is an irreversible process, so perform a
platform-specific save of your old application before you convert. It is not possible to reverse
the conversion process. To save your old application, run the FLSAVE utility. Most of the
conversion is done automatically, although the user must make some changes manually to
avoid breaking running applications. For more information, see the Utilities Guide.
Banner and Output Lines

The Multiuser Alarm Viewer does not differentiate between banner lines and output lines. The
Alarm Viewer supports views with different filter and sort criteria. Although the banner lines
no longer exist, users can obtain the same result by defining a second (or third) view with
filtering conditions and sorting criteria that match the banner interpretation. The filtering
conditions and the sorting criteria can change online.
During conversion, a separate view is defined for the banner lines and the output lines. If
multiple invocations are defined, multiple corresponding views will be defined. The name for
the view of invocation 0 is BANNER_0 and VIEW_0. Other invocations will have equal
views.
Multiple Invocations
The Distributed Alarm Logger does not support Multiple Invocations. All alarms defined in all
invocations are converted to a single Alarm System. To do this, all defined groups and alarms
are combined into a single system.
During conversion, set the area code to match the table name in which the alarm was defined.
The group name will be used as the new table selector. If you have defined alarms to have
nonexisting groups, make sure that the groups exist prior to conversion. This only occurs if you
are currently developing an application. The old ALOG will not start in this case.
The table name is converted to the area code, using the area filter, so that the user can
distinguish between the invocations. The default area code for the alarms is set to the table
name in the old ALOG.

MISCELLANEOUS CONVERSION ISSUES | 6
Limitations
If your application has one of the following limitations, the conversion may work differently,
although not necessarily incorrectly. Check to see if any of these limitations are affecting your
application.
Multiple Group Definitions
Where the same group name is used in different invocations, only the first group definition will
be converted. Other definitions will be ignored. If you defined the groups as having different
colors or acknowledgments, you will lose the information.
Multiple Logging Destinations
The Alarm Logger provides every ALOG task with its own directory to store the historical
alarms. The new Distributed Alarm Logger puts all historical alarms into a single database.
Since the area code is converted to the table name, it is possible to differentiate the old
invocations using an historical analysis tool like DBBROWSE. You can use a WHERE clause,
such as: where area = “warning”. The user must complete the link to a historian before logging
is active.
Maximum Number of Alarms
In the old ALOG, each invocation has its own number of active alarms. In the new Distributed
Alarm Logger there is only one active task. The maximum number of active alarm is converted
from invocation number 0.
If you have defined multiple invocations, you might want to use more memory for concurrent
active alarms. You can increase it up to 9999. A safe number would be the total of all
invocations (if less than 9999).
Alarm Input Controls
The old ALOG uses a table with multiple actions to control the output lines. Some of these
functions have become obsolete, while others have changed. If the tags could be reused for the
same function, they will convert to the proper View. Table 6-1 lists all the implemented
changes.
Table 6-1 Alarm Input Controls
Ack Converted to Single Ack on the Banner View

Banner Converted to Sort tag in the Banner View
Group Converted to Group Filter tag in the Output View. You can reuse
this tag for input on a group list.

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•
Table 6-1 Alarm Input Controls (continued)
Grpack Converted to the View Acknowledgment in the Output View

