Troubleshooting Powerrate V3 Faceplates Not Opening in WinCC v7.0

SIMATIC powerrate is a Siemens energy-management add-on that sits on top of WinCC and optionally PCS 7. The V3 generation introduces the PR3_SUM, PR3_DEV, and PR3_MEA block icons that open dedicated faceplates in the runtime picture. When the faceplate window does not appear after clicking the block icon, the fault is almost always in the picture-tree wiring, the OS Project Editor settings, the WinCC RT license, or the global script that registers the faceplate type. This reference walks through the diagnostic path, the corrective actions, and the migration considerations to powerrate V4.0 SP3.

1. Problem Description

The reported symptom from the field:

• The picture containing the PR3_SUM block icon is compiled and loaded into WinCC Runtime.
• Clicking the block icon in Runtime produces no visible faceplate window.
• No error message is shown in the standard WinCC diagnostic toolbar.
• The user has placed the picture under a container in the Picture Tree Manager and configured the container in the OS Project Editor, but Runtime does not open the faceplate.

This symptom is independent of the underlying S7/PCS 7 AS connection; the faceplate popup is handled entirely inside WinCC, so the issue is local to the WinCC project and the powerrate add-on installation.

2. Root Cause Matrix

Faceplate popups in powerrate V3 are driven by the C-script action bound to the block-icon mouse event. The action calls a OpenFaceplate function that requires several project conditions to be true simultaneously. The matrix below maps the most common field-observed root causes to their discriminating symptoms.

3. Architecture Recap: How a Powerrate V3 Faceplate Opens

Understanding the data flow makes the diagnostic fast. The chain of events when an operator clicks the PR3_SUM block icon is:

1. Operator click on the block icon triggers a mouse-event C-action.
2. The C-action reads the connection point of the block icon (its Tag prefix + instance name).
3. The script calls PR_OpenFaceplate(ConnectionPoint, ViewName) — an exported function in powerrate300.dll.
4. The DLL instantiates a faceplate window in the configured picture window layer.
5. Internal tags with the prefix PR3_<connection>_... are read into the faceplate.

Any break in steps 1–4 stops the faceplate from appearing. Step 5 failures show an empty faceplate rather than no faceplate, which is a different troubleshooting path.

4. Prerequisites

Before any diagnostic, confirm the following on the WinCC engineering station and the WinCC Runtime PC:

• WinCC V7.0 with the latest available update (V7.0 SP3, update 4 or later is the practical baseline).
• SIMATIC powerrate V3.0 SP1 or V3.0 installed with the ES and RT components selected during setup.
• Local administrator rights for the diagnostic steps that touch C:\Program Files (x86)\SIEMENS\WINCC.
• The powerrate project example has been opened at least once so that the default faceplate types are registered in the Graphics Designer library.
• WinCC RT license either present (for the current PC) or, for offline-only tests, the project in simulation mode using the internal WinCC tag simulator.

5. Step-by-Step Diagnostic Procedure

5.1 Confirm the faceplate type exists in the Graphics Designer library

1. Open WinCC Explorer and start Graphics Designer.
2. Open the picture that contains the PR3_SUM block icon.
3. From the menu, choose View > Library (or press F8).
4. Expand the powerrate V3.0 tab. The expected faceplate types are:
   • PR3_SUM.fpt
   • PR3_SUM_Total.fpt
   • PR3_DEV.fpt
   • PR3_MEA.fpt
5. If these are missing, the powerrate V3 add-on was not installed into the Graphics Designer library. Re-run setup.exe from the powerrate V3 DVD/ISO and select Modify, then ensure the ES component is ticked.

5.2 Verify the Picture Tree Manager assignment

1. In WinCC Explorer, double-click Picture Tree Manager.
2. Locate the hierarchy node that should host the picture (commonly under a higher-level area node such as Plant or Unit).
3. Right-click the node and confirm that the picture is set as a start picture or referenced as a child picture.
4. If the picture is only placed at the root level (top of the tree), it can be opened directly with the WinCC picture-name navigation but not necessarily via the standard process tag area, which is the path the powerrate faceplate uses.

5.3 Verify the OS Project Editor configuration

1. In WinCC Explorer, open OS Project Editor.
2. Switch to the Pictures tab.
3. Confirm that the picture containing the PR3_SUM block icon is listed and enabled in the Compile OS sequence.
4. Apply changes, click Generate, and wait for the build to complete without error.

5.4 Verify the WinCC Runtime license

1. Open WinCC Explorer on the Runtime PC.
2. From the menu, choose Tools > License.
3. Look for one of the following license identifiers, depending on the installed edition:
   • ASIA_PWR_300 / EU_PWR_300 for V3 RT
   • Or, after migration, ASIA_PWR_400 / EU_PWR_400
4. If the entry is shown in red, the license is missing, expired, or transferred to another PC.
5. For offline diagnosis you can run the project in simulation using the internal tag simulator (RT > Simulation) to bypass the AS, but you still need the powerrate license to instantiate the faceplate.

5.5 Verify the block icon connection point

1. In Graphics Designer, double-click the PR3_SUM block icon.
2. In the configuration dialog, switch to the Connection tab.
3. Verify the tag prefix. For powerrate V3 it must be PR3_ — not PR_ (V2) and not blank.
4. Verify that the picture window assigned to the faceplate is the same picture window in which the block icon lives, or a dedicated faceplate window configured at the top of the picture.

6. PowerScript / C-Script Behavior Behind the Block Icon

The standard mouse-event C-action that powerrate V3 attaches to a PR3_SUM block icon is roughly equivalent to the snippet below. The snippet is shown for diagnostic purposes — it is the source of the call, not something the user edits directly.

