Using the Command Log

Command Log Explained

When debugging problems with a system that is using the RMC, it is often difficult to determine whether the problem is caused by an action of the RMC or the Programmable Controller (P/C). To help with this problem, the Command Log is available. The Command Log holds the last 256 commands received through the communication module; commands sent by RMCWin or the event step table are not displayed. Therefore, the Command Log can be used to determine which commands were actually received by the RMC.

The "To PLC from Module" Section

This section is applicable only with PROFIBUS-DP in Compact Mode. Otherwise, the values will be zero and grayed out. This section displays status information for each axis that is available to the P/C. For each axis there are two pieces of information:

Status - This displays the Status word of the axis.

Data - The value of this field depends on the Status Area Request field of the last command sent from the P/C on this axis. It can be equal to any of the Status Parameters.

The "From PLC to Module" Section

All communication types use this section. The most recent commands are at the top of the Command Log. In addition, you will notice that the commands that changed from the previous Command Log entry are colored red.

When using a Communication Digital I/O, the commands that are issued based on the digital inputs will be recorded in the command log. Refer to the Communication Digital I/O section for specifics on these commands.

For other communication modules, these fields represent the commands and command values received from the P/C. In addition, if there are rising or falling edges on CPU or Sensor Digital I/O inputs 0 used by the Input to Event table, 00045 commands (Start Events) will be issued to the command log.

Opening and Closing the Command Log Window

To open the Command Log window, do one of the following from the main window:

On the Window menu, click Command Log.
Press CTRL+L.

To close the Command Log window, do one of the following:

Press ESC.
On the File menu, click Exit.
Click the Close button.

Pause/Resuming the Command Log

In some applications the Command Log may be scrolling continually.

To freeze the flow of commands in the log, do one of the following:

On the File menu, click Pause Log.
Press P while in the Command Log screen.
Click Pause ( $image\but_paus.gif$ ) from the toolbar.

To resume the flow of commands in the log, do one of the following:

On the File menu, click Update Log.
Press ENTER while in the Command Log screen.
Click Resume Update ( $image\but_play.gif$ ) from the toolbar.

Scrolling in the Command Log

The scroll bars may be used to scroll through the Command Log. Scrolling up will show newer data, and scrolling down will show older data. In addition, the UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, HOME, and END keys can be used to scroll.

Saving the Command Log

You can save the command log for later reference. The file is stored in text format and can be opened later both in RMCWin or a text editor. The default file extension is .log.

To save a command log:

On the File menu, click Save.
In the File name box, enter the name of the file.
Click Save.

Note: As soon as the Save command is clicked, the Command Log is automatically paused. After saving the file, the title bar will display the filename. To return to the current Command Log, click Resume Update.

Opening a Command Log

You can view command logs that were previously saved.

To save a command log:

On the File menu, click Open.
In the File name box, enter the name of the file.
Click Open.

When a command log is opened, the command log window will stop updating and display the opened log. To resume displaying the current log, click Resume Update.

Changing the Command Log Properties

The command log font size and bold properties can be changed using the Properties dialog box. Changes made to these properties are automatically saved from session to session.

To open the Properties dialog box:

On the File menu, click Properties.
In the Command Log Properties dialog box, select your font size and check whether or not you want the normal and/or changed cells to use the bold version of the font.
To try the changes without closing the dialog box, click Apply.
To use the changes and close the dialog box, click OK.
To close the dialog box without saving changes, click Cancel.