CT HMI 1.0 Reference Guide - Control Technology CorporationPreface An introduction to CT HMI and how it relates to the CT Series CT HMI is powerful Java-based software created as the

CONTROL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

CT HMI 1.0 Reference

CT HMI Reference

CT HMI

1.0

C O N T R O L T E C H N O L O G Y C O R P O R A T I O N

CT HMI Reference

Copyright © 2004 Control Technology Corporation. All Rights Reserved. 25 South Street

Hopkinton, MA 01748 USA Phone 508.435.9595 • Fax 508.435.2373

Friday, August 05, 2005

Preface An introduction to CT HMI and how it relates to the CT Series

CT HMI is powerful Java-based software created as the next generation solution for HMI design and display. Because it’s built on Java technology it is platform independent, and it will run on any hardware and operating system that supports a Java Virtual Machine. This includes the most popular systems in use today such as Windows, UNIX, Sun Solaris, etc.

CT HMI is not your typical graphical HMI program built on C or Visual Basic with a lot of DLL files and ActiveX files. There’s no complicated COM or DCOM to deal with. Once you begin to use it you will enjoy the fact that it is not constrained by the peculiarities of the Windows operating system and the hassles of setting up Windows or OPC networking environments. CT HMI is network aware and automatically detects other CT Servers or CTC automation controllers on the network. It also takes advantage of CTC’s many patented developments for real-time monitoring and control of information over Ethernet networks and the Internet.

CT HMI can be used on CTC’s line of iPanel™ touch-panels or it can be run on a networked or stand alone computer. In any of these cases the CT HMI panels can also be viewed, controlled and even reprogrammed over the Internet. Internet communications are secured in many ways including 128-bit SSL encryption. Of course, you should use proper judgment in determining what you allow to be done over networks, but it’s nice to know that you have the capability to view and update your HMI on the other side of the building, or on the other side of the globe.

This document will provide you with a quick introduction to designing and using panels with CT HMI, but we’ve found the best way to learn it is to use it. You’ll find it intuitive and easy to learn in just a few hours of practice. Have fun!

Note: CT HMI is part of the CTC Enterprise Software suite, which was designed to exchange real-time information between real-world industrial devices and enterprise systems in a bi-directional manner. For more information on our software and hardware offerings, visit the CTC website at www.ctc-control.com.

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http://www.ctc-control.com/

Preface .................................................................................................................................... i

1. Overview.......................................................................................................................... 1 CT HMI Project Architecture.................................................................................................................1 Design and Run Mode ............................................................................................................................2

2. Installation ...................................................................................................................... 4 Installing JVM..........................................................................................................................................4 Installing CT HMI...................................................................................................................................4

3. CT HMI Environment .................................................................................................... 6 CT HMI Builder Overview ................................................................................................7

Control Window .....................................................................................................................................7 Property Inspector Window ...................................................................................................................8 Designer Window....................................................................................................................................8 Tag Explorer Window.............................................................................................................................8 String Table Window ..............................................................................................................................8 Data Historian Window..........................................................................................................................9 Recipe Manager Window........................................................................................................................9 Alarm Manager Window ........................................................................................................................9

Control Window ..............................................................................................................10 Menus.....................................................................................................................................................10 Panel Manager .......................................................................................................................................11 Widget Tabs and Select-and-Draw Widgets ........................................................................................12

Property Inspector Window ............................................................................................13 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................13 Layer Control.........................................................................................................................................14 Properties Tabs ......................................................................................................................................14

System...........................................................................................................................................................14 Server ............................................................................................................................................................15 Visual Tab.....................................................................................................................................................15 Component Tab...........................................................................................................................................15 All Tab ..........................................................................................................................................................16 Designer Window.............................................................................................................17

Creating Widgets ...................................................................................................................................17 Selecting Widgets...................................................................................................................................17 Moving and Resizing Widgets ..............................................................................................................18 Clipboard Operations ...........................................................................................................................18

Tag Explorer Window......................................................................................................20 Local and Remote Tags .........................................................................................................................20 Adding, Editing and Deleting Local Tags.............................................................................................21 Creating Local Expressions ...................................................................................................................23

String Table.......................................................................................................................26 Data Historian ..................................................................................................................28

Change-driven data logging (auto-logging) ........................................................................................31 Recipe Manager ................................................................................................................32

Introduction to Recipe Manager ..........................................................................................................32 Setting Up the Recipe Manager ............................................................................................................33

The Recipe Manager Toolbar ......................................................................................................................34 File commands .............................................................................................................................................34

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Edit commands ............................................................................................................................................35 Recipe commands ........................................................................................................................................35 The Recipe Type Tabs..................................................................................................................................36 The Recipe Type Fields ................................................................................................................................36 Downloading Recipes ..................................................................................................................................37 Control Utility ..................................................................................................................38

4. CT HMI Widgets........................................................................................................... 44 Static Display Widgets......................................................................................................45

label ......................................................................................................................45

mlabel...................................................................................................................45

textarea.................................................................................................................45

canvas...................................................................................................................45 Active Display Widgets ....................................................................................................46

display ..................................................................................................................46

displaytext............................................................................................................46

adisplay ................................................................................................................47

segmented ............................................................................................................47

indicator...............................................................................................................47

simpleindicator....................................................................................................48

meter ....................................................................................................................48

hmeter ..................................................................................................................49

vmeter ..................................................................................................................49

graphic .................................................................................................................50

rbutton .................................................................................................................52

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incdec ...................................................................................................................52

knob .....................................................................................................................53 Syste m Widgets.................................................................................................................54

logio......................................................................................................................54

panel.....................................................................................................................55

video.....................................................................................................................55 Chart gin Widgets..............................................................................................................56

alarmlog..............................................................................................................56

5. FonSys

Ser

Vis

chart .....................................................................................................................57

