Which products are affected?
ESP-DDS2-x (Global Drive PLC Developer Studio V2.x)
What happens?
DDS crashes when entering a variable name into a comment while programming.
When does the problem occur?
DDS crashes if the name of a declared variable is entered at the end of a multi-line comment followed by a blank. To trigger this response, the variable name must include a point like it is the case in an element of a structure variable or a local variable of an organisation unit, e. g. R_TRIG1.CLK.
This function restriction only occurs in combination with graphical programming languages such as LD (Ladder Diagram), FBD (Function Block Diagram) and CFC (Continuous Function Chart).
Possible diagnostics?
When entering a variable name into a multi-line comment, the cursor disappears after the point has been entered. Entering a blank then causes DDS to crash.
Short-term measures/recommendations?
If you note that the cursor disappears when entering the comment text, press the <Esc> key. As a result, the cursor reappears and DDS does not crash any more when entering a blank.
You should always include all comments in the character sequences (* and *) as defined in IEC 61131-3. If you observe this procedure, the function restriction does not occur any more.
Activate the Auto Save option in the Load&Save category of the menu item Project>Options. As a result, DDS automatically saves the project in a temporary file according to the Auto Save Interval set. When reopening the project after a crash, DDS offers to open the last backup file of the project.
Evaluation:
DDS may crash when entering a variable name into a comment. All modifications made since the project was last saved will get lost when DDS crashes (see short-term measures).
This function restriction cannot occur in combination with programming languages such as IL (Instruction List), ST (Structured Text) and SFC (Sequential Function Chart).
