User Guide

RTPView
HMI Development
Software
RTPView HMI Development Software User Guide

© 2001 - 2015 RTP Corporation

Not for reproduction in any printed or electronic media without express written consent
from RTP Corp.
All information, data, graphics and statements in this document are proprietary
intellectual property of RTP Corp. unless otherwise indicated and are to be considered
RTP Corp. confidential. This intellectual property is made available solely for the direct
use of potential or licensed RTP Corp. customers in their application of RTP Corp.
products, and any other use or distribution is expressly prohibited. If you have received
this publication in error, immediately delete, discard or return all copies to RTP Corp.

RTP Corporation
2832 Center Port Circle
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
Phone: (954) 597-5333
Internet: [Link]

File Name: [Link]

Last Updated: 2/26/2015
 Contents

Contents

Introduction 1
1-1 Overview 1
1-2 This Document 1

RTPView User Interface 2

2-1 Main Window 2
2-2 Menu Bar 3
2-2.1 File Menu 3
2-2.2 Edit Menu 5
2-2.3 View Menu 7
2-2.4 Project Menu 8
2-2.5 Execute Menu 12
2-2.6 Security Menu 12
2-2.7 Device Menu 12
2-2.8 Script Menu 13
2-2.9 Window Menu 14
2-2.10 Help Menu 14
2-3 Alarm Tools 15
2-4 Device Errors 15
2-5 Device Forced Variables 15
2-6 Toolbars 15
2-6.1 Main Toolbar 15
2-6.2 Run Toolbar 16
2-6.3 Applications Toolbar 16
2-6.4 Palette Toolbar 17
2-6.5 Edit Toolbar 18
2-7 Project Pane 19
2-8 Status Bar 19
2-9 Work Area/Pages 20
2-10 Project File Structure 20
2-11 Batch Processing 21

Security 22
3-1 Introduction 22
3-2 Login 23
3-3 User Manager Functions 24
3-3.1 Users 25
3-3.2 Groups 25
3-4 Project Preferences 28
3-4.1 Project 28

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3-4.2 Security 29
3-4.3 Alarms 31
3-5 NetArrays Log File 32

Pages 34
4-1 Introduction 34
4-2 Page Data Properties 34
4-3 Page Drawing Area and Grid 37
4-4 Object Ordering 37
4-5 Aligning and Sizing Objects 38
4-6 Template Pages 39

Edit Boxes 47
5-1 Introduction 47
5-2 Adding Edit Boxes 47
5-3 Edit Box Object Properties 48
5-3.1 General 48
5-3.2 Text 49
5-3.3 Format 49
5-3.4 Color 50
5-4 Edit Box Data Properties 51
5-4.1 General 52
5-4.2 Security 54
5-4.3 Grouped Objects 54
5-5 Edit Box Fundamentals 54
5-5.1 Example 1 – Data Entry 55
5-5.2 Example 2 – Status Display 55
5-5.3 Example 3 - Data Entry Touch Screen 56

Pictures 58
6-1 Introduction 58
6-2 Adding Pictures 58
6-3 Picture Object Properties 59
6-3.1 General 59
6-3.2 Caption 60
6-3.3 Image 62
6-3.4 Button 63
6-3.5 Fill 65
6-3.6 Motion 66
6-3.7 Scale 67
6-4 Picture Data Properties 68
6-4.1 General 68
6-4.2 RTPView Data 70
6-4.3 Security 71
6-4.4 Grouped Objects 71
6-5 Picture Fundamentals 73
6-5.1 Example 1 – Caption Properties 73
6-5.2 Example 2 – Image Properties 73
6-5.3 Example 3 – Button Properties 74
6-5.4 Example 4 – Fill Properties 75
6-5.5 Example 5 – Motion Properties 76
6-5.6 Example 6 – Scale Properties 77

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Gauges 78
7-1 Introduction 78
7-2 Adding Gauges 78
7-3 Gauge Object Properties 78
7-3.1 Annular 79
7-3.2 Background 80
7-3.3 Captions 81
7-3.4 Digital 83
7-3.5 Hubs 84
7-3.6 Needle 85
7-3.7 Scales 85
7-3.8 Ticks 87
7-4 Gauge Data Properties 88
7-4.1 General 89
7-4.2 Security 91
7-4.3 Grouped Objects 91
7-5 Gauge Fundamentals 91
7-5.1 Example 1 – Tachometer 91
7-5.2 Example 2 – Thermometer 93
7-5.3 Example 3 – Knob 95

Trends 97
8-1 Introduction 97
8-2 Adding Trends 97
8-3 Trend Data Properties 97
8-4 Trend Object Properties 99
8-4.1 Tags 100
8-4.2 Frame 101
8-5 Trend Fundamentals 102
8-5.1 Trend Controls 102
8-5.2 Example 103

Scripts 104
9-1 Introduction 104
9-2 Adding Scripts 104
9-3 Script Page Data Properties 105
9-4 Script Execution Categories 106
9-4.1 Application Scripts 106
9-4.2 Page Scripts 107
9-4.3 Tag Value Change Scripts 108
9-4.4 Key Scripts 109
9-4.5 Custom Scripts 111
9-5 Extended Functions 112
9-6 Debugging and Breakpoints 113
9-7 Script Fundamentals 113
9-7.1 Example 1 – Button Execution 114
9-7.2 Example 2 – Application Execution 116
9-7.3 Example 3 – On Value Change Execution 119

Alarm Monitoring 121

10-1 Introduction 121
10-2 Alarm Tools 121

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10-3 Alarm Properties 122

10-3.1 XAlarm Control Properties – Alarm Server 122
10-3.2 XAlarm Control Properties - General 122
10-3.3 XAlarm Control Properties - Sound 123
10-4 Alarms Window 125

Device Configuration and Status 128

11-1 Introduction 128
11-2 Device Configuration 128
11-3 Status Window 129

Device Errors Monitoring 131

12-1 Introduction 131
12-2 Device Errors 131
12-3 Device Errors Window 131
12-3.1 Information, Warning, and Error Messages 133

Device Forced Variables Monitoring 134

13-1 Introduction 134
13-2 Device Forced Variables 134
13-3 Device Forced Variables Window 134

Media Player 136

OPC Client Connection 137

A-1 Introduction 137
A-2 Data Point Connection 137
A-2.1 Edit Box, Picture, and Gauge Objects 137
A-2.2 Trend Objects 138
A-2.3 OPC Configuration Window 140

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 Introduction

Section 1
Introduction

1-1 Overview
RTP Corporation’s RTPView software allows you to create and run Human-Machine
Interface (HMI) projects that monitor and control automated processes. With RTPView,
you can design sophisticated animated graphics using its library of over 1300 images. It
allows you to create functional buttons, switches, and knobs for controlling process
operation, realistic analog meters to display measured values, and trending to plot data.

1-2 This Document

This user guide is divided into eleven sections plus an appendix. Section 1 introduces
the organization of this document. Use Section 2 to familiarize yourself with RTPView’s
main window. It defines the functions performed by the menu options and toolbar
buttons. Section 3 describes the security access features of RTPView.

Section 4 describes the properties of the pages that comprise a project. The next four
sections describe the use of RTPView objects, which are placed onto the pages. Section
5 introduces the Edit Box object, describes its properties, and gives examples of its use.
Section 6 describes how to use the Picture objects, and how to configure their properties.
Several examples are given to illustrate their flexibility. Section 7 shows you how to add
and configure gauges, with definitions of their properties and examples of how they
determine the objects appearance and function. Section 8 describes the Trend object
and gives an example of its use. Section 9 introduces you to the scripting environment
included with RTPView.

The alarm monitoring functions are described in Section 10. Section 11 covers the
device configuration and status windows, which are common to all NetSuite components.

An appendix at the end of this user guide describes how to connect RTPView with any
third-party OPC-enabled controller or PLC.

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Section 2
RTPView User Interface

2-1 Main Window

This section of the user guide provides an overview of the graphical interface presented
to the user by RTPView. Whenever you select New or open an RTPView project, the
display shown below appears on your screen. The display is divided into the following
main areas:
Caption Bar
Main Menu Bar
Alarms
Main Toolbar
Run Toolbar
Application Toolbar
Project Pane
Work Area
Palette
Status Bar

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2-2 Menu Bar

The main menu bar provides access to the following pull-down menus:
 File
 Edit
 View
 Project
 Execute
 Security
 Device
 Script
 Window
 Help

2-2.1 File Menu

New Project (Ctrl+N)

Creates a new project. If a project is currently open, it will be closed. If any changes
have been made since the last save, you will be asked if you want to save them before
closing. A blank page will appear in the Work Area.

Open Project (Ctrl+O)

Opens a previously created project. If a project is currently open, it will be closed. If any
changes have been made since the last save, you will be asked if you want to save them
before closing. Navigate to the RTPView project file (.rpj) in the dialog box and click
Open.

Close Project
Closes the current project. If any changes have been made since the last save, you will
be asked if you want to save them before closing.

Save Project (Ctrl+S)

Saves the current project.

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Save Project As...

Allows you to save the current project as a new file with a new name and path.

Save Compressed Project As...

Allows you to save the current project as a new compact file with a new name and path.

Import Page
Import selected page with user defined page name and optionally user defined tag and
object names that exist in the imported page. After locating the RTPView page file (.npg)
and selecting the Open button, the “Import Page” dialog will appear. On this dialog you
can change the page name and the tag names (Auto Name) if the page was exported as
a template.

Export Page
Export page saves the selected page to disk. After Entering RTPView page file name
(.npg) in the dialog box and selecting Save Button, an Export Page Dialog will open. This
dialog will prompt for default information, which will be presented during the import
process. The first field is the page name, this name will be the default name during the
import processing. Depend if “Export Popup Windows” box is checked, the page can be
exported with or without saving linked popup windows information.

A page can be also exported as a Template by selecting the “Template” check box, which
will enable the “AutoName” fields. The “AutoName” fields are used together with the
object “Name” fields to generate unique “Tag” names. The “*” in the “AutoName” is
replaced with the objects “Name” during template imports.

Print… (Ctrl+P)
Prints the project pages on the selected printer.

Print Preview
Allows you to see how the project pages will appear on the printed sheets.

Print Setup…
Allows you to select a printer and to configure the printer’s properties.

Recent File List

This area contains a list of the four most recently accessed project files. Any of these
files can be opened by clicking on the file name.

Exit
Closes the current project, if one is open, and exits RTPView. If any changes have been
made since the last save, you will be asked if you want to save them before closing.

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2-2.2 Edit Menu

Undo (Ctrl+Z)
Reverses the previous action (multiple Undo actions possible).

Redo (Ctrl+Y)
Reverses the Undo action (multiple Undo actions possible).

Cut (Ctrl+X)
Removes the selected object or group from the page and saves it in the clipboard.

Copy (Ctrl+C)
Copies the selected object or group into the clipboard.

Paste (Ctrl+V)
Pastes the contents of the clipboard onto the page.

Delete
Deletes the selected object or group from the page.

Align
Aligns the selected objects or groups to the right side, left side, top, or bottom of the lead
object or group and distributes horizontally or vertically.

Make Same Size

Makes the selected objects or groups the same width, height, or size as the lead object
or group.

Layer
Bring to front, send to back, bring above or send below

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Bring to Front
Moves the selected object or group in front of an overlying object or group.

Send to Back
Moves the selected object or group behind an underlying object or group.

Bring Above
Moves the last selected object or group behind other selected objects or groups

Send Below
Moves the last selected object or group in front of other selected objects or groups

Anchor
Fixes the position of the selected object such that the object cannot be moved within the
page.

Show Grid
Shows or hides the object alignment grid on the project pages.

Group
Groups the selected objects together, so they can be manipulated as a single object.
Note that the Object Properties entry is disabled for grouped objects; you must ungroup
them to access the Object Properties.

Ungroup
Ungroups a previously grouped collection of objects, so they can be manipulated
individually.

Save Object Group File

A group of object can be saved as an external file (*.nog). The group of objects can be
thereafter re-used as a grouped object, with the OBJ Group file from the Palette Toolbar.
The operation discards data properties of the grouped objects.

Data Properties…
Displays the Data Properties window for the selected object, group, or page.

Object Properties…
Displays the Object Properties window for the selected object.

Edit Bitmap
Launches Microsoft® Paint for editing existing images creating new images to use in your
project.

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2-2.3 View Menu

Toolbar
Displays or hides the Main Toolbar.

Palette
Displays or hides the Palette toolbar.

Project
Displays the Project Pane if it was hidden.

Run
Displays or hides the Run toolbar.

Status Bar
Displays or hides the Status Bar.

Applications
Displays or hides the NetSuite Applications toolbar.

Edit
Displays or hides the Edit toolbar.

Navigation
Displays or hides the Navigation toolbar.

Status Window
Displays the status of a configured target device in run mode.

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2-2.4 Project Menu

Inset Page
Inserts a blank page in the work area and adds a page in the project pane.

Delete Page
Deletes the page, and all its objects, from the project. You will be asked to confirm your
decision to delete the page.

Cut Page
Deletes the page and puts it on the clipboard.

Copy Page
Puts it on the clipboard.

Paste Page
Pastes the page that is on the clipboard.

Preferences
The Preferences dialog configures (1) the Project, (2) the security, and (3) alarms.

Preferences -> Project

This selects the startup page, maximum pages open, display size and optional touch
screen.

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Preferences -> Security

Security access feature specifies limits on an operator’s access to Windows functions
and alarm acknowledge functions

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Preferences -> Alarms

Specify whether alarms are shown in RTPView.

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Tag Browser
Opens the Tag Browser, which presents a list of all the Tags included in the RTPView
project. Each Tag entry provides information on the associated Device and Comment of
data point, and its location within the RTPView project. This data may be sorted by
column, and searched by field entry.

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2-2.5 Execute Menu

Run
Runs a complied project. If required, it will also compile the project before running it.

Stop
Stops the project and returns RTPView to the editing mode.

2-2.6 Security Menu

Login
Allows a user to log in by entering a valid user name and password.

Logout
Logs out the current user.

2-2.7 Device Menu

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Configuration
The Project Tag Database Manager program allows you to add, edit, or remove target
device definitions. See section Device Configuration and Status for more details.

Switch data point to…

When selected, it displays the Device Switch Configuration dialog, which allows you to
re-assign the Devices associated with the Tags configured in the object Data Properties.

All data points that exist in the FROM column device will be switched to data points that
exist in the corresponding TO column device when you click the SwitchDevices button.
Devices in the FROM column are selected from a list of the devices currently linked to
objects in the RTPView project. Devices in the TO column may be selected from a list of
all devices configured in the Project Tag Database.

2-2.8 Script Menu

Get Tag List F2

Displays a list of all Tag Names configured in the Scripts Page Data Properties. A Tag
may be added to a script file by double-clicking on the name.

Get Function List F3

Displays a list of all available extended script functions. A function may be added to a
script file by double-clicking on the name of function.

Toggle Breakpoint F9
Includes or deletes a breakpoint in a script file. When a breakpoint is set, execution will
proceed as normal until the breakpoint is encountered, and then it will enter debug mode.
Note that debugging options (function keys F5 to F12) are available only if active
VBscript debug components are installed.

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Go F5
Resumes script file execution from the current statement.

Stop Debugging F12

Runs the script file without stopping at any breakpoints.

Step Into F11

Executes one statement at a time, starting from the current execution point. If the current
statement is a call to another script file, the next statement will be first statement in the
called script file.

Step Over F10

Executes one statement from the current execution point. However, if the current
statement is a call to another script file, that script file is executed as a unit, and the next
step will be the next statement in the current script file.

Step Out F7
Stops stepping through statements and executes the remainder of the current script file.

Show Variables F8
Displays a table listing the variables included in the script file and their current value.

2-2.9 Window Menu

Cascade
Arranges the project pages in an overlapping fashion.

Tile
Displays all the project’s pages in the work area.

Script
Opens script menu shown in 2-2.8.

2-2.10 Help Menu

Help Topics
Accesses the RTPView help file.

About RTPView
Displays RTPView version and copyright information.

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2-3 Alarm Tools

The Alarm tools alert the operator of an alarm condition. Clicking on either alarm tool
displays the RTPADA Alarms window. Refer to Section 10.

2-4 Device Errors

This icon indicates if one or more devices have detected errors. Clicking on this icon at
any time displays the Device Error window, which contains a list of all devices errors.
Refer to Section 12.

2-5 Device Forced Variables

This icon indicates if one or more devices have detected forced variables. Clicking on this
icon at any time displays the Device Forced Variables window, which contains a list of all
devices with forced variables. Refer to Section 13.

2-6 Toolbars
The toolbars provide quick access to RTPView functions. Note that any of the toolbars
can be moved to other position on the display, or hidden from view.

2-6.1 Main Toolbar

The Main Toolbar provides shortcuts to the selections found in the File and Edit menus.

New
Creates a new project. If a project is currently open, it will be closed. If any
changes have been made since the last save, you will be asked if you want to
save them before closing. A blank page will appear in the Work Area.

Open
Opens a previously created project. If a project is currently open, it will be
closed. If any changes have been made since the last save, you will be asked if
you want to save them before closing. Navigate to the RTPView project file (.rpj)
in the dialog box and click Open.

Save
Saves the current project.

Cut
Removes the selected object from the page and saves it in the clipboard.

Copy
Copies the selected object into the clipboard.

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Undo
Reverses the previous action (multiple Undo actions possible).

Redo
Reverses the Undo action (multiple Undo actions possible).

Paste
Pastes the contents of the clipboard onto the page.

Paint
Opens Microsoft® Paint for creating new images to use in your project.

Login
Allows a user to log in by entering a valid user name and password.

Logout
Logs out the current user.

2-6.2 Run Toolbar

The Run Toolbar provides shortcuts to the selections found in the Build menu and page
selection functions.

Run
Starts project execution.

Stop
Stops project execution.

Back Page
Displays the previous page in the work area.

Forward Page
Displays the next page in the work area.

Select Page
Allows you to select any page from a list of defined pages.

2-6.3 Applications Toolbar

The Applications Toolbar allows you to launch other NetSuite programs.

NetArrays
Starts the NetArrays developer studio application.

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RTPADA
Starts the RTPADA data archiving and alarms manager application.

RTPTrend
Starts the RTPTrend data trending application.

RTPFIFO
Starts the RTPFIFO data buffer access application.

2-6.4 Palette Toolbar

The Palette is used to add objects to a page.

Pointer
When the pointer tool is selected, you can select objects within the work area,
move them, re-size them, and change their properties.

Edit Box
Selecting this tool allows you to place an edit box on the page. This object can
be used to add text to a page, or to display a data point’s value.
Picture
This tool is used to place a graphic onto the page. This can be a simple
rectangle, or an image selected from the library. Pictures can be static or linked
to data points.

Gauge
This tool is used to place a gauge or dial object onto the page. A gauge will
display the value of a linked data point. A dial can be used to set a linked data
point value.

Trend
This tool is used to place a trend chart onto the page. It is used to plot the value
of a linked data point.

Object Group File

Previously exported group of objects can be imported from an external file (*.nog)
as a re-usable group object. The operation discards data properties of the
grouped objects.

Media Player
This tool is used to place a media player display window onto a page. A RTP
media player control is used to display streaming live video.

Plot

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This tool is used to place a plot chart onto a page. It is used to plot the value of a
linked data point.

RTPADA Alarm Window

Puts a display of RTPADA Alarm Window on the page. If Alarm are Enabled, this
window will act the same as the RTPADA Alarm Window.

2-6.5 Edit Toolbar

The Edit toolbar allows you to align and resize objects (or groups of objects), arrange the
order of objects (or groups of objects), and to show or hide the page grid.

Align Left
Aligns the left sides of all the selected objects with the left side of the lead object.

Align Right
Aligns the right sides of all the selected objects with the right side of the lead
object.

Align Top
Aligns the top of all the selected objects with the top of the lead object.

Align Bottom
Aligns the bottom of all the selected objects with the bottom of the lead object.

Align Horizontal Centers

Aligns the horizontal center of all the selected objects with the horizontal center
of the lead object.

Along Vertical Centers

Aligns the vertical center of all the selected objects with the vertical center of the
lead object.

Distribute Horizontally
Distribute all selected objects horizontally

Distribute Vertically
Distribute all selected objects vertically

Same Width
Makes all the selected objects the same width as the lead object.

Same Height
Makes all the selected objects the same height as the lead object.

Same Size
Makes all the selected objects the same height and width as the lead object.

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Bring to Front
Moves the selected object in front of the other objects.

Send to Back
Moves the selected object behind the other objects.

Bring Above
Moves the last selected object or group behind other selected objects or groups

Send Below
Moves the last selected object or group in front of other selected objects or
groups

Show Grid
Shows or hides the object alignment grid pattern on all project pages.

2-7 Project Pane

The Project Pane gives a complete tree-type graphic display of all elements of the
project. It is updated whenever any page or object is added or deleted. You can
navigate to any page or object in the work area by clicking on its icon in the Project Pane.

2-8 Status Bar

Status or Tips User Name Cursor Object

Coordinates Dimensions
The Status Bar displays tips, the name of the logged-in user, the coordinates of the
cursor, and the dimensions of the selected object.

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2-9 Work Area/Pages

The RTPView work area displays the pages that comprise your project. When you first
start a project, a single blank page appears in the work space. A project is created by
adding objects to the page and linking some of these objects to data points. Projects can
consist of several pages.

2-10 Project File Structure

The files created by RTPView are organized as shown below. For example, in the
directory 'RTP NetSuite/RTPView/Projects' four projects were created: Custom, Project
A, Project B, and Project C. Each project consists of a project file (.rpj) and an
associated project folder with the same name as the .rpj file.

The project folders contain the objects files (.nob), one for each page of the RTPView
project as shown. In addition, it may contain other data files, such as an alarm
configuration preference file or script files.

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It is important to remember that when transporting or backing up a project, that you copy
both the project file and the project folder, and that they remain in the same relative
position. That is, the project folder and the project file (.rpj) must be in the same
directory.

2-11 Batch Processing

Using batch processing you can launch RTPView and open a project file by specifying
the file in the command line. The command would be formatted as shown here:

path\[Link] path\[Link]

Where path is the full path to the files and projectfile is the name of the RTPView project
file.

You can also launch RTPView, open a project file, and initiate run mode by appending
the command line with the run project command.

path\[Link] path\[Link] -runproject

Example:
"C:\RTP NetSuite\RTPView\[Link]" "C:\RTP
NetSuite\RTPView\Projects\Project [Link]" -runproject

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 Security

Section 3
Security

3-1 Introduction
NetSuite’s security system restricts access to various functions by assigning users to
groups. Each user, by logging in with his or her password, is limited to the privileges
allowed by their assigned group. By careful management of groups, you can control who
has access to RTPView features. You can limit an operator’s control to certain portions
of a process or to certain areas of a plant. You can allow other operators access to more
sensitive or crucial functions, or to acknowledge alarms. People with design
responsibilities can be given the authority to edit an RTPView project on a page by page
basis. Administrative privileges can be given to other users so they can configure groups
and the users within each group.

Each page in an RTPView project is assigned a specific security level. This can be used
to restrict access to the page, to only those users assigned to groups containing that
specific security level. It also sets the default security access level for all control objects
on the page (i.e., objects that write values to the process program or launch other
applications).

As an example, consider a simple RTPView project consisting of two pages. Page 1

contains a start/stop switch and a setpoint control for a PID. Page 2 has controls for
tuning the parameters of the PID.
Project
Page 1 Page 2
Start/Stop Switch PID Tuning
and Parameters
Setpoint Control

Security1 Security2

Groups
Green Blue Orange
Security1 Security1 Designer
Security2 Security1
Security2

We want to allow all operators to have access to the controls on Page 1, but restrict Page
2 and its controls to just a few operators. The designers need access to all functions
except administrative. To accomplish this, each page and its objects, are assigned a
different security access level and three security groups are created. The Green group is
intended for users with the responsibility of starting and stopping the process and
manipulating the setpoint. The Blue group also has these capabilities, and in addition

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can alter the PID tuning parameters. The Orange group has operator access to both
pages plus project editing privileges.

3-2 Login
To log in, enter your user name and password, and click the OK button. If you have
administrator privileges, you can also click the User Manager button to access the user
and group setup functions for the following RTP NetSuite applications: RTPView,
RTPADA, RTPFIFO and PTDBM.

If Set Screen Keyboard box is checked then screen keyboard will appear when User
Name field or Password field are selected by mouse.

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3-3 User Manager Functions

When you first install NetSuite, you can access the User Manager by entering
“administrator” as the user name and “admin” for a password. This entry can be deleted
after another user with administrator privilege is configured.

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3-3.1 Users
Entering a valid administrator user name and password, and clicking the User Manager
button displays the window shown on the previous page. This allows you to add, edit,
and remove users and groups for all NetSuite applications using the security system.

Retry
This parameter will set the behavior of the login screen, in which a user is allowed to re-
type a valid user name / password before the login screen is closed for a time period
indicated in the Lockout parameter. Valid values are between 0 and 9. If left at its
default value of zero, the restriction is not applied and the user can retype user name /
passwords without being locked out of the login screen.

Lockout (seconds)
If the Retry parameter is configured then this parameter is used to determine how many
seconds the login screen is kept closed, when the maximum numbers of successive
invalid user name / passwords are typed. Valid values are between 0 and 86400
seconds.

Disable Password Protection

Checking this box disables the security features for RTPView, RTPADA, RTPSOE, and
RTPFIFO. Anyone who launches RTPView will have access to all project editing and
control functions, except the User Manager functions. When unchecked, security
features are enforced in all NetSuite applications.

Caution: If password protection is disabled, anyone running RTPView

will have access to all control and editing functions on all pages, without
logging in. To take advantage of the NetSuite security features,
password protection must be enabled.

Remove a User
To remove a user, highlight the user name in the list and click the Remove button. The
user will no longer be assigned to that group.

Add a User
To add a user to a group, click the Add button. The following dialog will appear. Enter
the user name and password (twice), and select a group from the list of configured
groups. Click the OK button to return to the User Manager window.

3-3.2 Groups
Click on the Groups tab to configure security groups for users.

Security Access Levels

There are three basic security access levels:

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Administrator – Access to User Manager and project preferences functions

Designer – Access to RTPView project creation and editing functions, project
preferences functions, device configuration, and access to help
Security1 through Security30 – Operator control access to pages and objects with the
same security access level

A user assigned to a group that contains a security access level of Administrator can add
and delete users, assign users to groups, configure security groups, control access to
Windows functions, set alarm acknowledge access, and configure alarm sounds.

A user assigned to a group containing a security access level of Designer can create a
new project, insert and delete pages in a project, add, delete, and modify objects on a
page, set alarm acknowledge access, and configure alarm sounds. However, a designer
cannot delete of modify a page that he or she does not have security access to, if the
Deny Viewing option is set for that page. A designer can also access the Project Tag
Database Manager via the Device Menu, and access the help file.

A user assigned to a group containing the security access level of Security1 can access
any page with a security access level of Security1 if its Deny Viewing option is set. This
user can also access any page of any security access level if its Deny Viewing option is
disabled, and any page with a security access level of None. Objects on a page that are
configured to write data or launch applications, can be activated by this user only if the
object is assigned a security access level of Security1 (or Same as Page if the page's
security access level is Security1 or None). This is true for all other security access
levels. A higher number does not necessarily mean a higher or more inclusive security
level.

A group can contain any number of security access levels. To allow a user to access
pages and control objects with Security1 and Security2 access levels, the user's group
must contain both the Security1 and Security2 access levels. To create a group for
designers responsible for pages with security access levels Security1 through Security3,

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include security access levels Designer, Security1, Security2, and Security3. To create a
"super user", define a group that includes every security access level.

Note that all users, regardless of their group's security access levels, can open and close
projects, and run and stop program execution (unless prohibited by the Project
Preferences). Only designers can select a file from the File menu's recent file list while a
project is running.

Add a Group
To add a group to the security system, type the name of the group into the Name field.
Select one or more security access levels from the list and click the Add button. These
security access levels will appear in the Members list. Then click the Add/Modify button.

Modify a Group
To modify a group, select the group from the Name list. Use the Add button add
highlighted items in the Security Access Level list to the Members list, or use the Remove
button to remove highlighted items from the Members list. Then click the Add/Modify
button.

Remove a Group
To remove a group from the security system, select the group from the Name list and
click the Remove button.

Auto Logout Timeout (minutes)

If configured to be a non-zero parameter, it will determine allowed inactivity time before a
user is automatically logged out, when password protection is enabled. Entering a zero
value disables this functionality. To apply modified Auto Logout Timeout click the
Add/Modify button.

Security Access Summary

Function Administrator Designer Security1-30

All User Manager Functions 
Create a New Project 
Open a Project   
Save a Project 
Save a Project As 
Import Tags 
Print the Alarm Configuration   
Print the Alarms and System Pages   
Print Setup Functions   
Exit from RTPADA   
Project Setup Functions 
Project Options (Sounds) 
Run a Project   
Stop a Project 
Configure Alarms 
Acknowledge Alarms 
Silence Alarms   
Access Help   

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3-4 Project Preferences

The Preferences dialog is accessed by selecting Preferences in the Project menu. If
password protection is enabled, you must log in with an administrator or a designer
security access level to access these project preferences.

3-4.1 Project
The Project tab can only be edited by users who have a designer security access level.

Startup Page
The project page selected determines which page will be displayed when this project is
opened. Any page can be selected. The default page is the lowest numbered page.

Switch to page when starting to run project

If this box is checked, RTPView will switch to the selected startup page when the project
is placed into run mode. If unchecked, the project will begin running with the currently
displayed page.

Polling Interval
The Polling Interval defines how often RTPView will receive all data from engine and it is
available in range of 0 to 5000 ms. If Polling Interval Mode is not required this value
should be 0.

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Communications Test Interval

The Communications Test Interval (ms) defines the delay from one host cable test to the
next. If Communications Test is not required this values should be 0. If Communications
Test is required this value should be 5000 (5s), 10000 (10s) or 60000 (one minute) and
all communication node host cable test failures will be reported in Device Error window.

Open Page Limit

Specifies the number of pages that can be open at any given time. If the number is
exceeded, the oldest page will be closed.

Display Size
Specifies the size of the displayed page.

Use Windows Settings

If this box is checked, display size will be defined by Windows Settings.

Touch Screen
If Enable On-Screen Keyboard box is checked, RTPView will call screen keyboard every
time user needs to use keyboard (login or writing to data point processing). This is mainly
used for PC with touch screen or when keyboard is not available.

3-4.2 Security
The Security tab can be edited by users who have an administrator or a designer security
access level. Note that these preferences modify the operation of the workstation (PC)
on which the changes are made, and will affect any project run on that PC.

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Full Screen Mode

If this box is checked, the project will open in full screen mode, there will be no access to
the desktop. Additional options can disable access to the Run menu or any other tasks.
Note that when RTPView is running in Full Screen Mode, operators cannot stop a project
that is running.

System Settings
This group of check boxes can be used to individually disable the buttons on the
Windows NT Security dialog, which is accessed by pressing the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete
keys. These buttons allow users to lock the workstation, end a task or process with the
Task Manager, change a password, log off, or shutdown the workstation.

View Settings in Run Mode

This group of check boxes can be used to individually enable/disable the toolbars in run
mode only.

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3-4.3 Alarms
The Alarms tab can be edited by users who have an administrator or a designer security
access level.

Enable
Check the Enable check box to enable alarm monitoring functions for the project. It also
enables the Properties button for alarm configuration. If this is unchecked, alarm
monitoring is disabled.

Show Alarm Window

If the Show Alarm Window button is pressed, Alarm window will be displayed during
design mode to allow for column header updates to the default alarm window tied to the
Menu icons.

Alarm Properties
The Properties button accesses the XAlarm Control Properties dialog. It is used to
configure alarm monitoring functions. Refer to Section 10.

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3-5 NetArrays Log File

NetArrays maintains log files that include all operator actions performed with control
objects configured to log events in their Data Properties dialog. For picture, edit box, and
gauge objects that write data to the NetArrays project, each entry includes: a time stamp,
the logged-in user's name, the tagname of the NetArrays object written to, the target
node, and the value written. For picture objects configured to launch applications, the
entry includes: a time stamp, the logged-in user's name, the name of the executable file,
and if applicable, the associated data file. The NetArrays log files are in SQLite format
and have a one-millisecond time stamp resolution.
One log file is created on the computer that holds the Project Tag Database, the other is
created on the computer that holds the backup of the Project Tag Database. These log
files are created monthly with the following naming convention:
PTDBLog_mmyyyyproject_tag_database_name.pdb. Where
project_tag_database_name is name of the Project Tag Database file or backup file, yyyy
indicates the year, and mm the month. They can be found in the same directory as the
Project Tag Database.

