Use python instead of Structured Text

Question

I have a Codesys Project which becomes more and more complex.

Now I’m wondering if there is a python library that lets me do the programming part, I’m usually doing with Structured Text via Python?

Thank you

A

Answer 1

If you were using the Beckhoff platform which is very similar to Codesys I would have advised you to look into the ADS interface which helps interface PLC's with user space programs.

For Codesys there is also a proprietary interface called the PLC-Handler but it's not free of cost.

Since you have to pay one way or the other the approach I suggest is to buy the MQTT-Client for Codesys and write a Python-Client with one of the freely available libraries like the one of the eclipse foundatation: https://www.eclipse.org/paho/index.php?page=clients/python/index.php

The advantage of this approach is that once you've written the user space client you can interface with all PLC brands, since every major PLC brand offers an MQTT-Client library which you can use to write a small command and control PLC-Library for your PLC's.