Input configuration

One or several of the subsequent actions described below can be defined in the input configuration dialog for a certain event (e.g. OnMouseClick). Click in the value field for this event in the Properties window to open the dialog. The name of the event, for which these subsequent actions are selected, is shown as title in the grey row.

To add a subsequent action, the corresponding action must first be selected on the left-hand side of the dialog. The action can then be added by pressing the button with the right arrow icon. To delete an action, select it on the right-hand side and press the button with the left arrow icon.

The following actions are available:

User management

User management can only be selected as subsequent action, if a User management was created first or the library "VisuUserManagement" was added manually.

Input configuration 1:

Via the user management the following four standard dialogs and actions can be added. It enables the visualization user in online mode to:

Close dialog

This option can be used to specify that after the event the specified dialog should be closed with the specified result. Select the required dialog from the selection list, which offers all currently available input dialogs.

Input configuration 5:

Dialog

Select a dialog from the selection list

Result

The list offers the standard options used in dialogs. These standard options require a user response.

  • OK
  • Cancel
  • Abort
  • Retry
  • Ignore
  • Yes
  • No
Input configuration 6:

Not that the result from the dialog that was closed last can be retrieved, and that a corresponding response can then be configured in any element of the same visualization. Use the configuration option "OnDialogClosed" for this purpose.

Open dialog

Here you can define that a mouse action is to be followed by opening of a dialog, which is represented by another (standard or user-created) visualization. The selection list offers all visualizations, for which the purpose "Dialog" is entered in the object properties. It enables a user-created dialog to be used as user input mask in a visualization.

As a minimum, the standard objects "VisuDialogs.Login" and "VisuDialogs.FileOpenSave" are available, if VisuDialogs.library is integrated in the project. In addition, user-created input dialogs can be used.

Input configuration 7:

Dialog

Select a dialog from the selection list

Parameter

For the selected dialog visualization the input (VAR_INPUT), output (VAR_OUTPUT) and input/output parameters (VAR_IN_OUT,), which were defined in the interface editor, are shown. (Parameter, Type, Value) In the last column, i.e. "Value", the parameters can be linked with variables from the PLC. The variable values are written to the parameters (VAR_INPUT, VAR_IN_OUT) when the dialog visualization is opened. (VAR_OUTPUT, VAR_IN_OUT.

Event

The user has to specify which dialog visualization result is to be used as a basis for writing its output and input/output parameters: tick the Use column to activate the required result value. Possible values:

  • None
  • OK
  • Cancel
  • Abort
  • Retry
  • Ignore
  • Yes
  • No
Input configuration 8:

Note that the output and input/output parameters of a dialog visualization are not written until the dialog is closed! Until then, the values are only stored on the stack, i.e. they are not treated as references but as copies.

Language switching

Here you can specify an interface language for displaying the visualization texts. Use the language code, that is used in the corresponding text list(s). Alternative, click on the Input configuration 9: button to select the required language in the input wizard. (See also Language and Text)

Input configuration 10:

Change shown Visualization

Here you can select a change in the currently displayed visualization page as subsequent action. (Refer also to the section "Switching between visualization pages")

Input configuration 11:

Select one of the following options to define which visualization page is to be displayed upon the mouse action in online mode:

Assign

The visualization page can entered directly. It is best to use input wizard, which can be opened via the button Input configuration 12:.

Assign Expression

Here you can specify a variable of type String, which is used by the PLC project and provides the name of the visualization page.

Example: sVisualizationName : STRING := ‘MyVisualization‘;

 

The order in which the visualization pages are displayed sequentially via user inputs is stored internally. This information can be used with the following two options.

Previous Visualization

The previously displayed visualization page is displayed again. If no visualization was called before, the current one continues to be shown.

Next Visualization

The visualization page listed next in the recorded sequence of visualization changes is displayed. This is therefore only possible, if a previous visualization change has already taken place via "Previous Visualization".

Execute command

Here you can define one or several commands to be executed following the mouse action.

Input configuration 13:

Select a command from the "Configure commands" list and press the Input configuration 14: button to added to the table in the lower section of the dialog. This table contains all selected commands of the input configuration.

A brief description of the command selected in the list is shown in the middle section of the dialog. Add the command parameters in the table columns "1st Parameter" and "2nd Parameter". The "Command" column shows the internal command name. See also the following table for a description of the individual commands.

Use Input configuration 15: button to remove the currently selected entry from the list. Subsequently, when the user input for the visualization element takes place, the configure commands are executed one after the other from top to bottom according to their arrangement in the table. To change the order, the entries can be moved with the Input configuration 16: and Input configuration 17: buttons.

The following commands are available:

Execute program on controller

Execute program on client

The specified program (*.exe) is executed on the controller or the visualization client.

1st parameter: string, path of the program file (example: “c:\programs\notepad.exe”)

2nd parameter: string, arguments for the program to be executed, e.g. name of a file to be opened by the program (example: copyfile.txt)

Print

The standard dialog "Print" is opened, where settings can be made for the setting of the printer area and the printer parameters, etc. Moreover, the current visualization can be printed out. This command is only supported within the PLC HMI under Windows.

Navigate to URL (WebVisu)

Requirement: visualization is executed as PLC HMI Web.

