Restoring Missing Button Text on APL Interlock Faceplates in Non-Standard WinCC Languages

In SIMATIC PCS 7 v8.0 SP1 and newer, command buttons on APL interlock faceplates appear blank with no text labels when the active WinCC runtime language is switched to a non-standard language such as Polish. Siemens APL faceplates supply pre-translated button text only for standard languages (German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish). The operator area command buttons reside in the shared template picture @PG_apl_OA_Binary.pdl and read labels from the WinCC Text Library. To restore button text, export text records using the WinCC Text Distributor, populate the missing language column in Excel, and re-import into the Text Library.

Architecture of APL Faceplate Text Storage and Localization

The SIMATIC PCS 7 Advanced Process Library (APL) provides multi-language support across all standard block icons and faceplates (Intlk02, Intlk04, Intlk08, MotL, VlvL). Faceplates dynamically adapt to the active runtime language selected by the operator in the WinCC title bar or User Administrator profile.

To maintain modularity, APL faceplates are assembled from reusable partial screen components:
* Header / Title Area (@PG_apl_Header.pdl): Displays the technological tag name, alarm status, and navigation buttons.
* Standard View Canvas (@PG_Intlk08_Standard.pdl): Displays input signal states, bypass switches, and First-In indicators.
* Operator Area (@PG_apl_OA_Binary.pdl / @PG_apl_OA_*.pdl): Houses standardized command buttons (such as OK, Cancel, Reset, and Setpoint inputs).

Button captions in the operator area are not hardcoded into graphics; they are bound dynamically to the WinCC Text Library or localized static text properties indexed by Windows Language IDs.

Why Non-Standard Languages Display Blank Command Buttons

Siemens APL installation media includes official translation dictionaries for the five primary European languages:
* German (de-DE, Lang ID 1031)
* English (en-US, Lang ID 1033)
* French (fr-FR, Lang ID 1036)
* Italian (it-IT, Lang ID 1040)
* Spanish (es-ES, Lang ID 1034)

When an engineering station configures an additional runtime language (such as Polish pl-PL, Lang ID 1045, or Czech cs-CZ):
* The OS Compiler creates placeholder entries in the WinCC Text Library for the new language.
* Because Siemens does not provide factory translations for secondary languages, the string entries in the Polish column remain empty ("").
* In WinCC Runtime, when Polish is active, the button rendering engine evaluates the empty string and displays a blank button canvas without text.

Identifying the Operator Area Picture Template @PG_apl_OA_Binary.pdl

The following table details the key faceplate template files and their localized text storage locations:

Picture / ComponentFile Location in ProjectRole in Faceplate DisplayText Source@PG_apl_OA_Binary.pdlGraCS directoryCommand confirmation buttons (OK, Cancel, Reset).Text Library & Localized Object Attributes@PG_Intlk08.pdlGraCS directoryMaster window frame and tab selector.Basic Process Control scripts@PG_Intlk08_Standard.pdlGraCS directoryStatus display of interlock inputs In01..08.CFC Block Attributes & Text LibraryText LibraryWinCC ExplorerCentral database of multilingual strings.Indexed by Text ID and Language ID

Table 1: Screen components and text storage for APL interlock faceplates.

Step-by-Step Translation Workflow Using WinCC Text Distributor

To translate and populate missing button labels efficiently:

Export Text via WinCC Text Distributor:
* Open the OS project in SIMATIC WinCC Explorer.
* Open the Text Distributor tool (Tools > Text Distributor).
* Under Export, select Text Library and Graphics Designer pictures.
* Set target directory and click Export. The tool generates a structured .txt or .csv workbook.
Translate Missing Strings in Microsoft Excel:
* Open the exported file in Excel.
* Locate the English reference column (en-US) and filter for critical button texts: OK, Cancel, Reset, Bypass, Lock.
* Copy the English strings or enter translated Polish equivalents into the Polish column (pl-PL).
* Save the file in Unicode text format to preserve regional diacritics.
Import Back into WinCC:
* In the Text Distributor tool, switch to the Import tab.
* Select the modified text file and click Import.
* The Text Distributor updates both the central Text Library and the @PG_apl_OA_*.pdl pictures in GraCS.

Verification

To confirm that button captions display properly:

Open WinCC Graphics Designer and open @PG_apl_OA_Binary.pdl.
In the language selector toolbar, switch the view to Polish (Poland): verify that buttons display localized text.
Activate WinCC Runtime.
Set the runtime language to Polish via the language toggle button in the top menu bar.
Click an interlock block icon to open the faceplate: verify that the operation area displays clear, readable text on all command buttons without blank boxes.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Never edit master templates in the PCS 7 installation directories (Siemens\WinCC\aplib); always edit the localized copies located in the OS project's GraCS directory.
After running the OS Compiler, verify whether a complete OS compile overwrote custom translations; using the Text Distributor ensures project translations persist across recompiles.
Ensure all engineering laptops and OS stations have the corresponding Windows Language Packs installed to support regional character sets.

Engineer FAQ

Can I copy English texts to Polish automatically without manual translation?

Yes. In the WinCC Text Library editor, you can select the entire English column, copy it, and paste it directly into the Polish column to ensure no button is left blank.

Why does WinCC show question marks (???) instead of text?

Question marks appear when the Windows operating system non-Unicode system locale does not support the selected language character set. Set the Windows system locale to match the target plant language.