Maintaining the log files, including backing up and deleting them are the user’s
responsibility.

RTPView control objects are included in the NetArrays log file only if logging is enabled
for the object. To include an object in the log file:

 Position the mouse pointer over the object and click the right mouse button.
 Select Data Properties from the menu.
 In the Data Properties dialog, click on the Security tab.
 Check the Logging checkbox.
 Click the OK button to dismiss the Data Properties dialog.

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Section 4
Pages

4-1 Introduction
Every RTPView project consists of at least one page. Most have one 'main' page, which
appears when the project is started, and secondary pages that can be switched to while
the project is running. Secondary pages can also be configured as pop-ups, which are
activated by buttons on other pages.

When you create a new RTPView project, it contains one page. Empty pages can be
added to the project from the Project menu.

Pages saved in *.npg files can be importing into RTPView project from File menu.

4-2 Page Data Properties

Page properties are accessed by moving the cursor to any place on the page not
occupied by an object and clicking the right mouse button.

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Select “Data Properties…” from the menu to display the following window.

Name
Initially, the default name appears in this field (Page1, Page2, etc.). You can change the
default name by typing in another name. This name will also appear in the Project Pane.
Note that page names must be unique within a project.

Update Rate

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The update rate determines how often the objects are updated when the project is in run
mode. The default value is 1000 milliseconds, values form 10 to 10 million may be
entered.

Color
This selection sets the background color of the page. Colors are selected using the
standard color dialog.

Security Access Level

This selection sets the overall security access level for the page, and determines which
users have access to the page or to the control functions on the page. (Note that
individual objects on the page may have different security access levels than the page
itself.) Thirty security access levels are available, Security1 through Security30. If
“None” is selected, the page can be accessed by all users.

Deny Viewing
If this box is checked, users without the proper security access level will not be allowed to
view the page. If this box is unchecked, all users will be allowed to view the page even
though they may not have access to the control functions contained on the page.

Popup Window
Checking this box defines the page as a popup window, which is displayed on top of the
active page. A popup window page is controlled by a pulse button object on another
page, with a Data property of RTPView selected.

Overlay
This checkbox is enabled for popup windows only. If un-checked, the popup page is
displayed in a separate window, which floats over the active page. A popup window can
be moved, and can be dismissed using its Close button. If this box is checked, the popup
is overlaid on the active page. An overlay popup is not a separate window; it cannot be
moved. It can be dismissed by clicking anywhere on the active page.

Popup Position
If the window is defined as a popup, these two fields specify the X and Y coordinates
where the upper left corner of the popup window appears. These values range from 0
through 2048, where X = 0, Y = 0 is the upper left corner of the display area. The
maximum values depend on the display resolution and the size of the monitor.

Background Image
If this checkbox is checked, you can select one of the images that is available under
RTPView\Backgrounds subdirectory to assign an anchored image to page. Please note
that you can add your custom images into this directory.

Background Image Position

If a background image is defined, these two fields specify the X and Y coordinates where
the upper left corner of the background image appears. These values range from 0
through 2048, where X = 0, Y = 0 is the upper left corner of the display area. The
maximum values depend on the display resolution and the size of the monitor.

Background Image Scale

If a background image is defined, these two fields specify the X and Y scaling factor of
the background image. These values range from 0 through 2048, where X %= 100, Y %
= 100 is will display the background image in its original size. The maximum values
depend on the display resolution and the size of the monitor.

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4-3 Page Drawing Area and Grid

If you scroll down and to the right on the page window, you will notice a frame on the
page. The part of the page inside the frame is the drawing area, as defined by the
resolution configured for your monitor. Objects within the drawing area will be in view
when the project runs. Any objects placed on the page outside of the drawing area will
not be in view when the project runs.

A page grid can be displayed within the drawing area with the Edit toolbar's Show Grid
button or from the Edit menu. This is intended as an alignment aid when placing objects
onto the page. By default, the grid is hidden. Selecting Show Grid displays the grid on
all pages. Note that the grid is not displayed outside the drawing area.

4-4 Object Ordering

Each object occupies a layer on the page. As objects are added to the page, they are
stacked one above the other, layer by layer. This is not apparent when objects do not
intersect, only when they overlap. In the figure below, the red square is at the bottom of
the stack and the blue square is at the top. You can change the stacking order using the
Bring to Front and Send to Back toolbar buttons or Edit menu selections.

Bring to Front moves the selected object to the top of the stack, it will now cover or hide
those objects that are beneath it (unless it is transparent). Send to Back moves the
selected object to the bottom of the stack beneath all other objects on the page. For
example, selecting the blue square and clicking the Send to Back button would change
the stacking order from red-green-blue to blue-red-green.

Bring Above moves the last selected object or group behind other selected objects or
groups and Send Below moves the last selected object or group in front of other selected
objects or groups. For example (picture below), selecting the green object and then the

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blue object and clicking the Bring Above option from popup menu or Edit Menu would
change the stacking order from red-green-blue to red-blue-green.

Selecting the red object, then the green object and finally the blue object and clicking on
Bring Above would change the stacking order from red-green-blue to blue-red-green as it
is shown below.

4-5 Aligning and Sizing Objects

Selecting two or more objects (or groups of objects) enables the Align and Make Same
Size menu options in the Edit menu and the corresponding Edit toolbar buttons. Multiple
objects on a page can be selected in one of two ways, by holding down the Ctrl key and
selecting each object, or by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse
pointer.

If you use the Ctrl key and mouse click method, the last object selected becomes the
lead object. The lead or controlling object is indicated by a shaded border. If you use the
mouse dragging method to select multiple objects (rubber-banding), the bottommost
selected object in the stack becomes the lead object.

The lead object (or group) is the object that determines what happens when you use the
Align and Make Same Size controls. For example, in the figure below the red square is
the lead object. If you were to click the Align Left button, the green and blue squares
would move horizontally so that their left sides would be aligned with the left side of the
red square. The red square would not move.

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The Make Same Size controls work in a similar fashion. The resulting size of the objects
is determined by the size of the lead object. The lead object does not change size.

To arrange objects equal distances from each other, click Distribute Horizontally or
Distribute Vertically and to align the objects horizontally or vertically by their centers, click
Horizontal Center or Vertical Center.

4-6 Template Pages

Creating Templates in RTPView

First create and group objects which will be used as the template. This example is a
Temperature Control PID faceplate.

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Next, in the Data Properties Window, assign a unique object “Name” which is a subset of the
objects “Tag” name. This object “Name” will be used to generate a unique “Tag” name during the
template import process. NOTE – The “Tag” field, as seen in the following image, is not required
during template creation.

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If the template window contains buttons, which launch other popup pages (pages must be
defined as popup in page property), link the buttons using the “Jump to Page” field and assign a
unique object “Name”. This object “Name” field will be appended to the import page name to
generate a unique RTPView page.

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If a trend object is included in the template, assign unique “Tag” name for all the required pens in
the Data Properties Window. This tag name will be used during the import process to generate a
unique tag name.

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If using tags names which include a prefix (PID or TPC object) define the object name to be the
post fix name, including the period (.) and question mark (?). This again will be used to generate
a unique tag name during the import process.

Export Template Page

Select the template window and select Export Page. A file ”Save As” dialog will open prompting
for a Template Name:

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After entering the File name and selecting the Save Button an Export Page Dialog will open. This
dialog will prompt for default information which will be presented during the import process. The
first field is the page name, this name will be the default name during the import processing.
Since this is a template window, select the template check box which will enable the “AutoName”
fields. The “AutoName” Fields are used together with the object “Name” fields defined above to
generate unique “Tag” names. The “*” in the “AutoName” is replaced with the objects “Name”
during template imports.

Import Template Page

Select the File/Import menu option. A file open dialog will prompt for a template file.

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After locating the file and selecting the Open button the following “Import Page” dialog will open:

This dialog will present the default information generated during the template export process.
Update the fields for this “Temperature Control” PID faceplate.

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Selecting OK will start the import process resulting in the generation of the following pages:

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Section 5
Edit Boxes

5-1 Introduction
Edit boxes provide three functions. They can be used to add descriptive text or notes to
a page, they can display a variable’s value, or they can be used as a place to enter a
variable's value.

5-2 Adding Edit Boxes

An edit box is added to a page by selecting the Edit Box tool, moving the mouse pointer
to an area on the page, and clicking the left mouse button. A gray rectangle will appear
on the page. At this point, the cursor is a , indicating that you can move it or access
the properties. You move the box with the mouse by grabbing it anywhere within the
rectangle, or re-size it by grabbing one of the anchor points and stretching it. You can
move and stretch the object using the arrow keys on your keyboard (arrow to move, Shift-
arrow to stretch).

To enter text into the edit box, double-click on it and the cursor will change to a
indicating that you can type text into the box. Then open the object properties window to
format the text, configure the edit box to display data.

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5-3 Edit Box Object Properties

To select the properties of the edit box, position the mouse pointer on the edit box and
click the right mouse button. Select “Object Properties…” from the menu.

5-3.1 General
The initial display is the general properties. This allows you to associate the edit box
object with a data point and to select the background color.

After making changes, click on the Apply button to save the property changes without
exiting. Click OK to change the edit box’s properties and close the properties window.
Click Cancel to close the window and return with the properties as they were.

Data
This selection determines if the display is static or linked to a data point value.
None – The object is not linked to a data point.
Read – The display will be the value read from the linked data point.
Read/Write – The initial display is read from the linked data point, any value entered
will be written to the linked data point.

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Back Color
The background color of the edit box is selected using the standard color dialog.

Transparent Background
If this box is checked, the background of the text will be replaced with the colors of the
underlying object.

5-3.2 Text
Click on the Text tab to format the display of the text or data values.

Font
Click on this button to select the font, style, and size of the text.

Color
The color of the text is selected using the standard color dialog.

Alignment
This selection sets the justification for the text within the box: left, right, or center.

Border
A border can be selected to give the edit box a three-dimensional look. Choose either
None, Raised, Sunken, Bumped, or Etched.

5-3.3 Format
Click on the Format tab to specify the format of the data displayed or to convert the data
to a text string.

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Format
Select one of the data display formats from the list: Integer, Float, Scientific, or
Percentage. (Note that percentage displays a % with the number, it performs no
calculations.)

Decimal Places
From 0 to 7 decimal places can be selected for Float, Scientific, or Percentage values.

Convert Number to String

Checking this box allows you to display a value as a message if the object is linked to a
data point.
Index – Each data value is assigned a unique index.
Value – Enter the value, or bit position, used to determine if the character string is
displayed or not.
Cond. – Select a condition for determining when the string should be displayed:
> Display string if Float or Int input greater than the Value
< Display string if Float or Int input less than the Value
>= Display string if Float or Int input greater than or equal to the Value
<= Display string if Float or Int input less than or equal to the Value
= Display string if Float or Int input equal to the Value
AND Display string if Int input ANDed with Value is True
OR Display string if Int input ORed with the Value is True
BIT AND Display string if Int bit position indicated by Value is True
BIT NAND Display string if Int bit position indicated by Value is False
String – Enter the character string to be displayed in this field.

5-3.4 Color
Click on the Color tab to create a dynamic color display for the text within the Edit Box.

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Dynamic Color Display

Checking this box enables the dynamic color display for the object. The value of the
linked data point will determine the color of the value or text displayed in the Edit Box.

Index – Each defined color condition is assigned a unique index.

Condition – Select a condition for determining when the color is applied:
> Use the selected color if the value is greater than the Value field entry
< Use the selected color if the value is less than the Value field entry
>= Use the selected color if the value is greater than or equal to the Value field
entry
<= Use the selected color if the value is less than or equal to the Value field
entry
= Use the selected color if the value is equal to the Value field entry
Value – Enter the specified value used to evaluate the condition.
Color – Select the color corresponding to the defined condition.
Flash – Check this box to add flashing to the displayed data.

5-4 Edit Box Data Properties

The Data Properties window allows you to rename the edit box object, and to specify a
NetArrays object if the edit box is linked to a data point. It is also used to set the security
access level of the edit box if it is configured as a read/write object. Position the mouse
pointer on the picture and click the right mouse button. Select “Data Properties…” from
the menu.

Note that the Tag, Device, and Comments columns will appear only if the edit box’s Data
property is Read or Read/Write.

Note! Columns: Prompt, Minimum and Maximum are used only during processing of
write operation to NetArrays read/write data point. OPC column is used if object needs to
be connected to OPC data point (see OPC Client Connection).

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5-4.1 General

Name
RTPView names each object as it is placed on the page (Object1, Object2, Object3, etc.).
This can be replaced by a more meaningful name by typing one into the field.

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Tag
Select the tag name of the linked object from the list of tags. You can also type in the
first few characters of the tag name to help you locate it in the list. Note that only tag
names assigned to the Project Tag Database will appear in the list. If the tag name does
not exist in the Project Tag Database, you can type in the tag name followed by a Return.
However, to complete the connection, this new tag name must eventually be added to the
database. An exception to this rule is RTPView virtual tags, which are tags that are
manipulated and displayed only within the RTPView program and they do not exist in
RTP controllers. To connect to a tag from an OPC-enabled controller, see Appendix A.
Note! All tags must be attached to Node Processor or RTPView or OPC. No tags should
be unattached or connected to simulator.

Device
The name of the device that is running the NetArrays program file will appear in this field.
It can be changed, if desired, by selecting another device from the list of configured
devices. For information on how to configure a device, go to Section 11 of this
document. To configure an RTPView virtual tag, type into this field “RTPView”.

Comments
This field displays the comments associated with the selected tag in the Project Tag
Database.

Prompt
If this check box is checked, change confirmation dialog box is displayed every time
before writing to data point.

Minimum
When non zero value is entered to Minimum and Maximum field, limits checking is performed
every time before writing to data point.
If entered value is less then value in Minimum field, writing will be canceled and message "Out of
Limits" will appear in Input Value Dialog Box. Note that this feature is available only for projects
with selected Screen Keyboard option.

Maximum
When non zero value is entered to Minimum and Maximum field, limits checking is performed
every time before writing to data point.
If entered value is greater then value in Maximum field, writing will be canceled and message
"Out of Limits" will appear in Input Value Dialog Box. Note that this feature is available only for
projects with selected Screen Keyboard option

Deadband
The number entered in this column is the data point deadband. The value of the data point must
change by an amount greater than the deadband to be sent from the node processor. A
deadband of zero will cause all value changes to be sent.

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OPC
If this Button is selected, OPC Client Connection window will be displayed. (see OPC Client
Connection)

5-4.2 Security

Access Level
This selection determines which users are allowed to change the value in the edit box.
Thirty security access levels are available, Security1 through Security30. Only users
assigned to a group with the corresponding security level can change the value. If
"Same as Page" is selected, the edit box has the same security access level as the page.

Logging
If this box is checked, the edit box will be included in the NetArrays log file. The entry in
the log will contain a time stamp of the action, user name, linked object, and the value
entered.

5-4.3 Grouped Objects

If edit boxes are grouped together, or with other objects, the Data Properties window will
change appearance. It will contain an additional field for naming the group, and a list of
properties (tag, device, and comments, or jump to) of objects within the group. Note that
only Read, Read/Write or RTPView linked objects are included in this list. Static (un-
linked) objects are omitted. Note also that if two or more objects within the group have
the same object name, they will have only one entry in the table.

5-5 Edit Box Fundamentals

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Two examples are given here to illustrate the use of edit box object properties to add text
to a project, enter values, and to display values from a linked data point.

5-5.1 Example 1 – Data Entry

This example creates an edit box that will control the value of a variable, by allowing you
to type a number into the box.

Step 1 Click on the Edit Box button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page
and left-click. Grab one of the edit box’s corner anchor points and stretch the
image until the Status Bar indicates a size of 50 x 20. Right-click the object
and select Object Properties from the menu.

Step 2 In the General properties, select a Data type of “Read/Write”. Click on the
BackColor button and select dark gray as the color. Click OK.

