Vijeo Designer 6.2 – attempt at advanced development

[bogu]

Greetings,
Not sure if this is the place for Vijeo questions.
I’m still new at Vijeo development. I’ve got the basics down – screens, child screens, popups, alarm, some minimal scripting, etc.

Is there a way to import screens into Vijeo? Import anything? I have about 80 analog devices, each with about 10 configurable parameters (hh, h, l, l, range calibration, etc.). As my Vijeo knowledge is basic, is there another solution to build this IO into the HMI? Scripting?

Eg: In Unity Pro, with the help of this forum, I learned how to import FBDs as its all XML driven. Excel builds all my FBDs for analog scaling and alarms. Huge time saver.

Cheers,

 

[Saffa]

Hello again,

You can export and import tags in CSV format, after manipulating in excel.

However you need to manually replace tag references in c screens etc. It's a bit painful.

It is possible to duplicate screens. But it's not object oriented, i.e. if you find a mistake in your template you now have to fix X number of copies individually

 

[Lare]

On vijeo you can use 4 different ways for this



Indirect addressing
Linked objects
Placeholders
Reference variables


Placeholder is maybe useful for this

You need first make base picture, where you draw all your objects.
Dynamize objects, but on dynamization make placeholder for every object on variable linking



HH could be something like $My_measure$.HH
H - $My_measure$.H
L - $My_measure$.L
etc.
$My_measure$ is placeholder


On variable you have to group your variable names
My_measure1.HH %M0
My_measure1.H %M1
My_measure1.L %M2

My_measure2.HH %M100
My_measure2.H %M101
My_measure2.L %M102


My_measure3.HH %M300
My_measure3.H %M301
My_measure3.L %M302


etc.



(Thinking that for placeholder variables don't even need same offset for addressing on PLC.)



After this group all objects which have placeholder. Copy this group to different page. (You can then delete you base for making grouped objects)




On object properties (copied object group) you have placeholder setting with three dots (...)
If you select that, then opens popup window where you tell which string replaces placeholder for that object and links to correct vaiables on PLC.

 

[Saffa]

Learnt something new today, I'd never seen Placeholders before...

Thanks Lare!

 

[Lare]

Youtube's Schneider channel have video of placeholders.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK9gJSmV2bk




Linked objects are described here
https://www.se.com/ww/en/faqs/FA236671/


Reference variables
https://www.se.com/au/en/faqs/FA264141/



(Referencing means that you construct part of variables names with online. Like opening popup first make popup dynamization to link pump1. For popup2 only button is referencing variables to pump2.

All popups have same common popup page, only reference variable value number or string value is changed when popup is opened.




All these 4 different ways can be used, it is only personal choice which one is easiest.




Variables and alarms can be imported and changed with excel (openoffice works better), it saves time if there is lot of variables


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRxDeqjyRls

 

[bogu]

Lare - thank you for posting those options. There is hope for me yet!
I'm going to review those concepts right away.
Best regards,

 

[bogu]

On vijeo you can use 4 different ways for this

Indirect addressing
Linked objects
Placeholders
Reference variables

Placeholder is maybe useful for this

You need first make base picture, where you draw all your objects.
Dynamize objects, but on dynamization make placeholder for every object on variable linking

HH could be something like $My_measure$.HH
H - $My_measure$.H
L - $My_measure$.L
etc.
$My_measure$ is placeholder

On variable you have to group your variable names
My_measure1.HH %M0
My_measure1.H %M1
My_measure1.L %M2

My_measure2.HH %M100
My_measure2.H %M101
My_measure2.L %M102

My_measure3.HH %M300
My_measure3.H %M301
My_measure3.L %M302
etc.

(Thinking that for placeholder variables don't even need same offset for addressing on PLC.)

After this group all objects which have placeholder. Copy this group to different page. (You can then delete you base for making grouped objects)

On object properties (copied object group) you have placeholder setting with three dots (...)
If you select that, then opens popup window where you tell which string replaces placeholder for that object and links to correct variables on PLC.

Nice – I’m presently trying out the 'placeholder' concept. A question please:

• Where is the association of $My_measure$ made to the external variable / address?
• I can see in Vijeo that all the address in each duplicated structure are blank – So do I fill this in?
  • Export variables from Vijeo, modify in excel, import back?
  • This is messy if the memory map changes…

Kind regards,

 

[Lare]

Nice – I’m presently trying out the 'placeholder' concept. A question please:

• Where is the association of $My_measure$ made to the external variable / address?
• I can see in Vijeo that all the address in each duplicated structure are blank – So do I fill this in?
  • Export variables from Vijeo, modify in excel, import back?
  • This is messy if the memory map changesÂ…

Kind regards,

Yes, you need make variables to point PLC addresses for every variables.



You can use 2 different ways.
construct user data type on Vijeo or make Folders and below them you make each measures variables as grouped.
(UDT and folder can used on animation as placeholder.)


It takes some time to group things, but if you have allready maded PLC program, you can take export variables from there, filter them on excel and change "_" to "." (dot) on variable names.

If variable memory address changes but you keep same names you need only import variables again to vijeo. Animation is linked with names and don't need modifications.

But if you change also variable names, then you need make modifacations also to pages/dynamisations.

From Unity and other PLC variables can also linked directly from PLC project to vijeo.
For placeholders to work then you need naming with dots and groups then also on PLC project.


Vijeo can also communicate with unallocated variables to Unity PLCs, but then linking variables is only way from Unity.


Also this data dictionary method needs linking variables every time again, when there is maded change (build) to Unity project, otherwise after PLC download panel don't communicate any more.


There is setting for automatic update for data dictionary after PLC build, but by default it is off on Unity settings.


And if you need modbus coms for scada, then data dictionary only helps at vijeo panels.


So yes, you need export / import with excel or openoffice, but you would need do that anyway even without placeholders.

 

[bogu]

Re-use same popup but with different variables.

Youtube's Schneider channel have video of placeholders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK9gJSmV2bk

Linked objects are described here
https://www.se.com/ww/en/faqs/FA236671/

Reference variables
https://www.se.com/au/en/faqs/FA264141/

(Referencing means that you construct part of variables names with online. Like opening popup first make popup dynamization to link pump1. For popup2 only button is referencing variables to pump2.

All popups have same common popup page, only reference variable value number or string value is changed when popup is opened.

All these 4 different ways can be used, it is only personal choice which one is easiest.

Variables and alarms can be imported and changed with excel (openoffice works better), it saves time if there is lot of variables

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRxDeqjyRls

Lare,
Again, thanks so much for the information above. I got the vijeo structure variables and the excel exports working. I have 104 of these structures...

Being referenced by all these buttons...

... wonderful.

May I request your recommendations for my next challenge? I know how to perform this next task, but I'm wondering if there is a more elegant way.

For each instrument, can I reuse the same popup? My intent is to permit the user to access additional parameters for each instrument, hopefully referencing the structure created above.
The popup launches from a button click. Is it possible to have the popup reference a structure?
Best regards,

 

[Lare]

I think that it should be possible.



You have allready panel and I think that analogInputDI is only changed by last numbers?


Or do you have 104 different panels now?


On buttons you can have several actions configured.


First on variables you need make referencing structure variables.



(Then on buttons first action move number 1,2,3,4 to ref_number variable depending which button is pressed)


On Scheider example number is adjusted directly from number field, but you can adjust number from scripts or buttons directly.


https://www.se.com/au/en/faqs/FA264141/




On second action on button you call your pop up to open. On pop up you have only close button (or also next and previous measurents which would add or subtract you reference number for measurents.)






If also letters are changing on variables, then you need to different reference objects. Thinking that another is String and other number (so reference structure have %s and %d (string and decimal formats) for making correct reference.


Then on buttons you need little script or move command before pop up open command.



So you need 2 or 3 actions on same button or one script and pop up open actions.








p.s If you have only panel pages and not pop ups, then it is also possible to change pages by page number. There is internal system variable for page change and it can also changed by PLC.
On that case you need 104 different panels on HMI and it would be easier if they are numbered 1,2,3,4,5...104 or 100..204 etc.


Pop up panels. I'm not sure if you can open them by page number. Probably that isn't possible.




With referencing variables and one pop up (or normal page) you can do it on one page or couple ones if there is more settings on some measurents.



There is many different ways for this on old vijeo designer.

 

[bogu]

Lare,
Just following up – thanks again for the guidance.

The structure/placeholder method is working = amazing.

Also on the process flow diagram (PFD), for each element/instrument I was able to enhance a bit more and apply the same structure/ placeholder above to display the: tag, value, units, alarm, etc.

As you suggested for pop-ups, using the ‘reference variable method’ worked well. On the HMI this permits the operator to change element parameters within the popup (sort of mirrors the information on the configuration screen). Initializing the variable set prior to launching the popup was the way to go. To bad the same structure that displays the values on the PFD can’t also be used in the pop-up…. Maybe is a version / program evolution type thing.

Now I can get fancy. For a Coriolis instrument on the PFD there are three elements layered over each other for density, flow, and temperature. The operator can toggle through all three as desired.

Moving on to VFD control using a NOC card and Modbus tcp/ip. More HMI structures to ensue.

Lare - Thanks for the guidance.
Great forum guys!

 

[lostcontrol]

Learnt something new today, I'd never seen Placeholders before...

Thanks Lare!

That is for sure!!
I always used an array & substituted the index, but this seems a much cleaner way (as long as it can work with a popup, which can’t see why not)

 

[Lare]

Lare,
Now I can get fancy. For a Coriolis instrument on the PFD there are three elements layered over each other for density, flow, and temperature. The operator can toggle through all three as desired.


Great forum guys!

Good :site:


Years ago I did something similar to unitronics small HMI. There was 4 different temperatures which didn't fit to small empty screen area.

I coded small delay 3-4s to PLC which increments index value from 1 to 4 and back to 1. Then copied different temperatures to 5th variable according index and showed names of temperatures by index number and value of that temperature. No need to toggle which value.