|
HMI
Objects
To insert an HMI object, either
press the insert key or right click anywhere in the white space
to display the menu and select "Insert". A dialog box allows
you to set a caption for the object you are about to insert.
Next, select which type of object you want from the drop-down
list.
Once an object is inserted on
the HMI window, you can double click it (or press <Enter>)
to bring up the "HMI Object Parameter Configuration" window.
Clicking on the "Configure" button next to "Attributes"
will bring up another window. Here you can configure:
HMI Object Caption |
The title or caption for
the object. |
Width and Height |
The object size in pixels.
(The object size can also be set by the resize functions.) |
Border Style |
You may choose None, Black,
3-D raised and 3-D recessed. 3-D raised is ideal for buttons.
The other choices are ideal for display only. |
Alignment |
You may choose Center, Left
or Right to adjust the position of the caption. |
Font Size |
You may choose 8-22 point. |
Font Color |
You may choose Black, Blue,
White, Green, Gray, Yellow, Orange or Red |
Background color |
To use the color wheel, drag
the "color selector circle" to the desired position on the
color wheel. Use the slider below the color wheel to darken
or lighten your color. The "Color ID" displays your selected
color as a six digit hex number in HTML color format. This
number is useful for setting other objects and windows to
the same color after a selection has been made the first
time. Click to check
"Limit colors" for optimum performance with 256 color
or monochrome displays. Normally the three colors red,
green and blue can each take on 1 of 256 different values
thus giving 256 X 256 X 256 = 16,777,216 different colors.
If "Limit colors" is enabled only 6 different values (00,
33, 66, 99, CC and FF) are allowed for red, green and
blue. This gives 6 X 6 X 6 = 216 different colors (or
shades of gray). Some important numbers are 000000 Black,
0000FF Dark blue, 00FF00 Green, 00FFFF Light blue, FF0000
Red, FF00FF Magenta, FFFF00 Yellow, FFFFFF White. |
Set the "Security Level (1-255)"
of the object. When a user logs on, their password will determine
their security level range. If an object falls within their
range, it will be displayed. Otherwise, it will not be displayed.
The above two HMI object configuration
parameters are configured the same for all HMI objects. Below
is a description on how to configure specific parameters for
the different HMI objects.
Frame
The Frame object has no other configuration
parameters outside those described above. It is used only to
offset or group other objects. Therefore, it’s a good idea to
give the frame the same security level as the object(s) it offsets.
Otherwise, the frame may display, but contain no useful information.
A frame can also be used to drag, delete or copy a group of
other objects if "Magnetize" is enabled. The best border choices
are "Black" or "3-D recessed".
Button
The Button object is used to navigate
from one HMI window to another. The best border type is "3-D
raised". In addition to the configuration options available
to all objects (described above), Button has the following configuration
parameters:
Window
Control: |
Informs the program about
what to do with the window the button is located in, once
the button is pressed. "Leave alone" means the window stays
open and where it is. "Hide" means the window will be open
(for fast reloading) but you won’t see it, and "Close" means
the window will be closed. If you choose to close the window,
the next time the window is opened, all the information
to display it will have to be reloaded from the ICON which
can really slow things down, depending on your connection.
However, if too many windows are left open, your computer
may run out of resources to display them all. Therefore
you might want to close seldom visited windows after each
use. |
Select Loop: |
Enter the loop (1-4) in which
the target window is located. |
Select HMI: |
Choose the HMI window you
want the button to select. |
Variable
This is the most commonly used
object on your HMI. It allows you to display variable values
in all sorts of configurations and optionally provide a way
for users to change values.
Variable: |
Enter the variable you wish
to display. Right click in the blank for a list of the variables
contained in the module. If a format ( |
Write security
(0-255): |
Allows you to set the security
level required to change the variable at run time. 0 means
it can never be changed. The level required to change the
variable can be different than the level required to view
it. That way some users can view the value but not change
it. |
Format: |
Specify the format in which
the variable will be displayed. "0-5 DP" displays as float
with rounding to specified number of decimal places. "Float"
picks best floating point display format.
