Bar display
This element can be used to add a bar display to the visualization. The bar display has a predefined design, for which the background color can be changed. Optional, this design can be replaced by a user-specified background image. The display orientation can be changed from horizontal to vertical, and the bar can be subdivided into color areas.
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: |
Auxiliary setting
Variable | Numeric variable, whose value is displayed as a bar length. |
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 |
Background
If no user-specified background image is used, the following properties are available:
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Background color |
Select a color for the bar:
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If a user-specified background image is used, the following properties are available:
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Image |
Here you can assign an image from an image pool by specifying the name of the image file or its ID. |
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Transparency color |
For images with transparent background a color can be selected that is to be shown transparent. The |
Bars
Chart type | The drop-down list offers various options for positioning bars and scales:
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Alignment | The bar can be aligned horizontally or vertically. The alignment is derived from the ratio between the width and height and cannot be edited here. It can be changed in the visualization editor by "gripping" a corner point of the element with the mouse and dragging it horizontally or vertically. |
Direction of movement | If the alignment is horizontal, there is a choice between:
If the alignment is vertical, there is a choice between:
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Scale
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Scale start |
Lower scale limit value |
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Scale end |
Upper scale limit value |
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Main scale |
Distance between two lines of the coarse scale |
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Sub scale |
Distance between two lines on the fine scale. The value can be set to 0 if a further subdivision of the coarse scale is not desired. |
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Scale line width |
Width of the scale line in pixels |
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Scale color |
The color can be set via the selection list or via the |
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Scale in 3D |
If this option is enabled, the scale is shown 3-dimensionally. |
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Element frame |
If this option is enabled, a frame is drawn around the bar display. |
Labelling
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Unit |
The entered text is used as element label. It is shown below the center of the scale and can be used to specify the unit of the scale, for example. |
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Font |
Here you can set the font for the unit and the scale:
Click the |
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Scale format (C-syntax) |
Use the C syntax to specify the formatting of the scale label. For example, entering the string "%3.2f s" in this field results in scale labels with 3 digits, 2 of which are decimal places, followed by the letter "s". |
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Max. text width of labels |
Value specifying the maximum width of the scale label. This value is generally set correctly automatically. Only use this setting option if the automatic adjustment does not lead to the required result. |
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Text height of labels |
Value specifying the height of the scale label. This value is generally set correctly automatically. Only use this setting option if the automatic adjustment does not lead to the required result. |
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Font color |
The color for the label can be set via the selection list or via the |
button from the standard color selection dialog.Positioning
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Horizontal shift |
Distance in pixels between the scale or the bar and the horizontal element frame |
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Vertical shift |
Distance in pixels between the scale or the bar and the vertical element frame |
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Horizontal scaling |
Factor for increasing (negative value) or reducing (positive value) the scale or the bar in horizontal direction |
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Vertical scaling |
Factor for increasing (negative value) or reducing (positive value) the scale or the bar in vertical direction |
Colors
A color is defined based on a hexadecimal number consisting of red / green / blue (RGB) components. For each of these three colors, 256 (0-255) values are available, which can be entered here statically. The color can be selected from a selection list or via the color selection dialog, which can be opened via the button . In addition, the level of transparency can be set for each color (0: fully transparent, 255: fully opaque).
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Graph color |
Bar color |
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Bar background |
If this option is enabled, the background color for the bar display is changed to black. Otherwise it is white. |
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Frame color |
Color of the frame around the bar display, if the element frame checkbox is ticked |
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Use color areas |
If this option is enabled, color areas are displayed as defined under Color areas. |
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Switch whole color |
If this option is enabled, the whole bar switches its color, if the variable value falls below the start value or exceeds the end value of the scale. |
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Use color gradient for bar |
If this option is enabled, the bar is shown with a color gradient. |
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Color area marking |
Here you can select in which direction the color areas point. The following settings are available:
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Color areas
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Click on the [<n>]: The number indexes the area. Clicking "Delete" deletes the corresponding color area and its settings. |
button to generate a new color area. For each color area an area is created that covers the corresponding settings.Area [<n>]
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Begin of area |
Start of the color range. It must lie within the defined scale. |
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End of area |
End of the color range. It must lie within the defined scale. |
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Color |
Color of the bar area |
 | Color gradient and transparency are not supported under Windows CE. |
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. |