Add log files

Log files are CSV files that contain the data collected from connected devices.

1. Go to Data Logger > General log settings and turn on the Use data logger toggle switch.
2. After you have made the general log settings, go to Log file settings.
3. Select Add new to add a new log file.

   By default, new files are added with the default settings. To copy the settings from another file, select the desired file from the list. All settings including all data points will be copied.

   The file names are automatically created. You can rename each file as needed.

   Two counters indicate the total number of log files and data points.

   To delete one or more entries from the list, click the individual check boxes and then Delete selection.

4. Click on Log file configuration (file1) (if this is your first log file) to display the log file settings.
5. Enter the file name in the File name text box.

   The time stamp will be added automatically.

6. For File splitting, select the desired option to separate files.

   Example: If you select File per day, a new file is created every day with a time stamp containing year, month, and day. If you select File per hour, a new file is created every hour with a time stamp containing year, month, day, and hour.

7. COM interface/station number: Select the physical interface or the internal interface (INTERN) of the FP-I4C unit to receive the log data.

   The interface INTERN refers to the addressable internal memory areas of the FP-I4C unit which are accessible via Modbus/TCP or the script function.

   Set the station number of the connected device. Use the default setting 0 for RS232. Set a number greater than 0 for RS485 and Ethernet. For Ethernet, the station number corresponds to the last octet of the IP address.

8. For Trigger type, specify the trigger to start data logging.

   • Disabled: Select this setting to temporarily disable data logging, e.g. if you want to keep the current log file during testing.

   • Fixed cycle: Data logging is performed continuously with a fixed cycle time set for Trigger cycle time.

   • Specified time: Data logging is performed for a defined period, depending on the settings for File splitting and Trigger cycle time.

     Set the start time in the Logging start time (hh:mm:ss) text box and the number of records in the Number of log records text box. The end time is calculated based on start time and the number of log records.

     Example: File splitting=File per day, Trigger cycle time=10s, Logging start time (hh:mm:ss)=12:00:00, Number of log records=6

     Result: One log file per day with six log records: at 12:00:00, 12:00:10 ... 12:00:50

   • PLC flag: If this option is selected, set the PLC polling time. This is the polling interval for the bit specified with Logging start flag. Logging will start when the flag turns to TRUE. Make sure the flag is reset to FALSE after logging is complete.

     When logging is complete the flag set with Logging complete flag will turn to TRUE. We recommend to use the same flag for Logging start flag and Logging complete flag. This way, you do not need to reset the control flag when logging is complete.

   Range for Trigger cycle time and PLC polling time: 1 to 86500s (recommended: 3 to 7s)

9. Enable the Save cache to file flag toggle switch to change the address of the PLC control flag.

   If caching is used (the value of Log records in cache is not 0), all records in the cache will be written into the log file when this flag turns to TRUE. Use this flag, for example, when the unit needs to be rebooted or turned off to save the log records inside the cache.

10. Use the Log records in cache setting to limit the number of writings to the cache.

    This setting is used to increase the lifetime of the flash memory. The lower the cycle time, the higher the number of records should be in the cache. The log data will be written into the log file only after the set number of records has been reached.

11. For Max. number of files before auto-delete, set the maximum number of log files for this configuration that will be saved in the internal memory before the oldest ones are deleted.

    The value 0 means that the files will never be deleted (even when the memory is getting full). If a value other than 0 is set, the files with the oldest time stamps will be deleted at 4.00 A.M. to limit the number of files to the specified value.

12. Save your configuration.

    When you have changed any settings, a Save button appears in the upper right corner of the screen. You can make changes on multiple pages and then save your settings.