Step 3 Click on the Text tab to display the Text properties. Click on the Color
button, set the text color to white, and click OK. Select “Center” for the
Alignment.

Step 4 Click on the Format tab to display the Format properties. Select a data
Format of Integer. Click OK to close the properties window.

5-5.2 Example 2 – Status Display

This example uses two edit boxes, one static and one linked to a data point. It decodes
the card status integer returned by an I/O card and displays a text string.

Step 1 Click on the Edit Box button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page
and left-click. Double-click on the object and type the words “Card Status”
(the cursor will be an I-bar). Grab one of the edit box’s corner anchor points
and stretch the image until the Status Bar indicates a size of 200 x 75. Right-
click the object and select Object Properties from the menu.

Step 2 In the General properties, click on the BackColor button and select yellow as
the color. Click OK.

Step 3 Click on the Text tab to display the Text properties. Click on the Color
button, set the text color to black, and click OK. Select “Center” for the
Alignment. Select a Border of “Bumped”. Click OK to close the properties
window.

Step 4 Click on the Edit Box button in the Palette. Move the cursor over the yellow
edit box created above and left-click. Grab one of the edit box’s corner
anchor points and stretch the image until the Status Bar indicates a size of
185 x 50. Adjust the position of so it fits within the yellow box. Right-click the
object and select Object Properties from the menu.

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Step 5 In the General properties, select a Data type of “Read”. Check the
Transparent Background box.

Step 6 Click on the Text tab to display the Text properties. Click on the Color
button, set the text color to red, and click OK.

Step 7 Click on the Format tab to display the Format properties. Check the Convert
Number to String box. Set the Value, Condition, and String properties as
follows.

Index Value Cond. String

0 0 = Card OK
1 0 BIT AND Card Timeout Error
2 1 BIT AND OTD Test Failure
3 2 BIT AND Cal Low Out of Tolerance
4 3 BIT AND Cal High Out of Tolerance
5 4 BIT AND No A/D Card
6 5 BIT AND Input Out of Range
7 8 BIT AND Standby Scan Timeout Error

Step 8 Click OK to close the properties window. Right-click on the edit box object
and select “Bring To Front” from the menu.

Simulation
To view the operation of the edit boxes created in these two examples, create and run a
NetArrays simulation containing one integer variable. In RTPView, access the Data
Properties of the Data Entry edit box created in Example 1 and the Status Display edit
box created in Example 2, and set the Data Point parameters to specify the integer
variable in the NetArrays simulation. Run the RTPView project and then type values into
the Data Entry edit box and observe the Status Display. For example, if you type in a “1”,
the status display should be “Card Timeout Error”, or if you type a “2”, it should be “OTD
Test Failure”.

5-5.3 Example 3 - Data Entry Touch Screen

This example creates an edit box that will control the value of a variable, by allowing you to type a
number into the box. Note that in this example project is set to use screen keyboard.

Step 1 Click on the Edit Box button in the Palette. Move the cursor
onto the page and left-click. Grab one of the edit box’s
corner anchor points and stretch the image until the Status
Bar indicates a size of 50 x 20. Right-click the object and
select Object Properties from the menu.
Step 2 In the Object General properties, select a Data type of
“Read/Write”. Click on the BackColor button and select dark
gray as the color. Click OK.
Step 3 Click on the Text tab to display the Text properties. Click on
the Color button, set the text color to white, and click OK.
Select “Center” for the Alignment. Select a Border of
“Bumped”. Click OK to close the properties window.
Step 4 Click on the Format tab to display the Format properties.
Select a data Format of Integer. Click OK to close the
properties window.
Step 5 In the Data properties, select Tag and Device. Put Comment

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and define Minimum 20 and Maximum 50. Click OK.

Step 6 Click on the Main Menu->Project->Preferences and check
Set Screen Keyboard box.

When field for data entry is selected Input Value Dialog box is displayed on screen. Comment
appears on top of the dialog box, and Minimum and Maximum limits appear below entry field. If
Minimum and Maximum values are both zero, checking for limits is disabled.
If limit checking is enabled, and user enters out of limit value, message Out of Limit will be
displayed in Dialog box and value will not be sent to data point. Note that user need to enter in
limit value and then press ENTER to perform writing operation on data point..

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Section 6
Pictures

6-1 Introduction
This section presents the basics of manipulating pictures in an RTPView project.
Pictures are perhaps the most-used objects within an RTPView project. They can used
to build a graphical representation of a process.

6-2 Adding Pictures

A picture is added to a page by selecting the Picture tool, moving the mouse pointer to an
area on the page, and clicking the left mouse button. A gray rectangle (picture
placeholder) will appear on the page. At this point, you can move the placeholder with
the mouse by grabbing it anywhere along the edge of the rectangle, or re-size it by
grabbing one of the anchor points and stretching it. You can also move and stretch the
picture using the arrow keys on the keyboard (arrow to move, Shift-arrow to stretch).

The next step is to select the properties of the picture object.

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6-3 Picture Object Properties

The presentation of the picture is controlled by the object properties. To assign
properties to the object, position the mouse pointer on the placeholder and click the right
mouse button. Select “Object Properties…” from the menu.

6-3.1 General
The initial display is the general properties. This allows you to associate the picture with
a data point and select a background color.

After making changes, click on the Apply button to save the property changes without
exiting. Click OK to change the picture’s properties and close the properties window.
Click Cancel to close the window and return with the properties as they were.

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Data
Picture objects can be static or linked to a data point:
None – Object is not linked to a data point
Read – Object is linked to a data point, the value read will control the object
Read/Write – Object is linked to a data point and can control the data point's value
RTPView – Object is linked to an executable file (Program button), or linked to a
custom script file (Script button), or linked to command within this RTPView project
(Pulse True or Pulse False button). Available RTPView commands are OpenPage,
ClosePage, ShowAlarms, CloseAlarms, ShowHWEvents, CloseHWEvents,
ShowForceVars, CloseForceVars, ShowErrors, CloseErrors, Login, and Logout. Use
RTPView Data Properties to select adequate command

Back Color
The background color of the object can be selected using the standard color dialog.

Repeat write while mouse button is pressed

This option is enabled if the Data selection is Read/Write; it determines when the data is
written to the linked data point. If this option is checked, the linked data point is
continuously updated while the mouse button is pressed. If it is not checked, the linked
data point is not updated until the mouse button is released.

6-3.2 Caption
Click on the Caption tab if you want to display a title or caption with the picture. Controls
are provided to specify the position, format, and color of the text.

Caption
The text typed in this field will be displayed with the picture.

H. Pos
This controls the horizontal position of the caption. Move the slider to the right to move
the caption to the right, or to the left to move the caption to the left.

V. Pos
This controls the vertical position of the caption. Move the slider to the right to move the
caption up, or to the left to move the caption down.

Font
Click on this button to select the font, style, and size of the caption.

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Color
Click on this button to select the color of the caption.

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6-3.3 Image
RTPView provides a library of bit-mapped files that are used to construct a graphical
representation of a process.

Category
Images are grouped into categories; some examples are given below. Note that
categories (folders in the RTPView\Pictures directory) can be added or changed by the
user at any time.

Batch Misc. Pipes Pumps

Blower Misc Scales
Boiler Mixers Segmented Pipes
Chemical Motors Sensors
Electrical Nature Tank Cutaways
Flow Meters Pipes Tanks
ISA Symbols Process Cooling Valves
Material Handling Process Heating Water & Wastewater

Pictures
This is a list of the available pictures within the selected category. The selected picture
appears in the preview field. Note that pictures can be added by the user to any
category. To add pictures to a category, copy your bit map to an existing category
directory, or create a new category folder and copy your bit map there.

Preview
This area displays the selected image. Note that more than one image can be assigned
to an object to create an animation sequence using the Preview scroll bar and the Value
field. Use the scroll bar to advance to the next preview, select an image, and assign an
integer value that will determine the range of values (less than or equal to) when the
image is displayed.

The MC is the mask color. It determines which portions of the picture will take on the
background color. You can change the mask color by clicking on another part of the
picture preview.

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6-3.4 Button
Objects linked to data points can contain a button (switch) whose position is tied to a
value. A button can be linked to a data point to control its value, linked to an RTPView
page to control its display, or linked to an executable file to launch a program. (Note that
to create a button that will open/close another page or window, select RTPView under the
General tab and select a button Type of Pulse True or Pulse False.)

Enabled
Checking this box enables a button control for this object. Note that only one linked
property (button, fill, motion, or scale) can be enabled for an object. Note that all
Minimum/Maximum values defined in Scale, Motion or Fill properties must be set to 0/100
to make button control work properly.

Type
This selection defines the type of switch being created.

Toggle – Selecting Toggle creates a button that switches from true to false, or false
to true, each time the button is pressed.

Pulse True – Selecting Pulse True creates a button that switches from false to true,
and then back to false, each time the button is pressed.

Pulse False – Selecting Pulse False creates a button that switches from true to false,
and then back to true, each time the button is pressed.

Program – Selecting Program creates a button that will launch a program. The
Program field specifies the executable file. If the program is to open a data file,
specify the file name in the Parameters field. Use the complete path name for these
files. Note that RTPView must be selected in the Data field under the General tab.

Script – Selecting Script creates a button that will execute a custom script file. The
Script field specifies the custom script. (Refer to Section 9). Note that RTPView
must be selected in the Data field under the General tab.

Project – Selecting Project creates a button that will execute a new RTPView
program with specified project in running mode on specified monitor. The project
name must be specified in the Project field and Monitor Number should be defined,
too. Note that RTPView must be selected in the Data field under the General tab.

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Momentary - Selecting Momentary creates a button that switches from false to true,
and then back to false, each time the button is released.

Program
This field is enabled when a button Type of Program is selected. Enter the name of the
executable in this field, or browse to the file name and select it.

Parameters
This field is enabled when a button Type of Program is selected. If the program is to open
a data file, enter the file name in this field.

Script
This field is enabled when a button Type of Script is selected. Enter the name of the
custom script in this field.

Project
This field is enabled when a button Type of Project is selected. Enter the RTPView
project name in this field.

Monitor Number
This field is enabled when a button Type of Project is selected. Enter the monitor number
where RTPView project should be displayed.

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6-3.5 Fill
Objects linked to data points can have their display color tied to a value. The object will
appear to fill and empty in response to changes in the data point’s value.

Enable
Checking this box enables fill control for this object. Note that only one linked property
(button, fill, motion, or scale) can be enabled for an object.

Fill
This selection determines the apparent direction of fill within the object.

Up – The object fills from bottom to top.

Down – The object fills from top to bottom.

Right – The object fills from left to right.

Left – The object fills from right to left.

Fill Color
The standard color dialog is used to select the fill color that replaces the background
color of the object.

Display Value
The linked value can be displayed with the object if desired.

None – No value is displayed.

Percentage – The value is displayed as a percentage of the range of values defined

by the minimum and maximum values.

Real – The actual value is displayed.

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Min Value
The minimum value determines the value corresponding to an empty object. None of the
fill color will appear on the object.

Max. Value
The maximum value determines the value corresponding to a full object. The entire
object will be displayed in the fill color.

6-3.6 Motion
Objects linked to data points can have their apparent position tied to a value. The object
will appear to move on the page in response to changes in the data point’s value.

Enabled
Checking this box enables motion control for this object. Note that only one linked
property (button, fill, motion, or scale) can be enabled for an object.

Move
This selection determines the direction of motion from the minimum value to the
maximum value: Up, Down, Left, or Right.

Min Value
The minimum value determines the value corresponding to the left side for horizontal
motion, or the bottom for vertical motion.

Max. Value
The maximum value determines the value corresponding to the right side for horizontal
motion, or the top for vertical motion.

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6-3.7 Scale
Objects linked to data points can have their apparent size tied to a value. The object will
appear to grow and shrink in response to changes in the data point’s value.

Enable
Checking this box enables scale control for this object. Note that only one linked property
(button, fill, motion, or scale) can be enabled for an object.

Scale
This selection determines the direction that the object grows in response to increasing
values.
Width to Right – The object grows from left to right as the linked value increases.
The height of the object is constant.

Width to Left – The object grows from right to left as the linked value increases. The
height of the object is constant.

Height to Top – The object grows from bottom to top as the linked value increases.
The width of the object is constant.

Height to Bottom – The object grows from top to bottom as the linked value
increases. The width of the object is constant.

Both – The object grows from upper left to lower right as the linked value increases.
The width and the height of the object change proportionally.

Min Value
The minimum value determines the value corresponding to the minimum horizontal or
vertical limit. The object will disappear at this value.

Max. Value
The maximum value determines the value corresponding to the maximum horizontal or
vertical limit. The object will fill the entire area between the minimum and maximum
limits.

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6-4 Picture Data Properties

The Data Properties window allows you to rename the picture object. It is also used to
specify a data point if button, motion, scale, or fill properties are defined for the object. It
can also be used to specify an command for a Button object that is configured in
RTPView Data to pop a page or window into view. Position the mouse pointer on the
picture and click the right mouse button. Select “Data Properties…” from the menu.

6-4.1 General
Note that the Tag, Device, and Comments columns will appear only if the Data type in the
picture’s Object properties is set to Read or Read/Write. If the Data type is None, only
the Name column will be displayed.

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Name
RTPView names each picture as it is placed on the page (Object1, Object2, Object3,
etc.). This can be replaced by a more meaningful name by typing one into the field.

Tag
Select the tag name of the linked object from the list of tags. You can also type in the
first few characters of the tag name to help you locate it in the list. Note that only tag
names assigned to the Project Tag Database will appear in the list. If the tag name does
not exist in the Project Tag Database, you can type in the tag name followed by a Return.
However, to complete the connection, this new tag name must eventually be added to the
database. . An exception to this rule is RTPView virtual tags, which are tags that are
manipulated and displayed only within the RTPView program and they do not exist in
RTP controllers. To connect to a tag from an OPC-enabled controller, see Appendix A.
Note! All tags must be attached to Node Processor or RTPView or OPC. No tags should
be unattached or connected to simulator.

Device
The name of the device that is running the NetArrays program file will appear in this field.
It can be changed, if desired, by selecting another device from the list of configured
devices. For information on how to configure a device, go to Section 11 of this
document. To configure an RTPView virtual tag, type into this field “RTPView”.

Comments
This field displays the comments associated with the selected tag in the Project Tag
Database.

Prompt
This is not used.

Minimum
This is not used.

Maximum

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This is not used.

Deadband
The number entered in this column is the data point deadband. The value of the data
point must change by an amount greater than the deadband to be sent from the node
processor. A deadband of zero will cause all value changes to be sent.

OPC
If this Button is selected, OPC Client Connection window will be displayed. (see OPC
Client Connection)

6-4.2 RTPView Data

The RTPView Data properties are used only if the Data type in the picture’s Object
properties is set to RTPView. They are used to name the picture and link it to a page
within the project.

Name
RTPView names each picture as it is placed on the page (Object1, Object2, Object3, etc.). This
can be replaced by a more meaningful name by typing one into the field.

Command
From the command list select one of available commands:

OpenPage, ClosePage open/close page linked to the object

ShowAlarms, CloseAlarms open/close the RTPADA Alarms window with process
alarms. ( see Alarm Tools )
ShowHWEvents, open/close the RTPADA Alarms window with hardware
CloseHWEvents alarms. ( see Alarm Tools )

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ShowForcedVars, open/close the window with list of forced variables (see

CloseForcedVars Device Forced Variables)
ShowErrors, CloseErrors open/close window with list of device errors (see
DeviceErrors)
LogIn, LogOut Open LogIn dialog window (see Login) or perform log out
action

The object must be a picture object configured as Button with its Type set to either Pulse True or
Pulse False for proper operation.

Jump To Page
From the list of page names, select the page that will be linked to the object. The object must be
a picture object configured as Button with its Type set to either Pulse True or Pulse False for
proper operation and in object properties command must be OpenPage or ClosePage.

6-4.3 Security

Access Level
This selection determines which users are allowed to change the value generated by the
picture object. Thirty security access levels are available, Security1 through Security30.
Only users assigned to a group with the corresponding security level can change the
value. If "Same as Page" is selected, the picture object has the same security access
level as the page.

