Hello All!!!

Last night while at work I encountered a situation in which I was asked to add information to a PanelView Plus 1000. So I uploaded the application with the transfer tool and tried to open the file via factory talk studio. I couldn't do it outside of ME Application. How do you re-open a file so that you can add a page or make changes to the HMI? This is not my app. this app is something someone else has done and we're looking to add other things.

On the older (pre-CPR 9) file, you can't do it. You can't go backwards without the source code files. This is one of the huge disadvantages of PV+ over others.

On the latest (CPR 9) release, if you upgrade the PV+ firmware to the latest version, you have 3 options. You can save it in a non-uploadable format, you can password protect it (can upload but not recover source), or you can recover source code without a password. You have to select the alternative option (it defaults to nonrecoverable) when you create the MER file.

Do you still have the project in your RSView Studio? You should always save these or backup the project. You must edit the project in RSView Studio, not Factory Talk (studio?).

We don't see this as a "huge disadvantage". When a customer opens one of our files and changes it they have:

a) committed a breach of contract with our licensing agreement
b) Voided any remaining warranty

An unopenable "compiled" file keeps everyone honest. Of course this doesn't fit everyones wants and need. If the end user needs the file for later editing just give them a backup of the application.

Here is a post from Rod Hackney over on a different thread. Maybe this is what you wanted. Here's Rod:

Here is a listing I downloaded from another site a while back. It relates to RS studio files on Panelview Plus unit. Haven't had the opporunity to try it out yet. But here it is:

To un-archive the MER file follow these easy steps:
1. Upload MER file from PanelView Plus.
2. Double click on the project with the MER extension. RS View ME Station will start.
3. As long as RS View ME Station is running (even if an error is shown) it un-archives the project to:

C:\Documents and Settings\<login username>\Local Settings\Temp\~MER.00

Replace <login username> with your login details.

Note that “\Local Settings” is a hidden directory.
The un-archived files are deleted when ME Station is no longer running.

The one thing that it didn't restore was the RSLinx Enterprise path.


It seems to me that when you do that you might not get the tag files (or something like that). But it saves a lot of work compared to starting over.