Crimson 3.1 software and password protecting a single button....

[kamaroman68]

Hello everyone, been awhile since I've posted..... As the title suggests, using Crimson 3.1 software (Red Lion) I cant seem to figure out if its possible to password protect a single button on a screen. Basically this button would enable/disable a certain function of the machine, but only by trained operators with the password. Thanks for any help guys

Chris

 

[joseph_e2]

My normal way of handling it is to have a password stored in the PLC and add a login button that's a numeric/text entry prompt. If they enter the right password, a bit turns on in the PLC for a time. The visibility of controlled objects is set by that bit. Sometimes, I'll have a numeric display behind a numeric entry so the operator can see the current value but can't change it without being logged in.


I tend not to use the security built into the HMIs since I have to change platforms so often, but in Crimson 3.1:

When you add a button to a display, go to the "Action" tab and look at "Action Control". You can enable the button based on certain criteria. You can also add security to the tag that's controlled by the button.

 

[BryanG]

Redlion do like to make things a bit obscure . You don't set the rights on the button, but instead you set it for the Tag that the button is calling. Which is great if you are calling a Tag. The attached shows how you can do it if you aren't calling a Tag, I have done it in Crimson 3.0 so that you can simulate it, rather than having to load it in to a HMI. I created:
User1 with User Rights 1, 2 & 3 Password 111,
User2 with User Rights 1, 2, 3, & 4 Password 222,
OK, not the strongest passwords . Also created an internal Data Tag called UserLevel. You can use a System Function called GetCurrentUserRights() which will return an integer value depending on which User Rights boxes you ticked on the Security tab.

User1 User Rights as set up here give a value of 7
User2 User Rights as set up here give a value of 15

So the Next button on screen one has a User Defined action that first reads the current user access rights and loads it in to UserLevel Tag, and then checks to see if the value is greater than 7. If not then the next screen isn't called, if yes then screen 2 shows.

One wrinkle I like to use. If there is a button there and it doesn't work for them, operators tend to just press harder and harder assuming that there is a fault. So I use the UserLevel value in the 'Show' section of a button so that the button only shows if the user is logged in at sufficient security level.

 

[BryanG]

I just modified the program so that the Log On button does both the logging on and the reading of the security level. Plus the Next button is hidden unless you are User2.

 

[kamaroman68]

Thanks guys!

Chris