Siemens MP277 HMI Fix 'No More Screens Available' in TIA Portal

Problem Summary

A SIMATIC Panel MP277 Touch 8" project configured in TIA Portal V13 displays only the screen marked as the Start Screen at runtime, and every screen change attempt produces the runtime message "Can't move back. No more screens saved". The project contains two or more screens, navigation buttons have been drawn on each screen, and the application has been compiled and downloaded without errors — yet the runtime cannot reach a second screen.

This behavior is reported most often when:

• The navigation control is a System Button instead of a regular Button.
• The screen change action is wired to the wrong event or to an event the runtime does not execute (for example, Change on a touch panel that fires only on mouse-over equivalent).
• The project is being tested with the RT (Runtime) simulator instead of a real panel download, and the simulator's stack has been cleared.
• The Start Screen property on the second/third screen has been toggled off while still depending on it for navigation return.

Confirmed fix path: replace the System Button with a standard Button, configure the Press event with the ActivateScreen system function (or ActivatePreviousScreen), and re-compile / re-download.

Affected Hardware and Software

Refer to the official SIMATIC HMI Panels MP 277 operating instructions and the SIMATIC WinCC (TIA Portal) V13 SP1 release notes / readme for compatibility tables. The 270 series was migrated into TIA Portal V13 SP1 with WinCC Comfort/Advanced; MP 277 devices are listed as supported targets.

Root Cause Analysis

The "No more screens saved" message is generated by the WinCC runtime when the navigation history stack is empty. The runtime only pushes an entry onto the history when:

1. The screen change is triggered by a function that the runtime recognizes as a navigation event, and
2. The originating element is configured to Set (i.e. execute) that function on a real user event such as Press.

Three distinct causes have been observed on MP 277 with TIA Portal V13:

Cause 1 — System Button used in place of a normal Button

When the user drags a System Button onto the screen from the Toolbox → Buttons and Switches → System Buttons palette and selects the template "Navigate to screen…" or "Navigate back", the inserted object is, in TIA Portal V13, a graphic frame with an embedded configuration, not a programmable button. The Events tab on this object is locked to the template behavior; the user cannot attach the ActivateScreen or ActivatePreviousScreen system function to its Press event in the usual Properties → Events dialog.

At runtime, a System Button with a navigation template fires the navigation event only if the runtime successfully resolves the template to a target screen. When the template's target is empty (e.g. the user picked a placeholder template, or the screen number is parameterized but unbound), the runtime performs the navigation but does not push the previous screen onto the history stack. The first ActivatePreviousScreen on the new screen then immediately fails with the message in question.

Cause 2 — Function attached to the wrong event

On a Touch panel the events Click and Press are not equivalent. The Press event is generated when the finger touches the surface; Release when the finger lifts; Click combines them. If the navigation function is wired to Change (legacy alias in some TIA Portal V13 templates), the function fires on a property change and the history is not updated, producing the same symptom.

Cause 3 — Runtime history cleared

The runtime history is cleared on:

• Cold restart of the panel.
• Project download that modifies the screen structure.
• Calling StopRuntime / StartRuntime explicitly.
• Calling the system function ClearScreenHistory.

If the user calls ActivatePreviousScreen as the very first navigation event after one of the above, the stack is empty and the error is shown.

Differentiating System Button vs. Normal Button in TIA Portal V13

Solution: Step-by-Step Procedure

Prerequisites

• TIA Portal V13 (Update 6 or V13 SP1) installed.
• WinCC Comfort or WinCC Advanced licensed.
• The MP277 project open in the project tree.
• The target panel reachable via Ethernet / PROFINET / MPI / USB, or the RT simulator started locally.

Step 1 — Delete the System Button

1. Open the screen (e.g. Screen_1) in the WinCC editor.
2. Click the System Button once. The status bar at the bottom shows Selected: System Button.
3. Press Del or right-click → Delete.

Step 2 — Insert a Normal Button

1. In the Toolbox pane, expand Controls → Buttons and Switches.
2. Drag the Button control onto the screen.
3. Resize and position as required.

Step 3 — Configure the Text

1. Select the button.
2. In Properties → General → Text, set the static label, for example Go to Screen 2.

Step 4 — Assign the System Function to the Press Event

1. With the button still selected, open Properties → Events.
2. Click on Press. The function list opens on the right.
3. Click the Add row. Choose the function group Screen, then the function ActivateScreen.
4. In the Screen name parameter field, click the dropdown and select the target screen (e.g. Screen_2). The value is stored as a symbolic name; the compiler later resolves it to the runtime screen number.

