Overview
This tutorial will introduce the concept of Dynamic Displays, which allows for creating runtime displays that react to the data context.
In this application, we will connect to an MQTT broker and create an example of Self-Aware SCADA, or Dynamic Displays, which are adaptive to the data source. This means the exact same display will show data from different assets based on the selected asset from the remote source.
Pre-requisites
This tutorial assumes that the basic Solution Configuration tutorial has already been executed.
Therefore, the detailed description of some operations, like creating new solutions, won't be included in this tutorial.
It's not mandatory, but it is recommended to first complete the MQTT TagProvider Tutorial.
Configuration Outline
- Create a New Solution using the AssetTreeView template.
- Go to Data Explorer > MQTT Tools. Start the MQTT Broker and the MQTT Simulator
- Still at Data Explorer, use the Export command to create the MQTT TagProvider, and the Data Template for the Solar Panel
- Go to Unified Namespace > Data Templates and associate a symbol with the Template.
- Run the Solution, and enjoy your Smart Solution with a Dynamic Display!
Bonus Activity: Explore the Library of templates, in order to understand the potential for advanced customizations.
On this page:
Configuration Steps
Create a new Solution
At the Solutions Manager tool, create a new solution, using the AssetTreeView template.
Using the Data Explorer MQTT Tools
Go to Data Explorer → MQTT Tools to start the BuiltIn MQTT Broker and the MQTT Simulator.
Open the nodes of TreeView, until you find and select GROUPID, the hit the Export To Solution Button. On the Confirmation Dialog to create a TagProvider, you can keep the default settings, and press OK.
Open the nodes of the TreeView until you locate you open Panel1, showing the Data Structure for SolarPanel, then hit the Export to Solution button. This will automatically create a Data Template for that structure.
Connecting a SmartSymbol to a DataTemplate
Go to Unified Namespace → Data Templates.
Select the DataTemplate just created. At the top area, hit the Map to Symbol button. Then, navigate in the library to find the symbol /HMI/FacePlates/SolarPanel
Running the Solution
Before we add more content, let's run the solution to verify how we are progressing.
Go to Runtime → Startup and press the START button, or use the top menu to select Action → Startup.
The Rich Client will execute and should display the Asset Tree. As you navigate the tree, some fields will have new values, specifically those mapped to Client.SelectedAsset. Others that are mapped to a specific attribute will retain their link.
You can simply minimize those windows and return to the Designer, as the platform supports online configuration.
Next Steps
In this Tutorial, the DataTemplate and Symbol is only the SolarPanel. The same concept can be applied to create dynamic displays combining multiple data structures and symbols.
See that in action at the Solution Examples > Production Line Demo
In this section: