KTP1200 Comfort Numeric Keypad: TIA Portal V13 Setup Guide

Problem Overview

Engineers deploying Siemens KTP1200 Comfort HMIs frequently hit a screen-keyboard problem during commissioning: when the operator taps an integer or float input on the panel, the numeric (num pad) layout does not appear. Instead the panel pops up the full alphanumeric keyboard, forcing the operator to hunt for digits and slowing every setpoint entry. In some plants the pad only opens in one runtime language and degrades to letters in another. The issue has nothing to do with hardware failure — it is almost always an engineering or translation artefact in TIA Portal V13.

This reference documents the actual root causes observed in V13 and V13 SP1 projects, explains why copy-pasted WinCC PC Runtime command lines such as TouchInputPC.exe -NumPadOn cannot work on a Windows Embedded Compact 7 panel, and provides the field-tested procedure to force a true numeric on-screen keyboard on every numeric I/O field.

KTP1200 Comfort Hardware and Operating-System Context

The KTP1200 Comfort is a 12.1-inch widescreen HMI with combined key/touch operation, used as a mid-tier operator panel between the smaller KTP400 / KTP700 and the larger TP1500 / TP2200 Comfort. Two MLFBs dominate the installed base:

Both panels run Windows Embedded Compact 7 (WinCE 7), not Windows desktop. This single fact is the source of most confusion in the Siemens support threads: file-system paths, executable names, and VBScript APIs that work on a WinCC Runtime PC do not exist on the panel.

Why TouchInputPC.exe -NumPadOn Fails on the Panel

Searching "KTP1200 numpad" on Siemens support surfaces a workaround originally written for WinCC Runtime PC:

On a Comfort panel this command fails in one of two ways:

• Runtime error — Object doesn't support this property or method. The function ProgramExecute is not exported in the WinCC CE VBScript host. The equivalent on CE is StartProgram, which exists but refuses to launch arbitrary executables outside the signed image.
• Path not found / File not found. There is no C:\Program Files directory on Windows Embedded Compact 7. The visible root of a Comfort panel contains only \Windows, \Flash, \Storage Card (when an SD card is fitted), and a handful of system folders (Recycled, Documents and Settings, etc.).

Even if the path existed, the panel could not run an unsigned Win32 PE binary — the image is locked, signed by Siemens, and stripped of cmd.exe, explorer.exe, and the Win32 console subsystem. Any solution involving TouchInputPC.exe applies only to PC-based Runtime (RT Advanced on a Windows host) and must be discarded for the Comfort family. The same restriction applies to TP700 / TP900 / TP1200 / TP1500 / TP1900 / TP2200 Comfort and to the KP / KTP400 Basic lines that run CE 6.0.

Native Screen-Keyboard Activation on KTP1200 Comfort

WinCC Comfort / Advanced includes an integrated on-screen keyboard that pops up automatically when an input field receives focus. The keyboard layout is selected per I/O field, not via a global script, and not via an external executable.

Step-by-step: Force the Numeric Layout on a Single I/O Field

1. In the TIA Portal project tree, open the screen that contains the tag input.
2. Select the I/O field bound to the integer / float tag.
3. In the Properties pane go to Properties > Properties > Appearance.
4. Set Display of the screen keyboard to Always if the operator must see a permanent keypad, or leave at the default When input focus is acquired for focus-triggered behaviour.
5. Under Layout, change the value from Automatic to Numeric.
6. Recompile and download to the panel.

With Layout = Numeric, the on-screen keyboard renders only digits, the configured decimal separator, the sign, and backspace — even if the bound tag is a STRING. This is the canonical Siemens-supported solution and requires no VBScript at all.

Step-by-step: Force Numeric Layout Globally via Template

When a project has hundreds of I/O fields, editing each one is impractical. Apply the change once in the template:

1. Open the Global Screen (or the project's root screen template under "Screens > Templates").
2. Configure the default I/O-field properties: Layout = Numeric, Display of screen keyboard = Always.
3. Use the template for every new screen, or copy an existing numeric I/O field, right-click and choose Create screen object from selection (reuse).

To change existing fields en masse, use the project editor's Find and Replace tool across all screens and set the Layout attribute for all I/O fields of a given tag type.

Configuring Numeric vs Alphanumeric Keyboard Layout

The "Layout" property accepts the following values; understanding each prevents most support calls:

Language Mismatch — The Most Common Root Cause

The single most reported failure mode in the Siemens support threads is that the numeric layout appears in some languages but not in the operator's working language. This is not a bug — it is a translation artefact of how TIA Portal stores per-language screen properties.

Why it happens

1. The screen object (I/O field) has a default numeric layout configured for the project's editing language (typically English or German).
2. The operator's runtime language (e.g. French) is missing the translation of that screen object, or the Layout property has not been explicitly set in that language.
3. When the runtime falls back to the missing translation, the panel silently degrades to the alphanumeric pad.

How to fix it

1. Project tree > right pane > Tasks > Languages & Resources > Editing language. Confirm a single editing language (commonly English or German) and confirm that the operator's runtime language is listed as an active language.
2. Open every screen containing a numeric I/O field. Switch the editing language to the operator language (toolbar dropdown). Re-confirm Layout = Numeric on the field. The Layout property is language-specific; an English "Numeric" does not automatically carry over to a French translation.
3. Project tree > Runtime settings > Language & Font: enable every language the panel must support at runtime, and tick Activate language switching so the operator can change language at the panel.
4. Rebuild and download the project.