// Excerpt of the C-action attached to the PR3_SUM block icon mouse event
// in powerrate V3.0
#include "apdefap.h"

void OnClick(char* lpszPictureName, char* lpszObjectName)
{
    char szCp[256];
    char szView[64] = "Standard";
    DWORD dwFlags   = 0;

    // Read the connection point configured on the block icon
    sprintf_s(szCp, sizeof(szCp), "%s", GetPropChar(lpszPictureName,
                                                    lpszObjectName,
                                                    "ConnectionPoint"));
    // PR_OpenFaceplate is exported by powerrate300.dll
    PR_OpenFaceplate(szCp, szView, dwFlags);
}

Three things can make the function return without opening a faceplate:

• Empty ConnectionPoint — the block icon was inserted but never connected to a process tag (Section 5.5).
• powerrate300.dll not registered — the C-script runtime cannot find the export (Section 5.6).
• Picture Tree Manager not finding the faceplate picture — the DLL is loaded but cannot resolve the picture to instantiate (Section 5.2 / 5.3).

7. Advanced Debugging with apdiag.exe

WinCC ships a small but powerful diagnostic tool, apdiag.exe, that exposes what the runtime is doing when a faceplate action fires. It is the fastest way to determine which of the three conditions above is the cause.

1. On the Runtime PC, browse to C:\Program Files (x86)\SIEMENS\WINCC\uTools (or the matching Program Files path on 32-bit installations).
2. Right-click apdiag.exe and choose Run as administrator.
3. The AP Diagnosis window opens. From the menu, enable all of the following channels:
   • Configuration
   • Connection
   • Action
   • Tag
   • Fatal
4. Switch back to the WinCC Runtime and click the PR3_SUM block icon.
5. Return to apdiag.exe and read the most recent entries.

7.1 Interpreting the apdiag output

When the apdiag.exe window stays empty after the click, the C-action itself is not firing. This is almost always a compile-state mismatch: the picture was edited in Graphics Designer and saved, but the runtime was not reloaded. Stop the WinCC Runtime, click File > Activate in the WinCC Explorer, and try again.

8. Common Configuration Pitfalls and Corrections

8.1 Picture inserted but not compiled into the OS

The OS Project Editor builds the picture tree and the area hierarchy that faceplate lookups use at runtime. Pictures that exist on disk but are not listed in the OS Project Editor will not be reachable through the standard faceplate path. Always re-run Compile OS after adding new pictures.

8.2 Block icon used outside a process tag area

The PR3_SUM block icon assumes it is hosted inside a process tag area. A picture opened as a free-floating screen (for example, a maintenance screen opened via direct URL) can render the block icon, but the C-action that calls PR_OpenFaceplate cannot resolve the area path and silently returns. Move the picture under the appropriate hierarchy node, or use the OpenPicture function with the correct area argument.

8.3 Mixing powerrate V2 and V3 block icons

A V2 PR_SUM block icon in the same picture does not break a V3 faceplate directly, but it can confuse the area path resolution. Keep V2 and V3 block icons in separate pictures during the migration window.

8.4 Runtime PC is x64 but powerrate V3 is 32-bit

powerrate V3 is a 32-bit WinCC add-on. On 64-bit Windows installations, the DLLs live under C:\Program Files (x86)\SIEMENS\WINCC\bin. If a 32-bit/64-bit mismatch occurs, the C-action will fail to resolve the export. Run apdiag.exe from the matching uTools folder (32-bit).

9. Migrating to powerrate V4.0 SP3

Because powerrate V3.0 is out of support, projects still on V3 should be migrated to V4.0 SP3 (or the V5 line, depending on the WinCC version). The major visible changes for the engineer are:

The migration is supported by a project converter shipped with V4.0 SP3, but you must re-bind the block icons to the V4 tag prefix and re-run the OS Project Editor.

For projects in the newer TIA Portal / WinCC Professional line, faceplate behavior is now controlled by the unified faceplate-type model. See Siemens TIA Portal: Basics on working with designs (RT Professional) for the modern faceplate workflow.

10. Verification Checklist

After applying the corrective actions, run through the following verification sequence:

1. Compile the project from the OS Project Editor. The build must complete without error or warning related to picture resolution.
2. Activate WinCC Runtime on the test RT PC.
3. Open the picture that contains the PR3_SUM block icon via the standard process tag area navigation.
4. Click the block icon. The faceplate must open in the configured picture window layer.
5. Use the drop-down at the top of the faceplate to switch between Standard, Messages, Trend, and Parameter views. All views must populate.
6. Open apdiag.exe and confirm no error entries are generated during the click.
7. Check License status in WinCC Explorer. No entries should be red.
8. Click a second, different PR3_SUM instance. Each instance must open its own faceplate with its own connection point.
9. Close the faceplate using the X button. No apdiag error entries should remain.

11. Field-Proven Tips

• Keep a screenshot of the apdiag window before the click and a second screenshot after the click. The diff is the most reliable record of what the runtime is doing.
• When in doubt, use the Restart WinCC Runtime option rather than killing the process tree. Powerrate caches some picture-tree data; a clean restart re-initializes it.
• For multi-client systems, verify the problem on the server first. A faceplate that opens on the server but not on a client often points to a missing client-side license or a Client-Server project directory mismatch.
• For PCS 7 environments, run the Compile OS with the Including picture tree option ticked. Otherwise the picture tree is not regenerated.

12. Quick Reference: File Locations