Adding objects to pictures

Drawing Shapes

Once you select a shape (that is, a rectangle, rounded rectangle, oval, line, polyline, polygon, arc, chord, or pie), it is easy to add it to a picture.

Some shapes are drawn by defining a series of points using the mouse. For example, to draw an arc you do the following:

1. Click the Arc button from the Shapes toolbar or the Toolbox, if enabled. The cursor changes to a plus sign.

2. Position the cursor where you want the first point of the arc to appear and click.

3. Move the cursor to define the width of the arc and click the mouse. An arc appears on the screen.

4. Move the cursor until the height of the arc is the correct size and click.

See the following illustration.

Similarly, you draw a chord as illustrated in the following figure:

And you draw a pie as illustrated in the following figure:

Adding a Chart

To add a chart to your picture, click the Chart button on the Shapes toolbar. If you have the Toolbox enabled, click the button on the Toolbox. The cursor becomes a plus sign. Click and drag the mouse in an area of the picture where you want to place the chart. A multi-pen chart appears on the screen, and the chart and chart pens also appear in the system tree.

By double-clicking the chart, you can define properties for the chart using the Chart Properties dialog box. The properties available depend on the data source selected, or pen type.

Trending Real-time Data in Your Picture

If you choose a real-time pen, certain properties are enabled or disabled, as shown in the following table. Real-time pens can also include T_DATA from Trend blocks.

To plot real-time data, you must define a pen type that accesses a real-time data source. To do this, click the Chart tab on the Chart Configuration dialog box and, at the top of the tabbed page, enter a real-time data source in the Data Source field. Use Data Server.node.tag.field format. You can also use a local node alias by selecting DVSYS from the list. Alternately, you can click the Browse button to display the Expression Builder, which allows you to search global data sources through a data source browser. To learn how to use the Expression Builder and define data sources, refer to Animating Object Properties.

Once you have defined a real-time data source for the pen, you can define how the data is presented by the configured pen(s). Using the data area of the Chart tabbed page, you can configure pen properties, pen styles, X and Y axis properties, time ranges, grid styles. You can also define general chart properties such as a name and description, scroll direction, attributes, and appearance.

Default settings for charts are set in the Chart Preferences tabbed page of the User Preferences dialog box.

Adding Text

A text object is a collection of characters within an invisible rectangle. To add text to your picture, click the Text button on the Shapes toolbar or the Toolbox, if enabled.

The default font properties for text are defined on the Shape Preferences tabbed page of the User Preferences dialog box. To change a font option for new objects, make the appropriate selections in the Font area. For example, to change the size of the font, enter a point size in the Font Size field.

If you use text with an italic font style in your pictures, the text may not always appear as expected. If the text appears clipped in your picture, use the handles to resize the text block. Selecting a different font may also correct this problem.

Using small fonts can cause the text to be distorted in the runtime picture. As an example, the recommended size should not be less than 9pt in the Arial typeface. If the text is distorted, you can increase the font size or reduce the height of your picture. Refer to Customizing the DeltaV Operate Environment for more information on resizing the pictures.

For more information on Shape Preferences, refer to Coloring and Styling Objects in the Performing Advanced Functions with Objects topic.

Adding a Bitmap Image

With DeltaV Operate, it's easy to work with bitmaps that were created using other applications. By simply clicking the Bitmap button, you can place a bitmap of your choice wherever you want in your picture, and then work with the image like you would any other object. For more information on working with bitmaps, refer to Working with Bitmaps in the Working with Other Applications topic.

Adding Data Links

The following options are available on the Data link dialog box, which appears when you add a Data link.

• Access to any data source

• Data entry

• Flexible display formatting

• Definable output error messages

Once you add a Data link, you can access this dialog box by selecting DataLink Custom Page from the Data link's pop-up menu. To add a Data link to your picture, click the Data link button on the Shapes toolbar or the Toolbox, if enabled. Click and drag to the area you want to place the Data link and release the mouse.

Entering a Data Source

You can display data from any valid data source using your Data link. In the Source field, enter the data source you want. You can also select from the Expression Builder by clicking the Browse button.

Enabling Data Entry

To allow operators to enter data into the Data link, select In-Place from the Type field's drop-down menu. This lets you enter data in-place, meaning you can display data as you enter it in the Type field. In the run-time environment, data entered is written to the appropriate database tag during the next scan cycle. When you enable data entry, you can require that operators confirm that they want this data to be written to the database before it is sent. To require confirmation, select the Confirm check box.

To help you configure data, use the Data Entry Expert. This expert lets you determine which data source the Data link receives its data from, and how that data appears. Use the Data Entry Expert to create the following types of data entry:

• Numeric/Alphanumeric

• Slider

• Pushbutton

• Ramp

You can access the Data Entry Expert from the Task Wizard. For more information on the fields of the expert,  refer to DeltaV Operate Experts.

You can also create custom types of entry in VBA. For more information on VBA, refer to Writing Scripts.

Formatting Data

DeltaV Operate lets you format the data you want to display in the Data link. First, you must choose one of the following types of data to display:

• Raw

• Numeric

• Alphanumeric

To display data in its raw (or native, C code) format, select the Raw Format check box. You can then edit the format by entering a C format string in the Format field. You can also enter a string of any kind preceding the raw format string (to introduce what the data string represents, for example).

To format numeric data, first select Numeric from the Type field's drop-down menu. Next, enter an integer from 0 to 7 to represent the:

• Whole digits – the number of digits displayed before the decimal point.

• Decimal digits – the number of digits displayed after the decimal point. This value is rounded off to fit into the number of digits specified for the Data link.

The following table shows some examples of how formatted numbers affect the way the Data link displays in the run-time environment.

To format alphanumeric (or text) data, first select Alpha-Numeric from the Type field's drop-down menu. Next, enter in the appropriate fields the number of lines and the number of characters per line you want to display in the Data link. You can also justify the data to the left, right, or center, by making the appropriate selection from the Justify field.

Using Tag Groups in Data Links

When using tag groups in data links and using raw format strings, you must be sure to match data types between the values and the format string.

For example, if the tag used is going to be replaced by the value of DVSYS.AI1.F_CV, the format string must be %f, or some derivative (i.e. %7.2f). The default when entering a tag group is %s, or string. If you do not adjust this and the types do not match, no formatting will occur and you will only get the value.

Configuring the Output Error Mode

The Error Configuration area of the Datalink dialog box lets you determine how error conditions are displayed by the Data link should they appear. You can configure the output to derive its value from:

• An error table, or

• The current value.

For more information on output values and definitions, refer to Classifying Animations Errors in the Defining Data Sources topic.

You can also display system information using the Data link. To do this, add a Data link to your picture as described in this section. When selecting a data source, use the format DVSYS:system:system field. This Data link can display a number of different system parameters of a particular node. Refer to the Database Manager online help for a list of system parameters.

Adding an Alarm Summary Object

Using Alarm Summary objects in your pictures gives you an effective way to monitor, acknowledge, sort, filter and save alarms using an ActiveX control. You can also color-code alarms by alarm status and priority in order to provide operators with visual cues.

To add an Alarm Summary object to your picture, click the Alarm Summary button on the DeltaV Advanced toolbar. This button is also available on the DeltaV Toolbox.

The Alarm Summary object appears as a spreadsheet that you can modify in both the configuration and run-time environments (depending on which run-time options are enabled). For example, you can resize the object using the object's handles, resize the columns in the spreadsheet, or select rows in the spreadsheet in both environments. You can customize the object's toolbar. Additionally, you can perform many functions using the object's context menu.

Refer to The DeltaV Alarm Summary Object or the DeltaV Operate help for more information on using the Alarm Summary object.

Adding Push Buttons

Push buttons are a visually effective way to invoke an action in your picture. They can help you:

• toggle tags between Automatic and Manual mode

• open and close pictures

• toggle digital tags between OPEN and CLOSE

• manipulate files

• run other applications

To add a Push Button to your picture, click Insert → Push Button. Edit the script to invoke the action you want on the picture.

Adding Variable Objects

By clicking the Variable object button, you can assign a variable object to your picture or globally to the entire system. The variable can represent different values at different times. The variables you assign include the following:

• Boolean

• Byte

• Short

• Long

• Float

• Double

• String

To create a Variable object, click the Variable object button on the Shapes toolbar or the Toolbox, if enabled. Next, complete the fields on the Create a Variable Object dialog box. To name a variable object, enter the name in the Variable Name field. The name must be consistent with VBA conventions. For more information on the various fields, click the Help button.

Adding OLE Objects

DeltaV Operate lets you insert a variety of OLE objects into your pictures. To insert an OLE object, click the OLE Object button on the Shapes toolbar. If you have the Toolbox enabled, click the button on the Toolbox.

You have three choices on the Insert dialog box for inserting an OLE object: Create New, Create from File, and Create Control.

Creating New OLE Objects

The Create New option button allows you to select from a list of objects registered on the local node. To add a specific object, double-click it from the Object Type list box. For more information on adding controls, refer to the Create a Control for an OLE Object section that follows.

Creating an OLE Object from a File

The Create from File option button lets you insert the contents of a file into a new object in your picture. You can either select a file from the File field or click the Browse button to select a file from any available directory.

Creating a Control for an OLE Object

The Create Control option button allows you to add an ActiveX Control (OCX) to a new object in your picture. Click Add Control to display a browse dialog where you can select an OCX installed on the local node. When you select the file, a new object is inserted into your picture with the specified control. When you switch to the run-time environment, you activate the object with the control you selected.

Adding a Third-Party Control

When adding third-party controls to a picture, some controls may display a message similar to the following:

<OCX name>: License file for custom control not found...

The reason you get this message is because you are adding a control that you do not have the license for. We recommend that you delete the control from your picture or install the license for this control and re-insert the control.

Animating the String Property of an OLE Control

To animate the String property of an OLE Control, you must ensure that the data source is of a string type by doing one of the following:

• Connecting directly to an A_field.

• Using a Format object to convert a F_field to a string format.

Adding Timer Objects

By adding timer objects to your picture, you can perform an action based on a time interval that you specify.

Adding Event Objects

Event objects allow you to perform an operation based on an action that you specify. After you add an event object, you must enter Visual Basic code to actually trigger the event.