Also new in FactoryTalk AssetCentre v4.1 is the ability for the FactoryTalk AssetCentre client to compare different files or versions of the same file from within the archive itself, without requiring a check-out. File comparison is not limited to just the archive; a file from archive can also be compared to one on the desktop, or two files that are not part of the FactoryTalk AssetCentre database can be compared to each other.
Launching FactoryTalk AssetCentre
In this section you will launch the FactoryTalk AssetCentre Client, if it’s not already open.
1. From the Start menu select Programs → Rockwell Software → FactoryTalk AssetCentre Client → FactoryTalk AssetCentre Client. You can also double-click the FactoryTalk AssetCentre Client icon on the desktop:
After a few seconds, you should see a software interface that looks similar to this:
Archive to Archive Compare – Archive Only
This portion of the lab will walk through performing a comparison using only files that are checked into the FactoryTalk AssetCentre archive.
1. From the FactoryTalk AssetCentre Client, navigate to AssetCentre → Studio 5000 → Projects → Filler.ACD and open the Archive.
2. Right-click on Version 9 and click Select Left File for RA Compare
3. Right-click on Version 8 and click RA Compare to…
Note: The name of the file chosen first will be dynamically filled in here. If “Select Left File for RA Compare”
is chosen again, it will replace the first file chosen.
4. A window will appear indicating that the compare is in progress.
5. When the compare is complete, click OK to display the RSLogix 5000 Compare report.
6. The RSLogix 5000 Compare Tool will now open.
7. Scroll through the Base and Compare project areas to determine where the differences were found.
8. To view one of the differences, click Tasks, then double-click on TempRout.
9. When finished examining the compare report, close the tool and click No to cancel the save operation.
Archive to Archive Compare – Archive to Windows
This portion of the lab will walk through performing a comparison using one file checked into the FactoryTalk AssetCentre archive and another that exists only on the operating system. While the process is largely the same, it’s important to understand that the Compare is not limited solely to FactoryTalk AssetCentre.
1. From the FactoryTalk AssetCentre Client, navigate to AssetCentre → Studio 5000 → Projects → Filler.ACD and open the Archive.
2. Right-click on Version 9 and click Select Left File for RA Compare
3. Navigate to C:\Studio 5000\Projects in Windows Explorer.
A BAK file has been left behind from the Filler_CLX.ACD download. Right-Click on it and click RA Compare to…
Note: Even though these are two different file names, they can still be compared. Depending upon the compare engine in use, the filenames or even the file extensions can be different.
4. A window will appear indicating that the compare is in progress.
5. When the compare is complete, click OK to display the Studio 5000 Logix Designer compare report.
6. As expected, the compare report shows no differences found, meaning that this BAK file could be safely removed.
7. Close the tool and click No to cancel the save operation.
Archive to Archive Compare – Folder/Binder Compare
This portion of the lab will walk through how to compare two folders that are not part of the FactoryTalk AssetCentre archive.
Note that this comparison will be done using the RA Compare Engine, not the Studio 5000 Logix Designer Compare tool, which is specific to ACD files. The same comparison engine would be used for binders that are part of the archive.
1. Navigate to C:\Lab Files\ in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-Click on NetWorkShare and click Select Left Folder for RA Compare
3. Right-Click on Test Folder 1 and click RA Compare to…
4. When the compare is complete, the RA Compare report will be displayed.
Reading an RA Compare Folder Report
The RA Compare report shows the contents of the “left” folder (or first item selected as part of the compare) as a list on the left side of the window, and the contents of the “right” folder (or second item selected as part of the compare) as a list on the right side of the window.
in the middle column means the item is the same in both versions.
in the middle column means the item has differences. The filename shown in grey is the older file, and the one shown in red is the more recent file.
Nothing in the middle column means the item has been added or deleted in one version. The filename is shown in blue to indicate its presence in one folder, and blank (no filename) to indicate its absence in the other folder.
5. From within this report, it is also possible to compare specific files contained in the folder or archive
By default, a simple binary comparison is available for non-Rockwell file extensions, such as TXT. Third-party compare engines such as Beyond Compare, however, could be installed and configured for use with FactoryTalk AssetCentre.
6. Close the compare report when finished.
Archive to Archive Compare - Options
This portion of the lab will quickly introduce the options associated with the FactoryTalk AssetCentre Archive to Archive compare feature.
1. From the FactoryTalk AssetCentre Client, click Tools → Options.
2. Click Compare Engines
3. Notice that several compare engines have already been configured for Rockwell Automation devices. Click the entry for Logix5000 Controller to see the configuration for the Studio 5000 Logix Designer Compare Utility.
This dialog can be used to configure FactoryTalk AssetCentre to use additional compare engines that can be installed outside of FactoryTalk AssetCentre itself.
4. Click Compare Configuration
This dialog can be used to select the folder in which to store any items being compared, and also to clear said folder when comparisons are complete. When selecting files for comparison from the FactoryTalk AssetCentre archive, the files are first extracted from the archive and located in this folder. When the comparison is complete, the files are left in the folder to speed any future comparisons. Using the Erase All button clears this folder entirely.
5. Click the Erase All button now to remove the files used in the previous comparisons, and press Yes when prompted.
6. Any files extracted from the FactoryTalk AssetCentre archive have now been cleared from the local hard drive and remain only in archive. Click Cancel to close the Options dialog.