"Time" will format variable
value as day:hour:minute:second (Use !System[1] for current
time).
"Decimal Integer"
will convert float to unsigned integer and display in
decimal format. "Hex Integer" will convert float
to unsigned integer and display in hexadecimal format.
"Selection set" maps a counting
integer (0, 1, 2 …) to a text string with attributes using
a selection set (see below).
"Date" will format variable
value as MM/DD/YYYY (Use !System[0] for current date).
"Date/Time" displays the current date and time
as MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS. You do not need to select a variable
for this format selection since this is a built in variable.
For "Date" and "Date/Time"
the date format can be changed from the default US display
of MM/DD/YYYY to other formats. in "System parameter Config"
under "Password/system" on the "Program View" tab you
may pick alternate displays of YYYY/MM/DD or DD/MM/YYYY. |
Selection
Set: |
Only configure this parameter
if you chose "Selection set" for "Format:" above. You may
choose an already defined selection by selecting an entry
from the "Select Existing Set" drop down list. You may choose
to define a new selection set by clicking the "Add Set"
button, edit the contents of an already existing set with
the "Edit Set" button or clear a set with the "Clear Set"
button. There is no way to delete a set. Instead, use the
Clear Set button to set a definition no longer needed to
null. Later, if you need a new set, use the Edit Set button
to define new entries for the set named null. When
editing a selection set, first enter a unique name in
the "Enter Selection Set Name" field so you can identify
this selection set definition in the "Select Existing
Set" drop down list for future use. You may enter new
entries in the "Add selection" field and click the "Add"
button to add to the end of your selection set list. Or
you may highlight an already existing selection set entry
and use the "Replace" button to replace a selection. Or
you may highlight an already existing selection set entry
and use the "Delete" button to delete the entry.
You may have a maximum of
50 different selection set entries with a total length
of 4000 characters for all entries plus some internal
overhead. This overhead is an additional 9 characters
per selection set for attributes plus selection set title
plus 2 characters. This still leaves over 50 characters
for up to 50 selection set descriptions.
You may highlight an already
existing selection set entry and click the "Set Properties"
button to bring up a display configuration screen. This
is similar to the Attributes configuration screen described
at the beginning of this Help document and allows you
to set the text justification, font size and color and
object background color for the display of this selection
set entry. Notice you can set each entry differently,
thus allowing different selections to show up in different
colors and font configurations for alarm and status displays.
At HMI run time the first
text item in the selection set will display when the variable
value is zero, the second entry displays with a value
of one, the third entry displays with a value of two and
so on. Selection sets simply convert counting integer
values used by the program into colored text strings,
easier for the user to understand when the HMI runs. |
Override: |
If "Yes" is selected, then
an additional "End Override" button is added to the variable
value entry field at HMI run time. Any values entered by
the user "overrides" normal values generated in the program.
If the "End override" button is pressed the value 3.4028235E38
is written to the variable which causes the program to revert
to using program generated values. This
operation is not automatic but is implemented with an
expression program step using the override functions.
Insert an expression like the following into your expression
statement:
normal_var 'orider' override_var
Configure your HMI variable
to point to "override_var". Now if the user enters an
override value, this value is selected from the "override_var"
variable instead of the value in "normal_var" because
the value in "override_var is less than 3.4028235E38.
When the user clicks the "End override" button the value
3.4028235E38 is written to "override_var". This value
cases the 'orider' function to select the value from variable
"normal_var" instead of "override_var". |
Min Val: |
Sets the minimum value accepted
and the lower end of the range for the display for a slider,
bar, knob or meter. |
Max Val: |
Sets the maximum value accepted
and the upper end of the range for the display for a slider,
bar, knob or meter. |
Type: |
Sets the type of variable
display as Box, LED (Simulated Light Emitting Diode), Switch,
Slider, Bar, Knob, Meter,Button, Radio Button or Check box.
You will need to resize the object so it looks appropriate
after you finish these parameter configurations.
Note: Selection sets can
optionally be used with the Box and Knob otherwise they
are continuous. It must be used with the LED , Button,
Radio Button or Check Box.
