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Replace is the default display type. If you want the graphic display to replace
other open displays when it opens, use the Replace option. A display of
Replace type closes displays that it overlaps. You don’
t need to run separate
commands to close other open displays.
Overlay graphic displays will layer with other displays, overlapping some
and being overlapped by others as the focus changes between open displays.
If the display doesn’t need to replace other
displays or appear on top at all
times, use the Overlay option.
For overlay displays, if you want the display always at the back, you can
select the check box, Keep at Back. However, it is recommended that you
use the On Top display type to control the layering of displays.
Overlay displays always appear behind On Top displays, and are replaced by
Replace displays. Use the Overlay type with care; keeping multiple displays
open at run time can affect system performance.
On Top graphic displays will stay on top at all times, even if another display
has focus. If you want the display to always appear on top, use the On Top
option.
If more than one graphic display of the On Top type is open at once, the
display that appears on top is the one that has focus, or the one that had focus
most recently.
You can use the PullForward, PushBack, and SetFocus commands to cycle
through multiple On Top and Overlay displays at run time. For more
information about these commands, see the FactoryTalk View Site Edition
Help.
Allowing multiple running copies
Use this option with graphic displays of type Overlay or On Top, to allow
multiple copies of the display to run simultaneously.
For example, you can open two copies of the same display in different parts
of a FactoryTalk View SE Client window, by issuing the following
commands:
Display PID /Q1
Display PID /Q2
PID is the name of a graphic display: the /Q1 parameter positions the first
copy of the display at the top-right corner of the window; the /Q2 parameter
positions the second copy at the top-left corner of the window.
If the Display command specifies a display that does not allow multiple
copies, and the display is already running, it is brought to the foreground
only.
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If multiple copies of a display (or several separate displays) are running, use
the SetFocus command to bring any hidden displays to the foreground. A
display of type On Top is always at the front, regardless of which display has
focus.
For more information about commands used to navigate between displays at
run time, see the FactoryTalk View Site Edition Help.
Tip: To run multiple copies of displays without using the
Allow Multiple Running Copies option, use the Display
command with different parameter files, for each copy of
the display you want to run. For more information, see
Replacing tag placeholders using parameter files on
page 427.
Caching displays
Placing a graphic display in the cache makes the display appear more quickly
at run time, every subsequent time it is opened, because it does not have to be
read from disk.
You can have up to 40 graphic displays in the cache. Place large or complex
displays in the cache, to minimize the use of system resources.
The Always Updating option keeps a cached display up to date, even when
the display is not visible. Use this option to update trend data continuously,
or to run VBA code in the background.
The Always Updating option affects the behavior of the display’s startup and
shutdown commands. For more information, see Specifying startup and
shutdown commands on page 438.
Tip: Cached displays consume memory. Always updating a
cached display can add to communications overhead, as
data is retrieved for tags whose values might not be
needed.
Setting up the title bar and other display attributes
You can set up a graphic display to have a title bar, so that operators can grab
and move the display at run time.
If you provide a title for the display, the title will appear in the title bar
instead of the component name. You can also insert variables into title bar
text. For more information, see Creating embedded variables on page 573.
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The following illustration shows the window style options that are available
when you select the Title Bar check box. To add or remove an item from the
title bar, select or clear the appropriate check box.
Scaling the graphic display
You can set up a graphic display to resize automatically when it starts
running, so it fits the size of the FactoryTalk View SE Client main window.
When resized, the display is panned or scaled, depending on which option
you selected.
FactoryTalk View graphics are resolution independent. This means that no
matter what resolution you use to create graphic displays, they are resized
automatically to suit the monitor on which they are shown at run time.
Showing the last known values of HMI tags
You can set up a graphic display to show the last known value for each HMI
tag in the display, until current values arrive from the programmable
controller.
In many applications, selecting this option will help to show graphics more
quickly.
At run time, if a display is not set up to show the last known value of HMI
tags, objects with values that have not yet been updated appear in outline
form. The outline indicates that data is not current, or is in error.
Graphic objects might appear in outline form the first time a display starts, if
the HMI tags used in the display are not initialized.
Once the tags are initialized and values arrive, the objects appear in their
normal form. However, if data is unavailable or in error, the objects will
remain in outline form.
Tip: The last acquired value can be shown for HMI tags only.
For other kinds of tags, the last value cannot be retained.
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Setting the update rate for tags
The maximum tag update rate is the fastest rate at which data servers can
send tag value changes to the graphic display.
Set the update rate as fast as, or faster than, the rate at which the values of
tags used in the expressions change, unless it is desirable to miss changes in
tag values.
The default update rate is one second. This means that data servers will not
send tag value updates faster than once every second.
Specifying the size of the graphic display
You can use the current size of the display or specific the width and height in
pixels. Click Use Current Size to specify that the size of the display in the
edit window will be its natural size at run time. Click Specify Size in Pixels
to specify a width and height in pixels for the display. For more information,
refer to the FactoryTalk View Site Edition Help.
Preventing scroll bars on the main window
If a graphic display is larger than the FactoryTalk View SE Client main
window, scroll bars will appear on the window when the display is started.
The scroll bars will remain on the window, even if subsequent displays are
small enough that scroll bars are not needed.