Widget Properties ......................................................................................................... 58 ts..................................................................................................................................59

tem Properties .............................................................................................................61 Name......................................................................................................................................................61 Script ......................................................................................................................................................61 Escript ....................................................................................................................................................61

ver Properties...............................................................................................................62 CTserver.................................................................................................................................................62 CTdatabase ............................................................................................................................................62 CTfqn .....................................................................................................................................................63 CTinterval ..............................................................................................................................................63 CTsecurityEnable ..................................................................................................................................64 CTsecurityView .....................................................................................................................................64 AutoLogDataSet ....................................................................................................................................64 ual Properties ..............................................................................................................65 Editing color properties ........................................................................................................................65 Foreground ............................................................................................................................................66 Background............................................................................................................................................66 Border ....................................................................................................................................................66 TextFont.................................................................................................................................................67 Transparent............................................................................................................................................67 TextVerticalAlignment..........................................................................................................................67 TextHorizontalAlignment ....................................................................................................................67 FillColor .................................................................................................................................................67 GaugeColor............................................................................................................................................67 PanelColor .............................................................................................................................................67 LabelColor .............................................................................................................................................68 LabelBackgroundColor .........................................................................................................................68 LowColor ...............................................................................................................................................68 LowLowColor ........................................................................................................................................68

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6. Ala

HighColor ..............................................................................................................................................68 HighHighColor......................................................................................................................................68 DrawInside.............................................................................................................................................68 DrawSolid ..............................................................................................................................................68 LabelHeight............................................................................................................................................69 PointerWidth.........................................................................................................................................69 AutoOffColor ........................................................................................................................................69 OnColor .................................................................................................................................................69 OffColor.................................................................................................................................................69 DefaultColor ..........................................................................................................................................69 TextColor...............................................................................................................................................69 AlternateStyle.........................................................................................................................................69

ponent Properties.....................................................................................................70 Device.....................................................................................................................................................70 Coarse.....................................................................................................................................................70 Fine.........................................................................................................................................................70 Editable ..................................................................................................................................................70 RangeMin...............................................................................................................................................71 RangeMax ..............................................................................................................................................71 DigitalFormat ........................................................................................................................................71 TextFormat ............................................................................................................................................71 GaugeFormat .........................................................................................................................................71 Digital.....................................................................................................................................................72 Icon ........................................................................................................................................................72 IconLow, IconHigh ...............................................................................................................................73 Fill...........................................................................................................................................................74 Label .......................................................................................................................................................74 UnitLabel ...............................................................................................................................................74 Destination ............................................................................................................................................75 Latched...................................................................................................................................................75 ValueOn.................................................................................................................................................75 ValueOff.................................................................................................................................................75 ToggleStyle.............................................................................................................................................75 MajorTicks.............................................................................................................................................75 MinorTicks ............................................................................................................................................75 GaugeType .............................................................................................................................................76 Low.........................................................................................................................................................76 LowLow..................................................................................................................................................76 High........................................................................................................................................................76 HighHigh ...............................................................................................................................................76

ng conditional color-change limits .......................................................................................................76 Slow ........................................................................................................................................................77 Fast .........................................................................................................................................................77 Vertical ...................................................................................................................................................77 Round.....................................................................................................................................................77 Adjustable ..............................................................................................................................................77 Values.....................................................................................................................................................78 UseLimits ...............................................................................................................................................78 ReadBack................................................................................................................................................78 MaxLines................................................................................................................................................78 TimeStamp ............................................................................................................................................78 Divisor....................................................................................................................................................79 rm Management ...................................................................................................... 80

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Star

Cre

Cre

The

7. Cha

8. Wid

Wid

ting the Alarm Manager ............................................................................................80 Alarm Manager Window Left Pane......................................................................................................80 The AMS command bar........................................................................................................................81 ating an alarm tag .......................................................................................................82 Source tab ..............................................................................................................................................83 Script tab................................................................................................................................................84 Limit tab.................................................................................................................................................85 Deviation tab .........................................................................................................................................87 ROC tab .................................................................................................................................................88 State tab..................................................................................................................................................89 ating an Alarmlog Widget..........................................................................................89

Alarmlog Widget Properties ............................................................................................90 The alarmlog widget Property Window...............................................................................................91 AlarmLog Widget at Runtime..................................................................................95 General information..............................................................................................................................95 The Alarm Header.................................................................................................................................96 The Filter button ...................................................................................................................................97 The Alarm Control Buttons..................................................................................................................97

Charting....................................................................................................................... 100 rt Properties .............................................................................................................102 ChartType ............................................................................................................................................102 DataSets................................................................................................................................................102 Options ................................................................................................................................................102 Chart2ndAxis.......................................................................................................................................102 ChartAxis1Grid ...................................................................................................................................102 ChartAxis2Grid ...................................................................................................................................103 ChartAxisXGrid...................................................................................................................................103 ChartAxis1Title ...................................................................................................................................103 ChartAxis2Title ...................................................................................................................................103 ChartAxisColor....................................................................................................................................103 ChartBackground ................................................................................................................................103 ChartColor1 - ChartColor8 ................................................................................................................103 ChartFont.............................................................................................................................................103 ChartGridColor ...................................................................................................................................103 ChartPolarPeriod ................................................................................................................................103 ChartRefLineA.....................................................................................................................................104 ChartRefLineB .....................................................................................................................................104 ChartRefLineAValue ...........................................................................................................................104 ChartRefLineBValue ...........................................................................................................................104 ChartRefLineColor..............................................................................................................................104 ChartXTicks.........................................................................................................................................104 ChartYWidth .......................................................................................................................................104

CT HMI Scripting ....................................................................................................... 105 get Update-Driven Scripting Examples .................................................................107

Scaling a value before display .............................................................................................................107 Rate of change......................................................................................................................................109 Changing color ....................................................................................................................................110 Using the textarea widget....................................................................................................................111 get Event-Driven Scripting Examples ....................................................................113

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ScrScr

A. Tag ExploreB. For

...............................................................................................................................

C.