Box: Up to 50 selection
set entries
Knob: Up to 7 selection set
entries (number of selection set entries determines number
of positions (2-7). No titles or attributes are used!
LED: 2 selection set entries
for color only (no text used)
Button: 2 selection set entries
Radio Button: As many as
will fit on your HMI screen.
Check Box: 2 entries one
for no select and one for select |
Style: |
Sets the style of the selected
type. This includes picking a color and style selection.
Not all Types have selectable styles. |
Instruction
The Instruction object allows the
user to change one or more configuration parameters for the
selected instruction at HMI run time. In addition to the configuration
options available to all objects (described above), you may
click the "Instructions" button. Now two configuration fields
appear:
Selected
Instruction: |
Select the desired instruction
from the drop-down list labeled "Selected Instruction". |
Selected
Override Template: |
Next, select or create the
desired instruction override template. All instructions
of the same type have the same list of templates. You may
choose an already defined template by selecting an entry
from the "Selected Override Template" drop down list. You
may choose to define a new template set by clicking the
"Add" button, edit the contents of an already existing template
with the "Edit" button or clear a template with the "Clear"
button. There is no way to delete a template. Instead, use
the Clear button to set a template no longer needed to null.
Later, if you need a new template, use the Edit button to
define new entries for the set named null. When
editing a template, first enter a unique name in the "Override
Template Name" field so you can identify this template
definition in the "Selected Override Template" drop down
list for future use.
After you press the Add
or Edit button the "Override Strings" configuration window
is displayed. This window displays all the configuration
fields for the selected instruction. The left column displays
the default instruction configuration headings. You enter
the new override heading in the right column. When you
fill in the right field, you are telling the program to
allow the user to change that parameter at HMI run time.
The string you type into the field is what will be displayed.
You may change the string or leave it the same as the
default (or change to a foreign language). The run-time
user will not be able to see or change any fields left
blank. |
The Instruction object can be
used to allow a user at HMI run time to change selected parameters.
Examples include changing setpoints and timing sequences defined
in the Constant instruction, setting Conversion Coefficients
in the Convert instruction, changing alarm limits in the Limit
instruction or changing the correction type in the Correct instruction.
Resource
The Resource object can be used
to display a picture within the HMI, link to a help file which
is displayed in a separate browser window, run a separate executable
program on the browser's computer or run the historical file
reporting function. In addition to the configuration options
available to all objects (described above), Resource has the
following configuration parameters:
URL: |
Select the location of the
file to be displayed or program to be executed. If "Picture"
is selected the JPG or GIF file must be located on the ICON
and you simply enter the name of the file. For
"Help" HTML pages, give the complete location of the file.
These files may be located anywhere, including a server
on the Internet.
If "Program" is selected,
enter the name of the program including the path. For
Windows users the default subdirectory is the "Windows"
subdirectory. For UNIX users the default subdirectory
is your home directory. |
Type: |
Select the type of file to
be accessed (Picture, Help or Program) or select Historical
file. If "Picture" is selected, the file will be displayed
within the size of the Resource object on the HMI screen.
Pictures may be JPG or GIF files. If "Help" is selected,
the HTML help file entered in the URL/Name will be displayed
in a separate browser window. If
"Program" is selected, the program entered in the "URL/Name"
field will be executed on the browser’s computer. Note,
the program can only be run if you have the Java 1.2 plug-in
loaded and your policy file allows access to your machine.
On a "Windows" machine you need an entry in the file ".java.policy"
under your "Windows" subdirectory like the following:
grant codeBase "http://192.168.1.100:82/*"
{
permission java.io.FilePermission
"<<ALL FILES>>", "read, write, delete,execute";
};
You must change 192.168.1.100:82
to the actual IP address and port number for the ICON
you are accessing.
If "Historical file" is
selected, the object will bring up the historical reporting
package allowing the user at run time to retrieve data
from any periodic or event files, display in tabular or
graphical form, print in tabular form to the printer or
send to a local disk file for import into a spreadsheet.