Logging
If this box is checked, the edit box will be included in the NetArrays log file. The entry in
the log will contain a time stamp of the action, user name, linked object, and the value
entered, or the time stamp, user name, application, and file name.

6-4.4 Grouped Objects

If pictures are grouped together, or with other objects, the Data Properties window will
change appearance. It will contain an additional field for naming the group, and a list of
properties (tag and device, or jump to) of objects within the group. Note that only Read,

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Read/Write, or RTPView linked objects are included in this list. Static (un-linked) objects
are omitted. Note also that if two or more objects within the group have the same object
name, they will have only one entry in the table.

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6-5 Picture Fundamentals

A few trivial examples of using the picture object properties are presented here to
familiarize you with using picture object properties to create graphical presentations.

6-5.1 Example 1 – Caption Properties

This first example shows how to use the Caption properties to create a static image with
a label.

Step 1 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu.

Step 2 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Tanks”, then in the Pictures list select “[Link]”. The selected
tank will appear in the Preview.

Step 3 Click on the Caption tab to display the Caption properties. Type the word
“Tank” in the Caption field. Click on the Font button and select Ariel, Bold, 18
for the font, style and size. Click OK.

Click on the Color button and select the black square. Click OK. Move the
V. Pos slide control to the left, to raise the height of the caption. Click OK to
close the properties window.

Step 4 Grab the picture’s bottom anchor point and stretch the image until it is about
130 pixels long.

6-5.2 Example 2 – Image Properties

This example adds a mixer whose blades appear to turn. It uses a sequence of four
images controlled by an integer value.

Step 1 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu.

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Step 2 Select "Read" as the Data type in the General properties.

Step 3 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Mixers”, then in the Pictures list select “Magnetic mixer [Link]”. The
selected picture will appear in the Preview. Click on the lower arrow of the
Preview scroll bar to select the next image frame. Select “Magnetic mixer
[Link]” and enter “1” into the Value field.

Use the scroll bar to advance to the third image, select “Magnetic mixer
[Link]” and enter “2” in the Value field. Finally, advance to the fourth image,
select “Magnetic mixer [Link]” and enter a value of “3”. Click OK to close the
properties window.

Step 4 Grab one of the picture’s corner anchor points and stretch the image until the
Status Bar indicates a size of 28 x 126.

Simulation
To view the mixer in action, create and run a NetArrays simulation containing an integer
variable connected to the output of a waveform generator ramping from 0 to 3. In
RTPView, access the Data Properties of the mixer object and set the Data Point
parameters to specify the integer variable in the NetArrays simulation. Run the RTPView
project and observe the mixer turning. Note that the Update Rate configured for the page
and the period of the waveform generator may have to be changed to create a smooth
animated motion.

6-5.3 Example 3 – Button Properties

In this example, we create an on/off switch that changes appearance when clicked. Each
time the button is clicked, it toggles the state of a boolean variable.

Step 1 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu.

Step 2 Select Read/Write as the Data type in the General properties.

Step 3 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Buttons”, and then in the Pictures list select “8 Slot with key turned
[Link]”. The Value should be “0”. Click on the lower arrow of the
Preview scroll bar to select the next image frame. Select “8 Slot with key
turned [Link]”. Enter “1” into the Value field.

Step 4 Click on the Button tab to display the Button properties. Check the Enable
checkbox. Leave the Type as “Toggle”. Click the OK button to close the
Properties window.

Step 5 Grab one of the picture’s corner anchor points and stretch the image until the
key switch looks round.

Simulation
To test the key switch’s action, compile and run the RTPView project. The key should
change position with each mouse click.

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6-5.4 Example 4 – Fill Properties

In this example, two pictures are used to create a tank with a cutaway, through which you
can see the level of the liquid inside. The level changes in response to the values of a
floating-point or integer variable.

Step 1 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu.

Step 2 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Tanks”, then in the Pictures list select “[Link]”. The selected
tank will appear in the Preview. Click OK to close the Properties window.
Grab the tank’s bottom anchor point and stretch the image until it is about
155 pixels long.

Step 3 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor over the tank and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu.

Step 4 Select “Read” as the Data type in the General properties. Click the
BackColor button and select dark gray as the background (empty) color.

Step 5 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Tank Cutaways”. In the Pictures list select “Jagged cut-away [Link]”.

Step 6 Click on the Fill tab to display the Fill properties. Check the Enable
checkbox. Leave the Fill as “Up”, and the minimum and maximum values at
“0” and “100”. The Percentage radio button should be enabled. Click the Fill
Color button and select blue for the liquid. Click the OK button to close the
Properties window.

Grab one of the cutaway’s corner anchor points and stretch the image until it
covers the height of the tank as shown in the illustration. Right-click on the
cutaway object and select “Bring To Front” from the menu.

Simulation
To view the tank level changing, create and run a NetArrays simulation containing an
integer variable connected to the output of a waveform generator with an output range of
0 to 100. In RTPView, access the Data Properties of the tank cutaway object and set its
Data Point parameters to specify the integer variable in the NetArrays simulation. Run
the RTPView project and observe the level rise and fall in response to the waveform
generators output.

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6-5.5 Example 5 – Motion Properties

In this example, we create a slide control that determines the value of some variable.
The pointer can be moved along a grid from Min to Max.

Step 1 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu.

Step 2 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Scales”, then in the Pictures list select “Scale2(0-2-50).bmp”. Click
OK to close the Properties window. Resize the scale to 20 x 250 pixels.

Step 3 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor near the top of the
scale and left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties
from the menu.

Step 4 Select Read/Write as the Data type in the General properties.

Step 5 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Misc”. In the Pictures list select “[Link]”. Click the OK
button to close the Properties window. Resize the needle to 30 x 15 pixels
and reposition it so that the point aligns with the center of the top line of the
scale. Right-click on the needle and select Object Properties from the menu.

Step 6 Click on the Motion tab to display the Motion properties. Check the Enable
checkbox. Select “Up” as the Motion, and leave the minimum and maximum
values at “0” and “100”. Click the OK button to close the Properties window.
Grab the needle’s bottom anchor point and stretch the image to 255 pixels,
which should place the pointer in line with the bottom of the scale. Right-
click on the pointer object and select “Bring To Front” from the menu.

Step 7 Click on the Edit Box button in the Palette. Move the cursor near the top of
the scale and left-click. Type in the word “Max”. Right-click on the object
and select Object Properties from the menu. Click on the Text tab and select
black for the text color. Close the Properties window. Position the text at the
top of the scale as shown in the figure. Copy and paste the text. Type in
“Min” and move the copied text to the bottom of the scale.

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Simulation
To test the slide control, compile and run the RTPView project. Move the cursor near the
pointer and click and hold the left mouse button. As you move the mouse, the pointer
and move it along the scale. You could also link this object and the tank cutaway object
to the same variable in a NetArrays simulation, and control the tank level with the slide
control.

6-5.6 Example 6 – Scale Properties

In this example, we demonstrate scale control using a boiler (or barbecue) with a flame
that grows and shrinks in response to the value of some variable.

Step 1 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu.

Step 2 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Process Heating”, then in the Pictures list select “Boiler with
[Link]”. Click OK to close the Properties window. Grab the bottom
anchor point and stretch the boiler downward to 150 pixels in height.

Step 3 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor to the boiler and
left-click. Resize and reposition the new object so that it covers the entire
cutaway area and the flames. Right-click on the object and select “Bring To
Front” from the menu.

Step 4 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor to the boiler and
left-click. Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the
menu. Select Read as the Data type in the General properties.

Step 5 Click on the Image tab to display the Image properties. In the Category list,
select “Nature”. In the Pictures list select “[Link]”.

Step 6 Click on the Scale tab to display the Scale properties. Check the Enable
checkbox. Select “Height to Top” as the Scale, and leave the minimum and
maximum values at “0” and “100”. Click the OK button to close the
Properties window. Resize and reposition the fire so that it covers the entire
firebox. Right-click on the fire object and select “Bring To Front” from the
menu.

Simulation
To view the fire height changing, create and run a NetArrays simulation containing an
integer variable connected to the output of a waveform generator with an output range of
0 to 100. In RTPView, access the Data Properties of the fire object and set its Data Point
parameters to specify the integer variable in the NetArrays simulation. Run the RTPView
project and observe the fire change in response to the waveform generators output.

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Section 7
Gauges

7-1 Introduction
This section provides basic information on how to add and configure the properties of
gauges in an RTPView project.

7-2 Adding Gauges

A gauge is added to a page by selecting the Gauge tool in the Palette, moving the mouse
pointer to an area on the page, and clicking the left mouse button. A gray rectangle, like
the one shown below, will appear on the page. You can move and re-size the gauge
using the mouse or the arrow keys on the keyboard (arrow to move, Shift-arrow to
stretch). The next step is to change the object’s properties from the default values.

7-3 Gauge Object Properties

The presentation of the gauge is controlled by the object properties. To change the
properties of the gauge, position the mouse pointer on the gauge and click the right
mouse button. Select “Object Properties…” from the menu.

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7-3.1 Annular
The initial display is the Annulars properties, which control the ring-shaped or arc portion
of the gauge indicated below. You select the size, width, color, starting point, and ending
point of the annular. Several annulars can be included in a gauge.

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# of Annulars
Click on the buttons to increase or decrease the number of annulars in the gauge. There
can be from none (0) to nine annulars defined for the object.

Annular ID
Each defined annular is assigned an ID number. The color, value, and dimension
properties assigned affect only the annular selected in this field.

Scale ID
This field associates the annular with a scale so that a scale and ticks can be displayed
on the annular.

Color
Clicking on this button displays the standard color dialog for selecting the color of the
annular.

Angular Dimension – Start

This value specifies the starting point, in degrees, of the annular. The convention is that
0 degrees is at the extreme left, and that positive values increase in a clockwise direction.
Negative values increase in a counter-clockwise direction. Any value from 0 to ±360
degrees can be specified for the start angle.

Angular Dimension – Stop

This value specifies the end point, in degrees, of the annular. The convention is that 0
degrees is at the extreme left, and that positive values increase in a clockwise direction.
Negative values increase in a counter-clockwise direction. Any value from 0 to ±360
degrees can be specified for the stop angle.

Dimension – Radius
This value specifies the distance, in pixels, between the center of the hub to the annular.

Dimension – Width
This value specifies the width, in pixels, of the line used to create the annular.

7-3.2 Background
Click on the Background tab to configure the properties of the gauge’s faceplate. You
can select the background’s color and add three-dimensional effects to the edges as
shown below.

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Transparent
If this box is unchecked, the background will be solid and hide any objects located behind
it on the page. If checked, the background will be transparent and allow you to see the
object underneath.

Color
Clicking on this button displays the standard color dialog for selecting the color of the
background.

Border Width
This field determines the width between the inner bevel and the edge of the background,
if an inner bevel is selected.

Bevel Width
This field determines the width of the inner and outer bevels, if bevel effects are selected.

Inner Bevel
This list allows you to add bevel effects to the gauge background. The bevel can appear
to be lowered or raised, or disabled.

Outer Bevel
This list allows you to add bevel effects to the outside edge of the gauge. The bevel can
appear to be lowered or raised, or disabled.

7-3.3 Captions
Click on the Captions tab to include one or more descriptive labels with the gauge. You
can control the position, size, font, and color of the text as shown below.

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# of Captions
Click on the buttons to increase or decrease the number of captions. There can be from
none (0) to nine captions included with the object.

Caption ID
Each caption is assigned an ID number. The properties assigned apply only to the
caption selected in the Caption ID field.

Font
Clicking on this button allows you to select and format the text displayed in the caption.

Color
Clicking on this button displays the standard color dialog for selecting the color of the
text.

Horizontal Position
The value selected here determines the horizontal position of the caption, in pixels.
Caption positions are relative to the upper left-hand corner of the gauge object.

Vertical Position
The value selected here determines the vertical position of the caption, in pixels. Caption
positions are relative to the upper left-hand corner of the gauge object.

Text
This field provides space for typing in the caption to be displayed.

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7-3.4 Digital
A numerical display of the needle’s position can be displayed with the gauge. Click on
the Digital tab to configure this option. You can control the position, size, font, and color
of the value as shown below.

Enabled
If this box is checked, the digital display is enabled, and will be included with the gauge.
If unchecked, the digital display is disabled.

Font
Clicking on this button allows you to select and format the digital value displayed.

Color
Clicking on this button displays the standard color dialog for selecting the color of the
digital value.

Horizontal Position
The value selected here determines the horizontal position of the digital value, in pixels.
The position is relative to the upper left-hand corner of the gauge object.

Vertical Position
The value selected here determines the vertical position of the digital value, in pixels.
The position is relative to the upper left-hand corner of the gauge object.

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Format
This field controls format of the displayed data. Two forms of formatting are appropriate:
%.nG for float or scientific where n is the maximum number of significant digits, or %.nf
for float where n is the number of digits after the decimal point. For example:
%.7G 1.234567, 12.34567, or 123.4567 %.2f 1.23, 12.34, or 123.45
%.5G 1.2345, 12.345, or 123.45 %.0f 1, 12, or 123

7-3.5 Hubs
Click on the Hubs tab to configure hub portion of the needle as shown below. More than
one hub can be included with a needle.

# of Hubs
Click on the buttons to select the number of hubs displayed. From one to nine hubs can
be included with the needle.

Hub ID
Each hub is assigned an ID number. The properties assigned apply only to the hub
selected in the Hub ID field.

Radius
The value selected here determines the radius of the hub, in pixels.

Color
Clicking on this button displays the standard color dialog for selecting the color of a hub.

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7-3.6 Needle
Click on the Needle tab to configure the properties of the gauge’s needle. You can select
the color, length, and width of the needle as shown below. This properties page also
allows you to assign a value (position) to the gauge, and to link the gauge to a data point.

Write Data
If unchecked, the object reads values from the linked data point, and acts as a gauge. If
checked, the object writes values to the linked data point, and acts as a dial.

Color
Clicking on this button displays the standard color dialog for selecting the color of the
needle.

Length
The value selected here determines the length of the needle, in pixels.

Width
The value selected here determines the width of the needle’s base, in pixels.

Current Value
The value selected here determines the current position of the needle on the gauge.

7-3.7 Scales
Click on the Scales tab to configure the range of values represented by the gauge. You
select the limits, direction, start point, and stop point. This properties page also allows
you to position the gauge within the object’s frame.

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# of Scales
Click on the buttons to select the number of scales used with the gauge. From one to
nine scales can be defined.

Scale ID
Each scale is assigned an ID number. The properties assigned apply only to the scale
selected in the Scale ID field.

Minimum Limit
Enter the value representing the minimum value associated with the scale.

Maximum Limit
Enter the value representing the maximum value associated with the scale.

Direction
A scale direction of clockwise or counter-clockwise may be selected. It determines the
direction of needle travel from the minimum to the maximum value.

Start Angle
This value specifies the angle associated with the minimum scale value. The convention
is that 0 degrees is at the extreme left, and that positive values increase in a clockwise
direction. Negative values increase in a counter-clockwise direction. Any value from 0 to
±360 degrees can be specified for the start angle.

Stop Angle
This value specifies the angle associated with the maximum scale value. The convention
is that 0 degrees is at the extreme left, and that positive values increase in a clockwise
direction. Negative values increase in a counter-clockwise direction. Any value from 0 to
±360 degrees can be specified for the stop angle.

Horizontal Center Position

The value selected here determines the horizontal position of the gauge’s hub, needle,
and scale, in pixels. The position is relative to the upper left-hand corner of the gauge
object.

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Vertical Center Position

The value selected here determines the vertical position of the gauge’s hub, needle, and
scale, in pixels. The position is relative to the upper left-hand corner of the gauge object.

7-3.8 Ticks
Click on the Ticks tab to configure the graduated divisions along the annular and the
values displayed with them. You can select the range, position, size and color as shown
below.

# of Ticks
Click on the buttons to select the number of tick configurations defined for the gauge.
From one to nine ticks can be defined.

Tick ID
Each tick format is assigned an ID number. The properties assigned apply only to the
tick format selected in the Tick ID field.

Scale ID
This field associates the tick with a scale so that a scale matches the values represented
in the ticks.

Labels
If this box is checked, numerical labels are displayed with the ticks. If unchecked, only
the graduated ticks are displayed.

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Label Position
The value selected here represents the distance, in pixels, between the annular and the
location of the tick labels. Positive values are on the outside of the annular; negative
values are inside the annular.

