TOPDOC provides a complete set of tools for PLC program development, documentation and maintenance, as well as online PLC system monitoring and troubleshooting. TOPDOC is available for SoftPLC®, and Allen-Bradley PLC-2, PLC-3, and PLC-5 processors. This page describes TOPDOC for SoftPLC only; for information on the Allen-Bradley versions of TOPDOC, please contact SoftPLC Corporation.

TOPDOC makes PLC programming and continued maintenance of the system fast and easy. TOPDOC's user interface design minimizes keystrokes for frequent users, and provides an optional menu system and complete context sensitive help for beginning or infrequent users. TOPDOC is designed to maximize productivity with special features such as the Multi-File Editor, Data Watch Windows, and symbolic programming.

• Powerful multi-file offline ladder diagram and data table editors
• Online monitoring over TCP/IP Ethernet, serial connections or Data Highway Plus
• Program upload/download
• PLC address and program documentation offline & online
• Cross referencing
• Comprehensive set of reports
• Intelligent Difference Detector, program comparison utility
• PID auto-tuning feature with template display
• Program file and documentation import/conversion from Allen-Bradley software formats
• Integrated offline system emulation and simulation with SoftWIRES^TM

A Complete Set of Editing Tools to Simplify & Accelerate Programming

TOPDOC provides fully integrated ladder, data table, and documentation editing. The same commands are used offline and online and within ladder, data table, and documentation editors - key definitions do not change (e.g.: F1 is always help, INS is always used to insert information). You can either use "hotkey" keystroke commands or pull-down menus.

You can easily change the amount of information displayed on the screen by turning on/off rung comments, address descriptions or tag names.

Powerful Ladder Diagram Editor

TOPDOC provides online and offline editing with an extensive range of features, as well as special functions unique to either mode.

With TOPDOC, programs can be created offline, then downloaded to a PLC using a wide variety of communications paths to the shop floor. TOPDOC also lets you work directly online to create, monitor, and modify programs.

TOPDOC treats all program files (main program and sub-routines) within the PLC memory as a single entity. This means you can scroll and search from one program file to another without having to exit & separately load each program file. You can even display, in non-sequential mode, rungs from multiple program files on the same screen!

Data/Instruction Entry Made Easy

TOPDOC provides easy-to-read and easy-to-manipulate edit displays. Menu-driven editing with extensive command sets and keystroke shortcuts simplify work. The context-sensitive help system provides quick access to available commands at all times.

• Edit with keystroke commands or menu system
• Program with addresses or tagnames (symbolic programming)
• Center screen editing lets you see prior and following rungs
• Addresses or values within an instruction can be changed without having to delete or re-enter the information
• "Scroll Recall" feature retrieves the last 14 entries for editing and reuse - saves duplicate re-entry!
• Large rungs can be scrolled and display resolution can be changed to view more/less ladder

Searching and Positioning

TOPDOC provides many ways to move through a program:

• Search for address, instruction, tagname/symbol, or instruction/address combination by direct reference or with wildcard specifications
• Position by rung number, program section or program file
• Scroll one rung or multiple rungs at a time

On-Screen Cross-Reference

TOPDOC's on-screen cross reference display lets you easily see the location of every bit, word and file level instruction that will affect a given data element. You can quickly zoom from the cross reference display to any of the rungs listed!

Non-Sequential Rung and/or Data Table Display

TOPDOC lets you display selected ladder logic rungs in any order. You can even display non-sequential groupings from different program files! Desired rungs can be marked in the ladder display, or you can enter them by rung number into a special display.

Data table "watch windows" can be displayed concurrently with the ladder or in the data table editor. These are groups of non-sequential data table elements (bits and/or words) that you can monitor and edit.

In both cases above, you can name non-sequential groups and save them to disk for later re-use in diagnostics and troubleshooting.

• TOPDOC is extremely fast in terms of screen update, system start up, contact histogram, upload/download, searching, etc.
• Complete online run mode programming, including block move and delete.
• Data values, such as timer/counter presets, can be easily changed, and bits can be set ON or OFF from the ladder or data table.
• A "Who Is It" function allows verification of communications and correct PLC selection before upload/download or online operations.
• Online diagnostics to help determine where/why the PLC faulted, communications networks status, and more. Error messages include suggestions for problem resolution.

