EPLAN Pages - Interactive vs. Auto-Generated Pages
A clear explanation of the difference between interactive pages (manually drawn) and auto-generated report pages (form-based) in EPLAN P8, with examples and best practices.
Interactive Pages vs. Auto-Generated Report Pages in EPLAN P8
🖊️ Interactive Pages
These are pages you manually create and draw in the schematic editor. You place symbols, draw connections, enter data yourself.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created by | Engineer manually |
| Page types | Circuit diagram, Single-line, P&ID, PLC overview, Fluid power |
| Stored as | .eds project data |
| Examples | Motor starter circuit, PLC I/O schematic, P&ID flow diagram |
| Editable | Yes — full graphical editing |
These are your source data. Everything else flows from them.
⚙️ Auto-Generated Pages (Form-Based Reports)
These are pages EPLAN generates automatically by reading data from interactive pages and rendering it through a .f?? form template.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created by | EPLAN engine (Utilities → Reports → Generate) |
| Driven by | Form files (.f00–.f34) |
| Source | Device data, connections, terminals, cables entered on interactive pages |
| Examples | Terminal diagrams, Parts list, Cable overview, Connection list, TOC |
| Editable | ❌ Not directly — changes must be made on the source interactive page |
The Relationship
1
2
Interactive Pages → EPLAN Database → Form Template (.f??) → Auto-Generated Report Page
(you draw this) (data extracted) (defines layout) (EPLAN renders this)
So for example:
- You draw a circuit diagram (interactive) placing terminal -X1:1
- EPLAN extracts all terminal data into its database
- The Terminal Diagram form (
.f11) reads that data and renders the terminal wiring page automatically
Key Rule
Never edit a generated report page directly. If you change something there, it gets overwritten the next time reports are regenerated. Always go back to the source interactive page to make corrections.
Which folders in your project are which?
| Folder | Type |
|---|---|
| P&I diagram: Piping overview | ✏️ Interactive |
| PLC diagram (SPS Connection) | ⚙️ Auto-generated |
| Pre-planning diagrams | ✏️ Interactive (pre-planning editor) |
| Cable diagram | ⚙️ Auto-generated |
| Connection list | ⚙️ Auto-generated |
| Terminal diagram / strip overview | ⚙️ Auto-generated |
| Summarized parts list | ⚙️ Auto-generated |
| Table of contents | ⚙️ Auto-generated |
| Title page / cover sheet | 🔀 Mixed — cover sheet is interactive, others auto |
The pre-planning pages are a special case — they are interactive in their own editor (the Pre-planning Navigator), but they also drive auto-generated outputs like loop diagrams and PCT overviews.