# Create a runtime application

Before you can run an application, you must create a runtime version. When you create the runtime version, FactoryTalk View Studio compiles all of the necessary application information into a single file with the extension .mer.

When you create the runtime application file (with the file extension .mer), you can specify the version of FactoryTalk View ME Station for which to create the file. For example, if the application will run on a terminal that uses FactoryTalk View Machine Edition Station 5.0, you can specify that version for the .mer file.

If the application contains features that are not supported by the version you select, FactoryTalk View shows a validation report that lists the unsupported features. The runtime application file is not created. You must remove or turn off the unsupported features before you can create the runtime application file.

## To create a runtime application

1. In FactoryTalk View Studio, with the application open, do either of the following:
   - From the Application menu, select Create Runtime Application.
   - On the toolbar, click .
2. Specify the folder, in which to save the runtime application file.
3. In the File name box, enter the name for the application file.

   The default name is the same name as the development application.

4. In the Save as type box, specify the version of FactoryTalk View ME Station for which to create the .mer file.
5. In the Conversion to development application area, select one of the following options:
   - Always allow conversion - The .mer file can always be used to generate an .med file.
   - Never allow conversion - The .mer file can never be used to generate an .med file.
   - Conversion protected by password - The .mer file can only be used to generate an .med file by providing a password.
6. If you want to include FactoryTalk ViewPoint content in the .mer file, select the Include ViewPoint content check box and from the list, select a FactoryTalk ViewPoint version.

   Tip: | To enable the FactoryTalk ViewPoint check box and list, publish displays from FactoryTalk ViewPoint first. For details, see FactoryTalk ViewPoint Help. To create a v8.20 or earlier version runtime application which includes FactoryTalk ViewPoint content, .NET Framework 3.5 is required. For information about how to install .NET Framework 3.5, see FactoryTalk View Machine Edition Installation Guide.

7. Click Save.
8. If there are multiple languages in the application, the language wizard opens. Select the language or languages to be included in the runtime application and click Finish.

   Tip: | To show undefined strings in the default language at runtime, include the default language in your selection. The default language is also required for filtering alarms.

FactoryTalk View Studio creates a run-time version of the application in the directory you specify. If any editors are open, you are prompted to save any unsaved changes.

Tip: | Using FactoryTalk View Studio version 9.00.00 or later, you can create a v8.20 or earlier version of PanelView Plus 7 Standard runtime application (.mer) that contains more than 25 displays or more than 200 alarms. The runtime application can be run on a PanelView Plus 7 Standard terminal installed with firmware version 8.20 or earlier, and can be restored to a design time application (.med) using FactoryTalk View Studio version 8.20.00 or earlier. However, from the restored application, you cannot create a PanelView Plus 7 Standard runtime application using FactoryTalk View Studio version 8.20.00 or earlier, because the number of alarms or displays exceeds the restriction defined in FactoryTalk View Studio version 8.20.00 or earlier. Earlier versions of ME Station will not be able to run later versions of ME runtime applications. If the application contains features or objects that were not available in the selected version, error messages will be shown stating what feature or object is invalid. Errors or warnings are logged in a text file named <application name>ValidationResults.txt in the same location as the runtime application file. Warnings indicate something that will not prevent the application from running, but may produce problems at run time. Errors indicate the presence of some feature or object that will prevent the application from running at all. If errors are found during validation, the .mer file will not be created. If only warnings are found, the .mer file will be created, but a message stating that errors may appear at run time will be shown. Delete or modify the invalid objects and recreate the file. For information about the features supported in different versions of FactoryTalk View, see "Appendix G" in the FactoryTalk View Machine Edition User's Guide. If the application is a PanelView Plus 7 Standard application or a Compact Machine Edition application, and the application exceeds the limits, the run-time file will not be created and error messages will be shown. When a run-time file for an earlier version is created, the test run behavior on the current version of FactoryTalk View Studio may not be the same as actual run-time behavior on the targeted version. When an .mer file is created, each Windows-linked user account is verified and its security identifier (SID) is used to get the latest account name. A MobileView, PanelView Plus 7, PanelView Plus 6, PanelView Plus, PanelView Plus Compact, or PanelView Plus CE terminal uses this account name for login purposes. If a user account name is blank (for example, the domain controller could not be accessed at the time when the run-time file was created, or a referenced account does not have trust in the domain), logins for that user on the terminal will fail. If this occurs, you must correct the blank name. Verify that the domain controller is connected or resolve the trust issue, and create the run-time file again. Version 6.0 or earlier .mer files created on a 64-bit operating system cannot run on FactoryTalk View ME Station 6.0 or earlier or be converted to MED files. If you are creating a version 6.0 or earlier .mer file on a 64-bit operating system, Never allow conversion is the default and only choice in the Conversion to development application area.

## See also

Select multiple run-time languages

Select single run-time language

MER to MED conversion

Features that are not supported in version 8.10 or earlier

Keywords: create, runtime application