Invisible input
The element is displayed in the editor with a dashed line, but this is invisible in online mode. The behavior of the element has to be specified in the input configuration.
Properties editor
The properties of a visualization element - except alignment and order - can all be configured in the properties editor. By default, this editor opens next to the visualization editor, or it can be opened explicitly via the "Properties" command (which can be found in the View menu as standard).
A property can be modified by editing the field "Value". To this end, an input field, a selection list, a dialog or checkbox that can be activated is provided in this field, depending on the element type. The value field opens
- after a double-click,
- after a single click in a selected field,
- via the space bar, if the field was already selected.
If a variable is assigned,
- simply enter its name.
- Use the
button to open the input assistant for selecting a variable. The Variables category lists all variables that have already been defined in the project.
Working in the list of properties can be made easier with the aid of default, sorting and filter functions.
Element properties
All element properties and their descriptions are listed below.
Element name | The element name can be changed. Standard name is "GenElemInst_x". "x" stands for a sequential number. |
Element type | The element type is entered here. For three element groups it is possible to switch between the corresponding elements by changing the element type: |
Position
Here you can define the position (X/Y coordinates) and size (width and height) of the element in pixels. The origin is in the top left corner of the window. The positive x-axis is on the right, the positive y-axis runs downwards. If the values edited, the displayed element is simultaneously modified in the visualization editor.
X | Horizontal position in pixels – X=0 is the left edge of the window. |
Y | Vertical position in pixels – Y=0 is the upper edge of the window. |
Width | Width of the element in pixels |
Height | Height of the element in pixels |
State variables
These are dynamic definitions of the availability of the element in online mode.
Invisibility | Specification of a boolean variable. If this returns TRUE, the element is invisible in online mode. |
Input disabled | Specification of a boolean variable. If TRUE is returned, inputs for the element have no effect. Also, the element itself is greyed out in the visualization, to indicate that no user inputs are possible. If the visualization uses the user management, the elements for user groups with access right "only visible" are grayed out. |
Input configuration
Here you can define the consequential action that should be performed when the user makes an input in the element in online mode. As long as no follow-on actions are defined, "Configure…" appears in the Properties field. Click on "Configure…" to open the Input Configuration, where you can assign follow-on actions. Each input action can be assigned any number of follow-on actions.
The following input events are available for an element:
- OnDialogClosed
- OnMouseClick
- OnMouseDown
- OnMouseEnter
- OnMouseLeave
- OnMouseMove
- OnMouseUp
OnDialogClosed | This event is triggered if one of the dialog boxes that were opened for user inputs is closed within a visualization. Note: This property is not limited to the element, for which it is configured, but applies within the entire visualization. It therefore does not respond to each dialog closing action. Currently there is no way to define such a property for the entire visualization. It therefore has to be assigned to one of its elements. |
OnMouseClick | This mouse event is triggered when the cursor points to an element and a full mouse click (pressing and releasing the mouse button) is executed on this item. |
OnMouseDown | This mouse event is triggered when the mouse button is pressed while the cursor points to an element. It is irrelevant where on the visualization the mouse button is released again. |
OnMouseEnter | This mouse event is triggered when the cursor is dragged to the element. It is irrelevant whether the mouse button is pressed or released. |
OnMouseLeave | This mouse event is triggered when the cursor leaves the element. It is irrelevant whether the mouse button is pressed or released. |
OnMouseMove | This mouse event is triggered when the cursor is moved within the element. It is irrelevant whether the mouse button is pressed or released. |
OnMouseUp | This mouse event occurs when the mouse button is released on the element. The mouse button was pressed prior to that outside of the element. |
Input configuration - hotkeys
A hotkey can be used to define a key or key combination and link it with a follow-on action (e.g. MouseDown, MouseUp), which is to be executed when a key event occurs (KeyDown, KeyUp). By default the MouseDown action is executed on KeyDown (press key) and the MouseUp action on KeyUp (release key). This can be useful if a visualization is to be operated both via mouse actions and keyboard entries, since the input actions then only have to be configured once. The key configuration for an element is also managed in the hotkeys configuration for the visualization. Any changes are always synchronized between this and the element properties editor.
Key | Assigning a key. A selection list contains all currently supported keys, e.g. M. |
Event(s) | Definition of the event to be executed, if the key or key and modifier are used. Possible values that are available in a selection list:
|
Shift | If this option is enabled, the key has to be used in combination with the Shift key. |
Control | If this option is enabled, the key has to be used in combination with the Ctrl key. |
Alt | If this option is enabled, the key has to be used in combination with the Alt key. |
State variables
These are dynamic definitions of the availability of the element in online mode.
Input disabled | Boolean variable. If TRUE is returned, inputs for the element have no effect. Also, the element itself is greyed out in the visualization, to indicate that no user inputs are possible. If the visualization uses the user management, the elements for user groups with access right "only visible" are grayed out. |
Access rights
This setting relates to the access rights for the individual element. Click to open the Access rights dialog. The setting is only available if a user management was added to the PLC project. The following status messages are available:
Not set. All rights. | The default message is set, if the element is shown as available for all groups. |
Rights are issued: Limited rights. | The message is set, if the element is shown with limited behavior for at least one group. |