WinCC (not Flex) - How to create a new pop-up window?

I've got to add a new screen to an existing WinCC project. The screens drawn, it's variables are now linked to the Step7 variables thanks to a bit of help from Jeebs in this Thread now I've just got the problem of getting the button I've created in an existing screen to call the new one up - and that's proving more difficult than expected, well maybe not more difficult than expected, it is Siemens after all!

It just occurs to me that I forgot to make a note of which form of dynamic event I'm using - and the WinCC PC's half a mile away - I think it's dynamic event, or something like that, anyway, it's the one that creates the blue lightning flash.

I copied an existing Button in the main screen and it is set up so that in the Source part of the Properties window it's set to "Constant" with a value of 1. The Target fields are set to Source = Picture Name, Object = "Detail_Pump_2" and Property = Display. The problem is, there is no Screen called "Detail_Pump_2" and I can't find anywhere where the actual Screen name is mapped to "Detail_Pump_2" - actually, I can't find "Detail_Pump_2" anywhere, but the Button works fine! The other objects listed in the selection box for the objects are things like Buttons 1 .. n, Lines 1..n, Static Text 1..n, Circles, Polygons etc., with only a few items having typical Screen-like names. I also haven't a clue where all the names in the drop-down list come from, although I notice that in the (old) working button the properties box is titled "Button6" and amongst all the other "ButtonXY", "Button6" is missing.

I tried changing the Source to the actual screen name by using the button alongside the Source field, but then I wasn't sure what to choose in the Target fields, but it didn't matter what I chose, the Button simply didn't respond.

Anybody got any ideas?

Cheers

Roy

PS I'm off for the weekend soon and won't have Internet access again till Monday, so if somebody replies before then, lack of response on my part doesn't mean I'm ungrateful!

Hi there RMA

Iam just going by subject line of your post "how to create pop up window in WinCC"

Do as follows:

Step-1
Create Picture Window: say it is "picture window 1"
Under Picture Window property -->Miscellaneous
Set "display" to "NO"
Set "picture name" to "name of the picture you want to pop up"

Note:width and height of the "picture window" and that of picture you want pop up should be same"


Step-2
Create button
Button property-->events-->Under action-->direct connection
In direct connection window do the following
Source:
Select "Constant" with value "1"
Target:
Select "object in picture"
Under object window highlight "picture window 1"
Under Property window select "Display"

Done !!

Manmeet

Select "object in picture"
Under object window highlight "picture window 1"
Under Property window select "Display"

Click to expand...

The Target fields are set to Source = Picture Name, Object = "Detail_Pump_2" and Property = Display. The problem is, there is no Screen called "Detail_Pump_2" and I can't find anywhere where the actual Screen name is mapped to "Detail_Pump_2" - actually, I can't find "Detail_Pump_2" anywhere, but the Button works fine! The other objects listed in the selection box for the objects are things like Buttons 1 .. n, Lines 1..n, Static Text 1..n, Circles, Polygons etc., with only a few items having typical Screen-like names. I also haven't a clue where all the names in the drop-down list come from, although I notice that in the (old) working button the properties box is titled "Button6" and amongst all the other "ButtonXY", "Button6" is missing.

Click to expand...

Hi Manmeetvirdi,

thanks for the reply. Actually, I've done everything exactly as you describe it, the problem is that the actual picture name for the new window does not appear in the drop-down box (although it has been saved and exists in the list in the Graphic Editor). In fact, none of the existing picture names appear! Even the name of the picture for the button I copied is different from the name of the actual picture which it calls up!

Any idea what I might be doing wrong, or overlooking?

Cheers

Roy

Bump!

Congrats!

What was the problem??

Congrats!

Click to expand...

Unfortunately not , as I mentioned in post #3, the problem is that in the drop down box the picture names as defined in the Graphic Editor do not appear and I can't find anywhere to link the names offered in the drop down box for the Target Object-in-Picture to the existing Screens in the Grapic editor.

Oooooppppsss!!
Well have you tried tsame steps in WinCC installed in other computer.
Also just in case I have attached the picture, just in case.
Am running short of ideas, as this is the standard way to do the same.

Unfortunately, I don't have another WinCC PC available, but looking at the Image you've attatched, it looks exactly the same as what I've got. Unfortunately I can't enlarge it, so it's a bit difficult to read, but it looks as though you've got a whole load of Target Objects like "IOFieldm" - "IOFieldn", "Line1x" - "Line9x", unfortunately, I can't read the Object that is highlighted. However, all these Objects are analogous to the Objects I listed in Paragraph 3 of my first Post and they are not the names of Screens in the Graphic Editor.

That is my problem, I can't find any way to relate the Objects offered as Targets to the new Screen I've created with the Graphic Editor.

The Highlighted part is: PictureWindow1 and it's Display property is highlighted in second column.

Ok, one question:

Do you want a real pop-up window, a stand alone, movable, resizable picture to show? Or do you want the existing Picture to be replaced by the one you're calling?

