TIA Openness Alternative

TIA Openness, without the complexity.

T-IA Connect transforms the TIA Openness API into simple REST endpoints. No more DLLs, mandatory Visual Studio, or boilerplate code. Automate TIA Portal with standard HTTP calls.

The Problem

TIA Openness is powerful, but complex.

Siemens' native TIA Openness API provides full programmatic access to TIA Portal. But using it requires advanced .NET expertise and a specific development environment.

Complex SDK

Versioned DLL references, COM management, STA threading... The learning curve is steep.

Visual Studio required

Cannot use TIA Openness without Visual Studio and .NET tools installed on every machine.

Verbose code

Hundreds of lines for simple operations. Complex error handling, manual transactions.

Incompatible versions

Each TIA Portal version requires its own DLLs. Maintaining multiple versions is a nightmare.

The Solution

A REST API that wraps TIA Openness

T-IA Connect exposes all TIA Openness features through standard REST endpoints. Keep the power of the Siemens API, without its complexity.

No installation

No SDK, DLLs, or Visual Studio required. Make HTTP calls from any programming language.

Multi-version

One API for all TIA Portal versions V16 to V21. No DLL hell.

Clear documentation

Interactive Swagger UI, code examples, step-by-step guides. Productive in minutes.

JSON responses

Structured data, easy to parse. Native integration with your existing tools.

Comparison: TIA Openness vs T-IA Connect

See the difference between native TIA Openness code and the T-IA Connect equivalent.

Native TIA Openness (C#)~50 lines
// Native TIA Openness - ~50 lines minimum
using Siemens.Engineering;
using Siemens.Engineering.SW.Blocks;

// Complex initialization
TiaPortal portal = new TiaPortal(TiaPortalMode.WithUserInterface);
Project project = portal.Projects.Open(new FileInfo(projectPath));

// Navigate the tree structure
foreach (Device device in project.Devices)
{
    DeviceItem cpu = device.DeviceItems
        .FirstOrDefault(di => di.GetService<SoftwareContainer>() != null);
    
    if (cpu != null)
    {
        SoftwareContainer sw = cpu.GetService<SoftwareContainer>();
        PlcSoftware plcSoftware = sw.Software as PlcSoftware;
        PlcBlockGroup blocks = plcSoftware.BlockGroup;
        
        // Create an FC block
        PlcBlock newBlock = blocks.Blocks.CreateFC("MyNewFC");
    }
}

// Error handling, transactions, cleanup...
...
T-IA Connect (REST)~15 lines
// T-IA Connect - 3 lines
const response = await fetch(
  'http://localhost:5000/api/blocks',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      name: 'MyNewFC',
      type: 'FC',
      language: 'SCL'
    })
  }
);

const block = await response.json();
console.log('Block created:', block.name);
Use Cases

Perfect for your projects

CI/CD & DevOps

Integrate TIA Portal into your Jenkins, GitLab, or GitHub Actions pipelines without .NET dependencies.

Web applications

Build TIA Portal project management interfaces accessible from any browser.

Python scripts

Automate your repetitive tasks with Python, Node.js, or any other language.

MES/ERP integration

Connect TIA Portal to your existing SAP, MES, or database systems.

Ready to simplify TIA Openness?

Try T-IA Connect for free and discover a new way to automate TIA Portal.

Try the demoView API documentation