Every knowledge area has its own terminology, and software applications are no exception. While the nomenclature used on this platform follows market standards whenever possible, some specific terms may have special meanings in this context.
This glossary includes the key terms and concepts used by our platform, as well as relevant technologies.
It is recommended to read this glossary at least once after using our platform for a few months. Reviewing the definitions and concepts, combined with your experience, will enhance your understanding of the system and improve your efficiency in creating applications.
Name | Description |
|---|---|
AccessTypes, Device AccessType | Each Point is associated with an AccessType, defining rules for when to read and/or write values. It includes settings like polling rate and read/write permissions, allowing users to configure the data acquisition and the sending of commands to the devices with total flexibility.. |
AlarmArea | A hierarchical grouping of AlarmGroups for structured alarm management. It can contain child AlarmAreas, useful for large systems with many AlarmItems configured. |
AlarmItem | A tag or expression monitored by the Alarm Module, containing information such as tag name, alarm condition, and AlarmGroup. It includes properties like Limit, Deadband, and Message. |
AlarmGroup | A collection of AlarmItems sharing common properties. It simplifies alarm management with configuration properties like AckRequired, AutoAckTime, and Sound. |
App Domain, Application Domain | A virtual, isolated environment where a .NET application runs. This isolation provides safety, preventing one process from interfering with another. |
Application, Project, Solution | Refers to the final configuration created using the platform. “Project” is used for version 9.2 or older versions, while “Solution” is for version 10 and up. "Application" is used to refer the functionally the configuration is intended to perform, in opposition to "Project" and "Solution" that are more closely related to the configuration itself. |
Application Modules | Software components that manage and execute a system's internal logic and data transformations. They encompass Scripts, Reports, and Datasets. Manage and execute a system’s internal logic and data transformations, including the Modules: Datasets, Reports, Scripts and Displays. |
Assembly | An executable file (.EXE or .DLL) created using managed code and the .NET framework. |
Asset Tree | A hierarchical representation of the solution data, containing variables and data templates matching sensor reading physical equipments, setpoints, recipes, management data, and all the variables necessary to implement and operate an application. |
Audit Trail | Logs changes and events when executing the solution, tracking who made changes and when. Useful for troubleshooting, analysis, and compliance. |
Build and Publish | The Build process compiles the solution code, while Publish creates a read-only version for distribution in regulated sites. |
Categories | Metadata labels used across configuration tables to organize large solutions. |
Channels | Device Module object that encapsulates configuration settings and execution properties for a selected Communication Protocol. |
Client | A software component interacting with a server or services, including .NET Clients, HTML5 Clients, and Remote Clients. Regarding Scripts or Tags, refers the Client Domain, meaning values that reside and methods that executed on the client software components. |
Connection Target | Configures the location of the data source, selecting from Local Solution, TagProviders, or Remote sources. |
Component, User Controls | Graphical User Controls available for creating displays, including customizable objects and elements. |
DatasetDBs | Connections settings created by the Dataset Module to communicate with an external database. |
Date Template (UDT) | User-defined data structures that include variables and references to other templates, creating a hierarchical data structure. |
DatasetFile | Dataset Module object, logical name defining parameters for reading and writing files in ASCII, Unicode, or XML formats. |
DatasetTable | Datasets Module object, logical name created to hold configuration settings to access specific tables in a connected database, mapping tags to table columns for operations. |
DatasetQuery | Dataset Module object, logical name associated with the configuration for SQL query statements with a Database, and its properties and methods for running que queries. |
Designer, Solution Designer | The application and user interface for configuring FrameworX Solutions. |
Display / Screen | A window or frame of your application’s user interface, containing static or dynamic graphical elements. |
Draw | Part of the Solution Designer used to draw and animate displays and synoptic screens. |
DLL Hell | Complications from running legacy Windows applications due to lack of built-in isolation in DLL libraries. Solved by the .NET Framework. |
Domain, Server Domain, Client Domain | Values and locations of objects at runtime, with server objects having system-wide values and client objects having machine-specific values. |
Dynamics and Animations | Definition for changes in the graphical elements attributes, driven by the values of real-time tags. |
External TagProviders | Enable direct interaction with variables in remote systems without creating specific tags, enhancing data access within the Unified Namespace. |
Enumerations | Define potential values or ranges for a variable, mapping messages and colors to each state. |
Forms, Report Forms | Rich Text documents that can include real-time tag values, tables, and symbols, saved as Text or PDF files. |
Graphical Element | Components used in screens, such as shapes, checkboxes, or trend charts. |
Image resources | Imported image files used as graphical elements in your solution. |
Industrial icons | Pre-built icons designed for industrial automation applications. |
Internal Module | Features and programs that implement internal system functions, running without user configuration. |
FactoryStudio | A scalable product version for SCADA/HMI, IIoT Edge, and Gateway applications, built on Tatsoft’s FrameworX. |
FrameworX | The software platform and underlying technologies and components. |
FrameworX Unlimited | Includes unlimited Clients, Connections, and Developers, with built-in drivers, SQL, OPC UA, MQTT, and more. |
FX EDGE | A FrameworX Edge application. |
FX MQTT Broker | The embedded broker within the FrameworX Platform |
FX MQTT Simulator | An MQTT Client simulator with Sparkplug, included in the product installation. |
Hot Updates (Hot Reload) | Apply offline solution changes without disrupting the runtime environment, maintaining stability and preventing downtime. |
