Solutions Manager
Introduction to the Solutions Manager
The platform is designed for creating real-time data applications, structured into solutions. A solution includes configurations for various functional modules, such as tag definitions, alarms, communication, and displays.
The Solutions Manager is the central hub for organizing and managing your solutions. It enables you to create, open, and edit solutions from your computer or remote devices, facilitating efficient workflow and productivity.
On this page:
Key Concepts and Terms
Solution File / Solution Name
The configuration of an application (solution) is saved is a file with extension .dbSln. All modules settings are stored in that file. The solution name matches the name of the configuration file.
Project File
In order to facilitate distinction from legacy product versions, the Project File refers to files with the extension .tProj, a legacy configuration.
Understanding the Solutions Manager
The Solutions Manager interface is the main hub for managing and organizing your solutions.
Some very unique and powerful features include:
The platform creates a file for each solution. All configurations, including tag definitions, display drawings, images, and report templates, are stored in a single file—an encrypted SQL database with the extension
.dbsln— for easy management.You can open multiple solutions simultaneously or allow multiple engineers to work on each solution.
You can access solution files located on your computer or on remote devices with the Platform Services enabled. When accessing remote devices, you can use a pure HTML5 interface without needing any local installation.
To enable multiple users to work concurrently on the same solution, follow the procedure described in the section Multi-User Collaboration.
Navigating the User Interface
The User Interface is composed by the following sections:
- The right side contains help-only information; you can close that section if you wish.
- The middle box, called the Solution List, displays a list of solutions on your computer or on a previously set remote computer.
- The left side provides summary information and navigation for additional content. It includes:
- Server Information Page: Select folders, view, and manage connected servers (or local computers).
- Licensing And Activation: See and modify the license on the connected server (or local computer).
- Product Information: Displays the current version and list of installed drivers.
Selecting a Solution
The main area in the Solution Manager is where you can select a solution and execute commands on the selected solution or create a new solution.
The middle box, called the Solution List, shows a list of solutions on your computer or on a previously set remote computer. Click "Refresh" to update the solutions list in case external applications or users modify the contents of the folders.
Each item in the solution list represents a complete configuration for an application, with each image corresponding to an independent solution. The image used for the solution preview is the content of the display named "MainPage" in that solution.
In the top right corner, you can select List, Cards, or Table view.
List View
Card View
Table View
Working with Solutions
The buttons on the top of Solutions List allow to manage the select solution or create a new one.
New: go to Creating a New Solution
Edit: Open the Designer software, to configure the selected solution
View: Open the Designer software, in Read-Only mode, which is useful if you simply want to check its configuration.
Run: Starts the execution of the selected solution. It will start in Production mode using guest credentials. For more options on starting, you can use the Manage Button.
Manage: navigates to the Managing Solutions page, allowing to perform various actions with the selected solution.
Solution Configuration File
The configuration for the entire solution, is stored in single file with the extension .dbsln. That file is an encrypted embedded SQL database, with the configuration tables of the various modules, like Tags, Alarms, Scripts and Displays.
You can move, rename, duplicate, back up, and restore the solution files, working directly in the computer folders, just as you would with any other file. When moving files directly in the computer folders, you need to press the "Refresh" button to update the list content.
Other files extension for Solutions are created, when using the Publish feature, as described in the chapter Runtime Build and Publish.
Renaming or Deleting Solution Files
Be extremely careful when renaming solution files (or solution names). There are macros and properties with the solution name that may have been used to create database files, configuration files, or other application-specific implementations. When renaming a solution that is already in production, it is necessary to address any specific configurations or external connections that might have been created using that specific name.
If you want to Delete a Solution, you just need to Delete the <solutionName>.dbsln file that count as the solution. The folder named <solutionName>-Designer contains users settings and temporary files and it can be deleted anytime. When the solution runs, it may create databases files, text files, that are application-specific implementation, and those files should be traced and deleted, similarly when you are renaming solutions.
Upgrade from Legacy Projects
When a file with the extension .tProj is found, it appears in the Solution List with the prefix "Project." Only projects from versions 9.1 and 9.2 can be upgraded directly. For older project files, you must first use the 9.1 or 9.2 product to upgrade them to those versions.
When a legacy project is selected, the "Upgrade Version" command button is enabled.
Legacy Projects Editing
In order to Edit a legacy project, you need to use the tools for the specific version of that Project. The Solutions Manager will only handle upgrades for that project to the current solution features.
For further details on the Upgrade process to the page Migrating Legacy Projects.
Access Solutions on Remote Computers
By default, the system will display solutions from your local computer first. You can modify the list of visible solutions by going to the Solution Server page. At that page, you can select to show the solution files from the Local Computer for from a Remote Computer.
For Remote Computers: If the remote computer has the Web Server enabled and you are using a Windows computer, you can view the solutions on the remote computer via the URL.
Select the Desired Solution: You can use the search box or modify the visualization options to find and select the solution you need.
Requirements
The Solutions Manager can access configuration files from other computers and devices through two methods: connecting to a Remote Server via Server Information or using a URL to open an interface.
Both methods require that the connected server has TWebServices running and that the necessary firewall ports are open. On Windows computers, you can set up TWebServices by opening a local instance of the Solutions Manager on the target server and configuring TWebServices on the Server Information page. For Linux and other operating systems, you need to configure TWebServices to run on startup using the OS's tools. By default, TWebServices uses port 10108.
When multiple users open the same solution from the Server, it allows Multi-User Collaboration on the solution development.
Connecting to a Remote Solution Server
On the Server Information page, simply enter the IP address or domain name of the server you want to connect to and press the Connect button.
→ Read more about the Server Information page.
Using the Solution Manager Web UI
It is possible to access solutions on a remote server without installing the product on your local computer.
Just open browser and use the url: http://<Server IP or Name>:10108/solutions. Example: http://192.169.1.1:10108/solutions
The requirements are that the remote device has TWebServices running. If the device has a security AccessKey defined, the URL shall be:
http://<ServerIPorName>:10108/solutions?accesskey=<key>
Using the Designer in Click-Once Mode
When you are using the Solutions Manager WebUI and open a solution for editing, it is not necessary to have the Designer pre-installed on your computer. The system will use ClickOnce technology (if supported by the browser) to open a Designer window, retrieving the necessary files from the remote computer. Most common browsers allow ClickOnce; check the browser's technical information to confirm ClickOnce compatibility.
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