Change General Logix Designer application preferences

In the
Workstation Options
 dialog box, use the
Application
category to customize general behaviors in the Logix Designer application. Use the other categories to customize the behavior for specific editors.
To change General Logix Designer application preferences
  1. From the
    Tools
    menu, click
    Options
    .
  2. In the
    Project Directory
     field, enter the name of the default project directory.
  3. Click
    Browse
     to access the
    Browse for Folder
     dialog box to search the available directories.
  4. Select these commands as required:
    • Enable Automatic Project Recovery
      .
      Periodically saves a temporary copy of the project for recovery after a computer crash or an unexpected shutdown of the Logix Designer application. The recovery file is overwritten with a new recovery file at the save time interval. After a computer crash or unexpected application shutdown, a dialog box appears and offers options to save or discard the recovery file.
      TIP:
      Certain functions are unavailable in a recovery project, such as toggling a bit or removing forcing.
    • Automatic Project Recovery Save Time Interval
      . Enters the interval to save the temporary recovery file.
    • Enable Automatic Project Backup.
      Automatically creates a backup copy of the project while saving the project.
      Each time the project saves, the Logix Designer application creates a backup of the existing project, and also maintains a backup copy of the old project and a copy of the project with changes. Project backup files are saved in the directory named in the
      Project Directory
       box.
      Each backup file is named with a .BAKxxx.ACD extension, numbered starting at 000, using this convention:
      ProjectName.DomainName.UserName.BAK000.ACD
    • Automatic Project Backup Number of Backups
      . Enter the number of backups to keep at one time. The oldest backup file is deleted when the number of backup files is exceeded. For example, if the number of backups is set to 2, when the third backup occurs, file ProjectName.DomainName.UserName.BAK000.ACD is deleted and the Logix Designer application creates backup file ProjectName.DomainName.UserName.BAK002.ACD.
    • Enable Look Ahead
      . Enable automatic selection of an item from a list of typed characters.
    • Enable Instruction Defaults/Element Defaults
      . Pre-populate instructions and elements with default values.
    • Always Encode Protected Content on Export
      . Export protected content in encoded format. When clearing the checkbox, if a source key is present, the
      Save
      and
      Export
      dialog boxes enable exporting encoded or plain text.
      TIP:
      Use protection permissions to override this selection.
    • Enable Verbose Messaging for Download
      . Enables detailed messages sent to the message log during project downloads.
      By default, the Logix Designer application reduces the time required to download a project by limiting download messages to around 20. When you select
      Enable Verbose Messaging for Download
      , additional messages appear in the log, and downloading a project to the controller might take longer.
    • Prohibit Online Edits During Upload
      . Prevents online edits in other instances of the project during project upload.
  5. If you use FactoryTalk Linx, select
    Enable Large Connection for Download
    .
    TIP:
    • Use the
      Enable Large Connection for Download
       command to increase the amount of information sent to the controller in a single EtherNet/IP transaction. This setting helps reduce the amount of time required to download networks when using Wifi or a VPN remote connection.
    • The
      Enable Large Connection for Download
       command is only available for the FactoryTalk Linx edition.
    • Beginning with the Logix Designer application version 31.00, only Ethernet interfaces that support large connections (4,000 bytes) work with these controllers:
      • ControlLogix 5580 controllers
      • GuardLogix 5580 controllers
      • CompactLogix 5480 controllers
      • CompactLogix 5380 controllers
      • Compact GuardLogix 5380 controllers
      • CompactLogix 5370 controller
      • Compact GuardLogix 5370 controllers
      • 1756-EN2x EtherNet/IP communication modules
      • 1756-EN3TR EtherNet/IP communication modules
      • 1756-EN4TRx EtherNet/IP communication modules
  6. Select the
    Help page source
     for Logix Designer help content:
    • Always ask
      . When you first select a
      Help
       button or press
      F1
      in the Logix Designer application, a dialog asks you to select the help source: help files locally installed on the hard drive of the computer running the Logix Designer application, or the latest help content from rockwellautomation.com.
      Always ask
       is the default setting.
    • Local
      . Displays help files installed on the hard drive of the computer running the Logix Designer application.
    • Online
      . Displays the latest help content from rockwellautomation.com.
    If the Logix Designer application cannot connect to rockwellautomation.com, a message states that local help content is displayed.
  7. Click
    OK
    to accept changes and to close the
    Workstation Options
     dialog box, or click
    Apply
     to apply the changes on this tab and to continue editing.
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