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Working with STA files instead of STU files

In Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert, STA files can be created from the STU project files. These STA files are smaller than the original STU files and ensure a certain compatibility between the different versions of EcoStruxure Control Expert.

How to create a component type for STA files:

If you want to work exclusively with STA files, it is recommended that you create a new component type. The new component type should be created based on a copy of the Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert component type.

After you have copied the component type, you must replace the entry STU with STA in the Compare these files field.

To ensure that STA files are automatically compared without creating a new component type

The Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert Component normally only compares STU project files. There is no component type for STA files.

If you do not want to create a new component type, you can adapt the Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert component types so that STA files are also compared with each other using SmartCompare:

  1. Open the AdminClient.
  2. Click on the Component type editor button in the menu bar.

  3. In the Component type library tree:

    1. Expand the Schneider folder.
    2. Expand the PLC folder it contains.

    3. Select the Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert component type.

      Figure: Component type editor module, Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert component type

    4. In the center of the screen, select the second line of the Compare these files field.

      1. In the Specification, enter the entry sta.
      2. In the Comparator column, select SchneiderEcoStruxureControlExpert from the dropdown menu.

      3. In the Subdirectories column, select Include from the dropdown menu.

        Figure: Component type editor module, select Comparison for STA files

      4. Click Save.

STA files are now included in the comparison in addition to the STU files.

Info

STU files can be compared with STA files using the free compare of versiondog. To do this, the version of the installed Schneider EcoStruxure Control Expert Editor must correspond to the version of the editor with which the STU file was created.

This is how versiondog handles components that contain both an STA and an STU file

If the component is set to include STA files in the comparison, versiondog displays a list of files that can be opened via Open with editor.

The files are displayed in a pop-up and you must select which one is to be opened with the EcoStruxure Control Expert editor.

Info

The EcoStruxure Control Expert editor generates an STU file after editing an STA file.