CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a 371 application of the International PCT application serial no. PCT/JP2018/007411, filed on Feb. 28, 2018, which claims the priority benefit of Japan Patent Application No. 2017-107429, filed on May 31, 2017. The entirety of each of the abovementioned patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a program development support technology for executing editing of a controller program and editing of a user interface screen (UI screen).

Related Art

Currently, many sequence control devices are put into practical use. An indicator equipped with a user interface is connected to this sequence control device. An operator performs setting on the sequence control device by an operation input to the indicator.

The sequence control device operates based on a sequence program which is a controller program, and the indicator operates based on a user interface program (UI program). The sequence program and the UI program are associated by global variables. Accordingly, settings, changes and the like in variables of the sequence control device can be implemented by operating the user interface screen of the indicator.

Conventionally, the sequence program and the UI program are created using individual editors. Accordingly, a programmer should separately record variables set by the sequence program and create the UI program based on the recorded variables. Therefore, it is not easy to make variables of the sequence program and variables of the UI program match correctly to create these programs.

In contrast, an editor device described in patent literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-140107) drags an element (ladder element) of a ladder program which is a type of sequence program and drops the element on a UI editing screen, and thereby sets an element of the UI program that corresponds to the ladder element.

SUMMARY

Problems to be Solved

However, in the editor device described in patent literature 1, the element can only correspond to the ladder program. In addition, the element and the like of the UI program cannot be set corresponding to detailed information for elements of the sequence program such as the data type of the variables and the like. Therefore, there is a limit on the improvement in ease of program creation.

Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to provide a program development support technology for facilitating creation of a controller program and a UI program in which variables are mutually matched.

Means to Solve Problems

The program development support device of the present invention includes a controller program editing unit, a UI editing unit, a display unit, an operation input unit, and a copy function unit. The controller program editing unit performs an editing of the controller program or a setting of variables used in the controller program. The UI editing unit performs an editing of a user interface program. The display unit displays an editing screen of the controller program or a setting screen of the variables and an editing screen of the user interface program. The operation input unit receives an operation input of selection and movement of elements of the controller program displayed on the display unit or selection and movement of the variables. The copy function unit reflects, on the editing screen of the user interface program, elements of the user interface program that correspond to elements of the controller program or the variables moved to the editing screen of the user interface program. The copy function unit determines types of elements of the user interface program according to types of the controller program being edited. If the elements of the controller program or the variables are global variables and there is no element of the user interface program at a movement destination of the elements of the controller program or the variables, the copy function unit causes the elements of the user interface program to be newly displayed on the editing screen of the user interface program.

In this configuration, the elements of the user interface program are automatically set corresponding to the type and elements of the controller program or the variables. For example, in a case of a ladder program, the elements of the user interface program are automatically set corresponding to elements of the ladder program. In a case of an ST program, the elements of the user interface program are automatically set corresponding to elements of the ST program. In a case of a variable setting, the elements of the user interface program are automatically set corresponding to elements of the variable setting program.

In addition, in the program development support device, the copy function unit causes the elements of the user interface program to be newly displayed on the editing screen of the user interface program when there is no element of the user interface program at a movement destination of the elements of the controller program or the variables.

In this configuration, an element of the user interface program is automatically added corresponding to the types and elements of the controller program or the variables.

The program development support device of the present invention includes a controller program editing unit, a UI editing unit, a display unit, an operation input unit, and a copy function unit. The controller program editing unit performs an editing of the controller program or a setting of variables used in the controller program. The UI editing unit performs an editing of a user interface program. The display unit displays an editing screen of the controller program or a setting screen of the variables and an editing screen of the user interface program. The operation input unit receives an operation input of selection and movement of elements of the controller program displayed on the display unit or selection and movement of the variables. The copy function unit reflects, on the editing screen of the user interface program, elements of the user interface program that correspond to elements of the controller program or the variables moved to the editing screen of the user interface program. The copy function unit determines types of elements of the user interface program according to types of the controller program being edited. If the elements of the controller program or the variables are global variables and there is element of the user interface program and there is element of the user interface program at a movement destination of the elements of the controller program or the variables, the copy function unit updates the variable mapping.

In this configuration, variables of the elements of the user interface program are automatically updated.

Effect

According to the present invention, a controller program and a UI program in which variables are mutually matched can be easily created.

