P&ID to PLCCreator. Export I/O Lists as Device IO CSV.

This kept coming up. "I extracted my I/O list, now I need to get it into PLCCreator." The manual path is extract, reformat in Excel, then import. The direct path is extract, export, import.

What PLCCreator is

PLCCreator is a PLC configuration and code-generation tool used across Europe and beyond, particularly by integrators working with Siemens S7, Beckhoff TwinCAT, and generic IEC 61131-3 targets. Its core input is the Device IO List, a structured CSV that describes every I/O point in the project. PLCCreator reads that list and generates the tag tables, data blocks, and I/O configuration files the PLC environment needs.

The Device IO CSV exists because PLC vendors' own import formats are incompatible with each other. A single normalized CSV that PLCCreator then translates into vendor-specific XML or L5X or TIA Portal imports is easier to maintain than writing and maintaining separate import scripts for every target.

Device IO CSV column reference

The Device IO CSV has a defined column order. PLCCreator is strict about headers. Any column name mismatch causes the importer to skip the row silently.

PLCCreator ignores columns it does not recognize, so you can add project-specific columns for your own tracking without breaking the import.

How it works with Tagsight

1. Upload a P&ID to Tagsight.
2. Review the extracted instruments and fix anything that needs it.
3. Click Export and choose PLCCreator.
4. Pick your PLC architecture, see below.
5. Import the CSV into PLCCreator.

The CSV header includes the source filename, extraction date, and instrument count, giving you a traceable path from I/O point back to the originating drawing.

Architecture options

The architecture selection changes how Module and Channel columns are populated and how Area is assigned.

Single rack

Every I/O card lives on one local rack connected directly to the CPU. The Module column contains a slot number, e.g. Slot_3 and Channel runs 0-7 or 0-15 within that slot. The Area column is left blank.

Typical use. Skid packages, standalone compressor panels, small utility systems under 200 I/O points.

Single fieldbus

Remote I/O sits on one distributed fieldbus ring, typically PROFIBUS DP or PROFINET. The Module column contains the fieldbus node address and slot, e.g. Node_05_Slot_2 and Area carries the fieldbus segment name.

Typical use. Mid-size plants where the PLC sits in an MCC room and field I/O drops are spread across the plant floor. Common on Siemens ET 200SP and ET 200M installations.

Multiple fieldbuses

Distributed I/O spans more than one fieldbus network, usually organized by plant area or process unit. The Area column is the primary grouping key and the Module column includes the area prefix, e.g. Area_A_Node_03_Slot_1.

Typical use. Large greenfield plants with 1,000 plus I/O points, area-based layouts, or projects where separate PROFINET rings serve separate hazardous areas. The Siemens S7-1500 with distributed ET 200SP islands and Rockwell ControlLogix with point I/O over EtherNet/IP both fit this pattern.

When you select this architecture in Tagsight, you also specify the area-assignment rule. Tags can be grouped by P&ID drawing, one drawing per area is common on process plants, by ISA loop prefix, or manually.

Signal-class to electrical-type mapping

The Tagsight export maps ISA 5.1 signal classes to the SignalType column values PLCCreator expects.

These defaults cover the majority of process plant I/O. Adjust in PLCCreator's signal-type editor for non-standard cases.

HART on AI channels. If your project specifies HART-enabled transmitters, change SignalType from AI to HART. PLCCreator generates HART-capable module assignments and includes the secondary variable register addresses in the data block.

Foundation Fieldbus. FF field devices are not wired at the channel level in the same way. Set SignalType to FF. PLCCreator treats FF devices as a bus segment, not individual channels, and generates the FF device descriptor and function block placeholders.

RTD and thermocouple inputs. These are AI in ISA terms but require a different module type. In PLCCreator, they are typically assigned to a dedicated temperature-input module, e.g. Siemens SM 1231 TC or RTD, Rockwell 1756-IR6I. After import, update the Module field to the temperature-module slot.

SIS-rated channels. Set FailSafe to 1. PLCCreator restricts these assignments to modules marked as safety-rated in its hardware catalog, Siemens F-series cards, Rockwell GuardLogix 1756-IB16ISOE, etc. If no safety-rated module is assigned to that slot, PLCCreator raises an import warning.

Multi-channel device handling

Some field devices report more than one process variable on a single wiring pair or bus segment. HART devices can carry up to four dynamic variables, PV, SV, TV, QV over the same loop. Coriolis meters often report mass flow, density, and temperature as separate AI signals but from one instrument tag.

In the Device IO CSV, each process variable gets its own row. The DeviceTag column repeats the parent tag. A suffix convention distinguishes the variables. Common conventions.

• FT-101 for the primary variable, mass flow
• FT-101_D for density
• FT-101_T for temperature

PLCCreator maps all rows with the same physical device to the same HART or FF device entry and assigns them to consecutive secondary variable registers. In TIA Portal or Studio 5000, each variable ends up as a separate tag in the data block.

Review multi-variable instruments carefully in the Tagsight review canvas before export, because the description field on the originating P&ID sometimes carries only the primary variable name.

