FT View ME parameter file question

BAJ

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Is there a way to use a parameter file parameter in the goto-display button parameter file designation?


I'm guessing this sounds confusing so I'll give more detail. In our situation, we have 6 identical devices all shown on a summary display. From the summary display you can open the detail display for the device (same screen with parameter file). From the detail display, I'd like to be able to open another display with a trend on it, but would need to also pass a parameter file to get the right device trending data and display description. I tried putting a "#2" in the parameter file field manually to indicate the parameter file to use, and ME creates the runtime w/o error, but doesn't seem to actually work in runtime on the PanelView. The detail display works fine, but the trend display does not, and the errors indicate it's looking for a tag with "#" in the name instead of the parameter file substitution.


Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks,
-Brad
 
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Does this involve using the variable display? I kind of looked at that, but it didn't seem to have an obvious way to enter a variable parameter file name.
 
You can do it by using the global objects.

Create your displays which will use variable tags in global objects. The first level screen will receive the data via the parameter file in the go to display button on your main screen. The following levels should simply have the reference number typed into the parameter list in the go to display button which takes you to the next display i.e. #1 #2 #3 etc...

The global objects should have the ' Global Object Parameter Definitions' filled in with the references you intend on using. This needs to be done on all the linked screens.

Then copy your screens into the displays and they should pass the parameters between screen levels.

I think that is what is required to help with what you are looking for, if I have understood it correctly.
 
You can do it by using the global objects.

Create your displays which will use variable tags in global objects. The first level screen will receive the data via the parameter file in the go to display button on your main screen. The following levels should simply have the reference number typed into the parameter list in the go to display button which takes you to the next display i.e. #1 #2 #3 etc...

The global objects should have the ' Global Object Parameter Definitions' filled in with the references you intend on using. This needs to be done on all the linked screens.

Then copy your screens into the displays and they should pass the parameters between screen levels.

I think that is what is required to help with what you are looking for, if I have understood it correctly.


So if I understand this correctly, I still end up with 12 displays instead of 2 (actually 14 if I include the global object displays), but I only need to edit the two global displays with changes. I'd likely need to group the entire global display before copying it also, or newly added objects wouldn't get propagated to the linked displays, right?
 
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John - I need a variable parameter file depending on which parameter file was used to open the first display.

This isn't possible with ME. Myself and my boss had this exact dilemma when we wanted to have a pop-up on a screen which used parameters. We each spent over 4 hours with Rockwell support about this.

The "workaround" we implemented was to play on the "visibility" of the second window and have the parameters implemented in the first one.

Also... This is fixed in SE.

Cheers,
Vlad
 
Thanks Vlad. I just came back to post the solution our RA Distributor (Werner Electric - they rock!) had for me. Like you said visibility is the key. So I can put all 6 Trend buttons on the Details display and use a parameter from the Details to only make the corresponding goto-display for the Trend I want to open be visible. These can all be on top of each other if desired, so it looks seamless. He also said I could just drop the trend object on top of the Details screen and add a button to toggle visibility on/off, it would look like the display was changing but it wouldn't. The only problem with this approach is it gets clumsy to do edits when the whole display has an object on top/behind, so I'm going with the 6 buttons.
 
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Thanks Vlad. I just came back to post the solution our RA Distributor (Werner Electric - they rock!) had for me. Like you said visibility is the key. So I can put all 6 Trend buttons on the Details display and use a parameter from the Details to only make the corresponding goto-display for the Trend I want to open. He also said I could just drop the trend object on top of the Details screen and add a button to toggle visibility on/off, it would look like the display was changing but it wouldn't. The only problem with this approach is it gets clumsy to do edits when the whole display has an object on top/behind, so I'm going with the 6 buttons.

That's exactly what we ended up with... I hope that no one has to edit that screen because it has a second layered screen over it... To make it easier, I'd just edit the "layered" portion in another window and copy paste it into the correct position at the end.

Good luck...
 
So if I understand this correctly, I still end up with 12 displays instead of 2 (actually 14 if I include the global object displays), but I only need to edit the two global displays with changes. I'd likely need to group the entire global display before copying it also, or newly added objects wouldn't get propagated to the linked displays, right?

No, you would only have 2 displays (the first level and the second level) , they would just be called with different parameters each time. The first display would effectively pass the parameters from the original parameter file into the next screen.

Yes, you need to group the global display.
 
Here’s an example that might help explain this:
On my home screen there’s ten buttons for Pump 1 through Pump 10. Each button is a goto PumpMain window. Pump 1 button sends parameter file 01, pump 2 sends parameter file 02, etc.

Parameter file 01 has one line “#1=Pump01”. Parameter file 02 has “#1=Pump02” etc. This is used to populate text in the connection tags downstream. All relevant pump info is in UDTs named Pump01 through Pump10.

Example of data shown in PumpMain:
{[VacPLC]#1.VFDStatus.Fault1Code}
For pump 3, the actual tag is {[VacPLC]Pump03.VFDStatus.Fault1Code}

In the PumpMain window, there's a goto VFDDetails window button. This button sends Parameter list {#1}. This passes Pump03 (or whichever button opened PumpMain) to the next window. This second level capability started somewhere around version 8 +/-1.

In that window, there's more info such as:
{[VacPLC]#1.VFDStatus.TorqueCurrent}

None of these are global displays or global objects.
 
I tried to simplify the example but now I noticed you also mentioned description.
The parameter files also have a line “#2=1” through “#2=10”. These are used in descriptions such as
Pump /*LN:2 #2 NOFILL DP:0*/ in PumpMain
Pump /*LS:0 {#2}*/ in VFDDetails
I don’t recall why I did one as a number and one as a string. That’s bugging me now.
{#1},{#2} is the actual parameter list to the last window.
 
Is your solution for SE or ME? I'm using ME v11. I tried using the {#1} in the parameter file entry, didn't work for me. In runtime ME says it can't find any of the # references on the second-level display.

I just tried it again using a new entry {#3} with the full name of the parameter file (versus just the part that changes), that didn't work either.
 

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