Attention

These docs are a bit ambitious. The steps described are accurate but IronPLC cannot yet run programs.

Troubleshooting

This guide helps you resolve common issues with the IronPLC extension.

Compiler Not Found (E0001)

Symptom: Error message “E0001 - Unable to locate IronPLC compiler”

The extension cannot find the ironplcc executable. The extension searches these locations in order:

1. Configuration: The path specified in ironplc.path setting

2. Environment variable: The IRONPLC environment variable

3. Homebrew (macOS only): /opt/homebrew/bin/ironplcc

4. Windows AppData: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\IronPLC Compiler\bin\ironplcc.exe

Solutions:

1. Verify installation: Open a terminal and run ironplcc --version. If this fails, the compiler is not installed or not in your PATH.

2. Install the compiler: See the Installation guide.

3. Configure the path manually: If the compiler is installed in a non-standard location, set the ironplc.path setting to the full path of the executable.

4. Check permissions: Ensure the compiler executable has execute permissions.

No Syntax Highlighting

Symptom: Structured Text files appear as plain text without colors.

Solutions:

1. Check file extension: Ensure your file has a .st or .iec extension.

2. Check language mode: Look at the bottom-right corner of VS Code. It should show “IEC 61131-3” or “Structured Text”. Click it to change the language mode if needed.

3. Reload the window: Run “Developer: Reload Window” from the Command Palette.

No Diagnostics Appearing

Symptom: The extension does not show any errors or warnings, even for invalid code.

Solutions:

1. Check the compiler is running: Look at the Output panel (View > Output) and select “IronPLC” from the dropdown. You should see startup messages.

2. Check for E0001: If the compiler was not found, diagnostics will not work. See the “Compiler Not Found” section above.

3. Enable debug logging: Set ironplc.logLevel to DEBUG and check the Output panel for error messages.

4. Check file type: Diagnostics only work for Structured Text files (.st, .iec), not PLCopen XML files currently.

Extension Not Activating

Symptom: The extension appears installed but nothing happens when opening ST files.

Solutions:

1. Check extension status: Open the Extensions view and find IronPLC. Ensure it shows as enabled, not disabled.

2. Check for conflicts: Disable other IEC 61131-3 or PLC extensions that might conflict.

3. View extension logs: Open Help > Toggle Developer Tools, go to the Console tab, and look for messages containing “ironplc”.

4. Reinstall the extension: Uninstall the extension, reload VS Code, then reinstall it.

Collecting Debug Information

When reporting issues, please collect the following information:

1. Version information:

   • VS Code version (Help > About)

   • IronPLC extension version (Extensions view)

   • Compiler version (run ironplcc --version)

   • Operating system and version

2. Enable detailed logging:

   {
     "ironplc.logLevel": "TRACE",
     "ironplc.logFile": "/tmp/ironplc-debug.log"
   }
   

3. Reproduce the issue with logging enabled.

4. Collect logs:

   • The log file specified above

   • Output panel content (View > Output > IronPLC)

   • Developer Tools console (Help > Toggle Developer Tools)

5. Create an issue on GitHub with:

   • Steps to reproduce the problem

   • Expected vs. actual behavior

   • Version information

   • Relevant log excerpts

Performance Issues

Symptom: The editor is slow or unresponsive when editing ST files.

Solutions:

1. Check file size: Very large files may cause slowdowns. Consider splitting large programs into multiple files.

2. Reduce log level: If you have verbose logging enabled, set ironplc.logLevel back to ERROR.

3. Disable file logging: Remove any ironplc.logFile setting.

4. Check for loops: The compiler may take longer on code with complex nested structures. Simplify where possible.

Resetting the Extension

If all else fails, try a clean reset:

1. Uninstall the IronPLC extension

2. Delete the extension’s global storage:

   • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions\ironplc.*

   • macOS/Linux: ~/.vscode/extensions/ironplc.*

3. Reload VS Code

4. Reinstall the extension from the marketplace