How to Copy a PCS 7 V8.0 CFC Chart and Handle Cross-Chart Connections

When you copy a PCS 7 CFC chart, links to other charts are not necessarily duplicated as ordinary connections. In Siemens CFC V8.0, copying to a different chart folder turns cross-boundary links into textual references at copied inputs; these can be closed after their source partners are available. For a reusable connected substructure, copy the required related charts together, then verify all shared-address and output-side links before compiling.

Why Connections Change During a Copy

A CFC chart connection is a relationship between block/chart I/Os, and copying a chart is not always equivalent to duplicating every relationship to objects outside that chart. Siemens' CFC V8.0 manual documents that when a chart is copied or moved to a different chart folder, cross-boundary connections are represented as textual interconnections. The open reference is generated at the copied input; an output-side connection is removed if its input partner is no longer in the same folder. Connections between charts copied together can remain connected.

Copy Related Charts Together When Possible

When the copied logic depends on other CFC charts and the intended result is a complete working substructure, select and copy the required related charts together into the destination chart folder. Siemens notes that interconnections can be re-established when the chart and its partner are copied/moved into the same folder. Confirm the destination contains compatible block types and that names are unique. Do not copy an entire chart folder casually: Siemens warns that folder-level copies may omit resources such as FBs, FCs, shared DBs and symbols; selecting the required charts can include resources.

Use Textual Interconnections for External Inputs

If a copied chart is placed in a different chart folder while its source chart remains elsewhere, the V8.0 manual documents an open textual path reference at the copied input for a cross-folder connection. Once the intended source is available in the destination folder, use Options > Make Textual Interconnections to close the open references into real connections. Check the resulting log: it lists closed connections and any still open. Do not compile with unresolved references as if they were valid wires; CFC can compile with a warning and apply the block input's default value for an open textual connection.

Review Output-Side Connections and Shared Addresses

A copied chart's output connections to inputs outside the copied set should be checked explicitly because the source-side cross-folder connection is not simply duplicated as an independent destination wire. Recreate or redirect those connections intentionally in the destination, using the project's engineering convention. For shared DB/address connections, inspect Options > Customize > Copy/Move... and its connection setting; Siemens documents that shared-address interconnections are copied depending on that setting. Verify each copied address target rather than assuming it now points to a new DB variable.

Verification

Inspect the copied chart's inputs and outputs, chart-to-chart references, shared DB operands and textual-interconnection log. Confirm each destination input points to its intended source, every path reference has closed successfully, and output links have been created where required. Then compile the affected charts and review the compile log for unresolved interconnections before any download.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

The ticket identifies “Step7 K8.0.4.4,” which does not unambiguously identify the complete CFC/PCS 7 build. This article uses Siemens' CFC for SIMATIC S7 V8.0 manual; check menu labels and behavior against the installed CFC revision. Copying shared DB/address wiring can leave the duplicate connected to the same source data, which may not be the desired design. Validate all operand destinations before compile or download. The Process Object View suggestion in the reply is project-specific and is not required by the manual's general textual-interconnection procedure.

Engineer FAQ

Why do input connections sometimes become yellow textual references? When a chart moves or copies to another chart folder, CFC can preserve a cross-folder reference as an open textual interconnection at the input.

Can I keep all connections by copying one chart alone? Not when the intended links cross the chart boundary; copy the required related charts together or close/rebuild the external references.

What happens to unresolved textual inputs during compile? Siemens documents a warning and use of the block type's default input value; an unresolved output connection is ignored.

Does CFC copy shared-address connections? The result depends on the Copy/Move setting for connections to addresses.

Does Make Textual Interconnections fix every missing wire? It closes valid textual path references when partner I/Os are available; the log reports references that remain open.

Technical References

Siemens, CFC for SIMATIC S7 (V8.0), Function Manual, 04/2012, A5E03710059-02, §§9.1.4 and 9.7.9 (copy/move behavior and textual interconnections): https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/984/60283984/att_76375/v1/s7jcfcab_en-US.pdf?download=true