I/O Forcing

TOPDOC provides full forcing capability. You can force:

• Directly from the ladder display when positioned on a bit instruction
• Through a special force table display
• From the data table editor

The force table display shows the current status of all forces and address description information to make it easier to find the right bit. You can also remove groups of forces and enable/disable forces from the table.

Contact Histogram

TOPDOC's contact histogram allows monitoring of up to 16 bits at a time - accurately. Data can also be simultaneously sent to disk or a printer. A mask allows you to only record data when specific bits within the word(s) change state.

TOPDOC really shines when used for offline development. PLC program development is undeniably fastest and easiest with TOPDOC. Here are a few reasons why:

Multi-File Editing

You can simultaneously access up to 16 ladder logic files in memory. These files can be from a library of control sequences you have developed, or complete programs. From these files, you can quickly cut and paste, then do address search & replace, to create new programs. You can:

• Switch between programs with a single keystroke
• Move/copy ranges of rungs (or whole programs) between files, with or without documentation
• Perform an address search & replace (with wildcard address specification) on all or a range of rungs
• Copy ranges of values from one program's data table to another

Other Offline Features

TOPDOC's program validity checker reviews each PLC program for accuracy, including validity of instructions for a particular PLC model, validity of addresses for the given data table size, jumps to undefined labels, unfinished rungs, open branches and more.

A data table sizing facility can help you find and correct errors in programming. It can also automatically ensure that your data table size matches the program.

Data Table Editor

TOPDOC's comprehensive Data Table Editor lets you view and edit the data table in a variety of formats, including a PID template display. Using the same keystrokes as the ladder editor, you can quickly move from one section or file of the data table to another or search for particular addresses.

Offline, the Data Table Editor lets you perform multi-file editing on data tables, including copying ranges of values within a single program's data table or from one program's data table to another. You can also fill a range of words with a single value.

TOPDOC gives you the capability to create extensive program documentation. The documentation editors are full featured, fully integrated editors for handling rung comments and address labels. They include automatic numbering, copy, and more to make entry fast and easy.

Conversion utilities let you import documentation from other suppliers' files. Other utilities let you use off-the-shelf text editors, word processors, or database programs to create/edit your documentation files, then import them into TOPDOC.

Massive Rung Comments

TOPDOC supports rung comments up to 32,000 characters long (6 to 10 pages). Comments can be edited using TOPDOC's integrated Rung Comment Editor which supports copying comments from one rung to another, or a comment handling utility that lets you export and import comments as text files so you can use any text editor or word processor to edit or manipulate comments.

Reusable Address Labels

TOPDOC gives you five 13-character lines per PLC address, as well as a 13-character tagname (symbol name). A Drawing Reference Number field is also provided.Address Labels are stored in dBASEIV compatible files (*.dbf). You can use other software (e.g.: database, spreadsheet) to create custom reports, or combine databases into one master plant wide database. TOPDOC includes a database utility program to import or export address labels, or merge multiple databases, for editing.

The Database Editor is fully integrated with TOPDOC and can be used in either a stand-alone data entry fashion, or you can enter labels from the ladder diagram one instruction at a time. Individual labels can be entered for each address, or TOPDOC will automatically use the label for the next "larger" address, such as the timer label for timer control bits.

Comprehensive Cross Referencing

TOPDOC's fast generating cross-reference is extremely comprehensive. You not only know what rungs an address is used on, but how the address is used on each rung. We even "cross reference the cross reference". This means, for example, that because a word is used, the bits in that word are used, although indirectly. In multi-address instructions, all addresses are cross-referenced.

On the Ladder Diagram Report, all output address references are listed below the rung. Input addresses show the last rung number where the address was used as an output. On the Address Report all references for all addresses are printed.

Extensive Reporting Capability

TOPDOC provides a wide range of reports. Among them are:

• Ladder Diagram Report (in user-selectable formats, with or without documentation)
• Address Usage Report (shows which addresses are used and how, which are documented, and which are available)
• Address Detail Report (detailed cross-reference)
• Data Table Report (data table values and configuration)
• Database Report (address descriptor listing)
• Other user-selectable reports

With TOPDOC, you can print ranges of rungs or addresses and select what kinds of information will be included. You can also print a "batch" of reports for unattended output. All reports use ASCII characters, so it is easy to print to a file and then view the report with any text editor.