Oops, thats 2 questions.

Yes it's a real pop-up window I'm after, about 300 x 400 pixels, just to show Pump status (oil Temp / Pressure and output pressure (water at about 4 bar)) on demand from the operator (Button next to the Pump symbol on the main picture).

Ok then, this is how I think it has been done on your project.

On the screen with the button, the one that works, there is a PictureWindow named "Detail_Pump_2". This picturewindow can be resized in the designer and moved behind any other object or grouped, to put it short, you can search for hours if not days until you find it. But it's there.

- On screen with new malfuncitoning button, create a PictureWindow. Rename it if you want to. Resize it if you want to.

-Properties of this picturewindow should be:
*Display : No
*Movable : Yes
*Borders : What you desire
*Title : Again what you need.
*Adapt Size : Yes
*Picture Name : Enter here the name of the picture you want as pop-up

-On the button use the same configuration but select the newly created PictureWindow in the target area.

Save and you're done.

Note: This is assuming you have created a new picture that you want to pop-up when you click the button. If you want to use a faceplate it's not this simple..

Mmm, I think we're finally getting on the right track here.

Let me see if I understand this correctly, are you saying that that the screen for the working Pop-up has been copied into the main screen, so that it is not normally visible, perhaps because it's in a different layer or something, so that, if you like, the name "Detail_Pump_2" is like a sort of local variable, whereas the same Screen in the Graphic Editor with its different name is like the Global variable version. That would fit with all the Buttons and lines which exist in the drop-down box and in particular with the fact, that when I look at the properties of the working Button, its Title is Button6 and Button6 is missing from the drop-down list.

Is there any way to access these invisible items via a X-Ref command or something similar?

By the way, it is a picture I've created, not a Faceplate - it's so long ago, I would even know where to start with that!

I'll have to go and have a closer look at this tomorrow. Thanks a lot for the help, I've a feeling we'll get this cracked tomorrow!

RMA said:

Mmm, I think we're finally getting on the right track here.

Let me see if I understand this correctly, are you saying that that the screen for the working Pop-up has been copied into the main screen, so that it is not normally visible, perhaps because it's in a different layer or something, so that, if you like, the name "Detail_Pump_2" is like a sort of local variable, whereas the same Screen in the Graphic Editor with its different name is like the Global variable version. That would fit with all the Buttons and lines which exist in the drop-down box and in particular with the fact, that when I look at the properties of the working Button, its Title is Button6 and Button6 is missing from the drop-down list.

Click to expand...

Not really.
The PictureWindow itself is kind of a place holder, a 'local variable', an IN/OUT parameter for a FB. You can make it show any other screen you created. You can either make it fixed, or you can make it pop-up.
When fixed, you have to design it with the correct size and position.
If you create it for pop-up's you can resize it, move it, doesn't matter since the dimensions of the screen you are calling isn't linked to the position/size of that PictureWindow.

Detail_Pump_2 is the name of this placeholder.

RMA said:

Is there any way to access these invisible items via a X-Ref command or something similar?

By the way, it is a picture I've created, not a Faceplate - it's so long ago, I would even know where to start with that!

I'll have to go and have a closer look at this tomorrow. Thanks a lot for the help, I've a feeling we'll get this cracked tomorrow!

Click to expand...

In my lil test project it looks like it is possible to find those items.

Open up a crossref. File > New > Update > Select Screens in dropdown menu > StartSearch.
This will give you every screen in the project.
Important to know is the name of the screen of the working button.
In the XRef, 5th column, search for that name.
Or you can do it the lazy way and just sort by the 8th column.
In the 8th column, search for Detail_Pump_2. Right click on it > GoTo.
That will open the screen where that PictureWindow is configured and will auto select it. It will do this even if the PictureWindow is grouped.

We finally got there, well almost

Using the X-Ref I managed to find the pump that had been working and who's Button I copied to make my new one, then was slightly surprised to find nothing marked when I used the "Goto" to jump to the Picture Object. It didn't take long to find it though, tucked away on Layer 1 with all the other Picture Objects and Layer 1 was blanked out, of course.

Anyway to cut a long story short, I copied the Picture Object and changed the Picture Name to my new *.pdl and sure enough, it all worked fine.

The only oddity was that it wouldn't let me change the name of the Picture Object. The Object I copied was called "Detail_Pump_3" and the copiy was automatically named "Detail_Pump_31". Now when I open up the Properties this name is in italics and I can't change it.

On the way back to the office it occurred to me that this might be a result of having copied the Picture Object using Right-Click -> duplicate. It's no big deal really and I can live with it, but I'll try out some alternative methods when I do the remaining two Pumps.

Thanks for the help everybody.

Cheers

Roy

Right pane > Object Palette > Smart objects > Picture window. Double click on that...

If the name is in Italic it's usually a sign that it's being used in a Dynamic action somewhere. Better to create new one and copy the settings, trying each one out to see what it does. You'll learn alot that way...

Good to hear your managing now...