Scroll Converted to the Selection Offset in the Output View
Selack Converted to Single Acknowledgment in the Output View
Sort Converted to Sort tag in the Output View. You can reuse this tag for
input on a sort method.
Pgdn, Pup, Sdn, Sup The Alarm Logger uses these four DIGITAL tags to control the
scroll offset of the Alarm Output Lines. This has changed to a
single ANALOG tag giving you the same functionality with more
control. You should change a few animations on the ALOG screen
and all other screens you use to present alarms. All these tags have
become obsolete, so you need to supply a new tag and change the
graphics.
The Archive, Exec, Print, and Return functions are obsolete.
ALOG in User Domain
If ALOG is defined in the Shared domain, the conversion will not occur automatically.
Limit Tags
In the Distributed Alarm Logger, the fields limit default and limit tags are grouped together as
a single tag-constant field. If a tag is defined, the conversion program will use the tag in the
tag-constant field, and also use the limit default value as the tag default value. If you want to
change this default limit, you can change the default for the tag.
If you are using a tag array for the limit tags, there is only one default value for the entire array.
This value is updated with the latest limit default value found in the conversion process.
Converting Your Applications
Running CV_ALOG Utility
Perform the following steps to start the automatic conversion of your application:
1 Run FLSAVE to safeguard your application. Be sure the FLAPP environment variable is set to
the correct application directory. (This conversion is irreversible.)
2 Run CV_ALOG and answer all the questions.
3 If you run an FLCONV to convert the Alarm Logger and choose yes, FLCONV automatically
makes the changes for you. Do not do so if you need to make manual changes.

4 Choose File > Run from the Program Manager, then enter this command:
fldbdoor -x%FLINK%\ac\cvalog.cvt -rasc\ -easc\
The flconvrt.log file is created in the FLAPP directory. This file lists which configuration
database files have been converted. View this file for any errors that may have occurred.
5 Start Configuration Manager and verify the Distributed Alarm Definitions table is completed
correctly.
6 Make final changes to complete the conversion. Follow the instructions in this guide.
Historian Link
If your application needs to log historical alarms, perform the following steps to create a link to
the Historian:
1 Open the Distributed Alarm Logger Setup table, and click Next for the Database Logging
control table.
2 Complete the table by providing a Database Alias Name and an Historian Mailbox tag. Then,
click Enter and exit to close the tables.
3 Open the Database Historian of your choice.
4 Fill in the Historian Mailbox tag defined in step 2 with appropriate priority.
5 Fill in the Database Alias Name in step 2 and complete the line with the database directory.
Press Enter and exit to close the tables.
Graphics Changes
Note: Use the information in this section only if you are upgrading from
FactoryLink pre-7.0 and will continue to use ECS graphics. If you are upgrading
to FactoryLink 7.0 or later from an earlier version and will use Client Builder as
your graphics tool, you do not need to read this section.
You must change the ALOG screen to restore the alarm scroll pages. The example shows how
to change the default ALOG screen provided in the blank application from version 4.3.x. If
you are using a different screen, you can adjust your screen based on the information provided.
Open the Distributed Alarm Viewer control table in the Distributed Alarm Setup table.
Perform the following steps to make a change in a single invocation. If you have defined
multiple invocations and are using multiple ALOG screens, follow this routine for each
individual screen. Be sure that all tags to be defined are unique for each invocation.
1 Enter a valid new analog tag called ALC_DISPLAY for the Scroll Tag field for the VIEW_0
table. Press Enter and exit to save and close the tables.
2 Start the Graphics editor and open your ALOG drawing.

•
•
•
3 Select the scroll up object, and edit the Button animation on the field.
4 Change the action to subtract, change the value to 1, and replace the ALC_SUP tag with
ALC_DISPLAY.
5 Select the page up object, and edit the Button animation on the field.
6 Change the action to sub, change the value to 14, and replace the ALC_PGUP tag with
ALC_DISPLAY.
7 Repeat steps 2 to 6 for the scroll-down and page down objects, but use add instead of subtract.
The tags that need to be replaced are called ALC_SDN and ALC_PGDN.
8 Select the object called group. Delete the output text animation and make an input text
animation based on the same tag called ALD_GROUP.
9 Select the object called sort. Delete the output text animation and make an input text animation
based on the same tag called ALD_SORT.
10 Choose Save and exit to finish the graphics changes.
System Configuration
To make sure the two tasks start automatically, you must change and add to the lines in the
System Configuration:
1 In the Configuration Manager, open the System Configuration.
2 Find the line that has ALOG as the task name. Change ALOG task name to AL_LOG.
3 Press tab until you see the name of the executable file. Change bin/alog to bin/al_log. Remove
all program arguments on the line. Then, press Enter to save changes.
4 Add a new task called AL_VIEW to the Shared domain. The easiest way to do so is to copy and
paste the last line in the Shared domain by selecting the last line, choosing Copy twice, and
selecting Paste once. Then, select the new line.
5 Change the flags to fr and change task name to AL_VIEW.
6 Increase the index number on all task tags by 1.
7 Change the executable file name to bin/al_view. All multiple invocations are grouped together
to become AL_LOG. Delete the multiple invocations because you no longer need them. For
example, now that you have ALOG, you no longer need the old multiple invocations of
ALOG1 and ALOG2 and therefore can delete them.
8 Press Enter and exit.