Font
Clicking on this button allows you to select and format the text displayed in the labels.

Color
Clicking on this button displays the standard color dialog for selecting the color of the
ticks and labels.

Start
The value selected here represents the start of the tick values. The range of values that
can be selected is determined by the associated scale.

Stop
The value selected here represents the end of the tick values. The range of values that
can be selected is determined by the associated scale.

Delta
The value selected here determines the number of ticks displayed and the distance
between them.

Length
The value selected here represents the length of the ticks, in pixels. Positive values are
distances outward from the annular; negative values are inward from the annular.

Width
This value specifies the width of the ticks, in pixels.

After making changes, click on the Apply button to save the property changes without
exiting. Click OK to change the gauge’s properties and close the properties window.
Click Cancel to close the window and return with the properties as they were.

7-4 Gauge Data Properties

The Data Properties window allows you to rename the gauge object and link it to a data
point. You can also select a security access level for the object. Position the mouse
pointer on the picture and click the right mouse button. Select “Data Properties…” from
the menu.

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The following properties window will appear.

7-4.1 General

Name
RTPView names each gauge as it is placed on the page (Object1, Object2, Object3,
etc.). This can be replaced by a more meaningful name by typing one into the field.

Tag
Select the tag name of the linked object from the list of tags. You can also type in the
first few characters of the tag name to help you locate it in the list. Note that only tag
names assigned to the Project Tag Database will appear in the list. If the tag name does
not exist in the Project Tag Database, you can type in the tag name followed by a Return.

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However, to complete the connection, this new tag name must eventually be added to the
database. An exception to this rule is RTPView virtual tags, which are tags that are
manipulated and displayed only within the RTPView program and they do not exist in
RTP controllers. To connect to a tag from an OPC-enabled controller, see Appendix A.
Note! All tags must be attached to Node Processor or RTPView or OPC. No tags should
be unattached or connected to simulator.

Device
The name of the device that is running the NetArrays program file will appear in this field.
It can be changed, if desired, by selecting another device from the list of configured
devices. For information on how to configure a device, go to Section 11 of this
document. To configure an RTPView virtual tag, type into this field “RTPView”.

Comments
This field displays the comments associated with the selected tag in the Project Tag
Database.

Prompt
This is not used.

Minimum
This is not used.

Maximum
This is not used.

Deadband
The number entered in this column is the data point deadband. The value of the data
point must change by an amount greater than the deadband to be sent from the node
processor. A deadband of zero will cause all value changes to be sent.

OPC
If this Button is selected, OPC Client Connection window will be displayed. (see OPC
Client Connection)

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7-4.2 Security

Access Level
This selection determines which users are allowed to change the value generated by
moving gauge needle. Thirty security access levels are available, Security1 through
Security30. Only users assigned to a group with the corresponding security level can
change the value. If "Same as Page" is selected, the gauge object has the same security
access level as the page.

Logging
If this box is checked, the edit box will be included in the NetArrays log file. The entry in
the log will contain a time stamp of the action, user name, linked object, and the value
written.

7-4.3 Grouped Objects

If gauges are grouped together, or with other objects, the Data Properties window will
change appearance. It will contain an additional field for naming the group, and a list of
properties (tag and device, or jump to) of objects within the group. Note that only read,
read/write, or RTPView linked objects are included in this list. Static (un-linked) objects
are omitted. Note also that if two or more objects within the group have the same object
name, they will have only one entry in the table.

7-5 Gauge Fundamentals

The following section presents three trivial examples intended to familiarize you with
using the object properties when creating gauge objects.

7-5.1 Example 1 – Tachometer

This first example is a simple gauge using one scale, two ticks, two annulars, a caption,
and a digital display. The needle moves from 0 degrees to 180 degrees in response to a
0 to 100 input from the linked data point. A digital display of the input is included at the
center of the gauge.

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Step 1 Click on the Gauge button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Grab the lower right corner of the object and re-size it to 300 x 200.
Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the menu.

Step 2 Increase the # of Annulars to 2. The Annular ID and Scale ID should both
equal 1. Click on the Color button and select black. Leave the Angular
Dimensions (Degrees) and Dimensions (Pixels) properties at their default
values.

Change the Annular ID to 2 and the Scale ID to 2. Using the Color button,
select red for the annular. Increase the Start value to 126 degrees. Leave
the Stop value at 180. Change the Radius to 95 pixels and increase the
Width to 6 pixels.

Step 3 Click on the Background tab. Set the background color to white. Leave the
Border and Bevel properties at their default values.

Step 4 Click on the Captions tab. Set the # of Captions to 1. Click on the Font
button and set the font style to Bold. Set the color to black. Type “rpm x
100” in the Text field. Set the Horizontal position to 118 and the Vertical
position to 160.

Step 5 Click on the Digital tab. The Enabled box should be checked. Set the font to
bold and the color to blue. Set the Horizontal position to 150 and the Vertical
position to 90. Change the Format property to “%.0f”.

Step 6 Click on the Hubs tab. Change the # of Hubs to 2. Increase the Radius to
10.

Change the Hub ID to 2. Click the Color button and set the color to black.
Leave the Radius at 4 pixels.

Step 7 Click on the Needle tab. The Write data box should be unchecked. Set the
Length to 95 pixels and the Width to 20 pixels. The color should already be
red.

Step 8 Click on the Scales tab. Leave the # of Scales at 1. The Limits, Direction,
Angle, and Center Position properties should all be at the default values (0,
100, Clockwise, 0, 180, 150, and 150 respectively).

Step 9 Click on the Ticks tab. Change the # of Ticks to 2. With the Tick ID equal to
1 and the Scale ID equal to 1, make sure that the Labels box is checked. Set
the color of the labels and ticks to black using the Color button. Leave the

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Position at 10. Change the Dimensions Width to 2. Leave the Range

properties at the default values (Start: 0, Stop: 100, and Delta: 10).

Change the Tick ID to 2 (leave the Scale ID at 1). Uncheck the Labels box.
Set the color of the ticks to black. Change the Range Delta to 2 and the
Length to –5. Leave the other properties at their default values.

Step 10 Click on the OK button at the bottom of the display to save the changes and
close the Properties window.

Simulation
To view the operation of the tachometer, create and run a NetArrays simulation
containing an integer, or floating-point, variable connected to the output of a waveform
generator with an output range of 0 to 100. In RTPView, access the Data Properties of
the gauge and set its Data Point parameters to specify the variable in the NetArrays
simulation. Run the RTPView project and observe the needle follow the output of the
waveform generator.

7-5.2 Example 2 – Thermometer

This example illustrates using two scales, two ticks, and two annulars. The inner scale
(blue) represents degrees Celsius and the outer scale (green) represents degrees
Fahrenheit. Both scales cover a range of –40 degrees to the boiling point. The needle
moves from -45 degrees to 225 degrees in response to a -40 to 100 (Celsius) input from
the linked data point.

Step 1 Click on the Gauge button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Grab the lower right corner of the object and re-size it to 300 x 260.
Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the menu.

Step 2 Increase the # of Annulars to 2. The Annular ID and Scale ID should both
equal 1. Click on the Color button and select blue. Set the Start value to –45
and the Stop value to 225. Leave the Radius at 100 and Width at 4.

Change the Annular ID to 2 and the Scale ID to 2. Using the Color button,
select green for the annular. Change the Start value to –45 degrees and the
Stop value to 225. Change the Radius to 105 pixels. Leave the Width at 4.

Step 3 Click on the Background tab. Set the background color to white. Leave the
Border and Bevel properties at the default values (None).

Step 4 Click on the Captions tab. Set the # of Captions to 0.

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Step 5 Click on the Digital tab. Uncheck the Enabled box.

Step 6 Click on the Hubs tab. The # of Hubs should be 1. Leave the Radius and
Color at the default values.

Step 7 Click on the Needle tab. The Write data box should be unchecked. Increase
the Length to 110 pixels and the Width to 6 pixels.

Step 8 Click on the Scales tab. Change the # of Scales to 2. Type in a Minimum
limit of –40. Leave the Maximum at 100 and the Direction as Clockwise.
Change the Start angle to –45 degrees and the Stop angle to 225. Leave the
Center Position properties at the default values (150 and 150).

Change the Scale ID to 2. Type in a Minimum limit of –40 and a Maximum

limit of 212. Leave the Direction as Clockwise. Change the Start angle to
–45 degrees and the Stop angle to 225. Leave the Center Position
properties at the default values (150 and 150).

Step 9 Click on the Ticks tab. Change the # of Ticks to 2. With the Tick ID equal to
1 and the Scale ID equal to 1, make sure that the Labels box is checked.
Change the Position to –8. Click the Font button and change the text size to
9. Set the color of the labels and ticks to blue using the Color button. For
the Range properties, set the Start to –40, the Stop to 100, and the Delta to
10. Leave the Length a –10 and increase the Width to 2.

Change the Tick ID to 2 and the Scale ID to 2; make sure that the Labels box
is checked. Change the Position to 10. Click the Font button and change
the text size to 9. Set the color of the labels and ticks to green using the
Color button. For the Range properties, set the Start to –40, the Stop to 212,
and the Delta to 20. Change the Length to 10 and the Width to 2.

Step 10 Click on the OK button at the bottom of the display to save the changes and
close the Properties window.

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Simulation
To demonstrate the operation of the thermometer, create and run a NetArrays simulation
containing an integer, or floating-point, variable connected to the output of a waveform
generator with an output range of –40 to 100. In RTPView, access the Data Properties of
the gauge and set its Data Point parameters to specify the variable in the NetArrays
simulation. Run the RTPView project and observe the needle follow the output of the
waveform generator.

7-5.3 Example 3 – Knob

This example is a simple dial using one scale, several hubs, and a beveled background.
Moving the knob from 0 degrees to 90 degrees produces a 0 to 100 output to the linked
data point. Annulars and tick labels are not used, simply minimum and maximum
captions for this control.

Step 1 Click on the Gauge button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Grab the lower right corner of the object and re-size it to 190 x 190.
Right-click on the object and select Object Properties from the menu.

Step 2 The # of Annulars should equal 1. Click on the Color button and select a
dark gray for the color. Leave the Start angle at 0, but change the Stop
angle to 90 degrees. Reduce the Radius to 55 pixels. Set the Width to 0.

Step 3 Click on the Background tab. Set the background color to the same dark
gray as used above. Leave the Border Width and Bevel Width properties at
2. Change the Inner Bevel and the Outer Bevel to Raised.

Step 4 Click on the Captions tab. Set the # of Captions to 2. Click on the Font
button and set the font style to Bold. Set the color to white. Type “Min” in the
Text field. Set the Horizontal position the to 30 and the Vertical position to
110.

Change the Caption ID to 2. Click on the Font button and set the font style to
Bold. Set the color to white. Type “Max” in the Text field. Set the Horizontal
position the to 110 and the Vertical position to 30.

Step 5 Click on the Digital tab. Uncheck the Enabled box.

Step 6 Click on the Hubs tab. Change the # of Hubs to 4. For Hub ID #1, increase
the Radius to 42. Leave the color red.

Change the Hub ID to 2. Change the Radius to 35. Click the Color button
and set the color to a dark red.

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Change the Hub ID to 3. Change the Radius to 31. Click the Color button
and set the color to black.

Change the Hub ID to 4. Change the Radius to 28. Click the Color button
and set the color to red.

Step 7 Click on the Needle tab. Check the Write data box. Set the Length to 54
pixels and the Width to 50 pixels. The Current Value can be set to any
position. The color should already be red.

Step 8 Click on the Scales tab. Leave the # of Scales at 1. The Minimum and
Maximum limits and Direction properties should be at the default values (0,
100, and Clockwise, respectively). Set the Start angle to 0 and the Stop
angle to 90. Change the Horizontal center to 100 and the Vertical center to
100.

Step 9 Click on the Ticks tab. Uncheck the Labels box. Set the color of the labels
and ticks to white using the Color button. Set the Start range to 0, the Stop
range to 100 and the Delta to 25. Change the Length dimension to 10 and
the Width dimension the 5.

Step 10 Click on the OK button at the bottom of the display to save the changes and
close the Properties window.

Simulation
To test the operation of the knob, create and run a NetArrays simulation containing an
integer or floating-point variable. In RTPView, access the Data Properties of both the
knob and the tachometer (from Example 1) and set the Data Point parameters to specify
the variable in the NetArrays simulation. Run the RTPView project. Using the mouse
pointer, turn the knob and observe the tachometer track its output.

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Section 8
Trends

8-1 Introduction
This section presents the basics of adding a trend to an RTPView project. A trend object
is used to create a plot of up to eight linked data points.

8-2 Adding Trends

A trend is added to a page by selecting the Trend tool, moving the mouse pointer to an
area on the page, and clicking the left mouse button. A chart like the one shown below
will appear on the page. You can move the chart with the mouse by grabbing it
anywhere within the rectangle, or re-size it by grabbing one of the anchor points and
stretching it. You can move and stretch the object using the arrow keys on your
keyboard (arrow to move, Shift-arrow to stretch).

8-3 Trend Data Properties

To configure data point to be trended, the user should first configure the tags via the Data
Properties of the object: position the mouse pointer on the trend object and click the right
mouse button. Select “Data Properties…” from the menu.

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The following window will be displayed:

Select the tag and device to configure the data point. Alternatively, the user can also
configure an OPC data point, by pressing the OPC cell. Up to eight data point per trend
object can be configured. Note that Prompt, Minimum and Maximum fields are used only
for writing to data point processing and they are not used in RTPTrend.

Name
RTPView names each object as it is placed on the page (Object1, Object2, Object3, etc.).
This can be replaced by a more meaningful name by typing one into the field.

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Tag
Select the tag name of the linked object from the list of tags. You can also type in the
first few characters of the tag name to help you locate it in the list. Note that only tag
names assigned to the Project Tag Database will appear in the list. If the tag name does
not exist in the Project Tag Database, you can type in the tag name followed by a Return.
However, to complete the connection, this new tag name must eventually be added to the
database. An exception to this rule is RTPView virtual tags, which are tags that are
manipulated and displayed only within the RTPView program and they do not exist in
RTP controllers. To connect to a tag from an OPC-enabled controller, see Appendix A.
Note! All tags must be attached to Node Processor or OPC. No tags should be
unattached or connected to simulator.

Device
The name of the device that is running the NetArrays program file will appear in this field.
It can be changed, if desired, by selecting another device from the list of configured
devices. For information on how to configure a device, go to Section 11 of this
document. To configure an RTPView virtual tag, type into this field “RTPView”.

Comments
This field displays the comments associated with the selected tag in the Project Tag
Database.

Prompt
This is not used in trend.

Minimum
This is not used in trend.

Maximum
This is not used in trend.

Deadband
The number entered in this column is the data point deadband. The value of the data
point must change by an amount greater than the deadband to be sent from the node
processor. A deadband of zero will cause all value changes to be sent.

OPC
If this Button is selected, OPC Client Connection window will be displayed. (see OPC
Client Connection)

8-4 Trend Object Properties

To configure the properties of the trend, position the mouse pointer on the trend object
and click the right mouse button. Select “Object Properties…” from the menu.

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8-4.1 Tags
The initial display is the Tags properties tab. This allows you to configure the ranges of
the data points to be plotted in the trend object.

After making changes, click on the OK button to change the trend’s properties and close
the properties window. Click Cancel to close the window and return with the properties
as they were.

Ch
The color scheme of each plotted tag can is shown in this column, clicking on the cell will
bring up the standard windows color dialog so that the tag can be plotted with a different
color.

Tag
The tags, which were configure through the data properties are listed in this column.

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Min
The value entered here determines the lower limit of the vertical scale displayed for the
plot of this data point.

Max
The value entered here determines the upper limit of the vertical scale displayed for the
plot of this data point.

Display Tags
A check mark in this box enables printing of the tag names, their values and timestamp in
a grid at the bottom are of the plot. Removing the check mark removes the grid.

Display Descriptions
A check mark in this box enables printing of the tag description, their values and
timestamp in a grid at the bottom are of the plot. Removing the check mark removes the
grid.

8-4.2 Frame
Click on the Frame tab to set the colors for the Frame, Trend Area, Grid and cursor. The
user can also configure the font type, size and color of the printed text by pressing the
“Font” button.

