VIEWSE_UM004C_EN_E_Ttlpg.

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User’s Guide
Volume 1

Doc ID VIEWSE-UM004C-EN-E
Contacting Rockwell Technical Support Telephone—440-646-5800
Software Technical Support Fax—440-646-5801
World Wide Web—http://www.software.rockwell.com or http://
support.rockwellautomation.com

Copyright Notice © 2004 Rockwell Software Inc., a Rockwell Automation company. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Portions copyrighted by the Allen-Bradley Company, LLC, a Rockwell Automation Company.
This manual and any accompanying Rockwell Software products are copyrighted by Rockwell
Software Inc. Any reproduction and/or distribution without prior written consent from
Rockwell Software Inc. is strictly prohibited. Please refer to the license agreement for details.
VBA and DCOM, Copyright 1996, 1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

Trademark Notices Allen-Bradley, ControlLogix, RSLinx, RSView, and VersaView are registered trademarks, and
the Rockwell Software logo, RSLogix, RSTools, RSView Machine Edition, RSView ME Station,
RSView Studio, RSView Supervisory Edition, RSView32, A.I. Series, Advanced Interface (A.I.)
Series, ControlNet, Data Highway Plus, DH+, FactoryTalk, MobileView, Object Smart Path,
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OPC is a registered trademark of the OPC Foundation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

Warranty This Rockwell Software product is warranted in accord with the product license. The product’s
performance will be affected by system configuration, the application being performed, operator
control, and other related factors.
The product’s implementation may vary among users.
This manual is as up-to-date as possible at the time of printing; however, the accompanying
software may have changed since that time. Rockwell Software reserves the right to change any
information contained in this manual or the software at any time without prior notice.
The instructions in this manual do not claim to cover all the details or variations in the
equipment, procedure, or process described, nor to provide directions for meeting every possible
contingency during installation, operation, or maintenance.

Doc ID VIEWSE-UM004C-EN-E
September 2004
Contents
Preface ................................................................................................................................................... P-1
About the documentation ............................................................................ P-1
Finding the information you need .......................................................... P-2
Try the User’s Guide and Help first ......................................................................... P-2
Information on the Internet....................................................................................... P-2
Contacting Rockwell Software Technical Support ................................................. P-3

Chapter 1
Getting started ...............................................................................................................................1-1
The main parts of RSView Supervisory Edition ........................... 1-1
Features in brief ................................................................................................. 1-3
The RSView Enterprise tools .................................................................... 1-4
The Rockwell Software utilities ............................................................. 1-5
Quick Start steps ............................................................................................... 1-6
Start with a plan ........................................................................................................... 1-6

Chapter 2
Exploring RSView Studio ...................................................................................................2-1
Starting RSView Studio ................................................................................. 2-1
Opening an application ................................................................................. 2-2
Opening the Samples application.............................................................................. 2-2
Exploring the RSView Studio main window ................................... 2-3
The menu bar ............................................................................................................... 2-4
The toolbar ................................................................................................................... 2-4
The Application Explorer........................................................................................... 2-4
The workspace ............................................................................................................. 2-4

Contents Q i
 The Application tab......................................................................................................2-5
The Communications tab ............................................................................................2-5
The Diagnostics List ....................................................................................................2-5
The status bar ................................................................................................................2-6
Workbook mode...........................................................................................................2-7
Showing and hiding items in the main window .......................................................2-7

Working in the Application Explorer .....................................................2-8

Undocking the Application Explorer ........................................................................2-8

The parts of the Application Explorer .................................................2-9

Folders............................................................................................................................2-9
Editors ......................................................................................................................... 2-10
Components ............................................................................................................... 2-12

Working with application components ............................................ 2-13

Adding components to an application ................................................................... 2-13
Renaming, removing, and deleting components................................................... 2-14
Naming components................................................................................................. 2-15

Techniques for working in editors ...................................................... 2-16

Using the context menus .......................................................................................... 2-16
Using the Browse button.......................................................................................... 2-17
Using tag names ......................................................................................................... 2-17
Using RSView commands ........................................................................................ 2-17
Using expressions ...................................................................................................... 2-19

Printing.................................................................................................................... 2-19
Selecting a printer ...................................................................................................... 2-19
Setting up the printer ................................................................................................ 2-20
Selecting a network printer....................................................................................... 2-20
Printing at run time ................................................................................................... 2-20

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Chapter 3

Planning an application .......................................................................................................3-1

Understanding the process ........................................................................ 3-1

Planning the layout of the network ...................................................... 3-2

The Windows® domain or workgroup.................................................................... 3-2
The computers you’ll need ......................................................................................... 3-2
System requirements and installation........................................................................ 3-5

Planning redundancy....................................................................................... 3-5

Planning communications ........................................................................... 3-6

When to use HMI tags................................................................................................ 3-6

Designing an HMI tag database ............................................................. 3-7

Collect information...................................................................................................... 3-7
Organize HMI tags ..................................................................................................... 3-7
Planning alarms ............................................................................................................ 3-8

Collecting data .................................................................................................... 3-8

Designing graphic displays......................................................................... 3-9

Develop a hierarchy of displays................................................................................. 3-9
Create a template to ensure consistency................................................................... 3-9

Using trends ........................................................................................................ 3-11

Designing a secure system ...................................................................... 3-11

Customizing the system, and integrating with

other applications ........................................................................................... 3-12
Using data from other applications......................................................................... 3-12
Customizing the system ............................................................................................ 3-12

Designing a multi-user system............................................................... 3-13

Designing a system that is easy to deploy and maintain ... 3-13

Contents Q iii
Chapter 4
Setting up FactoryTalk Directory .............................................................................4-1

About FactoryTalk Directory ......................................................................4-1

Setting up FactoryTalk Directory ...........................................................4-3
FactoryTalk Directory setup for stand-alone applications .....................................4-3
FactoryTalk Directory setup for distributed applications ......................................4-3
What happens if FactoryTalk Directory is unavailable ...........4-6

Chapter 5
Working with distributed applications ...............................................................5-1

About distributed applications .................................................................5-1

Key concepts.........................................................................................................5-3
Areas ..................................................................................................... 5-3
Using absolute and relative references ......................................................................5-4
HMI server, HMI project, HMI client ....................................................................5-6
FactoryTalk Directory..................................................................................................5-6
Redundancy ...................................................................................................................5-7
Creating a distributed application .........................................................5-9
Working with distributed applications ............................................. 5-11
Adding and removing areas...................................................................................... 5-11
Adding an HMI server ............................................................................................. 5-11
When to use additional HMI or data servers........................................................ 5-13
Server restrictions ...................................................................................................... 5-14
Renaming an application .......................................................................................... 5-15
Deleting an application ............................................................................................. 5-15
Setting up HMI server properties ........................................................ 5-16
Specifying how the server starts up ........................................................................ 5-17
Changing the name of the host computer ............................................................. 5-18
Setting up HMI server redundancy ........................................................................ 5-19

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 Selecting the HMI server’s startup and shutdown components........................ 5-20
Setting up redundant HMI servers ...................................................... 5-21
Removing HMI servers ................................................................................ 5-22
Deleting HMI server project files........................................................................... 5-22
Starting and stopping HMI servers and components
manually ................................................................................................................. 5-23
Starting and stopping an HMI server’s components........................................... 5-23
Starting and stopping HMI services........................................................................ 5-23

Chapter 6
Working with stand-alone applications .............................................................6-1

About stand-alone applications .............................................................. 6-1

Key concepts ........................................................................................................ 6-2
HMI server, HMI project, HMI client ..................................................................... 6-2
FactoryTalk Directory................................................................................................. 6-2
Application, data server .............................................................................................. 6-3
Using references in stand-alone applications........................................................... 6-3
Creating an application ................................................................................. 6-4
Importing a project into a new application.............................................................. 6-5
Setting up HMI server properties .......................................................... 6-5
Specifying HMI server startup components............................................................ 6-5
Starting and stopping an HMI server’s components
manually ................................................................................................................... 6-7

Chapter 7
Setting up communications ............................................................................................7-1

About OPC communications ..................................................................... 7-1

Overview of OPC communications......................................................................... 7-2
Setting up communications ....................................................................... 7-3
About data servers ........................................................................................... 7-4

Contents Q v
 Types of data servers....................................................................................................7-5
Using multiple data servers .........................................................................................7-5
Adding OPC data servers ..............................................................................7-7
Setting up general properties ......................................................................................7-8
Setting up OPC data server redundancy ..................................................................7-9
Setting up advanced properties................................................................................ 7-10
Adding RSLinx Enterprise data servers .......................................... 7-11
Setting up general properties ................................................................................... 7-12
Setting up RSLinx Enterprise data server redundancy ........................................ 7-12
Setting up communications in RSLinx Enterprise ................... 7-14
Primary and Secondary tabs..................................................................................... 7-14
Removing data servers................................................................................ 7-16

Chapter 8
Working with tags ......................................................................................................................8-1
Tags and the HMI tag database ..............................................................8-1
When to use HMI tags.................................................................................................8-1
Data server tags, HMI tags, and their attributes .....................................................8-2
Basic steps for using tags.............................................................................................8-3
Using data server tags ...................................................................................8-4
Eliminate duplication ...................................................................................................8-4
Access to complex data ...............................................................................................8-4
Setting up data server tags...........................................................................................8-5
Using HMI tags ....................................................................................................8-5
Triggering alarms ..........................................................................................................8-5
Securing tag or device values ......................................................................................8-6
Manipulating data .........................................................................................................8-6
Storing values in RSView’s memory ..........................................................................8-7
Setting up HMI tags ....................................................................................................8-7
Browsing for tags ...............................................................................................8-7

vi Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Using the Tag Browser ............................................................................................... 8-9
Browsing for off-line tags from RSLinx................................................................. 8-10
Browsing for off-line tags in RSLinx Enterprise .................................................. 8-11
Browsing for off-line tags from other OPC servers ............................................ 8-12
Working with tags in the Tag Browser ............................................. 8-12
Displaying tags ........................................................................................................... 8-12
Showing or hiding tag descriptions......................................................................... 8-12
About the Selected Tag box..................................................................................... 8-12
Displaying tag properties .......................................................................................... 8-13
Filtering tags ............................................................................................................... 8-13
Creating, editing, and importing HMI tags ........................................................... 8-14
Using tag references..................................................................................... 8-15
Absolute references ................................................................................................... 8-15
Relative references ..................................................................................................... 8-15
The home area............................................................................................................ 8-16
Logging tag values ......................................................................................... 8-16

Chapter 9
Creating HMI tags .......................................................................................................................9-1

About HMI tags.................................................................................................. 9-1

HMI tag types............................................................................................................... 9-2
Data sources for HMI tags ....................................................................................... 9-2
Organizing HMI tags........................................................................................ 9-3
Naming HMI tags ....................................................................................................... 9-3
Using folders to group HMI tags ............................................................................. 9-4
Viewing tag statistics ................................................................................................... 9-4
Using the Tags editor ..................................................................................... 9-5
Using the Accept and Discard buttons .................................................................... 9-6
Using the form ............................................................................................................. 9-6
Using the query box .................................................................................................... 9-6

Contents Q vii
 Using the folder hierarchy ...........................................................................................9-7
Creating, editing, duplicating, and deleting tags ........................9-7
Specifying a data source ..............................................................................9-9
Specifying Device as the data source.........................................................................9-9
Specifying Memory as the data source ................................................................... 9-10
Creating HMI tags without using the Tags editor ................... 9-11
Creating tags in a third-party application ............................................................... 9-11
Creating tags as needed in other RSView editors ................................................. 9-12
Importing tags from a PLC database...................................................................... 9-12
Using the Tag Import and Export Wizard ............................................................ 9-14
Adding alarms to HMI tags ...................................................................... 9-14

Chapter 10
Creating derived tags...........................................................................................................10-1
About derived tags ......................................................................................... 10-1
How to use derived tags ........................................................................................... 10-2
How to use multiple derived tag components ...................................................... 10-2
Setting up derived tags ............................................................................... 10-2
Using the Derived Tags editor ............................................................... 10-2
Using the Check Syntax button............................................................................... 10-4
Using the Accept and Discard buttons .................................................................. 10-4
Creating a derived tags component................................................... 10-4
About the maximum update rate ......................................................... 10-5
Starting and stopping derived tag processing ........................... 10-5
Ways to start derived tag processing....................................................................... 10-6
Ways to stop derived tag processing....................................................................... 10-7

Chapter 11
Creating alarms...........................................................................................................................11-1
About RSView Supervisory Edition alarms ................................... 11-1

viii Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Summary of features.................................................................................................. 11-2
Setting up alarms for an application ................................................. 11-3
Key concepts ...................................................................................................... 11-4
Alarms for analog HMI tags.................................................................................... 11-4
Alarms for digital HMI tags..................................................................................... 11-8
Alarm severity............................................................................................................. 11-9
Alarm messages.......................................................................................................... 11-9
Alarm log file .............................................................................................................. 11-9
Alarm displays .......................................................................................................... 11-10
Alarm acknowledgment .......................................................................................... 11-13
Alarm suppression ................................................................................................... 11-14
Alarm functions in expressions ............................................................................. 11-14
Acknowledge bit ...................................................................................................... 11-16
Handshake bit........................................................................................................... 11-17
Switching handshaking on...................................................................................... 11-17
Alarm events............................................................................................................. 11-17
Setting up general alarm behavior .................................................... 11-20
Setting up alarm monitoring................................................................................... 11-21
Setting up alarm severities ...................................................................................... 11-23
Setting up alarm messages ...................................................................................... 11-24
Setting up alarm conditions for HMI tags .................................... 11-26
Setting up alarms for analog tags........................................................................... 11-28
Setting up alarms for digital tags............................................................................ 11-28
Setting up alarm logging .......................................................................... 11-28
Specifying when log files are created .................................................................... 11-29
Specifying when log files are deleted ................................................................... 11-30
Setting up logging to a central database ............................................................... 11-31
Exporting alarm log files manually to ODBC format....................................... 11-31
Adding remarks to the alarm log file at run time................................................ 11-32
Suppressing alarm printing ..................................................................................... 11-33

Contents Q ix
 Suppressing alarm logging...................................................................................... 11-34
Using the Suppressed List ..................................................................................... 11-34
Viewing alarm log files .............................................................................. 11-35
Using the alarm log viewer at run time ................................................................ 11-36
About alarm log files ............................................................................................... 11-36
Setting up security to log alarms remotely ................................ 11-37
Creating an alarm summary .................................................................. 11-39
Creating an alarm summary object........................................................................ 11-40
The parts of an alarm summary............................................................................. 11-40
Inserting headings.................................................................................................... 11-40
Choosing fonts......................................................................................................... 11-41
Choosing colors and blink styles........................................................................... 11-42
Selecting buttons...................................................................................................... 11-42
Choosing data........................................................................................................... 11-43
Sorting data............................................................................................................... 11-46
Running commands, macros, or custom programs in response
to alarms.................................................................................................................... 11-47
Using alarm data with commands ......................................................................... 11-48
Viewing the area name in tag names..................................................................... 11-51
Starting and stopping alarm monitoring ....................................... 11-51
Ways to start alarm monitoring at the HMI server............................................ 11-52
Ways to stop alarm monitoring ............................................................................. 11-52

Chapter 12
Logging system activity ....................................................................................................12-1

About FactoryTalk Diagnostics ............................................................. 12-1

Summary of steps ........................................................................................... 12-2
Key concepts...................................................................................................... 12-2
Destinations................................................................................................................ 12-3
Message routing ......................................................................................................... 12-4

x Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Message categories..................................................................................................... 12-4
Setting up FactoryTalk Diagnostics in RSView ......................... 12-6
Logging to a central database................................................................................... 12-7
Setting up message buffering ................................................................................... 12-8
Setting up message routing....................................................................................... 12-9
Using the Diagnostics List ...................................................................... 12-10
Hiding, showing, and moving the Diagnostics List............................................ 12-10
Messages in the Diagnostics List........................................................................... 12-11
Viewing FactoryTalk Diagnostics log files.................................. 12-12
Using the Diagnostics Viewer at run time ........................................................... 12-13
Setting up security to log system activity to a
remote computer ........................................................................................... 12-13

Chapter 13
Using data logging .................................................................................................................. 13-1

About data logging ......................................................................................... 13-1

About data log models .............................................................................................. 13-2
Using multiple data log models ............................................................................... 13-2
About data log storage formats ............................................................ 13-2
Log file sets ................................................................................................................. 13-3
ODBC database storage format ............................................................................. 13-4
Creating data log models ........................................................................... 13-4
Opening the Data Log Models editor .................................................................... 13-5
Specifying the storage format .................................................................................. 13-5
Setting up log paths ................................................................................................... 13-6
Setting up and managing data log files ................................................................... 13-7
Specifying when to log data...................................................................................... 13-8
Choosing the data to be logged ............................................................................... 13-8
Editing the data log model ........................................................................ 13-8
Changing log paths using the RSView Administration Console ........................ 13-9

Contents Q xi
 Working with ODBC data sources ....................................................... 13-9
Using an existing ODBC data source.................................................................... 13-9
Creating a new ODBC data source...................................................................... 13-10
Switching log paths at run time.......................................................... 13-10
Using the DataLogSwitchBack command ........................................................... 13-11
Using the DataLogMergeToPrimary command ................................................. 13-12
Using the DataLogNewFile command ................................................................ 13-13
Using the DataLogSnapshot command ............................................................... 13-14
Combining logging .................................................................................................. 13-15
Providing a way to log on demand ....................................................................... 13-15
Setting up security to log data to a remote computer ....... 13-15
Making runtime changes without editing the
data log model ................................................................................................. 13-18
Starting and stopping data logging .................................................. 13-18
Ways to start data logging....................................................................................... 13-18
Ways to stop data logging....................................................................................... 13-19
Displaying historical data in a trend ............................................... 13-20

Chapter 14
Using events ...................................................................................................................................14-1
About events ....................................................................................................... 14-1
How to use multiple events components .............................................................. 14-2
Setting up events ............................................................................................ 14-2
Using the Events editor .............................................................................. 14-3
Using the Check Syntax button............................................................................... 14-3
Using the Accept and Discard buttons .................................................................. 14-4
Creating an events component ............................................................. 14-4
About the maximum update rate ......................................................... 14-5
Editing events .................................................................................................... 14-5
Starting and stopping event processing ......................................... 14-5

xii Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Ways to start event processing................................................................................. 14-5
Ways to stop event processing................................................................................. 14-6

Chapter 15
Setting up security ................................................................................................................. 15-1
How security works ....................................................................................... 15-1
Security codes ............................................................................................................. 15-2
Before you begin, make lists .................................................................................... 15-2
Summary of the steps to set up security ....................................... 15-2
Finding your way around ............................................................................ 15-4
Setting up user accounts ........................................................................... 15-5
Ensuring the administrator always has access ....................................................... 15-6
Setting up default access ........................................................................................... 15-6
Adding users or groups............................................................................................. 15-7
Removing users or groups........................................................................................ 15-8
Assigning security codes to users or groups.......................................................... 15-9
Assigning login and logout macros ....................................................................... 15-10
Setting up security for commands and macros ....................... 15-10
The Unspecified_Command .................................................................................. 15-11
Setting up security by inclusion ............................................................................. 15-12
Setting up security by exclusion............................................................................. 15-13
Assigning security to a graphic display ........................................ 15-13
Assigning security to an OLE object ............................................... 15-15
Assigning security to an HMI tag ...................................................... 15-16
Preventing users from modifying an application .................... 15-17
Locking users into the RSView SE client environment...... 15-17
Logging in and out ........................................................................................ 15-18
Logging in at run time............................................................................................. 15-18
Logging out at run time .......................................................................................... 15-19
Changing passwords at run time ........................................................................... 15-20

Contents Q xiii
Chapter 16
Creating graphic displays ...............................................................................................16-1
About graphic displays and graphic objects ............................... 16-1
Importing and exporting graphic display XML files............................................ 16-2
About the Graphic Displays editor ...................................................... 16-2
Using the Object Explorer ....................................................................................... 16-4
Using the Property Panel.......................................................................................... 16-5
Basic editing techniques ........................................................................... 16-6
Zooming in and out .................................................................................................. 16-6
Using the grid ............................................................................................................. 16-7
Using the toolbars...................................................................................................... 16-7
Selecting a drawing tool ............................................................................................ 16-8
Selecting and deselecting objects............................................................................. 16-8
Using the context menu............................................................................................ 16-9
Working with objects .................................................................................... 16-9
Duplicating objects.................................................................................................... 16-9
Reshaping objects .................................................................................................... 16-10
Resizing objects........................................................................................................ 16-10
Arranging objects..................................................................................................... 16-11
Flipping objects........................................................................................................ 16-16
Rotating objects ....................................................................................................... 16-17
Grouping objects ..................................................................................................... 16-17
Ungrouping objects ................................................................................................. 16-19
Editing grouped objects.......................................................................................... 16-19
Applying colors ........................................................................................................ 16-20
Applying pattern styles............................................................................................ 16-21
Changing line properties......................................................................................... 16-22
Assigning tags and expressions to objects ........................................................... 16-22
Using tag substitution to replace text associated with objects.......................... 16-23
Testing graphic displays.......................................................................................... 16-24

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 Testing the appearance of objects in different states ......................................... 16-24
Naming graphic objects .......................................................................................... 16-25
Adding tooltips to objects ...................................................................................... 16-26
Creating a background for a display...................................................................... 16-27
Importing graphic files from third-party applications ......... 16-27
Converting imported objects to RSView native objects.................................... 16-28
Using bitmaps .................................................................................................. 16-28
When a bitmap could help ..................................................................................... 16-30
Using graphic libraries .............................................................................. 16-30
Location of library files ........................................................................................... 16-30
Using tag placeholders ............................................................................. 16-31
Replacing tag placeholders using a parameter file .............................................. 16-32
Assigning parameter files to graphic displays ...................................................... 16-33
Replacing tag placeholders using parameters with the Display command ..... 16-33
Setting up runtime appearance and behavior for a
graphic display .............................................................................................. 16-35
Using the Display Settings dialog box .................................................................. 16-35
Changing the default display settings.................................................................... 16-35
Setting up display properties .................................................................................. 16-36
.................................................................................................................................... 16-43
Displaying graphics more quickly.......................................................................... 16-45
Printing displays at run time ................................................................. 16-46

Chapter 17
Setting up graphic objects ............................................................................................ 17-1

Types of graphic objects ............................................................................ 17-1

Creating drawing objects .......................................................................... 17-2
Tips for creating drawing objects ....................................................... 17-2
Drawing a rectangle or square ................................................................................. 17-2
Drawing a rounded rectangle................................................................................... 17-3

Contents Q xv
 Drawing a polyline or polygon ................................................................................ 17-3
Drawing an ellipse or circle...................................................................................... 17-4
Drawing an arc or wedge.......................................................................................... 17-5
Changing the properties of drawing objects ............................... 17-5
Working with text ............................................................................................ 17-6
Choosing a font.......................................................................................................... 17-6
Adding an image to a graphic display .............................................. 17-7
Pasting images into graphic displays....................................................................... 17-8
Adding images to an application ............................................................................. 17-8
Placing images in graphic displays........................................................................... 17-9
Creating a panel ............................................................................................... 17-9
Creating objects that use data .............................................................. 17-9
Objects described in other chapters ..................................................................... 17-10
Using tag names ....................................................................................................... 17-10
Setting up properties common to all graphic objects ........ 17-10
Using the keyboard to navigate to and select objects ...... 17-11
What input focus looks like ................................................................................... 17-11
Using the keys on the keyboard or keypad.......................................................... 17-12
Removing objects from the tab sequence............................................................ 17-12
How to use push buttons ......................................................................... 17-13
Setting up push buttons ........................................................................... 17-14
Creating button push buttons............................................................... 17-14
Setting up the button’s appearance, and how it works at run time.................. 17-15
Setting up the button’s action................................................................................ 17-16
Setting up what the button looks like when it is not pressed ........................... 17-16
Setting up what the button looks like when it is pressed .................................. 17-16
Creating momentary push buttons ................................................... 17-16
The error state.......................................................................................................... 17-17
Setting up the appearance and action of the momentary push button ........... 17-18

xvi Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Setting up what the momentary push button does when it is pressed
and released............................................................................................................... 17-18
Connecting the momentary push button to data................................................ 17-18
Creating maintained push buttons .................................................... 17-18
The error state .......................................................................................................... 17-19
Setting up the appearance of the maintained push button................................ 17-20
Setting up what the maintained push button does when it is pressed
and released............................................................................................................... 17-20
Connecting the maintained push button to data................................................. 17-20
Creating latched push buttons ............................................................ 17-20
The error state .......................................................................................................... 17-21
Setting up the appearance of the latched push button....................................... 17-22
Setting up what the latched push button does when it is latched
and unlatched ........................................................................................................... 17-22
Connecting the latched push button to data ....................................................... 17-22
Creating multistate push buttons ...................................................... 17-22
The error state .......................................................................................................... 17-23
Setting up the appearance of the multistate push button .................................. 17-24
Setting up what the multistate push button does when it is pressed
and released............................................................................................................... 17-24
Setting up whether the multistate push button repeats when held down....... 17-24
Connecting the multistate push button to data................................................... 17-24
Creating interlocked push buttons ................................................... 17-24
Setting up the appearance of the interlocked push button................................ 17-25
Setting up what the interlocked push button does when it is pressed
and released............................................................................................................... 17-26
Connecting the interlocked push button to data ................................................ 17-26
Creating ramp push buttons .................................................................. 17-26
Setting up the appearance and action of the ramp button ................................ 17-27
Setting up a caption and image for the ramp button ......................................... 17-28
Setting up whether the ramp button repeats when held down......................... 17-28

Contents Q xvii
 Connecting the ramp button to data .................................................................... 17-28
Creating numeric or string fields ....................................................... 17-28
Creating numeric or string input fields................................................................. 17-28
Using input fields at run time ............................................................... 17-30
Updating tag values continuously ......................................................................... 17-30
Keys ........................................................................................................................... 17-31
RSView commands ................................................................................................. 17-32
Using the on-screen keyboard ............................................................................... 17-33
How to use indicators ................................................................................ 17-34
How to use the States tab for indicators.............................................................. 17-34
How to use Least Significant Bits to trigger states ............................................. 17-35
How to use the Connections tab for indicators.................................................. 17-35
Creating multistate indicators ............................................................. 17-35
Creating symbol indicators .................................................................... 17-36
Creating list indicators.............................................................................. 17-36
How to use gauges and graphs ........................................................... 17-36
Using gauges to show limits................................................................................... 17-36
Using graphs to compare values............................................................................ 17-38
Creating gauges ............................................................................................. 17-39
Creating bar graphs ..................................................................................... 17-39
Creating scales ............................................................................................... 17-39
How to use keys ............................................................................................. 17-40
Using the Key objects ............................................................................................. 17-40
Using keys with the object that has focus............................................................ 17-41
Creating keys ................................................................................................... 17-42
Setting up whether the key repeats when held down......................................... 17-42
Creating advanced objects .................................................................... 17-42
Objects described in other chapters ..................................................................... 17-43
Creating arrows .............................................................................................. 17-43

xviii Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Creating tag labels ....................................................................................... 17-44
Creating time and date displays ......................................................... 17-45
Creating display list selectors ............................................................. 17-45
Understanding the States tab for display list selectors ....................................... 17-45
How to use local message displays ................................................. 17-45
What is displayed at run time................................................................................. 17-46
Creating local message displays ....................................................... 17-46
Creating local messages .......................................................................... 17-47
Creating a recipe object ........................................................................... 17-49
Creating a recipe file .................................................................................. 17-49
Using a recipe at run time ...................................................................... 17-51
Choosing between piloted control list selectors and
control list selectors ................................................................................... 17-52
How to use control list selectors....................................................... 17-53
How control list selectors work at run time ........................................................ 17-53
Creating control list selectors ............................................................. 17-55
How to use piloted control list selectors ..................................... 17-55
How piloted control list selectors work at run time........................................... 17-56
How to use the States tab for piloted control list selectors .............................. 17-57
How to use the Connections tab for piloted control list selectors .................. 17-58
Creating piloted control list selectors ........................................... 17-61
Using OLE objects ........................................................................................ 17-62
Creating OLE objects ............................................................................................. 17-63
Converting OLE objects........................................................................................ 17-63
Using ActiveX objects ................................................................................ 17-64
When exchanging data with tags, use the same data type ................................. 17-64
ActiveX properties, methods, and events ............................................................ 17-64
Creating ActiveX objects ........................................................................................ 17-65
Making ActiveX objects interact with RSView ................................................... 17-66

Contents Q xix
 Using VBA code to make ActiveX objects interact with RSView................... 17-66
Using the ActiveX toolbox .................................................................................... 17-66
Deploying ActiveX components automatically
at run time .......................................................................................................... 17-67
Recording and authorizing run-time changes using
electronic signatures ................................................................................. 17-67
Securing tag writes, commands, and downloads ................................................ 17-68
Creating signature buttons ..................................................................................... 17-69
Securing objects in displays.................................................................................... 17-70
Tracking changes with FactoryTalk™ Diagnostics............................................ 17-70
Using the signature button for compliance with regulated
manufacturing applications .................................................................................... 17-70

Chapter 18
Animating graphic objects .............................................................................................18-1

Types of animation ......................................................................................... 18-1

Using the Animation dialog box ............................................................ 18-2
Working with the Animation dialog box ............................................................... 18-3
Using Object Smart Path to set animation visually .............................................. 18-4
Testing animation ........................................................................................... 18-4
Using tag names and tag placeholders ........................................... 18-5
Tag names ................................................................................................................... 18-5
Tag placeholders ........................................................................................................ 18-5
Using commands and macros ................................................................ 18-5
Using expressions .......................................................................................... 18-6
Setting the range of tag values for animating an object .... 18-6
Defining a range of motion for an object ........................................ 18-7
Animation that does not use a range of motion ................................................... 18-7
Using Object Smart Path.......................................................................................... 18-7
Using visibility animation .......................................................................... 18-8

xx Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Using color animation .................................................................................. 18-8
Using fill animation ...................................................................................... 18-11
Using horizontal position animation ................................................ 18-12
Using vertical position animation...................................................... 18-12
Using width animation ............................................................................... 18-12
Using height animation ............................................................................. 18-13
Using rotation animation ......................................................................... 18-13
Setting up rotation animation ................................................................................ 18-13
Using touch animation ............................................................................... 18-15
Using horizontal slider animation ...................................................... 18-15
Using vertical slider animation ........................................................... 18-15
Using OLE verb animation ...................................................................... 18-16
Attaching other types of animation to OLE objects ......................................... 18-16
Animating ActiveX controls ................................................................... 18-16
Naming ActiveX objects......................................................................................... 18-17
Connecting tags to an ActiveX object’s properties .............. 18-18
Connecting tags to an object’s methods ...................................... 18-19
Viewing an object’s methods ................................................................................. 18-19
Using the Invoke command to call a method ..................................................... 18-19
Connecting tags to an ActiveX object’s events ...................... 18-20
Using VBA code to make ActiveX objects interact with RSView .................. 18-21
Associating objects and displays with keys .............................. 18-21
Using object keys .......................................................................................... 18-22
Using index numbers to navigate to objects ............................. 18-23
How tab index numbers work ............................................................................... 18-23
Checking an object’s index number ...................................................................... 18-24
Changing index numbers ........................................................................................ 18-25
Creating a tab sequence .......................................................................................... 18-25
Using the Current [tag] parameter with object keys ........... 18-26

Contents Q xxi
 Summary of steps .................................................................................................... 18-26
Three examples ........................................................................................................ 18-27
Using display keys ........................................................................................ 18-29
Viewing the key list at run time.......................................................... 18-30
Disabling the key list ............................................................................................... 18-31
Applying animation to groups ............................................................... 18-31
Checking the animation on objects ................................................. 18-31
Copying or duplicating objects with animation ....................... 18-32
Copying animation without copying objects ............................. 18-32

Chapter 19
Setting up trends .......................................................................................................................19-1

About trends ....................................................................................................... 19-1

Current versus historical data .................................................................................. 19-2
Creating trend objects ................................................................................. 19-3
Setting up trends ............................................................................................. 19-4
The parts of a trend ....................................................................................... 19-5
Chart ............................................................................................................................ 19-5
Chart title .................................................................................................................... 19-6
X-axis........................................................................................................................... 19-6
X-axis legend .............................................................................................................. 19-6
Y-axis ........................................................................................................................... 19-6
Y-axis legend .............................................................................................................. 19-6
Pens.............................................................................................................................. 19-7
Legends ....................................................................................................................... 19-7
Pen icons..................................................................................................................... 19-8
Pen markers ................................................................................................................ 19-8
Value Bar................................................................................................................... 19-10
Trend chart types .......................................................................................... 19-11

xxii Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Standard Chart.......................................................................................................... 19-11
XY Plot Chart .......................................................................................................... 19-12
Isolated graphing...................................................................................................... 19-13
Plotting a value across the full width of the chart .............................................. 19-14
Choosing trend colors, fonts, lines, and markers .................. 19-14
Changing the trend highlight color ....................................................................... 19-15
Changing the trend object background ................................................................ 19-16
Displaying a current value legend ..................................................... 19-16
Displaying a line legend ............................................................................ 19-17
Using shading to compare pens ......................................................... 19-18
Comparing real-time and historical data ...................................... 19-22
Setting up snapshots and overlays......................................................................... 19-22
Using trend templates ............................................................................... 19-23
Applying a consistent appearance to trend charts .............................................. 19-24
Creating a set of different views for the same data ............................................ 19-24
Returning to a standard display ............................................................................. 19-24
Saving pen attribute data ........................................................................................ 19-24
Loading templates.................................................................................................... 19-25
Loading templates at run time ............................................................................... 19-25
Using the Trend graphic library .......................................................... 19-26
Testing trends .................................................................................................. 19-26
Using trends at run time........................................................................... 19-27
Collecting data in the background at run time .................................................... 19-27
Selecting pens at run time....................................................................................... 19-29
Changing the trend properties at run time........................................................... 19-29
Using scrolling options at run time....................................................................... 19-30
Using the value bar at run time.............................................................................. 19-31
Using the delta value bar at run time .................................................................... 19-33
Using zoom at run time .......................................................................................... 19-34
Using pan at run time.............................................................................................. 19-34

Contents Q xxiii
 Using the arrow keys at run time .......................................................................... 19-35
Printing the trend chart at run time ...................................................................... 19-36
Using overlays at run time...................................................................................... 19-36
Fixing run-time errors............................................................................................. 19-37

Chapter 20
Creating expressions ...........................................................................................................20-1

About expressions .......................................................................................... 20-1

Where you can use expressions ............................................................................... 20-1
Using expressions in a command............................................................................ 20-2
Expression components ........................................................................................... 20-2
Creating expressions .................................................................................... 20-3
Expression buttons.................................................................................................... 20-4
Using the Check Syntax button............................................................................... 20-4
Cutting, copying, and pasting expressions............................................................. 20-4
Formatting expressions............................................................................................. 20-5
Using tag names and tag placeholders in expressions ....... 20-5
Using area names with tag names ........................................................................... 20-6
Using tag placeholders instead of tag names......................................................... 20-6
Using constants in expressions............................................................ 20-6
Using operators in expressions ............................................................ 20-7
Arithmetic operators ................................................................................................. 20-7
Relational operators................................................................................................... 20-8
Logical operators ....................................................................................................... 20-9
Bitwise operators ....................................................................................................... 20-9
Evaluation order of operators ............................................................................... 20-11
Using built-in functions in expressions ......................................... 20-13
Tag functions............................................................................................................ 20-14
Time functions ......................................................................................................... 20-17
File functions............................................................................................................ 20-20

xxiv Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Math functions ......................................................................................................... 20-20
Security functions .................................................................................................... 20-21
Using if-then-else logic in expressions ......................................... 20-22
Nested if-then-else ................................................................................................. 20-23

