PanelView Function Key Mapping

[CevinMoses]

I am using FactoryTalk View Studio 8.00.00 to program an older PanelView Plus CE 700. It has both the touch screen and the keypad. I would like to install custom legends to the function buttons and have them mapped to navigate between screens or act as momentary push buttons connected to tags on the PLC. I can accomplish all of that by mapping them to existing controls on the screen, but then I have buttons cluttering up my screen. If I make the buttons on the screen invisible, the corresponding function key no longer functions. What's the point of mapping a function key to a push button if that push button has to remain visible. I can understand it if this was a keypad only model, but how can I reduce the clutter on my screen by making use of the function keys? Do I have to make them really small and "send them to the back" and hide them under something else? There's got to be an easier way. What am I missing here?

 

[arlenjacobs]

Either move the buttons off screen or make the backstyle transparent.
The "visible" property removes the button from runtime (maybe, if you want to disable runtime features in a project but not remove them from editing?).

You can move the buttons outside of the viewable area, such as x -100 and y -100; can't see or touch those at runtime.

You could also change the border to none and make the backstyle transparent. That makes them invisible, but still active. You could still press that invisible spot and active the button.

 

[Geospark]

Yes, unchecking the "Visible" property will not work at runtime as the object is not loaded. It must be present on the display in some shape or form.

The trick I use is to create the linked object with the same colour as the background so as to blend it in, but transparent or off screen will work too.

If the object is on the display, but obscured, and you only want the function key to be active on touch and the graphic object not, then you can set the object's "Touch" property to "False". This is accessed by right-clicking the object and opening its "Property Panel". Setting Touch to False prevents users from thumbing a hidden object and inadvertently activating whatever the function key was assigned to do.

That can cause some real head scratching alright!

Regards,
George

 

[CevinMoses]

Off screen. It all seems so simple. Thanks, to you both. I don't know why that didn't occur to me before.