Test the Converted Application
Test the converted application to be sure every thing is running without error:
1 Check AL_LOG and AL_VIEW to be sure they are running.
2 Test the scroll up/down and page up/down buttons.
3 Run through the rest of the program. If errors occur, see the documentation on the Distributed
Alarm Logger or contact your support representative.
Possible Changes to Improve Performance
Multiuser AL_VIEW
If you are using the output lines or any of the controls in other tasks in the Shared domain, such
as Math and Logic, ensure these references are gone. If this method is not possible, define a
second viewer in the User domain.
Changing Area Filter to Match Invocations
The area filter default is set to ALL. Change it to a list containing all tables for a specific
invocation, such as warn_1 and alarms_1. The area codes are all set to the table name.
Incorporating ALOG Screen
Instead of changing the ALOG screen, you can use the latest ALOG screen in your
applications. Export the ALOG screen from a blank application and import it back into your
application. Check your viewer setup to match the blank setup.
Parent-Child Relations
You might want to incorporate parent-child relations and distribution into your application. See
the documentation on the Distributed Alarm Logger for more information.

Distributed Alarm Logger Supersedes Alarm Supervisor
•
•
•
D ISTRIBUTED A LARM L OGGER S UPERSEDES A LARM S UPERVISOR
The Distributed Alarm task in FactoryLink ECS versions 6.6.0 or later is not compatible with
pre-6.5.0 applications regardless of the platform. This only applies to the distribution of alarms
between 6.6.0 and/or 6.5.0 nodes and pre-6.5.0 nodes regardless of platform.
Distribution of alarms between 6.6.0 and 6.5.0 systems is supported. If distribution of alarms is
required between these systems and pre-6.5.0 systems, regardless of the platform, the pre-6.5.0
systems need to be upgraded to the appropriate Year 2000 Compliant version for the affected
systems. See the Siemens Web site for information on Year 2000 Compliant version
information for the various platforms.
P OWER SPC S UPERSEDES SPC

It is recommended that you upgrade your existing Statistical Process Control (SPC) to
PowerSPC supported in FactoryLink ECS. Contact your support representative for instructions
on converting SPC tasks to PowerSPC.
PowerSPC references Chart Objects by Object Name. FactoryLink versions 4.4.0 allowed you
to specify an Object Name other than the system generated number. FactoryLink ECS objects
now have both Object Names and Local Names. The Application Editor allows you to change
only the Local Name, but PowerSPC still references Chart Objects by Object Name.
Use the system-generated (unchangeable) Object Name rather than changing the Object Local
Name and using this name in the PowerSPC Charts Definition table to describe a PowerSPC
chart.
P OWER VB
The Summit 2.2 libraries used for PowerVB in 6.5.0 and 6.6.0 no longer accept a redundant
syntax for variable declaration as shown in this example:
Dim xyz $ as string
Instances such as this example in PowerVB scripts are converted when restored to FactoryLink
ECS 6.6.0 from a pre-6.5.0 version or when the FLCONV utility is run. This has been
implemented only for the data type identifiers $, %, &, and #. All other identifiers and
declarations that span more than one line will result in a validation error for PowerVB and
must be manually corrected by removing either the identifier or the “as string” type
declaration.