Chapter 21
Creating embedded variables .................................................................................... 21-1
About embedded variables ....................................................................... 21-1
Where you can create embedded variables ................................. 21-2
Creating embedded variables ................................................................. 21-2
Embedded variable syntax........................................................................ 21-3
Numeric embedded variable syntax ........................................................................ 21-3
String embedded variable syntax ............................................................................. 21-4
Time and date embedded variable syntax .............................................................. 21-5
How embedded variables are updated at run time ................. 21-6
How embedded variables are displayed at run time.............. 21-6
Numeric embedded variables................................................................................... 21-7
String embedded variables........................................................................................ 21-7
Time and date embedded variables......................................................................... 21-8

Chapter 22
Creating macros ........................................................................................................................ 22-1
About macros ..................................................................................................... 22-1

Macro syntax ...................................................................................................... 22-2

Using parameters ....................................................................................................... 22-3

Typing macro names that contain spaces .............................................................. 22-4

Nesting macros........................................................................................................... 22-5

Running macros ................................................................................................ 22-5

Creating a macro that runs when an HMI server starts...................................... 22-5

Contents Q xxv
Chapter 23
Setting up navigation ...........................................................................................................23-1
About navigation .............................................................................................. 23-1
Developing a hierarchy of displays .................................................... 23-1
Ways of moving among displays........................................................... 23-2
Commands for moving among displays................................................................. 23-3
Reducing display call-up time .................................................................................. 23-4
Where to use RSView commands........................................................................... 23-4
Examples of navigation methods......................................................... 23-5
Using keys ............................................................................................................ 23-7
General rules about precedence .............................................................................. 23-7
Precedence and the F1 key ...................................................................................... 23-8
Precedence and embedded ActiveX objects ......................................................... 23-8
Precedence and embedded OLE objects .............................................................. 23-9
Reserved keys ............................................................................................................. 23-9
Creating client keys .................................................................................... 23-12
Running client key components ......................................................... 23-12

Chapter 24
Using the SE client object model and display code .........................24-1
Using VBA with RSView ............................................................................. 24-1
The VBA integrated development environment ........................ 24-2
Opening the VBA IDE ............................................................................................ 24-3
Parts of the VBA IDE ............................................................................................. 24-3
Quick Start steps............................................................................................. 24-4
About procedures ...................................................................................................... 24-5
How VBA code runs ................................................................................................ 24-5
The RSView SE client object model .................................................. 24-5
Viewing the objects ................................................................................................... 24-9

xxvi Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Getting Help on RSView Display Client objects ...................... 24-10
Using VBA Help .............................................................................................. 24-11
VBA documentation............................................................................................... 24-11

Chapter 25
Setting up a redundant system ................................................................................ 25-1
About redundancy ........................................................................................... 25-1
Setting up a redundant RSView SE system ......................... 25-2
HMI redundancy as part of a complete strategy ...................... 25-3
Protecting against software failures................................................. 25-4
Considering redundancy options ........................................................ 25-6
About failure of FactoryTalk Directory ................................................................. 25-7
Redundant HMI servers ........................................................................................... 25-8
Redundant data servers ........................................................................................... 25-10
Planning the layout of a redundant system ................................ 25-12
An application with a single redundant pair of HMI servers ......................... 25-12
An application with two redundant pairs of HMI servers................................ 25-14
Licensing in a redundant system ....................................................... 25-14
FactoryTalk Directory computer........................................................................... 25-14
RSView SE server software.................................................................................... 25-14
OPC Servers............................................................................................................. 25-15
RSView SE clients ................................................................................................... 25-15

Chapter 26
Deploying distributed applications...................................................................... 26-1
About deploying distributed applications ...................................... 26-1
Overview of deploying distributed applications ........................ 26-2
Setting up the FactoryTalk Directory ............................................... 26-4
Moving the application files ..................................................................... 26-4
Specifying the location of FactoryTalk Directory .................... 26-5

Contents Q xxvii
 Moving HMI project files ............................................................................ 26-6
Copying an HMI server that is not running .......................................................... 26-6
Copying an HMI server while it is running ........................................................... 26-7
Changing HMI server properties .......................................................... 26-8
Starting and stopping HMI server components manually.26-10
Starting and stopping HMI services manually .......................... 26-11
Synchronizing servers and projects................................................. 26-12
Moving data server files ........................................................................... 26-13
Files for RSLinx Enterprise ................................................................................... 26-13
Files for RSLinx for RSView ................................................................................. 26-13
Changing data server properties........................................................ 26-14
Setting up RSView SE clients ............................................................... 26-15
Copying client setup files........................................................................................ 26-16
Opening RSView SE clients ................................................................... 26-16
Opening the RSView SE client automatically when Windows starts .............. 26-18
Opening multiple clients......................................................................................... 26-18
How server components start and stop ............................................................... 26-19

Chapter 27
Deploying stand-alone applications ....................................................................27-1
About deploying stand-alone applications .................................... 27-1
Overview of deploying stand-alone applications...................... 27-2
Moving stand-alone applications ......................................................... 27-3
Changing HMI server properties .......................................................... 27-3
Starting and stopping HMI server components manually . 27-4
Moving data server files ............................................................................. 27-5
Changing data server properties.......................................................... 27-5
Setting up RSView SE clients ................................................................. 27-5
Opening RSView SE clients ..................................................................... 27-7

xxviii Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Opening the RSView SE client automatically when Windows starts ................ 27-8
How server components start and stop ................................................................. 27-8

Chapter 28
Administering applications ........................................................................................... 28-1
About administering applications ........................................................ 28-1
Administering an application .................................................................. 28-2
Specifying time, date, and number formats ................................. 28-3
Backing up or restoring stand-alone applications ................. 28-3
Monitoring disk space on HMI servers ............................................. 28-4

Chapter A
RSView commands ..................................................................................................................A-1
Using RSView commands ........................................................................... A-1
Where to use commands ........................................................................................... A-1
How to use commands .............................................................................................. A-1
Using placeholders in commands............................................................................. A-2
Precedence ................................................................................................................... A-4
Where commands run................................................................................................ A-4
Using absolute and relative references ........................................... A-6
How relative references are resolved ....................................................................... A-7
Creating symbols .............................................................................................. A-8
Important guidelines ................................................................................................ A-10
Using the command line ............................................................................ A-10
Using the Command Wizard .................................................................... A-11

Chapter B
Setting up DDE communications for HMI tags.........................................B-1
About DDE communications .....................................................................B-1
Overview of DDE communications .......................................................B-2

Contents Q xxix
 Summary of steps .............................................................................................B-2
Creating an HMI tag that uses DDE ....................................................B-3
Specifying Device as the data source........................................................................B-3
Syntax for DDE addresses.........................................................................................B-4
Scanning for new tag values .....................................................................B-4

Chapter C
ODBC database schemas ................................................................................................. C-1
FactoryTalk™ Diagnostics log table ....................................................C-1
Alarm log table ....................................................................................................C-2
Data log tables ....................................................................................................C-5

Chapter D
Exporting text from an application for translation ............................ D-1
About exporting text for translation ................................................... D-1
Text that you cannot export .................................................................... D-2
Text that is part of the software ............................................................................... D-2
Text that is displayed at run time, but cannot be exported.................................. D-3
Text that is not displayed at run time, and cannot be exported .......................... D-4
Exporting text ..................................................................................................... D-5
Importing text ..................................................................................................... D-6
Troubleshooting import problems ........................................................ D-7
Common errors and their causes ............................................................................. D-8
Information for translators ........................................................................ D-9
File name and format ............................................................................................... D-10
Opening the text file in Microsoft Excel .............................................................. D-10
Saving the text file in Microsoft Excel .................................................................. D-11
Differences in file format for files saved in Excel............................................... D-11
Saving the Unicode text file in Notepad ............................................................... D-12
File schema ................................................................................................................ D-12

xxx Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Working with pairs of double quotes ....................................................................D-13
Working with backslashes and new-line characters.............................................D-14

Chapter E
Importing and exporting XML files ........................................................................E-1
About XML ..............................................................................................................E-1
Creating XML files by exporting .............................................................E-1
Editing XML files ................................................................................................E-2
Saving XML files in Notepad ....................................................................................E-3
Testing XML files ........................................................................................................E-3
Importing XML files ..........................................................................................E-4
Error log file .................................................................................................................E-4
Importing graphic display XML files........................................................................E-4
Graphic display XML file structure .......................................................E-5

Index .......................................................................................................................................................... I-1

Contents Q xxxi
P Preface
RSView® Supervisory Edition™ is a member of the RSView Enterprise
Series family of products. It is an integrated package for developing and
running multi-user, distributed-server human-machine interface
applications. RSView Supervisory Edition is designed for automated
process or machine monitoring, and supervisory control.

Designed for use with Microsoft® Windows® 2003 Server and

Windows XP, RSView Supervisory Edition gives you all the tools you
need to create effective monitoring and supervisory control
applications.

About the documentation

The RSView Supervisory Edition documentation set includes:

Release Notes: Information to read before you begin installing or

working with the software.

RSView Supervisory Edition Installation Guide: A guide to installing and

activating the various components of RSView Supervisory Edition.

RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide, Part 1 and RSView Supervisory

Edition User’s Guide, Part 2: Comprehensive information about RSView
Supervisory Edition, procedures for creating and running an
automation application, and reference information.

For ease of printing, the User’s Guide is divided into two parts, available
from the Help menu in RSView Studio™. For detailed information
about the contents of each guide, see the Bookmarks tab in the online
guides.

Help: Online procedures and reference information.

Preface n P–1
 The Release Notes are available on the RSView Supervisory Edition
CD-ROM, as well as from the Help menu in RSView Studio. The
User’s Guide, Installation Guide, and Help are available from the Help
menu in RSView Studio.

Finding the information you need

You have many options for finding information about how to use
RSView, or how to solve problems with RSView.

Try the User’s Guide and Help first

The User’s Guide and Help provide comprehensive information about

typical uses of RSView. Probably, your question is answered in the
documentation.

To find the answer, use the table of contents and the index in the User’s
Guide and Help.

You can also perform a full-text search on both the Help and the
User’s Guide. For information about using Help and the User’s
Guide, see Chapter 3, “Getting the information you need” in the
RSView Supervisory Edition Installation Guide.

For information about searching the User’s Guide, see Adobe®

Acrobat® Reader® Help.

Information on the Internet

If you can’t find the answer to your question or problem in the User’s
Guide or Help, you can also find information on the World Wide Web.

You can connect to the Rockwell Software and Rockwell Automation

web sites from within RSView Studio. To do so, you must have a web
browser installed on your computer, and you must have an active
Internet connection.

P–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To connect to web sites from RSView Studio

„ On the Help menu, select Rockwell Software on the Web, and then
click the name of the web page you want to view.

The Rockwell Automation KnowledgeBase

The KnowledgeBase web page contains a comprehensive searchable

database of support information for all Rockwell Automation and
Rockwell Software products.

Rockwell Software Discussion Forums

The Rockwell Software Discussion Forums are web pages for users of
Rockwell Software products. The forums offer discussion groups, for
exchanging tips and questions with other RSView users.

Contacting Rockwell Software Technical

Support
If you can’t find the answer to your question using any of the resources
suggested above, contact Rockwell Software Technical Support at:

Telephone: 440-646-5800

Fax: 440-646-5801

World Wide Web Support web sites:

http://www.software.rockwell.com, or
http://support.rockwellautomation.com

Support staff are available Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM local

time (North America only), except on statutory holidays.

Preface Q P–3
 When you call

When you call, be at your computer and ready to give the following
information:

„ the product serial number

You’ll find this number on the Activation disk label and in the
About RSView Studio dialog box available from the Help menu in
RSView Studio.

„ the product version number

„ the type of hardware you are using

„ the exact wording of any messages that appeared on your screen

„ a description of what happened and what you were doing when the
problem occurred

„ a description of how you tried to solve the problem

You might also be required to provide information about the RSView

add-ons and updates that are installed on your computer.

To view the list of installed add-ons and updates

1. In RSView Studio, click Help, and then click About RSView

Studio.

2. To view the list of installed add-ons, click Add-ons.

3. To view the list of installed updates, click Updates.

P–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

1 Getting started
This chapter describes:

„ the main parts of RSView® Supervisory Edition™.

„ the features of RSView Supervisory Edition in brief.

„ the RSView Enterprise tools.

„ the Rockwell Software utilities.

„ the quick start steps for using RSView Studio™.

For information about installing RSView, see the RSView Supervisory

Edition Installation Guide.

The main parts of RSView Supervisory Edition

RSView Supervisory Edition consists of several pieces of software you

can use to build powerful automation applications. Depending on the
particular software packages you purchased and installed, you might
have one or more of these pieces of software:
RSView Studio is configuration software for developing and testing
machine- and supervisory-level human-machine interface (HMI)
applications.

For information about developing machine-level HMI applications,

see the RSView Machine Edition User’s Guide.

RSView Studio contains editors for creating a complete human-

machine interface application, and contains software for testing the
applications you create. Use the editors to create applications that are
as simple or as sophisticated as you need.

Getting started n 1–1

In RSView Studio,
use the Displays
editor in the
Graphics folder to
create graphical
displays of the
process.

RSView SE client is software for viewing and interacting with

supervisory-level applications developed using RSView Studio.

RSView Administration Console is software for administering

RSView Supervisory Edition applications after they are deployed.
RSView Administration Console contains a sub-set of the RSView
Studio editors, so you can make minor changes to an application in it.

RSView SE Server also called the HMI server, stores HMI project
components (for example, graphic displays), and serves these
components to clients. The server also contains a database of tags, and
performs alarm detection, and historical data management (logging).

The RSView SE Server has no user interface. Once installed, it runs as

a set of ‘headless’ Windows services that supply information to clients
when they request it.

FactoryTalk™ Directory is software that supplies a directory of

services (for example, RSView SE Servers, or OPC ® servers) and
names (for example, areas, tags, graphic displays, log models, and so on)

1–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 to any computer on the network that participates in RSView
Supervisory Edition applications.

Features in brief

With RSView Supervisory Edition, you can:

„ distribute the parts of an application in a way that mirrors a plant or

process. A distributed application can contain several servers,
distributed across multiple computers on the network. Multiple
client users can access this application simultaneously from
anywhere on the network.

„ create stand-alone applications for parts of the plant or process that

are self-contained, and are not related to other parts of the process.

„ create and edit graphic displays with sophisticated object-oriented

graphics and animation. Convenient drag-and-drop and cut-and-
paste techniques simplify application configuration.

„ open and edit RSView distributed applications remotely in RSView

Studio.

„ use graphics from the graphic libraries, or import files from other
drawing packages such as CorelDRAW ™, and Adobe®
Photoshop®.

„ use the ActiveX® container capabilities of RSView to take

advantage of advanced technology. For example, embed Visual
Basic® ActiveX Controls, or other ActiveX components in graphic
displays to extend the capabilities of RSView.

„ use the RSView SE client Object Model and VBA to share data
with other Windows® programs such as Microsoft SQL Server,
interoperate with other Windows programs such as Microsoft
Excel, and customize and extend RSView to fit the individual
application’s needs.

Getting started Q 1–3

 „ develop an application quickly using RSView productivity tools
such as the Command Wizard, Tag Browser, and Graphics Import
Export wizard, and features such as Object Smart Path™.

„ import an Allen-Bradley® PLC or SLC ™ database with the PLC

Database Browser.

„ take advantage of RSView’s ability to directly reference data server

tags, to make direct use of tags that reside in controllers or devices.

„ use the RSView alarm notification capability to monitor process

incidents with multiple levels of severity. Create multiple alarm
summaries to provide specific alarm data rather than viewing the
alarms for the entire system.

„ create trends that show process variables plotted against time.

Display real-time or historical data with up to 100 pens (tags) in
each trend.

„ log data simultaneously to a FactoryTalk Diagnostics log file, and

remote ODBC databases, to provide various records of production
data. You can view and manipulate the ODBC-format logged data
directly, using third-party programs such as Microsoft Access and
Seagate Crystal Reports™ without converting files.

„ view and interact with an application using the RSView SE client.

„ lock operators into the RSView SE client by disabling Windows

keys.

The RSView Enterprise tools

Depending on the particular software packages you installed, you

might have one or more of the following tools installed.

Application Manager is software for moving, copying, renaming,

backing up, and restoring applications.

1–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 DeskLock is software that locks users into the RSView SE client and
prevents them from accessing the Windows desktop and system keys.

RSView ME Firmware Upgrade Wizard and Transfer Utility are

RSView Machine Edition programs for upgrading firmware and
transferring files.
RSView SE Service Manager is a tool for starting and stopping
HMI servers. For example, use this tool to stop an HMI server before
copying its configuration files to a redundant server.
SE Alarm Log Setup is software for setting up RSView alarm logging.
SE Alarm Log Viewer is software for viewing the contents of alarm
log file sets.
Tag Import and Export Wizard is software for importing or
exporting the RSView SE Server’s tag database.

The Rockwell Software utilities

Depending on the particular software package(s) you installed, you

might have one or more of these utilities installed:
Activation Help is information about how to use Rockwell Software
activation keys.
Diagnostics Setup is software for setting up activity logging for
RSView Supervisory Edition.
Diagnostics Viewer is software for viewing the contents of
FactoryTalk Diagnostics log files.
Move Activation is software for moving activation keys to and from
an activation disk.
Reset Activation is software for resetting activation keys on the
Activation floppy disk when there is a problem with activation.
Live Data Test Client is diagnostic software for use with the
assistance of Rockwell Software technical support staff.

Getting started Q 1–5

 Specify FactoryTalk Directory Location is software for specifying
which computer on the network contains the FactoryTalk Directory
service.
Support Services Help is information about how to obtain technical
support for Rockwell Software products.

Quick Start steps

The following steps explain how to get started with RSView
Supervisory Edition.
If you are creating a stand-alone application, skip step 3. You
must complete step 2 at a minimum before you can complete steps 6
or 7. The other steps can be completed in any order.
If you are creating a distributed application, you must complete
steps 2 and 3 at a minimum before you can complete steps 6 or 7. The
other steps can be completed in any order.

Differences between stand-alone and distributed applications are

explained wherever they occur.

Start with a plan

Before you start working with RSView, it is advisable to plan the
application. For tips and information about how to plan an application,
see Chapter 3, Planning an application.

Step 1—Set up the FactoryTalk Directory

software
This step applies to distributed applications only. For stand-alone
applications, this step is completed automatically by the software.

FactoryTalk Directory is software that allows the parts of an

application to find each other on a computer, or on the network. It
must be installed with the RSView SE components.

1–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

For details about installing software, see the RSView Supervisory Edition
Installation Guide.

After you install RSView Supervisory Edition, and before you create an
application, specify the name of the computer on which the
FactoryTalk Directory server will run.

Use the utility called Specify FactoryTalk Directory Location to set the
name of the FactoryTalk Directory server computer. You will have to
do this on every computer on the network that is to have access to the
applications managed by that FactoryTalk Directory.

For details, see “Setting up FactoryTalk Directory” on page 4-3.

For details about how the FactoryTalk Directory software works, see
page 5-6.

Step 2—Create and organize an application

Create the application that operators will use at run time.

Stand-alone applications include one HMI server. You can add one or
more data servers to a stand-alone application. You cannot add areas or
HMI servers to stand-alone applications.

Distributed applications can consist of one or more areas, one HMI

server per area, and one or more data servers per area.

Stand-alone and distributed applications also contain all the

components you create for operators and supervisors to use at run time
(for example, graphic displays, alarms, data logging).

For details, see Chapter 5, Working with distributed applications, or

Chapter 6, Working with stand-alone applications.

Getting started Q 1–7

 Step 3—Add an HMI Server
This step applies to distributed applications only. Stand-alone
applications contain one HMI server that is created automatically
when the application is created.

The HMI server stores project components (for example, graphic

displays), and serves these components to clients. The server also
contains a database of tags, and performs alarm detection, and
historical data management (logging).

For details, see Chapter 5, Working with distributed applications.

Step 4—Plan how you will access data

This step is necessary so you can complete steps 5, 6 or 7.

To access data, you need to plan two things:

„ how the application will communicate with the programmable

controllers or devices on the network.

„ once communications have been set up, how the application will
access values in the programmable controllers or devices.

Setting up communications with devices

To access values in programmable controllers or devices, you need to

„ know what kinds of controllers or devices you are using.

„ plan how the application will communicate with the controllers or

devices.

Communicating with ControlLogix® processors, or with large

numbers of clients

For communications with ControlLogix processors, RSView provides

built-in support via RSLinx® Enterprise. RSLinx Enterprise also

1–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

provides better performance than RSLinx for RSView when
communicating with large numbers of clients.

RSLinx Enterprise cannot perform online tasks such as uploading and

downloading RSLogix® 5000 files to a controller. If you need to
provide this capability, use RSLinx for RSView.

Next steps If you are using RSLinx Enterprise, create an RSLinx

Enterprise data server in RSView Studio that points to the computer
on which RSLinx Enterprise is running, and then create a device
shortcut in RSLinx Enterprise. For more information, see step 5.

Communicating with Allen-Bradley® local and remote

devices

For communications with Allen-Bradley local and remote devices, or

with a small number of clients, RSView provides built-in support via
RSLinx for RSView, RSLinx Gateway, and RSLinx Enterprise

When to use RSLinx for RSView RSLinx for RSView provides

restricted OPC® communications and FactoryTalk communications
with Rockwell Automation PLCs and RSView SE Servers. You do not
need to install an activation key to make RSLinx for RSView work
provided you run RSLinx for RSView on the same computer as the
RSView SE Server.

Use RSLinx for RSView when:

„ the information being served to RSView SE Servers or RSView SE

Clients is local.

„ the RSLinx data server is installed on the same computer as the

RSView SE Server.

When to use RSLinx Gateway You must install an RSLinx activation

key to enable RSLinx Gateway if:

„ the information is being served to a third-party OPC client.

Getting started Q 1–9

 „ the RSLinx data server is installed on a computer separate from the
RSView SE Server. You might want to do this for performance
reasons, or to locate the OPC server physically close to the process.

You can have multiple data servers accessing topics in RSLinx in an

application. Each data server must point at a different instance of
RSLinx.

Next steps If you are using RSLinx for RSView or RSLinx Gateway,
create an OPC topic in RSLinx for RSView, and then create an OPC
data server in RSView Studio that points at the computer on which
RSLinx for RSView is running. For more information, see step 6.

When to use RSLinx Enterprise You must install an RSLinx

Enterprise activation to enable RSLinx Enterprise. Use RSLinx when:

„ the information is being provided by a ControlLogix controller.

„ alias topic shortcuts are not required.

Communication with third-party local and remote devices

For communications with non-Allen-Bradley local and remote devices,

RSView supports OPC connections. OPC (OLE for process control)
allows RSView to act as a client to other OPC servers.

Next steps Set up the OPC server according to its manufacturer’s

instructions, and then set up an OPC data server in RSView. For more
information, see step 7.

Accessing values in devices

Once an application can communicate with a device, you need to plan

how the application will access the values in the device. To access
values in a device, you can use data server tags, or HMI tags, or a
combination of both.

1–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

RSView conforms to the OPC Data Access (DA) 2.0 specification for
information exchange among automation or control applications, field
systems or devices, and business or office applications.

RSView provides two ways to access values in programmable

controllers or other devices:

„ Direct access to the basic set of properties of all OPC-DA-

compliant tags.

To access these tags, in RSView Studio specify the tag’s address for
any object you want to connect to data. For example, in a graphic
display, you can type the tag’s address as part of an object’s
expression.

„ Access to an extended set of properties through a special kind of tag

called an HMI tag. These tags have additional properties for alarms,
security, and data manipulation.

To access these tags, set up an HMI server in RSView Studio. The

HMI server’s Tags editor allows you to create HMI tags, and map
them to physical addresses, or OPC tags in the devices on the
network.

For details, see Chapter 8, Working with tags.

Step 5—Set up communications using RSLinx

Enterprise

Either complete this step, or step 6, or step 7, depending on what

software you are using for communications. You don’t necessarily have
to complete all of them.

If the application is communicating with ControlLogix processors, set

up communications in RSLinx Enterprise for best performance.

You can have multiple data servers accessing device shortcuts in

RSLinx Enterprise in a single application.

Getting started Q 1–11

 To set up communications using RSLinx Enterprise

1. Set up an RSLinx Enterprise data server in RSView Studio. The

data server makes it possible to see the RSLinx Enterprise
shortcuts in RSView.

2. For each device you want to communicate with, create a device

shortcut in RSLinx Enterprise.

When you browse for tags in devices, the device shortcuts appear in
the tag browser, each representing a device.

For details, see Chapter 7, Setting up communications.

Step 6—Set up communication using RSLinx

for RSView
Either complete this step, or step 5, or step 7, depending on what
software you are using for communications. You don’t necessarily have
to complete all of them.

To set up communications using RSLinx for RSView

1. For each device you want to communicate with, create an OPC

topic in RSLinx for RSView.

2. Set up an OPC data server in RSView Studio. The data server

makes it possible to see the RSLinx OPC topics in RSView.

When you browse for tags in devices, the OPC topics appear in the
tag browser, each representing a device.

For details, see Chapter 7, Setting up communications.

Step 7—Set up communications for

OPC data servers
Either complete this step, or complete step 5 or 6. You don’t
necessarily have to complete all of them.

1–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Set up communications for use with OPC data servers if you want to
communicate with non-Allen-Bradley devices using a third-party OPC
server. You can have multiple OPC data servers in an application. Each
data server must point at a different OPC server.

To set up communications for use with OPC data servers

1. For each device you want to communicate with, follow the

manufacturer’s instructions to create an OPC topic in the OPC
server.

2. Set up an OPC data server in RSView Studio, and point it at the

OPC server you set up in the previous step.

When you browse for tags in devices, the OPC topics appear in the tag
browser, each representing a device.

For details, see Chapter 7, Setting up communications.

Step 8—Create HMI tags

If necessary, create HMI tags in any combination of these ways:

„ Create tags as needed from the Tag Browser.

„ Create a complete tag database in the Tags editor.

„ Import an existing Allen-Bradley PLC or SLC database using the

PLC Database Browser.

„ Import an existing HMI tag database using the Tag Import and
Export Wizard.

For details, see Chapter 8, Working with tags, and Chapter 9, Creating hmi
tags.

Getting started Q 1–13

 Step 9—Create graphic displays, trends, and
alarm summaries
Create graphic displays that represent the process. Build the graphic
displays in a variety of ways:

„ Use the RSView drawing tools to create graphic objects and text.
You can create simple objects such as ellipses and rectangles, or
create more complex objects such as trends and alarm summaries.
You can also embed ActiveX objects.

„ Drag and drop ready-made objects from the RSView libraries into
a display.

„ Import objects or entire images that have already been created in

other drawing packages such as CorelDRAW.

„ Import graphic information using the Graphics Import Export

Wizard.

„ Create graphic displays, trends, and alarm summaries in the Graphic

Display editor.

For details, see Chapter 16, Creating graphic displays.

Step 10—Set up logging

Set up activity, alarm, and data logging to have a record of what is
happening when the system is running.

Set up activity logging in the Diagnostics Setup editor. Set up alarm

logging in the Alarm Log Setup editor. Set up data logging in the Data
Log Models editor.

All logged information is stored in a proprietary format for faster

performance, but can be exported to an ODBC-compliant database
while online, and then viewed with any ODBC-compliant reporting or
analysis software, such as Microsoft Excel, or Seagate Crystal Reports.
For data logging, you can also use the ODBC storage format to store
data directly in an ODBC-compliant database.

1–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

For details about setting up logging, see:

„ Chapter 11, Creating alarms.

„ Chapter 12, Logging system activity.

„ Chapter 13, Using data logging.

Step 11—Secure the system

Set up security at the:

„ application level so you control which users or groups of users

have access to which features in an application.

„ user level so you lock users into the RSView SE client. To set up
user-level security, use the DeskLock Tool, included in the Tools
folder.

For details, see Chapter 15, Setting up security.

Step 12—Customize and integrate RSView

with other applications
Use the RSView SE client object model with Visual Basic for
Applications (VBA) code in graphic displays to customize and extend
the capabilities of RSView. Some ways you might do this include:

„ Using data with other applications If you regularly require

RSView data for use in programs such as Microsoft Excel, or
PowerPoint®, consider using the RSView SE client object model
and VBA display code to integrate these applications with RSView.

„ Validating operator input To validate operator input, use the

RSView SE client object model with VBA. In VBA, create pop-up
dialog boxes for data entry. Use VBA logic to validate the operator’s
input, for example to ensure that the value an operator enters in a
numeric input field falls within 10% of the value of another numeric
input field.

Getting started Q 1–15

 „ Designing intuitive graphic displays Use the RSView SE client
object model to populate VBA form objects with data, for use in
graphic displays. For example, use list boxes or combo boxes in
graphic displays to allow operators to select options such as recipe
items.

„ Manipulating the RSView SE client window Write VBA code

to arrange graphic displays based on the size of the RSView
SE client window. This allows you to adapt an application
dynamically to various screen desktop sizes and resolutions.

„ Sending custom messages to the diagnostics log file Send

specific messages to the Diagnostics List and Diagnostics log file,
to notify the operator of problems with VBA code.

„ Securing the system The RSView SE client Object Model allows

you to obtain security information about who is using the system,
and to use the security information and events to control access to
the system. For example, you can restrict a user’s access to a graphic
display on a secured computer by creating code that displays the
graphic display only when the user is logged in with a particular user
name.

For details, see Chapter 24, Using the SE client object model and display code.

1–16 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

2 Exploring RSView Studio
This chapter describes:

„ how to start RSView® Studio™.

„ how to open an application.

„ the parts of the RSView Studio main window.

„ using the Application Explorer.

„ working with application components.

„ techniques for working in editors.

„ key features for working with RSView.

„ printing from RSView.

Starting RSView Studio

When you start RSView Studio, the Product Type Selection dialog box
opens where you select the type of application you plan to work with.
The options are:

„ SE Distributed to create or open an RSView Supervisory Edition™

distributed application.

„ SE Stand-alone to create or open an RSView Supervisory Edition

stand-alone application.

„ Machine Edition to create or open an RSView Machine Edition™

application.

Exploring RSView Studio n 2–1

 To start RSView Studio and select a product type

1. On the Windows® Start menu, select Programs, Rockwell

Software, RSView Enterprise, and then click RSView Studio

2. In the Product Type Selection dialog box, click the icon for the
type of application you want to create, and then click Continue.

The New/Open <product type>Application dialog box opens in

which you can select an existing application to open, or create a new
application.

Opening an application

To open an existing application

1. Start RSView Studio and select the product type.

2. In the New/Open ... Application, click the Existing tab.

3. In the Existing tab, click the name of the application you want to
open, and then click Open.

To open an application you used recently

X On the File menu in the Application Explorer, select Recent Files

and then click the name of the application you want to open.

Opening the Samples application

To familiarize yourself with the RSView Studio development
environment, you can open the sample application. You’ll find it in the
Existing tab of the New/Open SE Distributed Application dialog box.

To open the Samples application:

1. Start RSView Studio and select the SE Distributed product type.

2–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 2. In the New/Open SE Distributed Application, click the Existing
tab.

3. In the Existing tab, click Samples Water, and then click Open.

The Application Explorer in RSView Studio will contain the areas,

HMI servers, editors and components for the Samples Water
distributed application.

Exploring the RSView Studio main window

When you select an application, it opens in the RSView Studio main
window.

Menu bar
Toolbar

Application Explorer

Workspace

Browse devices on
the network

View the application

Diagnostics List
Status bar

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–3

 The menu bar
The menu bar contains the menu items for the active window. Each
editor has its own set of menus.

The toolbar
The toolbar contains buttons for commonly-used menu items to
provide access to the items without opening menus. When you point to
a button on the toolbar, the name of the button is displayed in a tooltip.
Standard toolbar
Graphics toolbar

Objects toolbar

All of the editors use the Standard toolbar. The Graphic Displays and
Graphic Libraries editors have additional toolbars that are displayed
when you open a graphic display in either editor.

The Application Explorer

The Application Explorer is the main tool for working in RSView
Studio. It provides access to the editors you use to set up the
application and create its components. For more information about the
Application Explorer, see page 2-8.

The workspace
The workspace is the blank area of the RSView Studio window, to
which you can drag and drop icons from the Application Explorer to
launch editors and open graphic displays. For details, see “Working in
the Application Explorer” on page 2-8.

2–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 The Application tab
This tab shows the Application Explorer.

The Communications tab

The Communications tab shows the devices on the network available
to the computer hosting RSLinx® Enterprise. Use this tab for setting
up network types and browsing device shortcuts on the configured
networks.

For details, see Chapter 7, Setting up communications or the RSLinx

Enterprise Help.

The Diagnostics List

The Diagnostics List shows information about system activities. It’s
located above the status bar at the bottom of the window and can be
moved, resized, and the messages cleared. Use the Diagnostics Setup
tool to select the types of messages that appear in the Diagnostics List.

For details, see “Message routing” on page 12-4 or the Help for the
Diagnostics Setup tool.

Messages in the Diagnostics List

Diagnostic messages are preceded by a blue, yellow, or red icon. Blue

indicates information, yellow indicates a warning, and red indicates an
error.

To move the Diagnostics List

1. With the left mouse button, click and hold the grab bars at the
bottom left of the Diagnostics List.
To detach the
Diagnostics List, drag
the grab bars.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–5

 If you can’t see the grab bars, drag the top edge of the Diagnostics
List to make it a bit larger.

2. Drag the list to its new location.

To prevent the Diagnostics List from docking automatically, press

and hold the Ctrl key as you drag it.

When the Diagnostics List is undocked, you can make it any size you
want, for example to view more than one message at a time.

To resize the Diagnostics List

1. Click and hold an edge or corner and drag until the Diagnostics
List is the required size.

To clear messages in the Diagnostics List

„ Click Clear, to clear the most recent message in the Diagnostics List.

„ Click Clear All, to clear all the messages in the Diagnostics List.

The status bar

The information provided by the status bar provides depends on where
the pointer is and what RSView Studio is doing. It can provide
information about:

„ the active window or selected tool.

For example, if you position the pointer over the Open button, the
following message appears in the status bar:

2–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 „ a selected graphics object.

For example, if you select an object in the graphics display editor,

information about the object (such as its position on the display,
size, and name) appears in the status bar:

Workbook mode
Workbook mode provides a way to switch among open windows in
RSView Studio. Use the Workbook mode option on the View menu to
toggle between workbook and normal modes.

Showing and hiding items in the main window

You can display or hide all the items in the main window (except the
menu bar) by using the items on the View menu. If there is a check
mark beside an item, it is visible. If there is no check mark, the item is
hidden.
The status bar and
Standard toolbar are
visible. The Diagnostics
List and Application
Explorer are hidden.
Workbook mode is off.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–7

Working in the Application Explorer
The Application Explorer is the main tool for working in RSView
Studio. It provides access to the editors you use to set up the
application and create and edit its components.

Application name

Workspace

Click the – symbol to

close a folder

Components are listed

below the editor’s icon

Click the + symbol to

open a folder

Undocking the Application Explorer

To undock the Application Explorer and move it

„ Click the title bar and then drag the window.

To prevent the Application Explorer from docking automatically,

press and hold the Ctrl key as you drag it

„ Double-click the Application Explorer’s title bar to float the

explorer in the middle of the main window, and then drag it to a new
position.

2–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 „ Right-click the Application Explorer’s title bar, and then click a new
docking location: floating, or MDI (Multiple Document Interface)
Child.

If you click MDI Child, the Application Explorer becomes a

window that you can move, minimize, maximize, or restore, within
the main window. You cannot move it outside the main window.

„ To resize the Application Explorer, grab and drag one of its edges.

The parts of the Application Explorer

Folders
The Application Explorer uses folders to organize editors. To open or
close a folder, do one of the following:

„ Click the + or – symbol beside the folder’s icon.

„ Double-click the folder.

„ Click the folder, and then press Enter to either open or close the
folder depending on its current state.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–9

 Editors
Editors are for creating or setting up application components. To open
an editor, do one of the following:

„ Drag the editor’s icon from the Application Explorer to the

workspace.

„ Right-click the editor’s icon to open the context menu, and then
click New or Open.

„ Click the Tools menu and then click the editor to select it.

If you can use the editor to create multiple components, the context
menu contains New. If the editor can open only a single component,
the context menu contains Open.
Use this editor To

Diagnostics Setup Specify the type of system activity to be logged

(Tools menu) and where, when, and how it will be logged.

The settings you specify using this editor apply

only to the computer you are using.
Alarm Log Setup Specify the type of alarm activity to be logged,
(Tools menu) and where, when, and how it will be logged.

The settings you specify using this editor apply

only to the computer you are using and only iff it
contains an HMI server.
User Accounts Add Windows users to an application, and assign
them security codes to limit their access to an
application.
Secured Commands Assign security codes to commands and macros.
Command Line Open a command line for entering RSView
commands.
Tags Create HMI tags, and set up alarms.
Displays Create graphic displays.

2–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Use this editor To

Libraries Drag and drop objects from the graphic libraries

into graphic displays.
Images Add images to an application that are to be used
repeatedly in graphic displays.
Parameters Create a parameter file for use with graphic
displays containing tag placeholders, so you can
use the same graphic displays with different tags.
Recipes Create a recipe file for use with graphic displays
containing a recipe field.
Local Messages Create the local message files containing trigger
values and the corresponding messages.
Trend Templates Rename, remove, and copy existing trend
templates. Use trend templates to create
preconfigured trend objects for graphic displays.
Trend Snapshots Rename, remove, and copy existing trend
snapshots. Save trend snapshots for use as
overlays with real-time trends.
Alarm Setup Set up the general features for all alarms for the
HMI server, including alarm severities and user
messages.
Suppressed List Display a list of tags for which alarm notification
is suppressed.
Derived Tags Create tags whose values are derived from other
tags and functions.
Events Create events, which are expressions that trigger
commands or macros.
Macros Create macros to run a series of RSView
commands.
Client Keys Re-map the RSView SE Client keyboard to run
RSView commands.
Data Log Models Create data log models, specifying where, when,
and how the selected tag values will be logged.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–11

 Components

The Application Explorer manages components, not files. A

component is a reference to a physical file, located in a folder under the
application directory.

These components were

created using the Graphic
Displays editor.

Displaying components

To display components for a particular editor, do one of the following:

„ Click the + sign beside the editor’s icon.

„ Double-click the editor.

Any components created with the editor appear below the editor in the
tree.

Opening components

To open a component, do one of the following:

„ Double-click the component.

„ Drag the component’s icon into the workspace.

2–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 „ Right-click the component to open the context menu, and then
click Open.

For information about renaming, removing, and deleting components,

see page 2-14.

Working with application components

Adding components to an application

You can add a component to an application by dragging and dropping
the component’s file from the Windows Explorer to the Application
Explorer window, or by using the context menu in the Application
Explorer.

When you add a component in the Application Explorer using the Add
Component into Application option, you are creating a copy of the file
in the application.

To add a component using drag and drop

1. In the Windows Explorer, locate the file of the component you

want to add to the application.

2. Drag the file to the Application Explorer.

The component automatically appears below the editor that can be

used to edit it.

To add a component using the context menu

1. Right-click the editor that was used to create the component you
want to copy. For example, to add a graphic display component,
right-click the Graphic Displays editor.

2. On the context menu, click Add Component into Application.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–13

 3. In the dialog box, find the component you want to add or update,
and then click it.

To select consecutive components, click the first component, and

then shift-click the last component you want to select. To select
multiple, individual components, Ctrl-click each one.

4. Click Open. The components appear under the editor in the

Application Explorer.

Renaming, removing, and deleting

components
Use the items on the context menu to rename, remove, and delete
components. The Remove item removes a component from the
Application Explorer. The Delete item removes a component and
deletes its associated file from disk.

To rename a component

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the component, and then

click Rename.

2. In the To box, type the new name.

3. Click OK.

Renaming a component changes the physical file name. If you change

the name of a file that is referenced by an HMI project, the component
(reference to the file) cannot be opened. You must remove the
component, and then add the renamed component into the HMI
project once again.

To restore the reference to the file

1. Right-click the component and then click Remove.

2–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

2. Right-click the editor used to create the component, for example
the Graphic Displays editor. On the context menu, click Add
Component Into Application.

3. Select the file that the component represents, and then click Open.

To remove a component

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the component to be

removed.

2. Click Remove.

Removing a component removes the component from the Application

Explorer. It does not delete the physical file that the component
references.

To delete a component and file

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the component to be

deleted.

2. Click Delete.

Deleting a component deletes both the file reference and the physical
file from disk.

Naming components
When you name a component in RSView Studio, the file name for the
component is created automatically on disk. The component name
becomes part of the file name.

The maximum number of characters for a component name varies

depending on where the component’s file is saved on disk. RSView
supports long file names. File names, including the path, can be up to
200 characters long.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–15

 For example, the following path and file name contains 111 characters.
The component name, Bakery Overview, (the name of the graphic
display) is only 15 characters long, but could be as long as 104
characters.

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\

RSView Enterprise\SE\HMI Projects\Bakery1\
Gfx\Bakery Overview.gfx

Component names can contain spaces. When using component names

with spaces in commands, you do not need to enclose the component
names in double quotes (“ ”), except when using the /P parameter with
the Display command. For details about RSView command syntax, see
Help or Chapter A, RSView commands.

Names that conflict with commands or macros

To avoid problems when issuing commands and macros, do not give

macros the same names as command. For example, assume you want
to name a macro Display. To avoid confusion with the Display
command, name the macro DisplayScreen instead.

For details about how to use commands, see Appendix A, RSView

commands.

Techniques for working in editors

When developing an application, you will use many different editors,
but they have many similar features and often require similar
information. Knowing how to use these features saves time.

Using the context menus

The Application Explorer and the Graphic Displays editor use context
menus. In the Application Explorer, everything in the tree hierarchy,
except the folders, have context menus.In the Graphics editor, the
graphic display and the objects on a display have context menus.

2–16 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 To open a context menu

„ Position the mouse pointer over the icon, display, or object, and
then right-click the mouse.

Using the Browse button

The Browse button appears beside data-entry boxes. You can type
information into the box, or you can click the Browse button to open
Browse button a list containing valid entries for the box, or a search window in which
you can search for and select a valid entry.

Using tag names

Tags are stored in devices, data servers, and in the HMI tag database.
Their names are used in other parts of RSView. You do not have to
create tags in the RSView HMI Tags editor before you work in other
RSView editors.

To supply a tag name

„ Type the name of a tag. You do not have to create the tag to use the
tag name, but be sure to create the tag later or errors will be
reported at run time.

„ Click the Browse button or Tags button, whichever is available, to

open the Tag Browser, where you can select, or create a tag.

For detailed information about tags, see Chapter 8, Working with tags.

Using RSView commands

RSView commands allow you to control RSView at run time. Most

commands accept parameters for added precision and control. You can
also create a list of RSView commands in a macro and use the macro
name in places where multiple commands are required.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–17

 For more information about macros, see Chapter 22, Creating macros.

Using the Command Wizard

The Command Wizard helps you select and build commands.

When you click a

category here …
… the commands for that
category are listed here.
To resize the list boxes, drag
this bar to the left or right.
When you click a command
in the list, the command
syntax is displayed here.

To open the Command Wizard

X Do one of the following:

„ Click the Browse button beside an entry box where a command

is expected, for example, in the Press action box for a button
object, or in the command line.

„ Double-click in an box where a command is expected or in the

Macro editor.

„ Click the Commands item on the Edit menu.

For information about using RSView commands, see Help or

Appendix A, RSView commands.

2–18 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Using expressions
Many editors use expressions to compute values based on tags and
functions. Expressions can be complex logical expressions, or they can
be tag names.

For information about expressions, see Chapter 20, Creating expressions.

Printing
Each RSView editor has a Print item on its File menu.

To print selections

1. Select the item you want to print. The item can be a record in an
editor’s spreadsheet or it can be an object in a graphic display.

2. On the File menu, click Print.

3. Under Print Range, click Selection.

To print the entire contents of the window

1. On the File menu, click Print.

2. Under Print Range, click All.

Selecting a printer
You must install a printer before you can select it. For information
about installing a printer, see your Windows documentation.

To select a printer

1. On the File menu in any RSView editor, click Print Setup.

2. If you don’t want to use the default printer, specify another printer.

Exploring RSView Studio Q 2–19

 3. Choose the appropriate orientation and paper options.

Setting up the printer

For detailed information about changing printer options, refer to your

Windows documentation.

IMPORTANT The Print Setup menu item in RSView Studio applies to

the development computer only. If the application is to
run on a different computer, you must set up a printer
for that computer to be able to print at run time.

The settings in the Print Setup dialog box do not affect

runtime log print settings in the Alarm Setup editor.

Selecting a network printer

RSView can print to a network printer. For detailed information about

setting up network printers, refer to your Windows documentation.

Printing at run time

To print graphic displays at run time use the PrintDisplay command.

You must provide the operator with a way to issue the command when
you create the display. For example, create a button object, display key,
or client key with the PrintDisplay command as the press action. For
information about creating graphic displays, see Chapter 16, Creating
graphic displays.

When you use the PrintDisplay command RSView prints the entire
display, even if parts are covered by other displays. You can also use the
ScreenPrint command to print an image of whatever shows on the
monitor.

For detailed information about individual commands, see Help.

2–20 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

3 Planning an application
A well-designed application requires planning. To help you plan, this
chapter provides guidelines for:

„ understanding the process you’re automating.

„ planning the layout of the network.

„ planning redundancy.

„ planning communications.

„ designing an HMI tag database.

„ planning alarms.

„ collecting data.

„ designing graphic displays.

„ using trends.

„ designing a secure system.

„ customizing the system and integrating with other applications.

„ designing a multiple-user system.

„ designing a system that is easy to deploy and maintain.

Understanding the process

Gather information from a variety of sources so you have a complete

and detailed understanding of the process you’re automating.

Planning an application n 3–1

 Specifically, you should:

„ talk to operators and other experts who are going to use the system.
Find out what information they need to optimize plant operations.

„ talk to management and management information systems staff to

find out what information they need to support planning decisions.

„ break up each section of the process into its constituent parts.

„ determine what type of data server you’ll be using.

„ determine which process variables need to be accessed and identify

their locations in the programmable controllers.

Planning the layout of the network

When planning a distributed application, pay careful attention to the
layout of the network.

The Windows® domain or workgroup

For applications that contain more than 10 computers, a domain
controller is required.

IMPORTANT Do not run FactoryTalk™ Directory on the same

computer as a Windows domain controller.

Applications that contain 10 computers or fewer, can be used in a

Windows workgroup environment. In this case, all computers
participating in a single application must be members of the same
Windows workgroup, and all computers must have administrative
rights.

The computers you’ll need

You can develop a distributed application on a single computer, and
you can run it on a single computer for testing purposes. However, at

3–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

run time, depending on needs, a distributed application typically runs
on the following computers:

One computer running FactoryTalk Directory FactoryTalk Directory

is software that works like a telephone directory or electronic address
book, allowing the parts of an application to find each other on a
computer, or on the network.

All computers that participate in the distributed application must point

at the same computer running FactoryTalk Directory.

For details, see Chapter 4, Setting up FactoryTalk Directory.

One or more redundant pairs of computers with the RSView
SE Server software installed on them The RSView® SE Server
software is required to create and run HMI servers. The HMI server
stores HMI project components (for example, graphic displays), and
serves these components to clients. The server also performs alarm
detection, and historical data management (logging) and might contain
a database of tags.

IMPORTANT More than 2 HMI servers can be located on a single

computer for development purposes only. When
deploying an application, ensure that there are no more
than 2 HMI servers per computer. For redundancy, only
1 HMI server per computer is permitted.

For details, see Chapter 5, Working with distributed applications and

Chapter 25, Setting up a redundant system.

Planning an application Q 3–3

 One or more redundant pairs of computers running data
servers Data servers allow clients to access information in
programmable controllers, devices, and other data servers that comply
with the OPC-DA 2.0 specification.

IMPORTANT If an application requires more than 10,000 tags and you

are not using RSLinx® Enterprise for communications,
install the OPC data server on its own, dedicated host
computer for best performance.

If you are using RSLinx Enterprise this is not necessary.

RSLinx Enterprise is optimized to provide best
performance for large numbers of clients (more than 10)
and a large number of tags (more than 10,000) even if it
is located on the same computer as the HMI server.

For details about data servers, see Chapter 7, Setting up communications.

One or more development computers, running RSView

Studio RSView Studio is configuration software for developing and
testing machine- and supervisory-level human-machine interface
(HMI) applications.

Details about developing RSView Supervisory Edition applications, are

provided in this manual. For details about developing RSView Machine
Edition™ applications, see the RSView Machine Edition User’s Guide.

One or more operator client computers, running the RSView

SE Client RSView SE Client is software for viewing and interacting
with supervisory-level applications developed using RSView Studio.

For details about setting up RSView SE Clients, see page 26-15.

Optionally, a distributed application might also include:

One or more administration computers, running the RSView

Administration Console The RSView Administration Console is
software for administering RSView Supervisory Edition applications
after they have been deployed. The RSView Administration Console

3–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 contains a sub-set of the RSView Studio editors so you can make minor
changes to an application without installing RSView Studio.

For details, see Chapter 28, Administering applications.

System requirements and installation

For details about system requirements and installing software, see the
RSView Supervisory Edition Installation Guide.

Planning redundancy

In theory, the ideal redundant solution involves having at least one

backup copy of everything—hardware, software, networks, and so on.
In practice, this is seldom feasible, or even necessary.

Before setting up redundancy, plan:

„ which components in the system need to have backups—in other

words, decide how much redundancy is needed.

„ where (on which computers) to locate backup systems.

„ the network layout, and calculate the processing load expected for
each computer. This information can help you plan which parts of
an application can share hardware.

You can set up redundancy for HMI servers and data servers.

IMPORTANT More than 2 HMI servers can be located on a single

computer only for development purposes. When
deploying an application, ensure that there are no more
than 2 HMI servers per computer. For redundancy, only
1 HMI server per computer is permitted.

RSView Supervisory Edition provides built-in warm redundancy for

HMI servers and data servers.

Planning an application Q 3–5

 You can set up RSView Supervisory Edition to send alarm and data log
information automatically to an ODBC-compliant database. You can
set up an HMI server to buffer data locally if the database becomes
unavailable.

Set up redundancy separately for system activity logging, using the

Diagnostics Setup utility.

Planning communications

When planning communications, gather information about the types

of controllers or devices in the plant, and the software that is available
for communicating with them. This will help you set up one or more
OPC servers.

Next, plan how the devices on the network will communicate with the
application. This will help you plan the number of OPC servers and
data servers the application needs.

Also, consider which systems need to be redundant in order to

minimize disruptions to clients in the event that access to data becomes
unavailable. This will help you plan the data server pairs you need.

Finally, plan how you will access data in the controllers or devices. For
many purposes you can access the values in controllers or devices
directly, using tags provided by a data server in the application. For
some purposes, however, you will need to set up an HMI tag database.

When to use HMI tags

Use HMI tags when an application needs to provide extended

capabilities, such as:

„ triggering alarms when tag values cross a specified threshold.

„ scaling or offsetting a value before sending it to a programmable

controller or device.

3–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 „ security features, to prevent unauthorized changes to a tag’s value.

„ flexible addressing. HMI tags don’t require hard-coded physical

addresses or device-specific variable names in an application. This
lets you re-use an application with other devices, by changing the
physical addresses to which tag names are mapped.

Also, some controllers or OPC servers do not allow description tag

names.

For details about setting up communications in RSView, see Chapter 7,

Setting up communications.

Designing an HMI tag database

Before creating an HMI tag database, take the time to plan it. A good
design helps reduce the time required for maintenance, and can
improve device-to-RSView response time.

Collect information
Before creating an HMI tag database, collect this information:

„ flowcharts of the processes (or process and instrument diagrams).

„ a list of programmable controller data table or register addresses the

application will be accessing.

„ alarm requirements (for more detail, see “Planning alarms” on

page 3-8).

Organize HMI tags

Before creating HMI tags:

„ develop naming conventions for HMI tags, choosing names that

are familiar and logical to everyone. This makes troubleshooting
easier.

Planning an application Q 3–7

 „ group related HMI tags. Group tags in the way that makes most
sense for the application. For example, group all similar devices, or
group related areas of the plant floor.

When creating HMI tags, place related tags into folders. For greater
organization, create nested folders.

IMPORTANT For optimum performance, do not place all the HMI

tags in the root folder. It is also recommended that you
limit the number of tags in a folder to less than 2000.
HMI tags contained in nested folders do not contribute
to the number of tags in the root of the folder.

Planning alarms
Before setting up alarms, plan:

„ what conditions will trigger alarms.

„ how operators will be notified of those alarms.

„ what information alarm messages should contain.

„ what actions will occur in response to those alarms.

„ which alarms will require additional actions that can be supplied

using a macro.

Collecting data

When planning data collection, design the system so only essential data
is collected. Limiting data collection is important because collection
activities require substantial processing power and generate significant
traffic on the communication channel or network.

Keep data collection requirements in mind when designing the layout

of the programmable controller data tables and the tag database.
Ideally, tag addresses should reference contiguous blocks of

3–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 programmable controller data tables to reduce network traffic and
optimize system response.

Designing graphic displays

When designing displays, decide on the best way for users to navigate
through them and develop a template to establish a common look and
feel.

Develop a hierarchy of displays

Well-organized graphic displays present information clearly and
consistently and guide users through the system. Before designing
individual graphic displays, plan an overall display hierarchy and plan
how users will navigate through the hierarchy.

A hierarchy is a series of graphic displays that provide progressively

more detail as users move through them. A hierarchy should meet the
needs of the various users, including managers, supervisors, and
operators.

Create a template to ensure consistency

It is possible to keep a consistent appearance among all the displays in
a project by presenting the same pieces of information in the same
place on each display. To ensure uniformity, develop a display with
common elements that acts as a template. Each time you develop a new
display, start with a copy of the template.

For example, the template could contain:

„ the company logo.

„ a title.

„ the date and time.

„ navigation buttons.

Planning an application Q 3–9

 When designing displays, practising good visual design principles helps
users and increases their efficiency. Aim for these important design
principles:

Consistency

„ Be consistent in the use of symbols and color.

„ Be consistent with button labels and button placement.

When you design several displays, place the same kinds of buttons
in the same positions. For example, if there is a Start button in a
certain position in one display, don’t put a Stop button in the same
position in the next display.

Clarity

Use symbols that are easily recognizable. For example, use the
conventional ISA symbols for tanks and valves.

„ Don’t overload the screen with information.

„ Use standard, clear terminology, and avoid abbreviations or

acronyms that the user might not understand.

„ Use colors with recognizable meanings. For example, in Europe and

North America the colors red and green often mean stop and start.
Keep color meanings consistent by assigning red only to Stop
buttons, and green only to Start buttons.

A fairly common vision problem is the inability to distinguish

between red and green, so don’t rely on color alone to establish
meaning.

„ Use high-contrast color combinations, such as yellow on blue or

dark text on light-colored backgrounds.

3–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Usability

„ If you’re designing for a touch screen, place important buttons

where they will not be blocked by a pop-up window. The user can’t
press a covered button. Also, ensure that buttons are large enough
and spaced far enough apart for users to touch them easily, even
when wearing work gloves.

„ Ensure there is always a clear way to move between displays.

Using trends
When planning trends, consider how they will be used. For example,
will the trend be used to:

„ analyze process trends?

„ monitor production efficiency?

„ archive process variables to ensure compliance with government

regulations?

Based on such considerations, you can determine:

„ which tags need to be plotted on the same trend.

„ which tags need to be plotted from a data log model.

„ which tags need to be plotted against time, or against another tag.

Designing a secure system

When deciding on security requirements, consider if you should:

„ restrict access to every component to prevent accidental changes, or

whether limited access is enough.

„ restrict access to certain parts of the plant.

„ require everyone to log on.

Planning an application Q 3–11

 Based on these considerations, you can set up security for individual
users or groups of users. For example, you might want to set up groups
of users, such as a manager group and an operator group.

Customizing the system, and integrating with

other applications

Using data from other applications

If you regularly require data from programs such as Microsoft® Excel,
or Microsoft SQL Server, consider using the RSView SE Client object
model and display code with VBA to integrate these applications with
RSView.

Customizing the system

You can use the RSView SE Client object model to customize a system
in the following ways:

Add custom alarm events You can write an alarm detection

algorithms using PLC logic, and then create events in RSView to
respond to the algorithms.

Validate operator input To validate operator input, use the RSView

SE Client object model. In VBA, create pop-up dialog boxes for data
entry. Use VBA logic to validate the operator’s input, for example, to
ensure that the value an operator enters in a numeric input field falls
within 10% of the value of another numeric input field.

Create custom operator forms Use the RSView SE Client object

model to populate VBA form objects with data, for use in graphic
displays. For example, use list boxes or combo boxes in graphic displays
to allow operators to select options such as recipe items.

Manipulate the RSView SE Client window Write VBA code to

arrange graphic displays based on the size of the RSView SE Client

3–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 window. This allows you to adapt an application dynamically to various
screen desktop sizes and resolutions.

Send custom messages to the Diagnostics log file Send specific

messages to the Diagnostics List, and Diagnostics log file, to notify the
operator of problems with VBA code.

Secure the system The RSView object model allows you to obtain
security information about who is using the system, and to use the
security information and events to control access to the system. For
example, you can restrict a user’s access to a graphic display on a
secured computer by creating code that displays the graphic display on
a workstation with a specific computer name, only when the user is
logged in with a particular user name.

Designing a multi-user system

When an application is run by multiple users, behavior which is
appropriate in a single-user environment might not be appropriate.

For example, if a graphic display that is running on several clients

contains a shutdown macro that stops a derived tags file, when the
display is closed on one client, the shutdown macro will stop the
derived tags file. This would affect the display on the other clients,
because the derived tags file resides at the server.

Design an application with contingencies like these in mind. For

example, since all tags are global, do not store local information such
as the last display shown, because all clients see the same tags.

Designing a system that is easy to deploy

and maintain
RSView Supervisory Edition includes tools and features to help you
build ease of maintenance into an application in these ways:

„ create special graphic displays to help deployment and maintenance

personnel test an application.

Planning an application Q 3–13

 „ link parts of an HMI application to logic in programmable
controllers using the OpenRSLogix5000 command.

For example, by linking actions performed in RSView to Sequential

Function Charts (SFCs) in RSLogix® 5000, you can help operators
track the state of processes that are running in the plant.

Because Sequential Function Charts are graphical representations

of batch procedures, actions in RSView that are linked to
RSLogix 5000 programs could also be used frequently by operators
who monitor the progress of batch procedures.

For details about the OpenRSLogix5000 command, see Help.

3–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

4 Setting up FactoryTalk
Directory
This chapter describes:

„ what FactoryTalk™ Directory is.

„ how to setup FactoryTalk Directory software.

„ what happens if FactoryTalk Directory is unavailable.

About FactoryTalk Directory

The following illustration shows an RSView® Supervisory Edition™
distributed application deployed on a network, along with FactoryTalk
Directory, RSLinx® for RSView, and RSLogix® software.

Setting up FactoryTalk Directory n 4–1

 The FactoryTalk Directory software works like a telephone directory,
or electronic address book, allowing the parts of an application to find
each other on a computer, or on the network.

The RSView SE clients in the illustration use FactoryTalk Directory to

find out which computers are hosting RSView SE servers, and to gain
access to graphic displays in the RSView SE applications running
on the RSView SE servers.

The RSView SE servers use FactoryTalk Directory to find RSLinx in

order to gain access to data on the network devices (PLC-5 and
ControlLogix® devices) and update the graphic displays.

You can set up a network so that multiple applications share a single

FactoryTalk Directory, or so that there are multiple FactoryTalk
Directory computers for multiple applications.

Multiple applications, one FactoryTalk Directory computer

FactoryTalk Directory can contain multiple applications, allowing you

to have multiple automation systems on the same network. This would
allow you to develop one application, while another is in operation.
Alternatively, different applications can be in operation simultaneously,
each controlling a different facility within a corporate network.

All the computers participating in a distributed application share a

common FactoryTalk Directory located on a network server. All of the
computers that connect to an application must also be in the same
workgroup if you are not using domains. Users can be members of
different domains.

Multiple distributed RSView SE applications, multiple

FactoryTalk Directory computers

A network can also contain more than one computer running the
FactoryTalk Directory software. This is useful to:

„ run multiple distributed applications that are separated by a slow

network, for example a wide-area network (WAN).

4–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 To do this, set up one FactoryTalk Directory at each site on either
side of the WAN.

„ run multiple distributed applications that do not need to share data

with each other.

IMPORTANT Each computer on the network can connect to only one

computer running the FactoryTalk Directory software.
You cannot connect computers to multiple FactoryTalk
Directory computers simultaneously.

An RSView SE stand-alone application and FactoryTalk

Directory on the same computer

For stand-alone applications, the RSView SE server, FactoryTalk

Directory, and RSView SE client are all installed on the same computer.
Only OPC data servers can be installed on other computers.

Setting up FactoryTalk Directory

FactoryTalk Directory setup for stand-alone

applications
For stand-alone applications, install FactoryTalk Directory on the same
computer as the RSView SE server and RSView SE client. FactoryTalk
Directory location is set automatically to localhost when you install it.
You do not need to do anything.

FactoryTalk Directory setup for distributed

applications
After you install RSView Supervisory Edition on a computer, and
before you run RSView Studio™, the RSView Administration Console,
or the RSView SE Client, you must specify on each computer that is to

Setting up FactoryTalk Directory Q 4–3

 have access to a distributed application, which computer on the
network is running FactoryTalk Directory.

Summary of steps

To set up FactoryTalk Directory for distributed applications:

1. Decide which computer on the network will run the FactoryTalk

Directory software.

IMPORTANT Do not run FactoryTalk Directory on the same

computer as a Windows® domain controller.

For details about determining the system requirements for the

FactoryTalk Directory computer, see the RSView Supervisory Edition
Installation Guide.

2. To run FactoryTalk Directory only on a computer, that is, one that

does not have SE components, install the FactoryTalk Automation
Platform software on that computer.

For details about determining system requirements and installing

software, see the RSView Supervisory Edition Installation Guide.

3. On the computer that will run the FactoryTalk Directory server,

use the FactoryTalk Directory Server Location Utility to set the
location of the directory to localhost.

4. On all computers that will access the distributed application,

specify the name of the FactoryTalk Directory server computer.

4–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To set the FactoryTalk Directory computer to localhost

1. On the computer that will host FactoryTalk Directory, click the

Windows Start menu, select Programs, Rockwell Software,
FactoryTalk Tools, and then click Specify FactoryTalk Directory
Location.
To change the
location of the
FactoryTalk
Directory server,
click the Browse
button.

2. If the Computer hosting directory server box displays localhost,

click OK.

If the Computer hosting directory server box does not display

localhost

a. Click the Browse button.

b. In the FactoryTalk Directory Server Configuration dialog box,

click This computer.

c. Click OK.

Setting up FactoryTalk Directory Q 4–5

 To specify the FactoryTalk Directory location for other
computers using the distributed application

1. On each computer that will have access to the application, click the
Windows Start menu, select Programs, Rockwell Software,
FactoryTalk Tools, and then click Specify FactoryTalk Directory
Location.
To change the
location of the
FactoryTalk
Directory server,
click the Browse
button.

2. Click the Browse button beside Computer hosting directory server.

3. In the FactoryTalk Directory Server Configuration dialog box,

click Remote computer, and then type the name of the computer
on which the FactoryTalk Directory software is running.

4. Click OK.

What happens if FactoryTalk Directory is unavailable

If FactoryTalk Directory becomes unavailable while an application is
running, the application will continue to run correctly, and be able to
read and write values, acknowledge alarms, open and close displays, and
so on. This is because the FactoryTalk Directory on each SE client
becomes the active FactoryTalk Directory for that client. All previous

4–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

FactoryTalk Directory information used by the SE client before the
FactoryTalk Directory became unavailable, is cached in memory.

However, while FactoryTalk Directory is disconnected, you cannot

modify an application’s structure—for example, you cannot add an
area, a data server, an HMI server, or HMI server components.

How RSView SE Clients respond to server disruptions

During server disruptions, users do not have to restart the RSView SE

Client software to continue using the system. However, clients that
have not accessed the application at least once before FactoryTalk
Directory became unavailable, will not be able to access the application
until FactoryTalk Directory service is restored.

Setting up FactoryTalk Directory Q 4–7

5 Working with
distributed applications
This chapter describes:

„ what a distributed RSView® application is.

„ key concepts about distributed applications.

„ creating distributed applications.

„ working with distributed applications.

„ setting up HMI servers.

„ setting up redundant HMI servers.

„ removing HMI servers and deleting HMI project files.

„ starting and stopping HMI servers and components manually.

About distributed applications

In RSView Studio™ you can create two kinds of supervisory-level

applications: stand-alone applications, and distributed applications.

For a stand-alone application, all the software programs and

application components must be located on the same computer, and
there can be only one HMI server. For details about stand-alone
applications, see Chapter 6, Working with stand-alone applications.

In distributed applications, the software programs that allow a

distributed application to run can each be located on a different
computer on the network. These software programs include, for

Working with distributed applications n 5–1

 example, FactoryTalk™ Directory, the HMI server, the HMI client,
OPC ® data servers, and so on.

A distributed application includes:

„ a list of Windows® users and their access codes (called privileges)

for accessing the application and its contents.

„ HMI servers. Each RSView Supervisory Edition™ application must

contain at least one HMI server. For a distributed application you
can set up a secondary host computer with a backup copy of the
HMI server to provide server redundancy.

„ areas, that allow the application to be organized and sub-divided

into logical or physical divisions. You can also use areas to separate
servers that contain the same names, for example two HMI servers
running projects that contain the same set of displays or tags.

„ data servers, that allow clients to access information in

programmable controllers, devices, and other data servers that
comply with the OPC-DA 2.0 specification, without the use of
HMI tags. You can set up a redundant pair of host computers for
each data server.

Examples of the information provided by data servers are:

„ temperature values from sensors.

„ text strings such as bar codes, from scanners.

„ a gateway to tag databases that exist in programmable

controllers themselves.

Every vendor’s OPC data server is different. Some contain tag

databases, like the tag database in an HMI server, while others
reference the tag databases or addresses that exist in controllers, as
is the case with RSLinx® and ControlLogix®.

„ components such as graphic displays, HMI tags, and data log

models, created in RSView Studio.

5–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Key concepts

Areas

All applications have one system-defined area called the application

root area. The application root area has the same name as the
application, and contains the User Accounts and Secured Commands
editors.

The application root area can contain an HMI server, or one or more
data servers. In distributed applications, you can create additional areas
in an application.

Each area can contain one or more sub-areas, and one or more data
servers. Each area or sub-area can contain only one HMI server.

In distributed applications, you can use areas to divide an application

into manageably-sized, logical parts, or to organize it in a way that
makes sense for the process it is controlling. An area might represent a
portion or stage of a process, or a region within the process facility.

For example, an automotive plant might be divided into areas called

Press and Fabrication, Body Shop, Paint Shop, Engine and
Transmission. A bakery might be divided into areas called Ingredients,
Mixing, Baking, and Packaging.

Alternatively, a plant with identical production lines might be divided

into areas called Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, and so on. This would allow you
to add new, identical production lines to the application by copying
HMI server projects into new areas.

The home area

In distributed applications, the home area is the area in which an

application component (e.g., a tag or display) is located. When you refer
to an application component, but don’t specify the area in which it is
located, RSView uses the home area to locate the component.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–3

 For example, if you create a reference to a tag on a display but do not
specify its area, RSView assumes that the tag’s home area is the same as
the display’s. If the tag does not belong to a data server or HMI server
in the display’s home area, an error will occur when the display is run.

Absolute and relative references

When you refer to an application component, for example a graphic

display, you create a reference to it. Use absolute or relative references
when building commands, or when connecting graphic objects to tags.

Absolute references point directly at a specific component by

referring to the component’s name and the area (or areas, in the case of
nested areas) that contain it. Absolute references are a way of referring
to a specific component in a specific area.

For example, an absolute reference to a display called Detail in an area

called AssemblyLineNorth is /AssemblyLineNorth::Detail.

IMPORTANT An absolute reference to an application’s root area does

not include the application’s name, even though the
name appears in the root area in RSView Studio.

Relative references point at a component relative to the current

server or area.

For example, a relative reference to a display called Detail is simply the

display’s name: Detail.

Using absolute and relative references

Assume the display called Detail, mentioned above, contains an
absolute reference to a tag called /AssemblyLineNorth::Speed, and a
relative reference to a tag called Temp. The relative reference is simply
the tag’s name: Temp.

If you copy the Detail display to an area called AssemblyLineSouth the

display will still use the tag /AssemblyLineNorth::Speed because you

5–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

referred to it using an absolute reference. However, the tag called Temp
will now refer to /AssemblyLineSouth::Temp because you referred to
the Temp tag using a relative reference.

If the Temp tag does not exist in the AssemblyLineSouth area, an error
appears in the FactoryTalk Diagnostics List.

Use absolute references when you want to ensure that a specific

component is used, regardless of where it is referenced from.

Relative references can be used, for example, in an application for a

plant that has identical production lines. The application could have
multiple areas, each representing one of the production lines, with the
same component names in each area. For details about areas, see
page 5-3.

Syntax

Precede area names with a forward slash (/). Also separate area names
from other area names, with a forward slash.

Separate area names from component names with two colons (::).

Example: Using the Display command with absolute and relative

references in distributed applications

Assume that a graphic display called Overview appears if the operator

presses a button on a graphic display.

To show the graphic display called Overview, use the Display

command in the button’s press action, as follows:

„ To create an absolute reference to the display called Overview in the

area called Baking, type Display /Baking::Overview.

„ To create an absolute reference to the display called Overview in the

area called Packaging, type Display /Packaging::Overview.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–5

 „ To create a relative reference to the display called Overview in the
area from which the Display command was issued, type Display
Overview.

More information and examples

For information about using absolute and relative references with tags,
see “Using tag references” on page 8-15.

For information about using absolute and relative references with

commands, see page A-6.

HMI server, HMI project, HMI client

HMI servers are software programs that supply information to clients

when they request it. HMI servers store HMI project components (for
example, graphic displays), and serve these components to clients.
Each HMI server also manages a database of tags, and performs alarm
detection, and historical data management (data logging).

HMI projects contain displays, data log models, alarms, HMI tags and
other services. HMI projects are loaded by HMI servers.

HMI clients are software programs that obtain information from, or

write information to HMI servers or data servers. RSView Studio, the
RSView Administration Console, and the RSView SE Client are all
HMI clients.

