Reference (Variables)
Variable Data Types
A variable's data type determines the type of data that you can store in the variable.
There are 2 groups of variable types: basic variables and user data type variables.
- Basic variables include BOOL, SINT, USINT, INT, UINT, DINT, UDINT, LINT, ULINT, BYTE, WORD, DWORD, LWORD, STRING, WSTRING, REAL, LREAL, TIME, DATE, TIME_OF_DAY, TOD, DATE_AND_TIME, and DT.
- User data type variables are variables that contain
collections of other variables. They include Array and Structure variables.
Array Variables
Structure Variables
BOOL
BOOL variable stores either 0 or 1.
SINT, USINT, INT, UINT, DINT, UDINT, LINT, ULINT, BYTE
The data range for a variable varies depending on: Data Length and Signed.
Integer type variables:
- Do not store the fractional portion of values
- Process more quickly than real variables
Data Range for Integer Types:
Integer Type |
Signed |
Data Length |
Data Range |
SINT |
2's complement |
8 bit |
-128 to 127 |
USINT |
- |
8 bit |
0 to 255 |
INT |
2's complement |
16 bit |
-32768 to 32767 |
UINT |
- |
16 bit |
0 to 65535 |
DINT |
2's complement |
32 bit |
-2147483648 to 2147483647 |
UDINT |
- |
32 bit |
0 to 4,294,967,295 |
LINT |
2's complement |
64 bit |
-9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 |
ULINT |
- |
64 bit |
0 to 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 |
BYTE |
- |
8 bit |
0 to 255 |
WORD, DWORD, LWORD
Data Range for Word Types :
| Word Type | Data Length | Data Range |
WORD |
16 bit |
0...65,535 |
DWORD |
32 bit |
0...4,294,967,295 |
LWORD |
64 bit |
0...18,446,744,073,709,551,615 |
STRING, WSTRING
STRING variable stores from 1 to 512 bytes.
You can define the number of bytes the string can store in the [Number of Bytes/Words] property.
WSTRING variable stores multi-byte strings, up to 512 words.
You can define the number of words the multi-byte strings can store in the [Number of Bytes/Words] property.
The WSTRING variable is available only when an external device is added to the System Configuration.
REAL, LREAL
REAL variables can hold larger values than integer types. You can use REAL variables to store calculations, constants, and so on, when data precision is not an issue. If data precision is necessary, use an integer type.
Data Range for Real Types:
| Real Type | Data Length | Data Range |
| REAL | 32 bit |
+/-3.402823E38 to +/-1.1754944E-38 |
| LREAL | 64 bit |
+/-4.19E-307 to +/-1.67E308 |
Although REAL variables can store large values, their precision is limited to seven digits (Example: In the value 1.2345678, only the first seven digits (1.234567) are guaranteed. Any digits after the first seven are calculated approximations only).
In an operating display unit, processing a REAL variables takes more time than processing an integer type variable.
- Be careful when using REAL variables in mathematical expressions (Example: A value stored in a REAL variable as 0.1 is actually 0.1000000014901161). Because the precision of REAL variables cannot be confirmed beyond seven decimal places, do not use REAL variables in comparison operations.
- When using external REAL variables, make sure that the Double Word Order setting in the Device Configuration matches the setting in the equipment. If the settings do not match, the values of the external REAL variables will not be displayed properly.
TIME
TIME stores the duration of time.
Range: -T#24d20h31m23s648ms...+T#24d20h31m23s647ms
DATE
DATE stores the date.
Range:
Supported Model |
Range |
SP5000 Series Open Box (SP-5B40) IPC Series |
1970/01/01 00:00:00 UTC ... 2106/02/07 06:28:15 UTC |
SP5000 Series Power Box (SP-5B10) GP4000 Series GP-4100 Series |
1970/01/01 00:00:00 UTC ... 2038/01/19 03:14:07 UTC |
TIME_OF_DAY
Clock time.
Range: TOD#00:00:00 ... TOD#23:59:59
TOD
Clock time.
Range: TOD#00:00:00 ... TOD#23:59:59
DATE_AND_TIME
Date and time combines DATE and TIME_OF_DAY.
DT
Date and time combines DATE and TIME_OF_DAY.
Readable or Writable Property
| Property | Description | Data Type | Minimum Value | Maximum Value | Read | Write | ||||
| InitialValue | Stores the initial value for the internal variable. | BOOL, Integer, Real, Date, Time, Date And Time, String | Default value of the selected data type. | Default value of the selected data type. |  |
- | ||||
| Min | Stores the minimum value for data input to the variable. | BOOL, Integer, Real, Date, Time, Date And Time, String | Default value of the selected data type. | Default value of the selected data type. | |
- | ||||
| Max | Stores the maximum value for data input to the variable. | BOOL, Integer, Real, Date, Time, Date And Time, String | Default value of the selected data type. | Default value of the selected data type. | |
- | ||||
| Value | Stores the variable value. | BOOL, Integer, Real, Date, Time, Date And Time, String | Default value of the selected data type. | Default value of the selected data type. | |
|
||||
| Quality | Displays the scan status of the selected variable.
|
Integer | 0 | 1 | |
- |