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ProViewDS Getting Started Guide
ProViewDS Getting Started Guide
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Projects ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
Server ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
License..................................................................................................................................................... 10
New Project............................................................................................................................................. 11
Auto-save ................................................................................................................................................ 12
Tags ......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Security ................................................................................................................................................... 16
Devices .................................................................................................................................................... 16
Alarms ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
Datasets .................................................................................................................................................. 17
Scripts...................................................................................................................................................... 17
Displays ................................................................................................................................................... 18
Reports .................................................................................................................................................... 20
UseCount................................................................................................................................................. 29
Dictionaries ............................................................................................................................................. 29
Extensions ............................................................................................................................................... 29
Track ........................................................................................................................................................ 32
Notes ....................................................................................................................................................... 32
Start Window
Projects
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The Start Window allows you to view, create, and open ProViewDS projects on your computer, or a
remote server computer. Multiple projects can be opened at a time and multiple engineers can
simultaneously access a single project for a Collaborative Engineering Environment.
1. All projects available from your Search Paths are listed center screen. Search Paths can be added
and removed via the Find Project screen. Double-click a project to edit it, or right-click a project
to see run/edit options.
2. Projects can be listed in the 3D View, Card View, or Table View (see below).
Tip: Click Refresh to ensure all projects are being displayed from all Search Paths.
View projects in 3D “carousel” mode, and select the icon to see details.
Card View:
Card View includes more information, such as ProductFamily and ProductModel of the project.
Table View:
Select Table View for a sortable grid view, including detailed product information.
Each ProViewDS project is saved as a single .tproj file, which includes all Tag definitions, Displays, image
resources, report templates, project settings and other configuration.
Tip: Open projects through the ProViewDS start window, or by double-clicking the .tproj file.
Local SQL databases and historians are stored as individual .tdb4 files. Each ProViewDS project will by
default generate Alarm, Historian, Retentive, and RuntimeUsers databases.
Caution: Local databases can be opened in the DatabaseBuilder tool by double-clicking the .tdb4
file, but avoid modifying Alarm, Historian, Retentive, and RuntimeUsers databases manually.
Other files:
Other project-related file types include TCONFIG (.tconfig), TRETENTIVETEST (.tretentivetest), TSETTINGS
(.tsettings), and BACKUPCOPY (.backupCopy). These files and others are used for retaining project and
software product configurations and runtime information.
Use the Find Project screen to browse for project files, manage Search Paths, and control remote access
to projects.
2. Projects contained in any Search Path listed will appear on the Start Window Projects screen.
3. For each Search Path you may also define a Virtual Path name for remote access filtering, and
enable or disable whether remote users should have access to the configuration, or run your
projects remotely on their computer.
Select the computer or server to populate the project list on the Start Window Projects screen.
Use the License screen to apply a ProViewDS license on a machine, and view information about the
registered license.
Product Family: The product family defined in your license affects the features and functionality
available when creating projects. The product families available are:
Product Model: Defines the maximum number of real-time communication points available per project
Engineering info: Maximum number of engineering users allowed, communication points available, and
any protocol drivers included
Runtime clients info: Maximum number of runtime clients allowed to connect to a running appication
Load license key: Used to load-in a license key file provided to you by DYNICS (required when licensing)
New Project
Name: Project name to appear on ProViewDS screens, and .tproj file name
Location: Folder where the project files are to be saved (one folder per project is recommended)
Product Family: Defines the type of project, and engineering features and functionality available
Product Model: Defines the maximum number of real-time communication points available
Note: As a rule, the maximum number of real-time Tags that can be created in a project is equal
to 11 times the maximum number of communications points on your license. For example:
(150 points x 10) + 150 points = 1650 Tags allowed
1 3
1. Section
2. Page/Module
3. Tab
Auto-save
The Auto-save functionality in ProViewDS is turned ON by default, saving all changes made to a project
either at the time of change, or when leaving the current page. Open the Environment Settings menu via
the button to change the Auto-save frequency.
Save: Whether Auto-save is set on or off, it is a best practice when editing Displays, CodeBehind,
Scripts, or Reports to save using the Save button to ensure work is not lost
To access the Environment Settings menu, select the button. Here you can change the overall
theme of the environment, and other general settings.
Many ProViewDS Engineering Environment screens include a DataGrid table layout, listing the different
Tags and other objects that exist in a project. DataGrids function much like tables and spreadsheets you
would find in other applications, and include a few features that can simplify project development.
Sort: Click on a column title to sort in ascending, descending, or no order. When no sorting is applied,
the row’s internal ID is used.
Filter: Click on the filter icon to show rows based on the selected values
Define database connections and data files, with specified tables and
custom queries
Build custom report templates and configure report file save triggers
and other options
Tags are, in a sense, variables used for storing data values (such as integers, strings, or datetime). In
mathematics and computer programming, variables each have a unique name or identifier and are used
to temporarily store a value. Tags function in a similar way, however each Tag includes its own set of
properties (stored in a real-time Tag database) and Tags can change dynamically depending on the state
of the objects they might be tied to.
