ST Editor — Structured Text
The Structured Text editor is the textual heart of KVPAC IDE. A high-level, Pascal-inspired language for algorithms that are awkward to draw: calculations, string handling, arrays, and state logic.
Editor Capabilities
- Syntax highlighting — keywords, types, and comments colour-coded per IEC 61131-3
- Code completion — context-aware suggestions for variables, functions, and function blocks
- Error as you type — the compiler-grade checker runs on every keystroke
- Statements — IF/ELSIF/ELSE, CASE, FOR, WHILE, REPEAT, and EXIT per the standard
- Data types — BOOL, INT, REAL, TIME, STRING, arrays, structures, and enumerations
AI/MCP Assistance in ST
- Generate an ST function block from a natural-language description
- Explain or document existing ST code on request
- Automated test case generation for your ST logic before hardware tests
Simulation and Debugging
- Breakpoints, single-step, and watch windows on ST variables
- Call-stack view for nested function block calls
- Simulation mode runs ST logic without connected hardware
Who Uses ST
Process engineers and software developers porting calculation-heavy logic, recipes, and communication handlers from high-level languages into the controller.