Limits ..............................................................................................................................141

D. Graphic Library........................................................................................................... 142

Changing multiple tags .......................................................................................................................113 Launching an External application.....................................................................................................114 Creating an alphanumeric keypad......................................................................................................115 Performing some action once when the project is loaded ................................................................115

ipting Tags .................................................................................................................116 ipting Reference.........................................................................................................117 Widget Script Variables.......................................................................................................................117 Widget Escript Variables.....................................................................................................................118 The hmi Object....................................................................................................................................119 The ams Object....................................................................................................................................122 The hmi Object Multimedia Methods ...............................................................................................123 widget Object Methods .......................................................................................................................124 frame Object methods and variables ..................................................................................................126 Recipe-related Script methods............................................................................................................127

r Icons...................................................................................................... 133

matting Conventions............................................................................................ 135TextFormat pattern .............................................................................................................................136 messageFormatElement ......................................................................................................................136 elementFormat ....................................................................................................................................136 datetimeStyle .......................................................................................................................................136 numberStyle ..........136 dateFormatPattern ..............................................................................................................................137 NumberFormat pattern ......................................................................................................................138

Specifications .............................................................................................................. 139 Port Numbers .................................................................................................................139

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O V E R V I E W

C HAPTER

1Overview Introduction to CT HMI architecture and terminology

CTprotheappappsuc

HMI is an HMI (human machine interface), or a "window" into a cess that can be used to monitor and control that process. CTC uses term process in a broad way to include not only traditional wet lications such as tank farms and batch control, but also discrete lications such as assembly lines and even non-industrial applications h as HVAC and building security.

CT HMI Project Architecture The main file type you will be setting up in CT HMI is a project (.hmi) file. A project is a group of operator interface screens that work together to control a given process. Individual screens, or panels, within the project are built to display different aspects of the process, such as different locations, overviews and detailed views, or different aspects (e.g., power, flow control, security, etc.) of the process. Projects can additionally include one or more of the following elements:

• String Table entries • historical data sets • recipes • scripts

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O V E R V I E W

The individual components of CT HMI will be covered in more detail in subsequent chapters.

The figure below depicts the architecture of a CT HMI project:

TAGSDATASETS

STRINGTABLE

STRINGS

PROJECT

PANEL

WIDGET

PANELSCRIPTS

RECIPEMANAGER

RECIPETYPES

GRAPHICSRC FILES

WIDGETSCRIPTS

(.png, .svg)

additional panels

Because all project components are encapsulated into a single .hmi file, it is easy to port your automation strategy for a given process from one system to another. On the other hand, individual components of CT HMI, such as recipes and historical data, may be exported to text files for use by other applications.

Design and Run Mode CT HMI provides the user with a powerful design environment for developing HMI projects. Because CT HMI is built on state-of-the-art Java technology, its objects are fully interactive Java components, not just simple graphic symbols. The active nature of CT HMI objects (which are called widgets) speeds the design process because these widgets look the same whether the screen is being built or in actual operation.

CT HMI features two modes of operation:

• design mode • run mode

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O V E R V I E W

Widgets display live data in both design and run mode. Additionally, the properties of any widget on the panel may be edited in design mode. Clicking on the widget enables the user to edit physical properties such as size and location. Furthermore, CT HMI widgets retain their animation and tag update features in design mode as well. This allows meters to move, colors to change and text to update all while widgets are modified, positioned and resized.

In run mode, on the other hand, only the properties of the last selected widget may be edited, and changes can only be made through the Property Inspector. While the size and location of the currently selected widget may be edited via the Property Inspector, clicking on a widget in run mode calls up the keypad (if the widget is editable) instead of resizing or moving it.

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I N S T A L L A T I O N

C HAPTER

2Installation Installation of CT HMI

Installing JPrior to thevirtual mach

CT HMI reqTurn off th

VM installation of CT HMI, a standard, compatible JVM (Java ine) must be properly installed.

uires that the version number of this JVM must be 1.4.2. e auto update version of Java to ensure that you do not

subsequently install a higher, incompatible version.

You can download a compatible version 1.4+ JVM by visiting http://java.com. Compatible JVMs are available for various operating systems and platforms.

Installing CT HMI Once the JVM has been successfully installed, installation of CT HMI can begin:

1. Start the CT HMI installation program named CT HMI Install.

2. A welcome message for CT HMI will be displayed. Click on the NEXT button to continue installation.

3. The CTC software license agreement for CT HMI will be displayed. In order to install CT HMI you must accept this agreement by choosing YES.

4. Next, choose the location where you wish to install CT HMI and click NEXT.

5. After a few seconds the CT HMI installation will be completed.

6. If you are running on Windows, upon completion a shortcut will be created under the Start menu (within the Program Group named CTC). Choose this shortcut and launch CT HMI.

7. CT HMI uses a copy protection and licensing scheme which requires the installer to enter an authorization code in order to unlock the software for use on a particular computer.

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I N S T A L L A T I O N

Note: the authorization code that unlocks the software must be obtained by contacting CTC.

8. When you start CT HMI for the first time, a software licensing window is displayed along with a computer ID located within square brackets in the title bar of this window.

9. Next, contact CTC (888.818.2600 x300 or [email protected]) to obtain an authorization code. Have your CT HMI serial number and computer ID ready when you call.

10. After obtaining the authorization code, enter the CT HMI serial number and authorization code in the provided spaces and click Authorize.

Note: the unique authorization code given to you by CTC will be different if you purchase additional CT HMI modules, install the software on a different computer system or change your computer configuration.

11. Once the proper serial number and authorization code have been entered, CT HMI will be authorized for use on that system and will start execution.

12. A “splash screen” window (shown below) will be displayed which logs the CT HMI startup progress as well as informational messages, warnings and errors.

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mailto:[email protected]

C T H M I E N V I R O N M E N T

C HAPTER

3CT HMI Environment CT HMI's intuitive graphical design makes panel design a snap.

In this sectioHMI window

When you swindows app

n you will be introduced to the main features of the CT areas and the overall project environment.

tart the CT HMI Builder application, the three primary ear. These windows are:

• the Control Panel, which is used for project- and panel-level operations

• the Property Inspector, which displays the specific attributes of the selected object in

the panel • the Designer, where the actual operator interface is built

Four additional pop-up windows can be opened when needed:

• the Tag Explorer, which lists all tags (e.g., I/O, servers, calculations) available to the process

• the String Table, which lists text strings that can be used during system configuration • Data Historian, which manages and configures data logging • the Recipe Manager, which creates and downloads recipes to the controller

All seven windows can be positioned and resized (except for the Designer, which is resized by modifying the project size) allowing the user to customize the project workspace.

