Customizing the DeltaV Operate environment

The DeltaV Operate environment can be customized using a number of different methods. For many applications, the following two dialogs contain most of the settings that users may wish to customize:

User Settings dialog - A few simple startup settings (such as opening mode and preloading of picture files) can be defined with the User Settings dialog.
User Preferences dialog - A wide range of settings for both the run and configure environments can be configured with the 8-page User Preferences dialog.

DeltaV Operate has numerous global variables and color tables that are referenced by standard DeltaV Operate pictures and dynamos. Advanced users may want to further customize their operator environment by changing the initial values of some of these variables or color tables, as well as creating new global variables or color tables. The following list describes the files and methods that can be used to change the value of these variables/color tables, or to create new ones.

User_ref Picture: Important
The User_ref.grf picture should not be edited directly because the DeltaV Upgrade Wizard does not preserve changes to this file. Instead, when you edit this file, save it as a new file using the names provided in the following description.
Some global variables that are used at startup are referenced in a Visual Basic script contained in a picture called User_ ref.grf. This script can be edited (usually to change default initial values), and the User_ref picture can be saved as a new picture for system-wide and/or workstation-specific settings. For system-wide settings, save the picture as UserSettings.grf in the Pictures → Standard folder. For workstation-specific settings, save the picture as <WorkstationName>_Settings.grf in the Pictures → Standard folder. The UserSettings picture is also used to set the location of a picture (its x and y coordinates).

The UserSettings file is read at startup. Refer to the User_Ref and UserSettings Pictures topic for more information.
Layout templates: Important
The DeltaVPicture.Template and DeltaV_OK_Picture.Template files should not be edited directly. Instead, when you edit these files, save them as new files using the names provided in the following description.
Use these files to set the initial main pictures (those pictures that are loaded when DeltaV Operate starts in run mode) and to change the default allocation of DeltaV screens to hardware monitors.

For system-wide settings, save the layout template as DeltaVPicture.Layout or DeltaV_OK_Picture.Layout and copy it to all Operator Stations. For workstation-specific settings, save the picture as <WorkstationName>_Picture.Layout or <WorkstationName>_OK_Picture.Layout and copy it to the appropriate (by name) workstation. To set the location of popup pictures, refer to the UserSettings picture.
For more details on using these files, refer to The Layout templates.
frsVariables and frsVariablesII: Important
Global variables and color tables should not be edited directly in the frsVariables or frsVariablesII project because the DeltaV Upgrade Wizard does not preserve changes to these files. Instead, when you edit or create new variables/color tables, save them with the same name in the User or SIGlobals projects.
The frsVariables file, located in the DeltaV Operate system tree's Globals folder, contains global variables and color tables that define the Operate environment. (Color tables are also referred to as Threshold and Lookup Tables.) The User_ref picture, described above, can be used to modify the values of these global variables.

To customize a standard DeltaV global color table, such as an alarm or theme color table, use the Duplicate Color Tables utility to create a new table with the same name as the original. Save the new table in either the Globals → User or Globals → SIGlobals projects.
User (User.fxg) and SIGlobals (SIGlobals.fxg): These files provide a place for end users and System Integrators to create Visual Basic code, global variables, and threshold (color) tables that will be preserved during a system upgrade. It is recommended that System Integrators keep their code separate from that of end users to improve troubleshooting.
Schedule Files (FRS_Variables_Schedule: The schedule files monitor specific variables for any change to the variable (in frsVariables) and sets the value of the changed variable. frsVariables can be changed by the UserSettings picture or by a VBA script that modifies the variable.