Two FTView Studio ME Questions

Question number 1:
Is there anything "special" about the screen named "main" in FTView HMI projects? Basically I wanted to change the main screen to a "lock screen" so that you had to log in to access anything at all on the HMI. The issue here is that even with a button I cannot ever go back to the "Lock Screen" once I enter the main screen, so the automatic logout screen doesn't work either. I can go to other screens, just not the new one I made.

Question number 2:
I just converted my first PB32 project over to FTView and got the tag path changed as well. I seem to be communicating but the red alarm screen (in which you must acknowledge all alarms) does not ever go away. I hit the thing like 100 times (I quit counting at around 60) and it will not disappear. Has anyone run into this before?

Thanks, and please specify which question number you are referring to in your replies.

sparkie said:

Question number 1:
Is there anything "special" about the screen named "main" in FTView HMI projects? Basically I wanted to change the main screen to a "lock screen" so that you had to log in to access anything at all on the HMI. The issue here is that even with a button I cannot ever go back to the "Lock Screen" once I enter the main screen, so the automatic logout screen doesn't work either. I can go to other screens, just not the new one I made.

Click to expand...

Ok so I didn't follow all that. But, there is nothing special about the Main screen. You can rename it, delete, whatever you want. But, keep in mind that renaming it does not change references elsewhere. So if you have a button that calls the Main screen and then you change the screen name to Lockout, then the button will no longer work and will generate errors if the user presses it.

sparkie said:

Question number 1:
I just converted my first PB32 project over to FTView and got the tag path changed as well. I seem to be communicating but the red alarm screen (in which you must acknowledge all alarms) does not ever go away. I hit the thing like 100 times (I quit counting at around 60) and it will not disappear. Has anyone run into this before?

Click to expand...

It sounds like you need to revisit the alarm configuration to see why the alarms keep occurring.

OG

Thanks for the info. I'll look at something else.

Let me be more specific with question 1:
We have a main screen with a log in button, log out button and the home for all navigation through the system. This is the primary screen.

I went to put a "Lock Screen" on that only has a Login button. The idea is that you can't do anything on the PV without logging in. Once you log in, a button appears that links you to the main screen. On a log out I want to go back to the "Lock Screen". The problem is: Once I go to the main screen I can never go back to the "Lock Screen". Even if I put a button on the main screen to go back I can't. It is really strange, and I'm not sure what the issue is.

I have spent HOURS looking at every single setting I could possibly find and go through stuff with a fine-toothed comb trying to see if anything would help. Methodically of course as well. Change one thing at a time and reverse it if it didn't work.

As far as question 2:

Yea I'll look into the alarm configuration and see what is happening. For some reason there is no message for the particular alarm that gets stuck on, which I also find strange. I have not really dug into that one yet.

sparkie said:

The problem is: Once I go to the main screen I can never go back to the "Lock Screen". Even if I put a button on the main screen to go back I can't. It is really strange, and I'm not sure what the issue is.

Click to expand...

What does that mean, you can never go back? Are you getting an error. Check the diagnostic messages along the bottom of the screen and see what the message is when testing on your PC.

What type of button are you using to go back to the Lock Screen? It should be a Goto Display button.

OG

Question 1:

I am using a GoToDisplay button OR trying to have it return to the Lock Screen upon logout. No diagnostics or errors come up.

Question 2:
I Found an unassigned alarm and deleted it. The alarm screen is still staying up and is blank. I have attached a screenshot of what it looks like. The alarms quit popping up (as far as text) but the window is not closing out like it should when all alarms are gone. Perhaps there is some other alarm? I don't know.

The Panelview standard at the plant is not having any more alarms show up.

Check your Private Messages.

OG

Thanks for the help. I should mention also, one small but key detail.

These are two different programs on two different PVP systems.

A bit OT, but it is good to start your project in a clean state.

When you are converting old PanelViews to a new PanelView Plus, it is best to create a new project.
Go through the import wizard to bring your old project (pba, pvc, etc) into FTView Studio ME. Then create a brand new project and import components one by one.

Make sure that you use the export/import feature, not copy/paste and not the add component for the below items.
These support export/import:
HMI tags (*.csv)
Alarms (*.xml)
Graphics (*.xml)

By using the export/import features it helps strip out some problems from the conversion. That's also a good idea for any projects that have been created in old versions of FTView as well (ex. edits over a few years).

sparkie said:

Question number 2:
I just converted my first PB32 project over to FTView and got the tag path changed as well. I seem to be communicating but the red alarm screen (in which you must acknowledge all alarms) does not ever go away. I hit the thing like 100 times (I quit counting at around 60) and it will not disappear. Has anyone run into this before?

Click to expand...

Not sure if you considered it or not, but have you looked into the display style of the ALARM screen? [Right click background]>Display Settings>General, Display Style> -Select- On Top vs. Replace

Just because you can see the last screen behind it doesn't mean it's an "on top" display...you can set the pixel size in the display properties.

Just as a follow up, I was working with sparkie offline on this issue and we found the source of the problems.

In post #5 he shows a picture of the Alarm screen. It has a CLEAR button but no CLOSE button. So the window was never getting dismissed. It would pop up and stay up. But hang on Jason as your thought was close to what was happening for the other issue.

The problem with the MAIN screen and the LockScreen was an issue related with On Top versus Replace displays. I have not tried this myself but it looks like the conversion from PB32 created the screens as On Top instead of Replace. So when the operator hit a button to Goto a display, if that display was already open but covered by another On Top display it would not move focus. Apparently it detected the window was already open. Change the displays to Replace and all was well.

OG

I added an acknowledge button for question #2
This works great. The alarms banner was stuck open.

On question #1:

I removed the check for "Always on top" from all screens and now the program functions like I want it to.

Thanks again for the help OP I appreciate it. Sorry it took me so long to post that stuff up.