You're reading from Mastering PLC Programming The software engineering survival guide to automation programming

Product type Paperback

Published in Mar 2023

Publisher Packt

ISBN-13 9781804612880

Length 386 pages

Edition 1st Edition

Languages

PLC programming

Tools

PLC

Concepts

PLC Programming

Author (1):

M. T. White

View More author details

Table of Contents (25) Chapters

Preface

1. Part 1 – An Introduction to Advanced PLC Programming

2. Chapter 1: Software Engineering for PLCs FREE CHAPTER

3. Chapter 2: Advanced Structured Text — Programming a PLC in Easy-to-Read English

4. Chapter 3: Debugging — Making Your Code Work

5. Chapter 4: Complex Variable Declaration — Using Variables to Their Fullest

6. Part 2 – Modularity and Objects

7. Chapter 5: Functions — Making Code Modular and Maintainable

8. Chapter 6: Object-Oriented Programming — Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling Code

9. Chapter 7: OOP — The Power of Objects

10. Part 3 – Software Engineering for PLCs

11. Chapter 8: Libraries — Write Once, Use Anywhere

12. Chapter 9: The SDLC — Navigating the SDLC to Create Great Code

13. Chapter 10: Advanced Coding — Using SOLID to Make Solid Code

14. Part 4 – HMIs and Alarms

15. Chapter 11: HMIs — UIs for PLCs

16. Chapter 12: Industrial Controls — User Inputs and Outputs

17. Chapter 13: Layouts — Making HMIs User-Friendly

18. Chapter 14: Alarms — Avoiding Catastrophic Issues with Alarms

19. Part 5 – Final Project and Thoughts

20. Chapter 15: Putting It All Together — The Final Project

21. Chapter 16: Distributed Control Systems, PLCs, and Networking

22. Assessments

23. Index

Why subscribe?

24. Other Books You May Enjoy

Software Engineering for PLCs

Software engineering is a pivotal, yet often overlooked aspect of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming. There is a core problem with automation engineering that stems from most PLC projects usually being viewed as hardware first. Many books, workshops, and so on are focused on PLC projects as hardware-first systems. Usually, programming is secondary to the overall hardware design of the system. In other words, the software is there to operate the hardware.

Many PLC programmers are not formally trained software developers and have backgrounds ranging from electricians to electrical and mechanical engineers. Though there is nothing wrong with a PLC developer not being a formally trained programmer, there are techniques that are usually taught in programming classes that are often lost when a non-formally trained programmer tries to program a PLC. This book aims to teach and apply software engineering practices to PLC programming. By learning these techniques, PLC developers can utilize the full gamut of the IEC 61131-3 standard and create advanced software faster and cleaner.

The hot topic in today’s fast-paced industrial world is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. In short, machines are getting smart, and a major component of that is the software that controls the systems. The first PLC was introduced around the late 1960s and early 1970s; as such, PLCs (and by extension, automation) are nothing new. However, what has changed is the complexity of the systems that PLCs control. With the lower costs and rising computing power of PLCs, the applications that PLCs control are now becoming more complex seemingly by the day. The days of PLC programmers getting through the day with basic programming techniques and ladder logic are quickly becoming a thing of the past. To survive and be competitive in today’s market, a new way of thinking about PLC code is needed. Today’s world now needs PLC programmers that can function as software engineers.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following topics: