Task Editor

The Task Editor is the primary interface for creating, configuring, and managing tasks in the Autonomy Edge IDE. It lives inside the Resource Editor and provides both a table-based view for quick edits and a text-based view for direct code entry.

Opening the Resource Editor

To access the Task Editor, open the Resource node in the Project Explorer tree. The Resource Editor opens as a tab and is divided into three sections, top to bottom:

1. Global Variables: Variables accessible across all POUs.
2. Tasks: The Task Editor, covered on this page.
3. Instances: The Instances Editor, where you assign programs to tasks.

Task Editor Layout

The Task Editor section has a header bar with:

• A label showing "Tasks" (in table view) or "Text editor" (in code view).
• Action buttons for manipulating rows (visible only in table view).
• View toggle icons on the right to switch between table and code views.

Table View

The table view is the default and most intuitive way to manage tasks. It displays a four-column table:

Each cell is editable. Click on any cell to modify its value directly. The Name and Priority columns accept free text input, while Triggering provides a dropdown selector.

Code View

Click the code icon (to the right of the table icon) to switch to a text-based editor. The code view uses a Monaco editor and displays the complete resource configuration. Both tasks and instances. In a textual format:

code
TASK Task0(INTERVAL := T#20ms, PRIORITY := 0);
TASK Task1(INTERVAL := T#100ms, PRIORITY := 5);
PROGRAM instance0 WITH Task0 : MainProgram;
PROGRAM instance1 WITH Task1 : MonitorProgram;

When you switch from code view back to table view, the IDE parses the text and applies changes. If there's a syntax error, you'll see an error message and the switch is prevented until the code is corrected.

Tip: The code view shows both tasks and instances in a single text block. Editing in code view modifies both the Tasks table and the Instances table simultaneously.

Creating Tasks

Using the Add Button

1. In table view, click the + (plus) button in the header.
2. A new task row is inserted:
   • If a row is selected, the new task is inserted below it and copies the selected task's configuration.
   • If no row is selected, a new task with default values is appended at the end.
3. Defaults for a new task:
   • Name: Task0
   • Triggering: Cyclic
   • Interval: T#20ms
   • Priority: 0
4. Edit the name and other fields as needed.

Using Code View

Switch to code view and type a new TASK line:

code
TASK MyFastTask(INTERVAL := T#5ms, PRIORITY := 0);

Switch back to table view to see the task appear in the table.

Editing Tasks

Changing the Name

Click the Name cell and type a new name. Task names must be valid IEC 61131-3 identifiers: start with a letter or underscore, followed by letters, digits, or underscores. Names must be unique within the resource.

Changing the Triggering Mode

Click the Triggering cell to open a dropdown with two options:

• Cyclic: The task runs repeatedly at the interval specified.
• Interrupt: The task runs in response to an external event.

For most applications, use Cyclic. See Understanding Tasks for a detailed explanation of both modes.

Setting the Interval

Click the Interval cell and type a time literal:

code
T#20ms     (* 20 milliseconds. Standard for discrete control *)
T#100ms    (* 100 milliseconds. Process control *)
T#1s       (* 1 second. Slow monitoring *)

The interval field accepts any valid IEC 61131-3 TIME literal. See the interval format table for the full syntax.

Setting the Priority

Click the Priority cell and enter a number between 0 and 100:

• 0 = highest priority
• 100 = lowest priority

For single-task projects, priority doesn't matter. Just use 0.

Reordering Tasks

Use the up arrow and down arrow buttons in the header to move the selected task row up or down. Task order can matter when multiple tasks share the same interval. The runtime processes them in the order defined.

To reorder:

1. Click a task row to select it (it becomes highlighted).
2. Click the up or down arrow button.
3. The row moves one position in the corresponding direction.

Deleting Tasks

1. Click a task row to select it.
2. Click the − (minus) button in the header.
3. The task is immediately removed.

Tip: Deleting a task does not automatically remove instances that reference it. Clean up the Instances table after deleting a task to avoid orphan references.

Undo and Redo

Every action in the Task Editor. Creating, editing, deleting, reordering. Is tracked in the project's undo history:

This works in both table view and code view.

Common Task Configurations

Single-Task Project (Most Common)

For straightforward applications, one task is enough:

Then create a single instance that assigns your main program to Task0. This is the default setup.

Dual-Rate Configuration

For projects that need both fast control and slower monitoring:

Assign time-critical programs to FastControl and monitoring programs to SlowMonitor.

Safety-Critical Configuration

Separate safety logic from normal operations:

Higher priority (lower number) ensures safety logic always runs first.

Troubleshooting

"Syntax error" when switching from code view to table view

The text in the code editor doesn't parse correctly. Common causes:

• Missing semicolons at the end of lines.
• Invalid time literal format (use T# prefix, e.g., T#20ms not 20ms).
• Missing the INTERVAL := or PRIORITY := syntax.

Fix the code and try switching again.

Tasks not executing at the expected rate

• Check that the Interval value is correct. T#20ms is 20 milliseconds, not 20 seconds.
• Ensure the program logic fits within the cycle time. If your program takes 30ms to execute but the interval is 20ms, cycles will overrun.

Duplicate task names

Each task must have a unique name. The IDE will reject duplicate names with an error message.

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What's Next?

Now that you can create and configure tasks, learn how to assign programs to them: Instance Management.