unCoreInternals 9.2.1
unCore Filtered Applications

Introduction

Purpose of this document

With UNICOS 5.3.0 is appearing a new feature: the possibility to filter front-end applications to hide some elements in the UNICOS HMI. This document explains how to set up such a filter and what changes it will make.

As example, one single project (i.e. Cooling Ventilation) can contain several applications (building1, building2). Each one being composed by several front ends (i.e. building1 has PLC1 and PLC2, building2 has PLC3). There might be the need to have a HMI showing only the application for building1, hiding the application for building2. This means, only the information regarding the front end PLC1 and PLC2, including all their devices, could be shown on a specific HMI. Another HMI could show only the information concering building2. Last, another HMI could show all the application (i.e. for an expert of the entire project).

Set up a Filter

The filter is set from the default UNICOS application. Open the application configuration panel. A new bloc is now visible:

Front-End Application Filter Manager panel

Edit Application Eligibility to Filtering

The button “Select eligible applications” is used to select applications eligible to filtering.

Front-End Application Selection

Clicking on “Apply” will create a data point for each selected application and remove the data point – if it existed – for each not selected application.

The applications displayed are the ones from the local system only. The “Ok” button applies and closes the window.

It is also possible to type a custom application name in the bottom text-field (“NON_EXISTING_APPLICATION” in the screenshot). This can be usefull for instance when the user knows a certain application will exist but is not yet visible (imported later), as well as a specific use in the window and trend trees (see 4.6).

This has to be done on local system and any remote system on which applications will be needed.

Create an Instance of UNICOS Application using a Filter

The button “Configure filters” is now used to create a new instance of UNICOS application.

Application Filter Configuration Panel

The button with a blank page icon creates a new panel.

Application Filter Configuration Creation

Once the panel is created, it is possible to:

  • Change its name (“Panel name” field). Any valid file name can be used.
  • Select applications that will be visible within this panel. The list of all application selected for eligibility (in step 2.1) on every connected system is visible. It is possible to manually type a name, to add an application that is not yet visible but might be during execution of the program. A wildcard “*” can also be used in the name (see example below).
  • Select the application whose parameters will be used as default, i.e where the default panel (“Home” column) is loaded from. See 3.7 for explanations.
  • Save it.
  • Copy it.
  • Delete it.

Example: this panel will display information coming only from application “APPL1_03” and any applications starting with “APPL2_”. The default panel will be loaded from “APPL1_03” configuration.

Filter Application Selection Example

Once the panel is saved, a simple clic on the “Create” button in the bottom will create a manager to use the panel.

Filter Application Creation Example

The manager can now be started either from the console or by clicking on the “Start” button. “Start” does not work when connected on OWS.

Important note:

If you are working on a remote system and cannot use the console, you might need to ask the leader of your project to give you access to the panel that has been created, otherwise you have no way to start it.

Add an Application Specific Message

What is it?

Another use of the application filter that has been setup in the previous paragraph is to send messages to the users of some of those applications. Those messages can also be addressed to only the users of a specific group. They will be displayed in the top left corner of the main UNICOS HMI (see 3.3).

Add or Edit a Message

In the application configuration panel (chapter 2), click on the "Add or edit user tag" button. The following panel will be opened:

User Tag Configuration Panel

Here, there are no messages. Click on “New” to add one, it opens this panel:

User Edit Tag Panel

There are 5 steps to follow when creating a message, as shown on the screenshot:

A) Type the message you want to send.

B) Select the type of message: simple information, warning, or critical error.

C) Select the date until which the message will be visible. After that date, it won’t be displayed anymore.

D) Select for which applications this message will be visible.

E) Select for which groups of user this message will be visible.

A press on “OK” will save the message:

User Tag in Table

Now one message is displayed in the list and will be broadcasted to all the concerned UIs.

Note that with the list on the left, it is possible to show only the messages of the selected application(s).

A double click on any message will allow editing any part of the message and broadcast it again.

Read a Message

The UNICOS HMI looks for new messages every 30 seconds. Here, one message has been added, this is what is seen on the top left corner:

Filtered Application Warning Message

The image indicates the type of message (3.2 – B) and the message is displayed on the right. If several messages are available, only the symbol is displayed:

Filtered Application Several Messages

A click on one of the symbols will open the same panel as in 3.2 but without the possibility of adding a message.

Messages in User Tag Table

By default, only the message of the category you clicked on will be displayed (i.e. info, warning or critical), but a click on the buttons in the red rectangle above allows showing more.

