Creating pictures > Creating group displays

Create new faceplates and detail displays for function blocks

If you created composite function blocks that need custom faceplates, use the following procedure to make them:

  1. Open a new (blank) control display.
  2. Add  the dynamo named Any_Block_ from the frsFncblk dynamo set to the control display.
  3. In the dynamo dialog, enter the name of your composite block. Use the following format: DVSYS.ModuleName/FunctionBlockName. Enter the name of the faceplate display that you are making without the .GRF extension.
  4. Open the Templates folder.
  5. Double click the Iafb object to open the faceplate template.
  6. With the faceplate template selected, click File → Save As and save it as your faceplate name with the .GRF extension in the FaceplateFB folder.

    When creating a new display, faceplate, or detail display, you cannot name the new file the same as any filename that exists in the \DeltaV\DVData\Graphics-iFix folder.

    You cannot name the new graphic file by appending a 2 to the filename (such as TAGAI_fp2) because that name is reserved as part of temp files created by DeltaV Operate (and located in \DeltaV\DVData\Graphics-iFix\Pic\Temp\* (where * is one of the subfolders under Temp).

  7. Add data links and other display elements to the faceplate display. Data links should have a generic path (that is, they should not be based on any particular Module/FunctionBlock because the appropriate module and function block name are substituted when the display is opened). An example path is DVSYS.@modfb@/PV.F_CV. The word @modfb@ is a placeholder for the actual module name and function block usage name, which is substituted when the display is opened (the word @modfb@ is substituted with the actual Module/FunctionBlock).
  8. If your block needs a detail display, right-click the detail display button at the bottom of the faceplate and select Edit Script.

    Microsoft Visual Basic opens to the bmpDetailFb_Click subroutine in the code for the faceplate you have created.

  9. Edit the following line in the subroutine:

         frszDynamoDetailFb Me, "Enter Picture name or variable here"

    Enter the path to and name of the detail picture you want to call as shown:

         frszDynamoDetailFb Me, System.PicturePath & "\DetailFB\detail_fp_picture_name"

    Note

    Do not include the .GRF extension in the detail faceplate picture name.

  10. To make a detail display for the block, open the detail display template named DetailFB in the Templates folder.
  11. With the detail display selected, click File → Save As and save it as your detail display name with the .GRF extension in the DetailFB directory.
  12. Add data links and display elements to this display with the same convention as the faceplate and save the file.
  13. Close all pictures and run the Update Popup Pictures utility by clicking the button on the DeltaV Utilities toolbar. To show the DeltaV Utilities toolbar, click Workspace → Toolbars. On the Toolbars dialog, select Workspace as the owner and then select the DeltaV Utilities check box.

    The DeltaV system maintains multiple copies of faceplates. When you create or modify a faceplate, you must run the Update Popup Pictures utility to update the other copies of the faceplate.

    Note

    When updating popup pictures on a system that has VCAT for Displays enabled, you must the preference, Auto Check Out and In, disabled. Follow the steps in the Updating Popup Pictures and Dynamos topic.

  14. Open your control display in DeltaV Operate's run mode.
  15. To open the faceplate with the block's data, click the function block dynamo button.
  16. You can add additional data links to the control display and place them near the block's faceplate button. If you want to reuse these data links and the faceplate button as a group, create a dynamo for them. For more information, refer to the Creating Dynamos topic.