Then she wrote a parallel :
She went to the Action Definition for Step 20. Instead of putting Drain_Valve := FALSE in the step's exit action, she created a Global Action called Acid_Safety and set its qualifier to SD (Set Dominant—stays TRUE until explicitly reset).
Acid_Drain_Valve := FALSE; // Reset only when safe Emergency_Alerter := FALSE; Three weeks later, the line went live. codesys sfc example
"Fix it with a state machine," her manager said.
The problem was chaos. Operators would skip steps, hit "EMERGENCY RESET" mid-dip, or manually open the drain while the coil was submerged. The old ladder logic was a 40-rung monster of interlocking seals that no one understood. Then she wrote a parallel : She went
[Step 20: DIP] --(45s & no EStop)--> [Step 30: RINSE] | | (EStop_Pressed) v [Step 99: EMERGENCY_RETRACT] --(Acid_Level<5%)--> [Step 0: IDLE] Inside Step 99 's Action:
The SFC jumped to Step 99. The crane rose. The drain opened. "Fix it with a state machine," her manager said
The transition to Step 0 required Acid_Level < 5% . But the drain valve closed after 2 seconds because the "DIP" step's action had been deactivated. She forgot: Actions in SFC only run while their step is active.