Note: All CT HMI windows feature bubble (tool-tip) help. Simply place your cursor over a widget symbol, button, or property name and a short descriptive message will appear and guide you.

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CT HMI BUILDER OVERVIEW

String Table Property Inspector

Controlwindow

Designer

TagExplorer

Data Historian

Recipe Manager

Control Window Menu Bar – The menu bar contains a typical file-oriented menu (Save, Open, etc.) as well as an overall project-level menu. The project menu is used to alter the size of the Designer window and control other design-time project properties.

Panel Manager – The Panel Manager organizes panels within a project. It allows panels to be added and deleted, and is used to select the active panel for the Designer window.

Mode Control – These two buttons, located under the Panel Manager, enable the user to switch (instantly!) between Design and Run Mode (which allows user input widgets to function) and also control whether widgets are continuously updated with new process data.

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Widget Tabs – The widget tabs are used to quickly select between various widget categories. Once a tab is selected, a widget can be clicked (selected) and then drawn in the design window.

Property Inspector Window Explorer – The explorer panel provides a view of all widgets on the active panel. A specific widget can be selected either by clicking the name in the explorer or by clicking the widget in the Designer. The explorer panel shows the widget name and type.

Properties Tabs – These tabs select between the different categories of properties. A category which shows all properties is also available.

Properties – The properties panel shows the various widget properties within the selected property tab. On the left, the name of the property is displayed, and to the right, the value of the property. Some properties are edited directly within this panel, while others bring up an interactive dialog for editing. Tool-tip help is available by locating the mouse over the property name.

Designer Window Designer – The Designer is where you layout your panels. When in Design Mode, widgets can be added and their properties, location and size can be modified. When in Run Mode, the Designer behaves as it will when loaded into a runtime environment (such as an iPanel). Widgets cannot be edited in Run Mode, but the user can interact with the last-selected widget’s properties in the Property Inspector.

Note: The Tag Explorer, String Table, Data Historian and Recipe Manager windows are opened by clicking the appropriate icon displayed in the Property Inspector window. The icon corresponding to each window is displayed in its description below.

Tag Explorer Window

Tag Explorer – This explorer-style view enables access to all local and system tags as well as all server based tags on the connected network. Remote (server-based) tags can be located on any CT Server or OPC Server. Local tags include user-defined ones as well as system tags such as date and time.

Note: Local tags are part of the project file.

String Table Window

String Table – The String Table window manages string entries which are used to dynamically substitute values for widget properties. The String Table is handy to reduce typing and for foreign language substitutions.

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Data Historian Window

Data Historian – The Data Historian window manages and configures CT HMI’s powerful data logging component. Captured time-series data can be plotted by use of the chart widget.

Recipe Manager Window

Recipe Manager – The Recipe Manager enables you to create and download recipes to the controller. A recipe is simply a way to pre-configure values for a set of tags, which can all be downloaded to the controller simultaneously. With scripting, a series of recipes may be set up that can be sequentially downloaded either by the operator or according to process events.

Alarm Manager Window

Alarm Manager – The Alarm Manager enables you to configure alarms and how they should be logged to both screen and file. Alarm attributes such as severity, priority, and descriptor tags for alarm events may all be configured via the alarm manager.

Tags from the Tag Editor must be configured in the Alarm Manager to be displayed in the Alarm Log widget.

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CONTROL WINDOW

The Control Window is where you will begin your project. It contains the Title bar, which indicates the name and location of the active project. This window uses the familiar window hide (minimize) and resize icons. When minimize is selected, the other primary windows associated with CT HMI, the Property Inspector and Designer, are minimized as well.

Menus File Menu

The File menu allows you to open an existing project (Open) or create a new one (New). When a project is saved using Save or Save As…, all information relating to that project, including the panels, user tags, the String Table, the recipe table data and the Data Historian configuration, are stored within the project.

On Windows-based systems, CT HMI will use the standard convention of storing files within the “My Documents” folder (which makes for easy backup).

The Control menu item allows the user to interact with a remote iPanel unit directly from within the Builder application. This control application allows the user to upload a new project to an iPanel, download an existing project from an iPanel as well as other powerful functions. This is covered in detail later within this chapter (Control Utility).

Project Menu

The Project menu controls various project-level properties.

The menu item HMI Size is where you set or change the size of all panels in the project. Only one panel size is permitted for the entire project. The current panel size of the project is denoted by a bullet mark (•) next to the item in the HMI size submenu.

It is a good idea to set the panel size as soon as you create a new project, since it will be time-consuming to move and resize widgets once design has started.

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Note: Choose the project panel size based upon the size of the target run-time system (e.g., an iPanel or workstation). The available sizes correspond to standard PC screen resolutions, as well as iPanel LCD resolutions.

The menu item Designer Grid controls how widgets are initially sized or resized. By default, the Designer grid is set to 16 pixels which means each widget's overall height and width will snap to a multiple of 16 (0, 16, 32, etc.) when resized. The Designer grid can be disabled as well for more precise control.

Help Menu

This menu invokes online help and lets you check the version of CT HMI Builder you are running.

Note: After choosing About CTHMI…, click on the informational text window to return to the Builder.

Panel Manager

Using the Panel Manager you can add (add), delete (del), and select panels (by clicking on the panel name). Up to 1000 panels can be created.

Panels are given sequential numbers as they are created. For clarity it is recommended that you also use the

Property Inspector (frame name) to assign each panel a meaningful name – the panel uses the name from the master frame widget contained on each panel.

The picture below shows where the panel name is set within the Property Inspector.

When a new project is started, it opens up with panel 0 already created. When projects are run using CT HMI on an iPanel or workstation, the default panel displayed on startup is panel 0. To display a different panel on startup, select it from the Panel Manager list and then click the button.

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Two buttons below the Panel Manager control the overall behavior of the panels in CT HMI Builder:

• the Mode button • the Pause button

The Mode button toggles between Design and Run (test) mode. In Design mode, the Mode

button appears as a , and clicking on the button toggles to Run mode. In Run mode,

the Mode button appears as a ; clicking it returns the panel to Design mode. The Pause

button disables the (live) automatic tag update. You may want to use to “lock” a panel view for printing. You can also use the pause feature to lower the demand on the CPU while constructing a project.

