Managing Projects

This page helps you get started with the platform by presenting the Project Management interface and its functionalities.

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This section provides an overview of the Project Management interface and its capabilities, designed to help users begin working with the platform.

About Projects

This framework is a powerful platform used to develop and deliver applications that manage real-time information. Applications built with the platform are organized into projects.

A project holds the configuration for the various functional Modules, such as Tags definition, Alarms, Communication, Displays and others.

We refer to the tool used to select and open a project as Project Management.


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The framework is a robust platform for developing and delivering applications that handle real-time data. Applications created using this platform are structured into projects.

A project encompasses the configuration for different functional Modules, which can include Tag definitions, Alarms, Communication, Displays, and more.

The tool utilized for selecting and opening a project is known as Project Management.

Project Management

The Project Management is the first interface you see when you start the platform. This interface allows to create, open, edit and run projects located in your computer or remote ones.

Some very unique and powerful features about project management tools include:

• This interface is product version agnostic. You can manage and open projects created with different product versions without upgrading the project in the field or switching the engineering tool in your computer.
• The platform creates a file for each project. All configuration, including tag definition, displays drawing, images and report templates is stored in a single file — an encrypted SQL database with extension .tproj — for easy management.
• You can open multiple projects at the same time or allow multiple engineers to work on each project.

Project View Selector

The middle box is called Project Selector and shows a list of projects on your computer or on a remote computer set previously. Click Refresh to update the projects list. 

Each item in the project selector is a complete project with the configuration for an application.

Each image below is an independent project. On the top right corner, you can select List, Cards or Table view.

List View

Card View

Table View

Your License

Your License presents information about the software license. There are flexible options for licensing according to each business' needs.

Find Projects

Clicking Finding Projects allows managing the Project Server Service settings. There are two options for Project Server: Localhost or Remote. If you select Remote, you will need to set it up.

Help

Clicking the Help button (blue question mark icon) opens the Are you new here? dialog box which contains some suggestions to get started. It also contain links to our, documentation and forum pages.

Notifications

The bell icon located in the bottom right corner opens the Notifications box.


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Project Management interface

Project Management Interface
The Project Management interface is the main hub for managing and organizing your FactoryStudio projects. From this interface, you can create new projects, edit existing ones, and view project configurations.

License Information
The license information section displays your current license information, including any limitations or restrictions on the number of projects or concurrent users.

License Management
Clicking on the License Management shortcut will take you to the License Management page where you can manage your license and view your license details.

Find Projects
The Find Projects section displays the Project Server information, allowing you to quickly access your projects and their configurations.

Project Server
Clicking on the Project Server shortcut will take you to the Project Server settings page where you can manage your project server settings and configurations.

Language and Project Selector
The Language and Project Selector sections allow you to choose the user interface language and select a project to work on.

View Selector
The View Selector section allows you to choose between List, Cards, and Table view options for your project list.

Refresh and Notifications
The Refresh icon allows you to refresh your project list, while the Notifications icon and text box display any notifications or alerts.

Help and Search Project
The Help text box provides useful tips, while the Search Project box allows you to search for projects in the project selector.

New, Edit, View, and Run Buttons
The New button opens the New Project wizard for creating a new project, while the Edit button opens an existing project for editing. The View button opens an existing project in read-only mode. Finally, the Run button starts the selected project in startup production mode.

By using the Project Management interface, you can easily manage and organize your FactoryStudio projects to streamline your workflow and increase productivity.

Creating New Projects

To create a  new project:

1. On the Project Management, click New....

2. Select a target platform where your project will be installed and click Next.

3. Select a product family and a product model. Then, click Next.
4. Put a name and a short description to the new project.
5. Select a project template.

6. Click Create New Project to finish.

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Target Platform:
When creating a new project, you will need to select a target platform. The options available are typically specific to the development environment you are working with, and may include options such as a desktop application, a web application, or a mobile app. The choice you make will depend on the type of application you are building and the platform you want to deploy it to. It is important to carefully consider which option is best for your needs, as it can impact the development process and the end user experience.

Product Family and Product Model:
After selecting a target platform, you will need to choose a product family and product model. The product family is a group of related products, and the product model refers to a specific version of a product within that family. These options are important because they determine the functionality that will be available in your application, and what features and modules can be used. Examples of different product families and models include controllers, gateways, and sensors. When selecting these options, consider the specific requirements of your application and the functionality you need to build.

Project Templates:
Project templates can be a great way to speed up the development process by providing pre-configured settings and modules. Templates can be customized to fit your specific needs, and can be a useful starting point for building your application. When selecting a template, consider the functionality you need and the type of application you are building. Examples of different templates available include web applications, mobile apps, and desktop applications.

Folder Structure:
Organizing your projects into folders is an important part of project management. It is important to keep local and remote projects separate, as this can help to prevent issues with access and security. When creating a new project, be sure to select the appropriate folder location to ensure that it is stored in the correct location. This will make it easier to manage and access your projects over time.

License Information:
The license you have for your development environment will affect the product model options available to you. Depending on the license level, there may be limitations on the number of real-time communication points you are allowed on a project. Be sure to check the license information to ensure that you are selecting the appropriate product model for your needs.

