Ladder Editor¶
The ladder editor is PiPLC's main programming environment — a visual workspace for creating and editing ladder logic programs.
Editor Layout¶
| Area | Location | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Menu bar | Top | File, Edit, View, Runtime, GPIO, Tools, Help |
| Toolbar | Top | Quick actions and engine selector |
| Instruction palette | Left | Categorized instructions for drag & drop |
| Ladder editor | Center | Main workspace with program tabs |
| Properties panel | Right | Configuration of the selected element |
| Simulation panel | Bottom | Virtual I/O, watch panel, diagnostics |
| Engine selector | Toolbar | Create, select, and delete engine contexts |
Editing Rungs¶
- Add rung: Right-click context menu or toolbar button
- Delete rung: Select and press ++delete++
- Reorder rungs: Drag & drop
- Comments: Each rung supports a title and multi-line comment
- Numbering: Rungs have unique numbers per program
- Undo/Redo: ++ctrl+z++ / ++ctrl+y++ for all operations
Adding Instructions¶
- Open the instruction palette on the left
- Drag an instruction onto a rung
- Configure its address in the properties panel (e.g.,
I:0/0,T:0,N:5) - For timers and counters, set preset values
Tip
You can also right-click on a rung to insert instructions from a context menu.
Runtime Visualization¶
During simulation:
Active rungs are highlighted in green- Wires show power flow (green = energized, gray = de-energized)
- Current values are displayed next to contacts and coils
- Timer/Counter instructions show ACC/PRE values in real time
Diagnostics Panel¶
The editor continuously validates the ladder structure:
Errors block execution
Warnings are shown inline- Click a diagnostic to navigate to the affected rung