Implementing Global Symbol Updates in Siemens WinCC

Overview

Siemens WinCC (SIMATIC WinCC, WinCC V7, WinCC Professional) does not expose a single object type labelled "Global Symbol" the way that, for example, Microsoft Visio master shapes or AutoCAD external references behave. In a true global-symbol model, an operator icon, valve faceplate, or motor block is defined once in a central library, dropped into any number of process pictures, and updated by editing only the master definition. WinCC requires a deliberate synchronization step for this workflow. This reference documents the three field-proven workarounds that engineers have converged on for WinCC V6, V7, and TIA Portal WinCC: customised objects inside a library picture, the Dynamic Wizard Export/Import/Change Picture Objects trio, and direct editing of objects stored in the runtime GraCS folder.

The behaviour has been confirmed by repeated end-user reports in WinCC V6 SP4 and PCS 7 V6.1 SP1: editing a symbol definition does not automatically cascade into every picture that uses it. The article covers what WinCC does provide, why the gap exists, and how to close it in production engineering practice. All file paths, object types, and tool names below reflect current SIMATIC WinCC documentation and the behaviour of WinCC Explorer / Graphics Designer as of WinCC V7.5. The official WinCC product page is available from SIMATIC WinCC on siemens.com and the canonical knowledge base is the Siemens Industry Online Support portal.

What "Global Symbol" Means in an HMI Context

A global symbol in the SCADA/HMI sense is a graphical object — typically a Smart Object, a customised object, or a faceplate — that satisfies three requirements simultaneously:

1. Single point of definition. One master copy exists in a library, master drawing, or template file.
2. Multiple instances. The same object is reused in many pictures, faceplates, or screens.
3. Automatic propagation. Editing the master updates every instance on the next compile, download, or runtime refresh without manual rework.

Systems that meet all three are Vectorworks symbol libraries, AutoCAD external references, Microsoft Visio stencils, Ignition component templates, and AVEVA System Platform composite shapes. WinCC V7 provides only items (1) and (2): you can build a library picture, and you can drop objects from it into as many PDL files as you want. Item (3) — the propagation step — is the gap that this article works around.

Why WinCC V7 Does Not Provide Native Global Symbol Objects

WinCC stores every picture as a binary .PDL (Picture Description Language) file under the project GraCS directory. When a customised object is dragged from a library picture into a process picture, Graphics Designer copies the object data into the destination .PDL. The destination picture does not retain a live link to the source. This copy-on-drop behaviour is the root cause: WinCC treats each picture as a self-contained document, similar to how Microsoft PowerPoint embeds a copy of an inserted picture rather than linking to the source file.

The intentional design reasons for this model include:

• Runtime determinism. The runtime picture does not need to resolve a path back to a development library at startup.
• Picture independence. A single picture can be opened, edited, or version-controlled without touching the library.
• Project replicability. Copying a GraCS folder between projects does not break references.

The same model is used by WinCC Professional (TIA Portal) for HMI screens, although TIA Portal does provide a Master Copies library that, combined with the Update master copy instances command, can refresh instances after a change. The Classic WinCC library is functionally similar but lacks the explicit update command. For the platform-level documentation of TIA Portal master copies and instance updates, see the Siemens support entry for WinCC Professional master copies.

Workaround Matrix: Three Field-Proven Approaches

Method 1 — Customised Objects in Library Pictures

A customised object is a user-defined compound object that WinCC stores as a reusable template. Once you build a customised object, you can drag it from the Project Library or Global Library tab into any number of process pictures. Each drag is a copy, but the master remains in the library picture. To propagate a change, you delete the old instances and re-drag the new master — or you use the Import/Export wizard described in Method 2.

Building a Customised Object

1. In Graphics Designer, open the library picture where the customised object will live (typically <Project>\GraCS\Library\<Name>.pdl).
2. Compose the object from Smart Objects, Windows Objects, and graphics primitives. Configure all animations, tag connections, and events on the compound.
3. Select all the constituent objects, right-click, and choose Customised object → Create.
4. Specify a name and a symbol comment. The customised object is stored in the active library picture as a template.
5. Switch to any process picture, open the Library window, and drag the new customised object from the picture into the canvas.

Customised objects can expose configurable properties, which become user-editable parameters on each instance (tag name, label, color, size). This is the closest WinCC comes to providing a true global symbol with parameters, but the propagation gap remains: changing the master in the library picture does not update already-dropped instances.

