CtrlLens

📖 New here? Visit ctrllens.com for the full introduction, screenshots, and documentation. This page is a short overview — the website has the complete user guide, setup walkthrough, and feature reference.

Git-native version control, visual diff/merge, and AI-assisted editing for Studio 5000® PLC projects — right inside VS Code. CtrlLens previews and version-controls .ACD / .L5X files, rendering Ladder (RLL), Function Block (FBD), Sequential Function Chart (SFC), and Structured Text.

Features

• Graphical preview — Ladder / FBD / SFC on an interactive canvas; Structured Text in VS Code's native editor with full syntax highlighting.
• Git-native VCS — commit, branch, push/pull, stash, and merge .ACD / .L5X projects with per-program change tracking.
• Visual diff & merge — side-by-side rung / block / chart diffs and conflict resolution for RLL, FBD, and SFC, plus structural and line-by-line diffs for Structured Text.
• Interactive editing — inline operand & instruction editing, drag-and-drop, undo/redo, and a Studio 5000-style Cam profile editor.
• AI-assisted programming — exposes routine XML and an auto-generated project-schema bundle to Claude Code, Copilot, and Cursor so they write correct, tag-safe PLC code.
• Validation — static checks (tag resolution, operand types, SFC topology, instruction/language compatibility) surfaced in the Problems panel.

Complementary to Studio 5000 — not a replacement

CtrlLens fills the software-engineering gap that Studio 5000 leaves open: Git version control, code review, multi-developer collaboration, CI/CD, and cross-platform access. Project creation, hardware/network configuration, compilation, controller download/upload, and online monitoring stay in Studio 5000.

Free vs Pro

Start free; upgrade to Pro at ctrllens.com.

Requirements

• Git must be installed — the version-control, diff, and merge features depend on it. If you don't already have it, download and install from git-scm.com (most PLC/electrical engineers won't have Git yet; the default installer options are fine).
• No CLI tools to install — L5X explode/implode and all Git operations run fully inside the extension on every platform, with zero setup.
• ACD ↔ L5X conversion needs the Logix Designer® SDK 2.2 (specifically the 2.2.x backend — CtrlLens pins the 2.2.1109 client; Windows only, installed via the Studio 5000 SDK installer). The small ctrllens-acd helper that drives it is bundled with the Windows build. The SDK is auto-detected; every other feature — preview, Git, diff, merge, editing, .L5X import/export — works without it, on all platforms.

Configuration

CtrlLens works with zero configuration. Explode/implode and Git run in-process — there are no CLI paths to set. The ACD↔L5X converter (ctrllens-acd, Windows only) ships inside the extension and is resolved automatically; you never point at it. The only optional setting is the SDK location, and even that is auto-detected:

Logix Designer SDK (Windows only) — version 2.2.x required (the bundled ctrllens-acd is built against the 2.2.1109 client and must match the installed SDK 2.2 backend). Example default install location:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\Studio 5000\Logix Designer SDK

CtrlLens auto-detects this on launch and fills the setting for you. If it isn't found, CtrlLens shows a one-time prompt with install / set-path options — or set ctrllens.logixDesignerSdkPath manually.

📖 Detailed setup, workflow guides, and the full feature reference: ctrllens.com

_{Studio 5000® and Logix Designer® are products and trademarks of Rockwell Automation. CtrlLens is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Rockwell Automation.}