Using the Customizable Screen Keyboard Library (Entry ID 106226404)

For projects where the native layout is not enough — custom buttons, hex entry, signed-decimal only, passwords, regional decimal separator, etc. — Siemens publishes a free library of pre-engineered on-screen keyboards.

Entry ID 106226404 — Customizable Screen Keyboards for WinCC Comfort / Advanced (TIA Portal)

Requirements

• TIA Portal V13 SP1 or later. V13 without SP1 refuses to open the library project.
• WinCC Comfort / Advanced V13 SP1 or later.
• HMI Runtime version on the panel must match the configured version (re-download the full panel image after an SP upgrade).

What the library contains

• Numeric keypad with comma or period decimal separator (region-aware).
• Signed-decimal keypad with explicit '+/-' button.
• Hex keypad for DWORD process values.
• Alphanumeric keypad for STRING tags.
• Date / time pickers.
• Example screens showing how to call each keyboard from your own I/O field via the ShowKeyBoard function block.

Integration Procedure

1. Download the .zap13 (or .zap14 / .zap15 / .zap16) project from the Siemens support entry. The version you select must match your TIA Portal version exactly.
2. Extract the archive and open the example project in TIA Portal.
3. From the project library, drag the desired keypad faceplate onto your own screen, or copy the screen that already contains the keypad.
4. Wire the keypad to your tag in the faceplate interface: set Tag (the variable to be edited), MinValue, MaxValue, and DecimalPlaces.
5. Compile, download to the panel, and test on every runtime language.

VBScript Alternative (When Native Configuration Cannot Be Used)

When the keypad must change layout dynamically based on a user level, an operator action, or a fault state, drive the panel's built-in keyboard through the WinCC CE VBScript API instead of trying to launch an external EXE:

' Attached to a button "Show NumPad" click event
ShowKeyboard "NUMERIC", HMIRuntime, HMIRuntime.Tags("Setpoint_01")

Full pattern as a reusable VBScript function:

Sub ShowNumPad()
    Dim objTag
    Set objTag = HMIRuntime.Tags("Setpoint_01")
    objTag.Read
    ShowKeyboard "NUMERIC", HMIRuntime, objTag
End Sub

The constants for the second parameter are documented in the WinCC Comfort / Advanced V13 SP1 scripting manual:

ShowKeyboard invokes WinCC CE's internal keyboard handler and bypasses the broken Windows path. It is documented for V13 SP1 and later; ProgramExecute is not.

Decimal Separator and Regional Behaviour

A common follow-on problem is that the decimal key on the numeric pad shows a comma in DE and a period in US — even though the tag is the same. This is driven by the panel's regional setting:

1. On the panel, open Control Panel > Regional Settings.
2. Set the locale to match the operator's nationality (German / German (Germany), English / English (United States), etc.).
3. Alternatively, override per tag in TIA Portal: Tag properties > Display format > Decimal places > Decimal separator. Choose . (point) or , (comma) independently of the panel's locale.

Verification Steps

1. After download, on the panel tap the I/O field — confirm a numeric pad (digits + decimal only) opens.
2. Switch the runtime language at the panel using the language switch button; confirm the numeric pad still appears in every active language.
3. Enter a value, press Enter, confirm the PLC tag updates via an HMI tag watch in TIA Portal (online > HMI tags > right-click > Monitoring).
4. Toggle to alphanumeric mode (if your screen exposes a layout switch) and confirm STRING fields still accept letters.
5. Reboot the panel via Control Panel > OP > Reboot. Some keypad caching bugs only surface after a cold boot.
6. Power-cycle the panel (cut 24 VDC for 10 s, restore). Confirm the keypad still works after a cold start — this is the true commissioning test.
7. Verify with the project backup on a second, identically-configured panel if available — keypad issues that show on one image sometimes disappear on another.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Field-Proven Caveats

• Firmware matching: After upgrading TIA Portal to a newer version, the Comfort panel firmware is upgraded during the next download. The panel is unreachable via TIA Portal for 2–5 minutes while the new image is written. Plan a maintenance window.
• Project portability: A V13 project opened in V14 will recompile and warn about the SP level. Confirm the panel image on the device matches the configured Runtime version via Control Panel > OP > Device > Image version.
• Transfer / Backup: The on-screen keyboard layout is part of the compiled project, not the runtime image. A ProSave backup of the panel restores everything except pending alarms; the keypad behaviour is recovered as soon as the project is re-transferred.
• Touch calibration: If the numeric pad opens but the operator must tap a key two or three times before it registers, recalibrate the touch via Control Panel > OP > Touch > Calibrate.
• Performance: Forcing Layout = Numeric on hundreds of I/O fields does not measurably affect runtime performance; the keypad is a single shared object cached by WinCC CE.
• Password fields: On a "Password" I/O field, WinCC CE automatically hides the keypad's previous digits and toggles to alphanumeric mode by default. To force numeric on a numeric password (rare), use the library faceplate.
• Multi-touch: The KTP1200 supports capacitive multi-touch, but the on-screen keyboard processes single taps only. Multi-touch gestures (pinch-zoom) on the keypad are ignored by design.
• Audit trail: If your project writes an audit log of operator entries, configure the I/O field's "Operator input" event and log Before + After to capture the actual entered value, not the focus event.
• Reset to factory: If the keypad behaviour becomes inexplicably wrong, perform a ProSave restore of the panel image from the last known-good backup before re-downloading the project. This resolves image-cache corruption issues that survive ordinary downloads.

FAQ