Tags can be imported and tied to devices via communication points, mapped to dataset tables and data
queries, and bound to graphical objects and user controls on Displays. Tags can also function as
“triggers” for scripts and reports, or simply hold static user-entered values.
Security
Security settings are used to determine which Users have access to various components of a project.
These include the ability to change Tag values, open Displays, generate Reports, and more. Three user
IDs are included in a project by default:
Administrator: Can delete or block users and define passwords for Database connections
Guest: Used for anonymous logins and do not have passwords assigned
Tip: Policies can be set up to control user sessions – automatically logging users out based on
inactivity, runtime duration, or both.
Devices
ProViewDS includes embedded industry standard protocol drivers to directly access PLCs, Remote IO,
Fieldbus standards, single and multi-loops, scanners, barcode readers, RFID devices, and digital displays.
Data configurations can be imported from OPC servers, CSV, or text files and for compatible devices,
multi-threading on TCP/IP or multi-serial is used.
You can import your own driver for devices not supported by default, and OPC is also supported
(depending on your product license) but in many cases is not required.
Points: Define devices communication points’ data acquisition values and map them to real-time Tags
Multiple alarm levels can be set up for a large range of events, used for logging, acknowledgement,
displaying alerts, and more. Several alarm levels can be assigned to a single Tag, and by defining Alarm
Groups you can assign common parameters to many Alarms (such as whether or not acknowledgement
is required, whether a sound should be played, etc). You also have full control over colors used for
different alarm conditions, to align with your processes and standards.
Datasets
For most common database systems and data sources (SQL Server, Oracle, CSV files, Microsoft Access,
Firebird, Informix, Excel, etc), ProViewDS supplies pre-defined configurations. Any database system that
supports ODBC, ADO.NET, or OLE-DB can be interfaced.
Note: Local SQL databases can be created with the built-in database engine and managed using
the DatabaseBuilder tool.
Data source Tables and Queries can be dynamically mapped to real-time Tags for use in Scripts, Reports,
and on Displays (for example tied to DataGrid display components).
Scripts
ProViewDS is built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, supporting C# and VB.NET programming
languages. In the ProViewDS Engineering Environment you can compile, cross-reference, and directly
access (using IntelliSense) .NET classes and objects included in your project. This includes Displays,
Alarms, Reports, communication nodes, DataSets tables, and more.
Tip: Go to Info > Project > Settings to set Default Code “CSharp” or “VB.Net”.
Tip: To call on an object in a Script or Display CodeBehind, type “@” and you should see the
IntelliSense popup with your options (such as “@Tag” or “@Client”).
Displays
1. Displays: Lists all existing Displays in a project and allows you edit name, description, and other
settings (double-click a row to open the Display in the Draw screen)
Select the Clients button to access Client Window Settings. These settings define the appearance and
behavior of all runtime client windows.
DockPanel layouts stack and fix displays next to each other, and are more commonly used. You can
change the docking and alignment settings for each Display within a Layout.
Tip: The last Display listed in a DockPanel layout is the Display that will change when another,
different Display is opened. Keep this in mind when creating layouts.
Canvas layouts allow you to define the exact placement of each Display, but are less straightforward.
3. Resources: Lists all image Resources you have included in your project, and allows you to
import other image files.
Several bitmap image file types are supported: JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, TIFF, ICO, WDP, and WMF).
Transparency is also supported, as long as the image file, itself supports transparency.
Tip: When you add a resource to a Display, be sure you are sizing it appropriately to prevent
blurring and skewing of the image.
All graphics and user controls created with the built-in Draw tools are vector-based (and can
therefore be resized and manipulated freely), but imported bitmap/raster image files should be
treated as such.
ProViewDS includes a built-in Reporting module and report templates editor. Reports can include
runtime or historical data as text, graphical symbols and graphs, dataset tables and query charts, and
more. Reports can be generated in PDF, HTML, XPS, Unicode or ASCII format – scheduled to be saved on
a regular time interval, or by a trigger you define in your project.
Draw Section
The Draw section includes the Display designer, built on WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) and
XAML. This area provides tools to build dynamic UI elements, configure user controls, and add
CodeBehind .NET scripting.
2 3
4. Appearance: Parameters dictate the brush style used when drawing objects on the Display,
including background, borders, and opacity
5. DisplaySettings: Include various attributes for the overall Display, including page mode (Page,
Popup, Dialog, or PopupWindow), background, display sizes, etc.
6. Drawing Tools: Used to add graphical elements and user controls to the Display (see below)
7. Positioning Tools: Allow you to group objects, control alignment and more (see below)
The Draw environment provides all tools for building your application screens. The Drawing Tools are
listed in the vertical toolbar to the left of the drawing canvas.