Widget Tabs and Select-and-Draw Widgets Widgets are the core of the CT HMI product and they are covered in detail in subsequent chapters of this document.

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PROPERTY INSPECTOR WINDOW

Introduction In general, the Property Inspector is where all of the properties of a widget can be assigned, viewed, and changed. In this section you will be introduced to the Property Inspector and its major functions. Additionally, a few of the more common widget properties will be introduced. However, since many widget properties are inherently specific to widget's type, most properties are detailed in a later chapter.

Note: To change a string or numeric property within the Property Inspector, you must type in the new value and then press the Enter key – failure to press the Enter key will result in the value remaining unchanged.

When a widget is drawn onto the active panel in the Designer, a new icon representing that widget is automatically added to the Property Inspector tree for that panel. Each

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widget (other than those contained within a sub-panel) is located on its own layer within the panel.

Layer Control

When one widget overlaps another on a lower level, it will appear to be on top of the other widget. By using the layer-change controls (shown to the left), the selected widget can be moved up or down one layer at a time.

Use the up-arrow to move the widget more to the front and use the down-arrow to move the widget more to the rear (behind other widgets). It may take more than one click of the arrow buttons to properly place a widget in the hierarchy, since each widget is on its own layer.

When shifted, the up-arrow moves the widget all the way to the front (top layer) and the down-arrow moves the widget to the very back (bottom layer).

Properties Tabs By selecting a tab you can quickly get to the properties of interest. The All tab will show all of a widget’s properties.

SYSTEM The System tab contains the fields that pertain to local control of the widget within the CT HMI application.

Name - the Name property is where you assign a name to the widget. This name will appear in the Property Inspector tree (the explorer view).

While naming widgets within CT HMI Builder is not required, it is recommended especially when you have many widgets or when building complicated projects. If you fail to name a widget, then the widget cannot be accessed using CT HMI’s powerful scripting language.

Script - the Script property contains the Script Icon . Clicking on the Script Icon opens the script editor. The script editor allows you to add a script to the widget. Scripts are executed every time the widget is updated. Scripts are written in the Java language (not to be confused with its simpler cousin, JavaScript).

Scripts can be as simple as a one-line unit conversion or they can be more sophisticated, consisting of many statements that access either the current widget’s properties or those of another widget.

Scripting is a very powerful, advanced feature of CT HMI and it is covered in detail in a later chapter.

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SERVER The Server tab contains the properties that govern access to the widget and the widget’s server.

A widget, such as a meter for example, does not itself contain data regarding the value of the meter needle – this information is queried by the widget on a regular basis from the server. The Server tab is where you establish the parameters for this server connection.

In addition, a widget’s view level and security level are set here.

VISUAL TAB The Visual tab is associated with properties that alter the presentation of the widget on the screen.

These graphic properties determine what font is utilized, what the background color is, whether a border should be drawn around the widget, etc.

The screen capture below is from the visual properties of the “indicator” widget and is typical of many of the widgets in CT HMI.

COMPONENT TAB The Component tab contains specialized graphic and interactive features of the widget. Most of these properties are unique to the specific widget and are discussed in later chapters.

However, a few of the more common features are discussed in this chapter as an introduction to the component tab.

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ALL TAB When the All Tab is selected, all of the widget’s properties are visible in one tab. This tab is a superset of all the other tabs plus it adds one property found only in this tab: ComponentBounds.

The ComponentBounds property consists of the X-Y coordinates of the widget's upper left-hand corner on the panel, as well as the widget’s width and height. By editing this “bounding box,” a widget’s location and size can be precisely set. The units of measure for this property are screen pixels. The coordinate (0,0) is located in the upper-left hand corner of the panel, with X and Y increasing to the right and down.

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DESIGNER WINDOW

The Designer window is where the project’s panels are designed and tested. Most of the real work for designing the panel comes from interacting with the Property Inspector, but there are a few basic functions which relate directly to the Designer window.

Creating Widgets To create a widget, click on the desired widget from the Control window (for example, the meter widget):

Then, click and drag within the Designer. The first location will be the upper left corner or the widget – and the resulting size will be based upon the size of the dragged rectangle:

To create another widget, repeat the process.

Notes:

1. New widgets can only be created in Design mode.

2. The selected widget will highlight when first clicked.

Selecting Widgets

When a widget is created and drawn new into the design window, it is automatically selected and its properties can be edited in the Property Inspector.

When a widget is selected, an outline along with eight resizing handles and one move handle (at center) will appear as shown.

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Moving and Resizing Widgets Once a widget is selected, you can click and drag any one of these 9 handles to interactively alter the location and/or size of the widget.

An alternate choice is to edit the ComponentBounds property (located on the All tab in the Property Inspector) for the widget to precisely locate and size the widget.

The center handle is used to reposition the widget within the panel.

When the center handle is clicked, the cursor changes and the ComponentBounds are displayed. The numbers in the parentheses are the X-Y (X, Y) location of the widget's upper left-hand corner. The two other values are the Width x Height.

After dragging the widget to its new location, release the center handle.

Note: the PC arrow keys (up, down, left, right) can be used to nudge the location of a widget by 1 pixel for very exact alignment and positioning. These keys are only enabled when a widget is selected.

The 8 outer handles are used to resize the widget. The handles on the corners will adjust height and width concurrently, while the handles on the sides adjust a single dimension, either height or width. Click and drag one of these handles and when the proper size is achieved, release the handle.

As the widget is resized, the widget’s ComponentBounds are displayed. The numbers in the parenthesis are the X-Y (X, Y) location of the widget. The two other values are the Width x Height.

CT HMI widgets are highly intelligent Java-based objects, and they automatically redraw and rescale as you resize them.

Clipboard Operations When a widget is selected it supports the following clipboard operations:

1. COPY () – copies the selected widget to the clipboard.

2. CUT () – deletes the selected widget from the panel and places it on the clipboard.

3. PASTE () – pastes the widget from the clipboard onto the active panel. The new widget will be placed at the center of the panel. Multiple paste operations can be performed in succession, and the pasted widgets will be stacked at the panel center.

