FTView ME - Displaying data from a string-referenced source?

[StinkyPasta]

Hey folks!


I've gotten an idea in my head and I'm wondering if anyone can help - and my title is terrible because I'm not good at articulating what I'm trying to do. We have an HMI at my site which is serving as our full facility's HMI (yes, we only have an ME license, lol). When we for instance want to see the nominal speed from a specific VFD on a specific PLC we use the syntax


{[CP123]VFD12345_Data.Nom_Spd}


You get what I mean. However, I want to take things to the next level with graphing. I was hoping to have a String Input button that allows the engineer to input their VFD unit number (so that 12345 from my example) and it sends to an internal HMI string tag I'm calling VFD_String. I want the graph to essentially change to display data from whatever the engineer inputs as their string. I was thinking it'd be something like this:


{[CP123]VFD"VFD_String"_Data.Nom_Spd}


I figured that'd be too easy to work and yep, it was too easy to work, lol. Is there any functionality to accomplish what I'm trying to do? Maybe in SE (so I can push for licenses for SE)?


Thanks!

 

[Jlandwerlen]

You can use placeholders, {#1}, for example. There should be quite a bit of information on this site alone.

I don't really use FT anymore, otherwise I'd give you a code sample.

To add, if you are able to get funding to upgrade to SE, I'd suggest going ignition. A way better platform.

 

[Operaghost]

I'm thinking you would use a String Input Enable button object. They could write the desired device to an internal string tag. If it will always be a number then it could be a Numeric Input Enable button object and a numeric tag instead.

Then use a placeholder to replace that part of the name.
{[CP123]VFD12345_Data.Nom_Spd} before
{[CP123]VFD#1_Data.Nom_Spd} after

Then add a Refresh screen button (really just a goto button that calls the same display that is already open). The operator hits the refresh to update the display with the new tag they have entered.

The Goto button will need to supply a parameter to use that tag they have modified. This will plug in the number they entered into the #1 location. In the General tab for the Goto button select the "Parameter list" and then browse to and select that new internal tag. You will need to do that anywhere that display is called. You should also have a text object that shows which VFD has been selected.

Note that if the operator enters an invalid drive tag name, it will generate a pop up error message.


OG