TOPDOC uses a clean, consistent user interface design. Many features are included to ensure maximum productivity:

• Pop-up windows, easy to use menus
• Command "hotkeys" are easy to remember and use (eg: F1 for help, INS-B to insert a branch)
• Menu structure, commands, key sequences and short-cuts designed to minimize keystrokes
• Commands for similar functions consistent throughout TOPDOC
• Command structure and help features address different needs of novice and expert users
• Individual user configuration files remember settings for your reports, edit formats, communications, and colors
• TOPDOC sets defaults to your previous entries - many times all you need is to press [Enter]

Extensive Help is Easily Accessed

• Context-sensitive help provides step-by-step guidance
• Help messages include information about instructions, addressing, hardware switch settings, cabling, etc. which can minimize need for equipment manuals
• Help Browse feature provides information on all topics from any location within TOPDOC

TOPDOC includes a number of utilities to simple editing, enhance communications and import or export information.

Difference Detector

TOPDOC's Difference Detector set the industry standard. It intelligently compares two versions of a PLC program, such as an uploaded version from a PLC and the master backup version. It lets you quickly locate rung insertions and deletions as well as changes within a rung or data table. When differences are found, the utility resynchronizes to the need set of matching rungs and continues searching for differences from that point forward. The differences can be viewed on the screen or sent to a printer or disk file.

Conversion Utilities & A-B PLC Model Conversions

SoftPLC Corp. provides a number of conversion utilities to allow users of A-B PLC's to easily upgrade to SoftPLC based control systems. TOPDOC includes menu options to directly import/export PLC-5 or SLC-500 programs from A-B ASCII format (.PC5) or 6200 Series software format.

SoftPLC Corp. also offers optional utility programs to convert an existing PLC-2 or 1774 PLC program and documentation for use with SoftPLC. Conversion services from PLC-3 to SoftPLC are also available.

Documentation Conversions

Utility programs are available to convert program documentation generated with another software package to TOPDOC format (the 6200 conversion is included, others are optional). Some of these utilities also convert the program itself, or allow bidirectional conversions (package to TOPDOC and TOPDOC to package).

PID Auto-Tuning

TOPDOC includes an integrated PID Auto-Tuning facility which, based on process conditions, will recommend parameters. A PID Template display mode is also included. Other PLC vendors or third party software vendors charge $1500 for this feature.

ASCII Ladder Compiler/Decompiler

TOPDOC includes utilities to import/export programs in A-B's text format (.PC5). What's even better, you can use advanced structures in the program text files to perform macros, global variable replacements and assignments, and to merge multiple text files into a single program image!

Intelligent I/O Module Configuration

For users of A-B 1771 I/O, TOPDOC's intelligent I/O module configuration provides module specific configuration screens for Block Transfer modules. You can easily enter/edit/monitor both module and channel data on the same display screen. From your selections, TOPDOC automatically configures the data table.

TLI (TOPDOC Loadable Instruction) Support

TOPDOC works hand-in-hand with SoftPLC to provide dynamic, integrated support for user-written instructions, called TLI's. Connect to any running SoftPLC and TOPDOC learns the loadable instructions used in that SoftPLC and can display them and allow editing, even online. The instruction even appear in the menu for selection!

SoftWIRES is software that allows you to test a PLC application offline using only a computer. You can perform complete systems emulation, simulation and modeling. SoftWIRES is included for free with TOPDOC's offline editor.

Emulation is "Open Loop" testing. You can run the ladder logic in continuous scan mode, or one rung at a time. You can insert breakpoints. You can also, from the keyboard, set bit status and word values.

Simulation is "Closed Loop" testing. You can use all of the Emulation features, plus, a second ladder program that models the process also runs. The data tables are "soft-wired" together so that when the simulated PLC turns on an output, the simulated process sees it and in turn can affect the status of inputs to the PLC, and so on.

Additionally, up to 4 communication channels can be used with the simulation so that an HMI system can affect the test and the HMI application can also be tested itself. This configuration also makes a wonderful training environment for operators of the control system.

• Any computer that runs Windows 95/98/Me or Windows NT/2000
• RAM memory minimum - determined by operating system
• 5MB available hard drive space
• Ethernet card/port (10MB or 10/100MB to match the SoftPLC network speed)
• Parallel port
• CD-ROM Drive (for installation)