OVERVIEW

The AutoSave suite of products provides you with the software tools needed to manage all your automation programs.  AutoSave controls and tracks the changes to your industrial programmable devices and programs including Wonderware InTouch programs. 

AutoSave's Microsoft Windows-based client application is fully integrated with the InTouch software to offer you both an interactive environment and background monitoring, resulting in a comprehensive change management solution. You have complete control over your device programs including:

• Secure editing Online/Off-line
• Historical Tracking and Audit Trails

• Automatic Change Notification
• Quick Disaster Recovery

CLIENT / Server / Agent

The AutoSave InTouch modules are comprised of the AutoSave client installed on a Windows workstation, an AutoSave server acting as the master control center that coordinates all change-related programming activities and stores program files, and an agent providing distributed processing efficiencies for the server.

ARCHIVED CONTENTS

The InTouch file set is comprised of the WindowViewer, WindowMaker, Application Logic, Key Script, Data Change Script, Conditional Script, and various INI files along with the CSV (output from the dbdump.exe) and multiple backup versions of the files. All are saved as a unit. The complete unit is restored to the client/agent whenever needed for subsequent use.

Support Local Development and/or nad operations

Use AutoSave to provide core functionality (security, automated archives, reporting, automatic launch of WindowMaker via Off-line edit button, etc.) to support the local development client (edits performed for the program on this PC as well as it serving as the main run-time environment for the program) and support the Network Application Development (NAD) environment by establishing the NAD stations as AutoSave Share Devices. Both operations support scheduled comparisons, uploads, and downloads in addition to the core functionality.

SECURED program ACCESS

The GUI-based client interface allows a user to access the AutoSave functions with a login and password. At login, the AutoSave server determines the level of access to the different areas and programs that are permitted to the user and the client PC.

VERSION CONTROL

When the user opens a program via AutoSave, the file becomes locked and indicates the user who has the file checked out. Other users see this lock condition when attempting to access the program. The system denies access to locked programs. When the user completes editing and saves the changes, AutoSave prompts for a revision note, creates a new current copy, relegates the previous current to a numbered ancestor, and unlocks the program. Undo unwanted programming changes by simply downloading an ancestor or master copy to the device and restoring that copy to current.

Upload

Upload from the device first clears the client or agent’s local program contents, copies all the files from the HMI (except those specifically excluded) to the PC and then compresses all the program’s files and saves them to the server, creating a new current copy.

DOWNLOAD

Download to the NAD or Stand Alone device enables the user to select the current copy or any available ancestor or version with which to update the device’s files and results in the creation of a new current copy. Accessing the download function only via a context menu provides additional security, as does AutoSave’ prompting for confirmation before initiating the download.

Comparison Features

The InTouch module supports demand comparisons and scheduled comparisons as well.

Employing Wonderware’s ‘dbdump.exe’ to format the files, AutoSave comparisons are done on a file-by-file basis (excluding the files listed at the end of this document), detecting files missing from one of the program revisions being compared, determining which files are present in both revisions that are different, and performing a detailed textual comparison of the changed files.

COMPARISON on demand

Any two copies of a program, such as current, local, ancestor, version, or processor, can be compared to each other. This comparison is done on an as-needed basis and may be performed from any client with access to the device program. 

AUTOMATED COMPARISON

The InTouch module allows for scheduled, unattended comparisons of configured groups of programs. Using the agent to perform the actual upload and comparison, AutoSave software can compare the HMI’s copy to the current copy or compare the current copy to a selected version (permanent or master copy). 

The AutoSave v4.0 module for InTouch does support the AutoUpdate feature option to create a new current copy when differences between the HMI and current copy are detected.   

notification

Notification e-mail is automatically sent to designated personnel when scheduled comparisons are completed and provides links to complete HTML detail reports.

Capabilities

intouch EDITOR REQUIREMENTS

  Due out following AutoSave’ release v4.0, MDT certifies its two modules as operating properly with InTouch v7.0, v8.0, v.9.5, respectively.

Files excluded from downloads, uploads, and comparisonS

Based on the InTouch documentation, the internal NAD operations exclude certain wildcards and filenames. AutoSave therefore does not transfer them during uploads and downloads nor considers them in comparisons.  Specifically, they are these: *.wvw, *.dat, **.lgh, *.idx, *.log, *.lok, *.fsm, *.stg, *.dbk, *.cbk, *.hbk, *.kbk, *.lbk, *.nbk, *.obk, *.tbk, *.wbk, *.xbk, *.$$$, retentive.x, retentive.d, retentive.a, retentive.s, retentive.h, retentive.t, wm.ini, db.inis, linksdefs.ini, tbox.ini, group.def, itocx.cfg.