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4. DUPLICATE () – duplicates the selected widget onto the active panel. As with the paste operation, the duplicated widget will be placed at the center of the panel. If multiple duplicates are created, they will be stacked at the center.

Note: Use the Copy, Cut and Paste commands to easily move widgets between panels.

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TAG EXPLORER WINDOW

The Tag Explorer is one of the most useful tools for rapid panel development. To open the Tag

Explorer, click on the button in the Property Inspector.

When CT HMI Builder is first launched, the server manager within the explorer will automatically detect all external servers and the tags available from those servers. The result of the detection process will be displayed in the explorer tree (shown to the left).

The types of servers detected include:

@CSL, an integrated, “light” version of CTServer;

@HMI, a server integrated into CT HMI that provides access to system and user tags within the HMI itself;

@OPC, a server that enumerates and provides access to local and remote OPC servers;

CTServers, listed by network name and IP address.

One of the most powerful features of the explorer is that tags can be dragged and dropped onto a CT HMI widget. This simple action causes that widget to be instantly associated with the chosen tag.

Notes:

1. Multiple widgets can be associated with a single tag.

2. When a tag is selected within the explorer, its present value updates (along with other information) at the bottom of the explorer.

Local and Remote Tags Local tags are those that reside within the local @HMI server. Tags residing in any other server – including other @HMI servers, @OPC servers or @CTC devices – are considered to be non-local or remote tags. The two categories of local tags are:

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• system tags • user tags

Adding, Editing and Deleting Local Tags System tags are created and managed by CT HMI and cannot be modified. They include information such as system date/time and user security level. User tags are created by the person designing the panel and are associated with the project.

User tags can be defined as constants or expressions. A constant local tag has a fixed value and cannot be based upon other tags. An expression local tag is defined by a formula, and can be based upon any number of tags.

To create a local tag, click on the New menu (from within the Tag Explorer) and choose either a local constant or a local expression.

You will be presented with a dialog box to define the new local (user) tag. For constant tags, the dialog box will resemble:

For expression tags, the dialog will instead look like:

The three text-entry fields at the top are used to organize the tag in a hierarchical format. The three fields represent:

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1. logical main group 2. sub-group within the main group 3. the individual tag

If you are familiar with the CT Server concept of a full-qualified tag name (FQN), these fields represent the controller/device, block (a logical or functional group of tags) and tag. A tag is a single unit in a control strategy; it can be an I/O point, a value based upon a sequence of mathematical operations, or a combination of the two.

Note: All three fields must be filled out in order to create a tag:

A name for the individual tag must be

entered here.

A folder name (which can represent a block name)

must be entered here.

A folder name (which can represent a controller /

device) must be entered here.

You can choose how you want to logically organize your local tags. You may want to enter constant or expression in the first Tag Name (i.e., controller/device) field, or perhaps the name of the panel the tag is used with. Any logical organization of tags is acceptable – you don’t have to mimic what CTServer uses. CT HMI automatically groups tags that have a common name in the first Tag Name field under a single "device group." Tags that have a common name in the first and second Tag Name fields are bundled in a single device and block subgroup.

Tags can then be referenced in CT HMI and scripts:

tagNameField1.tagNameField2.tagNameField3

For example, for a controller named tankFarm3, a block named tank3B, and the tag marked levelSensor, the full tag name would be:

tankFarm3.tank3B.levelSensor

When creating a local constant, you may wish to assign a value. If you are unsure of the tag's value at this time, the field may be left blank and edited later. Numeric (floating-point) and character-string values are supported.

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When creating a local expression, you can define the value at this time, or edit the expression at a later time.

Creating Local Expressions By dragging and dropping tags onto the Expression dialog, complex expressions can be created.

Note: Most expressions are composed of tags, numerical constants and the typical mathematical operators (+, -, *, and /). However, the complete Java language is at your disposal in creating an expression tag.

For example, to create a new tag that is the sum of the @HMI system tags “simulation.random.1000” and “simulation.random.100”, start by creating a new expression tag:

Then, drag the first tag into the Expr: area of the dialog box:

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Then, release the mouse button:

Next, type a plus sign (for addition) and select the next tag after the plus sign:

Finally, release the mouse button to complete the expression:

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The Tag Explorer also allows you to edit a local tag after it is created. Click the edit button after selecting a local user tag.

To delete a tag, click on the del button. Only local user tags can be deleted.

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STRING TABLE

The String Table and its associated editor (invoked by clicking the icon located within the Property Inspector) are used to make dynamic substitutions to certain character string properties within CT HMI.

Usually, the value for a property is typed directly into the Property Inspector:

This happens to be the text for a static label widget:

But what if we had several widgets like this – on different panels all with the same text? Would we have to re-type the text every time? What if we needed to change the text in all those widgets?

This is where the String Table comes in handy – a shorthand reference to an entry within the String Table can be made in the property itself. Then, the current value of the String Table shortcut is substituted instead.

To do this with our simple example, we need to bring up the String Table editor first – click the “S” icon located within the Property Inspector.

An empty String Table will appear. The String Table is organized into 2 columns – the first column is used to enter the name of the shortcut and the second column is used to enter the value for the shortcut.

Create a String Table entry with label1 as the shortcut string with a value of “Just some different text” like this:

Now we can head to the Property Inspector again and edit the label property so that it refers to a String Table entry named label1.

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To do this, we need to use a special character, the tilde (~) which is usually located to the left of the “1” key on a standard keyboard. We use this tilde to “escape” the string which follows it, and to inform CT HMI that the property should be “looked up” in the String Table:

Now, CT HMI actively substitutes the value in the String Table for the label property:

As you can see, the text changed to what is in the String Table.

Now, we can quickly change the text by using the String Table:

After the change is made within the String Table, the widget now displays a different string:

As you can see, the String Table can be a very powerful tool to minimize typing and to increase productivity.

Another use is foreign language translation – if all textual labels are entered into the String Table, then it is just a matter of changing those entries to create a new language version of a panel.

Note: not all properties can utilize the String Table, although most character string properties can. CT HMI’s Property Inspector uses blue-colored text for the property name to signify that the property is allowed to utilize the String Table.

