updateAtributesByName: Troubleshooting RobotWare 7.7.1

Erik Lindqvist2 min read
ABBRoboticsTroubleshooting
Licensed PE Working through this on a live machine? A Maine-licensed engineer can take it from here — included with IMD hardware, by the hour for everything else. Book an engineer

Observed Version Behavior

The available test evidence points to a real-controller regression or controller-specific restriction in RWS.CFG.updateAtributesByName. The same test updates every attribute on RobotWare 7.6, but it updates nothing on real robots running RobotWare 7.7.1 or 7.8. This evidence does not establish behavior for every release after 7.7.1.

Runtime RobotWare Result Attribute state
Real robot 7.6 UpdateEIO done All attributes set
Real robot 7.7.1 Could not update attributes. >>> Failed to update attributes failed Nothing set
Real robot 7.8 Could not update attributes. >>> Failed to update attributes failed Nothing set
Simulator All tested versions UpdateEIO done All attributes set

Reproduce and Isolate the Failure

Use the same application, generated signal, and requested attribute values across each runtime so that controller type and RobotWare version remain the only changing conditions.

  1. Generate the signal TestDI on the real robot.
  2. Run the short test application based on the OmniCore App SDK 1.1 example and call RWS.CFG.updateAtributesByName.
  3. Record the returned message and read back every target attribute; a successful message alone is not sufficient verification.
  4. Repeat on RobotWare 7.6 and on either 7.7.1 or 7.8 using the same inputs, then repeat in the simulator.

If 7.6 succeeds while 7.7.1 or 7.8 fails only on the real controller, the comparison isolates the symptom to the RobotWare/controller-runtime combination. Simulator success does not prove that the operation will succeed on a real robot.

Diagnosis and Escalation

The evidence does not identify a configuration correction, permission change, supported workaround, or confirmed root cause. Do not classify the application logic as defective solely from this result because the identical test succeeds on RobotWare 7.6 and in the simulator.

Treat the behavior as a suspected ABB product bug and report it through an official ABB contact center. Supply the controller type, RobotWare version, minimal test application, TestDI configuration, requested attributes, complete failure text, and the 7.6-versus-7.7.1-or-7.8 comparison. Ask ABB to confirm whether the behavior is a regression, an intentional restriction, or a requirement not represented in the available evidence.

FAQ

Does updateAtributesByName fail on every RobotWare release after 7.7.1?

The evidence confirms failure only on real robots running RobotWare 7.7.1 and 7.8. It does not establish results for later releases.

Why does updateAtributesByName work in the simulator but fail on the real robot?

The evidence shows a runtime-dependent difference but does not establish its cause. Reproduce with identical inputs and include the simulator-versus-controller result in the ABB bug report.

How do I verify that the EIO attributes were updated?

Read back every requested attribute after the call. In the documented test, UpdateEIO done corresponded to all attributes being set, while the failure message on RobotWare 7.7.1 and 7.8 corresponded to nothing being set.

Back to blog