To set or change the communication mode
There are three ways to set or change the comm mode in the Designer:
- Using the Project menu
- The buttons located on the Main Toolbar
- Using the Project Properties window
On the Designer toolbar, go to the Project menu and choose: Comm Off, Comm Read-Only, or Comm Read/Write.

Using the Main Toolbar
If the Main Toolbar is enabled, go to Project, and you'll see the corresponding button for each Comm Mode. The currently selected Comm Mode will have its radio button filled in.

Using the Project Properties window
This will change the default Comm Mode that the designer starts up in for the current project.
In the Designer, either double-click on the Project > Properties node in Project Browser, or click on the Project > Properties command on the top menu.
The Project Properties window is displayed.
- Go to the Designer > General setting section.
- Under Startup Options, for the Initial Gateway Comm Mode, choose from the dropdown Comm Off, Comm Ready-only, or Comm Read/Write.
Note: These property settings are saved on a per-project basis.

Communication Error Message
If a user is attempting to write to a project in the Designer or from a Client, and the Comm Mode is not enabled for Read/Write, they will get an error message. There are a couple places to check:
- From Main Toolbar go to Project, and make sure the Comm Mode is set to Read/Write.
- If Comm Read/Write is checked, you may have a Client Event Script enabled that could be preventing you from writing to a project or a Tag, as shown in the example below. From the menubar, go to Project > Client Event Scripts. You may need to edit your Client Event Script.