Data elements

Data elements, which are contained in the Data palette, provide DeltaV Live elements that bring live, read-only data of various types into displays and GEM classes.

This topic provides brief descriptions of each data element.

Alarm list

While DeltaV Live provides a DeltaV-installed Alarm List display, the alarm list element provides a means for you to add an alarm list to other displays or GEMs.

An alarm list shows the active alarms in an operator's scope of responsibility and provides the means for operators to respond efficiently to these alarms.

Alarm list support
You can have up to 17 alarm list elements active at the same time in DeltaV Live. This limit includes alarm lists contained in:
  • full-size displays, such as the Alarm Filter, Alarm List, Alarm Suppress, and Alarm Summary displays.
  • GEMs or contextual displays (such as faceplates).
If you have more than 17 alarm lists active at the same time, some of them might be unable to receive alarm information.
Configuring alarm list elements
Alarm list elements are configured like other graphic elements. In the Graphics Configuration pane, you can define features such as:
  • types of alarms to show
  • alarm priorities and classifications
  • available alarm filters and toolbar buttons
  • interactions that operators can perform from an alarm list
  • appearance of the alarm list

Chart

A chart element provides a means to present multi-pen charts that show trends of historical versus real-time data in DeltaV Live. You can add up to 20 charts on a display, GEM class, or unlinked GEM without negatively impacting performance.

Charts can be configured with up to 10 pens, which collect data from the real-time server and a history data server of your choosing. Charts can read data from the DeltaV Continuous Historian, the Advanced Continuous Historian, or a PI Server enterprise historian.

Configuring charts
When configuring a chart, you can define various features, such as:
  • appearance
  • time divisions
  • legend
  • desired parameter references for trending (pens)
  • appearance and behavior of pens
  • historical data server
  • status colors
  • permissions for DeltaV Live users to modify a chart while online
Modifying charts online
A chart element includes an action bar that provides the means for DeltaV Live users to perform certain actions, such as manipulating the visible time span or changing certain chart settings.
When DeltaV Live users modify the content of a chart online, these modifications persist for the duration of that user's DeltaV Live session. For example: If a user adds a parameter to a chart on a display, then closes and reopens the display before closing that DeltaV Live instance, the added parameter is still present. However, when the next user logs into DeltaV Live, the added parameter is no longer present.

Datalink
A datalink provides an easy-to-configure means for showing real-time values from information sources. Datalinks also provide an optional means for users to modify the data online.
The Graphics Configuration pane provides configurable properties for the most commonly used datalinks in a DeltaV system. Datalink types include string, numeric, scaled numeric, named set, mode, and scaling data links. You can also use the Script Assistant to configure other types of data links. For details on datalink types, refer to the topic, Datalink types.

Date time

A date time element shows the date and time on a display. You can configure it for the desired time zone, format, and culture-specific format specifiers.

Display link
A display link provides a navigation control that is used to open a display from within a display. The click event is pre-configured to launch the target display specified during configuration.
Display link placeholders can be created for displays that do not yet exist by entering a display name in the Link Target field. Then, if and when a display with that name is created and published, the display link reference begins working online. However, if the workstation has an active display set, the new display must also be added to that display set and the display set published.
If you delete a display that has a display link referencing it, the reference continues working online until the layout configuration is reset in DeltaV Live.

Multi–point

The multi-point element provides an easy-to-configure means for showing real-time values in a horizontal or vertical bar graph format. This format makes it easy for operators to observe when values deviate from the defined operating range.

Some of the features you can configure on a multi-point include:
  • Plotting from 3 through 12 online control module parameters. Plot values are mapped from left to right (on a horizontal multi-point) or from top to bottom (on a vertical multi-point), and at equal relative intervals.
  • Defining the components you want visible on the multi-point, such as operating ranges, alarm limits, and info boxes.
  • Defining interactions for each parameter, which allows DeltaV Live users to interact with the parameter.
For details about a multi-point's components, refer to the topic, Multi-Point element.

Radar plot

The radar plot element provides an easy-to-configure means for showing real-time values in a format that makes it easy for operators to observe when values are deviating from the defined operating range.

Some of the features you can configure on a radar plot include:
  • Plotting from 3 through 12 online control module parameters. The first plot value appears at the 12 o'clock axis position, with additional plot values appearing clockwise at equal relative angles.
  • Defining the components you want visible on the radar plot, such as operating ranges and alarm limits.
For details about the radar plot element, refer to the topic, Radar plot element.

Sparkline

A Sparkline is used to present related real-time and historical data in a compact trend chart. It is designed to show a large amount of data in a small space, giving an uncluttered and high-level overview of what happened to the data over time or showing the value of a process variable at a glance.

Tab
A tab element behaves similarly to a Windows tab control. It provides a means for:
  • multiple elements to share a common area, when those elements do not need to be visible at the same time.
  • DeltaV Live users to switch between collections of elements on a display.
Some of the features of a tab include:
  • A tab element can contain from 1 through 32 tab items.
  • Each tab item can contain its own collection of elements.
  • Each tab item can be configured with a custom means for tab selection.
  • You can allow DeltaV Live users to interact with the tab items by opting to show a tab strip on the tab element.

Watch area

A watch area element provides a designated area on a running display from which operators can monitor parameters for an extended period of time.

Here are some of the things DeltaV Live users can do when using watch areas:

  • Add parameters to a watch list by dragging objects that are preconfigured with a drag action into a watch area. Drag these objects from any open display to a watch area on the same display or other open display (including a pop-up display).

    Once an object is dropped into a watch area, the parameter configured as part of the drag action is added to the watch list. The watch list item shows the following information:
    • title or parameter path configured on the object
    • parameter value
    • engineering unit
    • sparkline (with numerical values only)
  • Reorder watch list items within the watch area by doing one of the following:
    • Drag an item to a different position in the list.
    • Re-drag the object from the display into the watch area and drop it in the desired list location.
  • Remove a watch list item from the watch area by hovering on the list item and clicking (appears to the right of the parameter).
  • Remove all list items from the watch area by hovering anywhere inside it and clicking (appears in the top right corner of the watch area).
  • Open the module faceplate and alarm box associated with a parameter by clicking the faceplate button next to the watch list item.
A watch area does not retain a history of its watch list items. Therefore, once users navigate away from the display containing the watch area or restart DeltaV Live, parameters must be reloaded in the watch area.

Web browser
A web browser element provides a means for users to access specified web URLs from within a display.
URL types allowed by a web browser
The web browser element allows only URLs that are supported in an HTML5 iframe.
By default, a web browser allows users to access URLs that exist only on the local computer. Refer to the next section, Permitting access to non-local web content, for more information.
Web browser behavior in DeltaV Live
In DeltaV Live, when users open a display containing a web browser element, they see the appropriate web content rendered within it, rather than the URL. For example:
  • If a web browser on an overview display contains a URL for a web video feed, the users see the video embedded in their overview display.
  • If a web browser contains a URL pointing to another application on a user's local computer, such as Process History View (PHV), the user sees PHV embedded in the display.
A web browser contains only a Refresh button for refreshing content.
Permitting access to non-local web content
To allow users access to URLs external to the local computer, you must do the following:
  • Create a system whitelist string standard ($UrlWhiteList) in the Graphics Studio Library Explorer. (For details about creating the system whitelist standard, refer to the topic, System whitelist.)
  • Add the permitted URLs for that computer to the following items:
    • the #UrlWhiteList standard
    • the web browser element's Whitelist property.
    Important:

    Users can access only URLs that are listed in both the $UrlWhiteList standard and the web browser element's Whitelist field.