Command Line Reference - Manual - Software Loader - The AX SIMATIC SW-Loader. - Software Loader (sld),tool

Software Loader CLI Tool (sld)
Portfolio
SIMATIC AX
Product
Software Loader
Software version
3.2.2
Edition
04/2025
Language
English (original)
Package Name
@ax/sld

The Software Loader (sld) supports the following main commands:

  • LOAD: the content of a SIMATIC app file can be downloaded to a SIMATIC PLC.
  • COMPARE: compare the content of a SIMATIC app file with content of a SIMATIC PLC.
  • STORE: the content of a SIMATIC app file can be stored into a SD card image which was created with TIA Portal.

The Software Loader (sld) supports the extended functionality with the commands:

  • STORE-SOURCE: archive the apax project to the SD card of a SIMATIC PLC.
  • RESTORE-SOURCE: restore an archived apax project from the SD card of a SIMATIC PLC.
  • File operations on the SD card of a SIMATIC PLC can be found here.
  • CREATE-PORTABLE-PACKAGE: create a portable package of the sld which can be installed on a computer inside a production environment or in a pipeline without external dependencies such as an internet connection to check the SIMATIC AX license.


Note

To access the Software Loader from a terminal, you must use Apax. Therefore, consider prefixing the following examples with apax:

apax sld ...

The ST Compiler (stc) supports various targets, however, the Software Loader only supports SIMATIC S7-1500 PLCs. The ST Compiler generates the SIMATIC app file for the 1500 target and places it in the ./bin/1500 folder. Then, it can be downloaded to all SIMATIC S7-1500 PLC types, including S7-PLCSIM (Advanced). As a result, the folder ./bin/1500 is the default location for the Software Loader input option.

Note

On Windows computers you can use the slash / as well as the back-slash \\ to separate parts of a path in the file system. On Linux computers you can only use the slash /.

In Apax scripts you should always use the slash /. The back-slash \\ has to be escaped with a second back-slash \\\\. So, the path to the SIMATIC app file must look like .\\\\bin\\\\1500 (including the quotation marks).

scripts:
load: sld load --input ".\\bin\\1500" --target 192.168.0.1 --accept-security-disclaimer

In this documentation we only use the forward slash /.

Note

If you cannot download to a PLC:

  1. Check the network settings if the PLC cannot be reached via ping.
  2. Verify the active interface in 'Set PG/PC Interface (32-bit)'.
    For more details, see Access to the PLC or FAQ.

If you are simulating a PLC with S7-PLCSIM Advanced, verify the active interface first.