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DATA HISTORIAN

The Data Historian is responsible for capturing and collecting time-based data from tags. Once collected, these datasets can be plotted and/or saved to a comma-delimited text (.csv) file. These files reside in the webfiles subdirectory of the folder in which your CT HMI application is installed.

The Data Historian is configured by clicking on the icon within the Property Inspector. Configuration settings are stored in the project file.

The configuration window resembles a spreadsheet:

The rows within the DHC (Data Historian configurator) represent data sets – up to 16 data sets can be defined in a single project file.

Data sets, when used elsewhere within CT HMI, are referred to by name – the default names chosen are dh0 through dh15, although these can be edited to more useful names by clicking in the appropriate cell in the first column.

The second through fourth columns define which tag to collect data from. Although you could type the three entries into these columns, it is far easier to drag-and-drop a tag from the Tag Explorer onto a particular row within the DHC as shown:

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When this tag (a local system simulation tag which generates random numbers between 0 and 1000) is dropped onto the first row in the DHC, several fields are automatically filled in:

The server, database and FQN columns are filled in based upon information from the dropped tag. The Interval property and Points property have default values of 200 milliseconds and 100 points respectively.

The Interval property defines how often to collect data. In this example, values from the example tag will be collected every 200 ms.

The Points property defines the maximum number of points that will be collected in a single dataset or file.

In this example, 100 points are collected at a 200ms period (1 point / period) which means that 20 seconds worth of information is collected in total. After 20 seconds, older points are automatically “deleted” from the dataset making room for new points.

The maximum number of points allowed in a single dataset is 10,000.

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The last column, Options, is used to configure data logging. The CT HMI run-time is capable of “pushing CSV (comma-delimited)” data by periodically storing the dataset to a file (and serving the file to the user through an integrated Web server).

The Options column is a series of comma-delimited key=value pairs and can contain:

key value

file This field specifies the file name prefix for this dataset. The resulting file name will be the prefix followed by an underscore (_), the date (yymmdd), another underscore and then the time (hhmmss).

For example, file=data1 would create files such as data1_030910_153044, data1_030910_153144, etc.

period This field controls how often to store the file. If this field is not specified, then the file is written every minute. The unit of measure for this field is minutes.

For example, period=5 means that the historian should write a new file every 5 minutes.

keep This field specifies how many files should be kept before deleting old files.

For example, keep=10 means that at most 10 files should be kept with this prefix.

The default value for this field (if not specified) is 5 (files).

As an example, the following string specifies that the file prefix of data1 should be used with a period of 10 minutes, and 8 files should be kept:

file=data1,period=10,keep=8

To access these “data log” files remotely, any web browser can utilized. The IP address of the iPanel or workstation must be specified along with a port number. The format of the URL is: http://ip:8194 for an iPanel (or PC) running CT HMI WS (CT HMI workstation) or when using the integrated Builder run-time. The URL is http://ip:8195 for an iPanel running CT HMI SA (CT HMI stand-alone).

Once this URL is entered, a web page similar to the following is displayed which shows a list of files available for download:

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http://ip:8194/http://ip:8195/


By clicking the appropriate file name, the comma-delimited data can be imported into any application that supports such data (for example, Microsoft Excel).

Note: there is a serious bug when opening and charting a comma-delimited file directly from Internet Explorer into Excel. For more information, see the Microsoft document at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q306656

Change-driven data logging (auto-logging) The historical data archiving described above logs data for a given tag at the interval defined by the Data Historian's Interval field. The historian can also be set to log only changes to the tag associated with a widget, independently of how often those changes occur. This is ideal for logging changes to data such as set-points or switches, which may change frequently over a short burst of time and then remain constant for an extended period after that. Change-driven data logging (auto-logging) provides a way to capture the changes while filtering out the long periods in between when the data doesn't change.

To set up auto-logging, first set up the dataset in the Data Historian configurator. There are a few requirements for the dataset that will be used for auto-logging:

1. The dataset cannot have the CTserver, CTdatabase or CTfqn columns (within the historian) set to any value – they must be left blank. These fields defined in the widget for which auto-logging is turned on.

2. The dataset’s Interval property can be specified, but it is ignored since logging is event (change) driven and not time-based. The interval at which the tag is checked for a change in value is defined by the widget's ctinterval property, but no new value will be written unless it has changed since the last check.

3. The dataset’s Points and Options properties can be specified and function the same as with time-based logging.

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http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q306656


Next, to turn auto-logging on, enter the dataset Name from the desired row of the Data Historian into the AutoLogDataSet property for the widget. If this property is blank, then automatic logging does not occur for that widget.

For example, if we were using an rbutton (pushbutton) widget, we might want to collect data when the button changes state (i.e. when the user presses or releases the button).

This automatic logging of data is quite different than the time-based logging described earlier – data is only logged when there is a detected change in value for the tag associated with the widget. The files for this dataset will still be written at the interval specified by the period in the Data Historian's Options field (default= 1 minute), but the data within the file will only be logged when it changes, not at a periodic interval.

RECIPE MANAGER

Introduction to Recipe Manager

The Recipe Manager enables you to create and download recipes, or predefined sets of tag values, to the controller. Tags are created in CT HMI's Tag Editor, which in turn can tie into not only I/O values, but expressions (e.g., compensatory or complex scaling factors) as well. Additional values may be defined in the Recipe Manager, which can be referenced in scripts for more customized purposes.

The Recipe Manager is a spreadsheet-formatted application that can export to/import from tab-delimited text files, making the recipes compatible with spreadsheet, database, and other third-party applications. This enables easier porting of recipes from pilot plant applications or legacy systems to CT HMI.

The Recipe Manager's architecture further facilitates porting from one setting to another by enabling the user to create several variations of a given recipe:

RECIPE1 RECIPE2 RECIPE3

RECIPEMANAGER

PROJECT

These variations can be used to optimize processes in the preliminary phases of development. Variations may also be used to define sequential steps in a batch control

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sequence or as an adjunct to scripts to change several values concurrently in response to specific events. For example, if a given temperature is in one range, one set of values might be downloaded that closed doors and turned on heaters; for another temperature range, those same doors could be opened and the heaters turned off.

