Siemens File Management with WinCC Unified: TXT Writing, Reading, and Network (Net Mount) Operations

[Ahmet Ö.]

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I wanted to share a great resource and my technical notes on File System and Network Shares (Net Mount) in WinCC Unified projects, which are often needed but can sometimes be confusing.

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🛠️ What Can We Do?​

In this application, the following operations are performed using JavaScript Snippets within TIA Portal:

1. Create Directory & File​

Since Unified panels are Linux-based, attention must be paid to file paths.

• Operation: If a directory does not exist at a specified path (e.g., /media/simatic/x61/Umit), the script automatically creates it.
• Snippet Used: File System > Create Directory
• Note: You can monitor the result of the operation (Success/Error) as a Trace message or by writing it to a text object on the screen.

2. Write Data to File (Write vs. Append)​

There are two different methods here:

• Write Text File: If the file exists, it deletes its content and writes from scratch. (Ideal for storing the last value)
• Append Text File: Does not delete existing data, but adds a new line below. (Ideal for datalogging logic)
• Example Usage: You can save a value entered via an IO Field (e.g., "07", "11") line by line to a youtube.txt file by pressing a button.

3. Read Data from File (Read File)​

We can read data from a TXT file line by line and pull it into a Text Box on the HMI screen or a String tag.

• Snippet Used: File System > Read Text File

4. Listing and Copying with Shell Commands​

Thanks to the Linux infrastructure of Unified panels, terminal commands can be executed with the StartProgram function.

• Listing (ls): Used to display files within a folder as a list on the screen.
• Copying (cp): Files can be backed up via script by specifying Source and Destination paths.

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🌍 Critical Topic: Mounting a Network Drive (Net Mount)​

Perhaps this is the most frequently asked part. Writing data from the panel directly to a Server or PC on the network instead of a USB/SD Card.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Network Drive Settings: Go to the "Network Drive" menu from the panel's Control Panel / Settings.
2. Remote Share Path: Enter the IP address and folder path of the shared computer. (e.g., \\192.168.0.7\testfile)
3. Authentication: You must enter the Username and Password of the remote computer.
4. Mount: You will receive a "Connected" notification when the connection is successful.

✅ Result: Now, when you use /net/mount/... as the file path in your scripts, your data will be written directly to the folder on the network computer.

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Friends who are stuck with file operations in Unified or say "I'm getting a script error" can check these steps. Especially in the Net Mount section, I recommend not proceeding to the script side without seeing "Connected".

Good luck everyone!