For the back navigation, repeat Steps 1–4 on the second screen but assign ActivatePreviousScreen instead:

1. Events → Press → Add → Screen → ActivatePreviousScreen.
2. Leave the parameter list empty (the function takes no parameters).

Step 5 — Verify the Start Screen Property

1. In the project tree, right-click the HMI device → Properties → Screens.
2. Confirm that exactly one screen is flagged as Start Screen. Multiple start screens are not allowed and will produce a compile error in the Compile log.
3. Confirm the Screen number field of the start screen is unique and matches the order in the project tree.

Step 6 — Compile and Download

1. Right-click the HMI device → Compile → Software (rebuild all).
2. Resolve any warnings or errors in the Info pane, especially Event configuration incomplete.
3. Right-click the HMI device → Download to device → Software (all).
4. For the simulator: click Start Runtime in the toolbar of the HMI editor. The simulator opens the Start Screen first.

Verification

1. Runtime starts on the configured Start Screen.
2. Tap the configured button. The second screen must appear without a "No more screens saved" dialog.
3. Tap the Back button on the second screen. The first screen reappears.
4. Repeat several times to confirm the navigation history is maintained.
5. Open the Diagnostics view (Ctrl+Shift+D) on the panel (Service / Commissioning menu) to confirm no pending alarms from the Screen system function group.

Screen Change Functions Reference

Project Tree Configuration Tips for MP 277

Recommended screen layout

• Screen_1 (Start Screen): main overview.
• Screen_2..n: detail or process screens. Each contains a Button with ActivatePreviousScreen on Press.
• One global Home button on every screen with ActivateStartScreen to clear history on demand.

Screen number vs. name

MP 277 with TIA Portal V13 supports symbolic screen names in the ActivateScreen parameter. Internally, WinCC assigns an integer screen number during compile. The number is shown in the project tree under the screen's Properties → Number. The screen number is preserved across downloads if the screen order is not changed. Renaming a screen does not change its number, but deleting and re-creating it may do so.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Common TIA Portal V13 Log Entries for This Issue

• 2300:155 — "Event 'Press' on object '' has no function configured". Indicates the function row was deleted accidentally.
• 2300:502 — "Screen '' is referenced but does not exist". Indicates a stale symbolic name after deletion of a screen.
• 1301:301 — "No more screens saved" (runtime message). Same root cause as described above.

Consult the SIMATIC HMI Panels MP 277 operating instructions for the full message catalog.

Migration Notes from WinCC flexible 2008 to TIA Portal V13

Projects created in WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 and migrated to TIA Portal V13 via Project → Migrate project carry their button configurations forward. However, a known migration behavior is that any control previously inserted as a "Screen Button" in WinCC flexible is converted to a System Button in TIA Portal V13, and the system function attached to its Press event is removed during conversion. The visual representation looks correct, but the Events tab is empty.

Remediation after migration:

1. Open each screen.
2. Right-click every System Button → Replace with → Button.
3. Re-attach the navigation function on Press (or Click) as described in Step 4 above.
4. Recompile and re-download.

Best Practices to Avoid This Issue

• Never use System Buttons for screen navigation; reserve them for static, unconfigurable decorations.
• Use Press for touch-driven actions; reserve Release / Click for long-press style operations.
• Tag your project with the panel image version and TIA Portal version to detect environmental drift quickly.
• Adopt a naming convention for screens (e.g. SC_01_Overview, SC_02_Detail) and a corresponding tag prefix for the navigation history audit log.
• Add a Home button on every screen so operators can always reach a known state.

Field-Commissioning Checklist

1. Confirm panel image version matches the project target (Target system in TIA → Device configuration → General).
2. Confirm transfer channel (Ethernet/PROFINET/MPI/USB) and that the panel IP is reachable.
3. Compile the project and review the Info > Compile window for the codes listed above.
4. Download; the panel will display the Start Screen within ~10 s on MP 277 8".
5. Tap each navigation button. The expected behavior: forward navigation opens the target screen; the back button returns to the previous one. Any deviation indicates a misconfigured event.
6. Power-cycle the panel and repeat the test to confirm the Start Screen is the first screen shown after a cold start.
7. Document the screen numbers and navigation map in the project folder for future maintenance.

FAQ