The Difference

What costs you time – and how we change that

Every PLC project starts with the same problems. The ASKS Framework solves them before you even begin.

✗  Without Framework
  • Weeks of setup overhead

    Data structures and infrastructure are programmed from scratch in every project.

  • Inconsistent implementations

    Every developer solves the same problems differently – creating hidden bugs.

  • Knowledge is person-dependent

    When a developer leaves, the know-how goes with them. Projects become unmaintainable.

  • No scalability

    Extensions mean reworking the entire system.

✓  With ASKS Framework
  • Ready to go immediately

    Import, configure, done. Your team starts working on the machine from day one.

  • Tested, consistent building blocks

    All modules follow a uniform pattern – fewer bugs, better code reviews.

  • Documented knowledge in code

    New developers get up to speed immediately – no lengthy onboarding required.

  • Grows with your requirements

    Add modules as needed – without reworking the foundation.

The Framework

Modules you actually need

Each module solves a specific problem in PLC development – ready-made, tested, and immediately deployable. Currently 1 module is available, with 5 more in development.

● Available Now
Data Manager
All your machine data structured in one place – reliably stored, always available and connected directly to your operator interface. Your team builds features instead of data plumbing.

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What you get
  • All machine data structured in one place
  • Automatically saved and restored
  • Connected seamlessly to the operator interface
  • Grows with your application – groups and values easily extendable
Show technical details
Data Management
  • Load & Save – Load, save, and manipulate datasets via files
  • Synchronization with integrated error handling
  • Value types: Basic, Enum, Time
  • Group hierarchy for structured datasets
  • Dataset extension – missing data is filled with default values
Persistence & Security
  • CSV storage format integrated – JSON, XML, Database on request
  • Value locking
Notifications
  • onChange events – Register values to groups/modules via IDMValueChange
  • Automatic callback on value changes
HMI Integration
  • Language switching – client-specific with substring support
  • Unit conversion
  • Visu Styles for a consistent look and feel
  • Display of unsaved changes
  • Dynamic hiding via values (setAccess / setAccessVal)
  • Partial display of groups
Coming soon
Logger
Always know what the machine is doing. Events and alarms are recorded in a structured way – from on-site diagnostics to central analysis. So you find faults faster and have a complete audit trail.

Demo video coming soon.

What you get
  • Complete traceability of events & alarms
  • Runs in the background – never slows the controller
  • Send output wherever you need it: display, PLC log or central server
  • Sensitive data stays protected
Show technical details
Logging & API
  • Six log levels: TRACE, DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR, FATAL
  • Fluent API with chaining – Trace/Debug/Info/Warn/Err/Fatal
  • Structured messages with {key} placeholders
  • Decoupled, asynchronous writing – never blocks the controller
Outputs (sinks)
  • Multiple outputs at once
  • Console & memory ring buffer (for visualization)
  • CODESYS log
  • Syslog (RFC 5424 over UDP)
Enrichment & filters
  • Decorators: timestamp, machine/host context
  • Redaction of sensitive fields
  • Level & alarm-severity filter per sink
Alarms & diagnostics
  • Alarm logging with severities & codes
  • Diagnostic counters (total / dropped / written)
  • Open interfaces (ISink, IDecorator, IFilter)
Coming soon
Alarm Manager
Alarms and faults under central control. The Alarm Manager captures, groups and manages all messages of your plant clearly – including ready-made operator screens for alarm list, history and banner.

Demo video coming soon.

What you get
  • All alarms clearly grouped (plant → group → alarm)
  • Acknowledge individually or for the entire plant
  • Multilingual alarm texts
  • Ready-made visualizations: alarm list, history & banner
Show technical details
Capture & structure
  • Tree hierarchy: Manager → Groups → Alarms
  • Alarm states as a combinable bit mask (inactive / active / acknowledged)
  • Automatic or manual reset per alarm
  • Continuous, unique alarm indexing
Severity & acknowledgment
  • Severity levels (shared with the Logger)
  • Single and group acknowledgment
  • Aggregated collective state per group – highest pending severity, propagated upwards
Messages & integration
  • Multilingual message texts with {KEY} placeholders
  • Listener interface (IAlarmListener) for visualization & logger
Visualization
  • Ready-made templates: alarm list (actual), history and banner
  • Open source – freely adaptable
In Development
Planned
State Machine
State management per IEC 61131 – clean, traceable, maintainable.
  • Hierarchical state machines
  • Graphical visualization
  • History & Audit Trail
  • Integration with data handling
In Development
IO Handling
Structured I/O management for clean hardware abstraction.
  • Unified IO interface
  • Hardware abstraction
  • Diagnostics & status monitoring
  • Modular setup per assembly
Planned
Framework Application
A pre-configured template application with all framework modules already integrated – so you start right away with your machine logic instead of the infrastructure.
  • Predefined modules, already integrated
  • Ready to run – start with your own logic
  • Proven project structure as a foundation
  • Less setup effort, faster commissioning
Your Advantages

What your team gains from this

Concrete, measurable improvements – from the first line of code to machine acceptance.

01
Significantly less setup time
Your team starts immediately with the actual machine logic – not with infrastructure.
02
Fewer bugs, more reliability
Extensively tested modules replace error-prone custom code – the defect rate drops measurably.
03
Scales with your projects
Add modules as needed – without reworking the foundation.
04
Easier team transitions
Uniform structures make new developers productive quickly. No knowledge is lost.
05
Easy maintenance
Consistent codebase: find bugs quickly, implement changes safely.
06
Field-proven in machine building
Developed by experts from pharmaceutical, packaging, and medical technology. Real-world experience.
Compatibility

For Your Platform

The ASKS Framework is natively developed for the leading automation platforms – full support, no porting overhead.

Whether CODESYS standard or TwinCAT 3 by Beckhoff: the framework adapts to your environment.

Beckhoff · TwinCAT 3
TwinCAT 3 is the PLC development environment by Beckhoff · XAE/XAR · TC3.1 Build 4026.20+
ADSTF1800TF6100EtherCATPLC LibsTwinCAT HMIC# IntegrationOPC UA
CODESYS
Vendor-independent PLC runtime environment · IEC 61131-3 · Version 3.5 SP20 P4+
STFBDOOPLibrariesVisualizationOPC UAMulti-Vendor