Tips to Become Faster at Programming in RSLogix

If you’re a PLC programmer that works with RSLogix, you may not be satisfied with the speeds that you’re currently working at. Thankfully, there are a number of simple tips that can help you to improve your programming speed and accomplish more during your workday. Follow this advice if you’re looking for effective ways to increase your speed.

Take Advantage of The Go-To Shortcut

You can save yourself valuable time if you start utilizing the go-to shortcut. To activate this shortcut, the only thing you need to do is press CTRL and G at the same time. After you do that, you’ll be prompted to enter a rung number. You can also use this shortcut if you need a specific controller or program tag.

The time that this shortcut will save you will really add up. You’ll be saving time every time you use the shortcut. Once you start using it regularly, it will feel like second nature to you.

Move Quickly Between Open Windows

At any given time, it’s likely that you’ll have several different windows open in RSLogix. If you’re able to quickly move between these windows, you’ll be able to finish jobs far more quickly. Moving between open windows is virtually effortless when you press CTRL + Tab. You won’t have to use your mouth to select the window that you want to use. This keyboard shortcut will allow you to move between windows in no time at all.

If you have multiple instances of RSLogix open at the same time, you’ll be able to move between these instances by entering either ALT + Tab or ALT + Shift + Tab on your keyboard. You can enter ALT + Tab when you want to go to the next open application in Windows, and you can enter ALT + Shift + Tab to return to the application that was opened previously.

If you’re trying to increase your work speeds, you’ll want to avoid anything that could interrupt your workflow. You’ll want to make sure you are able to move between open windows in no time at all. This shortcut is simple, and once you get into the habit of using it, you may find yourself utilizing it outside of RSLogix as well.

Find Faster Ways to Navigate Between Routines

How long is it taking you to navigate between routines? If this process isn’t moving quickly enough for you, there are faster solutions that you can try. For example, pressing Page Up and Page Down will allow you to easily move upwards or downwards in a routine a single page at a time. To quickly travel to the bottom rung, you’ll want to press CTRL + End, and CTRL + End will allow you to instantly travel to the top of a rung.

It’s likely that you spend a great deal of time navigating between these routines. If you’re able to make this task easier on yourself, you’ll be able to improve your workflow.

Check to Make Sure You’re Online

This final tip only takes a second; check to make sure that you’re online when you’re working in RSLogix. This is especially important when you’re debugging. If you’re offline, you could wind up wasting minutes or more on a task that won’t be able to complete. Always confirm you’re online so that you won’t waste valuable time.

If you implement these tips, you’ll become much faster when working in RSLogix. Being able to work quickly is an essential skill for a programmer to have. Work to increase your overall speed so that you don’t have to rush through projects. When you work quickly, you’ll have more than enough time for everything that you need to do.

Tom Archibeque is the owner and trainer at Control Logic Training. Tom is an experienced Electrical Controls Engineer, providing Rockwell Automation control system integration, PLC programming and training. Working with numerous packaging manufacturing machine builders, keeping current with today’s PLC programming techniques.