If your installation uses custom modules of Program objects (components) made using the ProgramModule component, they must
be refactored for
Niagara 4 before using them with any migrated
AX-3.8 stations. If you do not migrate the, Program objects they will be deleted in the migrated station.
Prerequisite: You need a working knowledge of the
AX-3.8 ProgramModule (available in the program module’s palette), including its Program Module Builder view.
Figure 15. ProgramModule in
AX-3.8 program palette
In the
NiagaraAX installation, there are different ways the ProgramModule feature can be used to create versioned module JAR files that contain
one or more Program objects:
- ProgramModule components copied into a folder under the
Workbench file space of the local host, such as a
Supervisor, each saved as a BOG file. These ProgramModule components contain Program objects copied from stations, used to build local
modules with these Programs.
NOTE: This is the recommended use of ProgramModules.
Figure 16. ProgramModules saved as BOG files in the
Workbench file space
The figure above shows two such ProgramModule BOG files, under an “AprogBldr” folder in the
Workbench home. The resultant module JARs are also shown in the local modules folder.
- One or more ProgramModule components copied into a station run on a local host, such as a
Supervisor. Typically, this station also has the original Program objects that are now replicated in the station via local modules built
by the ProgramModule(s).
- Simply using the
Workbench
program palette and the ProgramModule in it, pasting in Program objects from stations, then compiling and building local modules
with these Programs. In this case, ProgramModules are not persisted—only the modules built using them. NOTE: Such modules cannot be refactored for
N4, unless you first use
Workbench to copy ProgramModules from the program palette into a folder in the
Workbench file space, and reconfigure again. Once saved as
AX-3.8 BOG files, you can run migration on the ProgramModules.
In all but the last case, migration of the modules is straightforward. Migration requires running the source
AX-3.8 ProgramModule through the migration tool (either as a BOG file, or if within a station, in a station backup .dist file). Next you use
Workbench on each migrated ProgramModule to recompile the contained Program(s) and then rebuild the module, which refactors it for
Niagara 4.
