| name | eplan-io-closed-loop |
| description | Connect to an already open EPLAN Electric P8 project on Windows, discover the active project, export a read-only PLC IO point list, and summarize the closed-loop input/output map as CSV and text. Use when the user asks to connect to EPLAN, Electric P8, a live EPLAN project, or wants PLC IO points, IO closure, module/address listings, or a reusable export workflow. |
EPLAN IO Closed Loop
Use this skill to turn a live EPLAN Electric P8 session into a repeatable IO export workflow without mutating the project.
Assume Windows, PowerShell, and an already open EPLAN project. Prefer a read-only offline DataModel session for extraction. Do not edit the live project unless the user explicitly asks for modifications.
Workflow
- Confirm that an
EPLAN process is open.
- Resolve the active project path from the EPLAN main window title.
- Run the read-only export script in a child
powershell.exe -STA process.
- Produce
eplan_io_points.csv and eplan_io_summary.txt in the requested output directory.
- Report module counts, direction counts, and a few representative points.
Bundled Scripts
scripts/find-open-eplan-project.ps1
Resolve the active .elk file from the open EPLAN window title. Use this first when the user says EPLAN is already open.scripts/export-eplan-io.ps1
Open the project through the EPLAN offline API in read-only mode and export the PLC IO list.scripts/run-open-project-io-export.ps1
Wrapper that finds the project, passes paths through environment variables, and launches the export script in a child STA PowerShell process.
Default Command
Run this when the user simply wants the current project's IO list:
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\skills\eplan-io-closed-loop\scripts\run-open-project-io-export.ps1" -OutputDir "C:\path\to\output"
If the project path is already known, pass it explicitly:
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\skills\eplan-io-closed-loop\scripts\run-open-project-io-export.ps1" -ProjectPath "C:\Projects\Example.elk" -OutputDir "C:\path\to\output"
Output Files
eplan_io_points.csv
One row per PLC IO point with module type, PLC box, terminal, address, symbolic address, data type, function text, and page.eplan_io_summary.txt
Project path, output path, PLC box count, IO point count, direction counts, and module-kind counts.eplan_io_error.txt
Present only when the export script throws.
Important Rules
- Keep the extraction read-only. Use
ProjectManager.OpenMode.ReadOnly.
- Set
LockProjectByDefault = $false before opening the project.
- Pass
EPLAN_PROJECT_PATH and EPLAN_OUTPUT_DIR through environment variables before launching the child script.
- Use the child
powershell.exe -STA wrapper even if the parent shell is already PowerShell. This avoids fragile hosting differences.
- Treat the export as successful when the CSV and summary exist, even if the child process returns a non-zero exit code. The EPLAN API host can return odd process codes after a successful export.
- Expect Chinese project paths. Avoid hardcoding them directly inside
.ps1 source when a wrapper can pass them through environment variables.
Interpretation Rules
- Infer
Direction from module prefix when EPLAN leaves PLCIOENTRY_DIRECTION empty:
AI, DI => InputAQ, DQ => Output
- Trim internal formatting prefixes from
FunctionText by keeping only the content after the last @ and removing the trailing ;.
- Treat
ConnectionEndpoints and ExternalConnections as optional enrichment only. In many projects, EPLAN exposes the PLC addresses but not explicit field-side closure through these APIs.
What To Report
Include:
- project path
- generated file paths
- PLC box count
- IO point count
- counts by
AI, AQ, DI, DQ
- counts by
Input and Output
- a few representative points such as
I0.0, Q0.0, IW0+, or QW0+
If the user asks for a field-device closed loop and the CSV has empty ConnectionEndpoints, say that the module/address/function loop is exported successfully, but field-side source/target closure is not exposed by this project through the current API path.