Access to User-Domain Tags
A CCESS TO U SER -D OMAIN TAGS

This section explains how to configure a FactoryLink application for access to user-domain
tags.
In FactoryLink 7.0, the user domain was available, but could only be used with ECS graphics
and not with Client Builder graphics. For new applications using Client Builder, most or all of
the functionality provided by user tags could be implemented within Client Builder through
local variables and scripting, making user tags unnecessary. Migrating existing user-domain
applications to Client Builder was not a simple task.
Starting with FactoryLink 7.1, access to user-domain tags were added, making these available
from Client Builder or any third-party OPC client.
Set Up Services File

Initially, the Services file must be set up to define the ports used for the connection server and
each data connection. The following example shows three connection clients in the
Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc\Services file:
FLCONNSRVC 6096/tcp flconnsrvc #FactoryLink Connection Server
FLDATASRVC001 6097/tcp fldatasrvc001 #FactoryLink Data Server
Configuration Explorer Settings

The main settings in Configuration Explorer are as follows:
1 Right-click the application and select Properties. Remove the -nShared switch from the
FLRunArgs property.
2 Right-click the application again and select View > View Domain List. Set the number of user
instances in the #INST column to the maximum number of simultaneous clients accessing
user-domain tags (Client Builder, WebClient, and ECS Graphics).
3 Under Graphics > WebClient Services > WebClient Connections, set the number of connections
of Client Builder and WebClient simultaneous users.
4 In the Shared Domain System Configuration Information table, define the CONNSRV task to
Run (R) on start.
5 Also in this table, if user-domain tag browsing is to be available by default, find the
TAGSERVER task and add the -User switch to its Program Arguments. Note, this is not
necessary if you are only browsing from Client Builder, as it can override this default to see
user tags even if -User is not specified.
6 In the User Domain System Configuration Information table, define the DATASRV task flag to
Hibernate (H) on start.

Access to User-Domain Tags
•
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•
Run-Time Behavior
At run time, the first time a client connects to a user-domain tag, the TAGSERVER task
attempts to acquire a user-domain instance. It does this by handshaking with the CONNSRV
task. If CONNSRV is not running, or if the configured number of user instances has already
been handed out, subscription to the item will fail, although shared-domain items will still
connect.
Once a client connection has a user-domain instance, it will keep it for the life of the
connection, even if all user-domain tags are unsubscribed. In the case of Client Builder, when
Client Builder is closed, the domain instance is returned back to CONNSRV. This prevents
excessive thrashing of user-domain instances when switching from one mimic to another.

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Chapter 1 Getting Started.............................................................................................. 1

Chapter 2 Converting Graphics .................................................................................. 15

Chapter 3 Converting Alarm ....................................................................................... 23

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / iii

Chapter 5 Converting Database Browser ................................................................... 37

Chapter 6 Miscellaneous Conversion Issues .............................................................. 43

iv / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 1

2 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

C ONVERTING F ACTORY L INK 6.6 OR E ARLIER TO 8.0

Table 1-1 Conversion Options

What to Your Options

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 3

4 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

Running ECS Graphics

2 In the server application properties dialog box, verify these settings:

Using .BMP Files

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 5

Table 1-2 Required Changes for New Features

Your Choices What you must do

6 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

Choice 1: On-Line Restart Feature and Remote Configuration

Choice 2: ECS Graphics to Client Builder Graphics Migration

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 7

Choice 3: Redundant System

8 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 9

Modifying the Security Schema

10 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

Enabling Operator Event Logging

Disabling Operator Event Logging

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 11

12 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 13

14 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

F ACTORY L INK G RAPHIC TOOLS

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 15

16 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

Table 2-1 Conversion Switches

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 17

18 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

Converted Object Types

Table 2-2 Converted Object Types

Object Types Conversion Results

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 19

Table 2-3 Converted Animated Types

Animation Types Conversion Result

20 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 21

22 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

Table 3-1 Functionality Comparison

Functionality FactoryLink Pre-7.0 Current FactoryLink

Distributed Alarm Logging Task (Pre-7.0)

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 23

24 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 25

26 / FactoryLink Conversion Guide

FactoryLink Conversion Guide / 27