Setting Up the ADS Connection

To begin, let’s establish a connection to the PLC. The code below assumes you have an active TwinCAT project ready to connect.For simplicity, I recommend creating a new .NET project, then pasting the code below into your Program.cs file (or whichever file contains your entry point).

using TwinCAT.Ads;

using (AdsClient client = new())
{
    client.Connect(AmsNetId.Local, 851);
    Console.WriteLine
    (
        "Hello there!\n" +
        $"You're connected to {client.Address} from {client.ClientAddress}.\n" +
        $"The current state of the PLC is: {client.ReadState().AdsState}.\n" +
        "\nPress any key to exit...\n"
    );
    Console.ReadKey(true);
}

This code should produce an output similar to the following when run:

Hello there!
You're connected to 192.168.137.1.1.1:851 from 192.168.137.1.1.1:XXXXX.
The current state of the PLC is: Run.

Press any key to exit...

This code connects to the PLC on the local AMS Net ID with port 851. It displays the connection details, including the PLC state, which should confirm a successful connection if everything is set up correctly. Pressing any key will then terminate the application.

This setup gives you a basic foundation for communicating with your PLC through ADS in .NET.