| name | winccoa |
| description | WinCC OA SCADA: CTRL scripts, panels, datapoint operations, manager lifecycle, and live-system safety for this repo. |
| user-invocable | false |
| allowed-tools | [] |
WinCC OA Domain Guide
This repo involves WinCC OA (PVSS). Apply these patterns.
Core Safety Rule
Treat CTRL scripts, panels, datapoints, managers, alerting, and runtime actions as operationally sensitive.
Any action that could affect a live plant, station, or operator workflow requires explicit human approval.
CTRL Scripts
- Prefer read-first investigation before modifying any CTRL script.
- Test against offline exports, simulators, and staged project copies — not live runtime.
- CTRL is case-sensitive for variable names; be precise.
- Always null-check datapoint references before read/write:
dpExists() before dpGet()/dpSet().
dpSet() on a live production datapoint is a write to a running plant — flag this to Keeper before doing it.
Panels
- Be precise about panel paths (e.g.,
panels/vision/faceplate/EXAMPLE.pnl).
- Panel changes affect the operator's live HMI view — staging and review are mandatory before deployment.
- Avoid modifying shared library panels (
para/, vision/) without understanding downstream impact.
Datapoint Model
- Understand the datapoint schema before writing: check type, config elements, and archiving settings.
dpCreate() and dpDelete() are irreversible on live systems without a backup.
- Use
dpQuery() for inspection — it is read-only and safe.
Manager Lifecycle
- Managers (
WCCOAui, WCCOActrl, WCCOAdp) are long-lived processes — restarting them has operational impact.
- Check manager status before assuming it is safe to restart: use the GEDI project explorer or
pvsstatus.
- Prefer offline WinCC OA topology sketches and mocked datapoints over runtime mutation during development.
Deployment
- Export project backups before any structural change:
pvss_log, panel exports, DP backups.
- Staged rollout: apply to a test project, verify with operators, then apply to production.
- Document every structural datapoint or panel change in the project changelog.
Keeper Escalation
- Live SCADA, OT, operator workflow, and plant-facing changes are high risk by default.
- If uncertain whether an action is safe on a live system, escalate to Keeper before proceeding.