Method 2 — Dynamic Wizard Import/Export (CreateDWD)

Siemens ships a set of Dynamic Wizard scripts that perform bulk export, edit, and re-import of picture objects. The package is installed by copying three DWD files into the WinCC scripts directory and registering them through the Dynamic Wizard Editor. The three wizards are:

• Export Picture Objects — writes selected object properties from one or more pictures into a structured control file (CSV-like).
• Import Picture Objects — reads the control file and applies the stored properties back to matching objects in the target pictures.
• Change Picture Objects — performs a property transformation (for example, swap a color, replace a tag prefix, or update a font) on every selected object across all pictures.

The mechanism is functionally equivalent to a find-and-replace across all pictures with structured input. The control file typically carries columns for picture name, object name, property name, and property value, allowing both bulk and surgical updates.

Installation Procedure

1. Copy the wizard DWD files into the WinCC scripts folder. The default path is C:\Program Files\Siemens\WINCC\wScripts\Wscripts.enu. If WinCC is installed in a non-default location, replace the root with your actual install path (for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\wScripts\Wscripts.enu on a 64-bit OS).
2. Launch the Dynamic Wizard Editor from Start → SIMATIC → WinCC → Tools → Dynamic Wizard Editor. If the entry is missing, the WinCC Tools option was not selected during installation; rerun setup and add it.
3. In the editor, open Create DWD, point to each of the three wizard files, and compile them. The Dynamic Wizard Editor generates a .bwl file that WinCC loads at runtime.
4. Start Graphics Designer, right-click the toolbar area, and enable the Dynamic Wizard toolbar. The three new wizards appear under the Picture tab.

Typical Workflow for a Global-Style Update

1. Open the master library picture in Graphics Designer.
2. Run Export Picture Objects against the library picture. Select the properties you want to propagate (color, tag prefix, geometry, label, font, visibility range). The wizard writes a control file.
3. Edit the control file in Excel or a text editor. Apply the change to the property column. The control file is plain text, so any text-processing tool works.
4. Select the target process pictures in the WinCC project tree.
5. Run Import Picture Objects, pointing to the edited control file. The wizard matches objects by name and writes the new property values back into the destination .PDL files.
6. Run Change Picture Objects for property transformations that can be expressed as a single substitution (for example, swapping Motor1_ for Motor2_ across all tag connections).
7. Compile OS, regenerate the runtime, and download to the operator station.

This approach does not give you a true global symbol, but it gives you a one-button propagation path for any change you can express as a property substitution. For projects with hundreds of pictures, it is the only practical option short of VB/C scripting.

Method 3 — Direct GraCs Folder Editing (Runtime Symbol Sources)

WinCC provides a small number of object types that do satisfy the global-symbol propagation requirement: Graphic Display and Status Display. Both of these are pointer-based: the picture file they reference lives in the project's GraCs folder, and the instance stores only the file name. Editing the referenced .PDL causes every instance to display the new graphics immediately, because none of them carried a copy of the picture data in the first place.

This is the only WinCC V7 mechanism that genuinely behaves like a global symbol. The trade-off is that Graphic Display and Status Display objects support a limited property surface (no configurable events, no per-instance parameter binding) — they are image references, not true components.

When Method 3 Applies

• Reuse of a vendor-supplied icon set across every faceplate and process picture.
• Reuse of an animation sprite (running man, rotating gear) in many process graphics.
• Reuse of a state diagram (pump green/amber/red) where the master picture changes its state based on a tag value and every instance follows.

Procedure

1. Author the master picture in Graphics Designer. Save it under <Project>\GraCS\ with a descriptive file name, for example Pump_State.pdl.
2. Drop a Graphic Display Smart Object into every process picture that needs the icon.
3. In the configuration dialog of the Graphic Display, set Picture name to Pump_State.pdl. The instance stores only the reference, not the picture data.
4. To update the icon, edit Pump_State.pdl directly. The change is visible on next picture open or next runtime activation. No recompile or download is required for the picture data itself; only when you add new pictures to the picture tree navigation.

Step-by-Step: Implementing the Import/Export Wizard End-to-End

The following procedure is the canonical path for engineers who need to push a global change through a 200-picture project without opening every file by hand.