Selection Tool:
- Click an object to select it (bounding box handles will appear around selected objects)
- Click an open area of the canvas to deselect all objects
- Click + drag from an open area of the canvas to highlight and select one or more objects
- Shift + click to select multiple objects and to target one of multiple selected objects (targeted
object’s handles will appear blue)
- Ctrl + click a selected object to deselect it
- Ctrl + click + drag to create copy of selected object or objects
- Double-click an object to open its configuration window
Hand Tool: Click + drag to move your view of the draw canvas
Polygon: Create polygon objects (Left-click to set points and Right-click to complete the shape)
Polyline: Create polyline objects (Left-click to set points and Right-click to complete the shape)
PushButton LabelBox: Create push button controls (Double-click to edit Action settings)
CheckBox: Create checkbox controls (Click to edit text label and bind to Tags)
RadioButton: Create radio button controls (Click to edit text label and bind to Tags)
ComboBox: Create dropdown controls (Click to choose data source and bind to Tags)
ListBox: Create list box controls (Click to edit data source and bind to Tags)
DateTime textbox: Create DateTime textbox controls (Click to configure and bind to a Tag)
Insert Symbol: Opens a symbol selection menu (choose a symbol and Click to paste on the canvas)
Insert Image Resource: Opens a resource selection menu (choose an image or import a new file)
WPF Component: Insert built-in WPF components, or custom controls from a DLL
Page Selector: Create Page Selector used to select and open Displays (Click to configure)
DataGrid: Create DataGrid windows (Double-click to choose data source and configure)
Positioning Tools
Located below the drawing canvas, view and positioning tools are listed across the horizontal toolbar.
Grid Settings: Show/hide grid lines, toggle snap-to-grid, and adjust grid line spacing
Merge: Combine selected objects using Union, Intersect, Exclude, and Exclusive-or rules
Resize Height/Width: Resize height and width of selected objects to targeted object
See number of times project objects (Tags, Alarms, Displays, etc) are
referenced throughout the project, and object cross-references
The Build command recompiles all Displays and Scripts for final verification before deploying a project
for final production. The Pack command (which is completed as a part of a Build when checked)
decreases the file size of a project, increasing performance.
1. Messages: Shows the current status of each Script and Display regarding potential errors or
warnings (double-click a row to navigate to the source of the error)
2. History: Lists all past project builds, and allows you to open or delete pasts builds
3. References: Lists DLL file references, and allows you to add or verify references
Tip: A final Build should be run each time a project is deployed for production (to increase
performance and verify errors and warnings are resolved). It is also good practice to run a Build
whenever a project is moved to another computer to re-verify Display elements.
On the Test page, you can run projects in Test mode which starts a protected instance of your project,
separate from its normal runtime. A project Test can be run even while Startup runtime is in progress.
In Test mode the Historian and Alarm logging functions use temporary files to prevent the modification
of real production data. Also, modules can be individually enable or disable, and set to read-only.
You can enable diagnostic tools to assist in your testing and development. These include the Module
Information window, Property Watch, and Trace Window.
Tip: When you Enable online configuration, changes to your project will be pushed to the
running test in real-time. This is very useful during development of a project.
The Startup page allows you to configure how your project will function during production runtime. You
can enable diagnostic tools and choose to enable or disable different modules.
You can set the startup user, Port #, and other settings before starting runtime.
Hot Start will push all project changes to your in-progress runtime.
Caution: Enable online configuration is available in Startup mode, but should be used for testing
and development – not during production runtime.
Projects are generally run not from the Engineering Environment, but automatically using a command or
manually via the Start Window by right-clicking and selecting Run Project.
The Publish command creates a project file with the extension .trun and version number, which is visible
in the Start Window Projects screen (as long as “Include Published project” is checked on the Find
Project screen).
This copy of your project can only be opened in the Engineering Environment in read-only mode.
1. UseCount: Lists each object (such as Displays, Datasets, etc) and the number of times used or
referenced throughout the project
2. CrossReference: Provides a cross-reference of objects with table references, IDs, and locations
in the project
Tip: Check unused objects before Building or Publishing, to ensure your project is clear of
“clutter”. It is also recommended to remove for any unused image Resources and Symbols.
Dictionaries
This page includes tools for Localization, Enumerators, custom Categories, and Unit conversions.
Extensions
Here you can import and export project extensions, such as .NET classes, data tables and files, and
ProViewDS project components.
Tip: Exporting Symbols, Displays, and other objects as project components allows you to import
those objects in another project. This can be a huge time-saver for development, and allows you
build your own resource library full of reusable objects.
The Info > Project page is home to project-wide configuration settings, including the following tabs:
1. Version: Shows high-level information like build number and version, allows you to edit title
and description, and mark the project as an example-only (rather than a production solution)
2. Settings: Lists more project information, and allows you to change Family type, maximum
communication points, and other settings
3. Redundancy: Command line and server redundancy settings for the project runtime server and
client computers
The Redundancy tab is where runtime command settings are defined and managed. Before deployment,
the server IP addresses and Port numbers should be entered, and server and client command lines used
to create startup links.
This page allows you to track changes made to a project and view all releases published. These tools
assist in project management, project version control, and ownership of project development when you
have multiple engineering users working in unison.
On the Tables tab, double-clicking on a row will navigate to the page where the change was made.
On each tab, engineering users can add comments for others to see.
Notes
The Notes page allows engineering users to leave notes for themselves or other developers while
collaborating on a project. These notes act like “Post-Its” and appear on-screen when a user opens the
Engineering Environment.