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8-5 Trend Fundamentals

This section describes the controls that select a trace and adjust the horizontal and
vertical scales. One example is given to illustrate the use of trend object properties to
plot the values of two data points.

8-5.1 Trend Controls

Scale for the
selected channel

Channel
Selector

The trend displays one scale at a time, on the left side of the trend. The color of the text
in the scale corresponds to the color scheme of the selected tag. The user can select
another tag, by pressing on the channel selector button for the corresponding tag. This
will change the printed scale on the left side of the trend.

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8-5.2 Example
This example creates a trend that will plot with two traces. One trace is from a Float
Variable with the tag "sinewave", the other is from a Float Variable with the tag "triangle".

Step 1 Click on the Trend button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and
left-click. Right-click the object and select Data Properties from the menu.

Step 2 In the Tags properties, select the Tagname "sinewave" and the Device
"Simulator". In the second row, select the Tagname "triangle" and the Device
"Simulator". Click OK to close the properties window.

Simulation
To observe the operation of the trend, create and run a NetArrays simulation containing
two waveform generator objects, each connected to a variable object. Configure one
waveform generator to produce a sine output with a period of 60. Select "sinewave" as
the tag of its variable object. Configure the other waveform generator to produce a
triangle output with a period of 30. Select "triangle" as the tag of its variable object. Run
the RTPView project and you should see the outputs of both waveform generators.

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Section 9
Scripts

9-1 Introduction
This section presents the basics of including script files into an RTPView project. Scripts
are a convenient way to include mathematical equations, complex control loops, and
conditional blocks to an RTPView project. RTPView scripts follow the syntax and
semantics of Microsoft® VBScript. A description of the VBScript language can be found
in the VB Scripting for RTPView Reference Manual.

9-2 Adding Scripts

Scripts may be added, edited, and deleted in the SCRIPT_PAGE page. Click on the
Scripts icon in the RTPView Project Pane tree or select SCRIPT_PAGE from the Toolbar.

A script may be added to the RTPView project by selecting one of the five categories
(Application, Page, TagValueChange, Key, or Custom), clicking the right mouse button,
and selecting Add from the menu. You will then be presented with a blank page for
entering the script.

Likewise, scripts may be deleted by right-clicking on the script name in the Scripts tree
and selecting Delete from the menu. Scripts may be edited by simply displaying the
script page and typing the changes.

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9-3 Script Page Data Properties

The Data Properties dialog of the SCRIPT_PAGE allows you to define NetArrays Tags that
can be accessed within the script files.
Click the cursor on any script page, and then select “Data Properties…” from the Edit
menu. This will open Properties dialog.

Name
Type in the name that will be used for the NetArrays data point in the script files. It is not
necessary for the Name to be equal to the Tag. The syntax for accessing a NetArrays
data point is [Link], where Name is entry specified in this column. For example,
consider a variable assigned the Name “ABC”:

[Link] = [Link] + 1
or
If [Link] = 0 Then
[Link](“Custom_Script_Zero”)
End If

Tag
Select the tag name of the data point from the list of tags. You can also type in the first
few characters of the tag name to help you locate it in the list. Note that only tag names
assigned to the Project Tag Database will appear in the list. If the tag name does not
exist in the Project Tag Database, you can type in the tag name followed by a Return.
However, to complete the connection, this new tag name must eventually be added to the
database. An exception to this rule is RTPView virtual tags, which are tags that are
manipulated and displayed only within the RTPView program and they do not exist in
RTP controllers.
Note! All tags must be attached to Node Processor or RTPView or OPC. No tags should
be unattached or connected to simulator.

Device

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The name of the device that is running the NetArrays program file will appear in this field.
It can be changed, if desired, by selecting another device from the list of configured
devices. For information on how to configure a device, go to Section 11 of this
document. To configure an RTPView virtual tag, type into this field “RTPView”.

Logging
If this box is checked, the Tag will be included in the NetArrays log file. The entry in the
log will contain a time stamp of the action, user name, linked object, and the value
entered.

Comment
This field displays the comments associated with the selected tag in the Project Tag
Database.

OPC
If this Button is selected, OPC Client Connection window will be displayed. (see OPC
Client Connection)

9-4 Script Execution Categories

There are five categories of scripts available in RTPView: Application, Pages,
TagValueChange, Key, and Custom. The categories determine when the script is
executed.

9-4.1 Application Scripts

The execution of an Application script is determined by the execution of RTPView. To
include Application scripts in the project, right-click on the Application branch, and select
“Add Application Scripts” from the menu.

The two types of Application scripts will appear in the Scripts tree. Select one of the
Application execution types to define the script in the work area.

Application_WhileRunning
This script is executed while the RTPView project is running. The default update rate for
running this script is 1000 milliseconds. To change this rate, right-click on the
Application_WhileRunning branch and select “Configure”.

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Clicking on “Configure” displays the Configure Update Rate dialog. Enter a new value
into the Update Rate field and click on the OK button.

Application_OnShutdown
This script is executed once when RTPView project is stopped and returns to the Editing
mode.

9-4.2 Page Scripts

A Page script is executed when an RTPView project page is brought into view, while it is
shoring or it is dismissed. To include Page scripts in the project, right-click on the Page
branch, and select “Add Page Scripts” from the menu.

Selecting “Add Page Scripts” displays the Select Pages dialog.

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The dialog displays a list of the pages included in the RTPView project. Select one, or
more, page names and press the OK button.

The three types of Pages scripts, for each page selected in the dialog, will appear in the
Scripts tree. Select one of the Page execution types for a particular page name to define
the script in the work area.

Page_OnShow
This script is executed once when the referenced page is displayed in Run mode.

Page_WhileShowing
This script is executed while the RTPView project is running and the reference page is
open.

Page_OnClose
This script is executed once when RTPView project is running and the referenced page is
closed.

9-4.3 Tag Value Change Scripts

A Tag Value Change script is executed when a NetArrays variable changes value. To
include Tag Value Change scripts in the project, right-click on the TagValueChange
branch, and select “Add TagValueChange Scripts” from the menu.

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Selecting “Add TagValueChange Scripts” displays the Select Tags dialog.

The dialog displays a list of the Tags defined in the SCRIPT_PAGE Data Properties dialog.
Note that the list contains the names configured in the Data Properties dialog, not the
NetArrays Tag names. Select one, or more, names from the list and press the OK
button. Select one of the OnValueChange branches to define the script in the work area.

The On Value Change scripts, one for each name selected in the dialog, will appear in
the Scripts tree. Select one of the On Value Change branches to define the script in the
work area.

9-4.4 Key Scripts

The execution of a Key script is determined by the typing of a key on the keyboard. To
include Key scripts in the project, right-click on the Key branch, and select “Add Key
Scripts” from the menu.

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Selecting “Add Key Scripts” displays the Manage Key Scripts dialog.

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Check the Key Down or Key Up checkbox, or both. Select a keyboard key from the Key
Select Tags box. Click on the Add button to include the key in the list. Click on the OK
button to include the scripts into the project. Select one of the Key Down or Key Up
branches to define the script in the work area.

On_Key_Down
This script is executed once when the referenced keyboard key is pressed down.

On_Key_Up
This script is executed once when the referenced keyboard key is released.

9-4.5 Custom Scripts

A Custom script is executed from an RTPView button object or within another RTPView
script. To include Custom scripts in the project, right-click on the Custom branch, and
select “Add Custom Script” from the menu.

Selecting “Add Custom Script” displays the Manage Custom Scripts dialog.

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Enter a name for the Custom script into the name field. Click on the Add button to add
the name to the list of Custom script names. Click on the OK button to add the new script
name to the Scripts tree. Select the Custom_Name branch to define the script in the
work area.

9-5 Extended Functions

RTPView provides three Extended Functions that may be included in any type of script:
Show Page, Close Page, and Execute Custom Script.

List of these functions can be displayed by pressing F3 key or by selecting main menu
option Script->Get Function List

The Show Page extended function brings the referenced page into view. Its syntax is
[Link](“PageName”), where PageName is the name of the page.

Example:
[Link](“Page2”)

The Close Page extended function dismisses the referenced page. Its syntax is
[Link](“PageName”), where PageName is the name of the page.

Example:
[Link](“Page3”)

The Execute Custom Script extended function executes the referenced custom script. Its
syntax is [Link](“Custom_ScriptName”), where ScriptName is
the name assigned to the Custom script.

Example:

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[Link](“Custom_Plan_9”)

9-6 Debugging and Breakpoints

RTPView scripts may be debugged using the Microsoft® VBScript Debugger, which
allows you to monitor the operation of the script using breakpoints, stepping, and value
changing. The installation file for this debugger, file name [Link], may be
downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center at:
[Link]
4569-b3c4-dffdf19ccd99&DisplayLang=en

Once installed, you can enter debugging mode simply by displaying a script page while
RTPView is in Run mode. You will note that a gray column is displayed to the left of the
text on the script page. To set a breakpoint, select a command line with the cursor and
press function key F9. A circle will appear in the gray column to indicate that a
breakpoint is set for that line. When the execution stops at that line, the circle will change
color. Other function keys used in debug are listed in the table below.

Information on the VBScript Debugger and tips on its use are included in the downloaded
installation file.

Function Key Debug Function

F2 Get Tags List
F3 Get Function List
F5 Continue Execution from Breakpoint
F7 Step Out
F8 Display Variables Dialog
F9 Toggle Breakpoint
F10 Step Over
F11 Step Into
F12 Disable Breakpoints and Continue Execution

9-7 Script Fundamentals

The following section presents a few trivial examples intended to familiarize you with
using the script feature. Before starting the examples, create and save a NetArrays
project with the following objects and Tags (UpDown, Case, Property_A, Property_B, and
Property_C). Select “Simulator” as the device and download the NetArrays project.

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9-7.1 Example 1 – Button Execution

This first example illustrates how to execute custom script files by clicking on button
objects within an RTPView project page. One button will execute a custom script that will
increment the value of a NetArrays variable; the other will execute a custom script that
will decrement the object’s value. A gauge will display the variable’s value.

Step 1 Switch to the SCRIPT_PAGE. From the Edit menu, select “Data Properties”.
Select the Tag “UpDown”. Type in the name “Up” into the Name field. Click
on the OK button to close the Data Properties dialog.

Step 2 Right-click on Custom in the Scripts tree and select “Add Custom Scripts” in
the menu. Type in the name “Up_Script” and click on the Add button. Type
in the name “Down_Script” and click on the Add button. Click on the OK
button to close the dialog.

Step 3 Select “Custom_Up_Script” from the Scripts tree. Move the cursor to the
work area and type in the command line “[Link] = [Link] + 1”.
Select the “Custom_Down_Script” from the Scripts tree. Type in the
command line “[Link] = [Link] - 1”.

Step 4 Switch to Page1 in the RTPView project. Click on the Gauge button in the
Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and left-click. Right-click on the
gauge object and select “Data Properties” from the menu.

Under the General tab, select the Tag “UpDown”. Click the OK button to
close the Data Properties dialog.

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Step 5 Click on the Picture button in the Palette. Move the cursor under the gauge
object and left-click. Right-click on the object and select “Object Properties”
from the menu.

Select “RTPView” as the Data type. Click on the Caption Tab and enter the
caption “Up”. Click on the Image Tab and select “Buttons” as the category.
Select “Small Rect Button [Link]”.

Click on the Button Tab. Check the Enable checkbox to enable the button
function. Select “Script” as the Type. Type the name “Custom_Up_Script” in
the Script field. Click the OK button to close the Object Properties dialog.

Step 6 Select the button object that you just created and copy it. Paste the copy to
the right of the original. Right-click on the new object and select “Object
Properties” from the menu. Click on the Caption Tab and enter the caption
“Down”. Click on the Button Tab and change the Script name to “Custom_
Down_Script”. Click the OK button to close the Object Properties dialog.

Simulation
Save the project and press the Run button in the Toolbar. Click on the Up button. Notice
that the needle increments each time you press the Up button. Click on the Down button
and notice that the value displayed decreases.

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9-7.2 Example 2 – Application Execution

This example creates a script that selects some control parameters determined by the
value entered into an Edit Box object. An Application script containing a Select Case
statement sets the parameters according to the value entered into an Edit Box object.

Step 1 Switch to the SCRIPT_PAGE. From the Edit menu, select “Data Properties”.
In the Data Properties dialog select the Tag “Case” and type in the letter “X”
into the Name field.
In the next row, select the Tag “Property_A” and type in the letter “A” into the
Name field.
Select the Tag “Property_B” in the next row and type in the name “B”.
Select the Tag “Property_C” in the next row and type in the name “C” Click
on the OK button to close the Data Properties dialog.

Step 2 Right-click on Application in the Scripts tree and select “Add Application
Scripts” in the menu. Click on the “Application_WhileRunning” branch. Move
the cursor to the work area and type in the following command lines:

Select Case [Link]

Case 0
[Link] = 1000.0
[Link] = 100.0
[Link] = 10
Case 1
[Link] = 900.0
[Link] = 90.0
[Link] = 9
Case 2
[Link] = 800.0
[Link] = 80.0
[Link] = 8
Case 3
[Link] = 700.0
[Link] = 70.0
[Link] = 7
Case 4
[Link] = 600.0
[Link] = 60.0
[Link] = 6
Case 5
[Link] = 500.0
[Link] = 50.0
[Link] = 5
Case Else
[Link] = 0.0
[Link] = 0.0
[Link] = 0
End Select

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Step 3 Switch to Page1 in the RTPView project. Click on the Edit Box button in the
Palette. Move the cursor onto the page and left-click. Grab one of the edit
box’s corner anchor points and stretch the image until the Status Bar
indicates a size of approximately 50 x 20. Right-click the object and select
Object Properties from the menu.

In the General properties select a Data type of “Read/Write”.

Click on the Text tab to display the Text properties. Click on the Color
button, set the text color to white, and click OK. Select “Right” for the
Alignment.

Click on the Format tab to display the Format properties. Select a data
Format of “Integer”. Click OK to close the properties window.

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Step 4 Right-click on the Edit Box again and select “Data Properties” from the menu.
Under the General Tab, select the Tag “Case”. Click OK to close the Data
Properties dialog.

Step 5 Click on the Edit Box button in the Palette. Move the cursor onto the page to
the right of the object just created and left-click. Grab one of the edit box’s
corner anchor points and stretch the image until the Status Bar indicates a
size of approximately 75 x 90. Double-click on the object and type in the
characters: “A:” <Return> <Return>, “B:” <Return><Return>, “C:”.

Step 6 Click on the first edit box created in this example and Copy it. Paste one
copy to the right of the “A:”, paste another copy to the right of the “B:”, and a
third to the right of the “C:”. (Refer to the first illustration in this example.)

Step 7 Right-click on the edit box to the right of the “A:” and select “Object
Properties” from the menu. Click on the Format tab to display the Format
properties. Select a data Format of “Float”. Click OK to close the properties
window.

Right-click on the same edit box again and select “Data Properties” from the
menu. Select the Tag “Property_A”. Click OK to close the properties
window.

Step 8 Right-click on the edit box to the right of the “B:” and select “Object
Properties” from the menu. Click on the Format tab to display the Format
properties. Select a data Format of “Float”. Click OK to close the properties
window.

Right-click on the same edit box again and select “Data Properties” from the
menu. Select the Tag “Property_B”. Click OK to close the properties
window.

Step 9 Right-click on the edit box to the right of the “C:” and select “Data Properties”
from the menu. Select the Tag “Property_C”. Click OK to close the
properties window.

Simulation
Save the project and press the Run button in the Toolbar. The edit box to the left (the
case edit box) should display a “0”. The three edit boxes to the right should display
“1000.00”, “100.00”, and “10”. Select the case edit box and enter the number “1”. The
three edit boxes to the right should change to “900.00”, “90.00”, and “9”. Enter other
numbers into the first edit box and observe the resulting values displayed in the three edit
boxes to the right.

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9-7.3 Example 3 – On Value Change Execution

This last example illustrates how to execute a script file that is initiated by a change in the
value of a NetArrays variable. The script will open a popup window to demonstrate that it
works. Keyboard keystrokes will be used to change the value of the NetArrays variable.
The U key (for up) will increment the value; the D key (for down) will decrement the value.

