The Machine Editor gives you a visual view of your automation project structure. It shows all sequences, their relationships, and the I/O configuration for the target PLC. Every AutomationView project has one .machine file that acts as its central configuration.
When you open a .machine file, AutomationView opens the Machine Config Editor instead of the standard text editor. The editor shows:
The Machine Explorer panel in the AutomationView activity bar sidebar mirrors this information and lets you navigate to any sequence directly.
Double-click any .machine file in the Explorer to open it in the visual Machine Config Editor.
To switch back to the raw text view, click the Open Text Editor button in the editor title bar, or run AutomationView: Open Text Editor from the Command Palette.
Every project has a
main.machinefile at its root. This is the entry point AutomationView uses to discover all sequences and configuration.
The Machine Explorer panel is located in the AutomationView sidebar (the AutomationView icon in the activity bar). It shows the full project tree:
Machine Explorer
+-- main.machine
+-- Sequences
| +-- sequence_1.seq
| +-- sequence_2.seq
+-- Macros
| +-- macro_1.seq
+-- Configuration
+-- PLC Target
+-- I/O Mapping
Click any sequence in the tree to open it. Right-click to access context menu options.
To jump to the machine file from anywhere in the editor:
Exports the full project configuration as a structured file. This is useful for archiving or sharing the project layout.
Run AutomationView: Export Project from the Machine Explorer title bar or the Command Palette.
Exports every sequence in the project as individual translated files using the active translation pipeline. This requires at least one translation provider (such as the CODESYS extension) to be installed.
Run AutomationView: Export All Sequences from the Machine Explorer title bar or the Command Palette.