1. Pre-flight. Close Graphics Designer. Make a full backup of the project directory (copy the entire project folder: GraCS, Library, and the project database). Confirm the WinCC project is not in runtime.
2. Install the wizard scripts. Copy the three DWD files into Wscripts.enu. Launch the Dynamic Wizard Editor and compile each DWD with Create DWD.
3. Prepare the master picture. Open the library picture that contains the symbol or object family you want to propagate. Apply all visual changes to this picture and save.
4. Export. Open the master picture in Graphics Designer. From the Dynamic Wizard toolbar, run Export Picture Objects. In the control file dialog, choose the property columns to export: ObjectName, Left, Top, Width, Height, BackColor, FontName, TagName, and any animation/event columns relevant to the change.
5. Edit the control file. Open the resulting .txt or .csv file in Excel. Apply the desired change (for example, replace a background color RGB value, or replace a tag prefix). Save the file in the same encoding (typically ANSI/Windows-1252 for WinCC V7).
6. Dry-run with one picture. Select one target picture in the WinCC project tree, run Import Picture Objects against the edited control file, and verify the result. If WinCC reports unmatched objects, refine the matching keys in the control file.
7. Bulk import. Select all remaining target pictures, run Import Picture Objects, and monitor the log. Each successfully matched object produces a log line; unmatched objects are reported by name.
8. Verify with cross-reference. Use WinCC Explorer → Tools → Cross Reference to confirm the new tag connections and property values. Resolve any "reference broken" warnings before continuing.
9. Compile and download. Open the OS Project Editor (or, in PCS 7, the OS Compile OS dialog), trigger a full OS compile, and download the runtime to the operator station.
10. Commissioning sign-off. Open the affected pictures on the runtime station, verify the visual change, and sign off the change ticket.

Platform Variants: PCS 7, Standalone, TIA Portal, WinCC Unified

The Import/Export wizard is shipped as a standard component of PCS 7. Engineers using plain WinCC (without PCS 7) typically source the three DWD files from a PCS 7 installation, copy them into the standalone WinCC scripts directory, and recompile with the Dynamic Wizard Editor. The compiled wizards behave identically because they operate on the same GraCS folder and the same .PDL format.

Practically, if your project is large enough to need a global update mechanism, the engineering cost of sourcing the DWD files is negligible compared with the time saved. For new projects where global symbols are a hard requirement, TIA Portal WinCC Professional (Master Copies) or WinCC Unified (faceplates) is the recommended path. The TIA Portal master-copy model is documented under the WinCC Professional master copies entry on Siemens Support, and the WinCC Unified faceplate model is covered by the WinCC Unified faceplate documentation.

Verification Checklist and Troubleshooting Matrix

Verification Checklist

1. Open the WinCC project in Graphics Designer and verify the master picture visually.
2. Use Cross Reference to list every picture that contains a matching object name. The count must equal the expected number of instances.
3. Check the WinCC diagnostic output for PDL: ObjectName not found warnings — these indicate objects that failed the import step.
4. Open three representative pictures manually and verify the change visually.
5. Compile OS and download to the runtime station.
6. Open the affected pictures on the runtime station and confirm the change is live.
7. Run a backup of the updated project directory and tag the backup with the change ticket number.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Limitations and Edge Cases

• Runtime determinism. Because WinCC embeds object data in the destination .PDL, a picture opened at runtime does not automatically pick up a library change made after the picture was last saved. A full OS compile and runtime download is required.
• Multi-language projects. The Import/Export control file is encoded in the WinCC project language. Mixed-language projects require separate export/import runs for each language.
• Version control. The binary .PDL format does not diff or merge cleanly in Git or Subversion. Use a project-level backup with a version tag, or maintain a side-by-side GraCs archive for each released revision.
• Cross-project reuse. Customised objects stored in the Global Library are referenced by file path. Moving a project to a different machine without copying the global library breaks the reference.
• Performance. Bulk-importing into hundreds of pictures can take several minutes. Run during a maintenance window, not during active operation.
• Security and authorisation. The Dynamic Wizard Import/Export modifies .PDL files directly. Restrict access to the DWD files and the control files to authorised engineering accounts to prevent unauthorised picture changes.
• Audit trail. The wizard logs the import run to the WinCC diagnostic file (WinCC_Sys_<Date>.log). Retain these logs with the change ticket for audit compliance (relevant to ISA-99/IEC 62443 and 21 CFR Part 11 environments).

FAQ