FactoryTalk Directory

FactoryTalk Directory is software that allows the parts of an

application to find each other on a computer, or on the network. For
example, to access graphic displays on HMI servers in the application,
HMI clients use FactoryTalk Directory to find out which computers
on the network are hosting HMI servers.

5–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

All the computers participating in a particular application share a
common FactoryTalk Directory located on a network server.

If FactoryTalk Directory becomes unavailable while an application is

running, the application will continue to run correctly because a copy
of the information provided by FactoryTalk Directory is stored locally
on each computer that is connected to the FactoryTalk Directory
computer. RSView SE clients that are connected to the application will
be able to continue running without restarting the system. Clients that
were not connected to the application before the FactoryTalk
Directory went down, will not be able to do so until service is restored.

For details about FactoryTalk Directory, see Chapter 4, Setting up

FactoryTalk Directory.

Redundancy
In process monitoring and control automation, redundancy refers to
the ability of the system running the process to continue to work
correctly when one or more parts of the system become unavailable, or
fail, by setting up pairs of the critical systems components such as data
servers, on paired computers. One of the servers acts as the primary
server, and the other is the secondary, or backup, server.

How RSView SE clients respond to server disruptions

During server disruptions, users do not have to restart the RSView SE

client software to continue using the system. Once the system has
switched to the secondary HMI server, or data server, RSView SE
clients continue functioning normally.

About HMI-server redundancy

You can set up redundant operation for HMI servers to provide

minimal disruption of system operation in the event that clients lose
service from a server, for example because of network or computer
failures.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–7

 For information about how HMI-server redundancy works, see
“Redundant HMI servers” on page 25-8.

The operational status of HMI servers

There are four possible states for an HMI server:

„ Active means that the server is running, and able to serve data to
clients that connect to it.

„ Standby means that the server is running, and will replace the
active server if the active server fails.

„ Out of service means that the server has been created, but cannot
be contacted.

„ Unknown applies to the secondary server only. Unknown means

that the secondary server has not been created yet.

You can see the operational status of an HMI server by clicking the
General tab in the HMI Server Properties dialog box. You can also use
VBA code on the client to determine the status of HMI servers.

For details about loading the primary server automatically when

Windows starts, see “Starting the HMI server when the operating
system starts” on page 5-17.

For details about loading the server manually, see “Starting and
stopping HMI server components manually” on page 26-10.

File synchronization

While the server is active, changes made to files (for example,

configuration files, or log files) are not automatically synchronized on
the secondary server.

5–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 If synchronization is required, the files must be synchronized manually
after the changes are made. You can do this by copying the files using
Windows Explorer.

For details, see “Synchronizing servers and projects” on page 26-12.

Alarm state synchronization

For alarm states to be synchronized properly, the clocks on the primary

and secondary HMI servers must be kept synchronized to a time
server. If the clocks on both computers are not synchronized, when
fail-over occurs multiple alarms or inconsistent information might be
displayed in an alarm summary.

About data-server redundancy

You can set up redundant operation for data servers to provide

minimal disruption of system operation in the event that clients lose
service from a server, for example because of network or computer
failures.

For information about setting up redundancy for OPC data servers, see
“Setting up OPC data server redundancy” on page 7-9.

For information about setting up redundancy for RSLinx Enterprise

data servers, see “Setting up RSLinx Enterprise data server
redundancy” on page 7-12.

Creating a distributed application

Distributed applications consist of one or more areas, one HMI server

per area, and if required, one or more data servers. Once you have
created the application and an HMI server, use the editors in the HMI
server project to create application components, such as graphic
displays.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–9

 To create a distributed application

1. On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, Rockwell Software,

RSView Enterprise, and then click RSView Studio.

2. In the Product Type Selection dialog, select Supervisory Edition

Distributed, and then click Continue.

3. In the New/Open SE Distributed Application dialog box, click the

New tab.

4. Type a name and description for the application, and then click
Create.

The application name can be

up to 32 characters long.

The application icon and name are displayed in the Application

Explorer along with the icons for the User Accounts and Secured
Commands editors.

5. In the Application Explorer, right-click the application icon and

then select New HMI server to add a server to the root area.

Or, right-click the application icon and select New Area, to create
an area, and then create an HMI server within it.

6. In the Add HMI Server wizard, select an operation to create an

HMI server.

5–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 7. Work through the dialog boxes to create the HMI server and
project.

Working with distributed applications

Adding and removing areas

To add an area

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the application root or

right-click an area name, and then click New Area.

2. In the New Area dialog box, type a name for the area, and an
optional description, and then click OK.

To remove an area

X Right-click the area you want to remove, and then click Remove.

HMI servers and data servers located in the area are not deleted
from disk.

You cannot copy areas in distributed applications.

Adding an HMI server

Each area in an application can contain only one HMI server. Each
area can contain more than one data server.

You can add an HMI server to an application by:

„ creating a new HMI server.

„ copying an existing HMI server.

„ importing a project from RSView32™, RSView Supervisory

Edition™, or RSView Machine Edition™.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–11

 „ attaching to an existing HMI server without copying it.

To add an HMI server:

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the application root, or

right-click an area name, and then click New HMI Server.

2. In the Select Operations window of the Add HMI Server wizard,

click one of the operations to select it, and then click Next. For
details about the operations, see below or see Help.

3. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the wizard.

When you are finished adding an HMI server, you can set up the HMI
server’s properties. For details, see page 5-16.

Creating a new HMI server

To create a new HMI server that is not based on an existing HMI

server, HMI project, or RSView32 application, click Create a new
HMI server.

When you create an HMI server, the server’s HMI project is created
automatically.

Copying an HMI server

To make a copy of an existing HMI server, click Copy an HMI server.

After you have copied an HMI server, changes made to the original do
not affect the copy, or vice versa.

5–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Importing a project from RSView32, SE, or ME

To use a project from RSView32, RSView Supervisory Edition, or

RSView Machine Edition as the basis for a new HMI server, click
Import a project.

After you have copied a project into the new HMI server, changes
made to the original project do not affect the copy, or vice versa.

Attaching to an existing HMI server

To connect to an existing HMI server without making a copy of the

HMI server, click Attach to an existing HMI server.

IMPORTANT You cannot attach to an existing HMI server if the HMI

server is used in another application.

When to use additional HMI or data servers

A distributed application does not require more than one HMI server
or data server, but there are circumstances in which it is helpful, for
example to provide redundant operation for HMI servers or data
servers at run time, or to allow different integrators to work on
different HMI servers without worrying about name collisions or
needing to integrate all the files later.

Adding HMI servers or data servers for redundant operation

You can set up redundant HMI servers or data servers to enable an

application to use a secondary server in the event that the primary
server goes out of service.

You must set up redundancy separately for each HMI server or data
server in an application.

„ For details about adding HMI servers to an application, see

page 5-14.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–13

 „ For details about adding OPC data servers to an application, see
page 7-7.

„ For details about adding RSLinx Enterprise data servers to an

application, see page 7-11.

Adding HMI servers or data servers for load balancing

Over time, an HMI project might increase in size, or the number of

clients connecting to the HMI server or data server might increase to
the point where the computer running the server becomes overloaded.

If this happens, install another HMI or data server on a different

computer and then move some of the HMI project components, or
some of the OPC server tags, to the new server. This distributes the
processing load across computers more effectively and provides better
performance.

IMPORTANT More than 2 HMI servers can be located on a single

computer only for development purposes. When
deploying an application, ensure that there are no more
than 2 HMI servers per computer. For redundancy, only
1 HMI server per computer is permitted.

Server restrictions

Server Names

The names of HMI servers are stored by FactoryTalk Directory, and

are not deleted, even if you remove an HMI server from all
applications in which it is used and then delete the HMI server’s
project files.

The name of every HMI server must be unique. This means that:

„ You cannot re-use a name for an HMI server, even after you have
deleted the HMI server.

5–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

„ If multiple users share the same FactoryTalk Directory, the names
of all HMI servers created by all users must be unique. Similarly, if
multiple applications share the same FactoryTalk Directory, the
name of each HMI server in each application must be unique.

Number of servers

In distributed applications, each area can contain only one HMI server,
and an application can contain no more than two HMI servers.

Each computer can have no more than one HMI server running on it.
If a distributed application needs more than one HMI server, install
each one on a separate computer.

IMPORTANT More than 2 HMI servers can be located on a single

computer only for development purposes. When
deploying an application, ensure that there are no more
than 2 HMI servers per computer. For redundancy, only
1 HMI server per computer is permitted.

Renaming an application

To rename an application

X Click the Start button, select Programs, Rockwell Software, RSView

Enterprise, Tools, and then click Application Manager.

You cannot rename a distributed application that is in use. Ensure

that all users disconnect from the application first.

For details about using the Application Manager tool, click Help.

Deleting an application
The HMI projects and data servers you have set up in the application
are not automatically deleted when you delete a distributed application.
If you intend to delete them, make a list of the HMI servers in the

Working with distributed applications Q 5–15

 application before you delete it. For details about removing a data
server and deleting its cache files, see page 7-16.

To delete an application

X Click the Start button, select Programs, Rockwell Software, RSView

Enterprise, Tools, and then click Application Manager.

You cannot delete a distributed application that is in use. Ensure

that all users disconnect from the application first.

For details about using the Application Manager tool, click Help.

To delete the application’s HMI server files, see page 5-22.

Setting up HMI server properties

After you have added an HMI server to an application, you need to set
up the HMI server. Use the HMI Server Properties dialog box to:

„ select a startup type for the HMI server.

„ change the name of the computer on which the HMI server is

running.

„ set up server redundancy and specify the name of the second

computer that will host the redundant HMI server.

„ select the components that will run when the HMI server starts up.

„ specify macros that will run when the components are shutdown,
and, if redundancy has been set up, when the server goes into
standby mode or becomes active.

To open the HMI Server Properties dialog box

1. In the Application Explorer in RSView Studio or the RSView

Administration Console, right-click the HMI server and then click
Properties.

5–16 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

You must set up the properties of each HMI server separately in a
distributed application.

For details about filling in the fields of the HMI Server Properties
dialog box, see Help.

Specifying how the server starts up

You can set an HMI server to start up when the first client connects to
it (on demand), or when the operating system initializes.

After an HMI server has finished starting, it is said to be loaded. After

an HMI server has finished stopping, it is said to be unloaded.

Use on demand only for developing a system. In the run time

environment, the HMI server should start when the operating system
starts to ensure that no alarms or logged data is missed.

Starting the HMI server when the operating system starts

You can set an HMI server to be loaded when Windows starts. This
option is for normal use at run time, and is required if you want to set
up redundancy for the HMI server.

This option allows clients to connect quickly, and ensures that the HMI
server can be brought back to normal operation automatically if the
computer on which it is running is restarted.

If you are setting up redundancy for an HMI server, and choose not to
run components when the servers start up, you can specify macros to
start the components only when the server is the active server. For
details about creating macros, see Chapter 22, Creating macros.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–17

 The HMI server can be unloaded by changing the Startup type to On
demand, and then closing all clients, or by using the RSView SE Service
Manager

IMPORTANT After changing the start type, you must restart the
HMI server computer for the change to take effect.

Because the HMI server runs as a service, users do not have to log into
Windows to make the HMI server run.

Starting the HMI server when the first client connects to it

You can set up the HMI server to load on demand. This means that the
HMI server is loaded when the first client accesses the HMI server
project, and is unloaded when the last client is closed.

When the HMI server is loaded, the user can edit the server’s HMI
project using RSView Studio, and connect clients to the HMI server.
A client can be RSView Studio, the RSView Administration Console,
or the RSView SE Client.

An unlicensed HMI server can only be started on demand.

Changing the name of the host computer

In the General tab of the HMI Server Properties dialog box, the box
labeled Computer hosting the server, displays the name of the
computer the HMI server is running on. To change this to another
computer, a copy of the HMI server has to exist on the computer that
is going to be the host.

5–18 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Setting up HMI server redundancy
To minimize disruptions to clients if the primary HMI server fails, set
up a redundant HMI server. In RSView, the redundant server is called
the secondary server.

When the primary HMI server becomes available again, the system
automatically switches back to the primary server.

The settings you specify on the Redundancy tab are saved with the
application, and are the same for both primary and secondary HMI
servers. You do not need to specify different settings for the computers
that are hosting the primary and secondary servers.

Specifying server redundancy

In the Redundancy tab of the HMI Server Properties dialog box, click
the Provide redundancy using a secondary server, check box to enable
redundancy for this HMI server. Clear this check box to disable
redundancy for this HMI server.

This option is available only if the HMI server startup type is set to
Load and run startup components when operating system initializes.
For details about the HMI server’s startup type, see page 5-17.
Selecting the secondary host computer

In the Redundancy tab of the HMI Server Properties dialog box, type
the name of the computer hosting the secondary HMI server. To
browse for the name of the computer, click the Browse button.

For information about the steps required to set up redundant

components in an application, see “Planning the layout of a redundant
system” on page 25-12.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–19

 Selecting the HMI server’s startup and
shutdown components

In the Components tab of the HMI Server Properties dialog box, select
the check box for each of the items you want to run when the HMI
server runs. Where required, specify the name of a component.

Use the Components tab to select:

„ which components will run when the HMI server starts.

„ which macros will run when the HMI server shuts down.

„ which macros will run when switching to the secondary HMI

server, or back to the primary HMI server.

For details about the options in the Components tab, see Help.

The HMI server can be started automatically when the operating

system starts, or manually. For details about starting the HMI server
manually, see page 26-11.

IMPORTANT The order in which items appear in the Components tab

is not the order in which items will run. If you have
created an HMI server that has components that must
start in a particular order, create a macro that will run
when the HMI server starts.

Running a macro when the HMI server becomes the active

HMI server

The macro that runs when the HMI server becomes active is called the
On active macro. An HMI server can become active if another HMI
server fails, or if it is a primary server at startup time. Any macro can
be used as the On active macro.

If you have not set up a secondary server in the Redundancy tab, the
On active macro is not available.

5–20 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Running a macro when the HMI server becomes the standby
HMI server

The macro that runs when the HMI server switches from being active
to being on standby is called the On standby macro.

For example, when the system switches back from the active secondary
HMI server to the primary HMI server after the primary server has
been restored to operation, the primary server first goes into On
standby, and then into Active. When the primary server becomes active
the secondary goes into On standby. The On standby macro will not
run if the active HMI server fails and is unable to run the macro, for
example if the power to the computer fails. Any macro can be used as
the On standby macro.

If you have not set up a secondary server in the Redundancy tab, this
option is not available.

Setting up redundant HMI servers

To set up a redundant HMI server, complete these steps:

1. Install the RSView SE Server software on the computer you want

to host the secondary HMI server. For details, see the RSView
Supervisory Edition Installation Guide.

2. Copy the HMI project files from the computer hosting the
primary HMI server to the computer hosting the secondary HMI
server. For details, see “Moving HMI project files” on page 26-6.

3. In RSView Studio on the primary computer, open the HMI Server

Properties dialog box for the primary HMI server.

4. In the Redundancy tab, set up the redundancy options. For details,

see Help, or “Setting up HMI server redundancy” on page 5-19.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–21

Removing HMI servers
You can remove an HMI server from an application without deleting
its project files. This allows you to add the HMI server to an
application at a later time. You can also add the HMI server to an
application temporarily, while you copy components to other HMI
servers in the application.

To remove an HMI server

1. Disconnect all clients from the HMI server. A client is any of the
following: RSView Studio, RSView Administration Console, or
RSView SE client.

2. Start RSView Studio, and then open the application from which
you want to remove the HMI server.

3. Right-click the HMI server you want to remove, and then click
Remove.

Remove does not delete the HMI server’s project files.

Deleting HMI server project files

Remove the HMI server from the application in which it is used before
you delete the HMI server’s files.

To delete an HMI server’s project files

1. Disconnect all clients from the HMI server. A client is any of the
following: RSView Studio, the RSView Administration Console, or
the RSView SE client.

2. Use the Windows Explorer to browse to the following folder on

the computer hosting the HMI server:

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\

RSView Enterprise\SE\HMI projects*

5–22 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 *The path given is for Windows XP. For Windows 2000, the third
folder is not Shared Documents, but just Documents.

3. Delete the folder that has the same name as the HMI server whose
project files you want to delete.

Starting and stopping HMI servers and components

manually

Starting and stopping an HMI server’s

components

You can run an HMI server’s startup components, or stop the

components running on an HMI server from within the HMI Server
Properties dialog box.

If you have set up a redundant HMI server, you can also start or stop
the redundant server’s components manually.

For details, see page 26-10.

Starting and stopping HMI services

You can start or stop the HMI services running on a computer

manually.

When you stop the HMI services manually, clients are disconnected, all
HMI servers running on the computer are shut down, and the
activation keys used by the HMI servers are released.

When you start the HMI services manually, clients are allowed to
connect to HMI servers on the computer.

For details about starting or stopping HMI services manually, see

page 26-11.

Working with distributed applications Q 5–23

6 Working with
stand-alone applications
This chapter describes:

„ what a stand-alone application is.

„ key concepts about stand-alone applications.

„ creating stand-alone applications.

„ setting up HMI server properties.

„ using data servers in stand-alone applications.

„ starting and stopping HMI server components manually.

About stand-alone applications

In RSView® Studio™ you can create two kinds of supervisory-level

applications: stand-alone applications, or distributed applications.

Stand-alone applications have the following characteristics:

„ A stand-alone application has only one area, which is the

application root area. You cannot add areas to a stand-alone
application.

„ A stand-alone application can have only one HMI server which is

created automatically when the applications is created, and has the
same name as the application.

„ FactoryTalk™ Directory, the HMI server, HMI project, and the

RSView SE Client, are all located on the same computer.

Working with stand-alone applications n 6–1

 „ Only OPC data servers can be located on other computers.

„ Redundancy is not supported for stand-alone applications

„ You do not have to set up FactoryTalk Directory for use with stand-
alone applications. This is done automatically.

Key concepts

HMI server, HMI project, HMI client

HMI server is a software program that supplies information to clients

when they request it. An HMI server stores HMI project components
(for example, graphic displays), and serves these components to clients.
An HMI server also manages a database of tags, and performs alarm
detection, and historical data management (logging). A stand-alone
application contains one HMI server that is created automatically when
you create the application.

HMI project contains displays, log models, alarms, HMI tags and
other services. HMI projects are loaded by HMI servers.

HMI clients are software programs that obtain information from, or

write information to an HMI server. RSView Studio, the RSView
Administration Console, and the RSView SE client are all HMI clients.

FactoryTalk Directory

FactoryTalk Directory is software that allows the parts of an

application to find each other on a computer, or on the network.

For example, to access information via a non-HMI data server, an

HMI client uses FactoryTalk Directory to find out which computer on
the network is hosting the data server.

6–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Application, data server

A stand-alone application includes:

„ a list of Windows® users and their access codes (called privileges)

for accessing the application and its contents.

„ an HMI server.

For a stand-alone RSView Supervisory application, the HMI server

is created when you create the application and has the same name
as the application.

„ data servers, that allow clients to access information in

programmable controllers, devices, and other data servers that
comply with the OPC ®-DA 2.0 specification, without the use of
HMI tags. That data servers that can be used include RSLinx
Enterprise and OPC data servers (including RSLinx for RSView).

Every vendor’s OPC data server is different. Some contain tag

databases of their own, like the tag database in an HMI server, while
others simply reference the tag databases or addresses that exist in
controllers themselves, as is the case with RSLinx® and
ControlLogix®.

„ components such as graphic displays, HMI tags, and data log

models, created in RSView Studio.

For details about distributed RSView Supervisory Edition™

applications, see Chapter 5, Working with distributed applications.

Using references in stand-alone applications

When you refer to an application component, for example a graphic

display, you create a reference to the component.

Stand-alone applications make use of relative references to refer to

application components, for example tags, or graphic displays. Relative
references point at a component relative to the current application.

Working with stand-alone applications Q 6–3

 For example, a relative reference to a display called Detail is simply the
display’s name: Detail.

Example: Using the Display command with relative references in

stand-alone applications

Assume that a graphic display called Overview appears if the operator

presses a button on a graphic display.

To show the graphic display called Overview, use the Display

command with a relative reference to the name of the display: type
Display Overview.

Creating an application

Stand-alone applications consist of the application root area, one HMI

server, and if needed, one or more data servers. Once you have created
the application, use the editors in the RSView Studio Application
Explorer to create application components, such as graphic displays.
To create a stand-alone application

1. On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, Rockwell Software,

RSView Enterprise, and then click RSView Studio.

2. In the Product Type Selection dialog, select Supervisory Edition

Stand-alone, and then click Continue.

3. In the New/Open SE Stand-alone Application dialog box, click

the New tab.

4. Type a name and description for the application and then click
Create.

After you create a new application, the application icon and name are
displayed in the Application Explorer along with the RSView Studio
editors you will use to create the application components.

6–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Importing a project into a new application
You can create a new stand-alone application by importing a project
from RSView32™, RSView Supervisory Edition, or RSView Machine
Edition™. For details about importing projects, see Help. You cannot
import a project into an existing application.

After you have copied a project into the new application, changes made
to the original project do not affect the copy, or vice versa.

Setting up HMI server properties

When you create a stand-alone application, an HMI project and

server are automatically created that have the same name as the
application. You need to set up the HMI server’s properties in the HMI
Server Properties dialog box.

Use the HMI Server Properties dialog box to:

„ add a description of the HMI server.

„ select the components that will run when the HMI server starts up.

„ specify a shutdown macro.

„ start or stop components manually.

To open the HMI Server Properties dialog box

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the HMI server and then

click Properties

For details about using the HMI Server Properties dialog box, see Help.

Specifying HMI server startup components

In the Components tab of the HMI Server Properties dialog box,
specify which HMI server components will run automatically when the

Working with stand-alone applications Q 6–5

 HMI server starts. You can also specify a shutdown macro and start or
stop the components manually.

The HMI server is always started automatically when the RSView SE

client connects to the HMI server in the application.

IMPORTANT The order in which items appear in the Components tab

is not the order in which items will run. If components
must start in a particular order, create a macro that will
run when the HMI server starts.

6–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Starting and stopping an HMI server’s
components manually
You can run an HMI server’s startup components, or stop the
components running on an HMI server from within the HMI Server
Properties dialog box.

For details, see page 27-4.

Working with stand-alone applications Q 6–7

7 Setting up
communications
This chapter describes:

„ what OPC® is.

„ setting up communications.

„ what data servers are.

„ adding OPC data servers to an application.

„ adding RSLinx® Enterprise data servers to an application.

„ setting up communications in RSLinx Enterprise

„ removing data servers from an application.

About OPC communications

OPC stands for OLE for Process Control, a protocol used to connect
RSView® to communication devices via vendor-specific OPC servers.
RSView supports the OPC-DA 2.0 specification.

OPC servers provide a way for RSView to retrieve tag values from:

„ Allen-Bradley® controller devices, using RSLinx as an OPC server.

„ third-party controller devices, such as Siemens or Modicon®, using

third-party OPC servers.

Setting up communications n 7–1

 Overview of OPC communications
The following illustration shows the different ways RSView can use
OPC for communications.

RSView SE Server’s
HMI tags
Computer running RSView SE Server

RSView OPC client module

Third-party Third-party
RSLinx OPC server
application
with OPC
server support

PLC network Network or

OPC network link via DCOM third-party
communication
link

Allen-Bradley Non-
programmable Allen-Bradley
controller device

Remote computer – Remote computer – Remote computer –

RSLinx Gateway RSView32 Third-party
(OPC server) OPC server OPC server

7–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Setting up communications
To set up communications, complete these steps:

1. Gather information about the network, and the devices that are
connected to it. You will need this information to set up RSLinx,
or another OPC server.

2. Decide what OPC server will be used for communications. It can

be any of the following OPC servers:

„ an OPC-DA 2.0-compliant server

„ RSLinx for RSView
„ RSLinx Enterprise
For more information about OPC servers, see “Types of data
servers” on page 7-5.

For information about the differences between RSLinx for RSView,

RSLinx Gateway, and RSLinx Enterprise, see “Plan how you will
access data” on page 1-8.

3. To use RSLinx for RSView as the OPC server that enables

communications on a network, set up RSLinx for RSView and
then add an OPC data server to the application. The OPC data
server should point to the computer on which RSLinx for RSView
is running.

For details, see Getting Results with RSLinx, or see Help for RSLinx.

For details about installing RSLinx for RSView, see the RSView
Supervisory Edition Installation Guide.

4. To use RSLinx Enterprise as the OPC server that enables

communications on the network, add an RSLinx Enterprise data
server to the application and then set up RSLinx Enterprise. The
RSLinx Enterprise data server should point to the computer on
which RSLinx Enterprise is running.

Setting up communications Q 7–3

 For details about setting up RSLinx Enterprise, see “Adding RSLinx
Enterprise data servers” on page 7-11, or see the RSLinx Enterprise
Help.

For details about installing RSLinx Enterprise, see the RSView

Supervisory Edition Installation Guide.

5. To use an OPC server other than RSLinx for RSView or RSLinx

Enterprise, to enable communications on the network, set up the
OPC server you will use. For details, see the documentation
supplied with the OPC server.

6. In RSView Studio™, add a data server that points at the OPC

server you set up in step 3, step 4, or step 5.

7. To use HMI tags in the application, open the Tags editor, and then
create device tags that point at addresses in devices. For details
about creating HMI tags, see Chapter 9, Creating hmi tags.

If you do not intend to use HMI tags, but instead will access
addresses in devices directly, skip this step. For details about using
tags, see Chapter 8, Working with tags.

8. Wherever the application needs to obtain values from tags, for

example in objects in graphic displays, type the tag name using the
syntax for the OPC server, or use the tag browser.

About data servers

A data server provides a route to the physical devices on the network,

so you can see the values in those devices. Devices can be:

„ programmable controller values.

„ OPC tags, and their value or status information.

„ named variables in a ControlLogix® processor.

7–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Types of data servers

In RSView Supervisory Edition™, you can create two kinds of data

servers:

„ an OPC data server.

„ an RSLinx Enterprise data server.

If you are using RSLinx for RSView, RSLinx Gateway, or a third-party

OPC data server for communications, create an OPC data server.

If you are using RSLinx Enterprise for communications, create an

RSLinx Enterprise data server.

An OPC data server provides support for RSLinx for RSView,

RSLinx Gateway, or any data server that conforms to the OPC-DA 2.0
standard. RSLinx for RSView and RSLinx Gateway provide enhanced
support for Rockwell Automation programmable controllers and
devices.

RSLinx for RSView does not require an activation key provided it is

installed on the same computer as an RSView SE Server, and is serving
data to FactoryTalk clients only, such as RSView SE Client or RSSQL.

RSLinx Gateway can be installed on any computer, but requires an

activation key to serve data to remote, third-party OPC clients.

An RSLinx Enterprise data server is for use with RSLinx

Enterprise, and provides best performance when communicating with
ControlLogix processors or with large numbers of clients.

Using multiple data servers

Use multiple data servers to:

„ balance the processing load for exchanging data. If CPU usage is

high on a computer on which one data server is running, you should

Setting up communications Q 7–5

 create another data server on another computer to balance the
processing load.

„ provide data-access redundancy. To do this, set up a second OPC

server on another computer. On the primary data server, change the
settings in the Redundancy tab of the Data Server Properties dialog
box, to point clients to the secondary server if the primary one fails.

„ communicate with more than one type of controller simultaneously,

for example a Rockwell Automation controller (such as
ControlLogix), a Modicon controller, and a Siemens controller.

Because RSLinx for RSView and RSLinx Enterprise can be set up

to communicate with multiple types of controllers simultaneously,
you might not need a separate data server for each controller.

„ If you have set up RSLinx to communicate with all the

controllers in an application, you only need one data server that
you set up with an OPC topic or device shortcut for each
controller.
„ If you have set up multiple copies of RSLinx, each of which
communicates with a different controller or network, you will
need to set up a data server for each copy of RSLinx you have
running.
For details about setting up communications in RSLinx for RSView,
see Getting Results with RSLinx, or see Help for RSLinx for RSView.

For details about setting up communications in RSLinx Enterprise,

add an RSLinx Enterprise data server to an application, open the
Communications Setup editor, and then click Help.

7–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 IMPORTANT If an application requires more than 10,000 tags, and is
not using RSLinx Enterprise for communications, place
the OPC data server on its own, dedicated host
computer. This provides best performance.

RSLinx Enterprise is optimized to provide best

performance for large numbers of clients (more
than 10), and large numbers of tags (more than 10,000),
even if it is on the same computer as the HMI server.

Adding OPC data servers

Add an OPC data server for use with RSLinx for RSView, or for use
with a third-party OPC server such as Modicon.

For details about adding RSLinx Enterprise data servers, see “Adding
RSLinx Enterprise data servers” on page 7-11.

You can add more than one data server to an area.

To add an OPC data server

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the application root or an

area name, select New Data Server, and then click OPC.

2. In the OPC Data Server Properties dialog box, fill in the fields in
each tab. When you are finished, click OK.

Setting up communications Q 7–7

 Setting up general properties

In the General tab, type a name and description for the data server, and
specify a computer and an OPC server name.

Name Type a name for the data server. This will appear in the
Application Explorer in RSView Studio™ and the RSView
Administration Console. The name cannot include dashes or hyphens
(–).

Description Type a description for the data server. For example, it can
describe the server’s location, the name of a contact person or number
to contact in case of failure, or version information.

Computer that will run the OPC server Type the name of the
computer on which the data server will run. To browse for the name of
the computer, click the Browse button.

OPC server name (Prog ID) Type the programmatic ID of the OPC
server. To browse for the programmatic ID, click the Browse button.

7–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To use RSLinx for RSView as the OPC server, click the Browse button,
and then click RSLinx Remote OPC Server.

Setting up OPC data server redundancy

To minimize disruptions to clients if the primary data server fails, set
up a redundant data server. This is only available for distributed
applications.

In the Redundancy tab, specify the name of the computer that will host
the secondary data server, and specify whether RSView should
continue using the secondary data server or switch back to the primary
data server when it becomes available again.

Provide redundancy using a secondary server Select this check

box to enable data server redundancy. Clear this check box to disable
data server redundancy.

Computer running the secondary server Type the name of the

computer on which the secondary data server is running. To browse for
the name of the computer, click the Browse button.

Switch back options To prevent RSView from switching back to the

primary data server when it becomes available, click Continue using the
secondary server even when the primary becomes available again.

Setting up communications Q 7–9

To make RSView switch back to the primary data server when the
primary server becomes available, click Switchback to the primary
server when it becomes available.

Setting up advanced properties

In the Advanced tab, set up a cache for tags on the data server. A cache
lets you to view tag names when you are not connected to the data
server.

Include extended information in the server cache file Select this

check box to make available additional information about tags, for
example, their data types, when you are not connected to the data
server.

To create a data server cache

1. In the Advanced tab of the OPC Data Server Properties dialog

box, select the check box, Include extended information in the
server cache file.

2. Click Create Cache and then click OK.

Synchronizing a data server’s cache

If tags are added, modified, or deleted on the data server, you must
synchronize the cache manually.

You can synchronize a data server’s cache only after you have created
one.
 To synchronize a data server’s cache

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the data server, and then

click Properties.

2. In the Advanced tab of the OPC Data Server Properties dialog

box, click the Synchronize button, and then click OK.

Adding RSLinx Enterprise data servers

You can add more than one data server to an area.

For details about adding OPC data servers for use with RSLinx for
RSView or third-party OPC servers, see “Adding OPC data servers”
on page 7-7.

To add an RSLinx Enterprise data server

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the application root or an

area name, select New Data Server, and then click RSLinx
Enterprise.

2. In the Data Server Properties dialog box, fill in the fields in each
tab, as described in the sections that follow. When you are finished,
click OK.

Setting up communications Q 7–11

 Setting up general properties

In the General tab, type a name and description for the data server, and
specify the name of the computer that will host the data server.

Name Type a name for the data server. This name will appear in the
Application Explorer. The name cannot include dashes or hyphens (–).

Description Type a description for the data server. For example, the
description can consist of the server’s location, the name of a contact
person or number to contact in case of failure, or version information.

Computer hosting the RSLinx Enterprise server Type the name of

the computer on which the RSLinx Enterprise data server is running.
To browse for the name of the computer, click the Browse button.

Setting up RSLinx Enterprise data server

redundancy

To minimize disruptions to clients if the primary data server fails, set

up a redundant data server. In RSView, the redundant server is called
the secondary server.

7–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

In the Redundancy tab, specify the name of the secondary data server,
and specify whether RSView should switch back to the primary data
server if it becomes available again.

Provide redundancy using a secondary server Select this check

box to enable data server redundancy. Clear this check box to disable
data server redundancy.

Computer running the secondary server Type the name of the

computer on which the secondary data server is running. To browse for
the name of the computer, click the Browse button.

Switch back options To prevent RSView from switching back to the

primary data server when it becomes available, click Continue using the
secondary server even when the primary becomes available again.

To make RSView switch back to the primary data server when the
primary server becomes available, click Switchback to the primary
server when it becomes available again.

Setting up communications Q 7–13

Setting up communications in RSLinx Enterprise
Use the RSLinx Communication Setup editor to add drivers and
devices, set up driver and device properties, and set up device shortcuts.

Primary and Secondary tabs

If you have set up only a primary RSLinx Enterprise data server, only
the Primary tab appears in the Communication Setup editor.

7–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

If you have set up both a primary and a secondary RSLinx Enterprise
data server, both the Primary and the Secondary tabs appear in the
Communication Setup editor.

You can use these tabs to point RSLinx Enterprise at different

networks or different hardware in case of failure.

IMPORTANT When specifying device shortcuts, be sure to use exactly

the same shortcut names for both servers, otherwise tag
references that use these shortcuts will not be able to
obtain data reliably.

To set up communications in RSLinx Enterprise

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the RSLinx Enterprise data

server icon, and then double-click the Communication Setup
editor.

2. In the Communication Setup editor, add, or remove device

shortcuts, or open an offline tag file to browse for tags offline.

For details about using the Communication Setup Editor, click

Help.

Setting up communications Q 7–15

Removing data servers

To remove a data server

X Right-click the data server you want to remove, and then click
Remove.

When you remove a data server, its cache files are also deleted.

7–16 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

8 Working with tags
This chapter describes:

„ tags and the HMI tag database.

„ using data server tags.

„ using HMI tags.

„ browsing for tags.

„ working with tags in the Tag Browser.

„ using tag references.

„ how to log tag values.

For more information about HMI tags, see Chapter 9, Creating hmi tags.

Tags and the HMI tag database

A tag is a logical name for a variable in a device or in local memory

(RAM). For example, a tag can represent a process variable in a
network device.

When to use HMI tags

Use HMI tags when an application needs to provide extended
capabilities, such as:

„ triggering alarms when tag values cross a specified threshold.

„ scaling or offsetting a value before sending it to a programmable

controller or device.

Working with tags n 8–1

 „ security features, to prevent unauthorized changes to a tag’s value.

„ flexible addressing. HMI tags don’t require hard-coded physical

addresses or device-specific variable names in an application. This
lets you re-use an application with other devices, by changing the
physical addresses to which tag names are mapped.

Also, some controllers or OPC servers do not allow description tag

names.

For details about setting up communications in RSView, see Chapter 7,

Setting up communications.

Data server tags, HMI tags, and their

attributes

RSView® conforms to the OPC ® Data Access (DA) 2.0 specification

for information exchange among automation or control applications,
field systems or devices, and business or office applications.

The OPC-DA specification calls tags ‘data items’. RSView provides

direct access to the basic attributes of all OPC-DA-compliant tags
through a data server. In the RSView documentation, the tags you
access through a data server are called data server tags.

