MPINO STUDIO 2 Phase 7 · Menus and Preferences

This page explains how to use the top menus to manage project files, editing views, builds and uploads, communications, project settings, and application preferences.

The menu bar contains File, Edit, View, Run, Settings, and Help. Use File for project files, Edit for ladder-cell operations, and View to show or hide areas of the window.

File → Preferences opens settings used on this PC. The top-level Settings menu combines project settings with an entry to the shared Ladder Design preferences.

Use the File menu to create, open, and save projects. The same menu prints the content associated with the active tab.

Open accepts .mp2 projects saved by MPINO Studio 2. It cannot open project files from MPINO STUDIO 1.x. Create a new project and transfer the previous contents after checking them.

If the current project has unsaved changes, New and Open first ask whether to discard them. Canceling that prompt or the following file or board picker keeps the current project open.

If a project has no save path, Save opens Save As. Saving under another name also changes the first Arduino Code file to match the project filename. The project cannot be saved if another code tab already uses that name.

From an Arduino Code tab, Print prints every code tab in project order and starts each additional tab on a new page. From a ladder tab, it prints every ladder circuit as a diagram.

See Phase 1 · Create Your First Project for project creation and board selection.

Select File → Preferences to open the General tab in Settings. Use the tabs at the top to switch between General, Shortcuts, Ladder Settings, and Ladder Design.

Changes under General, Shortcuts, and Ladder Settings take effect immediately and are saved automatically in the application settings on this PC. The Monitoring Port is stored in the current project, and the project must be built and uploaded again before the board uses the changed port.

Values entered under Ladder Design are not applied while editing. Select Save after choosing the colors and dimensions to apply them to the selected theme on this PC.

Use General to configure the user library folder, platform folder, application language, and automatic error reporting.

Changing the User Library Folder does not move files from the previous folder. MPINO Studio 2 reloads the library list and restarts completion after the path changes. Restore Default returns the path to its default location.

Selecting a language changes the application immediately. There is no separate save button.

Use Shortcuts to change 16 shortcuts for ladder tools, cell and row editing, and monitoring.

1. Select Change for the command.
2. Press the key or key combination to use.
3. Press Enter to confirm or Esc to cancel.

Select reset on one row to restore that shortcut. Select Reset all to default to restore every changed shortcut.

When two commands share a shortcut, Conflicting shortcuts lists the conflict. The change is still saved, and the command registered first takes priority.

See Phase 3 · Ladder Editing Shortcuts for the result of each ladder shortcut.

Use Ladder Settings to configure ladder-cell labels, build checks, the automatic input box, and the ladder-monitoring port.

Clearing Use Ladder does not delete ladder tabs. It excludes only the generated ladder code from the build.

The Monitoring port list shows only channels supported by the current board. A change takes effect after the next build and upload. Save the project with Ctrl + S to keep it in the .mp2 file.

See Phase 6 · Configure Ladder Monitoring for connection and port-conflict details.

Use Ladder Design to configure ladder-cell colors and dimensions, column count, text size, and line width. The saved values apply to the current theme on this PC.

Enter colors in #RRGGBB format. Save is disabled when a number is outside its range or a color is invalid.

Leave an input empty to use its default. Factory Reset clears the overrides; select Save to apply the defaults. Switching tabs or closing Settings with unsaved design changes asks whether to discard them.

Use Edit for ladder-cell operations and View to show or hide the sidebar, bottom panel, and ladder monitoring.

Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete in the top Edit menu apply to ladder tabs. To edit Arduino Code text, use the same shortcuts while focus is in the code editor.

Edit → Undo always undoes the most recent ladder edit, regardless of the active tab. To undo Arduino Code text, place focus in the code editor and press Ctrl + Z.

See Phase 3 · Insert, Delete, and Copy Cells, Phase 5 · Editing Arduino Code, and Phase 6 · Serial and Ladder Monitoring.

Use Run to build and upload the project and to open communication and memory-write functions.

See Phase 1 · Build the Project for building, port selection, and upload.

Select Run → Communication to list the serial communication channels provided by the current board. A board without communication channels displays a message instead of the table.

Select None to leave the channel unused. Selecting Modbus RTU Slave or LS Electric Cnet Slave enables the Slave ID and serial settings. The defaults are Slave ID 1, 115200bps, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, and no parity.

Modbus RTU Master and Modbus TCP/IP are shown as coming-soon items and cannot be selected.

Changes immediately update the current project and are used by the next build and upload. The current in-memory settings can be built before saving, but press Ctrl + S to keep them when the project is reopened.

