C135 PCS 7 (PCS7)
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Resolving Missing Signals and Display Glitches in SIMATIC Manager Process Object View

Resolving Missing Signals and Display Glitches in SIMATIC Manager Process Object View

Missing block I/Os in the 'Signals' tab of the Process Object View (POV)—or parameters erroneously appearing inside the Signals view with <S> prefixes following an upgrade from PCS 7 V8.0 to V9.0 SP1—is caused by a known filter metadata caching defect in early releases of the Technological Hierarchy (TH), CFC, and Import/Export Assistant (IEA-PO) components. To resolve this, install the cumulative update collection containing CFC V9.0 SP1 Upd2 or upgrade to PCS 7 V9.0 SP2, re-initialize the signal catalog by right-clicking the project in the Process Object View and selecting 'Process Objects -> Select I/Os', and execute 'Save As with Reorganization (Slow)' in SIMATIC Manager.

Table of Contents

Process Object View Architecture: Parameters vs Signals Metadata

The Process Object View (POV) (View -> Process Object View) in SIMATIC Manager provides a centralized, tabular engineering environment for mass parameterization, signal interconnection, and alarm configuration across continuous function charts.

The POV categorizes technological block attributes into distinct tabs:
- Parameters Tab: Displays block I/Os marked with system attribute S7_param := 'true' (e.g., gain, reset times, alarm limits).
- Signals Tab: Displays block I/Os marked with system attribute S7_signal := 'true' or interconnected to physical field peripherals (e.g., channel driver PV_In, valve command outputs, binary inputs).
- Messages Tab: Displays integrated alarm blocks (ALARM_8P) and associated message texts.

Behind the scenes, the Technological Hierarchy (TH) engine queries the internal CFC chart database (charts/) to populate these views. When projects are migrated across major versions (e.g. from V8.0 to V9.0 SP1), metadata pointers must be rebuilt.

Root Causes of Signal Tab Glitches and <S> Prefix Display Defects

Following migration to initial releases of SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 SP1, engineers observed severe display anomalies in the POV:

  1. Disappearing Signals: Block inputs correctly designated as signals in CFC disappeared entirely from the Signals tab, leaving the grid empty even when all filter boxes were cleared.
  2. Parameter Cross-Contamination: I/Os marked exclusively as parameters appeared inside the Signals view.
  3. The <S> Prefix Glitch: In the 'Select I/Os' selection dialog, a phantom <S> prefix was prepended to process tag parameters, indicating that the internal indexer had corrupted the distinction between signal and parameter bitmasks.
  4. F5 Refresh Stall: Pressing F5 to refresh the table failed to query updated chart instances.

Siemens confirmed this behavior as a software bug within the interaction of IEA-PO.dll, TH.dll, and CFC.dll. The issue was officially resolved in the PCS 7 V9.0 SP1 Update Collection (specifically CFC V9.0 SP1 Upd2) and permanently in PCS 7 V9.0 SP2.

Comparison of POV Behavior Across PCS 7 V9.0 Maintenance Rollups

The following table compares the behavior and stability of the Process Object View across PCS 7 releases:

PCS 7 / CFC Software LevelSignal Tab Display StatusParameter Filtering<S> Prefix GlitchRecommended ActionPCS 7 V9.0 Initial ReleaseStable under standard projectsNormalNot observedApply latest updatesPCS 7 V9.0 SP1 (Unpatched)Defective: Signals disappearCross-contaminatedActive defectInstall CFC V9.0 SP1 Upd2 immediatelyPCS 7 V9.0 SP1 + Upd2Fixed: Signals display correctlyIsolatedResolvedRebuild signal catalog via 'Select I/Os'PCS 7 V9.0 SP2 / SP3Fully stable; optimized refreshNormalResolvedProduction standard releasePCS 7 V9.1+Enhanced grid with instant searchAdvanced filteringResolvedCurrent generation platform

Step-by-Step Procedure to Restore the Process Object View Signal Catalog

Follow this recovery procedure to eliminate display glitches and restore signal visibility in the POV:

  1. Install Cumulative Software Updates:
    - Download and install the latest PCS 7 V9.0 SP1 Update Collection (or upgrade directly to PCS 7 V9.0 SP2 / SP3).
    - Ensure the update updates CFC (to at least V9.0 SP1 Upd2), Technological Hierarchy (TH), and IEA-PO components.

  2. Execute Database Reorganization in SIMATIC Manager:
    - In SIMATIC Manager, select File -> Save As....
    - Check the box for With Reorganization (Slow).
    - Specify a new project destination and save. This rebuilds internal Microsoft Access / SQL database index tables and purges corrupted metadata caches.

  3. Rebuild the Signal Catalog via 'Select I/Os':
    - Open the reorganized project and switch to the Process Object View (Ctrl+Shift+P).
    - In the left tree, right-click the root project folder and select Process Objects -> Select I/Os....
    - In the filter dialog, enter the target Block Type (e.g. Pcs7AnIn) and I/O Name (e.g. PV_In).
    - Click OK. The POV queries all instances in the background and commits their metadata.
    - In the resulting grid, right-click the Signal column header and select Set to confirm signal status for all instances.

  4. Verify Tabular Filtering:
    - Navigate to the Signals tab in the main POV window.
    - Confirm that all filtered signals populate cleanly with their symbolic addresses, comments, and chart locations.

Verification

Verify signal catalog restoration in the Process Object View:
1. In the Process Object View, select the Signals tab and verify that the table displays all active field I/O channels.
2. Select the Parameters tab. Confirm that only operational parameters (gain, limits) appear, with zero signal cross-contamination.
3. Press F5 to refresh the view; confirm that the table updates instantaneously without blanking out.
4. Perform a test export to CSV (Process Objects -> Export to CSV), verify that all signal rows export cleanly, and re-import without syntax errors.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

  1. Save As with Reorganization Execution Time: On massive multiprojects containing dozens of controllers and thousands of charts, 'Save As with Reorganization (Slow)' can take up to several hours. Plan this maintenance during off-hours.
  2. Custom SCL Block Attributes: If custom user function blocks fail to appear in the Signals tab, inspect the SCL source code to ensure the input parameter is explicitly tagged with S7_signal := 'true'.
  3. Station-Wide Update Consistency: All engineering workstations in a multi-user engineering environment must have identical CFC and TH service pack updates installed; working on a project from an unpatched ES will re-introduce catalog corruption.

Engineer FAQ

Why did signals disappear from the POV after upgrading to PCS 7 V9.0 SP1?

It was caused by a known software bug in early releases of the Technological Hierarchy (TH) and CFC V9.0 SP1 indexing components that corrupted signal metadata pointers. Installing CFC V9.0 SP1 Upd2 or PCS 7 V9.0 SP2 resolves the issue.

What does the '' symbol mean in the Select I/Os dialog?

The <S> symbol was a visual artifact of the indexing glitch where the POV engine erroneously flagged parameter attributes as signal attributes during migration.

How do I make a block input appear in the Signals tab?

The input must possess the system attribute S7_signal := 'true' in its block definition, or be marked as a signal via the Select I/Os dialog in the Process Object View.

Technical References

Related Articles

Related Tags

  • Process Object View
  • POV Signals Tab
  • CFC V9.0 SP1
  • Technological Hierarchy
  • Save As Reorganization
  • PCS 7 V9.0 SP2
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