RSView32 TrendX and Parameter Files

Is it possible to use Paramater Files to load tags into trends so I don't need a bunch of different trends? I'm kinda new to using parameter files and tag placeholders, but I'm trying to get to the point of having a standard pop-up start/stop faceplate, loop faceplate etc. and was curious about trending?

Thanks

FYI...As an update if anyone has interest in this.

I was able to use the trend in the RSView32 Graphics Library, but not the trend building tool in the toolbar. I just referenced the same parameter file I use for opening a generic faceplate and added tag descriptors and utilized some of the scrolling and axis controls from the library trend and it works great with any tag, each trend is identical, and each SP,CV,PV is the same color on each trend.

Now another question or two. Some of the loops I want to use with the generic faceplate/ trend do not allow Auto/manual control for the operators. Is there a way to add a line in the parameter file to control visibility of the A/M button?

Also, is there a way to truncate the tag so that only the final unique tag name will appear and not the whole path? For example, if my full tagname is Plant_A\System_B\Tank_C\LIC001, can I make only LIC001 appear on the faceplate or trend?

I have some answers for you but also questions. To be able to truncate the tag in the legend, you can simply write down what you what to be appearing. So instead of "Plant_A\System_B\Tank_C\LIC001", you can juste type LIC001 and it will work.

Now if you have a trend in a faceplate, how can you put a placeholder in the field "Model" when you select DataSource Historical and Local??? There is only a scrolling list, I cannot put any placeholder there...

Thanks

Thanks for the input Marie. The problem is, I want the trend/faceplate to be truly generic, so I can click on any data field on a display and up will pop a faceplate with all loop/ motor start-stop/ valve open-close controls.

If I can put all of this information into a parameter file then I can re-use this 'faceplate' for all of my similar type tags.

If I type the tag ie. LIC001 into the label field it will always read that, so if I click on TIC001, it will still read LIC001. The only way I have found to do this is to create a simple memory tag of string data type. Memory tags do not add to your tag count, and I can just set the 'initial value' to LIC001. Since this is a loop faceplate I am working on, in my parameter file, I have #1-#6 with each of those being a loop property (SP,PV,CV,AUTO/MAN, ALARM, and TAG)

My problem now is some loops don't have alarms, and some we don't want to provide access to the A/M controls. If I leave them out I get a warning in the activity log and it screws up the graphics if the tag is not found. I thought there was a way to just use a value in the parameter file and I could use that to make things visible/ invisible, but I haven't found a way to do make that work yet.

As for your question, I didn't use a placeholder, I chose a DataLog for the 'model' that these tags reside in. We have 2 datalogs for each area of the plant, one for discrete-on/off values, and one for analog values, so the way I am doing this, I will need a different generic trend for each plant area.

I'm gaining though. My predecessor was making individual faceplates for each loop(hundreds, if not thousands)! Also, he made a trend with all tags from the datalog, so you would need to go in and disable all the tags you didn't want to view. A real pain and alot of different graphics to keep track of. This is still a pain, since you still have to make all of the parameter files, but it's not too bad. Maybe I'll find an easier way someday!

I did use the visibility/invisibility animation so that the things that I don't need do not appear. I created an internal tag ALWAYS_OFF and another ALWAYS_ON (the initial values are respectively OFF and ON). I use those tag in the parameter file to determine if the object needs to appear or not. For example, in the visibility animation of object1, I wrote #10. In the parameter file, if I want object1 to appear, I will write #10 = ALWAYS_ON. I didn't find other way to do that.

Thanks for your help.

Cool. Never thought of that.

Is there a good way of getting tagnames into the parameter files?

The quickest way I could find is to browse for them in 'Tag Monitor', then highlight the tagnames and copy/paste into the parameter file and then add in the #1,#2, etc...

Thanks.