Step 1 Switch to the SCRIPT_PAGE. Right-click on TagValueChange in the Scripts

tree and select “Add TagValueChange Scripts” in the menu. In the Select
Tags dialog, select the name X and click on the OK button to close the
dialog.

Step 2 Select the “OnValueChange_X” branch from the Scripts tree. Move the
cursor to the work area and type in the command line
“[Link](“Page3”)”.

Step 3 Right-click on Key in the Scripts tree and select “Add Key Scripts” in the
menu. In the Manage Key Scripts dialog, check the Key Down checkbox. In
the Key combo box select “D” and click on the Add button.

Check the Key Down checkbox again and then select “U” from the Key
combo box. Click the Add button a second time. Click the OK button to
close the dialog.

Step 4 Select the “On_D_Down” branch from the Scripts tree. Move the cursor to
the work area and type in the command line “[Link] = [Link] - 1”.

Select the “On_U_Down” branch from the Scripts tree. Type in the command
line “[Link] = [Link] + 1”.

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Step 5 Switch to Page1 in the RTPView project. From the Project menu, select
Insert Page. Page3 will appear in the work area. Click on the Edit Box
button in the Palette. Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the page
and left-click. Double-click on the edit box object and type the sentence “The
Value Changed!”

Select the object, right-click on it, and select “Object Properties” from the
menu. Click on the Text Tab. Press the Font button and change the Size to
18. Click the OK button to apply to size change. Click the OK button to
close the Object Properties dialog.

Grab one of the edit box’s corner anchor points and stretch the image until
you can read the entire sentence in the box.

Step 6 Right-click on the page and select “Data Properties” from the menu. Check
the Popup Window checkbox. Click on the button to the right of the Color
field and select the light gray box in the Basic Colors section of the color
dialog. Click the OK button to set the page color. Click the OK button to
close the page Properties dialog.

Simulation
Save the project and press the Run button in the Toolbar. Press on the U key on your
keyboard. The “The Value Changed!” popup window should appear. Close the popup
window. Notice that the value displayed by the Case edit box has incremented. Press
the D key. The popup window should appear again and the value of the Case variable
should have decremented.

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Section 10
Alarm Monitoring

10-1 Introduction
RTPView provides an interface to the RTPADA Alarm and Data Archive System, through
which an operator can be alerted to, and acknowledge alarm conditions.

10-2 Alarm Tools

The Alarm tools change color and flash to alert the operator of an alarm condition. They
also provide access to the RTPADA Alarms window.

Tag Alarm

This alarm appears to indicate that at least one tag name is not connected to a variable in
the Project Tag Data Base.

Process Alarm
This icon indicates if RTPADA has detected a process alarm. The color-coding is as
follows:

(White) No current process alarm conditions.

(Blinking Red) One or more alarms in the active state and not acknowledged.

(Yellow) All current alarms acknowledged, but still in active state.

(Green) All current alarms reverted to non-alarm state, but not acknowledged.

Hardware Alarm
This icon indicates if RTPADA has detected a hardware alarm. The color-coding is as
follows:

(White) No current hardware alarm conditions.

(Blinking Red) One or more alarms in the active state and not acknowledged.

(Yellow) All current alarms acknowledged, but still in active state.

(Green) All current alarms reverted to non-alarm state, but not acknowledged.

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10-3 Alarm Properties

The XAlarm Control Properties dialog is accessed by opening the Project menu and
selecting Properties. In the Preferences dialog, click the Alarms tab, and the click on the
Properties button. (Note that the Enable check box must be checked to enable the
Properties button.)

10-3.1 XAlarm Control Properties – Alarm Server

The Alarm Server tab specifies the location where the RTPADA program is running.
RTPADA operates as a server, supplying alarm data to RTPView, the client.

Primary Local Server

Select Primary Local Server if RTPADA is running on the local PC.

Primary Remote Server

Select Primary Remote Server if RTPADA is running on another PC. Click the button to
the right of the Computer Name field and select the remote PC acting as the server.

Backup Local Server

Select Backup Local Server if RTPADA is running on the local PC.

Backup Remote Server

Select Backup Remote Server if RTPADA is running on another PC. Click the button to
the right of the Computer Name field and select the remote PC acting as the server.

Security Access Level

Select a security access level from Security1 through Security30. Only operators
assigned to groups with the same access level will be allowed to acknowledge alarms.
Selecting "None" allows all users to acknowledge alarms.

10-3.2 XAlarm Control Properties - General

Click on the General tab to update column headers in alarm view as it is in RTPADA.

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Alarm Views
The tab view buttons Process, Hardware, Log, SOE Log or System can be configured
during design mode to include/exclude any of the buttons and views. The Alarm View
checkboxes allow selection of the alarm view and buttons.

Update Column Header

If Update Column Headers is pressed, column headers of all views will be updated.

The Alarm sorting allows sorting based on Time, or Time and any other column. An icon
was added to the alarm window column headers to indicate sort order. When the Time
header is click, it will clear any other column sort to allow sorting on time alone. Clicking
on any other column will include that column for sorting. You may now drag and drop the
column headers to select the column display order, as seen below. The Column Header
Size, Position, and Sort Order can be saved using the “Update Column Headers” button
in the alarm properties window (Above). The “Update Column Header” will get the column
information from the Process and System View only. The process view header settings
will be used for the process window, the hardware window and the log window.

10-3.3 XAlarm Control Properties - Sound

The Sound tab configures the audible alarms. Any available .wav file can be selected as
an audible alarm.

Enable

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If this box is checked, audible alarms are enabled; if unchecked, audible alarms are
disabled.

Alarm
The selected sound will play whenever there is an active, unacknowledged alarm
condition present. Note that a different alarm sound can be assigned to each alarm
priority. If more than one alarm is active and unacknowledged, the alarm with the highest
priority will determine the sound.

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Normal
The selected sound will play if all alarms have returned to normal condition, but at least
one alarm is unacknowledged.

Acknowledged
The selected sound will play if all alarms are acknowledged, but at least one is in an
active alarm condition.

10-4 Alarms Window

User can place several alarm objects into desired pages or select alarm icon in run mode
to show RTPADA Alarms which displays alarms as they are detected during alarm
monitoring.. Each entry includes the tag name, alarm state, time stamp, alarm group,
and priority. Note that the entries in the display can be sorted by clicking on any column
heading. All unacknowledged alarms, and all acknowledged alarms that are still in an
alarm condition, remain on the page. Acknowledged alarms that return to normal status
are removed from the page. Note that the display includes a Process Alarms page, a
Hardware Alarms page, a Log page of all alarms, and a System page of all the device
status messages.

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The color-coding of the alarms in the display is as follows:

Red Data point is currently in an alarm condition.

Green Data point in alarm has returned to normal condition.
Yellow Alarm has been acknowledged.

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Acknowledge
To acknowledge an alarm, move the cursor anywhere within that row and double-click
the left mouse button. The word Acknowledged will be added to the display and the color
of the row will change to yellow.

You can also move the cursor to the row that contains the alarm and click the right
mouse button. This displays the following context menu.

Selecting Acknowledge acknowledges the selected alarm. Selecting Acknowledge All

acknowledges every unacknowledged alarm in the display.

When the status of an acknowledged alarm returns to normal, or if it is already normal,

the alarm will be removed from the display. Note that an engine alarm will not return to
normal status until the NetArrays Float Alarm object is reset.

Note that process and hardware alarms can be achnowledged by selecting alarms and
press Acknowledge button or if all alarms should be acknowledged, Acknowledge All
button should be pressed.

Silence
Selecting Silence from the menu or by pressing icon mutes the audible alarm signals on
the local PC only. It does not affect the audible alarms on any other PCs.

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Section 11
Device Configuration and Status

11-1 Introduction
The device configuration and status functions are accessed from the Device menu.

11-2 Device Configuration

The Project Tag Database window allows you to change or add device connections.
Selecting Configuration from the Device menu displays the window shown below.

Devices are added at the bottom of the list. To add a device, type in the name of the
device and its IP address in the appropriate fields, and select the connection from the
Type list as shown. Then, click on any field in another row to exit from the edit mode.
When finished, close the window.

To edit a device, select the field that requires editing. Make the required changes and
then click on any field in another row to exit from the edit mode. When finished, close the
window.

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To delete a device, select the row that defines the device and press the Delete key on
your keyboard. When finished, close the window.

Caution: Deleting a device will also delete all the tags in the
Project Tag Database that are assigned to that device.

11-3 Status Window

The device Status Window option is available only in run mode and it can be accessed
from the View menu:

Selecting the Status Window option in the View menu displays the status window for
existing devices:

The RTPView Status window displays the synchronization status with devices

Message format
The generic format of the display status messages is as follows:

[date] [time] message text

Where:
date and time = Message time stamp (mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss:ms)
message text can be any message from the list below :

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error : Re-Synchronization failed

Re-Synchronization complete

error : Invalid List ID

error : Socket in use error

error : Too many connections in use

error : Too many lists in use

error : Too many points defined

error : Invalid point definition

error : Undefined Error

error : invalid sequence number

error : communications failed

Download Detected. Resynchronizing with device

User can see current active devices historical events and diagnostic errors by clicking on Device
Errors Monitoring icon. For more details see Device Errors Monitoring section.

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Section 12
Device Errors Monitoring

12-1 Introduction
RTPView provides an interface to the Device Errors monitoring, through which an
operator can be alerted to, and acknowledge error conditions.

12-2 Device Errors

This icon indicates if one or more devices have detected errors. Clicking on this icon at
any time displays the Device Errors window which contains a list of all devices diagnostic
error messages and historical events.

(White) No current errors.

(Blinking Red) One or more devices have errors and not acknowledged.

(Yellow) All current messages acknowledged, but still in active state.

12-3 Device Errors Window

The Device Errors window displays the currently active device status, keeps a log of the
information, warning and error messages from devices and displays them in the History
List. For a quick diagnosis, the currently active error messages will be also displayed in
the Diagnostic Errors List and History Errors List of Device Errors window. Each entry
includes the device name, time stamp, and error message. Note that the entries in the
display can be sorted by clicking on column heading. All unacknowledged errors, and all
acknowledged errors that are still in an error condition, remain on the page. Errors that
return to normal status are removed from the page. Device Error icon will blink in red
color when diagnostic error is detected and it is not acknowledged.

Device Error icon will blink in red, also if communication path test is performed and
communication failure is detected. In this situation, message “DeviceName RTPView R R
Communication Primary|Secondary|Tertiary|Quarteriary is Down” will appear in the
Diagnostic Errors List and History Errors List of Device Errors window.

Acknowledge
To acknowledge an errors, move the cursor anywhere within the page and click the right
mouse button. The color of Device Error icon will change to yellow.

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Acknowledge
To acknowledge an errors, move the cursor anywhere within the page and click the right
mouse button. The color of Device Error icon will change to yellow.

Message Format

The generic format of the display status messages is as follows:

[date] [time] [state] [processor] message text

Where:
date and time = Message time stamp (mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss:ms)
state = E, P, S, T or Q
E indicates an Error message
P indicates a status message concerning the Primary Node Processor
S indicates a status message concerning the Secondary Node Processor
T indicates a message concerning a Tertiary Node Processor
Q indicates a message concerning a Quaternary Node Processor
processor = N, A, B, C, D or X
N indicates the message is from a Non-redundant Node Processor
A indicates the message is from Node Processor “A” in a redundant system
B indicates the message is from Node Processor “B” in a redundant system
C indicates the message is from Node Processor “C” in a redundant system, or a
Chassis Processor (an additional two-digit code identifies the Chassis
Processor’s rack number)

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D indicates the message is from Node Processor “D” in a redundant system

X indicates the message source is indeterminate

The messages given below also contain additional numerical data or text identified as follows:
nn – a decimal number
rr – a rack number
ss – a slot number
oo – a channels offset, where 0 means first 16 channels, 1 means next 16 channels
chs – an array of channel numbers
filename – the name of a file
xxxx – a hexadecimal number
A|B|C|D|N – the letter A, B, C, D or N
%s – a character string

12-3.1 Information, Warning, and Error Messages

For more detailed descriptions of all messages please see sections 2.2 Information and Warning
Messages and 2.3 Error Messages in RTP3000 and RTP3100 Information, Warning, and Error
Messages manual.

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Section 13
Device Forced Variables Monitoring

13-1 Introduction
RTPView provides an interface to the Device Forced Variables monitoring, through which an
operator can be alerted to forced variables conditions.

13-2 Device Forced Variables

This icon indicates if one or more devices have detected forced variables. Clicking on this
icon at any time displays the Device Forced Variables window which contains a list of all
devices with forced variables.

(White) No current forced variables

(Blinking Red) One or more devices have forced Read Only variables..

(Blinking Yellow) One or more devices have forced Read Write variables and not
forced Read Only variables.

13-3 Device Forced Variables Window

The Device Forced Variables window displays messages with information which device
has forced variables as they are detected during device monitoring. Each entry includes
the device name, type of forced variable and message, if there are Read Only or Read
Write variables forced. Note that the entries in the display can be sorted by clicking on
column heading. All messages that show devices with forced variables, remain on the
page. When device returns to normal status, message is removed from the page. Device
Forced Variables icon will blink in red color when forced Read Only variable is detected.
It will blink in yellow color when forced Read Write variable is detected and there is no
device with forced Read Only variables. Only devices with GNS_FrocedROnly or/and
GNS_ForcedRW symbols, defined in program, will be monitored.

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Section 14
Media Player
User can watch live streaming by placing Media player object on page, configuring object
properties and run project. In Object properties it is possible to select RTSP or RTP protocol,
define URL, and enter Username and Password only for RTSP protocol.

Note! You need to allow ports on your PC that you use to receive live stream.

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Appendix A
OPC Client Connection

A-1 Introduction
RTPView can function as a stand-alone HMI operating with any OPC-enabled controller
or PLC. Prior to performing a connection, the data point's tag name, index, data type,
etc., must be configured in the OPC DA 1.0 or OPC DA 2.0 compliant servers. The OPC
server must support the IOPCSyncIO and IOPCBrowseServerAddressSpace interfaces.

A-2 Data Point Connection

The procedure for connecting to an OPC data point depends on the type of object; Trend
objects are treated different than the other objects.

A-2.1 Edit Box, Picture, and Gauge Objects

Note: Edit box and picture objects must have their object
properties configured for Read or Read/Write to enable OPC
communications.

1 Position the mouse pointer over the edit box, picture, or gauge object and click
the right mouse button. Select "Data Properties…" from the menu.

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2 Position the mouse pointer over the OPC field and click the left mouse button.
This will display the RTPView OPC Configuration window. As required, select a
Computer Name, OPC Server, OPC Tree, and OPC Tag from the OPC
Configuration window.

A-2.2 Trend Objects

1 Position the mouse pointer over the trend object and click the right mouse button.
Select "Data Properties…" from the menu.

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2 Position the mouse pointer over the OPC field and click the left mouse button.
This will display the RTPView OPC Configuration window. As required, select a
Computer Name, OPC Server, OPC Tree, and OPC Tag from the OPC
Configuration window.

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A-2.3 OPC Configuration Window

Select an OPC tag from the window as shown below, and click the OK button to save the
selection and return to the Data Properties dialog. Click on the Cancel button to return to
the Data Properties dialog without making a selection.

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Computer
This area lists all the computers connected on the network. The blank space at the top of
the list represents the local computer. Select the computer that is running the OPC DA
1.0 or OPC DA 2.0 compliant server from this list.

OPC Server
This area lists the OPC servers configured on the selected computer. Select one of the
OPC DA 1.0 or OPC DA 2.0 compliant servers. The selected OPC server must support
the IOPCSyncIO and IOPCBrowseServerAddressSpace interfaces.

OPC Tree
This area displays the complete configuration tree for the selected OPC server.

OPC Tag
This area provides a list of the tag names. Select one of the tags to connect to the OPC
server. The name, type, description, and value information will appear in the lower
portion of the window.

OPC Access Path

An optional Access Path may appear, or can be added to OPC name string by entering it
in this field. It is not used by RTPView.

OPC Name
This field displays the entire OPC name string of the connected data point.

Description
Any optional comments associated with the selected tag will be shown in this field.

Type
This field identifies the data point's type: Float, Integer, or Boolean.

Value
An instantaneous value of the data point passed by the OPC server is displayed in this
field. If the value cannot be read, three question marks will be displayed.

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