Canary Historian:
Canary Historian is a module that is used to store historical data for your application. When configuring Canary Historian, you will need to select the number of tags that will be stored. This will depend on the size of your application and the amount of data that needs to be stored. Be sure to carefully consider your data storage needs when configuring Canary Historian.

Editing and Viewing Projects

The View button opens a ready-only version of the project configuration, which is very useful if you just want to put the project in execution or check its configuration. 

The Edit button enables modifications in the project. You may need to use the Logon button in the toolbar before editing if the Security projections were enabled to that project. 

Many projects can be opened at the same time. When a second instance of the same project is opened, the second instance will open as read-only.

To enable concurrent users, your project server must be licensed for multiple engineers. See Managing Licenses for more information.

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Opening an existing project:
To open an existing project in the Project Management interface, follow these steps:

Launch the platform and navigate to the Project Management interface.
Locate the project file you wish to open. This can be done by browsing through the folders on your local or remote file system.
Select the project file by clicking on it once.
Click the "Open" button to open the project in read-only mode, or the "Edit" button to open it for editing.
Project modes:
The platform offers two project modes: read-only and edit. The read-only mode allows you to view the project configuration without the ability to make changes, while the edit mode enables you to modify the project settings. It's important to note that read-only mode may be required in certain situations, such as when the project is in use by another engineer or when the project has security projections enabled. To switch between modes, simply click on the "Edit" or "View" buttons in the Project Management interface.

When in read-only mode, you can still perform actions such as executing the project or exporting project information to a file. In edit mode, you can make changes to project settings such as tag definitions, alarms, and displays.

Running Projects

You can run a project by:

• Using the Run button in Project Management.
• Starting the execution manually after you open the project for editing (Execute → Startup → Run Startup). 

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Running projects:

What happens when a project is run?
When a project is run, the modules and functions within the project are executed. This typically involves connecting to various data sources, processing data, and updating visual displays. The exact sequence of events will depend on the specific project configuration and the actions defined within it.

Prerequisites and requirements for running a project
Before running a project, it's important to ensure that all necessary components are installed and configured correctly. This may include software modules, drivers, or other dependencies required by the project. It's also important to ensure that any required hardware, such as PLCs or sensors, are connected and configured properly.

Troubleshooting tips for running a project
If a project is not running as expected, there are several troubleshooting tips to try. First, check the project logs for error messages or other warnings. These can often provide clues as to what may be causing the issue. It may also be helpful to check the system logs and event viewer for any related errors or issues.

If the problem persists, it may be necessary to troubleshoot specific modules or functions within the project. This may involve checking configuration settings, testing data sources, or reviewing code for errors.

Steps for stopping, pausing, and resuming a running project
To stop or pause the execution of a running project, use the appropriate button in the toolbar or menu. This will typically be labeled "Stop" or "Pause". To resume the project, use the "Resume" button.

It's important to note that stopping a project may result in data loss or other unintended consequences. Before stopping a project, ensure that any necessary data is saved or backed up.

Limitations and restrictions on running projects
There may be limitations or restrictions on the number of concurrent projects that can be executed at once. This will depend on the specific licensing agreement and system configuration. It's also important to ensure that the system hardware and software meet the minimum requirements for running projects. Failure to do so may result in performance issues or other errors.

Upgrading Projects

Projects retain information about the platform's version used to create the Project.

Opening a project with a previous version without upgrading it will require a platform's equivalent version installed.

Also, you can upgrade the project to the latest version using the Upgrade Version command button. 

When Upgrading:

• A copy of the project is executed, creating a new file named: <project-name>-<preivous-vesion>.tproj.
• A new empty project is created named <project-name>.tproj.
• The Previous project is imported to the new project.

After upgrading, it is recommended to open the new project and build it (Execute → Build and Publish → Build... operation), so the system checks all its scripts.

Project Templates

Pre-built project templates get you started faster by building the solutions you need. Some project templates are available when you install the software, such as Blank, Default, TrendChart, TrendChart with Alarm Pages and Alarm Footer, Redundancy projects, and Asset Viewer.

Template	Blank	Default	TrendChart	TrendChart and Alarm	TrendChart and Alarm Footer	Redundancy
Log on dialog
Several themes
Header page navigation using Industrial Icons
Empty main page
Layout with Header and Main page
Server Information page using the Dashboard display
System information template and Scripts
System Information Data Historian configuration
UI data template
TrendChart display
TrendChart data templates
Alarm Online display
Alarm Historical display
Alarm data template
Alarm Footer display
Redundancy Information display

Select and run a template to check the displays available on each template, and explore its settings. By that, you can check if one of the templates meet your needs and speed up your project development.

In addition, you can add or create more templates on your own.

Adding New Templates

The templates presented when creating a new project are standard project files located in the product installation folder in Templates. 

If you receive a new template from your vendor or integrators, copy it to that project.

To add a new template, create a project and save it in the Template folder on the installation directory, such as the following sample path: "C:\Program Files\...\Product\Version\Templates"

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