Nodalis Compiler

Nodalis is a cross-platform compiler framework for IEC-61131-3 and IEC-61131-10 PLC languages.
It enables developers to write Structured Text (ST) and Ladder Diagram (LD) programs and compile them into runtime-ready code for multiple platforms such as Node.js or ANSI C++ embedded systems.

Nodalis is part of the broader goal of making PLC programming portable, modern, and interoperable, without sacrificing the structure or semantics of traditional IEC standards.

✨ Features

• ✔ Supports IEC-61131-3 / IEC-61131-10 languages
  • Structured Text (.st, .iec)
  • Ladder Diagram (.iec)
• ✔ Multiple compiler backends
  • CPPCompiler → Outputs ANSI C++ code or executables
  • JSCompiler → Outputs Node.js-ready applications
• ✔ Integrated CLI (nodalis)
• ✔ Strict extension validation for ST/LD inputs
• ✔ Extensible compiler architecture
• ✔ Modbus and OPC UA protocol support
• ✔ ES Module based structure

📦 Installation

Global installation:

npm install -g nodalis-compiler

Local project installation:

npm install nodalis-compiler

🔧 Usage

Nodalis includes a built-in CLI tool. After installation, you can run:

nodalis --help

Which displays:

Usage:
  nodalis --action <action> [options]

Actions:
  --action list-compilers
  --action compile

📚 Examples

✔ List available compilers

nodalis --action list-compilers

✔ Compile a Structured Text program

nodalis --action compile   --target nodejs   --outputType code   --outputPath ./out   --resourceName MyPLC   --sourcePath ./examples/pump.iec   --language st

✔ Compile for C++ output

nodalis --action compile   --target generic-cpp   --outputType code   --outputPath ./out   --resourceName PumpSystem   --sourcePath ./examples/pump.st   --language st

🧩 Programmatic API

import { Nodalis } from "nodalis-compiler";

const app = new Nodalis();

await app.compile({
  target: "nodejs",
  outputType: "code",
  outputPath: "./out",
  resourceName: "MyPLC",
  sourcePath: "./src/main.st",
  language: "st"
});

🧠 Compiler Specifics

CPPCompiler

CPPCompiler translates IEC Ladder Diagram (.iec) and Structured Text (.st, .iec) sources into ANSI C++ output. Depending on the requested output type it either produces compilable sources or invokes the toolchain to emit an executable.

Dependencies

• Uses a default cross-compiler profile tuned for macOS-style Clang/LLVM toolchains when no overrides are provided.
• Supply a toolchain.json file beside your source to describe a custom toolchain. Example:

{
    "linux-arm": "arm-linux-gnueabi-g++",
    "linux-arm64": "aarch64-linux-gnu-g++",
    "linux-x64": "x86_64-linux-gnu-g++",
    "macos-arm64": "clang++",
    "macos-x64": "clang++",
    "windows-x64": "x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++",
    "windows-arm64": "/opt/llvm-mingw/bin/aarch64-w64-mingw32-g++"
}

• Without an explicit file Nodalis falls back to the default compiler for the host OS (clang++ on macOS, g++ on Linux, and cl.exe or MinGW-w64 g++ on Windows).
• Common cross-compiler sources: Homebrew packages (brew install armmbed/formulae/arm-none-eabi-gcc) and osxcross for macOS targeting, MinGW-w64/MSYS2 or Visual Studio Build Tools for Windows, and distro packages such as gcc-arm-linux-gnueabihf or x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++ on Linux.

Variations

• Windows builds exclude the OPC/UA client and server components to keep dependencies minimal.

🟦 JSCompiler

JSCompiler transpiles LD (.iec) and ST (.st, .iec) programs into JavaScript for either Node.js or jint targets.

• Node.js target: emits a Node module in the output directory and installs the needed npm dependencies.
• jint target: generates a .NET 8 project embedding jint that cross-compiles to Windows, macOS, and Linux for arm64, arm, and x64 architectures.

Dependencies

• Node.js target requires node and npm to be available on the host.
• jint target requires the .NET SDK (8.0+).

🗒 SkipCompiler

SkipCompiler converts Skipper Sheet (.skip) files into three possible targets:

• xml: produces MTI device-ready XML definitions.
• iec: emits IEC ladder logic mirroring the sheet.
• st: emits Structured Text representing the sheet logic.

Choose the desired format via the CLI --target/--outputType flags.

🗂 Project Structure

| File | Description | |------|-------------| | src/nodalis.js | CLI entry point and core controller | | src/compilers/CPPCompiler.js | C++ backend implementation | | src/compilers/JSCompiler.js | Node.js backend implementation | | test/st/*.js | Unit tests for compilers | | examples/*.iec | Example IEC programs |

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Open an issue or PR to propose changes or enhancements.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License.

🏷 Keywords

PLC • IEC-61131 • Ladder Logic • Structured Text • Compiler • C++ • Node.js • Modbus • OPC UA