Project Configuration Environment

This is the main user interface for project configuration. After selecting a project in the Welcome interface, the manager application allows customization of the project. All features can be reached through a very simple 3 layer navigation.

The Project Configuration Environments are:

EDIT: Configuration for the real-time database (Tags), Historian, Security, Alarms, Devices (remote equipment and multiple protocols), Datasets (databases and files access), Scripts (.NET languages C# and VB.NET) and Displays (User Interfaces) and Reports.

DRAW: Built-in state-of-the-art drawing tools using WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) and XAML technology. It allows an easy and powerful definition for dynamic behavior, advanced objects, and code behind logic.

RUN: Allows you to run project verification (BUILD command), TEST the project using temporary files and a safe communication mode, or to STARTUP the project. It also has additional features like Publish the project, Localization, Cross-Reference, and Unused objects.

INFO: Shows information about the project (the Project build number and published status), the product version and model, and licensing information. This interface also allows tracking of project modifications and sharing notes across the development team.




Edit - Configuration Tables

To configure the basic elements of your project, click on the “Edit” icon in the main menu. 



The concept of the configuration user interface is to act like a web-page front-end. This means you easily navigate and fill in the forms, while the data is automatically being saved and commissioned to the backend without the need to open/save/close operations all the time. You can always undo table modifications when necessary or discard the modifications on the displays if you do not want to include them in the project. These new concepts for navigation and a web-like style make FactoryStudio much easier to use than other old-style desktop tools.

Using the Datagrid tables

There are many features to help manage and edit the contents of the configuration tables.

Sort: Click on a column name to sort by that column and to change the order to ascending, descending, or none. When none is selected, the internal row ID is used: every DataGrid has an internal column named "ID".


Filter: Click on the filter icon to select visible rows according to their contents.

Grouping: Drag and drop the column titles in the upper area to create a dynamic hierarchical grouping of the information. 


Hide or Show columns: By default, some columns that are not typically used are hidden. Right click on the title in order to select the columns that you want to make visible:



Draw - Design Displays

To configure dynamic graphic displays, click on the “Draw” icon in the main menu. The Drawing tools are explained in detail on the Drawing Tools page.


Info - Information about the Project

To configure dynamic graphic displays, click on the “Info” icon in the main menu. 


Project: The table shows information about the project version as well as the product version. 



Run - Test and Execute the Project

The Run environment provides access to all project execution parameters.




Select the TEST option in the left side menu. Then, click on the RUN TEST button. This will execute the project configuration in the runtime mode. 

If you are running the DEMO project, use this opportunity to take a tour of the Demo's display; it contains valuable information about product features.

Note

Executing a Build is useful for achieving complete verification of an application's logic when an application is being prepared for final production, but it is not necessary during the development process. Any modifications you make on a project are automatically and transparently compiled in the background while you are editing. 

Test: Runs the project in test mode. This means the project runs with protections that allow the test mode to run on the same machine where the project is running in startup mode. Further, the historian and alarm logging functions automatically go to temporary files instead of the database that is defined the project production. 

UseCount: Shows how many times each object is used inside the application, along with a reference to the object.

CrossReference: Shows where each object is used and shows a list of unused objects. You can double click on a selected reference in order to jump to its location.

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