Hi,
below you can find part of Product notes for Step 7 v. 5.2.
I didn't find any copyrights statement in this so I hope Siemens won't suit me for this copy
Projects from Version 3 and Higher
Projects that were set up and edited with STEP 7 V3.1, V3.2 or higher can continue to be used unchanged as (current) projects with STEP 7 V5.2.
For multiple-user operation, existing V3.0 projects must be converted to projects for the current version using the menu command "Save as, with reorganization".
If projects from earlier STEP versions containing CP443-1 or CP343-1 modules are opened in the SIMATIC Manager, the function "Save as, with reorganization" leads to problems. To avoid this, first "Reorganize" and then "Save as" without reorganization
New Modules in Earlier STEP 7 Versions
If, in STEP 7 V5.2, you assign parameters to modules and these parameters were not yet contained in an earlier version of STEP 7, then these modules and their subordinate components will not be displayed in STEP 7 versions earlier than V5.1 SP3. If you have assigned parameters to modules that were added on through an optional package, they also will not be displayed if the project was created in a STEP 7 version earlier than V5.1 SP3.
Starting with STEP 7 V5.1 SP3, a generic object is used to represent these "unknown" modules.
· If objects with messages are edited (e.g. blocks with block-related messages, symbol tables with symbol-related messages, blocks with S7 PDIAG monitoring or programs with user-defined messages) in a project with a version of STEP 7 <= V5, this project may not be opened by another PG/PC with a STEP 7 V5.2 version or later. This means the project has to be closed on a computer with an earlier version of STEP7 even for only read access!
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Assigning unique message numbers for the CPU (new in V5.2) or for the project
Please note that in projects in which messages numbers are assigned for the CPU (new procedure), that only those programs, blocks or symbols without message configuration (such as user-defined messages, block messages, scan messages, S7-PDIAG configurations) can be edited in earlier versions of STEP 7 (such as V5.1). It is not possible to convert CPU-based message assignment to project-based message assignment.
Please refer to the notes in the "Message Configuration" section.
Micro Memory Card (MMC)
In STEP 7 V5.1, blocks, system data and STEP 7 standard projects can be saved to an MMC. In STEP 7 Lite and STEP 7 as ofV5.2, files of any kind can be saved to an MMC.
Files saved to an MMC in STEP 7 V5.2 cannot be further processed in earlier STEP 7 version, and, in particular, also cannot be displayed. If, in the SIMATIC Manager for STEP 7 V5.1 or earlier, a project is transferred to an MMC that was written to with STEP 7 V5.2, then the files created with STEP 7 V5.2 will be deleted.
When using STEP 7 V5.1 with compact CPUs (3xxC), the message that appears stating that all data have been retained refers only to STEP 7 blocks and not to any other kind of data.
