=== Direct/indirect addressing ===

Addressing methods are mostly tied to variable types, not areas, so the following procedures apply to both DB and Tag variables.

== Direct addressing ==
{{anchor:direct_addressing}}
Direct addressing in Simatic is typically symbolic addressing, meaning in the simplest case we correspond two variables of the same type to each other:

<code pascal>
fromReal : Real;    
fromInt : Int;
toReal : Real;
toInt : Int;
…

#toInt := #fromInt;
#toReal := #fromReal;
</code>

If the types do not match, conversion will help us:

<code pascal>
#toInt := REAL_TO_INT(IN := #fromReal);
</code>

<WRAP center round important 100%>
It is crucial to understand that conversion can lead to data loss. In the example above, the [[#real|REAL]] type can store much larger numbers and fractional parts, while the INT only handles smaller integers and rounds off fractions. When converting between variables with different ranges, all values outside the smaller range should be considered. In this case, rather than using an [[#int|INT]], a variable with a broader range should be selected (example [[#dint|DINT]], [[#lint|LINT]]).
</WRAP>

Direct addressing is also applicable to [[#structure|STRUCTURE]] and [[#array|ARRAY]] types, provided both sides have identical structures. 

Another approach is direct addressing, which involves referring to a variable's sub-elements. Although this method applies to a limited range of variables, it is a simple form of assignment. While it isn't as straightforward as the S7-Classic AT command that many programmers prefer, it is at least available:

== Slice addressing ==
{{anchor:slice}}
Slice addressing involves dividing a memory region, such as a byte or a word, into smaller segments, such as booleans. With S7-1200 and S7-1500, you can target specific parts within declared variables (**only by byte, word, dword**) and access segments of 1, 8, 16, or 32 bits. 

{{:automation:slice_1.png|Slice addressing TIA Portal}}

The following example is a SPLIT function that splits a WORD Input variable into bits:

<code pascal>
// FC Input : inWord (Word)
// FC output: 16 variable bit0..bit15 (Bool)
// splitting
#bit0 := #inWord.%X0;
#bit1 := #inWord.%X1;
#bit2 := #inWord.%X2;
#bit3 := #inWord.%X3;
#bit4 := #inWord.%X4;
#bit5 := #inWord.%X5;
#bit6 := #inWord.%X6;
#bit7 := #inWord.%X7;
#bit8 := #inWord.%X8;
#bit9 := #inWord.%X9;
#bitA := #inWord.%X10;
#bitB := #inWord.%X11;
#bitC := #inWord.%X12;
#bitD := #inWord.%X13;
#bitE := #inWord.%X14;
#bitF := #inWord.%X15;
</code>

== Pointer; indirect addressing ==
{{anchor:pointer}} 
In the TIA Portal, there are two ways to perform indirect addressing or pointer referencing: the **ANY** and the **VARIANT**. However, it is important to note that the S7-1200 series PLCs do not support the ANY method.
Using a pointer essentially involves moving a data block of a specific size to a memory area of the same size. This operation ignores the structure and variables within the data area, making it a quick and useful method when applied carefully. **However, careless use of this tool can be very risky.** 

A key issue is that it doesn't handle the variables within the data being pointed to; for example, when searching for errors with xref, these procedures are not visible to the compiler, which can lead to difficult-to-detect errors caused by improper pointer use. 

== ANY type ==
{{anchor:any}}
Structure of the ANY Pointer (**10 Bytes**):

|< 100% 20% 20% 60%>| 
^Name^Length^Description|
^Syntax ID|1 byte|Always 16#10 for S7|
^Data Type|1 byte|Code for the type of data being pointed to (e.g., 16#02 for Byte; see below in the table "TIA Coding of data types"|
^Repetition Factor|2 bytes|Number of elements of the specified data type|
^DB Numbe|2 bytes|The number of the data block (0 if not in a DB)|
^Memory Area|1 byte|Code for the memory area (e.g., 16#84 for DB; see below in the table "TIA Coding of the memory area")|
^Address|3 bytes|The start address of the data (bit and byte address)|

{{page>.:data_type_coding}}

{{page>.:memory_area_code}}

== Example of using the ANY type ==

The pointer with the ANY type is most frequently used with the [[#blkmov|BLKMOV]] command, which copies data from one area to another indirectly. In the example below, the created dataset is transferred to one of three mobile data areas based on the location of the variable //"assHMI".Panel1ASS// points:

<code pascal>
CASE "assHMI".Panel1ASS OF
    1:  // ASS1 data to disp 1
        #state := BLKMOV(SRCBLK := P#db108.dbx0.0 BYTE 72, DSTBLK => P#db108.dbx216.0 BYTE 72);
    2:  // ASS1 data to disp 2
        #state := BLKMOV(SRCBLK := P#db108.dbx72.0 BYTE 72, DSTBLK => P#db108.dbx216.0 BYTE 72);
    3:  // ASS1 data to disp 3
        #state := BLKMOV(SRCBLK := P#db108.dbx144.0 BYTE 72, DSTBLK => P#db108.dbx216.0 BYTE 72);
    ELSE  // Statement section ELSE
        ;
END_CASE;
</code>
== VARIANT versus ANY ==

  * **ANY** is a fixed 10-byte structure that references an absolute memory address.
  * **VARIANT** is a type-safe pointer that preserves the original data type information and enables symbolic addressing without the need for fixed memory location overhead.
  * The **ANY** is an older type, already available in the S300 / 400 series.
* The **ANY** can only be used with the S7-1500, whereas **VARIANT** are accessible on all S7 models.


== VARIANT type ==
{{anchor:variant}}
A VARIANT type parameter is a pointer that can reference various data types beyond a simple instance. This pointer can be an object of a basic data type like [[#int|INT]] or [[#real|REAL]], or it can be a [[#string|STRING]], [[#dtl|DTL]], [[#array_of_struct|ARRAY of STRUCT]], [[#udt|UDT]], or an [[#array_of_udt|ARRAY of UDT]]. The VARIANT pointer can also recognize structures and point directly to individual members of those structures. An operand of VARIANT type does not consume space in the instance data block or work memory but does require memory on the CPU.

<WRAP center round important 80%>
  * Directly assigning a tag to a VARIANT, like //myVARIANT := #Variable//, is not possible.
  * Direct reading or writing of a signal from an I/O input or output is only possible with an S7-1500 module. 
  * You can only reference a complete data block if it was originally created from a user-defined data type ([[#udt|UDT]]).
</WRAP>