Publishing a Library 

General information

The library and all documents are published as *.zip files. 

The *.zip file must contain at least the following files:

• English documentation (*.pdf)
• PLCnext Engineer library file (*.pcwlx)

 Refer to the topic Documentation (PDF and CHM) for important notes on documenting your library.

 

There is a fixed directory structure for all PLCnext Engineer function block library projects: The function block library design tree. You may adopt the structure for your project. 

Click here to hide the function block design treeClick here to show the function block design tree

 

Prerequisite: You have the status "Contributor" (Account → Become Contributor) or have joined a company.

• To see an overview of your software products, go to Account → Software Products. 

There are the following categories:

• Published: Here you find all your software products (apps/libraries) which you have already published. Apps in this category are visible and usable for all PLCnext Store users.
• Draft: Here you find all your software products (apps/libraries) which you have already created but not yet published. For apps in this category, you have to enter the necessary information and complete the documentation. Apps in this category are not visible to PLCnext Store users.
• Archived: Here you find all your software products (apps/libraries) which have been published once, but which you no longer want to offer. Apps in this category are not visible to PLCnext Store users. Apps in this category can be published again. A change of the app in this category is not possible.

Publishing a library

• To publish an app, go to Account → Software Products → Create → Library.
• Enter all the required information (see table below).

You do not have to enter all the information at once.
You can save the app temporarily. By pressing the "Save" button you have the possibility to save your data temporarily. Your app will then be in the "Drafted" section. Once you have entered all the information in the desired form, you can publish your app. Your app will then be in the "Published" category.

 

Name of the library:	Choose a descriptive name or a proper name. Spaces are allowed. The version may not appear in the name, there is a separate input field for this. You can use letters, numbers, dashes, underscores, dots and ™ ® © signs (ALT+0153, ALT+0174, ALT+0169 respectively)
Version:	Use the following version format: <MAJOR>.<MINOR>.<PATCH> <STATE/BUILD> The numbers MAJOR, MINOR and PATCH are numbers between 1 and 1000. E.g. "1.2.3 alpha" or "43.203.32 (2020.6)". Please use MAJOR version when you make incompatible API changes.   E.g. 3.0.0 is not compatible to 2.4.6. Increase the MINOR version when you add further functionalities in a backwards compatible manner. Use the PATCH version for bug fixes. For STATE/BUILD use the corresponding version of PLCnext Engineer. This way the user knows which PLCnext Engineer version is required.
Price:	Freely selectable. Please note that a price can only be awarded once you have created an account with our payment service provider. Without a payment account the app can be offered as "free".
Compatible hardware:	Choose the hardware that is compatible with your Library.
Description:	Convince potential users of the benefits of your app. Tip: Summarize features in a list and add some keywords at the end to increase the findability. E.g.: Features:  Role and rights management Database connection Visualization Keywords: #solar, #park management, #grid management, #remote maintenance, #remote control
Additionally required products:	Specify products that the customer needs to use the Library. Example: Product: I/O module - AXL SE AI4 I 4-20 - 1088062 Location Link: https://phoenixcontact.com/product/1088062
Support email address:	On the description page of your app, the customer is given the opportunity to contact you. A request will then be forwarded to this support email address. In the request, the PLCnext Store will include the name and email address of the customer visible to you. The customer will not see your support email address.
Demos, screenshots & use cases:	Provide descriptive graphics and screenshots to convince the customer of the advantages of the app or to help them use the app.
Technical Details (Documentation/Changelog/Related Links)	Upload the documentation of your app as PDF file. Additionally, changelogs can be uploaded here as PDF: Ideally, a changelog contains a document version number and the date of creation. Within the document, please sort based on the following criteria: New features Changes to existing features Bug fixes Removed features Security fixes Furthermore, describe the benefits for the user. Also helpful are notes on how to get the new version up and running.
Upload library file:	Name of the file: <PLCnextLibrary>_<NameOfYourLibrary>_<major>_<minor>_<patch>.zip e.g. PLCnextLibrary_AnalogTechnology_3_8_42.zip
Assign developers:	If several colleagues from your company have an account in the PLCnext Store, you can assign the app to them. Then you and the specified colleagues have shared rights to this app and you can manage it together.

 

 

Go back to Overview.

 

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• Published/reviewed: 2024-06-26 • Revision 16 •