Echelon OpenLNS Commissioning Tool - Manual (Page 288)

272 Exporting and Importing Networks with XML
Using XML Export/Import Overview
You can speed up your network design and ensure your devices are configured correctly by creating an
OpenLNS CT network report or by creating a custom OpenLNS CT user interface. OpenLNS CT
includes an OpenLNS CT XML plug-in that you can use to export all the devices, connections,
network variables, and configuration properties within all or a part of an OpenLNS CT network design
to a L
ON W ORKS network XML file. You can also include device templates, connection description
templates, and channels in the XML file. You can create an OpenLNS CT network report from this
file, or you can process this file with a custom application. You can also use the OpenLNS CT XML
plug-in to modify an OpenLNS CT network design based on changes that you specify in a L
ON W ORKS
network XML file.
To create a custom OpenLNS CT interface, you create an application that reads or writes L ON W ORKS
network XML files and then invokes the OpenLNS CT XML Plug in to automatically export the
OpenLNS CT network created and import it into your custom application. To develop a custom
OpenLNS CT user interface, you need to create an application that does the following:
1. Optionally invokes the OpenLNS CT XML Plug-in and exports all or part of an OpenLNS CT
drawing as an XML file.
2. Creates or modifies the XML file to create and configure the desired devices, functional blocks,
network variables, and network variable/message tag connections in an OpenLNS CT network.
3. Invokes the OpenLNS CT XML Plug-in and imports the XML file created into OpenLNS CT.
In an exported L ON W ORKS network XML file, you can create, update, and delete most OpenLNS CT
objects, including the following: subsystems, application devices and routers, functional blocks,
network variables, connections, and channels. In addition, you can commission application devices
and routers. If you commission a device, you can specify the application image to load into it, set the
initial state of its application, and specify the source of configuration property value and how
device-specific configuration properties are handled. See the L
ON W ORKS Network XML Programmer’s
Guide for more information on editing a L ON W ORKS network XML file.
After editing the L ON W ORKS network XML file, you can import it back into your network. OpenLNS
CT updates the network based on the attributes and actions specified for the OpenLNS CT objects in
the file.
Exporting a L
ON
W
ORKS
Network XML File
You can export your L ON W ORKS network to an XML file using the OpenLNS CT XML Plug-in
included with OpenLNS CT, or you can manually export your OpenLNS CT network using OpenLNS
CT. You can export selected items, subsystems, or your entire network to the XML file. The XML
file consists of a report of all the devices, connections, network variables, configuration properties, and
other data that you select within a specified network scope. In addition, the exported XML file by
default includes a XSLT style sheet that you can use to transform the file into an OpenLNS CT
network report, which you can view in your Web browser (see
5
Viewing an OpenLNS CT Network
Report for more information).
If you are using an OpenLNS application other than OpenLNS CT, you can use the OpenLNS CT
XML Plug-in to automate exporting your L
ON W ORKS network to the other application. The OpenLNS
CT XML Plug-in provides a programmatic interface to the XML import and export features in
OpenLNS CT. The OpenLNS CT XML Plug-in is registered at the network level; therefore, it only
needs to be registered once on a computer for it to be used to import or export any L
ON W ORKS
network. See the L ON W ORKS Network XML Programmer’s Guide for details on how applications can
use the plug-in and the schema used for the XML file.
To manually export your OpenLNS CT drawing to a L ON W ORKS network XML file, follow these
steps.