For this case the URL field is not used. |
Graph_var
This object can graph from 1-5
variable values in real-time in strip chart format. You may
select the sample rate from as fast as once per second to as
slow as once per hour. The chart is only updated while the HMI
screen is selected and it starts over every time the HMI is
first accessed. To avoid these limitations you may use the next
object "Graph_bin". The only draw back is that you must configure
a period file for the sample rate you desire and then save the
values to this file which requires a little extra programming
effort.
Format: |
Select the number of decimal
place positions to display 0-5 or "Digital 1" or "Digital
2". If Digital 1 or 2 is selected then a value of 0 will
represent a logic 0 and a non-zero value will represent
a logic 1. For Digital 1 the first trace will toggle between
0 and 10% of full scale, the second between 20 and 30%,
the third between 40 and 50%, the fourth between 60 and
70% and the fifth between 80 and 90%. Digital 2 works like
digital 1 except that a logic 0 is at the bottom of the
graph for all 5 traces. Digital 1 and Digital 2 allow easy
creation of digital strip charts with up to five digital
traces per graph. |
Min val: |
If "Constant" is selected
for Max/Min Type set the minimum
Y value for the graph as a constant. Otherwise enter a variable
name to use to dynamically be able to change the graph min
value at run time. |
Max val: |
If "Constant" is selected
for Max/Min Type set the maximum
Y value for the graph. Otherwise enter a variable name to
use to dynamically be able to change the graph max value
at run time. |
Interval: |
Use the drop down list to
select the graph length and sample interval. The entry 5M/1S
indicates the overall strip chart is 5 minutes long and
the sample rate is every 1 second. |
Variable
1: |
Enter the first display variable. |
Var 2: |
Enter the second display
variable. Set to "Null" if you don't want to graph this
variable. |
Var 3:-Var
5: |
Repeat as before for variables
3 to 5. |
Caption
1: |
Enter your descriptive caption
for variable 1. You must enter at least one character. |
Cap 2:-Cap
5: |
Enter additional captions
only if you have defined display variables. Otherwise delete
all characters in the string. |
Max/Min
Type |
You may select "Constant"
or "Variable". (See Max and Min above.) Select the desired
entry and click update before entering the Min val and Max
val. |
Graph_bin
This object can graph from 1-5
historical bin items in real-time in strip chart format from
the periodic file. You may select the sample rate from as fast
as once per second to as slow as once per hour (depending on
the recording interval for your periodic file). The chart is
updated from the historical file so it will "catch up" if the
HMI screen is not always active. It also creates the chart from
the periodic file when the HMI screen is first accessed.
Time file: |
Select the time file from
which to graph bins. (The decimal point format positions
are read from the periodic file and can be configured from
0-5 or "Digital". If Digital is selected then a value of
0 will represent a logic 0 and a non-zero value will represent
a logic 1. Furthermore, the first trace will toggle between
0 and 10% of full scale, the second between 20 and 30%,
the third between 40 and 50%, the fourth between 60 and
70% and the fifth between 80 and 90%. This allows easy creation
of digital strip charts with up to five digital traces per
graph.) |
Min val: |
If "Constant" is selected
for Max/Min Type set the minimum
Y value for the graph as a constant. Otherwise enter a variable
name to use to dynamically be able to change the graph min
value at run time. |
Max val: |
If "Constant" is selected
for Max/Min Type set the maximum
Y value for the graph. Otherwise enter a variable name to
use to dynamically be able to change the graph max value
at run time. |
Interval: |
Use the drop down list to
select the graph length and sample interval. The entry 5M/1S
indicates the overall strip chart is 5 minutes long and
the sample rate is every 1 second. You must match the recording
interval of your file or select a longer period. |
Bin 1: |
Enter the bin number of the
first bin to graph. |
Bin 2:-Bin
5: |
Enter additional bin numbers
if desired. Set a bin value to 0 to disable. (The captions
are read from the periodic file.) |
Max/Min
Type |
You may select "Constant"
or "Variable". (See Max and Min above.) Select the desired
entry and click update before entering the Min val and Max
val. |
|