OCI container The OCI container app part type is supported in the PLCnext Technology firmware from version 2025.0. This app part provides the possibility for simplified integration and run of OCI (Open Container Initiative) container images of apps on the PLCnext Technology device. For this topic the container engine… Read More
App parts The app container can contain various app parts. This allows different app types to be implemented. The app parts are entered as optional entries in the app description. If these parts are present, the PLCnext Runtime (AppManager) reacts accordingly. The app description file must contain… Read More
Example of a complete app_info.json The following shows the contents of an app description file in which all types of app parts are configured by way of example: { “plcnextapp”: { “name”: “Full Multipart App”, “identifier”: “00000000000000”, “version”: “Full20.0 (112.12 DemoVersion)”, “target”:… Read More
PLCnext Control Solution A PLCnext Control Solution contains a complete PLCnext Engineer project configuration as an app part. A PLCnext Engineer Solution is also called solution for short. The user of a solution does not need any programming knowledge to use the app. A solution is transferred directly from the PLCnext Store or… Read More
Diagnostic log files All status and error information related to app management are saved in the following two log files: /opt/plcnext/logs/Output.log: All status and error messages of thePLCnext Technology firmware, including those of the app management components /opt/plcnext/logs/plcnextapps.log: status and error messages of the plcnextapp command line tool… Read More
Building a PLCnext Technology App Independent of the amount and types of your app parts the general way to build the app is always identical. The necessary changes you need to include for every app part will be detailed below the general build process. The description of each app… Read More
Alternative creation of an app container on a Linux desktop PC In some cases the command plcnextapp cannot be used for generating the app container, e.g. because this creation step should be integrated into a build process which cannot access a PLCnext Control. In this case the SquashFS of the app… Read More
PLCnext Technology Software Development Kit Phoenix Contact recommends developing libraries and executable binaries for the different app parts on a separate PC, and not directly on the controller. For the development on a separate PC you need a tool chain consisting of an SDK and a cross compiler. One possible tool chain can… Read More
License check General information In case of a chargeable app, a license check should be integrated into the app. The license check verifies the presence of a license on the device or on a LIC SD card located in the device. The license must first be… Read More
Folders and PLCnext Technology environment variables The following table lists environment variables on the controller, representing directories that are required for app administration. The values of these environment variables are set to the defaults shown below, using information in the file /etc/plcnext/Device.acf.settings. These default values do not need to be… Read More
