How to use the scheduler task in EcoStruxure Machine SCADA Expert v2023?
Issue:
The Scheduler is used to execute program logic (using the Built-in Scripting Language) at a specific date/time, on a certain time interval, at the occurrence of a defined event.
In this FAQ an example using the Clock event type is shown.
Product:
EcoStruxure Machine SCADA Expert v2020, v2023
Environment:
HMI Configuration Software in Windows
Resolution:
The Scheduler worksheet consist of the following columns:
Event: There are three types of events: Calendar, Clock, and Change.
- Calendar: Events that occur on time bases greater than 24 hours (e.g., print a report every Friday at a certain time).
- Clock: Events that occur on time bases smaller than 24 hours (e.g., intervals in minutes or seconds).
- Change: Events related to a change in a tag defined in the Trigger field.
Trigger: Used only with the Change event. When the tag defined here changes, the Expression will be evaluated.
Time: Used with the Calendar and Clock event types.
- With Calendar, when the specified date and time occurs, the Expression will be evaluated.
- With Clock, the Expression is evaluated based on the time interval configured in Time, starting from when the project begins running.
Type a time using the HH:MM:SS.ms format. Valid values are:
- Hours: 00 to 23
- Minutes: 00 to 59
- Seconds: 00 to 59
- Milliseconds: 1 to 9 (optional)
Examples:
- 03:00:00 = every three hours
- 00:00:00.1 = every 100 milliseconds
Date: Used only with the Calendar event type.
The order and separator settings determine the overall date format.
For example:
- Default: MM/DD/YYYY (e.g., 02/13/2015)
- ISO 8601: YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2015-02-13)
Tag: The tag that will receive the value returned from the Expression.
Expression: The expression to be evaluated.
Disable: Condition to disable the event.
Example using the Clock event.
Adding the tag to the Output window log:
Result:
Note: Really close to the 100ms defined; for larger intervals, this will be more precise.
Related resources:
Title: EcoStruxure™ Machine SCADA Expert, Help Manual
Relevant Pages:
- Page 502: Time format details
- Page 680: Date format details