When the input event occurs, the visualization navigates to the web page with the specified URL

1st parameter: Web address URL

- as variable of type string, to set the start page programmatically. (Example: MAIN.sUrl)

- as literal in single quotation marks. (Example: http://www.beckhoff.com

2nd parameter: If no parameter is specified, the web page is displayed in a new window or a new tab. If "replace" is specified, the PLC HMI Web is replaced with the web page.

Switch frame visualization

Requirement: A visualization in a project has at least one frame element, which was assigned various visualizations via the Frame selection. Within the frame the visualizations are indexed 0, 1, 2, etc. By default, the first of the allocated visualizations (Index 0) is displayed online in the frame.

In the present dialog you can now link a mouse action on the current visualization element in a certain frame element with displaying a certain associated visualization. The current element can therefore be used for programming a visualization switch-over in a frame. (Refer also to the section "Switching between visualization pages within a frame")

Input configuration 18:

Selection type of the affected frame element

Local Visualization

Only frames of the current visualization can be addressed and are therefore available here in the field "Frame selection" (see below). This is a simple dialog for fast, direct configuration in the local visualization. However, it is not possible to specify the required visualization via a project variable. If this is required, select "Any Visualization".

The frame selection shows the local frame elements and indented below the associated visualizations.

Input configuration 19:

Select the required visualization from the affected frames, which is to be displayed following the mouse action. Click on "Assign Selection" to save the settings. The current selection is then displayed in the fields Selected Frame and Selected Visu.

Any Visualization

All frames of the project and their allocated visualizations are available. In this case frame and visualization can also be specified via project variables, i.e. dynamically.

Input configuration 20:

The "Frame and visualization selection" is then made via the following fields and options:

Direct assignment

If this option is enabled, the name of the affected frame element can be entered directly with the corresponding visualization. Press Input configuration 21: to invoke the input assistant.

Example: Visualization_1.MyFrame

Assignment via expression

This option can be enabled in order to use a project variable of type string for specifying a frame element. Press Input configuration 22: to invoke the input assistant. The variable must then return the name of the frame element and the corresponding visualization name.

Example: sVisualization : STRING := ‘Visualization_1.MyFrame’;

 

The visualization to be displayed following the mouse action in the selected frame is specified via its index. This visualization index is an ascending integer number starting with 0, which was allocated to a frame in the frame selection. By default, the first visualization is therefore always displayed in this list initially.

Index to select

Enter the index of the required visualization directly or via a project variable in the application. Press Input configuration 23: to open the input assistant for selecting a variable.

Write a variable

If an input configuration of type "Write a variable" exists for a visualization element, the element will offer an option to enter a value, as soon as the corresponding mouse action is executed. The value can then be entered as a string via a numpad or keypad and is then written to the project variable that is specified here in the input configuration dialog. The value is interpreted as text or a number, according to the data type of the project variable.

Input configuration 24:

Select one of the following input types from the selection list on the right of the dialog:

Standard

The default input type is used. The default can be specified in the settings of the Visualization Manager.

Text input

A field for the value/text input opens. A keyboard is required to enter values.

Text input with limits

A field for the value/text input opens. In addition, the input limits are displayed at the top. They are shown in red font if they are exceeded. A keyboard is required to enter values.

VisuDialogs.Keypad

The mouse action opens a simulated keyboard. You can enter a string by clicking on the corresponding keys.

VisuDialogs.Numpad

The mouse action opens a simulated numpad. You can enter a number sequence by clicking on the corresponding keys.

 

In addition to the default input types, all visualizations are offered, which were defined in their properties as "numpad", "keyboard" or "dialog for input configuration". (see Object properties)

Input configuration 25:

In order to be able to use the keypad or numpad, the library "VisuDialogs" must be added in the library manager.

Select the variable to be edited:

Use text output variable

The value is written to the variable that is specified as text output variable in the visualization element.

Use another variable

Specify a project variable. Press Input configuration 26: to open the input assistant.

Initial display format

Specification of a placeholder with formatting data

Example: %2.3f

Min

Lower limit for the variable to be entered

Max

Upper limit for the variable to be entered

Dialog Title

Dialog title to be displayed in the dialog header, can be specified as text or via a text variable

Password field

To show "*********" instead of the text (e.g. in the case of passwords), tick the checkbox at Password field.

Example

Let's assume the dialog shown above is a configuration dialog for a rectangle element. If the mouse button is pressed on this rectangle in online mode, a numerical keypad appears with the title returned by the variable "MAIN.sTitle".

Click 1, 2 and 3 to enter the value "123", for example. This value is displayed in the upper part of the dialog, also the minimum and maximum values for the entry, which are specified via "MAIN.fMinValue" and "MAIN.fMaxValue". When the entry is confirmed with a mouse click on OK, "123" is written to the variable "MAIN.fValue". If "fValue" is defined as a STRING variable, it is given the value "123". If "fValue" is a numeric variable, it is assigned the value 123.

Execute ST-Code

In the input field for this subsequent action it is possible to enter code in Structured Text, which is to be executed following a mouse action.

Input configuration 27:
Input configuration 28:

A complex ST program is only possible if the PLC HMI and/or the PLC HMI Web is enabled. Otherwise only simple assignments are possible.

Toggle a Variable

Here you can enter a boolean variable, which is to switch between TRUE and FALSE on repeated mouse actions.

Input configuration 29: