Portland, ME - March 19, 2007 - Portland, Maine; Kepware Technologies announces the release of an easier download and install of their KEPServerEX OPC server with Simulation driver as well as free sample code including OPC client code for VB.NET.
The code samples provided in this easy download will help developers who are interested in adding OPC client capabilities to their Visual Basic and Visual C++ applications. Kepware’s simple VB OPC client code follows the code structure found in the OPC Automation Interface 2.0 specification. Kepware’s code is well commented, demonstrates how to perform basic connectivity to a single OPC server and provides additional recommendations for expansion of the application. According to Kepware’s Technical Support Manager Fred Loveless, “The code examples, with their internal documentation, provide very detailed explanations of commands needed for OPC connectivity. Although we’re happy to assist our customers this greatly reduces the support time required to get them up and running with custom applications.” The complex OPC client code was written to provide a robust, full-featured model for OPC client enabling your Visual Basic applications. One of the common problems developers face is how to connect with multiple OPC servers, add multiple Groups with multiple OPC Items, and keep track of change events to maintain the high levels of performance that OPC can provide. The complex OPC client sample code provides these capabilities. Additionally, because no OPC client is complete without the capability to perform OPC Tag Browsing, the complex OPC client example implements a complete Tag Browsing interface with filtering.
For automation professionals unfamiliar with Kepware, it is worth mentioning that much of this code has been available for several years and has been well received by companies creating custom applications. For automation engineers who already use KEPServerEX but are new to custom OPC client development, this example OPC client code is also provided as part of the full KEPServerEX product suite so simply refer to the KEPServerEX / Examples folder in the Kepware Products directory on your computer. Users may borrow freely from this code to create their own OPC client enabled applications. If our free sample code is helpful or if users feel we could add more information, please contact us with feedback. All sample code is created for use with the SimDemo project, a data-simulation tool included with Kepware’s OPC server, KEPServerEX. The Simulator driver for KEPServerEX supports a wide range of data types as well as Simulation Functions like Ramp, Random, Sine, and User Defined.
ABOUT KEPWARE: Kepware specializes in OPC and device communication technologies for the industrial automation market. Kepware’s genuine OPC software products are known worldwide for quality, reliability, and ease of use – making Kepware the best choice for your industrial connectivity needs. Kepware’s responsiveness to customer needs and strong partnerships with other leading automation suppliers, insure that your next application will be a success. Ask around and you’ll hear why automation professionals everywhere consider Kepware Technologies, Automation’s Best Friend!
