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Live Values: Write, Force, Release

Live Values shows your runtime's I/O and memory live, and lets you write, force, and release values safely — without a debugger. Use it to watch I/O while the program runs and to drive inputs during commissioning.

Live Values is for values. To pause execution and step line by line, use Debugging In VS Code.

Open it

Click Live Values in the truST view (it also opens automatically when you Start the simulator). It opens as a Live Values editor tab. When you launch it from Devices & Connections it reuses that editor group; other launch routes open it in the second editor group.

Before you start

With nothing running, Live Values clears stale rows and explains that there is no live data. Start a simulator or connect a remote from the truST sidebar or Devices & Connections; lifecycle controls do not live inside the value-safety surface.

Live I/O while it runs

Once the simulator is running, the I/O tree fills in, grouped into Inputs, Outputs, and Memory. Each row shows the symbol, its address (e.g. %IX0.0), its current value, and per-row controls — Write, Force, and Release.

Write a value

Click Write on a row and enter a value. The write is applied and the row updates after a newer runtime scan. A write sets the value once; the program can change it again on the next scan.

Force a value

On the simulator, click Force to pin a value. On a connected managed or remote target, the first click explicitly arms force and the second performs it. A forced value is unmistakable: it carries a warning-role FORCED badge, and a Release all forces button appears in the header with a count.

Release forces

  • Release on a row releases that one force.
  • Release all forces (N) in the header clears every override at once — the safety action to get back to live behaviour quickly.

After releasing, the FORCED badges and the Release all forces button disappear, and values return to whatever the program is driving.

Honest by design

Write and force are deliberate, gated actions. If the target is disconnected, the runtime doesn't allow the operation, or your role lacks permission, the control is disabled with a reason — Live Values never fakes a successful write or a force that didn't take. Forced values always show their state, so an override is never silently left in place.

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