Common import errors and resolutions

"Unknown SignalType value". PLCCreator's signal-type list is case-sensitive. ai fails. AI passes. The Tagsight export uses uppercase throughout, but if you edit the CSV manually in Excel, verify Excel has not lowercased a column header.

"Module not found in hardware catalog". The Module value references a module name that is not in PLCCreator's hardware catalog for your target platform. Either add the module to the catalog, Hardware Catalog editor in PLCCreator or change the module reference to one that exists. This usually happens with vendor-specific specialty cards, temperature multiplexers, serial communication cards that are not in the default catalog.

"Channel out of range". The channel number exceeds the module's channel count. Most 8-channel AI cards accept channel values 0-7. If PLCCreator was auto-assigning channels and encounters a channel value of 8 or higher, it means more signals were mapped to one module than it can hold. Use the multi-fieldbus architecture to spread signals across more nodes, or check whether you selected the wrong card density.

Row silently skipped. Usually a missing required column or a blank DeviceTag. PLCCreator skips rather than errors on row-level issues. Enable the import log, View, Import Log to see which rows were skipped and why.

Duplicate DeviceTag rows not flagged. PLCCreator accepts duplicate tags and imports both rows, which creates duplicate PLC tags. Run a duplicate-tag check in Tagsight before export to catch these upstream. The review canvas flags duplicates. Resolve them before downloading the CSV.

Round-trip workflow from extraction to plant floor

The intended workflow from P&ID drawings to a commissioned PLC configuration is, and it assumes a well-structured I/O list coming out of the review step. If the upstream I/O list needs to meet a specific column standard before it hits PLCCreator, the I/O list creation guide covers the column conventions that make the Device IO CSV import clean.

1. Extract. Upload P&IDs to Tagsight. Review and correct the instrument list, signal classes, and loop assignments.
2. Export Device IO CSV. Choose architecture, download the CSV.
3. Import into PLCCreator. PLCCreator reads the CSV and generates the hardware configuration, tag table, and I/O variable declarations.
4. Generate target-platform files. From PLCCreator, export to TIA Portal, for Siemens S7, Studio 5000, for Rockwell ControlLogix, or the IEC 61131-3 target of your choice.
5. Load into the PLC environment. Import the generated project file into TIA Portal or Studio 5000. The I/O tags are pre-wired. The control logic is what the programmer adds.
6. FAT and SAT. The commissioning team verifies each I/O point against the device IO list. The SourceDrawing column traces each point back to the P&ID for the loop check.

This flow eliminates the manual reformatting step between the I/O list and the PLC environment. The tag data has one source of truth. The extraction output. Changes made during FAT feed back into Tagsight via corrections, and the corrected CSV re-imports cleanly because PLCCreator's import is idempotent, later rows overwrite earlier rows on duplicate tag.

For brownfield projects where the P&IDs are scanned paper drawings, the same workflow applies. The extraction handles scanned raster images. The output CSV is structurally identical.

Related

• Convert P&ID to I/O list. Produces the structured list the PLCCreator export draws from
• Convert P&ID to TIA Portal. Direct Siemens target, bypasses PLCCreator
• Convert P&ID to Rockwell L5X. Direct Rockwell target, bypasses PLCCreator
• PLC card sizing from a P&ID. What to do with the I/O count before you configure modules
• PLCCreator format deep dive. The full Device IO List column schema and alarm, interlock column conventions
• Lifecycle: detail engineering. Where the PLCCreator export fits in the project schedule

FAQ

What version of the Device IO CSV format does Tagsight export.

Tagsight exports the column set documented above, which matches the format accepted by PLCCreator 3.x and later. If you are running an older PLCCreator version, the importer may not recognize the FailSafe or Area columns. Those columns are ignored by older versions rather than causing an error, so the import will still complete. Verify in PLCCreator's import log that all rows loaded.

Do I need PLCCreator to use the Tagsight export.

No. The PLCCreator CSV export is a structured I/O list in a defined column format. You can open it in Excel, sort by area or signal type, and use it as a bid-stage I/O schedule without PLCCreator. The format is readable without the tool.

How does the export handle instruments with no signal class assigned.

If an instrument leaves the Tagsight review with SignalType set to REVIEW, the default when the extraction was uncertain, the export flags that row in the CSV with SignalType=REVIEW. PLCCreator will raise an import warning on those rows. Resolve signal classes in Tagsight before exporting to avoid import warnings.

Can I re-export after making corrections.

Yes. Each export generates a fresh CSV from the current instrument list. If you corrected signal classes, fixed a tag, or reassigned an instrument to a different area after the first export, re-exporting produces a new CSV that reflects those changes. PLCCreator's import is additive by default. Existing assignments are not cleared unless you explicitly import with the "replace all" option.

What is the difference between the PLCCreator export and the TIA Portal or Rockwell L5X exports.

The PLCCreator export is an intermediate format. It produces a normalized CSV that PLCCreator then translates into a vendor-specific project file. The TIA Portal and Rockwell L5X exports from Tagsight skip the PLCCreator step and produce the vendor-native import format directly. Use the PLCCreator export if you are using PLCCreator's code-generation features, structured text templates, function block generation. Use the direct TIA Portal or L5X export if you only need the tag table and I/O configuration.