Tech Note 132

Using FactorySuite 2000s WWClient to

Check I/O Server Communications
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Topic#: 000767
Created: November 6, 1998

Introduction
WWClient is a generic DDE- and Suitelink™-aware utility that is automatically installed with
the Wonderware® FactorySuite™ 2000. This utility allows you to quickly and easily test a
Wonderware I/O Server configuration. (WWClient also provides scripting capabilities to
automate the process.) This Tech Note shows how to use WWClient to test an I/O Server’s
communications to a PLC, directly or across a network. This Tech Note also shows how to
troubleshoot an I/O Server by temporarily eliminating communications from specific client
applications, such as InTouch™.

Note This Tech Note addresses only the basic features of WWClient. For more information on
configuring the Wonderware I/O Server with the PLC, consult the Wonderware User Guide for
the particular I/O Server that is available online on the FactorySuite CD-ROM.

For InTouch 6.0 and earlier, see Tech Note 48 “Using WWClient to Check DDE Server
Communications.”

Location of the WWClient Utility

After you install the desired components of FactorySuite 2000, the WWClient utility is located
under the Start Menu, under Wonderware FactorySuite, then Common. When you start up
WWClient, the Wonderware Client window will appear:
(Note that the Wonderware Logger will also automatically start. Minimize the WWLogger
window for now so that you can clearly see the Wonderware Client window.)

Procedure
Testing the DDE Conversation to the I/O Server

Note We will use the example of using WWClient to test the Wonderware Allen-Bradley
Ethernet Direct I/O Server, which is attached to an Allen-Bradley Ethernet-capable PLC or SLC
processor. The Application, Topic and Item names used in this example will vary with your
configuration, depending on the I/O Server and PLC that is used.

1. Start up the I/O Server and view the configuration to make sure that it’s configured
correctly. Then, minimize the window. (See the Wonderware User Guide for your
particular I/O Server for more information on configuring I/O Server.)
2. Start up WWClient. When the WWLogger window appears, minimize the window so that
you can see WWClient’s Wonderware Client window.
3. Select Connect from the WWClient menu. The Connect dialog box will appear:
 4. Type in the name of the I/O Server in the Application listbox (example, “ABTCP” for the
ABTCP I/O Server) and the Topic name in the Topic listbox (example, “ABPLC”).

Select either the DDE or IOT radio button. (If your Wonderware I/O Server is release 7.0
or greater, then it can communicate using SuiteLink. You can verify the I/O Server
release by selecting Help/About from the I/O Server menu.)

Then click the Connect button. You should see an established DDE conversation to the
I/O Server appear in the Wonderware Client window as shown in the example below.

Note If the I/O Server is on a remote computer, you must include its node name in the
Node listbox. If you are running Microsoft® Windows™ 95, make sure Wonderware’s
NetDDE is installed and configured on the computer. If you are running Windows NT,
make sure Microsoft’s Network DDE and/or Wonderware’s SuiteLink is installed; make
sure both Windows NT services are in Automatic mode and have a Status of Started;
and make sure the DDE Shares have been configured. (For more information on
configuring NetDDE and the DDE Shares, see the NetDDE section of the Wonderware
Knowledge Base.)

If the DDE conversation does not appear, then the connection to the I/O Server failed. (This is
the same as InTouch issuing the error “Could not Initiate DDE Conversation.”) Check the
following:

1. Verify that the I/O Server is properly configured and running.

 2. Verify that the I/O Server’s name is spelled correctly in the Application listbox on the
Connect dialog box.
3. Verify that the Topic name was created in the I/O Server. Also, verify that the Topic
name is spelled correctly in the Topic listbox on the Connect dialog box.
4. Verify that the I/O Server can support the selected Connection Type on the Connect
dialog box. (Remember that only version 7.0 and later of a Wonderware I/O Server can
use the IOT connection type.)
5. Click the Done button once you have verified the DDE conversation was successful to
the I/O Server.

Testing the I/O Server With the Register and Advise Commands

1. Select Item from the WWClient menu. The Item dialog box will appear:

2. Type in a valid Item name that you want to read a value from in the Item listbox.
(Example, “S:23”, which is the real time in seconds for an Allen-Bradley PLC 5
processor or “S:4” which is the real time in seconds for an Allen-Bradley SLC
processor.)

Select the type of the Item from the dropdown list (that is, Integer, Real, Discrete, or
String).

3. Click both the Register and Advise button respectively or the AdviseEx button.
You should see the Item appear and then its value to the right in the Wonderware Client
window, as shown in the example below. The example below shows that the Item is
being updated every second. This confirms that the I/O Server is configured properly.
You will see an error stating that the Advise operation failed if it was unable to display
the Item and its value. You should also check the WWLogger window for any related
 error messages. If you receive an error from WWClient, check the I/O Server
configuration, the PLC hardware and its software settings, cabling, and other related
items.

Testing the I/O Server With the Poke Command

Do these steps to see if WWClient can successfully Poke (that is, write) a value to an Item in the
PLC.
1. Select Item from the WWClient menu. The Item dialog box will appear:

2. Type in the Item name for a valid and configured PLC in the Item listbox to which values
can be written. Then select the Item name’s type from the dropdown list (that is, Integer,
Discrete, Real, or String). In our example, we entered the Allen-Bradley File N7 as the
Item name and Integer as the type.

Type in a valid number for the Item name in the Value listbox (example, 100).
Click the Poke button. You should see the value of 100 written and displayed in the
Allen-Bradley N7 File as shown above.

3. Confirm that the Poke command was successful by executing the PLC’s programming
software and viewing the data table(s) in the PLC.

Or, create another Topic name in the I/O Server and repeat steps 1 and 2 to reference the
same Item name through the newly created Topic name, then, “poke” a value to the new
Topic name.

For example, here are the results of two Topics that were connected, ABPLC and
ABPLC2:
The ABPLC Topic is advising the Item N7. As shown above, there is a Poke command on this
same Item by the ABPLC2 Topic. By using this method, you can confirm that the Poke
command was successful without the use of the PLC programming software.

Removing DDE Conversations by Item and Topic

To remove the DDE conversation by Item name, do these steps:

1. Select Item from the WWClient menu and highlight the desired Topic name from the
Connections list as shown in this example:
 2. Type in the Item name in the Item listbox from which you wish to remove the DDE
conversation.

Click either the Unregister or UnadviseEX button. The Item name will be removed and
no longer appear in the Wonderware Client window.

To remove the DDE conversation by Topic name, do these steps:

1. Select Disconnect from the WWClient menu. The Disconnect dialog box will appear.

2. Highlight the desired Topic name from the Connection List from which you wish to
remove the DDE conversation, as shown in the example above.

Click the Disconnect button. The Topic name will be removed and no longer appear in
the Disconnect dialog box and in the WWClient screen.

B. Maglinao
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