Once expired, the messages will disappear during the next refresh.

Differences when Using a Filter

The filter is calculated from both steps 2.1 and 2.2. Step 2.2 is done once and cannot be edited while the UNICOS application is running. Step 2.1 can be repeated any time. This will update the current list in real time. To stay with the previous example, if the eligibility of application “APPL1_03” is removed, it will not appear anywhere anymore in the panel “filter1”. When the list changes, some panels are automatically refreshed while others need to be closed and reopened (usually the smallest and simplest ones); this property is presented in the next paragraphs.

Once the filter is calculated, the appearance of the UNICOS HMI is changed on several aspects. Here is a list of the changes.

Please note: in this chapter, "Visible applications" refers to the list of applications that are included in the filter and currently eligible to filtering.

Alarm Row

If there is an alarm on a device from an application that is not in the visible application list, it will NOT be displayed in the alarm row.

The panel is updated in real time.

Alarm List Panel

When choosing on which application to filter the alarm list, only visible applications are displayed. Selecting “*” will only display visible applications, not every application in the project.

Updated in real time (might need to close the combobox to display the applications again).

Event List Panel

The behavior is the same as the alarm list panel.

Device Tree Overview

In the device tree overview, the “application” checkbox is always checked and cannot be unchecked. The button to choose applications to filter only displays visible applications, and if “*” is selected it will display only visible applications.

If the front-end box is checked, only front-end from visible applications will be displayed.

Front-End Diagnostic

On each system, only front-end from visible applications are displayed, others are ignored.

The panel is updated in real time.

Window and Trend Trees (Operation)

Some nodes are displayed or hidden depending on their name.

When a node name is the same as any front-end application on in the project:

  • If this application is visible, the node is displayed;
  • If this application is NOT visible, the node is NOT displayed;

For any other name, the node will be displayed anyway.

Right-click -> “re-initialize” tree will update the panel.

Note: as explained in 2.1, you can filter applications that don’t exist. Choosing to show an application that doesn’t exist is useless. On the contrary, NOT choosing (i.e. not selecting it in the “Configure filters” panel) will act as a negative filter: in case of 2.1, if “NON_EXISTING_APPLICATION” is not selected, any node in the window or trend tree that is named “NON_EXISTING_APPLICATION” will not be displayed.

Application Configuration Panel

When using a filter, the application configuration panel will display the configuration for each visible application - each one in a different tab – instead of the single configuration it used to display. The default and former application configuration is NOT visible anymore; even if the visible applications list is empty (in that case the panel is empty).

Filtered Application Configuration Tabs

The tab list is updated in real time. If the displayed configuration no longer exists the view switches to another tab.

The main visual difference is that there is no way to set up or edit a filter as explained in part 2. Instead, only information on the current application is displayed.

Current Filtered Application Customization

The usual default UNICOS HMI needs to be executed to edit filters or eligibilities again.

Besides this change it is also impossible to click on the “Change settings” and “No alert row” buttons in the bottom right. Only the default HMI can edit those parameters.

Filtered Application Configuration Parameters

In this panel, the alarm configuration is now done for only one of the visible applications. This means the alarm summary must be edited on each tab to be effective on each application.

Application Configuration Alarm Summary

It is important to note that alarms can now be added from remote systems, since the alarm source must be on the same system as the application data point. It is not possible to add alarms from a system ‘X’ to an application located on system ‘Y’ (this would be useless).

This alarm configuration will affect the “application operation” and “system status” panels (see next paragraph).

The “default panel” and “navigation panel” can me configured for each application, however only one will be used: the one from the application selected as “Home” (see section 2.2). If no default or navigation panel is configured for “Home” application or if this application is not visible, then those from the global UNICOS application are used. If the global UNICOS application as none either, then the buttons are not clickable.

Favorites Management

When adding a panel to favorites, it is asked to sort it (i.e. select to which applications it will be visible).

Favorite Application Visibility

Once the applications selected, the favorites is added to their favorites list. Then, favorites from every visible application AND from the UNICOS main application are displayed and accessible.

When editing favorites, they are displayed under several tabs (one for each application).

Favorite Application Visibility Tabs

They can be removed from each application distinctly.

The tab list is updated in real time, like for the application configuration panel.

Application Operation Panel and System Status Widget

Instead of displaying the state of each system, it will display the state of each visible application. Alarms are configured and masked/unmasked from every tab in the application configuration panel (see previous paragraphe).

Application Operation Panel