WinCC OA Script Actions

Execute WinCC OA CTRL scripts directly from Visual Studio Code

Features • Installation • Known Issues

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Disclaimer: This is one of the first releases of the WinCC OA Script Actions extension. Some edge cases may not be fully covered yet. Please check the Known Issues section for workarounds if you encounter problems.
Tip: If the extension doesn't work as expected, try Ctrl+Shift+P → Reload Window to refresh.

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🎬 See It In Action

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✨ Features

🚀 Quick Script Execution

• Right-click execution: Context menu on .ctl files in Explorer or editor
• Command Palette: Execute scripts via Ctrl+Shift+P
• With Arguments: Execute scripts with custom arguments
• Event Connection Control: Run with or without event manager connection
• Cross-platform support (Windows/Linux)

⚡ Performance Options

• Fast Execution: Scripts run with -n flag by default (no event connection)
• Event Connection Mode: Execute scripts that need event manager connectivity
• Configurable execution modes for different use cases

🔧 Flexible Configuration

• Auto-Detection: Automatic project detection via WinCC OA Control extension
• Manual Configuration: Static paths for WinCC OA installation and project
• Integration with WinCC OA Control extension for seamless project management

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⚙️ Configuration

Essential Settings

Setting	Default	Description
winccoa.scriptActions.pathSource	automatic	Path detection: static (manual) or automatic (via Control extension)
winccoa.scriptActions.installPath	-	WinCC OA installation path (e.g., C:/Siemens/Automation/WinCC_OA/3.20)
winccoa.scriptActions.projectName	-	Your WinCC OA project name

Logging (for debugging)

Setting	Default	Description
winccoa.scriptActions.logLevel	INFO	Log verbosity: ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE

💡 Tip: Set log level to DEBUG when reporting bugs for detailed diagnostics.

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🐛 Known Issues

Current Limitations

1. Automatic Path Detection:

   • Requires WinCC OA Control extension installed
   • Falls back to manual configuration if Control extension not available

2. Output Capture:

   • Script output not captured in VS Code terminal
   • Scripts run in background WinCC OA process
   • Use DebugN() for debugging output (visible in WinCC OA logs)

3. Parameter Passing:

   • Arguments passed as plain strings
   • Complex data structures not supported

Reporting Bugs

Found an issue? Please report it with:

• WinCC OA version
• Extension version (1.0.0)
• Script example that reproduces the issue
• Enable DEBUG logging and attach log output

Report Issue on GitHub

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📝 Commands

Access via Ctrl+Shift+P:

Command	Description
WinCC OA: Execute Script	Run current .ctl file without event connection (fast)
WinCC OA: Execute Script with Arguments	Run script with custom arguments
WinCC OA: Execute Script with Event Connection	Run script WITH event manager connection
WinCC OA: Execute Script with Arguments and Event Connection	Run script with arguments AND events

Right-Click Menu:

• Right-click on .ctl file → "Start Script" (fast mode, no events)

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🛠️ Requirements

• VS Code: 1.107.1 or higher
• WinCC OA: 3.19+ with WCCOActrl executable
• WinCC OA Control: Extension (optional, for auto-detection)
• Valid WinCC OA project

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📚 Usage Example

Command Format

# Windows (no event connection, fast)
C:/Siemens/Automation/WinCC_OA/3.20/bin/WCCOActrl.exe script.ctl -proj ProjectName -n

# Linux (with event connection)
/opt/WinCC_OA/3.20/bin/WCCOActrl script.ctl -proj ProjectName

# With arguments
WCCOActrl script.ctl -proj ProjectName -n testCaseId

Script Example

// File: scripts/utils/Example.ctl
main(string arg1, int arg2) {
    DebugN("Argument 1: " + arg1);
    DebugN("Argument 2: " + arg2);
}

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� Troubleshooting

Performance

Windows Performance:
The extension may run slower on Windows with longer loading times. Linux performs significantly better.

Large Projects:
Very large projects may experience slower script execution startup times.

General

Extension Not Responding:
If the extension doesn't work as expected (script execution fails, project detection issues), reload VS Code:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Type and select Reload Window
3. This refreshes the extension

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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📜 Disclaimer

WinCC OA and Siemens are trademarks of Siemens AG. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Siemens AG. This is a community-driven open source project.

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Made with ❤️ for the WinCC OA community

GitHub • Issues • WinCC OA Docs