FactoryTalk View - Docked Menu and SubMenu

[Suseh]

Hi All!

I have problem with docked menu, which control submenu.
On the top of all displays i put my docked menu.
My docked menu allow to change displays.
I want also to add functionality with submenu.
For instance one of my button (i named it Trend) should show submenu with
Actual Trend, Historical Trend (point #1)
When i choose something (something means Actual Trend or Historical Trend) my SubMenu disappear and change display to the correct one.
It is simple, we can do this with command:

Display display_name
Abort

But what when user do not choose something from submenu #1 and click
on submenu #2 (for instance current and historical alarms). So, in this example i will have two submenu's open at the same time.
How to avoid this?

I don't find any function which will tell me if display is active/open.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[ASF]

You could look at making each submenu button abort the other three before displaying it's own:

Abort [submenu1]; Abort [submenu2]; Abort [submenu3]; Display [submenu4]

It's a bit "brute force" and will result in diagnostic messages saying it can't abort a display that's not open, but it would mean you only ever had one submenu open at once.

 

[labeledas]

You could run VBA is using SE

 

[Suseh]

ASF at first, i used this way but it's not look very nice.
The red icon with white cross in diagnostic window doesn't look so cool Especially when i have ~50 submenu's.

labeledas,
SE? I will check this today in manual.

 

[rdrast]

What Factorytalk View are you using? ME or SE?
Why bother having the diagnostics window open at all? It is almost never needed for an operator, and you can read it remotely if you do need it. All FTView diagnostics just end up in the Windows Event Log (SE).

In SE, try adding the following to each submenu window's VBA code (assuming each submenu is a separate window):

Private Sub Display_Deactivate()

UnloadDisplay "ThisDisplayName.gfx"

End Sub

With that code, as soon as the user touches anywhere on the screen outside of the window, it will unload. Obviously, replace "ThisDisplayName.gfx" with the actual name of the display.

 

[Suseh]

What Factorytalk View are you using? ME or SE?

SE

Why bother having the diagnostics window open at all? It is almost never needed for an operator, and you can read it remotely if you do need it. All FTView diagnostics just end up in the Windows Event Log (SE)

In most cases that is true...i must rethink of having it on the screen.

And yes, my submenu's are separate windows.

I've tested your solution and it works perectly.
I think this solution is worth to remember for menu/submenu design.
Thanks.

 

[ASF]

Nice one rdrast, gonna have to remember that trick