Process control script development and execution facility supporting multiple user-side programming languages

• US 8,464,227 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Software, LLC (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Clinton, Greg C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, JASON D
• Application Number:
  US12/886,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/136
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/51 Source to source

Abstract

A supervisory process control and manufacturing information application development and execution system is disclosed that supports the execution of application object scripts derived from multiple different scripting languages. In particular, the system includes a script editor interface that enables submission/specification of scripts for application objects. The script editor interface supports multiple distinct user-side script languages (e.g., user-supplied script text). A script translation component that receives the user-side script includes routines for rendering execution-side script (executable by a script engine) from source script rendered by the script editor and written according to any of a set of user-side script languages supported by the script translation component. The translator supports at least a first scripting language and a second scripting language. Finally, an execution portion of the system includes an engine for processing the commands within the translated output execution-side script generated by the script translation component.

Claims

1. A supervisory process control and manufacturing information application development and execution system for supporting execution of scripts comprising computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transient computer-readable medium and a processor for executing the stored instructions, the system comprising:

a script editor interface having a common script editor and at least one language specific editor, the script editor interface facilitating specifying scripts for a plurality of types of objects, and wherein the script editor interface supports multiple distinct user-side script languages,

the script editor interface generating output including tags indicating a particular one of multiple distinct user-side script languages wherein the tags are applied to at least one of a particular instruction, a particular group of instructions, and an entire script;

a script translation component including routines for rendering execution-side script of a single execution-side scripting language from source script rendered by the script editor and written according to any of a set of user-side script languages, the set of user-side script languages including at least;

a first text-based scripting language, and

a second graphical object-based scripting language, and

a scripting engine for executing the execution-side script in a run-time environment during each scan cycle of a single execution-side scripting language generated by the script translation component for the first scripting language and the second scripting language.

2. The application development and execution system of claim 1 wherein the script translation component supports designating aliases for referenced attributes, wherein the aliases are selected from an alias table.

3. The application development and execution system of claim 1 wherein the script translation component supports designating attributes using relative identifiers.

4. The application development and execution system of claim 3 wherein the relative identifiers include:

an area designation.

5. The application development and execution system of claim 3 wherein the relative identifiers include:

an engine designation.

6. The application development and execution system of claim 3 wherein the relative identifiers include:

a container designation.

7. The application development and execution system of claim 1 wherein the execution-side scripting language supports pausing a script until at least a next scan cycle while waiting for confirmation of an operation in response to an issued request.

8. The application development and execution system of claim 7 wherein the execution-side scripting language supports terminating the pause a period of time after issuing a request.

9. The application development and execution system of claim 1 wherein the user-side scripts include a script language tag identifying the type of the user-side script language used to generate the source script.

10. The application development and execution system of claim 1 wherein scripts are inserted as customization pre-execution and post-execution instructions within an object.

11. A method for developing and executing supervisory process control and manufacturing information applications including scripts, the method comprising:

specifying, by a script editor interface, scripts for objects, wherein the script editor interface supports multiple distinct user-side script languages;

inserting the user-side scripts to customize an object prior to execution of the instructions within the object;

inserting post-execution user-side scripts to an object;

rendering, by a script translation component, execution-side script of a single execution-side scripting language from source script rendered by the script editor and written according to any of a set of user-side script languages;

wherein the user-side script languages comprise a plurality of script languages and wherein the script editor produces output scripts including tags indicating a particular one of plurality of user-side script languages; and

executing, by a scripting engine, the execution-side script of the single execution-side scripting language generated by the script translation component during each scan cycle.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the script translation component supports designating aliases for referenced attributes.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the script translation component supports designating attributes using relative identifiers.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the relative identifiers comprise at least one of an area designation, an engine designation, and a container designation.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the plurality of script languages comprises a first text-based scripting language and a second graphical object-based scripting language.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein scripts are inserted as customization pre-execution and post-execution instructions within an application object.

17. A non-transient computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions facilitating developing and executing supervisory process control and manufacturing information applications including scripts, the computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the steps of:

specifying, by a script editor interface, scripts for objects, wherein the script editor interface supports multiple distinct user side script languages;

rendering, by a script translation component, execution side script in a single execution side scripting language from source script rendered by the script editor and written according to any of a set of user side script languages, wherein the script editor renders the executing side scripts includes inserting tags indicating a particular one of the set of user-side script languages, the set of user side script languages including at least;

a first text-based scripting language, and

a second graphical object-based scripting language; and

executing, by a scripting engine, the execution side script of the single execution side scripting language generated by the script translation component for the first text-based scripting language and the second graphical object-based scripting language.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the user-side script translation component supports designating attributes using relative identifiers.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the relative identifiers comprise at least one of an area designation, an engine designation, and a container designation.