RSView also provides a tag with additional properties for alarms,

security, and data manipulation. These are called HMI tags and are
created using the Tags editor in RSView.

An application can use a mix of HMI tags and data server tags. To use
data server tags such as those found in ControlLogix® and other OPC-
compliant devices, provide a direct reference to the tag’s location
wherever the application is to use the data.

Tag-related limits

Graphic displays can contain a maximum of 3000 animations that

reference tags (HMI tags and data server tags).

8–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Each HMI server in an application can have up to 40,000 HMI tags
that have alarms. Of these alarm tags, 10,000 can be analog HMI tags.

IMPORTANT If an application has more than 10,000 tags and does not
use RSLinx® Enterprise for communications, place the
OPC data server on its own, dedicated host computer
for best performance.

RSLinx Enterprise is optimized to provide best

performance for large numbers of clients (more
than 10), and tags (more than 10,000), even if it is hosted
by the same computer as the HMI server.

Basic steps for using tags

To use tags:

1. Type the name of the tag or browse for it, anywhere you plan to
connect an object to live data at run time.

For example, you can set up a graphic object that represents a vat
on a production line so that at run time it will show the level of the
vat. To do this, set up Fill animation for the object using the name
of a tag that is updated by a network device that monitors the level
of the vat. At run time the value of the tag will determine the fill
level of the graphic object.

2. If the tag does not already exist, create it:

To use a new data server tag, (for example, in a device), create it in

the device or OPC server. For example, in a ControlLogix device,
create the tag using RSLogix® 5000 programming software.

To use new HMI tags, create them in the Tags editor. For details,
see Help.

Working with tags Q 8–3

 Browsing for tags

If you don’t know the names of tags, you can browse for them. You can
browse while online and connected to a device, or you can browse for
tags from an offline file, for example a PLC program file.

To browse for tags, use the Tag Browser. For details, see page 8-7.

Using tag names that don’t exist

You can type the name of a tag that doesn’t yet exist. If you do this,
when you create the tag, and everywhere you use its name, make sure
that you spell the tag name consistently.

Using data server tags

For some uses in an application, data server tags can offer advantages
over HMI tags. For example, using direct references to tags in devices,
or to tags located in an OPC server’s database, can eliminate the need
for duplication or provide access to complex data types.

Eliminate duplication

Using data server tags lets you add, modify, or delete tags in a device
without having to duplicate the changes in the HMI tag database.

Access to complex data

Some devices, for example ControlLogix processors, support complex

data types such as arrays and structures. A controller can have
structures that contain hundreds of member elements.

Referencing tag values directly eliminates the need for creating an HMI
tag for each member.

8–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Setting up data server tags

To use data server tags:

1. Create the tag in the OPC server, or processor, or use an existing

tag in the processor.

For information about creating tags in OPC-DA servers that have

their own tag database, see the documentation provided with the
OPC-DA server.

For information about creating tags in a ControlLogix processor,

see the programming software documentation for ControlLogix.

2. Create a data server in RSView, if the application doesn’t already

have one.

3. Anywhere you need to access a tag’s value, map an application

component to the tag. For example, map a tag to a graphic object,
or add the tag to a data log model. At run time, the tag’s value is
passed to the component it is mapped to.

Using HMI tags

Use HMI tags for triggering alarms and where you need to manipulate
data or secure the values in a device.

Triggering alarms

In RSView, HMI tags provide the only method for triggering an alarm
when a tag has a certain value.

An alarm occurs when something goes wrong. It can signal that a

device or process has ceased operating within acceptable, predefined
limits or it can indicate breakdown, wear, or a process malfunction.

For more information about alarms, see Chapter 11, Creating alarms.

Working with tags Q 8–5

 Securing tag or device values
Only HMI tags can be used to secure tag or device values. You do this
by assigning a security code to a tag.

To prevent users from changing a value in a device, create an HMI tag

for the device’s address, and then assign security to the tag.

For information about assigning security codes to tags, see Chapter 15,
Setting up security.

Manipulating data
Use HMI tags if the data server you are using does not support scaling
or offsetting a value, or setting minimum or maximum limits on a value
(that is, providing a range of values).

Scale, offset, and minimum/maximum values for analog HMI tags, can
be specified in the Tags editor.

Scale and offset

Use scale and offset to modify the raw data that comes from the
network device before it is saved in the computer’s memory, or to
modify a value specified in RSView before it is written to a device or
data server

Scale is a multiplication factor—the value from the device is

multiplied by the scale.

Offset is a fixed value—after the value from the device is multiplied

by the scale, the offset amount is added.

Minimum and maximum

HMI tags allow you to set the minimum and maximum values that can
be written to the network device or data server. These values do not
affect what is read from the device or server.

8–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 For example, if you specify a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 100,
RSView would be able to read a value of 200 from a device and store it
in memory, but would not be able to write this value to the device.

Storing values in RSView’s memory

A memory tag can be used to store values without the need for an
attached or accessible device. For example, you can use memory tags:

„ to store the result of a calculation.

„ temporarily, for example, to act as a counter or index.

„ to maintain information about the system’s current state, for

example, which graphic display was last displayed.

For information about creating memory HMI tags, see Help.

Setting up HMI tags

To set up HMI tags:

1. Create an HMI server if the application doesn’t already have one.

Each HMI server contains one tag database.

2. In the tag database, create memory tags, or for device tags, map
each tag name to an OPC or DDE address.

3. In graphic displays, alarm summaries, or anywhere else you plan to

access a tag’s value, map an object to a tag. At run time, the tag’s
value is passed to the object.

Browsing for tags

To use a tag, you can type its name and path, or browse for it using the
Tag Browser. The way to open the Tag Browser depends on where you
are in RSView.

Working with tags Q 8–7

 Here are several ways to open the Tag Browser

„ In the Animation tabs in the Graphic editor, click the Tag button.

„ In the Connections tab for a graphic object in the Graphic editor,

click the browse button in the Tag column.

„ In the Expression editor, position the cursor where you want to

insert the tag name and then click Tags.

„ In the Tags in Model tab in the Data Log MoDels editor, click the
browse button beside the Tag[s] to Add box.

The Tag Browser shows the root folder of the application and folders
containing the tags for the application’s HMI and data servers. For a
distributed application, the Tag Browser also shows a folder for each
area, in addition to the root folder.

For details about working with folders in the Tag Browser, see Help.

8–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Using the Tag Browser

Root folder

Area folder

Folders pane

Tags pane

For a better view of the

folders or tags, drag this bar
to the left or the right.

In the Tag Browser, you can:

„ select a single tag or multiple tags. The ability to select multiple tags
depends on where you have opened the browser. For example,
when you open it in the Data Log Models editor, you can select
multiple tags. In the figure above only a single tag can be selected.

„ select data server and HMI tags.

„ create and edit HMI tags.

„ create new folders for HMI tags.

„ import tags from a PLC or SLC™ database.

Working with tags Q 8–9

 For more information about using the Tag Browser, see Help.

Showing server names

By default, the folder pane in the Tag Browser shows folders, but not
the servers they belong to.

To display names of servers

„ Right-click a blank area of the folders pane and then click Show
Server Names.

The folders list with server

names hidden.
The folders list with server
names shown.

Finding the home area

To locate the tags in the home area, right-click a blank area of the folder
pane, and then click Go To Home Area. The home area is selected
automatically.

For information about the home area, see page 8-16.

Browsing for off-line tags from RSLinx

For each RSLinx for RSView topic in an application, an Offline and an

Online folder is displayed in the Tag Browser.

8–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

You can use the Offline folder to browse for tags in a PLC program
stored on disk. If the topic in RSLinx has access to symbols, you can
also browse for them in the Offline folder. For details about adding
symbols to a topic in RSLinx, see the RSLinx for RSView Help.

Tags that are available when

you are not connected to
the data server, are located
in the Offline folder.
Tags that are available when
you are connected to the
data server, are located in
the Online folder.

Browsing for off-line tags in RSLinx

Enterprise

For each RSLinx Enterprise shortcut in an application, an Offline and

Online folder is display in the Tag Browser. You can use the Offline
folder to browse for tags in a PLC program stored on disk. If the
shortcut in RSLinx Enterprise has access to symbols, you can also
browse for them in the Offline folder.

To browse for off-line tags in RSLinx Enterprise:

1. Double-click the RSLinx Enterprise icon in the Application

Explorer.

2. Double-click Communication Setup to open the RSLinx

Enterprise Communication Setup dialog box.

3. Click the Browse button beside the Offline Tag File box.

For details about browsing offline for tags or adding symbols to a

shortcut in RSLinx Enterprise, see the RSLinx Enterprise Help.

Working with tags Q 8–11

 Browsing for off-line tags from other OPC
servers

To browse for off-line tags from OPC servers other than RSLinx for
RSView, set up a data server cache. When you are not connected to the
device, the cached tags appear in the same folders in the Tag Browser
as the online tags. The offline tags are not located in a different folder,
as with RSLinx.

For details about setting up and managing an OPC data server’s cache
files, see “Setting up advanced properties” on page 7-10.

Working with tags in the Tag Browser

Tags appear in the right pane of the Tag Browser. For information
about selecting, adding and editing tags in the Tag Browser, see Help.

Displaying tags

To display tags, select a folder. Any tags in the folder appear in the right
pane of the Tag Browser.

Showing or hiding tag descriptions

By default, the Tag Browser does not show tag descriptions. To show
or hide tag descriptions, right-click a blank area of the right pane, and
then click Show Description.

About the Selected Tag box

The Selected Tag box is displayed in the lower part of the Tag Browser.
Where multiple tags can be selected, it is called the Selected Tags. When
you select tags, they are displayed in the box. If multiple servers use the
same tag name, the server name automatically appears with the tag
name.

8–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Displaying tag properties
To display tag properties, right-click a tag in the Tag Browser, and then
click Properties.

The Tag Properties dialog box shows information about the tag. The
properties are a snapshot, and do not update in real time. You cannot
display the properties of multiple tags at the same time.

Filtering tags
To display only tags whose names match a pattern, type the pattern in
the Tag Filter box, and then press Enter.

To create the filter, you can use these wildcard characters:

This wildcard Does this
character

? Matches any single character.

* Matches any number of characters.

Working with tags Q 8–13

 The Tag Filter box lists the last 10 filters you applied.

Type the tag filter here. To

clear the filter, click <None>
in the list.

Removing a tag filter

X To remove a tag filter, in the Tag Filter list, click <None>.

Creating, editing, and importing HMI tags

The context menu in the Tag Browser’s right pane includes three menu
items for manipulating HMI tags:

„ New HMI Tag allows you to create a new HMI tag.

„ Edit HMI Tag allows you to edit an existing HMI tag.

„ Import PLC Tags allows you to import a tag from another database.

For information about creating and editing HMI tags, see Chapter 9,
Creating hmi tags. For information about importing tags from a PLC
database, see page 9-12.

8–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Using tag references

When you type a tag name, you are creating a reference to the tag. For
example, you might refer to a tag called FanRunning to obtain its value
for animating a graphical representation of a fan in a graphic display.

The Tag Browser composes references to tags automatically, using

correct syntax. You can also create references to tags manually, by
typing the tag name and, optionally, its path.

In distributed applications you can refer to a tag using an absolute

reference or a relative reference. In stand-alone applications you only
use relative references.

Absolute references

Absolute references are a way of referring directly to a specific tag in a

specific area by providing the tag’s name and the path to it.

For example, /Cooling/Fans::Extractor is a reference to an extractor

fan in the Fans subarea of the Cooling area.

Use absolute references when you want to ensure that you are referring
to a specific tag in a specific location.

Relative references

Relative references point at a tag relative to the current server or area.

For example, Extractor is a reference to an extractor fan in the current
area.

Relative references are useful if tag names are all the same, but they are
in different areas. This might be the case if you expect to clone identical
areas, for example to represent identical production lines in a plant. For
more information about areas, see page 5-3.

Working with tags Q 8–15

 The home area
The home area is the area in which a component (for example, a
graphic display) is located. The home area is relevant only for
distributed applications.

For example, if you create a graphic display in the Cooling area, and add
a relative reference to a tag (for example, FanStart), RSView looks for
the tag in the home area of the graphic display (Cooling). If the tag does
not belong to a data server or HMI server in the home area, an error
will occur when the display runs.

If the tags you select are in the home area, the Tag Browser
automatically uses relative references. If the tags are not in the home
area, the Tag Browser uses absolute references.

The home area appears

in bold type.

Logging tag values

Any tag value can be logged by the RSView data logger. The data logger
uses data log models to determine which values to log. For a tag to be
polled and its values logged by the data logger, the tag needs to be
included in a data log model, and the model needs to be started at run
time. For details, see Help, or Chapter 13, Using data logging.

8–16 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

9 Creating HMI tags
This chapter describes:

„ what HMI tags are.

„ organizing HMI tags.

„ using the Tags editor.

„ creating, editing, duplicating, and deleting tags.

„ specifying a data source.

„ creating HMI tags without using the Tags editor.

„ importing and exporting tags.

„ adding alarms to HMI tags.

About HMI tags

HMI tags belong to the RSView® HMI server’s tag database. They have
extended properties that let you use them to trigger alarms, secure tag
or device values, and manipulate data. For details, “Using HMI tags” on
page 8-5.

Use the Tags editor in the HMI Tags folder in the RSView Studio™
Application Explorer, to create and edit HMI tags. In a distributed
application, you can edit a tag database locally (on the same computer)
or remotely (from a different computer).

Creating HMI tags n 9–1

 HMI tag types
An HMI tag database can contain the following types of tags:

Tag Type of data stored

Analog Range of values.

These tags can represent variable states such as temperature

or the position of rotary controls.
Digital 0 or 1.

These tags can represent devices that can only be on or off,

such as switches, contacts, and relays.
String ASCII string, series of characters, or whole words (maximum
of 82 characters).

These tags can represent devices that use text, such as a bar
code scanner that uses an alphanumeric product code.
System Information generated while the system is running, including
alarm information, system time and date, and so on.

RSView creates system tags when it creates an HMI project.

The system tags are stored in the folder called System in the
tag database. You cannot edit system tags. You can use system
tags anywhere you would use any other type of tag.

Data sources for HMI tags

When defining an analog, digital, or string HMI tag, you specify where
it receives its values. This is called the data source. The data source can
be Device (external) or Memory (internal).

Device

An HMI tag with Device as its data source receives its data from a
source external to RSView. The data can come from a programmable
controller or other device via RSLinx®, or from another OPC ® or
DDE data server.

9–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Memory

An HMI tag with Memory as its data source receives its data internally
from RSView. A memory tag can be used to store values internally.
Retentive memory tags You can specify that a memory tag’s value be
retained even if an HMI server is shut down.

In a distributed application, if RSView Studio or RSView SE clients are

running, a memory tag’s value can be changed at any time prior to
shutting down. The next time the HMI server starts, the memory tag
will have the same value it had prior to the system shutting down.

Organizing HMI tags

Organizing tags makes it easier to work with them, especially if the

database is large. To organize tags:

„ establish naming conventions.

Naming conventions makes wildcard characters more effective

when searching for and displaying tags during development and run
time.

„ use folders to group related tags.

Naming HMI tags

Tag names can be up to 255 characters long. For tags in folders, the
folder name becomes part of the tag name and the backslash counts as
one character.

The tag name can contain:

„ A to Z (upper and lower case)

„ 0 to 9

„ underscore ( _ ) and dash ( – )

Creating HMI tags Q 9–3

 The tag name can be mixed case. Tag names preserve upper and lower
case for readability but are not case sensitive. For example, the tag name
MixerValve1 is the same as mixervalve1.

In an expression, tag names that start with a number or contain a dash

must be enclosed in brackets, for example, {N33-0}. Also use brackets
with wildcard characters to represent multiple tags in an expression, for
example, {alarm*}. For more information about using tags in
expressions see Chapter 20, Creating expressions.

Using folders to group HMI tags

To organize tags, create a folder, and then include tags that are related
to one another. To separate the folder name from the rest of the tag
name, use a backslash (\). For example, tags in the folder called Pump
would start with Pump\.

For greater organization, you can nest folders. For example, if a plant
is divided into zones, you can organize the tag database first by zone,
then by machines in the zone, and finally by devices in each machine.
The result might be Area1\Machine1\Pump.

IMPORTANT For optimum performance, do not place all HMI tags in

the root folder. It is also recommended that you limit the
number of tags in a folder to less than 2000. HMI tags
contained in nested folders do not contribute to the total
number of tags in the root folder.

For details about creating, duplicating and deleting folders, see Help.

Viewing tag statistics

The Tag Statistics dialog box provides a summary of how many tags an
application uses, as well as other tag information such as the date the
HMI tag database was last modified. To view tag statistics, the Tags
editor must be open and have focus.

9–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 To view tag statistics

X On the View menu, click Tag Statistics.

Using the Tags editor

The Tags editor has items on the View menu to control the appearance
of the editor, and extra tools on the toolbar. Use the Tags editor to:

„ create and view tags

„ edit, duplicate, and delete tags

„ create folders

„ duplicate, nest, and delete folders

The Tags editor has these parts: form, query box, folder hierarchy, and
spreadsheet. For details about using the Tags editor, see Help.

Form

Query box

Folder hierarchy

Spreadsheet

Creating HMI tags Q 9–5

 Using the Accept and Discard buttons
When you enter information, the Prev and Next buttons change to
Accept and Discard buttons. Click Accept to save tag and alarm
information. Click Discard to cancel changes to a tag.

Using the form

In the upper part of the form, define the basic characteristics of the tag,
such as tag name, type, security, and specifics related to the tag type.

In the lower part of the form, define the data source (where the tag’s
values will come from).

Select the Alarm check box to define alarm conditions for an analog or
digital tag. To edit alarms once they have been defined, click the Alarm
button.

Using the query box

Use the query box to select the tags you want displayed in the
spreadsheet. This allows you to edit tags in different folders without
browsing the folder hierarchy. You can select a single tag by typing the
tag name, or select multiple tags by typing wildcard characters.:

This wildcard Does this

character

? Matches any single character.

* Matches any number of characters, including the
backslash character (\).

Use this wildcard character by itself to display all

the tags in the tag database.

9–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Using the folder hierarchy
The hierarchy and spreadsheet work together. The hierarchy shows the
tag folders, and the spreadsheet shows the tags within the folders.

A folder icon called root is always present in the hierarchy window, at

the top of the folder hierarchy. This folder contains all the tag folders
you and RSView create.

You can nest folders. If a folder icon has a plus ( + ) sign on it, the
folder contains one or more folders. If the folder’s icon is blank, it does
not contain any other folders.

When you nest folders, remember that the backslash in a folder name
counts as one character in the tag name.

Creating, editing, duplicating, and deleting tags

Use the Tags editor to add, edit, duplicate, and delete HMI tags.

To create an HMI tag

1. In the Application Explorer, open the HMI Tags folder.

2. Double-click the Tags icon or drag it into the workspace.

You can also right-click the Tags icon and then click Show.

3. To add the tag to a folder, double-click the folder in the folder

hierarchy to open it.

4. Click the New button in the forms section to clear the form and
position in the cursor in the Name box.

5. Specify the tag name and select its type. If you have opened a
folder, its name is inserted in the Name box.

6. Specify the additional information required in the Tag section for

the type of tag you are creating.

Creating HMI tags Q 9–7

 7. Select a data source and specify the required information.

8. Check the Alarm box if the tag is to have an alarm set up for it.

9. Click Accept to save the tag to the database.

For descriptions of the options for each type of tag, see Help.

To edit a tag

You can edit all parts of a tag except the tag name and tag type.

1. Select the tag you want to edit.

The details of the tag appear in the form area.

2. Edit any details except the tag name or type.

To duplicate a tag

1. Select the tag you want to duplicate.

2. On the Edit menu, click Duplicate, or on the toolbar, click the

Duplicate button.

A new row is inserted below the highlighted row. The new row
contains all the same information except the tag name.

3. In the Tag Name box, type the name for the new tag.

4. Click Accept.

Delete a tag

1. Select the tag you want to delete.

2. On the Edit menu, click Delete, or on the toolbar, click the Delete
button.

9–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Delete tags carefully. Once you click the Delete button, the tag is
deleted. There is no confirmation message, and you cannot undo the
deletion.

Specifying a data source

The following topics describe the Data Source fields. For details about
setting up analog, digital, and string tag types, see the Help.

Specifying Device as the data source

An HMI tag with Device as its data source receives its data from a
source external to RSView. The data can come from:

„ Allen-Bradley® or SoftLogix 5 programmable controllers through

RSLinx.

„ network devices through an OPC or DDE data server.

„ another Windows program through an OPC or DDE data server.

For details about creating HMI tags for use with DDE
communications, see Appendix B, Setting up dde communications for
hmi tags.

To create a tag with Device as the data source

1. Click Device.

2. In the Address box, specify the name of the tag in the OPC server,
or specify the DDE item.

You can click the browse button to select the address of the OPC
tag.

Creating HMI tags Q 9–9

 For information about setting up OPC communications, see
Chapter 7, Setting up communications.

For information about setting up DDE communications for tags,

see Appendix B, Setting up dde communications for hmi tags.

Addressing syntax for OPC tags

The syntax for OPC tag addresses is:

[AccessPath]Address or

::[AccessPath]Address

where :: indicates that the address resides in a data server in the home
area.

IMPORTANT The square brackets are part of the syntax. They do not
indicate optional parameters.

The access path is one of the following:

„ For communications with an RSLinx OPC server, the access path

is the name of a device shortcut or DDE/OPC topic in RSLinx.

„ For communications with other OPC servers, the access path may
be optional. For information about the syntax for the access path,
see the OPC server documentation.

Specifying Memory as the data source

1. Click Memory.

2. In the Initial Value box, type the tag’s starting value.

When you first load an HMI project, a memory tag has the value
defined in the Initial Value box.

To ensure that a memory tag uses a particular value when the

project starts, use the Set or = (Equal) commands in a startup

9–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 macro to specify the tag’s value. For details about using macros, see
Chapter 22, Creating macros.

The value of a memory tag can also be set using derived tags, events,
or graphic objects.

3. To have the tag’s value retained when an HMI server shuts down,
select the Retentive check box.

If you want the memory tag to revert to its initial value the next time
an HMI server starts, clear the Retentive check box.

Creating HMI tags without using the Tags editor

In addition to creating tags in the Tags editor as described earlier in this
chapter, you can:

„ create tags in a third-party application and import them into

RSView.

„ create tags from the Tag Browser.

„ import tags from a PLC or SLC ™ database.

Creating tags in a third-party application

You can use a third-party spreadsheet editor such as Microsoft® Excel
to create tags, and then import them into RSView using the Tag Import
and Export Wizard. For details, see page 9-14.

When you import tags, they can be merged with tags already in the tag
database, in which case any tags with the same name are updated with
the new information.

Creating HMI tags Q 9–11

 Creating tags as needed in other
RSView editors
Any editor that uses tags has access to the Tags database.

To create tags using the Tag Browser

1. Click the browse button or the Tags button, whichever is available,

to open the Tag Browser.

2. In the Tag Browser, open the folder in which you want to create
the tag, right-click a blank area of the Contents pane, and then click
New HMI Tag.

Importing tags from a PLC database

To import tags from a PLC database, use the Import PLC Tags dialog
box.

To open the Import PLC Tags dialog box

DB Browser button in
„ In the Tags editor, click the DB Browser button on the toolbar, or
the Tags editor select OtherDatabases from the Edit menu.

„ In the Tag Browser, right-click a blank area of the Contents pane,

and then click Import PLC Tags.

Use the Import PLC Tags dialog box to import tags selectively from a
PLC database into the RSView HMI tag database. Tags imported in
this way are copied into the database—they are not shared with the
source database. This means changes to tags in RSView do not affect
the database from which they have been imported and vice versa.

9–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Use the filter to search for a
particular tag or set of tags.
You cannot use wildcards, or
filter beyond a slash. For
example, a filter containing
B3/1 will not show B3/10,
B3/11, and so on.

You can import tags from any of these databases:

„ legacy PLC databases, created using WINtelligent LOGIC 5™ or

A.I. 5™, with file extension .dsc

„ RSLogix™ 5/500, saved as an external database, with file extension

.ctd

„ RSLogix 5 internal database, with file extension .rsp

„ RSLogix 500 internal database, with file extension .rss

For PLC and SLC addresses, the Import PLC Tags dialog box shows
only addresses that are used in the symbol or address list of the PLC
programming software.

For detailed instructions about importing a PLC database, see Help.

Creating HMI tags Q 9–13

 Using the Tag Import and Export Wizard
You can also import PLC or SLC databases into RSView using the Tag
Import and Export Wizard. The Tag Import and Export Wizard must
be run on the same computer as the HMI server.

To use the wizard

„ In RSView Studio, click the Tools menu, and then click Tag Import
and Export Wizard.

„ Click the Windows® Start button, select Programs, Rockwell

Software, RSView Enterprise, Tools, and then click Tag Import and
Export Wizard.

If you need help while using the wizard, click the Help button.

Adding alarms to HMI tags

Analog and digital tags can have alarms associated with them. At run
time, RSView scans the tag values in the tag database and compares
them to the limits set for the tags. If a tag value crosses a limit, an alarm
is triggered. For details about alarms, see Chapter 11, Creating alarms.

When a tag has an alarm set up for it, an X appears in the Alm column
of the Tags editor’s spreadsheet, and the Alarm button in the editor’s
form is highlighted (enabled).

9–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

10 Creating derived tags
This chapter describes:

„ what derived tags are and how to use them.

„ setting up derived tags.

„ using the Derived Tags editor.

„ creating a derived tags component.

„ what the maximum update rate is.

„ starting and stopping derived tag processing.

About derived tags

A derived tag is a tag whose value is the result of an expression. An

expression can be simply a tag name, or it can be an equation made up
of tag names, mathematical and logical operations, special functions,
and If-Then-Else logic. Derived tag calculations are performed on the
HMI server.

A derived tags component is a file that contains the definitions of one

or more derived tags. A derived tags component can be run when an
HMI server starts, or it can be run using the DerivedOn command,
after the HMI server has started.

Writing to tags whose value is the result of a derived tag expression is

not recommended because a derived tag is evaluated when the tags in
the expression change. For example, if the derived tag called Tag3 has
the expression of Tag1+Tag2, and if you set Tag3=0, the value of Tag3
becomes zero, and will also be updated when the value of Tag1 or Tag2
changes.

Creating derived tags n 10–1

 How to use derived tags
Here’s an example of how a derived tag can be used. Suppose there are
five weight sensors on a conveyor belt. The tag database contains one
tag for each sensor, so the weight at each point on the conveyor belt is
monitored. If the weight at any point is excessive, RSView® triggers an
alarm.

However, if no individual sensor detects an excessive weight, but the

total of all five sensors is too high, an alarm might be triggered. To
handle this case, you could set up a derived tag to sum the weights of
all five sensors. Then, if this total, which would be the value of the
derived tag, is too high, RSView can trigger an alarm.

How to use multiple derived tag components

You can create multiple derived tag components. At runtime, up to 20
derived tag components, containing a maximum of 1,000 tags, can run
simultaneously.

Use multiple derived tag components to group derived tags that need
to be evaluated at different rates.

Setting up derived tags

The steps for setting up derived tags are:

1. Create the derived tags in the Derived Tags editor.

2. Set the maximum update rate for the derived tags component in
the Derived Tag Setup dialog box.

3. Save the derived tags component and give it a name.

Using the Derived Tags editor

Use the Derived Tags editor in RSView Studio™ to create derived tags.

10–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To open the Derived Tags editor:

1. In the Application Explorer, open the Logic and Control folder.

2. Right-click the Derived Tags editor and then click New, or drag the
Derived Tags editor from the Application explorer to the
workspace.

IMPORTANT Do not create derived tags that depend on the results of

other derived tags. Derived tag processing is not
sequential, and therefore, the results of an expression
which includes other derived tags might not occur in the
desired scan or order of evaluation. It is best to put as
much logic in an expression as possible.

Creating derived tags Q 10–3

 Using the Check Syntax button
After you create an expression for a derived tag, use the Check Syntax
button to verify that the syntax is correct. You can check the syntax of
an expression at any time while the Derived Tags editor is open.

If the syntax is invalid, an error appears next to the Check Syntax

button.

The syntax of the expression is also checked automatically when you

click the Accept or Discard buttons.

Using the Accept and Discard buttons

When you enter information in the editor, the Prev and Next buttons
change to Accept and Discard. Click Accept to save information. Click
Discard to discard information that you just entered.

Creating a derived tags component

You can use any tag to store the result of a derived tag calculation. The
tag must already exist, for example, as an HMI tag (i. e., memory or
device) or in a data server, before you can use it as a derived tag.

To create a derived tags component

1. In the Derived Tags editor, specify the tag that will hold the
derived value and type a description of the tag.

2. In the Expression box, create an expression that will determine the

derived tag’s value. For information about expressions, see
Chapter 20, Creating expressions.

3. Click Accept.

4. Click Next to create another derived tag if the derived tags

component is to contain more than one derived tag.

10–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 until all derived tags for the particular
component are defined.

6. Select Derived Tag Setup from the Setup menu.

7. In the Derived Tag Setup dialog box type a description of the

component and specify a maximum update rate, and then click
OK.

8. In the Derived Tag editor, click Close.

9. Specify the name of the derived tags component and then click
OK.

About the maximum update rate

The maximum update rate is the fastest rate at which the value of any
derived tag in the derived tag component can be updated. Expressions
containing derived tags are evaluated only when the value of a tag or
function in the expression changes.

Set a maximum update rate for each derived tag component.

The maximum update rate also determines the fastest rate at which
data servers can send changes in tag values.

Set the update rate as fast as, or faster than, the rate at which the values
of tags used in the expressions change, unless it is desirable to miss
changes in tag values.

Starting and stopping derived tag processing

There are many ways to start and stop derived tag processing. Choose
the way that works best for the individual application.

For distributed applications it is best to start derived tag processing

using a server component such as the startup macro, or using even
processing. Having clients start and stop derived tags is not advised as
one client could stop processing that another client still requires.

Creating derived tags Q 10–5

 For an explanation of RSView command syntax, see Appendix A,
RSView commands, or see Help.

Ways to start derived tag processing

Distributed and stand-alone applications

„ In the Components tab of the HMI Server Properties dialog, click

the Derived tags check box and then specify a derived tag
component. The derived tag component will start the next time the
HMI server runs, or when the HMI server’s components are
started manually.

„ In the Macros editor, create a macro that contains the command,

DerivedOn <component>. In the Components tab of the HMI
Server Properties dialog, click the Macro check box in On startup
components list, and then specify the macro. When RSView Studio
starts, derived tags processing starts.

„ In the Events editor, specify the DerivedOn <component> command

as the action for an event.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio, or the RSView

Administration Console, type DerivedOn <component> and then
press Enter.

Stand-alone applications only

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button and then specify the
DerivedOn <component> command as the button’s press action.
When the button is pressed, derived tag processing starts.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object and then

attach touch animation with the DerivedOn <component> command
as the object’s action. When the object is touched, derived tag
processing starts.

10–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

„ For the Login Macro in User Accounts editor, specify the
DerivedOn <component> command, or a macro that contains the
command.

„ For the Startup command in the Display Settings Behavior tab,

specify the DerivedOn <component> command, or a macro that
contains the command.

Ways to stop derived tag processing

It is not recommended to have multiple clients stopping derived tags

unless it is a special use case, for example, for maintenance.

Distributed and stand-alone applications

„ To shut down all the components that are running on the HMI
server, including all derived tag components, stop the components
running on the HMI server manually.

For details about stopping an HMI server’s components manually

in distributed applications, see page 26-10 and in stand-alone
applications, see page 27-4.

To stop a single derived tag component, use one of these methods:

„ In the Macros editor, create a macro that contains the command,

DerivedOff <component>. In the Components tab of the HMI
Server Properties dialog, click the On shutdown macro check box,
and then specify the macro. When RSView Studio shuts down,
derived tags processing stops.

„ In the Events editor, specify the DerivedOff <component>

command as the action for an event.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio, or the RSView

Administration Console, type DerivedOff <component> and then
press Enter.

Creating derived tags Q 10–7

 Stand-alone applications only (single components)

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button and then specify the
DerivedOff <component> command as the button’s press action.
When the button is pressed, derived tag processing stops.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object and then

attach touch animation with the DerivedOff <component> command
as the object’s action. When the object is touched, derived tag
processing stops.

„ For the Logout Macro in User Accounts editor, specify the

DerivedOff <component> command, or a macro that contains the
command.

„ For the Shutdown command in the Display Settings Behavior tab,

specify the DerivedOff <component> command, or a macro that
contains the command.

10–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

11 Creating alarms
This chapter describes:

„ the features of RSView® Supervisory Edition™ alarms.

„ the steps required to set up alarms for an application.

„ key concepts about setting up and using alarms.

„ setting up general alarm behavior.

„ setting up alarm conditions for HMI tags.

„ setting up alarm logging.

„ viewing alarm log files.

„ setting up security to log alarms to a remote computer

„ creating an alarm summary graphic object.

„ starting and stopping alarm monitoring.

About RSView Supervisory Edition alarms

In RSView Studio™, you can set up a complete alarm system. Alarms

are an important part of most plant control applications because they
alert the operator when something goes wrong. It is also often
important to have a record of the alarm and whether it was
acknowledged.

Creating alarms n 11–1

 Alarm monitoring occurs at the HMI server. If alarms are detected,
notification is sent to the RSView SE client, where operators can view
and acknowledge them.

IMPORTANT You can monitor only HMI tags for alarms. You cannot
monitor data server tags for alarms.

Summary of features

With the RSView alarm system, you can:

„ monitor any analog and digital HMI tag for alarms (to a maximum
of 40,000 tags per HMI server, 10,000 of which can be analog).

„ display the last 2,000 alarm transactions from an HMI server in an

alarm summary.

„ define up to eight different severity levels to distinguish alarms

visually.

„ use system default messages or custom messages to describe alarms.

„ log messages to a file, to a printer, or to both.

„ suppress alarms for maintenance and tuning purposes.

„ associate a command or macro with an alarm to provide custom

handling of the alarm.

„ share alarm information with other RSView components.

„ synchronize alarm acknowledgement on redundant HMI server

pairs using the Acknowledge bit.

„ use the AlarmEvent command to respond to alarm detection

algorithms you have created for notification (annuciation), logging,
printing, and for display in alarm summaries.

11–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Setting up alarms for an application
These are the steps required to set up alarms for an application.

„ In the Alarm Setup editor, set up general features for all alarms on
an HMI server. This includes:

„ in the Setup tab, specifying the maximum update rate, behavior

if redundancy is set up, and whether to generate alarms for
analog tags when their values approach normal range.
„ in the Severities tab, specifying the logging destination and
notification for the various levels of alarm severity (1 through
8) and alarm events.
„ in the User Msgs tab, create custom messages to use in place of
system default message, when alarms occur.
„ In the Alarm Log Setup tool, set up the alarm log file.

The alarm log file is a record of alarm incidents. Use the Alarm Log
Setup tool to specify where the alarm log file is stored, and when–
if ever–log files will be created and deleted.

„ In the Analog or Digital Alarm dialog box in the Tags editor, specify
alarm conditions for each HMI tag you intend to monitor. You can
define alarms for analog and digital tags, but not for string tags.

„ Set up ways to display alarm information. In graphic displays, you

can:
„ set up alarm summaries.
„ embed numeric or string displays using alarm functions or
alarm system tags.
„ Choose methods for starting and stopping alarm monitoring.

Creating alarms Q 11–3

Key concepts

An alarm occurs when something goes wrong. It can signal that a

device or process has ceased operating within acceptable, predefined
limits or it can indicate breakdown, wear, or a process malfunction.

Set up a system of alarms in the Tags editor by linking alarms to tags

you want monitored. When the tag values are updated, they are
compared to the limits assigned when the alarm was set up. If a tag
value exceeds a specified limit, an alarm of a preset severity is triggered.

Alarms for analog HMI tags

An analog tag can trigger a number of alarms when it crosses various

threshold levels (unlike a digital tag, which is either on or off).

Thresholds

When defining an analog tag, you can assign up to eight alarm

thresholds with different levels of alarm severity to indicate the alarm’s
importance. The lowest threshold is one and the highest is eight. You
do not have to use all eight thresholds for a tag, but the ones you use
must be set up in ascending order. For example, you can assign
thresholds one, two, and eight as long as you assign them in that order.

Thresholds can be increasing—monitoring for a rising value that

crosses the threshold, or decreasing—monitoring for a falling value
that crosses the threshold. The following illustration shows a tag with
both increasing and decreasing thresholds.

The following example shows the changing values of a tag monitoring

a motor’s revolutions per minute (rpm). With the threshold settings
illustrated, the motor must run between 2,000 rpm and 3,000 rpm, or
an alarm is triggered. In the illustration, an X shows when the tag goes
into alarm and an O shows when the tag goes out of alarm.

11–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Example: Alarm thresholds

Alarm
Threshold security
values Thresholds levels

5,000 6 * 1

4,000 5 * 4
Increasing

3,000 4 8

2,000 Safe zone

3
8

1,000 2 6
Decreasing

1 1
Thresholds must be set up
in ascending order
4
Time
* These alarms are triggered only if the check
box ‘Generate alarms when approaching
normal operating range’ is selected in the
Alarm Setup dialog box.

If the motor speed It triggers an alarm of this

severity

exceeds 3,000 rpm 8

exceeds 4,000 rpm 4
exceeds 5,000 rpm 1
falls below 5,000 rpm* 4
falls below 4,000 rpm* 8
falls below 2,000 rpm 8
falls below 1,000 rpm 6
falls below 1 rpm 4

Creating alarms Q 11–5

 You can specify whether or not alarms will be generated when an
analog tag value is moving back to normal operating range and
recrosses the alarm trigger threshold. If alarms are to be generated
when the motor is moving back towards normal operating range, an
alarm will be triggered when the motor speed falls below 5,000 rpm
and 4,000 rpm, and when it rises above 1 rpm and 1,000 rpm. If these
alarm are not to be generated, make sure the check box ‘Generate
alarms when approaching normal operating range’ is cleared.

Variable thresholds

Threshold values can be constant or variable. The previous example

uses constant thresholds. To define a variable threshold, specify a tag
name in the Threshold box when setting up the thresholds for an
analog alarm tag. As the value of the specified tag changes, the
threshold changes.

Variable thresholds require more system resources than constant

thresholds because of the continuous scanning of threshold values and
to the processing necessary to detect alarm faults.

Alarm faults

A variable threshold must not become higher than the threshold above
it or lower than the threshold below it. If this happens, an alarm fault
is generated for the monitored tag. To correct an alarm fault, change
the variable threshold so it does not overlap either of its neighbors.
This can be complex when the neighboring thresholds are also variable,
because these boundaries are determined dynamically at run time.

When an alarm fault is generated, the following actions occur:

„ The tag’s alarm status stays as it was before the fault was generated.

„ An alarm fault is reported to all alarm reporting devices you have

set up, such as the alarm log file and the printer.

11–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 „ The alarm fault status bit for the tag is set in the value table. This
notifies other applications that an alarm fault has been generated.

„ The Alarm Type column in the alarm summary states that the tag is
in ‘Alarm Fault’.

When the faulty thresholds return to their normal operating range, the
alarm fault condition is cleared, the out-of-alarm-fault status is
generated and logged, and alarms for the tag resume normal operation.

Deadband

With some measured values, such as line pressure, tag values can
fluctuate rapidly above and below a critical threshold. Where such
conditions exist, you can create a deadband as a buffer to prevent the
fluctuations from triggering unnecessary alarms.

If the threshold is increasing—monitoring rising values—the

deadband range lies below the threshold. If the threshold is
decreasing—monitoring falling values—the deadband lies above it.

The following illustration shows an increasing threshold of 4,000 rpm

with a deadband value of 500 rpm.

rpm In alarm
In alarm again
5,000

4,000
Deadband
3,500
3,000
Threshold
2,000 Out of alarm

1,000

0 n
Time

Creating alarms Q 11–7

 In the above example, the rpm has to fall to 3,500, and then rise above
4,000 rpm before it will trigger the alarm again.

IMPORTANT Use the deadband carefully in safety-critical applications.

In the example, the variable has to fluctuate by more
than 500 rpm before an alarm is triggered again.

A deadband range may be absolute, as illustrated, or it may be a

percentage of the minimum/maximum range for a tag. If the deadband
in the illustration were two percent, its range would be two percent of
5,000 rpm, or 100 rpm.

If a buffer is not required, the deadband must be set up as zero. With a

deadband of zero, alarms will be triggered as soon as the tag value
crosses any of its thresholds.

Alarms for digital HMI tags

Digital tags are either on or off. Therefore, alarms for digital tags do
not have thresholds. They have alarm states.
This alarm state Does this

On Triggers an alarm when a tag has a

value of 1.
Off Triggers an alarm when a tag has a
value of 0.
Any Change* Triggers an alarm when a tag value
changes from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0
Changes to On* Triggers an alarm only when a tag
value changes from 0 to 1.
Changes to Off* Triggers an alarm only when a tag
value changes from 1 to 0.

IMPORTANT * indicates change-of-state types. These are considered

out of alarm immediately after the change of state.

11–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Alarm severity

Alarms can range in severity from one to eight to indicate different

levels of importance. One is most severe, eight is least severe. For
example, a level-four alarm might warn that a vat is half full of liquid,
while a level-one alarm indicates that the vat is about to overflow. Both
alarms monitor the same tag but have different severity levels.

When you set up alarm severity, you specify what severity levels mean
and what actions they will trigger. Severity determines the order in
which alarms are displayed in an alarm banner.

Alarm messages

Alarm messages report information about alarms. There are three

types of messages:

„ In Alarm message: generated when a tag goes into alarm.

„ Out of Alarm message: generated when a tag goes out of alarm.

„ Acknowledged message: generated when an operator acknowledges

an alarm.

For each message, you can use the default message or create a custom
message, and route the messages to a log file, printer, or both.

Alarm log file

The alarm log file records alarm incidents that occur. You can set up
how often, if ever, you want log files created and deleted, and view the
alarm log file using the Alarm Log Viewer.

Using the Alarm Log Setup tool alarming to log automatically to an

ODBC database. You can also use the AlarmLogSendToODBC
command to export the alarm log file to an ODBC database while
online. For more information about the AlarmLogSendToODBC
command, see Help.

Creating alarms Q 11–9

 If you export alarm log data to an external, ODBC-compliant
database, you can use third-party applications to view the records in the
database. The application must be ODBC compliant, for example, you
can use Microsoft® Excel, or Microsoft Visual Basic®.

Alarm displays

Alarm information can be displayed in:

„ the alarm log viewer.

„ graphic displays using graphic objects such as the alarm summary.

When alarms are generated, they are recorded in two places: the alarm
log file, and on the HMI server computer where the alarms are
generated. The alarm log viewer displays the records in the alarm log
file. The alarm summary displays the records in the computer’s
memory.

Alarm log viewer

The alarm log viewer displays the contents of the alarm log file. The
contents of this file depend on the severities set up in the Alarm Setup
editor. By default, the log file will have a record for each of the
following alarm incidents:

„ when a tag goes into alarm

„ when a tag goes out of alarm

„ when an alarm is acknowledged

„ when a tag with an alarm is suppressed

„ when an alarm fault is generated

Set up an application so only essential alarm information is logged.

Alarm logging uses system resources and can slow overall system
performance.

11–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Alarm summary

The alarm summary ia a graphic object that displays the alarm

information recorded in the computer’s memory. Use the alarm
summary to determine which alarm information is displayed and how
it is displayed.

The alarm summary can display alarms from more than one HMI
server. Each HMI server maintains a list of up to 2,000 alarms. As new
alarms occur, they appear at the top of the list.

When the list of alarms at the HMI server is full and a new alarm is
generated, the alarm at the bottom of the list (the oldest alarm) is
acknowledged automatically by the system, and then dropped from the
the list. Alarms that are acknowledged automatically by the system
appear in the alarm log file with SysAk (system-acknowledged) in the
TransType (transaction type) field.

Alarms are also dropped when they are out of alarm, or acknowledged
manually. When alarms are dropped, they are removed from memory.
When the AlarmOff command is issued, the contents of the alarm
summary are erased.

AlarmOff is just one of the RSView commands used with alarms. For
details about this command and others, see Help.

In the alarm summary, each alarm incident can be set up to be a

different color. For example, a low-severity alarms could be set up as
blue, medium-severity as yellow, and high-severity as red. When the
alarm is displayed, operators can tell its severity at a glance.

Use the Graphic Displays editor to create an alarm summary.

Graphic objects and displays

You can customize graphic displays to show specific information about

alarms. RSView makes all alarm status information available to graphic
displays through a set of system tags (see page 11-12). Use these tags

Creating alarms Q 11–11

 with numeric and string display objects. Attach visibility and color
animation to affect the appearance of the objects.

The Alarm Information graphic library contains graphic objects you

can drag and drop into a display. For example, to include an alarm
banner in a display, drag and drop the banner from the Alarm
Information graphic library. Use the graphic objects as they are, or edit
them to suit the application’s needs.

Alarm system tags

System tags are created and updated by RSView. You can use these tags
anywhere a tag name is required.

The system tags for alarms are:

This tag Type Displays this information

system\AlarmBanner String The most recent, most severe alarm. If an alarm

of an equal or higher severity occurs, it replaces
the first alarm, whether or not the previous alarm
has been acknowledged.
system\AlarmMostRecentDate String The date of the most recent, most severe alarm.
system\AlarmMostRecentLabel String The threshold label of the tag of the most recent,
most severe alarm.
system\AlarmMostRecentTagDesc String The description of the tag of the most recent,
most severe alarm.
system\AlarmMostRecentTagname String The name of the tag of the most recent, most
severe alarm.
system\AlarmMostRecentTime String The time of the most recent, most severe alarm.
system\AlarmMostRecentUnits String The units of the most recent, most severe alarm.
system\AlarmStatus String The number of unacknowledged and suppressed
alarms.
system\AlarmSummaryItems Analog The number of alarm transactions in an
unfiltered alarm summary.

11–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

This tag Type Displays this information

system\AlarmSummaryItemsUnacked Analog The number of unacknowledged alarms in an

unfiltered alarm summary.
system\AlarmSuppressedCount Analog The number of tags with alarm suppression
turned on.

Alarm acknowledgment

If an alarm appears in the alarm summary or some other alarm display,

an operator can acknowledge the alarm. Acknowledging an alarm does
not correct the condition causing the alarm, but indicates that an
operator is aware of the alarm.

A tag, not an alarm, is acknowledged. A single tag might have caused

several alarms. For example, a tag representing temperature might have
triggered Warm, Hot, and Overheat alarms by the time it is
acknowledged. The tag could also have gone in and out of alarm several
times before being acknowledged.

One acknowledgment is all that is required for all previous and current
alarms for a tag, so alarm log files often show fewer acknowledgments
than alarms.

To acknowledge alarms, operators can:

„ click the Acknowledge or Acknowledge All button in the alarm

summary.

„ use the RSView Acknowledge command by itself, or with

parameters to name a tag or group of tags.

„ use the RSView AcknowledgeAll command.

Unless an alarm is acknowledged, it remains outstanding until the

system is shut down, the alarm summary is full, or alarm monitoring is
turned off.

Creating alarms Q 11–13

 Alarm suppression

You can suppress alarm monitoring for tags. This is useful for testing
or for performing repairs or maintenance on a piece of equipment.

To suppress alarm monitoring for tags, use the RSView SuppressOn

command. To view a list of the tags not being monitored, use the
Suppressed List. You can also turn monitoring back on from this list.

Alarm functions in expressions

When a tag goes into alarm, or an alarm event occurs, certain

information about the alarm is recorded in the value table together with
the value of the tag or alarm event. Using expressions, information
about alarms can be retrieved on a tag-by-tag basis. For information
about alarm events, see page 11-17.

IMPORTANT If a graphic display requires more than 20 alarm

functions, for performance reasons it is better to use
these alarm functions in derived tags instead.

For example, if the system detects that a tag is in alarm, it sets an

internal alarm bit, and then resets the bit when the tag is out of alarm.
The following expression checks if a tag is in alarm:

ALM_IN_ALARM (tag)

where tag is the name of the tag you want to check for alarms. When a
tag is in alarm, the expression result is 1. When a tag is out of alarm,
the expression result is 0.

One way to use this expression is to animate the visibility of a graphic

object in a display. When the tag goes into alarm, the
ALM_IN_ALARM expression is set to 1, making the object visible.
This is an effective way to draw the operator’s attention to the alarm.

11–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

The following expression checks if an alarm has ever been
acknowledged:

ALM_ACK (tag)

The expression ALM_ACK returns 1 if an alarm has been

acknowledged. If a tag goes out of alarm without being acknowledged,
the expression returns 0.

When alarm monitoring starts and a tag has never been in alarm, the
ALM_ACK expression returns 1 by default. To reverse this default
behavior, create the registry key Alarm Initially Acked on the computer
running the HMI server. Once you have created the key, change its
string value to False. The key is located at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Rockwell Software\
RSView Enterprise\Alarm Server

To create or change the key, use the Windows® Regedit32 utility. For
details about using Regedit32, click Help in the Registry editor window.

ALM_ALLACKED (tag*)

The expression ALM_ALLACKED (tag*) returns 1 if all tags that

match the pattern have been acknowledged. If any of the tags have not
been acknowledged, the expression returns 0.

Other functions are also used with expressions to monitor alarms. For
more information, see Chapter 20, Creating expressions.

Using wildcard characters in alarm expressions

For built-in alarm functions, you can use wildcard characters in the
expression to retrieve information about multiple tags at once.
This wildcard Does this
character

? Matches any single character.

* Matches any number of characters, including the
backslash (\) character.

Creating alarms Q 11–15

 For example, the following expression checks if any of a group of tags
is in alarm:

ALM_IN_ALARM (alarm*)

where alarm* represents all tags whose names begin with ‘alarm.’ If one
or more of these tags are in alarm, the expression result is 1. If all of
the tags are out of alarm, the expression result is 0.

Using wildcard characters in alarm expressions may affect performance

if the pattern matches a large number of tags. For a list of the alarm
functions, see “Tag functions” on page 20-14.

Acknowledge bit
An acknowledge bit is a digital tag that can be used for two things:

„ to acknowledge an alarm, or

„ to monitor the acknowledged state of an alarm

When you set up an acknowledge bit for a tag, the HMI server
monitors the value of the acknowledge bit, and automatically
acknowledges the alarm when the value of the acknowledge bit changes
from 0 to 1. This is called a remote acknowledge, and a RmAck
(Remote Acknowledge) transaction is logged to the alarm log file.

When an operator acknowledges an alarm, the acknowledge bit is set

to 1. If the Auto Reset feature is enabled, the HMI server resets the
acknowledge bit to 0 when the tag goes back into alarm.

IMPORTANT Because an HMI server monitors the value of each

acknowledge bit tag, using many acknowledge bits can
slow the system down considerably.

The acknowledge bit must be set up as a digital tag in the

tag database.

For details about setting up an acknowledge bit, see Help.

11–16 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Handshake bit
A handshake bit is a digital tag that can be used to monitor the status
of an alarm.

When you set up a handshake bit for a tag, the HMI server sets the
handshake bit to 1 when the tag goes into alarm. If the Auto Reset
feature is enabled, the HMI server sets the handshake bit to 0 when the
tag goes out of alarm.

IMPORTANT The handshake bit must be set up as a digital tag in the

tag database.

For details about setting up a handshake bit, see Help.

Switching handshaking on
By default, handshaking is off. To switch handshaking on, do one of the
following:

„ Use the /H parameter with the AlarmOn command.

„ Use the HandshakeOn command.

For information about commands, see Appendix A, RSView commands,

or Help.

Alarm events
You can customize and extend the RSView alarm monitoring system
by writing alarm-detection algorithms using PLC ladder logic, custom
programs, or any other appropriate tools. You can then add alarm
events to the RSView alarm subsystem, to respond to the alarm-
detection algorithms for annunciation, logging, printing, and for
display in alarm summaries.

By using a tag name for an alarm event, you can customize the alarm
features of the tag. For example, you can use alarm events to specify an

Creating alarms Q 11–17

 alarm’s time stamp. Because alarms are scanned in the background,
alarms that are generated rapidly might appear out of sequence in
RSView, because they might all be scanned at the same time, and
therefore given the same time stamp. If the sequence in which alarms
are generated is important, you might want to record accurate time
stamps for the alarms by buffering the alarms in the PLC, and then
using alarm events to record them with accurate time stamps in
RSView.

You can also use alarm events to provide a tag with more than eight
thresholds.

To create an alarm event, use the AlarmEvent command.

How event-based alarms work

Alarm events let you create alarms without setting up tags in the tag
database. Event-based alarms work just like tag-based alarms. They
appear in alarm summaries, they can be used with alarm system tags,
and they can be logged to disk or printer.

You can filter event-based alarms the same way you filter tag-based
alarms in alarm summaries. You can acknowledge event-based alarms,
either individually, or with wildcard characters, using the Acknowledge
command. You cannot suppress event-based alarms.

As with tag-based alarms, you can use alarm events with alarm
functions in expressions.

You can time-stamp event-based alarms with the current time, or by

specifying a date and time either in RSView or in alarm-detection
algorithms you create for the application.

Alarm events are not processed until the AlarmOn command is issued,
and alarm events are no longer processed after the AlarmOff
command is issued.

11–18 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Differences between event-based and tag-based alarms

„ You cannot specify thresholds for analog alarm events. All analog
alarm events have a value of zero.

„ You cannot specify alarm labels for event-based alarms. That is, you
cannot use the IntoAlarm and OutOfAlarm labels for digital tag-
based alarms, or the threshold labels for analog tag-based alarms.

„ Alarm events have no acknowledge and handshake bits.

„ The Identify feature is not available to event-based alarms, to run a

command, macro, or custom program.

„ Event-based alarms are not retained after the AlarmOff command

is issued, or after the HMI server shuts down.

Naming alarm events

A name must be associated with each alarm event. The event name can
be a tag defined in the tag database as long as the tag does not have an
alarm defined for it.

Alarm event names can be up to 255 characters long. The alarm event
name can contain the following characters:

„ A to Z

„ 0 to 9

„ underscore ( _ ) and dash (–)

The alarm event name can be mixed case. Alarm event names preserve
upper and lower case for readability but are not case sensitive. For
example, the alarm event name HopperOverflow is the same as
hopperoverflow.

When an alarm event name starts with a number or contains a dash,

enclose the name in brackets { } when you use it in an expression, for
example, {N33-0}. Also use brackets when using wildcard characters

Creating alarms Q 11–19

 to represent multiple alarm events in an expression, for example,
{alarm*}.

Using event types

Use the AlarmEvent command to create into-alarm and out-of-alarm

events. Multiple into-alarm events can be processed for the same event
name before an out-of-alarm event is received. Use the
InAndOutOfAlarm event type for change-of-state alarms. An out-of-
alarm event is ignored if no into-alarm events preceded it.

How event-based alarms are logged

Event-based alarms appear in the alarm log file in the order in which
the alarm transactions were logged. If you specify a time stamp for
alarm events, alarm transactions could appear out of order in the alarm
log.

For detailed information about the AlarmEvent command, see Help.

Setting up general alarm behavior

In the Alarm Setup editor you specify the general features of all alarms
for a specific HMI server. The editor has these three tabs:

Setup - specify general behavior for alarm monitoring and

annunciation.

Severities - set up logging and alarm behavior for individual severities.

User Msgs - create messages to replace the default messages supplied

by the system.

To open the Alarm Setup editor::

1. In the Application Explorer, open the Alarms folder.

2. Double-click Alarm Setup or right-click Alarm Setup and then

click Open.

11–20 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 For details about using the Alarm Setup editor, see Help.

Set up alarm severities.

Create alarm messages to

replace the system
messages.

Setting up alarm monitoring

In the Setup tab of the Alarm Setup editor you can specify:

„ how the system behaves when alarms cross back over trigger
thresholds.

„ how often the system checks for new alarms.

„ where alarms are logged and printed when HMI-server redundancy

is enabled.

Alarm trigger thresholds

An alarm is triggered when the value of an analog tag crosses its alarm
threshold. If the value of the tag fluctuates above and below its alarm
threshold, alarms are triggered each time the tag value rises above the

Creating alarms Q 11–21

 threshold value, or falls below the threshold value. You can enable or
disable this feature.

For more information about how this feature works, see “Thresholds”
on page 11-4.

Specifying how often the system checks for alarms

The system does not check for alarms more frequently than the
maximum update rate specified in the Alarm Setup dialog box.

You should match the maximum update rate to the rate at which you
expect tag values to change. For example, if you are monitoring
temperatures that fluctuate slowly, you can check for alarms less
frequently than if you are monitoring rapidly-changing manufacturing
processes.

Setting up alarm monitoring on redundant servers

If you have set up redundant HMI servers, alarms can be logged and
printed on the active HMI server only, or on both the active and the
standby HMI server.

IMPORTANT For alarm states to be synchronized properly, the clocks

on the primary and secondary HMI servers must be kept
synchronized to a time server. If the clocks on both
computers are not synchronized, when fail-over occurs
multiple alarms or inconsistent information might be
displayed in an alarm summary.

11–22 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Setting up alarm severities
In the Severities tab of the Alarm Setup editor, you can set up logging
destinations for each alarm severity and alarm incident. You can log to
the alarm log file, to a printer, or to both.

IMPORTANT You can use only continuous-feed printers, such as dot-

matrix printers. Page printers, such as laser printers, are
not supported.

You can also specify how notification of alarms of a particular severity

will be handled.

Alarm severities

Alarm incidents

Alarm What is logged

Severity 1 through 8 In Alarm messages are logged.

Out of alarm Out of Alarm messages are logged for any severity
that has been set up to log In Alarm messages.
Acknowledged Acknowledged messages are logged for any
severity that has been set up to log In Alarm
messages.

Creating alarms Q 11–23

 Alarm What is logged

Fault All Fault messages are logged.

Suppression All Suppression messages are logged.

Setting up alarm messages

Alarm messages report information about alarms. There are several
types of messages. You can use the system defaults, or you can define
the content of each message, in the User Msgs tab of the Alarm Setup
editor.

Alarm messages appear in the description field of the alarm log file
only. You cannot display them in alarm summaries.

Types of messages

The types of messages are:

„ In Alarm message: generated when an analog tag’s alarm threshold

has been crossed, or when a digital tag has changed state.

„ Out of Alarm message: generated when a tag is no longer in alarm.

„ Acknowledged message: generated when an alarm has been

acknowledged.

Defining the content of the message

When defining the content of a message, use any combination of

system default messages, user default messages, and custom messages.
System default messages are a series of placeholders. At run time,
these placeholders are replaced with information about the alarm that
has been triggered.

To use the default messages for all alarms and alarm events, do not
change anything. The default messages are used automatically. Alarm

11–24 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

events use system messages if you don’t specify a log message string
using the /L parameter with the AlarmEvent command.

These are the placeholders:

This placeholder Is replaced with the

\C Current value of the tag.

\D Date when the message is sent.
\L Alarm label specified in the Alarm Label field of
the Analog Alarm and Digital Alarm editors.
\N Name of the tag in alarm.
\S Description of the tag in alarm.
\T Time when the message is sent.
\U Units specified in the Units field, in the Tags
editor.
\V Threshold value that was crossed.

IMPORTANT \C, \L, \U, and \V do not contain any information

when used in alarm Acknowledged messages.

To specify the width of a column, type a number between the backslash

and the letter (see the following example).

Example: Message placeholders

An out-of-alarm message like this:

\11D \8T Tag \10N is out of alarm.

is displayed like this:

01/22/01 11:45:02 Tag PUMP3 is out of alarm.
01/22/01 11:47:23 Tag PUMP4 is out of alarm.
01/22/01 11:48:14 Tag PUMP5 is out of alarm.

Creating alarms Q 11–25

 Do not give placeholders too much space, or the messages might not
fit in the alarm log file. In the example above, the tag name has
10 spaces (\10N), the date has 11, and the time stamp has 8.
User default messages are messages you create to replace the
system default messages.

To create a user-default
message, type a message in
the appropriate box.

Custom messages apply on a per-tag basis. You set them up in the

Alarm Messages tab of the Analog or Digital Alarm dialog box in the
Tags editor.

To create a custom message, type any message you want. For more
information see Help.

The message can say whatever you want and can use both words and
placeholders. For a list of placeholders, see the table on page 11-25.

Setting up alarm conditions for HMI tags

For each analog and digital tag that will be monitored for alarms,
specify the conditions that will trigger an alarm in the Analog and
Digital Alarm dialog boxes in the Tags editor.

11–26 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 You can set up an alarm for a tag when you create the tag or you can
set it up later.

To open the Tags editor

1. In the Application Explorer, open the HMI Tags folder.

2. Double-click the Tags icon or right-click the Tags icon and then
click Open.

To add an alarm to a tag,

select this check box.

When a tag has an alarm

defined for it, an X appears in
this column.

To open the Analog or Digital Alarm dialog box

1. In the spreadsheet section of the Tags editor, select an analog or

digital tag that is to have alarm conditions set up.

2. Click the check box beside the Alarm button in the form section of
the Tags editor.

3. Click Alarm to open the Analog or Digital Alarm dialog box.

Creating alarms Q 11–27

 Setting up alarms for analog tags

To set up alarms for analog tags:

1. Set up the alarm threshold, and then choose the message that will
appear if the threshold is crossed.

2. Set up the messages that are sent when a tag goes out of alarm and
when an operator acknowledges an alarm.

3. Set up advanced features, such as deadband and handshake.

For details, see Help.

Setting up alarms for digital tags

To set up alarms for digital tags:

1. Set up alarm states.

2. Set up the messages that are sent when a tag goes out of alarm and
when an operator acknowledges an alarm.

3. Set up advanced features, such as handshake.

For details, see Help.

Setting up alarm logging

Use the Alarm Log Setup program to specify:

„ where to store alarm log files.

„ when alarm log files are created or deleted.

11–28 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

„ whether to log alarm data to a central, ODBC-compliant database.
This step is optional.

IMPORTANT You must run the Alarm Log Setup program on the
same computer as the HMI server that is monitoring
tags for alarms. If you run the Alarm Log Setup program
on a computer that does not contain an HMI server set
up to monitor tags for alarms, the settings will have no
effect.

The alarm log files generated on one computer do not

contain data for RSView SE servers running on other
computers. You must set up alarm log files separately for
each computer on which RSView SE servers are
running.

If there is more than one HMI server on a single

computer, the alarm log file will contain entries from
both HMI servers.

To open the Alarm Log Setup program

X In RSView Studio or the RSView Administration Console, click

Tools on the bar menu and then click Alarm Log Setup.

You can also open the Alarm Log Setup editor by clicking the Start
button, selecting Programs, Rockwell Software, RSView Enterprise,
Tools, and then clicking SE Alarm Log Setup.

For details about using the Alarm Log Setup program, see Help.

Specifying when log files are created

Use the Logging tab in the Alarm Log Setup editor to specify when log
files are created. You can set up an application to create new log files
periodically, or you can prevent new files from being created.

In each 24-hour period, up to 26 new files can be created. If you

attempt to create a 27th file, RSView continues logging data to the 26th

Creating alarms Q 11–29

 file. At midnight, the sequence starts again with the first new file for the
new day.

By default, alarm log files are stored in the path

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\RSView Enterprise\SE\AlarmLog

Log files are saved in the folder you specify on the Logging tab. For
more information about log files, also see:

„ “Adding remarks to the alarm log file at run time” on page 11-32.

„ “Viewing alarm log files” on page 11-35.

„ the schema for the ODBC alarm log table on page C-2.

Monitoring disk space

If the computer’s hard disk is full, alarm logging stops and no more log
files are created. For information about monitoring disk space on
computers running HMI servers, see page 28-4.

Specifying when log files are deleted

Use the File Management tab in the Alarm Log Setup editor to specify
when log files will be deleted. You can delete log files after a specified
period or once a specified number of files have been created. If you

11–30 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

never want files deleted, leave the check boxes under Delete Oldest
Files blank.

Alarm log files are deleted only when a new file is created. If the
application creates a new file each day and deletes the oldest file every
third day, the project will have files for the three previous days’ data, as
well as a file for the current day.

If you have set up File Management to delete the oldest files when a
new one is started, and you are exporting data to an ODBC database,
make sure you export the data before the oldest file is deleted.

Setting up logging to a central database

Use the Central Logging tab in the Alarm Log Setup editor, to set up
logging to a central, ODBC-compliant database.

Central logging works by periodically exporting the contents of the

alarm log file to an ODBC-compliant database. RSView supports the
following ODBC-compliant databases: Sybase SQL Server, Oracle,
and Microsoft SQL Server.

If you have set up file management to delete the oldest files when a new
set is started, and you are exporting data to an ODBC database, make
sure you export the data before the oldest files are deleted.

For details about setting up logging to a central database, see Help.

Exporting alarm log files manually to

ODBC format

Using the command, AlarmLogSendToODBC, you can export logged

activities manually from the alarm log file to an ODBC-compliant
database.

If the table in the database to which you are attempting to export data
is not ODBC compliant, the export will fail. If an ODBC-compliant
table does not exist, RSView will try to create it.

Creating alarms Q 11–31

 When you export data to an ODBC table, RSView keeps track of the
exported data in a control file called Alarm.exp. This file is located in
the log path where the .dat files are stored. The next time you export
data, only the newest data is exported. If the control file is deleted, all
the alarm log data in the .dat files are exported when you issue the
export command.

If you have set up file management to delete the oldest files when a new
set is started, and you are exporting data to an ODBC-compliant
database, make sure you export the data before the oldest files are
deleted.

Example: Exporting alarm log files to ODBC format on demand

To export the contents of the alarm log files to an ODBC-compliant

database on demand, create a button in a graphic display. The button’s
press action should be the AlarmLogSendToODBC command.

When the operator presses the button, the contents of the alarm log file
are exported to the ODBC database.

The AlarmLogSendToODBC command exports only the records

added to the alarm log files since the last export.

For information about the contents of the alarm log ODBC tables, see
page C-2.

Adding remarks to the alarm log file at run

time

Using the AlarmLogRemark command, you can add information to the

alarm log file at run time. Parameters for the command let you add a
text comment, the alarm severity, and the tag name to the alarm log file

Other parameters let you prompt the operator for the text part of the
remark at run time, and log the remark to a printer as well as to the
alarm log file.

11–32 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 You cannot display alarm log remarks in alarm summaries..

Using the /P parameter with

the AlarmLogRemark
command, you can prompt
the operator at run time to
type a remark for the alarm
log file.

At run time, only one Alarm Log Remark dialog box is displayed at a
time, and the operator must respond to the dialog box before the next
one is displayed.

Alarm logging must be on before you can use the AlarmLogRemark

command. To start alarm logging, issue the AlarmLogOn command.
For details about the AlarmLogRemark command, see Help.

Suppressing alarm printing

To suppress alarm printing for all tags, use the AlarmPrintOff
command. To re-enable printing of alarms, use the AlarmPrintOn
command.

Using AlarmOn and AlarmPrintOff in the correct order

AlarmOn normally logs alarms to both the alarm log file and the
printer. However, the order in which you issue the AlarmOn and
AlarmPrintOff commands affects what happens at run time.

„ If you issue the AlarmOn command before you issue the

AlarmPrintOff command, alarm monitoring starts. Alarms are
logged to the alarm log file and the printer until you issue the
AlarmPrintOff command.

„ If you issue the AlarmPrintOff command and then issue the

AlarmOn command, alarms are logged to the alarm log file, but not
to the printer.

Creating alarms Q 11–33

 The AlarmPrintOff and AlarmPrintOn commands are not retained
across RSView sessions. If you issue the AlarmPrintOff command
before AlarmOn, alarms will not print to the printer. But if you shut
down RSView, restart it, and then issue the AlarmOn command,
alarms will be logged to alarm log file and the printer until you issue the
AlarmPrintOff command.

Suppressing alarm logging

You can suppress alarm monitoring for tags. This is useful for testing
or performing repairs or maintenance on equipment.

To suppress alarm monitoring for tags, use the SuppressOn command.

To suppress all alarms for the specified tags, issue the SuppressOn
command before the AlarmOn command.

For more information about RSView commands, see Help.

Using the Suppressed List

Use the Suppressed List to see which tags are not being monitored for
alarms and to turn alarm monitoring back on.

To turn off suppression Click All Off to turn off

for a tag, click the tag suppression for all tags.
name, and then click
Suppress Off.

11–34 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Viewing alarm log files
The Alarm Log Viewer displays the contents of alarm log files. The
contents of the alarm log files depend on how you set up alarm
severities in the Alarm Setup editor.

For information about the contents of the alarm log ODBC tables, see
page C-2.

You can display alarm log files stored either on the local computer or
on a remote computer, and you can select the number of log files to be
displayed in the alarm log viewer. Each alarm log file is displayed in a
separate tab in the alarm log viewer.

To open the alarm log viewer

X In RSView Studio or the RSView Administration Console, click the

Tools menu, and then click Alarm Log Viewer.

You can also open it by clicking the Windows Start button, selecting
Programs, Rockwell Software, RSView Enterprise, Tools, and then
clicking SE Alarm Log Viewer.

For information about setting up and using the alarm log viewer,
see Help for the alarm log viewer.

To open the alarm log viewer Help

X Click the Start menu, select Programs, Rockwell Software, RSView

Enterprise, Tools, and then click SE Alarm Log Viewer Help.

Creating alarms Q 11–35

 Using the alarm log viewer at run time
To display the alarm log viewer at run time:

1. In a graphic display, create a button operators can use to open the

alarm log viewer.

2. For the button’s press action, type the following command:

AppStart “C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\

RSView Enterprise\AlarmLogViewer.exe”

You must include the quotation marks, because there are spaces in
the parameter.

At run time, the viewer may appear behind the RSView SE client
window. This is the result of operating system rules. You can either
bring the viewer to the front manually, or you can work around this
problem programmatically. For details about a programmatic work-
around, see technical note P9029 in the Rockwell Software Support
Library.

About alarm log files

Alarm information is stored in file sets, in proprietary format.

How log files are named

When a log file is created, it is named automatically. The name is based

on the date the file was created and the type of data it contains. The
format for the name is YYYYMMDDnz.dat, where:

„ YYYY are the four digits of the year.

„ MM is the month.

„ DD is the day.

„ n is the sequence letter (‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, and so on). This letter indicates
the sequence in which the files were created. You can have up to

11–36 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 26 files (‘a’ to ‘z’) per day. At midnight, the sequence starts at ‘a’
again.

„ z is the file type: ‘l’ (lowercase L) is for alarm.

If you are using short file names, or if the path where the log files are
stored does not support long file names, the format for the name is
YYMMDDnz.dat, where YY are the last two digits of the year.

Example: Log file name

The log file named 20041015bl.dat was created in the year 2004,
month 10, and day 15. The ‘b’ indicates that this is the second file
created that day. The ‘l’ (lowercase L) indicates that this is an alarm log
file.

Setting up security to log alarms remotely

If you are logging to a network drive, network share, or ODBC
database that is not located on the same computer as the HMI server,
you must change the Windows security settings of the alarm log
program files.

To change the security account of the alarm log program

files in Windows 2000

1. On the computer on which alarm monitoring will run, click the

Windows Start button, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type dcomcnfg, and then press Enter.

If DCOM Configuration Warning messages appear, click No for

each one.

3. In the Distributed COM Configuration Properties dialog box, click

the Applications tab.

4. In the Applications list, click RsAlmLogExpServ, and then click

Properties.

Creating alarms Q 11–37

 5. In the RsAlmLogExpServ Properties dialog box, click the Identity
tab.

6. If you are using a mapped network drive, click ‘The interactive

user’ and then click OK.

If you are using a network share or UNC path, click ‘This user’, and
then type the name and password of a user that has access to the
network path and database. This applies to step 9 as well.

7. In the Applications list, click RsAlmLogService Class and then

click Properties.

8. In the RsAlmLogService Class Properties dialog box, click the

Identity tab.

9. Follow the directions for step 6.

10. Click OK and then restart the computer.

IMPORTANT When using the DCOM setting ‘This user’, if the

password requires periodic changes, this DCOM setting
must be modified manually to reflect the changes.

To change the security account of the alarm log program

files in Windows XP (SP1)

1. On the computer on which alarm monitoring will run, click the

Windows Start button, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type dcomcnfg, and then press Enter.

3. In the left-hand side of the Component Services window, double-

click Component Services, double-click the Computers folder,
double-click My Computer, and then double-click DCOM Config.

If DCOM Configuration Warning messages appear, click No for

each one.

11–38 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 4. In the list of applications, under DCOM Config, right-click
RsAlmLogExpServ, and then select Properties.

5. In the RsAlmLogExpServ Properties dialog box, click the Identity

tab.

6. If you are using a mapped network drive, click ‘The interactive

user’ and then click OK.

If you are using a network share or UNC path, click ‘This user’, and
then type the name and password of a user that has access to the
network path and database. This applies to step 9 as well.

7. In the right-hand side of the Component Services Window, click

RsAlmLogService Class and then click Properties.

8. In the RsAlmLogService Class Properties dialog box, click the

Identity tab.

9. Follow the directions for step 6.

10. Click OK and then restart the computer.

IMPORTANT When using the DCOM setting ‘This user’, if the

password requires periodic changes, this DCOM setting
must be modified manually to reflect the changes.

Creating an alarm summary

The alarm summary is a table that displays the active alarms recorded
in an HMI server. To set up an alarm summary, you decide how many
columns you want the table to have, how wide the columns will be, and
what information the columns will contain. You can also specify the
tags and, in a distributed application, the areas from which you want
data displayed.

At run time, operators can use the alarm summary to view and interact
with the alarms.

Creating alarms Q 11–39

 Creating an alarm summary object
An alarm summary object can be part of a graphic display or it can fill
the entire graphic display. You can use the pre-built alarm summary,
called Alarm Information, in the graphics library, or you can create an
alarm summary object.

For details about creating an alarm summary object, see Help.

The parts of an alarm summary

A new alarm summary looks like this:
Header area: Use the
commands on the Insert
menu to insert headings
here.

Divider: Use the mouse to

move the divider up and
down.

Body area: The area where

alarm information is
displayed at run time.

Button bar: Use the

commands on the Format
menu to specify which
buttons are included and
where the bar is located.

Inserting headings
The Insert menu contains the items that can appear in the summary. To
add a heading for an item, click the item on the Insert menu. You can
add as many items as you want and place them in any order you want.

An alarm summary can include an operator’s name. When a tag goes

into alarm, Operator Name column shows the name of the Windows

11–40 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

system account. When a user acknowledges an alarm, the Operator
Name field changes to the name of the user who acknowledged the
alarm.

For stand-alone applications, the Area heading is not available.

When you click an item on the Insert
menu, two boxes appear in the alarm
summary. Drag the boxes to position
them.

Choosing fonts
The header and body fonts can be different. For example, you might
choose a larger font for the header and a smaller font for the body. To
change a font, click the Format menu and then select Body Font or
Header Font, to open the Font dialog box. The list of fonts that appears
depends upon what is installed on the computer.

To increase the size of the header area so a large font is more easily
displayed, drag the divider down.

Creating alarms Q 11–41

 Choosing colors and blink styles
To specify the color or blink style of an item in the Alarm Summary,
click the Format menu and then select Colors. In the Colors dialog box
you can set up the color of:

„ Severity 1 through 8 messages

„ Out of Alarm and Fault State messages

„ Header, body, and button areas

You can set up the blink style of:

„ Severity 1 through 8 messages

„ Out of Alarm and Fault State messages

For details about using the options in the Colors dialog box, see Help.

Selecting buttons
In the Buttons dialog box you can specify which buttons you want on
the button bar in the alarm summary, and where the bar will be
positioned.

For descriptions of the individual buttons, see Help.

To select the buttons for an alarm summary

1. Select Buttons from the Format menu.

2. In the Buttons dialog box, make sure that a check is displayed only
in the check boxes beside the buttons that are to be in the alarm
summary. To clear a check, click the check box.

In addition to providing Filter and Sort buttons that the operator can
use at run time, you can filter or sort alarms permanently at design time.
The result of the design-time filter or sort operation is retained each
time the summary is activated at run time. For more information see
“Choosing data” on page 11-43.

11–42 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Changing the button text

To change the text that is displayed on any of the buttons in an alarm

summary, double-click the button, and then type the new button text
in the Text box.

Positioning the button bar

To specify the location of the button bar, click Button Bar Position on
the Format menu, and then click a location. In the following
illustration, the button bar is on the left.

Choosing data

Use the Filter and Sort items on the Data menu to specify which alarm
information is displayed.

Using Filter

Use Filter to select information—that is, to specify information you do

want displayed in the alarm summary. Anything you don’t specify in the
filter is not displayed in the alarm summary at run time.

You cannot filter by area name in stand-alone applications.

Creating alarms Q 11–43

 Using Sort

Use Sort to specify the order in which alarm information is displayed.

You can sort filtered or unfiltered data.

You cannot sort by area name in stand-alone applications.

Filtering and sorting at run time

Alarm information can also be filtered and sorted at run time, but
changes are not saved.

Displaying tag names with the areas they belong to

To display tag names with the names of the areas they belong to, click
Display full tag name.

This option is not available for stand-alone applications.

Examples: Using area and tag names in filters

To collect all alarm transactions from the area called Powertrain, type:

/Powertrain::*

To collect alarm transactions from the current area for the tag name
Coolant_East, type:

Coolant_East

To collect alarm transactions from the current area for all tags whose
names begin with Coolant, type:

Coolant*

To collect all alarm transactions for the current area, type:

11–44 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To collect alarms from specific areas for tag names that match a
pattern, you can type:

/Powertrain::Coolant*
/Press::FlowValve*

To collect alarms from more than one HMI server, you can type:

/Powertrain::*
/Press::*

You can also use the Areas and Tags buttons to browse for area or tag
names rather than typing them.

Tag placeholders

You can also use tag placeholders to specify the area or tag names you
want to appear in the alarm summary.

A tag placeholder is the cross-hatch character (#) followed by a number

from 1 to 500. The placeholder can also contain wildcard characters
and folder names. For more information, see “Using tag placeholders”
on page 16-31.

Examples: Using tag placeholders with area names

To display alarm transactions from an area whose name you want to

specify at run time using a parameter file or on the command line, type
one of the following:

/#1::*
or
/Area1/#1/Area3::*

To display alarm transactions from a specific area for a tag whose name
you want to specify at run time, type:

Area::#1

Creating alarms Q 11–45

 To display alarm transactions for all tags in a specific area and folder,
type:

Area::Folder/#1/*

In the example shown above, the placeholder #1 allows you to

substitute a folder name at run time.

Resolving tag placeholders at run time

If you use tag placeholders, at run time you must specify the tag or
folder name each placeholder represents, either by using a parameter
file or by specifying the tag or folder names as parameters to the
Display command. If you use a parameter file, it can contain wildcard
characters.

Example: Using a parameter file to replace tag placeholders

The parameter file called Beans specifies which tags to use for the
placeholders in a display:

#1 = bean_weight
#2 = bean_level
#3 = bean_temp

To run the display called Canning with the Beans parameter file, type:

Display Canning /PBeans

For more information, see “Replacing tag placeholders using a

parameter file” on page 16-32, and “Replacing tag placeholders using
parameters with the Display command” on page 16-33.

Sorting data
Select Sort from the Data menu to open the Sort dialog box. By default,
alarm information is sorted first by date and time, then by severity,
then, in distributed applications, by area name, and finally by tag name.

11–46 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

This means that alarms are presented chronologically. If two or more
alarms have the same time and date, these alarms are presented in order
of severity. If any alarms have the same time and date and the same
severity, they are then presented by tag name.

For details about using the Sort dialog box, see Help.

Running commands, macros, or custom

programs in response to alarms
Using the Execute and Identify buttons in an alarm summary, you can
run a command, macro, or custom program to respond to tags’ alarm
conditions.

Use the Execute button to run a command, macro, or custom program

that applies to all alarms in the summary, for example to create a
custom alarm report for analyzing plant maintenance efficiency.

Use the Identify button to run a command, macro, or custom program

that applies only to the tag for the highlighted alarm. The Identify
button can run a different command, macro, or custom program for
each tag, for example to run a different help file for each tag’s alarm
conditions.

About the Execute button

With the Execute button, you can specify a command or macro that
operators can run with reference to the highlighted alarm in an alarm
summary. The Execute command can be appended with tag
information derived from the highlighted alarm - for example, the area
name, tag name, alarm type, severity, value, date and time, and the tag
type.

IMPORTANT In stand-alone applications, you cannot include the area

name.

Creating alarms Q 11–47

 Use the execute feature to apply a common command, macro, or
custom program to the alarm that is selected in the alarm summary. For
example, you can run a custom program to add entries to a custom
alarm report for selected alarms in an alarm summary, and you can pass
arguments from the highlighted alarm to the custom program.

For details about setting up the Execute button, see Help.

About the Identify button

With the Identify button, you can specify a command or macro that
operators can run when a tag is in alarm. Use this button to provide
information about an alarm. For example, use the Display command to
open a display that contains instructions about how to handle a motor
that is running too fast.

For details about setting up the Identify button, see Help.

Using alarm data with commands

Use the Execute item on the Data menu to execute a command

(whether an RSView command, an RSView macro, or a custom
program), and to append parameters to the command. At run time, the
parameters are derived from the highlighted alarm in the alarm
summary.

For example, to log an entry in the FactoryTalk Diagnostics log file

with information about a particular entry in the alarm summary, use the
Remark command. To include details about the highlighted alarm, for
example, the alarm’s severity or the tag’s value, check the corresponding
boxes in the list of parameters.

Using parameters

Parameters are appended to the command in the same order in which

the parameters appear in the dialog box. You can substitute parameters

11–48 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

into any position within a command by passing the parameters to a
macro. For details about using parameters with macros, see page 22-3.

Parameters are separated by a space, unless you click Separate

Parameters with commas.

IMPORTANT A space is not automatically appended to the end of the

command text. If you are using parameters, and require
a space between the end of the command, macro, or
custom program and the first parameter, be sure to
include the space at the end of the command text.

Severity and value are shown only for alarms of type IntoAlarm. For
alarm types OutOfAlarm and IntoFault, the severity is 0.

Adding area names to parameters

To include the area name in the parameters passed to the command for
the Execute button, select the Insert Area name check box.

If you select the Insert Area name check box, the Area name appears
automatically between the first and second word you type in the
Execute Command Text box. Because you cannot change the position
of the area name, be sure the command shown at the bottom of the
dialog box is syntactically correct before you click OK.

Alternatively, use a macro to substitute the parameters into any position

within the command.

If you select the Tag name check box, to pass tag names as arguments
to the Execute command text, the tag names always include the area
name, whether or not areas are displayed in the alarm summary.

At run time, the area name is the area of the alarm that is highlighted
in the alarm summary.

Creating alarms Q 11–49

 Example: Using the AlarmLogRemark command with the
Execute button
You can use the Execute button to prompt the user at run time to add
a remark to the alarm log file.

To do this, add the command AlarmLogRemark /P /T to the Execute

button in the alarm summary, and then click the Tagname parameter.

At run time, the following happens:

„ the /P parameter displays a dialog box to prompt the operator for

a remark.

„ the /T parameter logs a string in the Tagname column of the alarm

log file.

„ the Tagname parameter records the name of the highlighted tag in

the alarm summary in the Tagname column of the alarm log file.

11–50 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 You cannot change the order in which parameters are passed to the
command line for the alarm summary Execute button. To use the
alarm summary Execute button with the AlarmLogRemark command,
and have the tag name added correctly to the /T argument, you must
ensure that the argument (/T) appears last on the command line.

For details about using the AlarmLogRemark command, see “Adding

remarks to the alarm log file at run time” on page 11-32, or see Help.

Using the Execute button to run a custom program

If you set up the Execute button to run a custom program, and you
copy the alarm summary from one application to another application,
you must ensure that the custom program is available in the new
application, otherwise the Execute button will not run the program.

Viewing the area name in tag names

In an alarm summary, you can display tag names with the names of the
areas they belong to.

To do this, click the Data menu, and then click Display full tag name.

Starting and stopping alarm monitoring

There are many ways to start and stop alarm monitoring. Choose the
way that works best for the application.

For a complete list of RSView commands and their command syntax,

see Help.

Creating alarms Q 11–51

 Ways to start alarm monitoring at the HMI
server
To start alarm monitoring, use any of the methods below:

IMPORTANT If the HMI server performing alarm monitoring is not

in the home area, you must specify the area name with
the AlarmOn command in the examples below. For
details about using the AlarmOn command, see Help.

„ In the HMI Server Properties dialog box, click the Components

tab, and then select the Alarming check box. Alarm monitoring
starts the next time the HMI server runs, or when the HMI server’s
components are started manually.

„ In the Macros editor, create a macro that contains the command,

AlarmOn. In the HMI Server Properties dialog box, click the
Components tab, and then select this macro in the Startup Macro
list.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button object. In the Button

Properties dialog box, click the Action tab. In the Press action box,
type the AlarmOn command. When the button is pressed, alarm
monitoring starts.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object and then

attach touch Animation the AlarmOn command as the action.
When the object is touched, alarm monitoring starts.

„ In the Events editor, type the AlarmOn command in the Action

box for an event.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio, or the RSView

Administration Console, type AlarmOn and then press Enter.

Ways to stop alarm monitoring

To stop all the components that are running on the HMI server,
including data log models, event components, derived tag components,

11–52 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

and alarm monitoring, stop the components running on the HMI
server manually.

For details about stopping components manually:

„ in distributed applications, see page 26-10.

„ in stand-alone applications, see page 27-4.

To stop alarm monitoring only, use any of the methods below:

IMPORTANT If the HMI server performing alarm monitoring is not

in the home area, you must specify the area name with
the AlarmOff command in the examples below. For
details about using the AlarmOff command, see Help.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button object. In the Button

Properties dialog box, click the Action tab. In the Press action box,
type the AlarmOff command. When the button is pressed, alarm
monitoring stops.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object, and then

attach touch animation with the AlarmOff command as the action.
When the object is touched, alarm monitoring stops.

„ In the Events editor, type the AlarmOff command in the Action

box for an event.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio, or the RSView

Administration Console, type AlarmOff and then press Enter.

Creating alarms Q 11–53

12 Logging system activity
This chapter describes

„ what FactoryTalk™ Diagnostics is.

„ the steps required to set up FactoryTalk Diagnostics.

„ key concepts about logging system activity using FactoryTalk

Diagnostics.

„ setting up FactoryTalk Diagnostics in RSView®.

„ using the Diagnostics list.

„ viewing FactoryTalk Diagnostics log files.

„ setting up security to log system activity remotely.

About FactoryTalk Diagnostics

FactoryTalk Diagnostics is a FactoryTalk component that performs
services similar to the RSView activity logger, which it replaces. It
records information about various types of system activity including:

„ command and macro usage.

„ operator comments.

„ system messages and errors.

„ errors from the communication network.

„ tag read and write activity.

FactoryTalk Diagnostics allows the information to be:

„ viewed using the Diagnostics List, or the Diagnostics Viewer.

Logging system activity n 12–1

 „ archived for future processing or analysis.

„ exported to ODBC format while online. This enables analysis of

the data in third-party, ODBC-compliant tools such as Microsoft®
Excel, and Business Objects Crystal Reports.

Summary of steps
These are the steps required to set up FactoryTalk Diagnostics for an
application.

„ Decide from which computers on the network information needs

to be logged.

„ On each of the computers on which you want to log system activity,

run the FactoryTalk Diagnostics Setup tool. Set up:

„ where the information will be sent. These are called

destinations. By default, system activity is logged to a local file
on each computer.
„ which categories of information are sent to which destination.
This is called message routing, and allows you to specify where
(to what destination) to send which information (of what
severity) and for whom (for what audience).
„ To log system activity to a central, ODBC-compliant database, set
up the database, and then set up the ODBC Database destination
in the FactoryTalk Diagnostics Setup tool.

For details about the schema for the ODBC database, see Appendix C,
odbc database schemas.

Key concepts
The settings for FactoryTalk Diagnostics apply to all Rockwell
Software products installed on a single computer.

You must set up FactoryTalk Diagnostics separately on every computer

on which you want to log system activity.

12–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Setting up FactoryTalk Diagnostics involves:

„ setting up destinations, where logged information is received for

storage or display.

„ setting up which destinations receive which specific types of

messages. This is called message routing.

Destinations

FactoryTalk Diagnostics messages can be sent to various

destinations—for example, the message log file on the local computer,
an ODBC-compliant database, and the RSView Diagnostics List at the
bottom of the window in RSView Studio™, or the RSView SE client.

Each destination has features or behavior you can set up.

IMPORTANT The destinations available might vary, depending on

which Rockwell Software products are installed. RSView
adds the ODBC Database and Diagnostics List
destinations to FactoryTalk Diagnostics.

If RSView is not installed on the computer, these

destinations are not available in FactoryTalk
Diagnostics.

Setting up redundancy for log files

You can set up redundancy for Diagnostics log files by logging to an

ODBC-compliant database, and setting up a copy of the database on
another computer, that will act as a backup if communications to the
primary database are interrupted.

If you also set up local log files, you can use them to buffer information
if communications with the database are lost. By default, all system
activity is logged to a local file on each computer.

Logging system activity Q 12–3

 Message routing

You can decide which destinations receive messages of which severity,

and for which audience. This ensures that information is provided to
the appropriate person and place.

Example message-routing destinations

„ You can route messages that contain information about system

activity to the local log file. You can also route warnings about
things that might go wrong, to the local log file.

This allows a control systems engineer to analyze system activity

and performance, and make corrections during scheduled
maintenance times.

„ You can route errors that require immediate action to the

FactoryTalk Diagnostics List, as well as the log file.

At run time, if the FactoryTalk Diagnostics List is visible, an

operator can alert the plant’s control systems engineer to problems
such as tag errors, as they occur.

During scheduled maintenance time, the engineer can use the

errors, together with warnings, or information messages recorded
in the local log file, to analyze operation of the system, and then
make the necessary corrections.

Message categories

Messages sent to FactoryTalk Diagnostics are categorized by severity

and audience. To route messages, specify that a particular destination
(for example, the FactoryTalk Diagnostics List) receives messages of a
particular severity (for example, Errors), and audience (for example,
Operator).

12–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Severity

RSView uses four message severities:

„ Errors indicate that a process or action has failed. For example, a

tag’s value could not be written, or an ActiveX® control is missing.

„ Warnings indicate that a process or action might not function

correctly, or might eventually fail if preventive action isn’t taken. For
example, if an ActiveX control used in a graphic display is a
different version than the one installed at the RSView SE client, a
warning is logged to indicate the mismatch. Mismatched ActiveX
controls might not behave as expected at run time.

„ Information indicates that a process or action has completed

successfully. For example, a user logged on to the system.

„ Audit indicates that the system configuration has been changed.

RSView also records an Audit message:

„ for all tag writes.

„ whenever an editor that handles multiple components adds,

deletes, or removes a component. Examples of multi-
component editors are the Data Log Models editor, Graphic
Displays editor, and Macros editor.

Audience

RSView uses three message audiences: Operator, Engineer, and

Developer.

RSView assigns the Operator audience for all messages it generates,

except for messages with the Audit severity. Audit messages are
assigned the Developer or Engineer audience. Audit messages include
tag writes.

Logging system activity Q 12–5

 How tag writes are categorized

The severities Audit and Information are assigned to tag writes that are
successful. The severities Audit and Error are assigned to tag writes
that fail.

The audiences for tag writes, whether successful or unsuccessful, are

Developer and Secure.

All other messages are categorized as Operator with severities of Error,

Warning, or Information.

The Secure audience allows auditing tools, such as those required for
US Government 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, to track system activity.

IMPORTANT You cannot change the audience or the severity

categories assigned to diagnostic messages. For example,
you cannot specify that a Developer receive all messages
of type Error.

When you set up message routing for Diagnostics, you

specify where the messages for a particular audience and
severity will be logged. For example, you can specify that
messages about tag writes that are logged for the
audience Developer be sent to the local log file, or the
Diagnostics List, or both, or neither.

If messages for a particular combination of audience

and severity are not routed to a destination, they will not
be logged.

Setting up FactoryTalk Diagnostics in RSView

The information in this chapter applies to setting up FactoryTalk

Diagnostics for use with RSView. For details about using the
FactoryTalk Diagnostics Setup tool, see the context-sensitive help
provided for the tool.

12–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To open the FactoryTalk Diagnostics Setup tool

X In RSView Studio or in the RSView Administration Console, select

Diagnostics Setup from the Tools menu, on the Windows Start
menu select Start, Programs, Rockwell Software, Utilities, and then
click Diagnostics Setup.l.

IMPORTANT You must run the Diagnostics Setup tool on every

computer on which you want to log system activity.

System activity for all the Rockwell Software programs

running on the computer is logged to the log files on
that computer.

Logging to a central database

In addition to logging to a local log file on each computer, you can also
set up FactoryTalk Diagnostics to log data to a central, ODBC-
compliant database.

This option is only available if FactoryTalk Directory, RSView Studio,

RSView Administration Console, RSView SE Server, or the RSView

Logging system activity Q 12–7

 SE Client are also installed on the computer on which FactoryTalk
Diagnostics is installed.

Central logging works by periodically exporting the contents of the

local log file to an ODBC-compliant database. RSView supports the
following ODBC-compliant databases: Sybase SQL Server, Oracle,
and Microsoft SQL Server.

If you have set up FactoryTalk Diagnostics to overwrite events in the

local log file, make sure messages are logged to the ODBC-compliant
database before the oldest events are deleted.

For information about the contents of the FactoryTalk Diagnostics

ODBC tables, see page C-1.

Setting up message buffering

FactoryTalk Diagnostics messages are stored in the computer’s local
log file, and are exported to the ODBC-compliant database at the
interval you specify.

12–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To buffer messages, in the ODBC Destination Setup dialog of the
Diagnostics Setup tool, specify how long messages will remain in the
local log file after they have been exported to the ODBC-compliant
database. This is useful in the event of a network failure, or any other
reason that causes the database to be unavailable. In this case, the
messages remain in the local log file until the buffer time expires. If the
ODBC-compliant database becomes available during that time, the
buffered messages are then exported to the database.

Setting up message routing

For each destination you have set up, you can specify which messages
will be routed to it. Messages are categorized by audience and severity.
See page 12-4 for details.

IMPORTANT All messages are logged as Error, Warning, or Info, with

the audience, Operator, except for tag writes which are
logged as Audit, with the audiences Developer or
Engineer, and Secure.

Logging system activity Q 12–9

Using the Diagnostics List
To keep track of what is happening when an application is running, use
the Diagnostics List.

Diagnostics List
Status bar

For system activity messages to appear in the Diagnostics List,

messages must be routed to the Diagnostics List. For details about
routing messages, see page 12-4.

Hiding, showing, and moving the

Diagnostics List
When RSView Studio first starts, the Diagnostics List is visible and is
docked above the status bar in the RSView main window.

12–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Hiding and showing the Diagnostics List

To show or hide the Diagnostics List, click Diagnostics List on the

View menu. When Diagnostics List has a check mark beside it, the
Diagnostics List is visible.

Moving the Diagnostics List

You can detach (undock) the Diagnostics List from the main window,
and then move the Diagnostics List anywhere on the screen.

To undock the Diagnostics List, drag the grab bars at the bottom left
of the Diagnostics List. If you can’t see the grab bars, drag the top edge
of the Diagnostics List to make it a bit larger.

To detach the
Diagnostics List, drag
the grab bars.

To prevent the Diagnostics List from docking automatically while you

move it across the screen, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard
while you move the Diagnostics List.

Resizing the Diagnostics List

When the Diagnostics List is undocked, you can make it any size you
want, for example to view more than one message at a time. To resize
the bar, drag an edge or corner until the bar is the size you want.

Messages in the Diagnostics List

The types of messages that appear in the Diagnostics List depend on

how message rouiting is set up in the Diagnostics Setup dialog box.

Diagnostics messages are preceded by a blue, yellow, or red icon. Blue

indicates information, yellow indicates a warning, and red indicates an
error.

Logging system activity Q 12–11

 The following illustration shows a warning and an information
message:
An ellipsis indicates that the
message has been
truncated. To view the
whole message, resize the
Diagnostics List.

To clear messages, click the Clear or Clear All button. Clear removes
the top message or any message that is selected (highlighted). Clear All
removes all the messages. Clearing a message in the Diagnostics List
does not delete the message from the Diagnostics log file.

Viewing FactoryTalk Diagnostics log files

Use the FactoryTalk Diagnostics Viewer to view the contents of
FactoryTalk Diagnostics log files.

You can open the FactoryTalk Diagnostics Viewer within RSView

Studio, or from the RSView Administration Console.

To open the FactoryTalk Diagnostics Viewer

X In RSView Studio or the RSView Administration Console, click the

Tools menu, and then click Diagnostics Viewer.

You can also open it by clicking the Windows Start button, and
selecting Programs, Rockwell Software, Utilities, FactoryTalk
Diagnostics Viewer.

For information about setting up and using the FactoryTalk

Diagnostics Viewer, see context-sensitive help provided for the tool.

12–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Using the Diagnostics Viewer at run time
To display the Diagnostics Viewer at run time:

1. In a graphic display, create a button operators can use to open the

Diagnostics Viewer.

2. For the button’s press action, type the following command:

AppStart “C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\RSView

Enterprise\ActivityLogViewer.exe”

You must include the quotation marks, because there are spaces in
the parameter.

At run time, as a result of operating system rules, the Diagnostic Viewer

could open behind the RSView SE client window. If the operator is
unaware of this, and presses the button again, another instance of the
viewer is opened. This could result in multiple Diagnostic viewers
being opened.

To avoid this, the viewer can be brought to the front manually and
closed it when it is no longer required, or you can work around this
problem programmatically. For details about a programmatic work-
around, see technical note P9029 in the Rockwell Software Support
Library.

Setting up security to log system activity to a

remote computer
If you are logging to a network drive, network share, or ODBC
database that is not located on the same computer on which the system
activity is generated, you must change the Windows security settings of
the activity logging service.

Logging system activity Q 12–13

 To change the security account of the activity logging
service in Windows® 2000

1. Click the Windows Start button, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type dcomcnfg, and then press Enter.

3. If DCOM Configuration Warning messages appear, click No for

each one.

4. In the Distributed COM Configuration Properties dialog box,

click the Applications tab.

5. In the Applications list, click RsLogExpServ, and then click

Properties.

6. In the RsLogExpServ Properties dialog box, click the Identity tab.

7. Do one of the following:

„ If you are using a network share or UNC path, click This user,
and then type the name and password of a user that has access
to the network path and database.
„ If you are using a mapped network drive, click The interactive
user.

8. Click OK and then restart the computer.

IMPORTANT When using the DCOM setting ‘This user’, if the

password requires periodic changes, this DCOM setting
must be modified manually to reflect the changes.

To change the security account of the activity logging

service in Windows XP (SP1)

1. Click the Windows Start button, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type dcomcnfg, and then press Enter.

12–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

3. In the Component Services window, double-click Component
Services, double-click the Computers folder, double-click My
Computer, and then double-click DCOM Config.

4. If DCOM Configuration Warning messages appear, click No for

each one.

5. In the list of applications (under DCOM Config), right-click

RsLogExpServ, and then select Properties.

6. In the RsLogExpServ Properties dialog box, click the Identity tab.

7. Do one of the following:

„ If you are using a network share or UNC path, click This user,
and then type the name and password of a user that has access
to the network path and database.
„ If you are using a mapped network drive, click The interactive
user.

8. Click OK and then restart the computer.

IMPORTANT When using the DCOM setting ‘This user’, if the

password requires periodic changes, this DCOM setting
must be modified manually to reflect the changes.

Logging system activity Q 12–15

13 Using data logging
This chapter describes:

„ what data logging is.

„ data log file formats.

„ creating a data log model.

„ editing a data log model.

„ working with ODBC data sources.

„ switching logging paths at run time.

„ setting up security to log to a remote computer.

„ making runtime changes to data logging

„ starting and stopping data logging.

About data logging

Data log is an RSView® component that collects and stores tag values.
You specify which tag values to collect, when to collect them, and
where to store them by defining a data log model.

Logged data can be stored in an internal file set, or an ODBC-

compliant (Open Database Connectivity) database, and can be:

„ displayed in trends.

„ archived for future use.

„ analyzed using any ODBC-compatible reporting software, such as

Microsoft® Excel, or Seagate Crystal Reports.™

Using data logging n 13–1

 About data log models

A data log model defines which tags to log data for, when to log the
data, and where to log the data. In the model you also specify the
format of the log files (file set, or ODBC) and when to create and
delete the files, or records. A data log model can contain up to 10,000
tags.

Using multiple data log models

At run time, up to 20 models can run simultaneously on each RSView

SE server. Use multiple data log models to:

„ store related information in separate file sets.

„ log groups of tags at different rates.

„ log groups of tags based on events.

About data log storage formats

Logged data is stored in either an internal file set or in an ODBC-

compliant database.

File sets store tag values in proprietary-format files. You cannot view
the contents of these file sets, except in trends. File sets provide faster
performance for historical trends than an ODBC database.

If you log tag values to an ODBC database, you can view the data in
trends, or use third-party, ODBC-compliant tools to analyze and
create reports from the data. If the ODBC database becomes
inaccessible, RSView logs the data to backup files in proprietary
format.

To use data in multiple formats, define multiple data log models for the
same tags.

13–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Log file sets

Data log files are stored in sets of three. Each file set includes a file for
storing numeric values (either integers or floating point values), text,
and tag names.

How log file sets are named

When a log file set is created, it is named automatically. The name is

based on the date the file was created and the type of data it contains.

RSView names the log file sets using long file names. The maximum
length of a log file set’s name, including its path, is 200 characters. File
sets are named using the following format for the file name:

YYYY MM DD NNNN <Log File Identifier String> <(type)>.dat

„ YYYY is the year.

„ MM is the month.

„ DD is the day.

„ NNNN is the sequential file identifier. This number indicates the

sequence files were created in. You can have up to 9999 file sets per
day. At midnight, the sequence starts at 0000 again.

„ <Log File Identifier String> is a text string you can specify to help
identify the log file. The maximum string length is 20 characters.

„ <(type)> is the file type. The type is enclosed in parentheses. There

are three file types: Tagname, Float (for analog and digital tag
values), and String.

Example: Long file name

The log file named 2003 10 30 0004 Oven Temperatures (Float).dat

was created October 30 2003. The 0004 indicates that this is the fourth
file set created that day. Oven Temperatures is the log file identifier

Using data logging Q 13–3

 string, which the user defined to help identify the data. (Float) indicates
that this file contains analog or digital tag values.

ODBC database storage format

Use the ODBC database storage format to store data in an ODBC
data source such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server. The ODBC
format stores data in up to three tables:

„ Tag table (optional)—stores tag names in an index so they can be

referenced using a 2- or 4-byte numeric field (rather than a 40-byte
character field) in the float and string tables.

„ Float table—stores analog and digital tag values.

„ String table (optional)—stores string tag values.

For details about the contents of the tables, see page C-5.

ODBC backup files are stored as binary files with the extension .obf.
You cannot view the contents of the .obf files.

How ODBC tables are named

The ODBC tables are created with the default names TagTable,
FloatTable, and StringTable. In the Data Log Models dialog box, you
can edit these names before creating the tables, or you can specify the
names of different tables.

If you specify a backup path for an ODBC model, RSView names the
backup log files as described on page 13-3.

Creating data log models

To set up a data log model, in the Data Log Models editor specify:

„ which log file format to use.

„ where to store data log files (primary or secondary paths).

13–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 „ when to create and delete log files.

„ which actions will trigger logging.

„ which tag values will be logged.

Opening the Data Log Models editor

To open the Data Log Models editor:

1. In the Application Explorer, open the Data Log folder and double-
click the Data Log Models icon or right-click the icon and then
click New.

Set up general aspects of

the model.

Specify the paths to which

the data is logged.

Specify when log files

will be created and deleted.

Specify how and when

logging should occur.

Specify the tags for which

you want to log data.

Specifying the storage format

In the Setup tab of the Data Log Models editor you provide a log file
identifier string, which becomes part of the file name for the data log
files, and select a storage format. You can also type a description of the
model. This is for information only.

Using data logging Q 13–5

 When you select File Set as the storage format and you plan to log
string tags, specify the number of characters to be logged.

When you select ODBC database as the storage format, type the path
and file name of the ODBC data source, and specify the ODBC tables
that will be used, or create new tables.

To create tables for a new data source, click Create Tables. If RSView
cannot create the tables automatically, you will have to open the
database using its editing tool, and create the tables manually.

To select an existing table from the specified database, click the Browse
button and then select a table in the Select ODBC Table dialog box. To
view the order, type, length, and precision of the fields in the table, click
the table to select it and then click Details.

For more information see, “Working with ODBC data sources” on

page 13-9.

Setting up log paths

Set up logging paths in the Paths tab of the Data Log Models editor.

If the storage format is file sets, specify the primary path, and an
optional secondary file path in case the primary path becomes
unavailable.

If the storage format is ODBC, you can specify a backup file path for
the ODBC database.

To prevent loss of data, you can set up a secondary or backup logging

path. If the disk space for the primary path is full, data logging switches
to the secondary path, if set up, until space becomes available on the
primary path.

If you do not do this, when the primary path runs out of disk space,
data logging stops and no more log files are created.

For details see Help.

13–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Setting up and managing data log files

In the File Management tab of the Data Log Models editor, you specify
when to start new files and when to delete old files. If the data log
model uses the ODBC format, data is added continually to the same
database, and this section does not apply. If the data log model uses file
sets, RSView logs the data to sets of files. You can set up an application
to create new file sets:

„ periodically.

„ at specified times.

„ when a particular event occurs.

You can also select Never, in which case all data is logged to one file
set. Log files are saved in the folder you specify on the Paths tab.

Deleting file sets and ODBC database records

If a data log model uses file sets, you can set up file management to
delete file sets after a specified period or once a specified number of file
sets has been created. If you never want file sets deleted, clear the check
boxes under Delete Oldest Files.

Data log file sets are deleted only when a new file set is created. If the
application creates a new file set each day and deletes the oldest file set
every third day, there will be file sets for the three previous days’ data,
as well as a file set for the current day.

If a data log model uses the ODBC database format, you can purge old
records from the database using standard relational database tools or
SQL queries. You can also set up RSView to delete (purge) records in
the ODBC database after a specified time.

For more information, see Help.

Using data logging Q 13–7

 Specifying when to log data
In the Log Triggers tab of the Data Log Models editor, you specify
what will trigger data to be logged and when or how frequently this will
occur. You can set up logging so tag values are logged:

„ periodically (periodic logging).

„ only when a tag’s value changes (on-change logging).

„ when a particular event occurs and triggers the DataLogSnapshot

command (on-demand logging).

For for more information about the DataLogSnapshot command, see

page 13-14.

You can combine types of logging. For more information, see

“Combining logging” on page 13-15.

Choosing the data to be logged

In the Tags in Model tab of the Data Log Models editor, you specify
which tags will be scanned for data for the data log model. Log models
can contain up to 10,000 tags.

For more information, see Help.

Editing the data log model

You can edit a model during development or run time, using either
RSView Studio™ or the RSView Administration Console.

If you change a model at run time, the changes will not take effect until
you stop data logging and then restart it.

IMPORTANT If a tag that you delete from a data log model is used in
a trend object, be sure to remove all references to the
deleted tag from the trend.

13–8 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Changing log paths using the RSView
Administration Console
You can change the log paths after an application has been deployed by
using the RSView Administration Console (you don’t need to use
RSView Studio). You can change the primary and secondary paths for
file sets, and the backup path for ODBC data log models.

You cannot change the ODBC database using the Administration

Console.

Working with ODBC data sources

Using an existing ODBC data source

You can log data to an existing ODBC data source, but its tables must
contain fields that are formatted for the RSView data log.

There are two ways to prepare tables for data logging to an existing
database:

„ set up the RSView data log fields in the existing ODBC tables
before setting up a data log model.

„ create new tables automatically or manually in the existing database

using the Data Log Models dialog box.

To use the tables in an existing ODBC data source

1. Add fields for the data log data to the tables in the ODBC
database.

The section “Data log tables” on page C-5 describes the order and
type of fields needed to log data to an ODBC database. Edit the
tables as described in the documentation for the ODBC database
you are using.

Using data logging Q 13–9

 2. Set up a data log model, as described in Help. Specify the existing
ODBC database as the ODBC Data Source, and then specify the
tables you edited.

To create new tables in an existing ODBC data source

1. Specify the name of the existing ODBC data source in the ODBC
Data Source field of the Data Log Models editor. For more
information, see Help.

2. Click Create Tables. RSView automatically creates new data log

tables in the existing database. You can also create tables manually.

3. Set up the rest of the data log model, as described in Help.

Creating a new ODBC data source

To create a new ODBC data source, use the ODBC Data Source
Administrator in Control Panel. For details about using the ODBC
Data Source Administrator, click Help in the ODBC Data Source
Administrator window. You can create the tables for the new data
source using either method described previously.

Switching log paths at run time

RSView lets you specify a secondary or backup path to use if the

primary path for file sets or the ODBC database becomes unavailable.
This could happen because of network failures, or because of lack of
disk space on the computer where the data is being logged.

If the primary data log location becomes unavailable, RSView begins to

store the data in a buffer. The buffer can hold up to 64 Kb of data. If
the primary location is still unavailable when the buffer fills, or when
the maximum amount of time to buffer data has elapsed, RSView
switches to the secondary path.

13–10 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

RSView checks periodically to determine whether the primary file path
has become available again. If it has become available, RSView switches
back automatically.

RSView also checks the status of the primary path if the secondary path
becomes unavailable, and will switch back if possible. If both paths are
unavailable, RSView buffers the data. If the buffer fills and both paths
are still unavailable, RSView empties the buffer (the data in the buffer
is lost) and begins storing new data in the buffer. RSView continues
checking both paths until one becomes available.

If the data log file is locked, data is buffered for the time specified for
Maximum time to buffer data in the Advanced Configuration dialog
box, and then a new set of files is created on the primary path. If the
secondary path is not set up, the data is buffered for 10 minutes (the
default value for maximum time). If the maximum time is set to 0, a
new file is started immediately.

If the model is logging to the secondary path and the file is locked, the
behavior is the same: the data is buffered, and then a new file is created
when the specified time period has elapsed.

You can also switch back to the primary path or ODBC database
manually, using the DataLogSwitchBack command (see page 13-11) or
the DataLogMergeToPrimary command (see page 13-12). You cannot
switch manually from the primary path or ODBC database to the
secondary or backup path.

For models that use the file set format, RSView creates a new file set
each time the logging path changes.

Using the DataLogSwitchBack command

You can switch back to the primary path manually using the
DataLogSwitchBack command with these parameters: <component> or
* (asterisk). DataLogSwitchBack <component> (where <component> is
a data log model name) switches logging for the specified data log
model. DataLogSwitchBack * switches logging for all data log models

Using data logging Q 13–11

 that are currently running. You can use this anywhere you can enter an
RSView command or macro.

The switchback is performed only if the model is running, RSView is

logging data to the secondary or backup path, and the primary path or
ODBC database is available. For file sets, RSView creates a new set of
files when it switches back to the primary path.

To enable operators to issue this command at run time, you could

create a button object and use the DataLogSwitchBack command as
the press action.

In order to prevent an adverse effect on performance, data is not

moved from the secondary or backup path when you switch back to the
primary path or ODBC database. You must move it manually using the
DataLogMergeToPrimary command.

Using the DataLogMergeToPrimary command

When you begin writing to, or reading from a data log model, RSView
sends a message to the FactoryTalk™ Diagnostics log if there are files
on the secondary or backup path. You must move data manually from
the secondary or backup path to the primary path or ODBC database
using the DataLogMergeToPrimary command with these parameters:
<component> or * (asterisk).

DataLogMergeToPrimary <component> (where <component> is a data

log model name) moves data for the specified data log model, whether
or not the model is running. DataLogMergeToPrimary * moves data
for all data log models whether or not they are running. You can use
this command anywhere you can type an RSView command or macro.

If a model is running when you issue the command, RSView also

performs a switchback to the primary path or ODBC database for the
specified model or all running models. If a model uses file sets, RSView
moves all files on the secondary path (including the current file set) to
the primary path, begins a new file set on the primary path, and then
continues logging to the new file set. If a model uses the ODBC

13–12 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

format, RSView merges the data in the ODBC backup files into the
ODBC database, and then continues logging to the ODBC database.

To restore the secondary or backup data, give operators a way to issue

the DataLogMergeToPrimary command at run time. For example, you
can create a button object and use the command as the press action.

Using the DataLogNewFile command

You can create new ODBC backup files and new file sets using the
DataLogNewFile command with these parameters: <component> or *
(asterisk).

DataLogNewFile <component> (where <component> is a data log

model name) creates a new file set for the specified data log model.
DataLogNewFile * creates a new file set for all data log models that are
currently running. You can use this command anywhere you can type
an RSView command or macro.

If a data log model uses the ODBC format, the command creates a
new set of backup files if RSView is logging to the backup path when
you issues this command. If RSView is logging to the ODBC database,
RSView logs an End Snapshot and then a Begin Snapshot when you
issue this command.

If a data log model uses file sets, DataLogNewFile starts a new file set
regardless of when new files have been set up to start for the data log
model. The new file set is created in the same location that RSView is
currently logging to.

DataLogNewFile records two snapshots of data: an End Record in the

old file, and a Begin Record in the new file. It is not necessary to use
the DataLogSnapshot command in this case.

To enable operators to issue the DataLogNewFile command at run

time, you could create a button object and use the command as the
press action.

Using data logging Q 13–13

 Using the DataLogSnapshot command
You can record tag values using the DataLogSnapshot command with
these parameters: <component> or * (asterisk).

DataLogSnapshot <component> (where <component> is a data log

model name) records tag values for all tags in the specified model at the
instant the command is executed.

DataLogSnapshot * records tag values for all tags in all running models
at the instant the command is executed.

You can use this command anywhere you can issue an RSView
command or macro. For example, enter the command as the action for
an event.

Operators can also use this command at run time. For details, see
“Providing a way to log on demand” on page 13-15.

Example: Creating an event for on-demand logging

To create an event that will trigger logging when an alarm occurs:

1. Click the On Demand log trigger.

2. Open the Event editor. Create an expression such as:

If alm_in_alarm(motor_fault) and new_batch_started then 1 else 0

3. In the Event editor’s Action field, type

DataLogSnapshot <component> where ‘component’ is the name of
the data log model.

When the tag called motor_fault goes into alarm, and the tag called
new_batch_started is 1, the DataLogSnapshot <component>
command runs. All tags in the model will then be logged (not just the
tag in alarm).

13–14 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 Combining logging
You can combine periodic or on-change logging with on-demand
logging. This allows data to be captured at particular times, as well as
when a particular event occurs.

To combine logging

1. In the Data Log Models editor, click the Periodic or On Change

log trigger.

2. Type the DataLogSnapshot command with the <component> or *

(asterisk) parameter, anywhere you can use a macro or command.

Providing a way to log on demand

To enable operators to take a snapshot of data at run time, provide
them with a way to issue the DataLogSnapshot command by:

„ creating a button object and using the command as the press

action—operators can then press the button to take a data log
snapshot.

„ creating a display key or client key and using the command as the
press action—operators can then press a key to take a data log
snapshot.

Setting up security to log data to a remote computer

If you are logging to a network drive, network share, or ODBC
database that is not located on the same computer as the HMI server,
you must change the Windows® security settings of the data log
program files and the datalog read server.

Using data logging Q 13–15

 To change the settings for the data log program files and read
server in Windows 2000

1. On the computer on which you want to run a data logging, click

the Windows Start button, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type dcomcnfg, and then press Enter.

3. If DCOM Configuration Warning messages appear, click No for

each one.

4. In the Distributed COM Configuration Properties dialog box,

click the Applications tab.

5. In the Applications list, click DatalogServ, and then click

Properties.

6. In the DatalogServ Properties dialog box, click the Identity tab.

7. Click ‘The interactive user’ and then click OK.

If the location of the remote database has been specified using a

UNC path, specify ‘This user’ instead of ‘The interactive user’, then
type the name and password of a user that has access to the network
share of database. Do the same in step 10.

8. In the Applications list, click Rockwell Datalog Read Server, and

then click Properties.

9. In the Datalog Read Server Properties dialog box, click the Identity
tab.

10. Click ‘The interactive user’ and then click OK.

11. Restart the computer.

To change the settings for the data log program files and read
server in Windows XP

1. On the computer on which you want to run data logging, click the
Windows Start button, and then click Run.

13–16 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 2. In the Open box, type dcomcnfg, and then press Enter.

3. In the tree view (left-hand side) of the Component Services

window, double-click the Component Services icon, double-click
the Computers folder, double-click the My Computer icon, and
then double-click the DCOM Config folder.

4. If DCOM Configuration Warning messages appear, click No for

each one.

5. In the list of DCOM Config applications on the right-hand side of

the Component Services window, locate DatalogServ.

6. Right-click DatalogServ and then click Properties on the context

menu.

7. In the DatalogServ Properties dialog box, click the Identity tab.

8. Click ‘The interactive user’, and then click OK.

If the location of the remote database has been specified using a

UNC path, specify ‘This user’ instead of ‘The interactive user’, then
type the name and password of a user that has access to the network
share of database. Do the same in step 12.

9. In the list of DCOM Config applications, locate Rockwell Datalog

Read Server.

10. Right-click Rockwell Datalog Read Server and then click

Properties on the context menu.

11. In the Rockwell Datalog Read Server Properties dialog box, click
the Identity tab.

12. Click ‘The interactive user’, and then click OK.

13. Restart the computer.

Using data logging Q 13–17

Making runtime changes without editing the
data log model
At run time you can change the following data log parameters without
editing the data log model:

„ the log rate for periodic logging, using the DataLogChangeRate

command.

„ the log file identifier string, using the DataLogRenameFile

command.

Use these commands anywhere you can enter an RSView command or

macro. For example, in RSView Studio, or the RSView Administration
Console, type the command directly at the command line.

These changes take effect immediately, but only apply to the current
logging session. When you stop and restart logging, RSView uses the
logging rate and log file identifier specified in the data log model.

For details about the DataLogChangeRate and DataLogRenameFile

commands, see Help.

Starting and stopping data logging

Use RSView commands and macros in conjunction with graphic
objects to start and stop data logging. In the descriptions below,
<component> represents the name of the data log model.

For details about RSView commands and command syntax, see Help.

Ways to start data logging

To start data logging, do one of these:

„ In the Components tab of the HMI Server Properties dialog box,

select the Data Logging check box, and specify a data log model.
The data log model runs the next time the HMI server runs, or
when the HMI server’s components are started manually.

13–18 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

„ In the Macros editor, create a macro that contains the command,
DataLogOn <component>. In the Startup editor, select this macro in
the Startup Macro list. To start more than one data log model,
specify multiple DataLogOn <component> commands in the macro.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, open the Display Settings dialog

box, and then click the Behavior tab. In the Startup box, type
DataLogOn <component>.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button object and then

specify DataLogOn <component> as the button’s press action. When
the button is pressed, the command runs.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object and define

Touch animation for it by typing DataLogOn <component> in the
Action box. When the object is touched, data logging starts for the
specified model.

„ In the Events editor, type the DataLogOn <component> command

in the Action box for an event.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio, or the RSView

Administration Console, type DataLogOn <component> and then
press Enter.

Ways to stop data logging

You can manually stop all the components that are running on the
HMI server, including data log models, event components, derived tag
components, and alarm monitoring.

For details about stopping running components:

„ in distributed applications, see page 26-10.

„ in stand-alone applications, see page 27-4.

To stop data logging, do one of these:

Using data logging Q 13–19

 „ Use the DataLogOff <component> command (where <component> is
the name of the data log model) to stop a single model. To stop all
data log models, use the DataLogOff * command.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button object, and then

specify DataLogOff <component> or DataLogOff * as the button’s
press action. When the button is pressed, the command runs.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object, and attach

touch animation to it. In the Action box, type DataLogOff
<component> or DataLogOff *. When the object is touched, the
command runs.

„ In the Events editor, specify DataLogOff <component> or

DataLogOff * as the action for an event.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio, or the RSView

Administration Console, type DataLogOff <component> or type
DataLogOff * and then press Enter.

Displaying historical data in a trend

You can display historical data in a trend by assigning a tag from a data
log model to a pen.

For information about trends, see Chapter 19, Setting up trends.

13–20 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

14 Using events
This chapter describes:

„ what events are and how to use them.

„ setting up events.

„ using the Events editor.

„ creating an events component.

„ what the maximum update rate is.

„ editing events.

„ starting and stopping event processing.

About events
Events are expressions that trigger actions. Expressions are equations
containing tag values, mathematical operations, if–then–else logic, and
other built-in RSView® functions. Actions are RSView® commands,
symbols, or macros. An action could, for example, initiate a snapshot
of tag values using the DataLogSnapshot command or change a tag
value using the Set command.

IMPORTANT Events are detected at RSView SE Servers only.

Commands that are executed only at the RSView SE
Client are ignored when issued by an event expression.

For information about where commands run, see

page A-4.

Using events n 14–1

 An events component is a file that contains the definitions of one or
more events. An events component can be run when an HMI server
starts, or it can be run using the EventOn command, after the HMI
server has started.

If you do not know how to use expressions, see Chapter 20, Creating
expressions.

How to use multiple events components

You can create multiple events components. At run time, each HMI
server can run up to 20 event components (containing a maximum of
1,000 events each) simultaneously.

Use multiple event components to group events that need to be

evaluated at different rates.

IMPORTANT Do not create events that depend on other events.

Events are not processed sequentially.

Setting up events
The steps for setting up events are:

1. Create the events in the Events editor.

2. Set the maximum update rate for the events component in the
Events Setup dialog box.

3. Save the events component and give it a name. The file extension
.eds is added by the system.

14–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

Using the Events editor

To open the Events editor:

1. In the Application Explorer, open the Logic and Control folder.

2. Right-click the Events icon and then click New, or drag the Events
editor’s icon from the Application Explorer to the workspace.

Using the Check Syntax button

After you create an expression for an event, use the Check Syntax
button to verify that the syntax is correct. You can check the syntax of
an expression at any time while the Events editor is open.

If the syntax is invalid, an error appears next to the Check Syntax

button.

The syntax of the expression is also checked automatically when you

click Accept or Discard.

Using events Q 14–3

 Using the Accept and Discard buttons
When you enter information in the editor, the Prev and Next buttons
change to Accept and Discard. Click Accept to save information. Click
Discard to discard changes to the information.

Creating an events component

An event consists of two parts: an expression and an action. When a

component in the expression changes, the expression is evaluated. If
the expression’s true state changes from false on the previous
evaluation, to true on the current evaluation, the action is triggered.

To create an events component

1. In Action box in the Events editor, specify the command, macro

or symbol that will run when the event expression evaluates to
true.

2. In the Expression box, create an expression that will determine the

conditions that will trigger the action. For information about
expressions, see Chapter 20, Creating expressions.

3. Click Accept.

4. Click Next to create another event if the events component is to

contain more than one event.

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 until all events for the particular

component are defined.

6. Select Event Setup from the Setup menu.

7. In the Event Setup dialog box type a description of the component

and specify a maximum update rate, and then click OK.

8. In the Events editor, click Close.

9. Specify the name of the events component and then click OK.

14–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

About the maximum update rate

The maximum update rate is the fastest rate at which event expressions
in the event component can be evaluated. It also determines the fastest
rate at which data servers can send changes in tag values.

Set the maximum update rate separately for each event component.

Set the update rate as fast as, or faster than, the rate at which the values
of tags used in the expressions change, unless it is desirable to miss
changes in tag values.

Editing events

You can edit events during development or when you run the
application.

If you change the event component while running the application, the
changes don’t take effect until the component is stopped and then
restarted.

Starting and stopping event processing

There are many ways to start and stop event processing. Choose the
way that works best for the application.

For an explanation of RSView command syntax, see Appendix A,

RSView commands, or see Help.

Ways to start event processing

„ In the HMI Server Properties dialog box, click the Components

tab, select the Events check box, and then select an event
component. The event component will start the next time the HMI

Using events Q 14–5

 server runs, or when the HMI server’s components are started
manually.

„ In the Macros editor, create a macro that contains the command,

EventOn <component>. In the Components tab of the HMI Server
Properties dialog, click the Macro check box in On startup
components list, and then specify the macro. When RSView Studio
starts, event processing starts.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button object and then

specify the EventOn <component> command as the button’s press
action. When the button is pressed, event detection starts.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object and then

attach touch animation using the EventOn <component> command
as the action. When the object is touched, event detection starts.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio®, or in the RSView

Administration Console, type EventOn <component>, and then
press Enter.

„ For the Login Macro in User Accounts editor, specify the EventOn
<component> command, or a macro that contains the command.

„ For the Startup command in the Display Settings Behavior tab,

specify the EventOn <component> command, or a macro that
contains the command.

Ways to stop event processing

„ To stop all the components that are running on the HMI server,
including event components, stop the components running on the
HMI server manually.

For details about stopping an HMI server’s components manually

in distributed applications, see page 26-10 and in stand-alone
applications, see page 27-4.

14–6 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

To stop a single event component, use any of these methods:

„ In the Macros editor, create a macro that contains the command,

EventOff <component>. In the Components tab of the HMI Server
Properties dialog, click the On shutdown macro check box, and
then specify the macro. When RSView Studio shuts down, event
processing stops.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a button object and then

specify the EventOff <component> command as the button’s press
action. When the button is pressed, event detection stops.

„ In the Graphic Displays editor, create a graphic object and then

attach touch animation using the EventOff <component> command
as the action. When the object is touched, event detection stops.

„ At the command line in RSView Studio, or the RSView

Administration Console, type EventOff <component>, and then
press Enter.

„ For the Logout Macro in User Accounts editor, specify the

EventOff <component> command, or a macro that contains the
command.

„ For the Shutdown command in the Display Settings Behavior tab,

specify the EventOff <component> command, or a macro that
contains the command.

Using events Q 14–7

15 Setting up security
This chapter describes:

„ how security works.

„ summary of steps for setting up security.

„ where to set up security for the various components.

„ setting up user accounts.

„ setting up security on commands and macros.

„ assigning security to graphic displays, OLE objects, and HMI tags.

„ preventing users from modifying an application.

„ locking users into the RSView® SE client.

„ logging in and logging out at run time.

How security works

Security can be set up to prevent unauthorized access to certain parts

of the application, or to the application itself.

Access to individual commands, macros, graphic displays, and HMI

tags in an application via the RSView SE client, is set up by assigning
security codes to users and to application components. Only users with
the specified security code can run the secured commands, open a
graphic display, or write to secured HMI tags. In this way, the security
code determines the user or group’s level of access to the system.

Setting up security n 15–1

 At design time in RSView Studio™, or in the RSView Administration
Console, a user can be granted or denied access to an application, but
security for components in the application is not in effect.

Security codes
RSView has 17 security codes: an asterisk (*) and the letters A
through P. The asterisk is for unlimited access, and the letters are for
limited access.

The letters are not hierarchical—all letters provide the same level of
security. You do not have to use all of the security codes, nor do you
have to assign the codes in a particular order. For example, you can
choose to use only the codes D and P, and you can assign P before you
assign D.

Before you begin, make lists

Before you begin, list:

„ the users or groups of users requiring accounts. User groups are

recommended over using individual users.

„ the RSView commands and macros to be secured.

For a complete list of RSView commands, see Help.

„ the graphic displays, OLE objects with verb animation, and tags to
be secured.

Summary of the steps to set up security

Complete these steps to set up security:

1. In the User Accounts editor:

„ add users or groups to the RSView User Accounts list from

Windows® network domains and local workstation domains.

15–2 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 „ assign a security code (A through P) to each user or group.
You can assign combinations of security codes (for example B,
D, and E) to users or groups, allowing each user or group to
access a different set of features. If a group or user is not
assigned any letters, they cannot open displays, run commands,
or write to tags even if a component has an asterisk (*) assigned
to it. THis is because the asterisk means codes A through P, not
‘free access’.

2. In the Secured Commands editor, assign security codes to

commands and macros.

3. In the Graphics Displays editor assign security codes to graphic

displays.

4. In the Tags editor, set up security for the HMI tags that will
require it.

IMPORTANT You cannot assign a security code to data server tags,

to prevent their values from being modified. To
secure a data server tag, map its address to an HMI
tag, and set up security for the HMI tag.

5. Assign a security code to the application.

Only users with the specified security code can open the application
in RSView Studio, or the RSView Administration Console.

Example: Assigning security codes

The following security codes are set up:

„ A graphic display named Boiler is assigned security code B.

„ The DataLogOn command is assigned security code D.

„ A tag named BoilerTemp is assigned security code E.

„ The application is assigned security code P.

Setting up security Q 15–3

 In the User Account editor, the following security codes are assigned:

„ The Operators group is assigned security codes B and D.

„ The Shift Supervisors group is assigned security codes A

through O.

„ Administrator is assigned all the security codes.

„ The Guests group is assigned security code B.

This means that:

„ users who belong to the Operators group can access the Boiler
graphic display and the DataLogOn command. This group can also
access any graphic displays that have unlimited security assigned to
them.

„ users who belong to the Shift Supervisors group can access

everything at run time when they are using the RSView SE client,
but they cannot open the application in RSView Studio, or the
RSView Administration Console.

„ the Administrator has full access to the system at run time, and can
open the application in RSView Studio, or the RSView
Administration Console.

„ users who log on to the system as Guest can only access the Boiler
graphic display and any displays that do not have security assigned
to them.

Finding your way around

To assign security codes to Use the For details, see

users or groups User Accounts below

editor
RSView commands and macros Secured page 15-10
Commands editor

15–4 Q RSView Supervisory Edition User’s Guide

 To assign security codes to Use the For details, see

graphic displays and OLE Graphic Displays page 15-13

objects with verb animation editor
tag writes, RSView commands, Electronic page 17-67
and input fields in graphic Signature button in
displays the Graphic
Displays editor
HMI tags Tags editor page 15-16
an application Application page 15-17
Properties dialog
box

Setting up user accounts

In the User Accounts editor, you create a list of the users and groups
that will have access to the application, and specify the level of security
for each.

You cannot create users or groups in RSView. Instead, you add

Windows® users and groups from Windows network domains and
local workstation domains, to the RSView User Accounts list in the
User Accounts editor.

Any users not in the RSView User Accounts list will not have access to
the secured parts of the application or be able to open an RSView SE
client.

Setting up security Q 15–5

 Once you have added users to the user accounts list, specify security
access for each user by assigning one or more security codes to them.

Use the RSView User

Accounts editor to add
Windows users or
groups to the list of
users in RSView, and
to assign RSView
security codes to
users and groups.

To create new users you need to set up new accounts in Windows. For
details about creating users and groups in Windows, see Windows
Help.

To open the User Accounts editor

X In the Application Explorer, double-click the User Accounts icon

or right-click the icon and then click Open.

Ensuring the administrator always has

access

When setting up accounts, first create a ‘super user’ account for the
system administrator. Be sure to select all security codes (A through P).

Setting up default access

In the forms section of the User Accounts editor, the security codes A
through P are displayed in the Security Codes frame with a check box
beside each. The default is for all check boxes to be selected. When you
add a user to the RSView User Accounts list, the default security codes
are assigned to them, which you can edit as needed.

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 You can edit the default set of security codes to represent the level of
access most users will have. This will eliminate the need to edit the
security codes for each user or group manually. Since all users will
probably not have the same level of access, you will still have to edit
some user’s access manually.

To edit the default user codes

1. On the Setup menu, click Default User Codes.

2. In the Default User Codes dialog box, clear the check boxes beside
the codes that average user will not have access to.

3. Click OK.

Adding users or groups

Before you can add user or group accounts to the RSView User
Accounts list, the user accounts must exist in a Windows domain or
local workstation domain. For details about creating users and groups
in Windows, see Windows Help.

To add users from a Windows domain, the network must have at least
one Windows server acting as a domain controller.

You can use local workstation domains provided that all computers
participating in the application have identical sets of user accounts and
passwords, are in the same Windows workgroup, and all users
participating in the workgroup have administrative rights.

To add users to the RSView User Accounts list

1. On the Setup menu, click Add Users/Groups, or click the Add

Add User/Group tool User/Group tool on the toolbar.

2. In the Windows Domain box, click the down arrow to display the
domains and then click the name of a domain from which you
want to add users.

Setting up security Q 15–7

 3. In the Windows Users or Groups list, click the user or group
names you want to include in the RSView User Accounts list.

4. To move the selected names, click the Move button (>). To move
all the names, click the Move All button (»).

5. Click OK.

6. To add users or groups from another domain, select it as described

in step 2 and repeat steps 3 through 5.

Removing users or groups

When you remove a user or group from the RSView user list:

„ The name of the user or group is deleted from the RSView User
Accounts list. The user or group is not deleted from the Windows
domain.

„ The security codes of the user or group are deleted from the User
Accounts editor.

If you remove users from the Windows domain, they are not removed
automatically from the RSView user list. You must remove the users
from the RSView user list manually.

To remove user accounts from the RSView user list

1. On the Setup menu, click Add Users/Groups, or click the Add

User/Group tool on the toolbar.

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2. In the RSView User Accounts list, click the user name or group
name to be deleted.

3. Click the Remove button.

4. When you are finished, click OK.

Assigning security codes to users or groups

1. In the User Accounts editor, click the name of the user or group
whose security codes are to be changed.

2. In the Security Codes area, make sure there is a check mark in the
check box beside each security code the user to have access to.

3. Clear the check boxes beside the codes the user or group is not
supposed to have access to.

4. Click Accept.

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for each user or group, and then click
Close.

If a person is a member of more than one security group, the security

persmissions are combined. For example, if John Doe is a member of

Setting up security Q 15–9

 Operators, whose codes are AB, and Supervisors, whose codes are CD,
John Doe has the codes ABCD.

Assigning login and logout macros

Each person with a user account can have a login and logout macro.

Any macro component can be a login or logout macro and can contain
any RSView command. For example, a login macro could contain a
command to bring up a graphic display for an area of the plant. A
logout macro could contain commands to redefine sensitive keys.

For the login and logout macros to be executed, they must be in the
area from which the Login or Logout command was executed.

For more information about macros, see Chapter 22, Creating macros.

To assign a login or logout macro to a user account

1. In the User Accounts editor, click the name of the user or group to
be assigned a login or logout macro.

2. Type the name of a macro in the Login Macro box and Logout
Macro box. If the macro’s name contains spaces, it must be
enclosed in quotes.

3. Click Accept.

4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each user to be assigned a login or

logout macro, and then click Close.

Setting up security for commands and macros

In the Secured Commands editor, create a list of the RSView

commands and macros whose access is to be restricted, and then assign
a security code to each. Only users assigned the same security code as
a particular command or macro, will have access to it.

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You can also set up security for commands using the Signature button
in a graphic display to control the actions an operator can perform at
run time, for example:

„ setting the value of a tag.

„ issuing a command.

„ downloading values to programmable controllers or devices.

For details about using the Signature button, see page 17-67.

To open the Secured Commands editor

X In the Application Explorer, double-click the Secured Commands

icon, or right-click the Secured Commands icon and then click
Open.

The Unspecified_Command
The first record in the Secured Commands list is called
Unspecified_Command. Any commands or macros that are not in the
list use the security code selected for the Unspecified_Command.

You can change the security code for the Unspecified_Command.

Initially, it is an asterisk (*), which means a user will have access,
provided they have at least one security code assigned. A user must
possess at least one security code for * access to work.

Setting up security Q 15–11

 If you leave it as an asterisk, you have to list all RSView commands and
macros to which access is to be restricted. This is referred to as security
by inclusion.

If you change the security code for the Unspecified_Command to a

letter, it means that any item not in the Secured Commands list, will
have that letter as their security code and only users assigned that letter
will have this broad access. In the Secured Commands list, you have to
list only those commands users to have access to. This is referred to as
security by exclusion.

Setting up security by inclusion

Security by inclusion means all RSView commands and all macros
requiring security are listed in the Secured Commands editor.

To set up security by inclusion

1. For Unspecified_Command, leave the security code as *.

2. In the Command box, type the command or macro you want to

assign security to.

If you assign security to the Login and Logout commands, be sure

to give all users, including Unspecified_Command, access to these
commands. Otherwise, users might be locked in or out of the
system. It is recommended that Login and Logout keep the *
security code.

3. In the Security Code list, select a code for the command or macro.

4. You can type a remark in the Description field to describe the level
of security provided.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each command and macro, and then
click Close.

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 Setting up security by exclusion

To set up security by exclusion, set the Unspecified_Command in the

secured commands editor to a letter, rather than the asterisk (any code
access). This means that the user will not have access to a command
unless they are assigned the security code for it.

To set up security by exclusion

1. For Unspecified_Command, change the security code to any letter.

2. In the Command box, type a command or macro you are going to

give users access to.

3. In the Security Code list, select a letter as the security code for the
command or macro.

4. You can type a remark in the Description field to describe the level
of security provided.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each command and macro to which

users will need access, and then click Close.

Include the Login and Logout commands and assign them the *
security code.

Assigning security to a graphic display

Use the Graphic Displays editor to assign security to a graphic display.

You can assign security while you are creating a graphic display, or you
can assign it later.

You can also set up security for objects in a graphic display using the
Signature button to control the actions an operator can perform at run
time, for example:

„ setting the value of a tag.

Setting up security Q 15–13

 „ issuing a command.

„ downloading values to programmable controllers or devices.

For details about using the Signature button, see page 17-67.

To assign security to a graphic display

1. In the Graphic Displays editor, right-click in a display and select

Display Settings to open Display Settings dialog box, or select
Display Settings from the Edit menu.

2. In the Properties tab of the Display Setting dialog box, click the
arrow beside the Security Code box, and then select a security code
other than the asterisk (*).

Click a security code.

3. Click OK.

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Assigning security to an OLE object

Use the Graphic Displays editor to assign security to a graphic object

with OLE verb animation.

IMPORTANT Once an OLE object is activated, there is no security

within the associated application. Therefore, the only
way to secure the application is to assign security to the
OLE object.

To assign security to an OLE object

1. In the Graphic Displays editor, select the OLE object you intend
to secure.

2. Right-click the OLE object and select Animation from its context
menu.

3. Select OLE Verb.

Click a security code.

4. In the OLE Verb list, click the verb you intend to secure.

5. In the Security list, click a security code and then click Apply.

Setting up security Q 15–15

Assigning security to an HMI tag

Use the Tags editor to assign security to an HMI tag.

Assign security to an HMI tag to restrict write access to the tag. This
prevents users who are not assigned the tag’s security code from
changing the tag’s value. You can assign security to HMI tags only. You
cannot assign security to data server tags.

You can also secure tags using the Signature button in a graphic display,
to control the actions an operator can perform at run time, for
example:

„ setting the value of a tag.

„ issuing a command.

„ downloading values to programmable controllers or devices.

For details about using the Signature button, see page 17-67.

To assign security to a tag

1. Open the Tags editor.

2. Select the tag that requires security.

Click a security code.

3. In the Security list, click a security code, and then click Accept.

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Preventing users from modifying an application

You can set up security for an entire application, so that only those
users who have the required security code can open the application in
RSView Studio or the RSView Administration Console.

This only applies if the security code is something other than *

(asterisk). In the case of application security, * means no security
restrictions are assigned to the application.

To secure an application

1. In the Application Explorer, right-click the Application name and

then click Properties.

2. In the Security code list, click a security code.

Click a security code.

3. Click OK.

Locking users into the RSView SE client environment

To prevent users from going outside the RSView SE client

environment, do one or more of the following:

Setting up security Q 15–17

 Remove title bars or minimize and maximize buttons
from graphic displays

To do this, right-click the graphic display, and click Display Settings.

In the Display Settings dialog box, clear the Title Bar, Minimize Button,
and Maximize Button check boxes. For details, see page 16-39.

Disable access to the operating system

You can do this by:

„ preventing users from switching to other applications. This is set up

for the RSView SE Client using the RSView SE Client Wizard.

For details about setting up clients:

„ in distributed applications, see page 26-15.

„ in stand-alone applications, see page 27-5.

„ preventing users from accessing the desktop. This is set up using the
DeskLock tool in the RSView Tools program folder. For details
about using the DeskLock tool, see DeskLock Help.

Logging in and out

Logging in at run time

When the RSView SE client opens, it attempts to log the current

Windows user into the client. If the current user is not in the
application’s list of user accounts, the Login dialog box appears.

The user name should include the domain name. If there is more than
one domain in the user list, the domain name must be specified when
logging in.

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 If the user does not provide a domain name, the first user in the user
accounts list, minus the domain name, that matches the user name in
the dialog box, is verified.

The syntax for user name is:

DomainName\UserName

To allow different users to log in when an RSView SE client opens,

ensure you include a way for users to issue the Login command. For
example, include a button that executes the Login command on the
initial display.

To force all users to log in when an RSView SE client opens, the

account of the Windows user that is logged in must not be in the
application’s list of user accounts.

Logging out at run time

To allow users to log out at run time, include a way for them to issue
the Logout command. For example, create a button and use the Logout
command as the press action.

You can also set up an RSView SE client to log out automatically after
a specified period of inactivity. For details, see Help for the SE client
wizard.

When a user logs out, the following sequence of events occurs:

1. All displays are closed (including cached displays).

2. The current user’s logout macro is run and the user is logged out.

3. If the RSView SE client is licensed, it releases the license, allowing

the license to be used for other RSView SE clients.

4. The login dialog box is displayed.

Setting up security Q 15–19

 Changing passwords at run time
If operators are to be able to change their passwords, include a way for
them to access the operating system.

For details about changing passwords, see Windows Help.

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