How to use the Windows local client
SDA offers a local client for Windows to enable customers to seamlessly version PLC projects in the SDA platform while working with the automation development environments (IDE, e.g., Siemens TIA Portal) on their local workstations.
Download and installation of the local client
Navigate to the user menu in top right corner of the SDA Console and click on "Get the Client". The installation package will be automatically downloaded. Execute the package on your workstation and follow the instructions.
After successful installation, the local client will ask you to provide your SDA Console login credentials.
Syncing a project to the local workstation
To sync a PLC project to a local folder, find the corresponding project entry in the project view and click on "Link to local folder". You will then be asked to select a folder in the local file system. After confirmation, the local client will automatically create a new subfolder inside the selected folder in which the project is available in an unarchived format.
Codesys projects only: In this case the project will not be automatically unarchived and saved in the .projectarchive format inside the selected folder.
After the project has been synced the local folder can be opened in the Windows file explorer by clicking on the folder icon in the bottom right corner of the project entry in the project list.
"Checking out" a project to work on it
Before starting to work on a project, you can check it out to ensure that no other team member is working on it in parallel. In order to check a project out, locate the corresponding linked project in the project view and click on "Check Out".
Note that when the project is checked out, other users of the local client will not be able to check the project out in parallel. In addition, users of the IDEaaS feature will not be able to open the project in IDEaaS in the web console.
"Checking in" a new project version
After you have edited the project locally (e.g., in Siemens TIA Portal), you can click on check-in to automatically archive and upload a new project version. The client will ask you to provide a comment on what was changed. After successful upload, the project will be unblocked again for other users.
Getting an updated project version
In case that another use has uploaded a newer version of the project for a locally linked project, a red notification icon will appear in the local client next to the corresponding project. By clicking on the icon, you can choose to download the latest version and overwrite the existing local version.
Note that any changes you may have made that are not checked-in will be overwritten!
Manually unblocking projects (admin users only)
In case that the project was blocked by a local client user ("checked out") and the user never unlocked ("checked in") the project again or can't do so for some reason (e.g., local workstation is malfunctioning), admin users can unblock projects via the context menu of the corresponding project in the SDA web console.
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