These commands control the built-in emulator that lets you run and test your Sequence programs directly inside VS Code, without needing a physical PLC.
Shortcut: F5
Starts the emulator in continuous mode. The emulator executes scan cycles repeatedly at the speed configured in Emulation settings. Active steps are highlighted in the visual editor, and variable values update in real time.
Make sure your Sequence has at least one initial step before starting emulation. The emulator will warn you if no initial step is found.
Shortcut: Shift+F5
Halts the emulator. All steps and variables freeze in their current state. You can inspect values after stopping, and resume later with Start Emulation or advance one cycle at a time with Step.
Shortcut: F10
Executes exactly one scan cycle and then pauses. This is useful for debugging your program step by step. Each press of F10 advances the Sequence by one cycle, so you can observe how transitions fire and which steps become active.
Typical workflow for debugging:
Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+F5
Resets the emulator to its initial state. All variables return to their default values and only initial steps are active. This is equivalent to a power-on reset of a real PLC.
Reset also clears any forced variable values you may have set during simulation.
| Command | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Start Emulation | F5 | Begin continuous scan cycle |
| Stop Emulation | Shift+F5 | Halt the simulation |
| Step | F10 | Execute one scan cycle |
| Reset | Ctrl+Shift+F5 | Reset all state to initial |