To minimize the need for scroll bars, the FactoryTalk View SE Client tries to
position all graphic displays within its main window, unless this placement is
explicitly overridden by the /X and /Y parameters of the Display command.
To prevent scroll bars, create all graphic displays smaller than the working
area in the FactoryTalk View SE Client main window.
Keep in mind that the size of the working area depends on several factors:
the monitor’s display resolution, whether the display has a title bar, the size
of the client window, and whether the client shows the Diagnostics List.
To ensure that the FactoryTalk View SE Client main window never has
scroll bars, for large displays, select the option, Size to Main Window at
Runtime.
Tip:
For smaller graphic displays not meant to fill the client
window, do not use Size to Main Window at Runtime,
to avoid scroll bars. Instead, position smaller displays so
that they are completely visible within the client window.
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S
pecifying the display’s position
Instead of setting up a graphic display to use its current size and position, you
can specify an exact size and position for the display at run time.
If you do this, you can override the display settings by using size and
position parameters with the Display command. For details, see the
FactoryTalk View Site Edition Help.
Securing the graphic display
To restrict access to a graphic display, select a security code. For more
information about securing displays, see Setting up security on page 85.
Selecting the background color
Select the background color for the graphic display from the color palette.
Using gradient style
If you want the background to have a gradient look, select the Use gradient
style check box. When selected, clicking the background color shows the
gradient fill effects dialog box.
Tracking screens for navigation
You can include displays in the navigation history by selecting the Track
Screen for Navigation check box. When you select this check box, a text
box is enabled where you can input an operator-friendly screen name to be
shown within the navigation history. If you do not specify a name, the actual
display name is used in the navigation history.
If you do not select this check box, the display will not be added to the
navigation history.
Setting up the run-time behavior of a graphic
display
In the Behavior tab of the Display Settings dialog box, you can specify:
Startup and shutdown commands.
Colors for input fields.
The behavior of interactive objects, such as push buttons.
The behavior of objects with input focus.
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Whether an on-screen keyboard is available, for systems that do not
have a hardware keyboard attached to them at run time.
Whether any actions defined for a Button push button object will
continue to work even if the defined animation for the object is in an
error state.
Specifying startup and shutdown commands
To run commands when the graphic display starts or stops running, specify
display startup and shutdown commands, or macros.
If you use the Always Updating option with the Cache After Displaying
option, the startup command is run when the display is loaded into the cache.
The shutdown command is run only when the cache is flushed. This happens
when:
The FlushCache command is run.
A user logs off the FactoryTalk View SE Client.
The FactoryTalk View SE Client is closed.
For details about the FlushCache command, see the FactoryTalk View Site
Edition Help.
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Tip:
The startup command runs before the display opens, so
commands such as UploadAll or RecipeRestore will not
work as startup commands or in a startup macro.
The shutdown command runs after the display closes, so
commands such as DownloadAll or RecipeSave will not
work as shutdown commands or in a shutdown macro.
Specifying colors for input objects
At run time, an operator can use input objects to read values from or write
values to programmable controllers and other devices.
You can select the color an input object will have when selected, when not
selected, and when there is an operator input error.
Text color is the color of the text in the input object. Fill color is the
background color of the input object. To select a color, click the colored box
to open a palette, and then click a color to apply.
Choose colors for input objects that will stand out from the background color
of the display. Also choose different colors for selected objects, so that an
operator can tell when an object is selected, and when it is highlighted (see
the next sections).
Specifying the behavior of interactive objects
Interactive objects are objects an operator can interact with at run time, using
a mouse, keyboard, or touch screen. A button with a press action is an
example of an interactive object.
You can specify whether interactive objects in a graphic display beep when
pressed, whether they have a highlight box when the mouse passes over
them, and what color the highlight will be.
Specifying the behavior of objects with input focus
Objects with input focus are ready to accept keyboard or mouse input.
You can specify whether objects with input focus in a graphic display have a
highlight box, and what color the highlight will be.
Using both types of highlight in the same display
You can choose to highlight only interactive objects, only objects with input
focus, or both types of object.
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An interactive object is highlighted when the mouse passes over it. An object
that can take input focus is highlighted when it has focus. It is possible for
one object to show both types of highlight at the same time.
The following illustration shows what the two types of highlight might look
like in a graphic display.
When selecting highlight colors, be sure to pick colors that stand out from
the background of the display.
Showing the on-screen keyboard
To show a keyboard at run time, to interact with numeric input, string input,
and recipe objects in the graphic display, select the check box, Display
On-screen Keyboard.
The on-screen keyboard is typically used with systems that do not have a
hardware keyboard, such as systems that only use touch screens.
When the operator clicks or touches the selected object, or presses Enter on a
hardware keyboard, the on-screen keyboard is presented.
The keyboard for string input and recipe fields accepts alphanumeric
characters. The keypad for numeric input fields accepts numeric characters
only. For more information, see Parts of the on-screen keyboard on page 473.
Setting up displays to open more quickly
If graphic displays are stored in the display cache, they open more quickly.
You can place up to 40 graphic displays in the cache.
To cache a display, use one of these methods:
Use the Cache After Displaying option in the Display Settings dialog
box. For details, click Help in the dialog box.
Use the [cache ] parameter with the Display command.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