Recipes can be downloaded either automatically or manually with simple scripting. Automatic downloaded can take place based on time, alarm, or tag events, and sequential recipes may be downloaded for complete batch control. Buttons may be created in the CT HMI to download recipes manually. Security may be set on either the button or within a recipe variation itself to ensure that only authorized personnel can download a given set of values to the process.

Setting Up the Recipe Manager

Open the Recipe Manager by clicking on the icon in the Property Inspector. You will see the following screen:

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THE RECIPE MANAGER TOOLBAR The Recipe Manager toolbar contains the following command groups:

• File • Edit • Recipe

The commands for each these groups are described below.

File commands Import variations… – imports the contents of a tab-delimited text (.txt) file into the Variations rows of the currently selected recipe, beginning with the first cell of the first Variations row (which are numbered sequentially, starting with 000:). All variations in the currently selected recipe will be overwritten with the data from the new file; if the old recipe has more variation rows than what can be filled with new information from the imported file, the excess rows will be blanked out.

Import whole recipe type (all data)… – imports the contents of a tab-delimited text (.txt) file into the currently selected recipe, from the first cell of the Descriptions row to the last column of a Variations row.

Note: tag names (i.e., the row above the Descriptions row in the Recipe Manager) are not exported or imported. Edits to variation names (i.e., anything that follows the variation row number) are exported and imported, but the row numbers themselves are fixed.

Export variations… – exports the Variations rows of the currently selected recipe to a text (.txt) file. Placeholders for blank Variations rows are not exported.

Note: edits to the Variation name column (default name of first row: 000:) are exported and imported.

Export recipe type (all data)… – exports the currently selected recipe to a tab-delimited text (.txt) file, from the first cell of the Descriptions row to the last cell of a filled Variations row.

Clear all data – clears all data entered into the recipe, from the first cell of the Descriptions row to the last cell of a filled Variations row.

Note: the Clear all data command does not clear any edits to tag names in the top row of the spreadsheet.

Clear all variations – clears all data from all Variations rows.

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Edit commands Copy () – copies the selected content to the paste buffer. Selected content can be one or more cells or content within a single cell.

Paste () – pastes the selected content into the spreadsheet. To paste a group of cells, one or more cells should be selected. To paste content within a cell, the cursor should be within the cell.

Fill down () – when a block of cells is selected, this command takes the data from the topmost row and copies it to the rows below:

Before Fill Down After Fill Down

To fill the data from the top row to subsequent rows, select the block of cells so the data to be copied is in the top row. Select the Fill down command and the selected cells will fill with the data from the top row.

Note: the data in the top row, including blank cells, will replace any data that is in the cells below them.

Fill right () – when a block of cells is selected, this command takes the data from the leftmost column and copies it to the columns to the right:

Before Fill right After Fill right

Erase () – deletes the content of the currently selected cells. The Erase command does not place the deleted content in the paste buffer.

Recipe commands Add new type… – adds a new type tab to the end of the tab group for the project's Recipe Manager. Enter a recipe name into the Recipe Name popup box, and then click OK.

Note: Type names are case sensitive, and preceding or trailing spaces are retained in the type name.

Add 100 variations… – adds 100 Variation rows to the bottom of the currently selected recipe type spreadsheet.

Add 10 tags… – adds 10 tags to the right of the currently selected recipe type spreadsheet.

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THE RECIPE TYPE TABS In a new CT HMI project, the Recipe Manager has eight recipe types that are displayed in the tabs at the top of the spreadsheet. By default these types are named numerically, from type0 –type7. To edit the name of an existing recipe type, double click on the recipe type tab to call up the Recipe Manager pop-up:

Enter the desired recipe type name and click OK to change the name.

THE RECIPE TYPE FIELDS

Note: many properties in the Recipe Manager do not need to be set manually, as dragging and dropping a tag from the Tag Explorer to the desired column of the Recipe Manager is a far easier method of setting them. Properties that do not fill in automatically are noted in the field descriptions below.

Tag – an editable text field at the top of the recipe spreadsheet that defaults to the format :Tag, where the first column is 01:Tag0. More descriptive information can replace the default labels,

To edit a Tag field, double click the cell.

Note: The column number component of the tag is not editable.

Note: The FQN field changes to reflect the tag name defined in the Tag Explorer when a tag is dragged from the Tag Explorer. The Tag field can only be changed by manual editing.

Description – a text field that can be used to display information about the tag within the Recipe Manager. The Description field must be entered by the user – it does not fill in when a tag is dragged from the Tag Explorer to the Recipe Manager, and is only displayed within the Recipe Manager. It is not used in scripts or for any other purpose within CT HMI.

Server – the name of the server on which the tag resides. Options include:

• @HMI for local tags • @OPC for OPC servers • @CTC for CTC controllers • @CSL / IP address for CTServers

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Database – the name of the database on which the tag resides, such as system or user.

FQN – the fully qualified name of the tag, which is written in the format:

logicalMainGroup.subGroup.individualTag

Refer to page 63 for additional information on FQNs.

Units – like the Description field, the Units field is a text field that can be used to display information about the tag. It is for informational purposes only and is not accessible to scripts, the Tag Explorer, or any other applications outside the Recipe Manager.

Scaling – scales the value downloaded to the process by the factor entered here. The default scale factor – whether this field is blank or a tag is dragged to the Recipe Manager from the Tag Explorer – is 1.0.

High Limit, Low Limit – fields that define the high and low limits for the tag. These values may be read to and written from scripts to enforce the high and low limits downloaded to the tag, but they do not automatically restrict the range of values downloaded to the process.

Variations – the Variations rows are the numbered rows that appear below the Low Limit field. Each Variations row represents a separate set of values for the tags in the currently selected recipe type, and can be downloaded as a separate recipe. The leftmost field of each Variations row is the label for the row and it defaults to the format :, where the first Variations row is row 000. You may add a label after the row number by double clicking on the field and entering the desired text. The row numbers themselves are not editable.

For the selected recipe type variation, enter the desired values for each tag value.

Note: Other factors – such as scaling factors in the Recipe type, Divisor properties for the widget, and so on may affect the actual value downloaded or displayed in CT HMI.

DOWNLOADING RECIPES See the Script Wizard section for information on downloading recipes manually and automatically.

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