Label Files
Posted  28 May 2014

Background:

In Measuring Blocks, VCDS tries to elaborate as much as possible what the data means. Unfortunately, the "Data Type" information coming from the Control Module is not that precise. For example: VCDS can tell that a particular field contains a Temperature, but the data from the Controller doesn't tell us whether this is the Coolant Temperature or the Intake Air Temperature.

To reduce the confusion, VCDS supports Label Files which provide more information about the data being displayed in Measuring Blocks and can also provide additional information for the Coding function and Adaptation Channels.   When a Label file for the Control Module you are looking at does not exist, VCDS will base the elaboration is based on an "educated guess" what a particular Data Type means.

When accessing a control module,  VCDS will first search for label files in the following folders in this order:

• LABELS/USER/

• LABELS/[oem-name]/     (only OEM versions translated into a different language)

• LABELS/

In each of these folders, VCDS will search for a Label Files in the following order:

• TEST-NN.LBL where NN is the controller address (01 for Engine, 03 for ABS, etc)

• XXX-XXX-XXX-XX.LBL where XXX-XXX-XXX-XX is the complete part number for the controller,
  including suffix letters

• XXX-XXX-XXX.LBL where XXX-XXX-XXX is the part number for that controller without
  any suffix letters.

• AA-BB.LBL where AA is the first two characters of the part number, and BB is the address.

In the last two cases, VCDS may make use of Label File Redirection.

 

We have created a TEMPLATE.LBL file that explains and demonstrates the file-format. This is located in your VAG-COM/Labels folder. If you rename it to TEST-01.LBL, it will display when you use the Measuring Blocks function on your Engine. Please do this if you have any questions about the file format.

 

Get Involved!

We do not have enough resources to create LBL files for every control module ever made, nor do we have all the control modules to test them on, so we are asking the user community to get involved:  

 

Please go through each control module in your car.   Go to Measuring Blocks first.  Look in the upper left-hand corner of the screen to see if VCDS has found a label file.  If it says "none", make a note of this control module's exact VAG Part Number (as shown on the Open Controller screen.    If no label file exists, we may be able to suggest one that's close for you to test and tweak, or we may be able to help you find the info necessary to make a label file.   If a label file already exists, go through all the Groups of data to see if the labels in the file are complete and make sense.  Don't forget Coding and Adaptation as well.   If something isn't right or information is incomplete, edit the file!    Please send all new or improved label files to Labels@Ross-Tech.com

 

Please see this page for instructions on creating label files.

When you download and install VCDS, it creates the VCDS/Labels directory and populates it with all current Label Files.