HistorianTables | Groups Tags for historical archiving, defining settings for storage and retention. |
HistorianTag | Tags whose values are stored in a HistorianTable, including dynamic references to external data. |
Project File | SQL Studio encoded database containing the Project configuration, with extensions .TPROJ and .TRUN. |
Layout | Organizes the user interface into frames or panels, acting as containers for Displays. |
Modifier (Device/Points) | Auxiliary parameter for read/write operations on DevicePoints, handling Arrays, bit masks, strings, and other settings. |
Modular architecture | Breaks down complex functionalities into distinct modules, providing flexibility in design and configuration. |
Module | Program accessing the real-time database, composed of one or more Assemblies. |
Namespace | An address space with unique names for objects, grouping process variables, modules properties and methods, etc. |
.NET CodeBehind | Allows custom code in VB.NET or C# for event handling, calculations, and application behavior management. |
Nodes | Device Module object with connection the settings to physical devices, using the protocol defined in the DeviceChannel. Each Node contains one more DevicePoints. |
Online Configuration | Allows real-time modifications to a running solution without stopping execution. |
Object Type (RunObj type) | Determines the type of runtime object (display, report, script). |
Objects, Runtime Objects | Visible objects in the Solution, accessed via scripts and displays, updated by the respective execution modules. |
PanelType | Defines how graphical elements are organized, supporting Canvas and Dashboard types. Canvas (or Process Screens): The elements are in a drawing surface, where each element has its specific location and size. Grid (or Dashboard Screens): The elements are placed in Grid, which size, columns are rows are responsive, which the graphical elements adjusting accordingly. |
Permissions, PermissionsGroup | Set levels of access for users, determining their capabilities within the solution. |
Pollicies | Manage user identification and session control requirements. |
Plugins | Reusable components of a solution, containing Tags, Displays, or other objects. |
ObjectValues, PropertyValue | Properties defined for runtime objects, such as Tags and DeviceNodes. |
PropertyWatch | Diagnostic utility to check and modify object values at runtime. |
Parameters(Tag Configuration) | Defines behavior and value processing for Tags. |
Process Modules | Software components facilitating interactions between the system and its environment, including Alarms, Devices, and Historian.. |
PlugIn | Subset of a FrameworX Solution, exported and imported using the Solution-Export command. |
Points, DevicePoint | Individual items read or written from/to DeviceNodes, mapping specific Tags to device registers or PLC I/O address. |
Product Family | Options in the product line, including FrameworX, FactoryStudio, EdgeHMI, and EdgeGateway. |
Product Family and Model | Define licensing requirements for running the Solution in production. |
Project File | In order to facilitate distinction of current version with legacy product versions, Project File, refer to files with extension .tproj created with version 9.3 or older. |
Protocols | Rules for communication between devices, supported by the software. |
Solution | Application for real-time data built on the platform, including configurations for all Modules. |
SolutionDB / SolutionDatabase | Database containing configuration information, with extensions .dbsln |
Solution File / Solution Name | Configuration of an application saved in a .dbsln file, matching the solution name. |
Property or Attribute | Associated value of a Tag or object. |
Real time database, RunDB, Runtime Database, RtDB | In-memory database managing Unified Namespace data during solution execution, implemented by the TServer.exe process. |
Rendering Engine | Generates visual output from an application’s display drawing, supporting WPF, HTML5, or Portable clients. |
Runtime | Phase where a solution is in active execution, utilizing configured modules for tasks, data management, and operations. |
Runtime Database | In-memory real-time database for Unified Namespace data, ensuring efficient data management during solution execution. |
RuntimeUsers | Users created and retrieved from an external encrypted SQL database or other identification servers. |
TargetPlatform | Defines the operating platform for running the solution, either Windows Only (.NET Framework 4.8) or Multiplatform (Linux and .NET 8). |
Runtime Startup | Operation of the Solution at runtime, performed by TStartup.exe or TServer.exe. |
Script References | External DLLs included for script or display code compilation. |
ScriptClass | Library of functions and methods for Script Tasks, Expressions, or Code Behind on graphical Displays. |
ScriptExpression | One line of code responding to an event. |
ScriptTask | Code executing in reaction to an event or at specified intervals. |
Smart symbols | raphical elements with dynamic properties and connections to real-time tags and templates. |
StorageLocation | Defines where historian variables will be archived or read for charts and calculations. |
Tag | Process variable representing real-time and historical data, created locally or accessed remotely. |
Tag Type | Defines object types in the Tag Namespace, such as Digital, Integer, or Text. |
Task (Script.Task) | Program written in C#, VB.NET or Python running during solution runtime. |
Time-Series | Time-Series data is a collection of data points, often recorded sequentially over time. Each entry typically includes a data value and a timestamp (e.g., temperature reading at a specific time). Using UTC time helps align data from various time zones. |
Toggle | Reverses the value of a variable: values greater than zero become zero, and zero becomes one. |
Trust, Partial Trust, Full Trust | Partial Trust: Limited resource access (e.g., applications in a browser). Full Trust: Full system resource access (e.g., installed applications). |
Unified Namespace | A centralized repository of data and context, enabling applications or devices to consume or publish needed data. It enhances system interoperability and simplifies data management. |
Users | Anyone accessing the solution, either through the Designer Tool or in runtime mode (Displays). |
Visibility (Tag Visibility) | Defines how tags can be accessed: • Public: Accessible by external programs and shared across client stations. |
WebData, Reports WebData | Encapsulates data exchange via JSON, XML, or HTML with other applications, or saves content to a file. It can also be used in displays for interaction with web services and REST APIs. |
In this section: