Add Applications to the Tools Menu Using the Custom Tools Dialog Box

Use the Custom Tools dialog box to configure an application to add to the Logix Designer application Tools menu. Once an application is added, you can launch that application from within the Logix Designer application.
You can add up to 16 applications to the Tools menu. If you add more than 16 applications, only the first 16 appear in the Tools menu in the Logix Designer application. These applications are added to the bottom of the main Tools menu.
When you first open the Custom Tools dialog box, it is configured so that the ControlFLASH Plus application appears in and can be launched from the Tools menu.
TIP:
To access the
Custom Tools
 dialog box, from the
Tools
 menu, choose
Custom Tools
. If
Custom Tools
 is disabled, log into the computer as an administrator, or launch and run the Logix Designer application as an administrator.
You can edit the items in this dialog box by double clicking on the item you want to edit, and updating the item accordingly.
To add applications to the tools menus using the Custom Tools dialog box:
  1. If there is a plus sign to the left of
    Custom Tools
    , click the
    plus sign
     to expand the
    Custom Tools
     folder.
  2. Double-click
    Command
     to choose the application you wish to add to the
    Tools
     menu.
    You can type the application path and name or click the directory icon to open the
    Select Tool File
     dialog box.
  3. From the
    Select Tool File
     dialog box, navigate to the executable file for the application you wish to add to the
    Tools
     menu, select the executable file and then click the
    Select
     button.
    The application is added to the Command line.
  4. Double-click
    Arguments
     to choose the argument that you wished to be passed to the tool.
    You can type the argument name or click the arrow to display the
    Arguments
     menu.
    If you click the arrow, choose from the following list of arguments:
    • Logix Designer Directory
    • Projects Directory
    • Project Path
    • Project Name
    • Controller Name
    • Communication Path
    • Application Language
    • Application Version
    • Selected Component XPath
  5. Double-click
    Working Directory
     to choose the working directory that you wish to be passed to the tool.
    You can type the name of the working directory or click the arrow to display the working directory menu.
    If you click the arrow, choose from the following list of working directories:
    • Logix Designer Directory
    • Projects Directory
    • Project Path
    • Project Name
    • Controller Name
    • Communication Path
    • Application Language
    • Application Version
    • Selected Component XPath
    • Browse (opens the Browse For Folder window so that you can browse for a working directory)
  6. An icon that represents the application displays in the
    Icon
     field. To change the icon, double-click the icon to open the
    Select Icon
     dialog box in which you can choose from a list of Windows System Icons or browse for an executable or DLL file.
  7. Double-click
    Menu Access Key
     to select the key that should be pressed for menu access to the tool.
    The key you select is underlined on the application name that is listed on the
    Tools
     menu. You can use the shortcut by pressing Alt+T to access the Tools menu, and then by pressing Alt+ the letter you specified to launch your application.
  8. Double-click
    Status Bar Text
    to configure the text to display in the
    Status Bar
     for the custom tool.
    You can type the text for the
    Status Bar
     or click the arrow to display the
    Status Bar Text
     menu.
    If you click the arrow, choose from the following list for the Status Bar text:
    • Logix Designer Directory
    • Projects Directory
    • Project Path
    • Project Name
    • Controller Name
    • Communication Path
    • Application Language
    • Application Version
    • Selected Component XPath
  9. If you wish to check if an application will launch properly before you exit the
    Custom Tools
     dialog box, right-click the application you wish to test and select the
    Test Tool Launch
     menu option.
  10. To add another application to the Tools menu, click the arrow on the
    New Tool
     button and select
    New Tool
    .
    Repeat the previous steps to customize the new tool that you are adding to the
    Tools
     menu.
  11. Configure the appearance of the items in the
    Custom Tools
     dialog box:
    • If you wish to add a separator between the tools that are listed in the
      Custom Tools
       dialog box, click the arrow on the
      New Tools
       button and select
      New Separator
      .
    • If you wish to rearrange the list of applications in the
      Custom Tools
       dialog box, select the application that you wish to move and use the up or down arrow buttons in the right border of the Custom Tools dialog box to move the selected application up or down in the list.
    • If you wish to delete an application or a separator that is in the
      Custom Tools
      dialog box, select the application or separator and click the
      Delete
       button.
      Click
      Yes
      in the confirmation dialog box to delete the application or separator from the
      Custom Tools
      dialog box.
  12. Click the
    OK
     button to close the
    Custom Tools
     dialog box and accept all your changes or click the
    Cancel
    button to close the
    Custom Tools
    dialog box without accepting your changes.
    TIP:
    As an alternative to using the
    Custom Tools
    dialog box to add applications you can edit the XML Configuration file directly by accessing the CustomToolsMenu.xml file.
    Use the following path to open the CustomToolsMenu.xml file in a text editing tool such as Notepad to make changes directly to the CustomToolsMenu.xml file:
    C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\Logix Designer\Common
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