FactoryTalk View ME - Close popup after opening new screen

[phuz]

Here we are in v12 of FactoryTalk View and from what I can tell, we still don't have a quick and easy way to close a popup after opening a new screen.

I have a system where I can't fit all the navigation links on the main header, so I use sub-menus, but unlike FTView SE, I can't call a new screen and close the popup in the same action, so the answer is to let the "replaced" screen sit on top of the menu. Of course, hitting the main nav button again calls the popup back to the foreground. But this is a dirty way of doing it. I'm aware of the methods of using tags and macros, etc. to do this, but that seems like even more of a hack.

If there's some easy trick to call the new screen and actually close the popup in one swift move, I'd love to know about it.

 

[ASF]

This probably falls into the "methods using tags and macros" category, but the easiest way I can think of is to put a simple startup macro on each replace type display that closes all popups.

You're right, it's hacky and awful and surely we shouldn't be dealing with this s*** in 2021, but here we are.

 

[Phrog30]

A simple fix to your problem is stop using FactoryTrash. I have yet to find a single customer that after you show comparisons between FT and say Ignition, they stick with FT.

 

[phuz]

A simple fix to your problem is stop using FactoryTrash. I have yet to find a single customer that after you show comparisons between FT and say Ignition, they stick with FT.

With a large customer that has thousands of AB products on the plant floor, switching away from AB is not an option.

 

[Operaghost]

Don't worry about Phrog30. He says something like that for pretty much all Rockwell posts. Very dependable I think he has that copied and ready to paste into any thread on demand.

Because ME doesn't give us access to the commands like SE, we must use tags and macros to accomplish this. In the Global Connections on the Display tab there is an option to "Close an On Top Display". There is another one to "Close All On Top Displays".

To use the "Close All On Top Displays", make sure the On Top displays have a unique display number assigned to them. Something other than zero. Assign a digital tag to the Close All control. Whenever that tag is "1" (true) it will trigger all on top displays to close. They must not be configured as "Cannot be Replaced".

For any display that you want to cause the windows to close, assign a startup macro that turns on that tag on startup. Configure a similar macro to turn the tag off and assign that as the startup macro on the On Top display.

If you wanted to close one specific On Top display, then you use the Close an On Top Display option with an analog tag. Same idea as above but the macro would specify the display number for the specific On Top to be closed.

OG

 

[phuz]

Don't worry about Phrog30. He says something like that for pretty much all Rockwell posts. Very dependable I think he has that copied and ready to paste into any thread on demand.

Because ME doesn't give us access to the commands like SE, we must use tags and macros to accomplish this. In the Global Connections on the Display tab there is an option to "Close an On Top Display". There is another one to "Close All On Top Displays".

To use the "Close All On Top Displays", make sure the On Top displays have a unique display number assigned to them. Something other than zero. Assign a digital tag to the Close All control. Whenever that tag is "1" (true) it will trigger all on top displays to close. They must not be configured as "Cannot be Replaced".

For any display that you want to cause the windows to close, assign a startup macro that turns on that tag on startup. Configure a similar macro to turn the tag off and assign that as the startup macro on the On Top display.

If you wanted to close one specific On Top display, then you use the Close an On Top Display option with an analog tag. Same idea as above but the macro would specify the display number for the specific On Top to be closed.

OG

I'm aware of that hack. That's a lot of work to make a function that is native to any other piece of software. I tend to agree with him 100%. Unfortunately, I'm stuck using it. If only they allowed simple scripting in ME, it's capability would be greatly enhanced.

 

[Operaghost]

Agree. RA intentionally hamstrung ME to keep that separation from the SE product.

OG

 

[Phrog30]

Don't worry about Phrog30. He says something like that for pretty much all Rockwell posts. Very dependable I think he has that copied and ready to paste into any thread on demand.


OG

 

[OkiePC]

Allen Bradley: You can buy better, but you can't pay more.

 

[seat14]

Don't know that hack can I get an example of a Close an On Top Display option with an analog tag?