If Arduino Code, Communication, and ladder monitoring share one channel, a conflict notice appears before upload. See Phase 6 · Port Sharing.

Select Run → Memory Write List to inspect and change M, D, C, T, and R values on the running board. The window can remain open while the ladder is edited.

An address cannot be registered twice. A row cannot be written when its address is invalid or outside the current board's memory range. Write All skips empty values and stops at the first failed row.

The list is project data. Save with Ctrl + S to keep it when the project is reopened.

Memory-write caution: Writing memory can immediately change ladder conditions and output behavior. Confirm that the machine is in a safe state, then check the address and value again before writing.

See Phase 2 · Understand Memory for address and data formats and Phase 6 · Start and Stop Ladder Monitoring for the connection.

Use Settings to open memory, pin-map, board, and EEPROM settings for the current project. Ladder Design Settings opens the application-wide Ladder Design preferences.

See Phase 2 · Memory Regions for Memory Area Settings and Used Memory. See Ladder Design above for design settings.

Select Settings → Change Board to open the board picker with the current board selected. Confirming another board preserves Arduino Code, ladders, and memory settings while updating the target board and option-module configuration.

Pin maps, memory sizes, and communication channels can differ between boards. After changing the board, review Memory Area Settings, Ladder Pin Map Settings, Communication, and Monitoring port.

The change updates the current project. Press Ctrl + S to keep it and rebuild and upload for the new board. Selecting the same board and option configuration makes no project change.

Select Settings → Ladder Pin Map Settings to inspect and edit the mapping between board pins and ladder addresses.

A pin with Use cleared is excluded from generated ladder I/O code. A build fails if the ladder references the LD address of a disabled pin.

LD addresses and Arduino pin numbers must remain unique. OK is disabled when an address does not match the pin function or another validation error exists.

Selecting OK updates the current project. Press Ctrl + S to keep the changes in the project file. The factory board definition remains unchanged.

See Phase 2 · C Area and Board Pin Mapping for mapped memory and analog-output behavior.

Select Settings → EEPROM Retain to configure when and where memory values are retained across a power cycle.

The two options are independent and can be enabled together. Option 2 requires a Power detect pin and at least one memory area.

Enter the first and last memory address and the EEPROM start address for each area. Auto-assign EEPROM places enabled areas consecutively from EEPROM address 0 without overlap.

The EEPROM contains 4096 bytes. The last 8 bytes are reserved for internal data, leaving addresses 0 through 4087 and 4088 bytes for retained memory. M packs 8 bits into one byte. Each D, C, or T address uses 2 bytes.

Settings cannot be saved when a memory range exceeds the current project, EEPROM ranges overlap, or the usable capacity is exceeded.

Save in this window updates the current project and the next build uses it immediately. Press Ctrl + S to keep the configuration in the .mp2 file.

EEPROM-write caution: EEPROM supports a limited number of writes. Option 1 writes when values change, so do not include rapidly changing memory in its retained range.

Option 2 does not automatically check whether the power-detect pin is used elsewhere. Select a pin that is not used for another I/O purpose.

Use Help to report application problems, request improvements, check for updates, and view application information.

A bug report sent from Report a Bug always includes basic diagnostics containing the application version, operating system, and logs. The current project, screenshot, and contact information are optional.

Request an Improvement can optionally include a screenshot and contact information. It does not attach basic diagnostics or the current project.

If submission fails, the report is kept in the application outbox for another attempt. Failure to prepare one attachment does not prevent the remaining content from being sent.

Check for Updates contacts the update server. The application reports when it is current and offers Update Now and Later when an update is available. Update Now restarts the application after installation, so save the project first.

Select About to view the current application information.

Among the menu shortcuts below, only Toggle Monitoring can be changed in the Shortcuts preferences. The other menu shortcuts cannot be changed there.

• Phase 1 · Create Your First Project — project creation, build, and upload
• Phase 2 · Understand Memory — memory areas, pin mapping, and Used Memory
• Phase 3 · Ladder Editing Basics — ladder editing and shortcuts
• Phase 5 · Editing Arduino Code — code editing and file management
• Phase 6 · Serial and Ladder Monitoring — monitoring connections and port usage
• Phase 8 · Activity Bar and Side Panels — Explorer, Ladder Settings, libraries, and symbols
• MPINO STUDIO 2 User Manual

← Phase 6 · Serial and Ladder Monitoring | Phase 8 · Activity Bar and Side Panels → | Back to the MPINO STUDIO 2 User Manual