Device variables and properties

A device’s Lon Xml file defines each device’s unique variables and properties.

Lon Xml files

Lon Xml files describe specific Lonworks device properties to the system. The file name extension for these files is .lnml. Each device requires its own Lon Xml file. Workbench provides many lonVendor modules (.jar files), for example, lonHoneywell. Each module contains numerous Lon Xml files for specific devices. You may also create additional Lon Xml files for devices that are not included in the standard modules.

Each Lon Xml file includes data to describe the device itself (derived from an .xif file), as well as manufacturer-specific datatypes for nvs, ncis, and cps (derived from resource files). By convention, a device’s Lon Xml file has the same name as its xif file (except for extension). For example, a device with a T7350Cs.xif file has a T7350Cs.lnml file.

During a Lon Device Manager discover, the driver automatically searches each Lon Xml file from which it displays the Program Id for each device. Or, when the needed lonVendor modules are installed on the host platform, a Quik Learn automatically uses the matching Lon Xml file to create Lon devices.

Xml File Creation

You may need to make your own Lon Xml file if:

  • The device includes one or more manufacturer-defined network variables, otherwise, you can use a DynamicDevice to represent the device, then perform a Learn Nv action.
  • The device is newer or otherwise different from the device represented by the closest standard Lon Xml file, or a standard Lon Xml version for this device has yet to be released.

In general, using the Lon Xml Tool independently integrates Lonworks devices without depending on the framework manufacturer to issue updated lonVendor modules.

For specific low-level details about Lon Xml, see to the Lon Markup Language section in the Developer Guide.

Lon Xml file source data

The device manufacturer provides the .xif and resource files for Lonworks devices. To create a Lon Xml file for any Lonworks device, you must have this .xif file. If the device contains manufacturer-defined datatypes, and you want this data for any Lon components, you must also get the related resource files from the manufacturer.

Resource files include the following types:

  • vendor.ENU — Language resource file (in this case, English).
  • vendor.FMT — Format selector file.
  • vendor.FPT — Functional profile file.
  • vendor.TYP —Type and enum file.

Before creating a Lon Xml file, place all related resource files in a single directory.