Since launching Git-based Version Control for PLCs,
Copia has ceaselessly continued developing and releasing new features and tools to further empower Controls teams to develop higher quality code faster. Come take a look at some noteworthy updates.
DeviceLink™
Copia’s brand new product, DeviceLink™, automatically backs up real manufacturing devices out in the field, both on a schedule and on-demand.
This ensures that any changes made to PLC code are captured and stored centrally, notifying users when any changes are detected, and giving Controls teams the peace of mind that they can always access every historical version, even in the case of a catastrophic machine failure, where the modified PLC code isn’t saved to the Engineer’s workstation
What’s more, Copia’s DeviceLink™ leverages existing Git Version Control tools to allow users to view backup code rendered in a web browser, as well as integrate backups into development code via formal code review
New Features
Amend and Restore from Commit
Joining Commit Checkouts and Reverting, Copia has introduced two new ways to retrieve a prior version of development code or to undo changes from its Desktop App; learn more about these new tools and their use cases here.
Repository Activity Page
The new Activity Page shows users a summary of all recent activity and contributions at a glance. Commits, Issues, and Pull Requests are aggregated and shown visually, grouped both by the type of activity, as well as by contributor. For any given project, this gives both a good high-level overview of the total amount of work done, as well as some insight into which Engineers have been the most active in their contributions.
Webhooks
Copia’s new Webhooks allow users to integrate business apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Jira into their PLC development workflow. With Webhooks, users can be immediately notified whenever a PLC project is updated, a code review is initiated, or a bug is discovered and an issue is created, among a number of other events.
Jira, additionally, has an advanced integration which allows commits and branches to be automatically pulled into a specific Issue and referenced by Issue Key within Jira, meaning users can quickly and easily see all of the development associated with any discrete engineering effort at a glance.
Non-sequential commits
Copia’s Desktop App now offers the ability to easily see not only what changed from one version of PLC code to the next, but also what changes were made between any number of commits, combined and rendered together.
Users can even view differences between branches, and can easily compare any two historical or current versions of a PLC project.
Commit Tags and Releases
Copia users can now mark specific versions of a PLC project as significant development milestones for future reference, or in preparation for release to customers alongside accompanying documentation. Learn more about Copia’s Commit Tags and Releases here.
PDF Reports
Copia now provides the ability to generate a PDF report of any Diff of a Rockwell Studio 5000 project
With just a few mouse clicks, users can create a static report of any historical changes to a PLC project for offline storage and viewing, and for sharing within and between teams.
New Support
Copia is constantly improving and expanding its vendor support, bringing new PLC code development tools to an ever-widening audience. Here are some recent additions to Copia’s lineup of supported vendors.
Siemens Step7 TIA Portal Library files
Copia now supports TIA Portal .zal## Project and Global Library files, allowing users to leverage the power of Copia’s Git-based Source Control while continuing to work in these native Siemens file formats
CODESYS v3.5 Support Expansion
Copia has expanded its support for CODESYS v3.5 versions and file types, now covering .project, .library, and .export files from CODESYS v3.5 SP14-18. Copia can render Ladder Logic alongside Structured Text, UDTs, Tasks, Variable Lists and Libraries from these supported versions, and additionally offers support for advanced Rung Commenting during Code Reviews.
Schneider® EcoStruxure™ Control Expert
Copia now supports .stu, .zef, and .xef project files from Schneider® EcoStruxure™ Control Expert v14-v15, rendering Ladder Logic alongside Text-based elements like Structured Text in both the Web and Desktop Apps, and offering advanced Rung Commenting for Code Reviews.
Beckhoff
In addition to graphical display and Diffs of Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 files, including .library library files, Copia now supports Rung Commenting in Code Reviews for both Ladder Logic and Structured Text code.
Rockwell RSLogix 5000 v16-v20
Copia’s support for Rockwell PLC projects now extends back to RSLogix 5000 v16-v20, now covering RSLogix 5000 v16-v20 and Studio 5000 Logix Designer v28-v34, and bringing existing Git Version Control tools, such as rendering code and changes to it, Rung Commenting for Code Review, PDF Report generation, and advanced Merge Conflict Resolution, to PLC code developed using earlier Rockwell tools.
Inductive Ignition 8
Copia provides out-of-the-box Git support for Inductive’s Ignition 8 SCADA system, along with a guide to assist with configuration; Copia users can now store and track changes to SCADA data alongside PLC development code and machine backups in one central location.
Security
Copia takes a rigorous stance on security, encrypting data at-rest and in-flight, and implementing best-practice security features like 2-Factor Authentication (2FA). Here are a couple significant updates Copia has implemented in service of maximizing security for its customers.
Single Sign-On (SSO) Updates
In addition to previously available support for SAML identity providers, Copia’s Enterprise-tier customers now have access to OIDC Identity Providers, with support and setup guides for over 20 Identity Providers, along with additional SSO features, like Just-In-Time (JIT) provisioning and the option to mandate usage of SSO across a customer’s entire organization
SOC 2 Type 1
In August 2022, Copia successfully completed the SOC 2 Type 1 audit, an audit performed by an independent third party of Copia’s policies, procedures and systems in place to protect information, assessing Copia at the organization level across the categories of Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. Learn more about this audit and Copia’s security policies here.
Miscellaneous Updates
Email Feedback
In addition to forms built into Copia’s Web App, users can now submit Bug Reports and Feature Requests via email at feature@copia.io and bug@copia.io
Studio 5000 Source Protected Content
Users now have the option to hide Source Protected items which cannot be rendered by Copia.
Git-LFS
Copia now supports Git-LFS, an add-on for Git that helps keep Git repositories compact to save storage space on Controls Engineers’ workstations; Git-LFS is enabled by default for all new PLC projects saved with Copia.
Rockwell Advanced Tag Merge
Copia’s Advanced Merge Conflict Tool is now improved for Rockwell PLC projects; when merging two branches, users now have granular, per-tag control over which PLC tag changes make it into the final, merged copy.
Product Announcements
It’s never been easier to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest improvements to Copia’s Git-based Version Control and DeviceLink™. Both the Desktop App and Web App have a megaphone icon for Product Updates, and in addition, announcements can be found here.
This page not only shows a list of all announcements users may have missed, but also upcoming product updates, categorized as ‘Under Consideration’, ‘In Planning’, or ‘In Progress’. Now, users know straight away both when a new feature is announced, as well as what features Copia has coming in the near future.
